This book was a quick read. Hard topics and I felt like it was a little bit to easy. The topics were super real but then it seemed like the main character only pulled himself together because of someone else and I felt like that seemed dangerous. The book was easy to read the writing was a little hard to follow, it didn't flow very nicely.

I received this book in exchange for my honest review.

Before i get into my review, this could have just been the mood that i was in when i had read it, that being said. This book wasn't as good as I thought that it was going to be. The synopsis made it sound more interesting than it actually was.

There was a lot of moments that could have been improved imo.

Thank you to NetGalley and Wattpad Books for the advance reader copy of Saving Everest by Sky Chase, in exchange for an honest review. I could not put this book down, debut author, Sky Chase has written a great, diverse YA romance. The story of Everest Finley, popular, gifted and athletic, who silently suffers from depression and tries to end his life was crushing. Everest really has no strong family support; when he returns to school he is scorned by his girlfriend, best friend, and team members. Retreating to the library, he meets Beverly, a quiet, shy, but happy girl who pledges her friendship and support. Both Bev and Everest are strong likable characters teens will relate to and love as Bev and Everest become best friends, challenging themselves to become better for each other. I fell in love with Everest’s voice, his honest music, and his fearlessness. While Bev was a strong positive influence for Everest, he challenged her to go outside her comfort zone, become visible, and experience what high school is all about. Together can they both find their true selves? Bev and Everest are smart, confused, of- the-moment teens who are just trying to understand life, love, and their place in the world. The drama and action move this story of friendship and romance forward to a satisfying conclusion. I would love to see another book from Sky Chase following Everest and Bev after high school! One reason for the 4-star rating; I did feel Everest would have benefited from follow-up help from a therapist for his suicide attempt and continuing depression. This debut accurately and honestly deals with teen mental health, family issues, and high school life; highly recommended!

This book really disappointed me. It had such potential to be a powerful story. But it felt rushed and like the author was trying much too hard to make an impact. The story needs a little polishing and it could use more character development. Definitely not a favorite of mine.

This probably a case of it’s me and not the book, but I can’t couldn’t finish this one. I can understand the topics that the author tried to cover but the execution was not great. The writing was choppy and the characters came off shallow and one dimensional.

I also feel like the topic of suicide could have been handled so much better. It was basically used as a plot point to make everything start off instead of actually seeming to care about Everest.

This isn’t a hateful one star review, more so just a ‘this book really wasn’t for me’ one star kind of review. Netgalley really got me with that cover. And I really hate to say it, but the content inside didn’t feel reflective of the beautiful cover. I felt that Saving Everest had confusing characterizations, no real point of contention and was just juvenile in it’s execution.

I think the nicest thing I have to say about this book is that it reads like a good fan-fiction story would, fast-paced and accessible. Seriously, I am by no means a reader that starts a book and finishes it in a sitting, but I pretty much did so with this book. (Which is no surprise, as Wattpad is publishing this book.)

Despite that praise, I also think this book read a lot like some of the bad FF I used to read. I lived and breathed FF in my late teens, so I’m not stranger to it. I felt that Saving Everest wasn’t anything special or new, which I would largely pin down to the amateurish writing style.

There is also something that feels very dated about this story. Literally every character in Everest’s life – his parents and popular friends, want nothing to do with him after finding out about his suicide. And… I just don’t believe that in 2019? I’m sure there ARE people who treat people with mental health issues as ‘crazy’ or ‘weird’… but everyone in your life? Like even his own therapist seemed disinterested in his recovery.

Worse so, Everest’s suicide merely feels like a catalyst for Everest and Beverly to become friends. Upon finding out about Everest’s suicide attempt, he is isolated by his friend group and the rest of the school… except by the school’s loner – Beverly, who has basically been harbouring a crush on him for a while.

At the point in which the two MC’s become friends (which is in the beginning of the story), there is little to basically no discussions surrounding mental health for the rest of the story? Which is strange because the blurb positions this book as being ‘poignant’ and uh, I think it really missed the mark.

What this book really is – is a slice of life teen romance. At least that’s what it felt like to me. Whilst I’m sure the authors motive to advocate about mental health is legitimate, unfortunately this story wasn’t successful in doing so.

I was hesitant about requesting Saving Everest. Sometimes I look forward to dark stories that can move me emotionally, and sometimes they just end up draining me. In the case of Saving Everest, I did begin to wonder if the depression that Everest was suffering from was too much for my personal "read for fun" time. I mean his depression was bad enough to cause him to attempt suicide. But thankfully the story didn't stay here too long.

I will say before moving on from that too much that we do see some of the things Everest was struggling with. His father is domineering, unsupportive, and harsh. His mother seems uninvolved or uninterested. He has friends and a girlfriend but I suppose we learn that they're not true friends. And he plays football, but I never really figured out if he hated football, the attention it brought him, or the pressure he felt to perform. So I found myself questioning how things got so bad for him to consider ending his own life. But maybe that was the point of it all? You're not really supposed to understand depression because it isn't always logical.

It was a little hard for me to believe that Everest is completely surrounded by people who are so cold and callous. That ranging from close family to supposed friends to random strangers to teachers could all be very cold toward him and the things that he was struggling with. Again, thankfully the book didn't stay stuck in this place for too terribly long. But I did have to question that there weren't more people with softer hearts.

Beverly was a breath of fresh air. She breathed life into the book just as much as she breathed life into Everest. I worried that things would be too literal with the title and Beverly single-handedly saving Everest from his depression. It's never a great idea to bank your entire happiness upon another person as that person could be taken from you at any time. And while Beverly does change things for Everest, I don't think the credit is only hers.

I was a little confused as to how Nami could be popular enough socially to be student body president when she seemed to be so abrasive to so many people. Of course, I came to really enjoy her character.

Saving Everest had moments that felt like continuity errors to me. Some I've already mentioned. Also, Everest complained at one point about the pressure to perform with football and how he'd come to hate people approaching him and praising him based off the game, yet when he turned to singing the same thing happened. He put pressure on himself to be perfect, to perform. And he constantly had more and more people approaching him in response to his music. At the same time, especially toward the end of the book, I felt like there were entire missing pieces of the story. A little more polish would have helped.

All of that being said, I read Saving Everest pretty fast. I didn't want to stop. As a matter of fact, I stayed up a little late two nights just to keep reading. It wasn't a perfect read for me. I felt some pieces were missing and others were contradictory. But overall, I loved Everest and Beverly. Saving Everest gets 3.5 Stars. Have you read Saving Everest? What did you think? Let me know!

I greatly wanted to love this book. The premise sounded like I was going to fall head-over-heels in love. Unfortunately, that didn't happen. Despite that, I still enjoyed this book a lot!

Everest is the popular kid in school who soon turns into a pariah when rumors circulate he tried to kill himself. Beverly is the quiet girl at school who suddenly doesn't want Everest to be alone through a dark moment in his life and decides to befriend him. What comes out of this is a beautiful friendship that teaches hope and acceptance.

(I'm sitting with my laptop on my blank, staring blankly in hopes I can put my thoughts together *ahem* Let's try this again in bullet points and see if it works better.)

🌻 The Characters:
I genuinely enjoyed Everest and Beverly, individually and as friends. They were simply adorable together, neither wanting to admit they liked each other. Their friendship felt more like a relationship without them knowing it and I was so giddy over it! It did get old, at times, because it was beyond obvious that their behavior towards each other wasn't just friendly, but it was cute, nonetheless.

I liked Bev's character a whole lot more, though. Her growth shines throughout the novel and it was breathtaking to see her coming out of her shell and befriending her classmates.

Everest, while I liked him, I have conflicting feelings. He starts off being this mouthy, nonchalant, don't-give-a-f*ck-attitude jerk that I was not a fond of. His acting out and his reckless decisions hurt various people and I was just hoping something would happen so he'd change. Thankfully, he did.

I totally adored the friends that Beverly and Everest made along the way. They were friends that truly cared and just wanted what was best for you. Two cute little ones were introduced and I wish I had more time with them! Those were Hadley, Everest's sister, and Manny, Beverly's cousin. They made things super fun and adorable.

🌻 The Relationship:
I love romance, and I loved how these two were behaving with each other. BUT! It became the sole focus on the book. Normally, I do not mind this at all, especially how cute it was! My problem was how because of this, depression wasn't really talked about in the novel.

🌻 The Plot:
This is were my feelings grow even more conflicted. I was expecting an in-depth novel, creating more awareness for Depression in high school teens. Sadly, I saw the "Depression" angle used more to have something interesting at the beginning of the novel and that's it. It was rarely talked about in the book, until this one specific scene (almost at the end of the book) shows light on the matter again.

I liked the idea that the book was on a lighter aspect, but at the same time, it wasn't educating me, or giving me reasons as to why this topic got introduced in the first place, except to throw it in there and serve its purpose of having the popular kid become an outcast.

🌻 The Holes in the Plot:
This novel also introduced many other issues that were never really resolved. They were thrown in the book to mention them and that's it. There was the case of racism. I was expecting something more and once again, it was only named in passing.

The familial issues were yet another thing that weren't resolved as they should have been. For the entire novel, we see Everest's dad being closed-off and talking sh*t about Everest. Then suddenly, he says ONE SENTENCE that gives the inkling that things are better.

We also have Bev's mom and aunt, who irritated me to no end since the book started. Same thing happened with them. Something happened between Bev and her mom, in which I was expecting a full resolution and I didn't get it. It was more of a pat on the back and we're good.

As I mentioned, I liked how it started. It showcased how a happy-looking person can actually be dying inside with so many demons tormenting them. But soon, this fizzled to nothing, left in the past, to focus on the friendship/relationship, specifically Bev's character.

I know I pointed out so many negatives but I did like the novel, mostly for the friendships made. If you want a really light Mental Health novel, then this might just be for you :)

Saving Everest by Sky Chase is amazing! I loved the characters and the plot was heart stopping, i loved every minute of it.

Everest and Beverly are both dealing with issues. Beverly has a tough home life and trouble socializing. Everest is the golden boy that has personal issues and is trying to find his way back from a suicide attempt. Story is slow paced. I had trouble staying with it but I prefer a faster pace book. The story itself wasn't bad and I did enjoy Bev and Ev together in the scenes.

I had some mixed feelings about this one. The plot of this book is one I’ve read before. Boy is depressed and falls in love with the girl that saves him. Plots can be done over and over again but if they’re well written, they can still be entertaining. I did like the premise. I think that suicide and depression are important topics that should be explored in YA books when it’s done correctly. This book doesn’t mention much about therapy or medication, which usually comes after a suicide attempt.

The problem I had with this book is the stereotypes. Our main character Everest, who is a popular jock, attempts suicide and suddenly all of his friends are shunning him. As an act of rebellion, he dyes his hair black and gets some tattoos. That just seemed to fall into the all goths/emos are suicidal stereotype. Personally, I think having a depressed character that dresses “normal” would have been more original and show that what is outwards doesn’t exactly display what’s on the inside.

I also thought it was unrealistic that like, a week after cutting his wrist deeply, he got tattoos to cover them up. I’n pretty sure you have to wait until scars have completely healed to get them tattooed over?

There is some diversity to the story - our main female character, Beverly, is black. Everest deals with mental illness. His friend is gay.

Overall, it’s well written and was a promising idea that just fell through. I know this was originally on Wattpad, and it felt exactly like that. It felt like reading a Wattpad book online and not like an actual book.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgallery for providing me when an ARC.

**Disclaimer: I was given an e-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.**

Unfortunately, I had to stop reading this book. I couldn’t get into the characters or story. There are too many internal monologues and far too much telling of the story.

I appreciated the content warning as I knew what to expect when reading.

Saving Everest was a book that I wasn't sure that I would enjoy, but was surprised how well the story line moved and the development of the characters. Everest returns to school after a failed suicide attempt and Beverly who happened to be seeing him as someone who needed a friend stepped up. She understood what it felt like to be invisible and she drew in Everest to help him find happiness. Would recommend to teens and a teen book club.

Such a heart breakingly beautiful story about overcoming depression and finding love. I just wish there was a more definitive ending about what happens with the main characters.

I found this book hard to get into and frustrating at times. The whole issue of Everest attempting to kill himself was brushed over and it wasn't realistic in how it was handled (therapy, possible medication, support groups... none of this was covered or even brought up during the book). I get that it was a way for the characters to meet and using that as a catalyst but so many other things could've been done instead. I did find the book enjoyable a few times but honestly despite that this book was not something I would read again or recommend to people.

Everest Finley has it all. He's good looking, is the captain of the football team, his family is rich and he is adored by all. He should be the happiest person on the planet but he's not. Not even close. In fact, he's so unhappy he's ready to take his own life and when his attempt fails and he returns to school his world is turned upside down. His friends and his girlfriend want nothing to do with him. He's ridiculed and shunned by the in-crowd and he discovers the people he thought were his friends have abandoned him at a time when he needs them the most. Things start to change for him when he meets Beverly. Beverly is Everest's polar opposite. Where he was in the social spotlight she stays in the shadows and keeps to herself. Bright and focused on her schooling she goes unnoticed by most. She sees something in Everest that others don't and when they become unlikely friends things start to change for both of them.
So first let me say that this is my first NetGalley read and review. (Thanks for the opportunity :D) I'm really glad that I was approved to read this book. I loved the characters and it even sparked some schoolish memories for me. I love that though Everest is this super popular guy he doesn't let it go to his head. He's kind to others and treats people with respect and not like they're beneath him like so oftentimes happens with football jocks. Beverly is a ray of sunshine and it was simply hard for me to believe that she had zero friends. I mean heck...I wanted to be her friend. Kind-hearted and just easy going. Always putting others before herself. The kind of person you want as a friend. I think my favorite character though was Nami. She was hilarious! Brutely honest, tell you like it is kind of person. Stands up for the little guy and such a fierce and loyal friend.
Although I really enjoyed the story I did feel like there were some holes. It started out focused on the fact that Everest was dealing with depression and suicide. He didn't have a very good relationship with his parents and you even get to delve into some issues that Beverly has with her mom. There was the issue of race that was touched on a bit. I thought okay well we're going to address these issues and that's great something that I'm sure people can relate to and you'll get to see how they dealt with it but as the story progressed it kind of strayed a bit. I felt like there needed to be more insight into the issues that were being presented and for me, I just didn't get that. It started to focus more on just the relationship between Everest and Beverly, which like I said I really enjoyed, but by the end of the story, I felt like I was reading a completely different book than the one I'd started with. I didn't like that the ending felt very rushed. Almost like time ran out and everything was being crammed in at the last minute. That part did kind of fall short for me. I wanted to see things through and have them dealt with and again that just isn't what I got.
I did really like the plot and loved where the story went and the relationship-building not only between Everest and Beverly but the other friends they made along the way. I liked that to me it was kind of teaching you a life lesson. Be kind. Always be kind. No matter who you think a person is you never really know what's going on underneath the surface and what they're dealing with in their personal lives. I would definitely recommend it for someone who is looking for a lighter read that touches on some mental health issues but isn't very deep in that area.

Everest trys to commit suicide and the whole school finds out. The students of the school treat him badly that he feels like he has nowhere to go so he ends up at the library where he meets Beverly.

The writing was okay and the flow was good, but the way the messages were handled did not sit with me well. Somebody is depressed so the kids start bullying him for trying to commit suicide. 😤 Even his father treats him like garbage which could be where his depression comes from but was not really talked about all that much. 🤷‍♀️ The racism in this book calling Everst black beauty which is a horse by the way or the way Everest father said good thing where having chicken tonight.🤬 oh there's more but dont want to keep ranting on about it. Then I felt like half way through the book the point of the story wasnt an issue anymore so let's just throw added material to just make the book longer. I felt like it was just another cliche book about two characters that are in love but don't know it.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. Thank you NetGalley.

I found myself rooting for Everest and Beverly through the book. That's the best thing I can say about the story. I feel like it didn't tackle the "harder subjects" correctly/appropriately.. but that is just my opinion.

I found this book wonderful in the sense of diversity and heavy hitting subjects. Though when it got down to it the execution and handling on hard subjects like depression and suicide could have been handled better rather then just being a tool used to move the story along and then forgotten have way through.

All in all the love story was cute. Everest and Beverly are a couple to root for and that’s a hard thing to accomplish.

Worth the read if you down mind the subject matter

I wish this book actually followed what it stood and was written for but ofc not. It turned out into another romance :) add a sprinkle of diversity and teenagers giving "Ted talk" speeches and romantic interests not realising they're in love. Thank you 🙃

I liked the beginning and was happy that it was about depression. I was wrong. Only a few chapters had mentions of depression and then it was all them falling in love gradually. Oof. At some points the author did remember to sprinkle about mentions of mental health so that we don't forget but that's it.

I absolutely got irritated with that 'Bye Ev', 'Bye Bev' dialogue, my god. I just . . .
Although I did like the chemistry though. I liked the friendships that formed and how the story unfolded. My only complain is that towards the later half of the story, the whole theme of mental health somehow vanished. The essence was lost somewhere in the middle.

I wish we could see more into Everest's family situation and see an end to it? I just felt the romance got too much and the story's side characters just got lost. I wished the author had explored their stories more.

Overall, it was a good book and I did enjoy reading it but I did not love it as much as I had thought I would.

Thanks to Netgalley for providing me with an e-arc of this book. All opinions expressed are fully mine.