A decent contemporary YA that touches on family, love, pain, friendship - you name it, it does it. It was good, but didn't blow me away. I can tell you that if climbing is of interest, you'll appreciate the overall story even more.

I love this adventurous book with teens. It is engrossing and leaves traces on my skin. Whoo! Definitely loved this. The journey of characters are perfect and the ambiance is satisfying. Great book!

Rose and Tate have been planning and training for Everest for the past ten years and now they are about to start their climb. But a lot has changed in those ten years, from their climbing group to Rose and Tate’s relationship. As they go higher up the deadly mountain, everyone in the group must decide why they are climbing and if it is worth the risk.

I absolutely loved this book. I am probably a little biased because I am drawn to anything that involves hiking or climbing and have always been so intrigued by Everest.I think Above All Else will still appeal to readers who aren’t necessarily as interested in these things as well. The language never gets too technical or specific that only someone super familiar with hiking would really understand, which I really appreciated. There are also some subplots beyond just the hiking plot, which makes the story so much more interesting and well-rounded. I think the best thing about this book though is the universality of the lessons. Anyone who has spent years focused on something and then suddenly begins to question that time and effort can relate to the characters in this book. This is such a fast read because you are so invested in the climb, and I highly recommend this!

Tate and Rose have been best friends forever. They grew up bonding over their love for climbing which was encouraged by their parents who also climb. They start training and fundraising for the climb of a lifetime, Mount Everest, when they are fairly young when Tate discloses it’s his dream. Fast forward to their last semester of high school and their dream is about to become a reality. Rose and Tate soon discover that they have to fight their demons on the ground before they can conquer the monster named Everest.

This novel is a great piece of young adult literature for a few reasons. First of all, Rose and Tate are so REAL. They are real teenagers with relatable issues, like mental health, sick family members, strained relationships with parents, etc. It made their plights very believable. The plot line was a blend of romance and action, as their relationship soons blossoms into a romantic one once they arrive in Nepal. I loved Tate & Rose from the beginning and Levy depicted their relationship in a way that left me wanting to always find out what was next. I liked how connected I felt to all of the characters throughout the story. My only criticism is that I wish Rose had an epilogue as well. I can tell Levy put a lot of research into the logistics of climbing and Everest and it made the story even more realistic.

It was not a book for me. I don't finish connecting with history and the instalove...

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC 📚.

I used to dream about climbing Everest but the older I’ve gotten the more I realize it was never a realistic goal. So instead I read any Everest content I can get my hands on.

This book is set up in a dual perspective following best friends Rose and Tate as they finally embark on the trip of a lifetime to summit Everest. A goal since they were children it was fascinating to watch how it all unfolded. Personally I wasn’t a fan of the switching perspectives, it allowed the reader to gain inside knowledge of Rose and Tate’s thoughts but neither of their voices was strong enough to fully differentiate them as individuals. When the book started off, Tate’s chapters were from the past, in order to give us backstory to events that took place before present day. That was really the only way that I kept them straight, I found it surprising that after only a few chapters Tate’s perspective also switched to present day. The flashback chapters might have made more sense if given to both characters and sprinkled in throughout the book to give context instead of only at the beginning.

I appreciated the candidness with which this book touched on mental health topics and also just a realness to two teenagers figuring out how to navigate making adult decisions and plotting out their life paths. It was refreshing to see Tate be honest with himself and with those around him as he realized that he needed to make choices that were right for him. Even without being able to fully connect to either Tate or Rose I was cheering them on. The romance aspect of this book was a bit of a whirlwind and while I didn’t mind it too much I will say that the unprotected sex that occurred made me a bit uncomfortable (IUD’s are not 100% effective) and I was disappointed at how nonchalant Rose was with this decision because it didn’t fit in with her personality otherwise. The transition between Rose and Tate from friends to something more didn’t quite feel forced though the story probably could have survived without it. I’m not sure I had strong feelings about it either way, the climbing aspect of this story was what interested me the most.

Above All Else was an entertaining read, it was a bit slow to start but once I got going I read most of the book in one sitting. The balance between lightheartedness and raw emotion left the characters feeling realistic and I think this was a good show of how traumatic events can shape individuals. There’s a fine line that Everest stories walk in which they leave characters looking like superheroes where nothing goes wrong or they can take a turn and allow, for example, mistakes to happen and it reveals the brutal nature of the mountain. While somewhat flat, I did like the characters and their development throughout the book and I did enjoy the ease of reading it. If anything I would have loved to hear more about their climbing past but overall I think any YA reader who has found interest in Everest would enjoy this book.

Thank you netgalley for allowing me to read this early. This was not my typical read and because of that I had a hard time getting through it. I did end up finishing it, but it took me sometime.

I ended up DNF'ing this one at 50%. I was actually really intrigued by the details of climbing; the preparation and training, the beginning of the journey to Mt. Everest. And I enjoyed the platonic relationship between Rose and Tate.
But to be honest, it all felt a little unbelievable. I could not get into the budding romance and felt it a bit unnecessary from what I had read. And I just couldn't buy two 18yr olds climbing Mt. Everest.

I think this book definitely appeals to a younger audience; for a true young adult. it really is an interesting concept. It just didn't work for me.

A copy was sent to me from netgalley and edelweiss and all of the opinions stated are my own and no one else’s.

2/5 stars. DNF @ 52%. I binged this book. You would thing that that means it was good, right? Wrong. The first 30% of this book was really amazing but after that the romance between the two characters went WAY too fast. Sometimes fast paced romances work for me but this one? Nope. I was honestly enjoying the fact that they were hiking mount everest better then the damn romance. Which if you know me that is a very rare occasion.

This book is not for everyone, and I believe it’ll only work for a certain demographic.

Title: Above All Else
Author: Dana Alison Levy
Genre: YA
Rating: 4.0 out 0f 5

Rose Keller and Tate Russo have been climbing for years, training in harsh weather and traveling all over the world. The goal that kept them going? Summiting Mount Everest, the highest point on earth. Accompanied by Tate's dad, the two will finally make the ultimate climb at the end of their senior year. But neither Rose nor Tate are fully in the game--not only is there a simmering romance between them, but Rose can't get her mind off her mother's illness, while Tate constantly fails to live up to his ambitious father's standards.

Everyone on their expedition has something to prove, it seems. And not everyone is making the best decisions while short on oxygen and exhausted, body and mind. The farther up the mountain they go, the more their climbing plans unravel and the more isolated each team member becomes. Rose and Tate will have to dig deep within themselves to determine what--or who--they value above all else.

For someone with a fear of heights, parts of this were moderately terrifying. This was an intense read! I’ve hiked the Grand Canyon twice—third trip will be next year—but that’s more of a months-of-training thing, not years of training. And, while I’m fascinated by people who choose to hike Mt. Everest, I haven’t the faintest desire to actually climb any mountain.

I loved how we see this story from both Rose and Tate’s points-of-view. They’re such different people and their perspectives are so different, despite everyone thinking of them as RoseandTate. There are some intense scenes in this, but the author does an incredible job with the setting and letting us see what Rose and Tate experience on this once-in-a-lifetime journey.

Dana Alison Levy lives in New England. Above All Else is her newest novel.

(Galley courtesy of Charlesbridge in exchange for an honest review.)


(Review live on 10/19.)

I give this one 3 and a half stars. The plot is very unique and different. The story revolving around a teenager who climbs a mountain and goes on an adventure is a not so common plotline and I liked how unique the idea was. The writing style was also quite easy to keep up with. Why I gave it three and a half is because it was very out of my comfort zone read for me. But overall its a pretty enjoyable read.

Well, this really cemented my complete lack of interest in mountain climbing, and scaling Everest specifically!

The descriptions of preparing for the climb and the ascent itself were certainly a highlight of the book, tense and vividly drawn; even reading it felt as if it required some fortitude. (Still, and it might just be my personality so there wouldn't be any convincing me, but I spent the whole book absolutely baffled and offput by the driving desire to make the summit. Despite all of the intended passion of Rose's chapters, it ended up with me feeling that people should in general stop trying to climb Everest.) I also appreciated the discussions within the text of how the Everest industry impacts the local people and communities, and that it doesn't pretend to have clear cut answers.

The relationship aspect was not as gripping for me - I wonder if Rose and Tate's relationship would have struck me more with more of a buildup/backstory rather than the intro in media res. Interestingly, although I'm more of a planful, checklist-y Rose, I found Tate's POV to be the more engaging and relatable. I also felt that the narrative seemed to lionize Rose's mother Maya, concluding that she was right to push Rose despite outward signs that she might not be as invested in the Everest goal as she had been when it was initially proposed because she knew her well enough to know that when the moment arrived, some inner desire to climb would be revealed, without interrogating within the narrative the ways in which Maya's diagnosis factor into Rose's continued devotion to the goal; this element also felt contradictory to a key discovery of Rose's, that you can only make the climb for yourself. I also felt that so much of Tate's PTSD storyline was undermined in the later part of the book - it seemed as if a lot of the elements which were so mindfully portrayed and discussed earlier ended up pushed conveniently to the side in favor of the drama/trauma of those last scenes.

I would definitely recommend more to adventure/survival readers, though YA contemp/friendship/romance readers might enjoy as well.

I read "Into Thin Air" against my will as a high school sophomore, and hated it. At the time I was into chick lit and anything with some good teen romance (I still am, if I'm being honest). When I saw "Above All Else" on my NetGalley feed, I thought about how much more I would have enjoyed that book in 10th grade if it had more relationships, romance, or human connection and less information about summiting the mountain of Everest. This book is less an adventure novel, as it is marketed to be, and more of a study of mental health and relationships. Lovers of both genres of YA will go crazy for this book, but unfortunately, it just wasn't my cup of tea.

Tate and Rose, recent high school graduates, long-time climbers, and best-friends-forever, set out to summit Mount Everest before moving on to the next step in their lives. Rose's mom, Maya, was supposed to come on this trip (it was her idea, really), but she has taken ill. So, accompanied by Tate's father, Jordan, and their team of Sherpa and fellow climbers, the pair set off on what will likely be the journey of their very short lives so far. However, Rose isn't as into it now that her mom can't go, and she feels guilty about being able to go without her. Four months before their trip, Tate had a near-death experience on a climb that not only left him injured, but traumatized about experiencing the danger again. What could go wrong?!

The most engaging parts of this book were the actual moments when the characters were struggling with their climb and the difficulties that come with it. I went into this book expecting most of it to be about the actual journey up the mountain, but the first 50% is about the characters preparing for their trek and interacting with each other. But I didn't find the characters to be interesting and well-developed beyond some characteristic tropes and some expectedly teenage ways. What's more is that the relationship between Tate and Rose was so believably platonic (which was welcome, to be honest), that when hints of an underlying romance arose, it was actually unwelcome and unbelievable. I think the author could have achieved the same result in the end by keeping everything strictly platonic.

Overall, I didn't find the writing or the plot to be as engaging as I'd hoped. This is one of those books that are easily skimmable (which to me means nothing is lost in the experience by just reading the dialogue and reading the beginning sentences of paragraphs). I was happy for Tate by the end, and felt his character grew and changed, but can't say the same for Rose's plot line. For those looking for the adventure story, that section is so short that it's almost just a part of the setting rather than a part of the main conflict.

If you like teen romance and want a bit of a different story setting than what you're used to (e.g. a high school), then you'll really love this book. There are some great messages about mental health and seeking the help you need, finding ways to cope with it, and finding ways to overcome or handle them. But in the end, this book wasn't super enjoyable for this reader.

4.5 stars
Best friends Rose and Tate have been focused on mountain climbing their whole lives and their plans to climb Everest in their senior year of high school are moving full-steam ahead. Even though Rose's mother, one of the climbing mentors is ill, they arrive in Nepal with many things on their minds and in their hearts even before tackling the mountain.

I love action and adventure stories which is what interested me when I read the blurb for this book. The aspect of challenging your own self to something like this is a grand goal for many, and I thought this story did a very nice job of illustrating the individual mental and physical challenges each of the climbers in the group have to face throughout the story.

I loved Tate and his dilemma and cheered when he made his very difficult decision. The budding romantic relationship between him and Rose was lovely and his struggles with his father while typical, had a satisfying conclusion. Rose was a little harder to warm up to, but I had to admire her drive and how her experiences on the mountain forever changed her life.

I really liked this story alot. I'm always looking for books to read with my young adult, and this is definitely a great title to read with your fellow readers. There's plenty to discuss and I really liked that about it, but I also felt that the first half of the book was slow paced and had me skimming these opening pages. The story really takes off nicely at about the halfway point and I didn't put the book down until I got to the ending. Enjoyed this one.

An ARC was provided by the publisher. This is my honest review.

An adrenaline driven journey about two best friends climbing Mount Everest and their grueling battle against chaotic weather patterns, mental and physical breakdowns, and the trials that come with ascending one of the highest peaks in the world. An interesting and well written novel!

Blurb: Tate and Rose have been climbing together forever, but when they decide to climb one of the highest mountains known to man, everything changes. Tate questions his mental abilities and Rose keeps questioning their relationship. It is a mental and physical adventure full of surprises, heartbreaking scenarios, and powerful circumstances that can change life in an instant.

I found this YA to be unique and fascinating, with a hint of romance. I was googling facts about Everest throughout the entire read. I learned a lot about mountain climbing, elevation, and the capacity of human resilience. This is a spellbinding novel that explores survival, dealing with physical illness, and the mental drive it takes to climb into the unknown. A YA unlike anything I’ve rad before.

I found this one so interesting because I learned a lot about climbing Mt. Everest! I mean, wow - I can’t believe people choose to do that. And the Death Zone?! I found myself googling a lot of pictures and additional information. I could have used an extra dose of the relationship in this one to make it a 5 star (I do like that romance), but I still found it fascinating.

Really liked this adventurous book about how transformative endeavours that require a lot of willpower, skill and strength can be. Didn't really care much for the romance and could have done with out it.

Full review to come later.

This mountaineering adventure story was a thrilling tale with interesting characters. I somehow missed the fact that it was a YA story, and not MG as the authors other books have been and that changed things somewhat in the sense that I would not hand this to the grade 5 students that I teach. I don't want to give away any part of the plot, but if you read this you will know what I mean.
A group from California has been planning an expedition to climb Everest for years. A mother and daughter duo and a father/son pair, linked through the teenagers time in school, the strong climbers survive situations on lesser mountains but find greater obstacles on the most challenging of mountains and some obstacles that are not related to the mountains.
In the end, all four have varying levels of success and the characters were really well developed. The mental and physical sides of climbing were described and that was an interesting aspect of the book, as was some of the details of life along the trail heading toward the summit.

3.5 stars.
this was one of those books where i couldn't really relate to any of it -the plot, the characters- but still enjoyed it very much. i would really recommend it for young readers, 'cause it has that inspirational, but not to heavy-handed tone to it, and the characters are very driven and motivated. the writing was a bit basic and the pacing felt odd to me, since it was slow in parts and very fast at others, but i enjoyed it nonetheless.

This ARC was provided for review, but in no way affects the following impartial and unbiased review:
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4*
Pros: This book showcases the extremes and wonderful fits humans can accomplish trying to survive and follow their ambitions. Wonderful and detailed PoV of the life of a mountain climber, shining a light on the dangers, hardships and strong will to survive and reach the summit. Focuses on climbing Everest, the highest peak in the world, and being one of the few thousands that have accomplished this. Beautiful and raw characters and descriptions. Talks about family expectations, dealing with low self-esteem, insecurities and grief. Important notes on PTSD and survivor's guilt.
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Cons: Lackluster romance and quite unnecessary to the story. Slow beginning.