Reviews with content warning for Adult/minor relationship - When You Were Everything

Reviews tagging 'Adult/minor relationship'

When You Were Everything by Ashley Woodfolk

6 reviews

bookcheshirecat's review against another edition

funny reflective sad medium-paced

4.0

“I can forget about her for hours or even whole days, and then the truth rushes back like a brush fire, burning me from the inside out. The person you loved? They're gone.”

➽ This was such an emotional story about friendship breakups! The book follows Cleo whose friendship with her best friend Layla has imploded almost a month ago and she's struggling to move on with her life. I liked that this was told in two timelines, the present day and the time leading up to their breakup. I love stories that focus on friendships and how difficult it can be to lose them. While there is a side romance, the focus is on Cleo's hurt and devastation of losing the most important person in her life: Layla. We slowly uncover what happened between them, why they're no longer friends and if they can ever be okay again.

➽ I really felt for Cleo, she was such an authentic character. Most of us know how hard it is to lose a close friend, so my heart went out to Cleo. She's just struggling a lot as her parents separated and she has no other friends apart from Layla. Part of her is terrified to trust anyone else again, as Cleo fears she'll just get left behind again. She doesn't want to get to the point where she needs a person as badly as she needs Layla. It's easier to sabotage any connections before it gets to this point. I liked that she still grew closer to Sydney, one of her classmates and found a support network outside of Layla. Cleo was still hung up on her, but unsure how to move on from all their shared memories. She starts trying to make new ones to override everything associated with her ex-best friend, but it's not easy.

➽ I liked the heartbreaking exploration of a friendship that breaks apart slowly. Layla doesn't get a POV, but the author did a great job showing both sides of the friendship and how they ended up hurting each other. I felt more connected to Cleo, as I related to her situation more, but you could see that she also made her share of mistakes. Cleo and Layla have been friends for years, but everything changes when Layla gets into the choir and starts befriending the other girls who are also in the club. I understood that Layla wanted to be on good terms with them and liked that her new friends approved of her. At the same time, she becomes more distant from Cleo and stops investing as much time into their friendship.

➽ It's even more difficult as her new friends hate Cleo and think she's a snob. The situation is devastating for Cleo as there is nothing worse than other people taking away your friend and making it clear that you're not part of their group. I've definitely felt like an outsider before, so I understood how Cleo struggled to stay connected with Layla when she felt how much her new friends wanted her gone. She was definitely resentful and did not communicate her feelings, so Layla and Cleo grew apart with many things unsaid simmering between them. It becomes a vicious cycle of miscommunication and anger. I still think that Layla's new friends weren't that healthy for her, especially as she stood by and let them do whatever they wanted. The ending was realistic

as I didn't think Cleo and Layla would get back together as friends. Too much happened between them, but there was hope that they've made their peace with what happened.

“The thing I didn’t realize about having a best friend while I still had one is just how wrapped up she is in everything I do. Every outfit I wear or song I listen to. Every place I go. Losing someone can leave you haunted.”

Content Warnings

mrsmishler's review against another edition

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emotional reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

Content Warnings

cosmicwillow's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

Content Warnings

danajoy's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful sad

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Content Warnings

bookishjude's review

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medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Content Warnings

lorithereadingfairy's review

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challenging dark reflective slow-paced

Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

Review on my blog, The Reading Fairy

Disclaimer: I received an ARC via Netgalley in exchange for my honest review. This does not affect my opinion.

Actual Rating: 3.5 stars!

TW: bullying, divorce, toxic friendship, death of a family member, underage drinking, slut-shaming, teen pregnancy, absentee parents, pedophile relationship, cheating, girl-girl hate, gossip
Rep: F/F side romance, QPOC side character, black main character, some black side cast

"Somehow I am a girl who makes all the wrong choices, but I am also a girl who aches in every way to be wanted despite my mistakes."

I took a chance on Netgalley. Fully thinking that I wouldn't be accepted, because my ratio still isn't at an 80%, and doesn't really look like I'd get accepted to anything. But imagine my surprise, when I got an email notification saying that I was accepted into reading an ARC of this book.

This book was good-but I did have some issues with it-towards the end. I liked the overall message it sent that sometimes actions can affect friendships for better or for worse.

I saw something on Twitter like last year or what not about something giving brown eye people some love-and I do feel like this book does. The author mentions brown-eyed people a lot, and I think that's really cool.

The pain behind getting ghosted, and losing your best friend. That stuff is always painful and messy because you're confused. I was confused when all my best friends cut me off after 6th grade. Hell, I lost almost everyone in 5th grade because of rumors. So I do know how messy losing friends are.

You spend so much time with these people you call friends. And than, one day-they cut you off. You're left with no answers, and no one talking to you. Everyone cuts you off with no answers or if you're lucky you get blamed by toxic friends. Both are pretty shitty if you ask me.

There was this part that was completely shitty behavior if you asked me, but I understand where she was coming from. Her best friend was hanging out with people (which is just fine), but was purposely leaving her out. I understand the behavior, but what happens afterwards was still so shitty. How can you do that to your best friend?

I'm really loving this format though. I've only seen it once and that was with Monday's Not Coming, but this book just makes it entertaining. Highlighting both Cleo's feelings of jealously to her friend and trying to move on from the pain that was involved in the breakup.

I think it was nice, but it does show what people do out of anger and jealously. It doesn't excuse their behaviors, but we all make mistakes-some just cost their friendship.

I kinda just want to add this side-note. Can we talk about the girl-on-girl hate in this book? Honestly, I just want to applaud that because it is realistic. Girls are often really petty to each other, and it does seem what girls could do to each other. Wreck not only one, but more lives involved if they wanted to.

The characters were really gray especially Cleo. I liked her a little bit, but she did made terrible decisions that overall affected her. All the characters were grey, and seemed to be developed.

The fact that Cleo loves Shakespeare? I find that really awesome and I love that she makes all these Shakespeare references. It's just really cool and the way she describes on why she likes it. It's just so hard not to love. I'm not a Shakespeare fan, but I think it's cool that she does.

I didn't really like the ending. It was nice and all, but didn't really fit with the book. I'm talking about the one specific part that was brought up. Like what was the point in that, besides bringing up the closure on why Cleo's parents got divorce? Though, I did appreciate the ending-ending. It was really satisfying about Cleo no longer holding onto her old friendship, and simply enjoying the new ones.

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