I really enjoyed the dual timelines alternating month by month between Hannah’s Junior and Senior year as she deals with the immediate aftermath and 1 year after the death of her cousin and life-long friend, Sophie. The dual timelines really gave room for Hannah’s character development which was huge and very encouraging to see, especially in a YA novel about the dangers of substance abuse. Educational, but also a good story.

I received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

4⭐️

I really really liked this. This dark coming of age-ish YA mystery genre is one of my favorites, and this book did not disappoint.

The plot was really engaging, and the direction the story went in, as well as the reveals that happened all the way to the end, were all very interesting.

I like the characters (although I did mix them up a few times or forget who certain people were) , and the romance subplot was super cute. There were a few issues with the pacing. At times, it felt very slow and repetitive, but it wasn't too bad.

However, the audio that I got was terrible! I'm not sure if it was just the version I got (it's an audio Arc from Netgalley) or if they're all that way but 50% of the audio would turn into this high pitched robot garble which was a little off putting 😅.

Emery Lord's "All That's Left to Say" is a YA novel that tackles grief, loss, and the complexities of teenage relationships. The audiobook format offers a compelling way to experience this emotional journey.

The story centers on Hannah, grappling with the sudden loss of her cousin and best friend, Sophie, to a drug overdose. Unable to accept the unanswered questions, Hannah embarks on a personal investigation to find out who supplied Sophie with the drugs. This quest leads her to navigate new friendships, confront hidden truths, and confront her own misconceptions about addiction.

"All That's Left to Say" on audiobook is a great choice for listeners who enjoy character-driven YA fiction with a focus on emotional depth. It effectively captures the emotional range of the characters, particularly Hannah's raw grief and evolving determination.

Rating: 4.5 stars rounded up

Synopsis: On prom night, Hannah MacLaren sits in the headmaster's office in her fanciest dress, soaked to the bone. She is in huge trouble after pulling the fire alarm right as the prom queen was about to be crowned. But Hannah had her reasons . . .

One year ago, her cousin Sophie, who was also her best friend and the person she loved most in the world, died of an overdose. Drowning in grief, Hannah became obsessed with one question: Who gave Sophie those pills? Who is refusing to give her family the closure they deserve?

Then she concocted a plan: enroll at her cousin's fancy private school with a new look and a mouthful of lies, and finally uncover the truth.

But Hannah didn't expect all the lines to blur. She didn't expect Sophie's friends to be so complicated. She didn't expect to fall for her longtime enemy. Now, she must choose to either let herself really mourn Sophie and move on, or see her search through to its explosive end—even if it means destroying herself.

Review: This book was amazing. Amazing. As someone who has lost someone they love in a similar way, I very much so related to Hannah's desperate need for answers. This book was incredibly well written and felt like so many feelings and thoughts I've had as well. Highly recommend this book. Highly.

I was on the edge of my seat for most of this audiobook. The narrator was perfect, the pacing was perfect, the plot itself *chefs kiss*
If a ya who done it is your jam, then you’ll want to pick this one up.

All That's Left to Say is another stellar read from Emery Lord! Beautifully written! Hand this to teens who enjoy a good emotional read. Recommended for all YA collections, especially where Lord's previous works are popular.

Hannah and Sophie are close after growing up together. They are not only best friends, they are cousins. But they live different lives. Sophie
lives in a grand house and goes to a private school, her mother constantly trying to mold her into a country club diamond when Sophie would rather relax without all the pressure.

Hannah's mum and sister of Sophie's mum - follows a completely different style of parenting. She lives by the motto, "It's your life." eg. If Hannah wanted to watch a horror movie, her mum left it up to her to make the decision and allowed Hannah to make her own mistakes. She was always there if Hannah needed her, but unlike Sophie, sometimes she wished her mum would be tougher so she didn't have to shoulder some things.

Sophie has a friend group apart from Hannah, and Hannah has her best friend Lincoln, so when Sophie is at a party one night, Hannah is not with her. The first thing she knows about it is a text from someone to say they think Sophie is the reason for the ambulance that has arrived.

Hannah is frantic trying to contact Sophie, hoping the text was wrong. It's actually even worse. Sophie is dead. Opioid overdose. Hannah's world falls apart.

Sophie had another best friend in her private school world named Gabi. Hannah and Gabi find talking to each other about Sophie helps with the grief and guilt. Soon they put their heads together with a plan. They are going to figure out who gave the drugs to Sophie. Who is responsible for her death?

This plan kicks off a year after Sophie's death, and involves spending time away from her home town, reinventing herself and attending Sophie's school for senior year. A long-time debating rival is getting too close, but she is still hurting from his behaviour in the past and struggles being around him.

Can Hannah hide her connection to the girl who tragically died? Can she and Gabi keep their friendship hidden? Can Hannah begin to trust the boy that broke her heart when she was 14, and most important of all - who was responsible for Sophie's death?


This Young Adult novel is told in two time zones:

Junior year of Hannah, including life before Hannah's best friend and cousin Sophie died, and the fallout afterwards
Senior year of Hannah, hiding her true identity to discover who was responsible for supplying Sophie the drugs that killed her

This is a story of love, deep grief and surviving it, revenge for a lost loved one and guilt about not knowing that loved one had a serious problem and never came to them for help.

Swapping between the two time zones is clearly shown in the book and keeps things interesting as clues are revealed. But this is far from an "Aha!" mystery, or a "Gotcha!" reveal, as substance abuse is so much more complicated than one person selling to another. Main character Hannah reinvents herself to find out the truth, nearly losing herself in the process.

A beautifully written, sometimes raw, thoughtful and heart wrenching novel on expectation, friendship, wealth, misconceptions, love and loss.

Perfect for fans of Kathleen Glasgow.

Thanks to Bloomsbury & Net Galley for the Review Copy of this novel.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me a free ALC in exchange for an honest review.

I wanted to love this, but instead it felt far too long with no real movement for lengthy periods. The main character often came across unlikeable (particularly at points where the author was trying to garner sympathy for her) and made for a difficult narrator.

Large clues were dropped at points yet the main character - who appears to be detail orientated through her journalism - misses them entirely.

The need to be correct and socially aware is constantly repeated throughout this book even if it doesn’t fit with natural speech which is jarring.

Omg I could not stop listening to this book! It was so good. Everything about this book had me so curious and just wanting more. I devoured this listen! Will definitely be recommending to others! Thank you so much for the opportunity!

Thank you to netgalley and Spotify Audiobooks for allowing me to read this book. I really enjoyed the plot of the story.

This is a wonderful story about addiction and loss. The narration was perfect. I felt profound sadness about it all but the ending is full of hope.

Hannah's best friend and cousin, Sophie, dies unexpectedly leaving her angry and determined to take revenge. She is certain someone is at fault, and embarks on a fact finding mission with Sophie's best friend, Gabi, determined to find who is to blame.

The story winds between two timelines, what is current day and the time leading up to and following Sophie's death, illustrating the difficulties Hannah has maintaining relationships with her friends and family due to her grief and quest for revenge.

This got a little after-school-special-y with the drug use lectures, which teens will see from a mile away. The story was fast paced and the characters were well thought out, but the end was a little bit anti-climactic.

Love the cover.

Good audio narration.

Oh noooo. This was terrible. The writing sucks and it reads so young. I would not recommend this, not even if you’re looking for a hate/read or palate cleanser of a book.