A review by lorithereadingfairy
When You Were Everything by Ashley Woodfolk

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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