This story is about Maddy who is 16 and who has cancer. She reconnects with her father who left before she was born which her mom doesn't know. After Maddy's death her family is left to pick up the pieces and deal with the grief

I couldn't get into this one, although I tried. I just don't think it's for me. I'm sure that other people will really enjoy it,

I tried really hard a few times to get into this story, but I just could not connect with the character and it was too slow-moving for me and didn't keep my interest.

Honestly, it surprised me that All The Water in the World was a debut novel. I loved the writing. It's a story of loss, love, and family, and I was especially drawn to Maddy's character. I think this book would have been even better if it was just from Maddy's point of view and not Eve's. Personally, Eve's character really frustrated me. It's as though she was the only character who experienced loss, but Eve's parents lost a granddaughter too . I loved Maddy's relationship with her grandfather and I wish it could have been developed more. Overall., a good read, especially for a debut. Very emotional though!

ALL THE WATER IN THE WORLD by Karen Raney is a debut novel told through two voices, Maddy and her mom, Eve. Maddy is just sixteen and has cancer so both are coping with quite a bit. Eve is a single parent and Maddy has never met her dad, Antonio, which is also central to the story. Teens will like Maddy who is adventuresome, artistic and courageous with a variety of coping mechanisms. For example, she says, "I imagine wrapping myself in some big, thick, material until everything is muffled and distant. Then I imagine I am being observed by someone I can't exactly picture, who knows everything I'm thinking and loves me anyway. It makes me feel I can do all kinds of difficult things." Due to all of the chemo treatments, she is home-schooled by a wise teacher: "if you go straight for an answer, you get something you already know. If you go the crooked way back, you have a chance of getting something more interesting." With her teacher's encouragement, Maddy gets involved in the environmental movement and that leads to time with Jack, another student who becomes her boyfriend and colleague on the campaign. When Maddy is down, she turns to her grandparents and mother for support. However, Eve comes off as very self-centered and Maddy has to worry about her, too. Maddy tries to choose independence and resilience, thinking, "Nowadays that was my motto: Keep going and see what happens." This is a well-written and multi-layered, if sad, book. ALL THE WATER IN THE WORLD received a starred review from Booklist.
It was difficult to decide between 3 (Eve) vs 4 (Maddy) stars for this title.

4 ★ Told in alternating chapters, All the Water in the World is touching and moving. At the heart of this story is the relationship between a mother and her daughter Maddy who has cancer, and the people in their lives. I applaud Karen Raney for her beautifully written debut about family secrets, first love, friendship, pain and grief in this profound story. It’s a true treasure. ♥️

Thanks to Scribner via NetGalley for sharing with me a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I received an arc of this title for an honest review. I tried really hard a few times to get into this story, but I just could not connect with the character and it was too slow-moving for me and didn't keep my interest.

Maddy is trying to live her life as normally as possible, despite having cancer. She wants to laugh with her best friends, go to church with her grandparents, and get her crush to like her back. Eve is just trying to keep going. When she finds out her daughter was keeping something from her, everything comes apart. 

There was nothing wrong with this book. It was just boring. There was a great over all plot, I just didn't think it was executed the right way. . I loved the dual perspectives and dual timelines and I think they made the story more compelling but the three “Parts” didn’t add anything to the narrative. When it comes down to it, this is story about a mother and her daughter, and honestly, I would have liked more scenes with the two of them together. 

ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was a difficult book for me to get in to. The idea of the story was good, and the characters were likable, but the flow of the story and conversations between characters were choppy and disjointed. I also am not entirely sure what the point of the book was, and the ending seemed.... unfinished.

The story alternates viewpoints between Eve, the mom, and Maddy, the daughter. Maddy is 16 and battling cancer while trying her hardest to be a "normal" teenager. Eve is trying to keep Maddy safe and comfortable, while supporting her decisions to have a somewhat normal life. The premise of this book was great, I liked the majority of the book. I just struggled with some of the conversations between characters. They seemed to say things that were irrelevant or worded in a way that is uncommon and awkward (could be because the author lives in London and British-English is different than American-English, though I have read other books by British authors and didn't struggle with wording.) The plot also seemed jumpy at the start of a new chapter. One chapter would be talking about Maddy when she was a little girl and the next would be talking about an art museum where Eve works currently with no indication of the story going back to the present time. It would takes several sentences or paragraphs to realize I was reading about a different point in time.

Overall, the story was decent. I think this book definitely reads as a debut, and could benefit from minor additions, like a time period at the beginning of a chapter to be less confusing. I would read another book by this author in the future.

All the Water in the World really hit home with me. Be prepared for a tear jerker here, because this story is touching and moving. I cannot believe this is a debut author, because Raney writes with a depth of a seasoned writer.

This book has two alternating Point of Views, Maddy who is battling cancer. She is also navigating first love, finding her father, and finding a ton of motivation in art. Then there is Eve, Maddy's mother. She is a loving relationship with her boyfriend Robin, holding down a career, and trying to manage Maddy's treatment's and everything else that comes with having an ill child.

I really don't want to delve to much beyond the plot, but the way Raney wrote this story was almost perfection. I hate to say that I speak from experience, but I do, and Raney pretty much nailed this story. I found myself reliving some brutal moments, but then being able to see that light at the end of the tunnel.

Simply beautiful, engaging and I just want everyone to go out and read this. Very well done.

Thank you Scribner and NetGalley for an Advanced Reader's Copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Maddy's 16 and she's got cancer= and she knows she's dying. Her mother Eve doesn't want to believe it nor does her mother's partner Robin. But she knows and she decides she's going to find her biological father Antonio, about whom her mother has told her very little. Her grandfather is able to give her some clues and thus, thanks to the wonders of the internet, she engages him over email. Eve has never quite resolved this relationship and, after Maddy's death, seeks him out. The story is told in alternate chapters by Maddy and by Eve. Maddy's voice comes through with more clarity, especially in her commentary about her grandparents and friends (notably, Jack). The art gallery where Eve works might remind you of the Phillips. This isn't a grief soaked novel but it's always there beneath the surface. If I have one quibble, it's that I had a hard time visualizing Maddy's animation, although I suspect this is a failure of my imagination and not of Raney. Thanks to the publisher for the ARC. This isn't a downer, by any means, and there's a wondrous gift from Robin to Eve near the end.

Oh dear. This was not the book for me. That said, the writing was actually good, although the story tried to do too much so felt burdened.

This was a sad book, and though it was well written, I couldn't really connect to the story of characters on a very deep level. I'm not sure what it is exactly, but it wasn't quite for me. That being said, this is very much a personal taste thing as the writing was good and the story well plotted.

Tender and thoughtful, ALL THE WATER IN THE WORLD richly weaves a story of the complexities and pitfalls of familial relationships. It's a moving and rewarding read, with wonderfully complex characters facing poignant and challenging situations.

I really really liked this novel; it is well written both emotionally and descriptively. The story of a mother and daughter, their special bond, and their mutual loss is beautifully told and heartfelt and tender. The previous reviewer didn’t seem to understand that Eve, the mother, was truly grieving. I didn’t see anything selfish in her actions or attitude! The characters were well written and everyone was understandable. I kept reading and reading, eager to see that everyone was ok in the end. And that is my definition of a captivating good book!

This one was not one of my favorites. Too sad and not really about Maddy, but more Eve's story. I understood that it was a story of a mother losing her daughter, but it was also a story of a daughter losing her mother. I felt Eve was a selfish person who felt as if she was the only one who lost something.