All That Was was an interesting book, but I am not sure that it is something that I will remember reading after a few months.

(I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.)

All That Was is a retrospective on a friendship after one of the parties is dead. This isn't a spoiler; you find out within a few pages. But it's the how? and the why? and the whose fault was it? questions that are so powerful. Overall, this novel is a deep dive into those complex questions and the feelings that come with trauma and grief.

This book was challenging for me, primarily because Piper was such a bad friend to Sloane. Again and again, Piper makes destructive choices for their friendship, and Sloane goes along with it because she doesn't know how to behave in any other way. This is 100% the intention of the author and it's well-written, but it's still hard to read.

I really enjoyed Sloane's disconnectivity, particularly as she grieves. She describes feeling like she's underwater and feeling haunted by Piper's ghost, and these moments read vibrant and real. I also enjoyed Soup's character in general, as well as the neighbor. Overall, the tight cast of characters really allows the reader to get to know everyone.

I think this is a fine choice for a high school library, with trigger warnings for rape.

Could not get into this one. Did not finish just under 8%.

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley for an honest review.

This wasn’t a very happy book and normally that doesn’t bother me if the story is interesting, you feel a connection to the characters, etc. because not every story has to be happy. I think that was the problem with this. I didn’t connect to anybody. Most of the characters were very unlikeable, the plot was slow and repetitive. I just really felt nothing except maybe some exasperation with the whole thing.

Heartbreaking. The characters were really well developed. Totally something I'd recommend to my students.

This book takes you on a wild ride through the friendship of Piper and Sloane. Things get ever crazier when Piper's boyfriend "Soup" kisses Sloane. But, then the unthinkable happens Piper is found dead and Sloane has to face the guilt of what happened.

Holy Cow.
Actual Rating....4.5 stars.

I'm still trying to formulate feelings into words.

The writing...I loved the writing. This author...I need more!

What I loved...No is no even if no started out as yes....the minute yes becomes no it's NO. I think that point can't be driven home enough. I really liked the way the author didn't preach this theme...but it was there, just below the surface. And sometimes the hardest person to say NO to is the person who is supposed to be your best friend.

What I didn't love....certain parts of the book were a bit confusing. Possibly because I was reading this on my device and I think in places the formatting was off a bit. NBD...did not in any way ruin the story.

What I needed....I would have loved a little more ending. A little more clarity in the end. BUT, I understand why that isn't there. So, I'm just imagining the ending just the way I want it...PERFECTO! :-)