This novel follows Tate and Rose, two lifelong friends and climbers, as they attempt to summit Mt. Everest while also battling their own personal demons. As they struggle to survive and overcome their fears, the spark of a romance ignites between them, one that proves resilient even in the freezing winds.

Conceptually, this book was a home run for me. I absolutely loved the idea of two lifelong friends going on a daring climb together and falling in love in the process. What's not to like? The premise is great, and the way Levy delves into what each of the characters are hiding was remarkable. I really enjoyed the dynamics between the characters and the way the author so respectfully handled generational conflict, PTSD, and grief.

For me, however, the pacing really dragged. This is not a particularly long book, but it didn't feel as though it were moving evenly as I would have liked. There were lulls that couldn't quite hold my attention, and then at the end it picked up to an almost rushed speed to tie it all up.

We follow Rose and Tate as they end their senior yeah of high school early to depart for the most harrowing adventure of their life; Mount Everest. On the surface, this is an exciting adventure story. Rose, Tate and their parents made a pact 10 years ago that they would summit Mount Everest together. We travel with them as they make the journey to Nepal, gasp for air with them as they acclimate to the oxygen depleted environment, and struggle with them as they attempt to bag another peak. But this story is much, much more than that. Both teens have their own personal issues that have huge effects on their trek up the mountain. Tate's story in particular really resonated with me. His journey was so different than I expected it to be, but so REAL and it was so refreshing to see a take like that in a YA novel. Rose also has her own family matters to deal with, although her story line was more traditional (not in a bad way). I also found the side characters to be fun and memorable.

That takes me to the reason I really loved this story, the underlying message about the conditions of the mountain and the Sherpa people who live there. The author could have very easily focused solely on the actual trek up Mount Everest, but they made a point to discuss the bigger issues. The Sherpa people have acted as Mount Everest guides for generations. They put their own lives in danger over and over again to provide (usually rich) tourists a chance to be at the top of the world. Rose's mom, who sets up the trip, specifically seeks out a tour group that employs local Nepali men and women (!!!) and gives back to the community. We also get a peek into the poverty that the Sherpa people live in, compared to the tourists who come through. There is also brief mention of the human traffic jams and garbage left on the mountain after the tourists leave. I think it was so important for the author to include this as part of the story. It happens at attractions all over the world, and Everest is no different. Exposing young readers to these disparities was a really great choice by the author. There is also a note in the back of the book that talks more about the Sherpa people, and I really appreciated that.

Overall, I really enjoyed this story. It was fast paced, heartwarming, anxiety inducing, relatable (even if, like me, you are NEVER planning on attempting Mount Everest), and educational. I highly recommend.

An empowering read featuring a story about finding one's purpose at the most unexpected time and place, Above All Else is a gem that transcends age, friendship, and maturity.

Remarkable writing style for the author that hooks you right from the start until the very last flip of this page.

Fingers crossed that this will be available in the Philippines soon.

I LOVED this book! I'm not a climber. I have no desire to be one, but I loved every page of this journey as two best friends worked toward their goal of climbing to the summit of Mount Everest.

While reading the story, I highlighted a gazillion passages that I intended to share in this review - but there are JUST so many great lines - read the book!

The reasons I didn't give this book 5 stars instead of 4 include: the constant repetition about Rose's mom not being with them; the idea that an implant is good enough protection when having sex (it protects from pregnancy but not STDS); and concepts that seemed too adult for a YA book: Sherpas living in poverty and Nepali-owned tourism companies. (There are sex scenes and use of crude language - so if that bothers you, be forewarned, but these details did not diminish my rating.)

I was especially glad that by the end of the book the characters came to learn that life is "less about the summit and more about the journey."

Bottom line:
Dana Alison Levy's writing is terrific, the character arcs are fully realized, and the non-linear plot of ABOVE ALL ELSE kept me fully engaged. I look forward to reading more of her books!


[I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via Net Galley in exchange for an honest review. This in no way influenced my opinions.]

Thank you for the opportunity to read and review! One this is such a gorgeous cover! This book was not only a thrill ride but an emotional rollercoaster as well. I felt for the characters and I rooted for them the entire book. I really enjoyed what the author did by placing two teenagers on an adventure at Everest. It tested their strength, emotionally and psychically. It also gives you an idea how scary Everest is and what a feat it can be. Definitely recommend to anyone who is interested in adventure, the great outdoors, the danger of it and how it can affect you! Awesome read.

I really liked this book. It was very entertaining and it was fascinating to see how deathly the Mounteverest is

DNF Review
I am not publishing a full review since I did not finish this book. I did not finish due to some adult content that I was not comfortable reading.

A wonderful read, about the of these two best friends and the hardships they end up facing along the way; how they deal with them. If you like adventure and facing challenges life throws at you this book is for you.

3.5/5 Stars

Above All Else follows best friends Tate and Rose, two eighteen-year olds, who are about to have the adventure of a lifetime, something they have been preparing and saving for their whole lives. They are about to climb and summit Mount Everest, the highest peak in the world.

I must say I expected more from Tate and Rose's story, instead the focus was mainly on the mission and the task ahead. Even though the mountain is a looming presence on every page, the narrative shows the people who want to climb it, what drives them and their fears. Not only it was interesting to read, but it also created a moving story with a survival undertone.

I just would have liked to have more Tate and Rose on the page, everything felt so rushed and sudden between the two.

If you're looking for something different with a survivalist theme, then I totally recommend this.

This book was everything I expected it to be, absolutely wonderful. The cover is as stunning as everything inside. I urge everyone to read it

I truly don't know where to start with this one. I guess by saying that sometimes I review books and I'm like "oh, I wish it had focused more on the relationships between the characters/character development/the actual plot/the setting" but I can't say any of this with this one because it had it all in the perfect measure. MAYBE I would've spent either a bit more or a bit less of page-time on the romance because it seemed weird at times, but it played such a little bit of a part in the story that I ended up not caring about how it made me feel. The relationship between Rose and Tate is one of the pillars of the book, but not so much because they like each other or because they slept together, but because they're RoseAndTate, a kind of two-headed being that's always been attached to the hip but that now it's divided, because both of them want different things out of Mt. Everest.
The book also spents some time reflecting upon the colonialism of it all. Like, how Everest is a white name because it was a sacred mountain that no one dared to climb but a white guy got to the top of it and suddenly it was named after him. How the MC chooses a climbing group lead by natives because she feels that's what's best, but it isn't, really. How it's selfish to want to climb Everest knowing it has so much meaning to the Nepali (is that the word??) people living around it, and how she wants to climb it anyway, leaving room for criticism for her. Because the author never tries to hide the fact that this is a pretty fucked-up, colonialist, racist thing to do, even if the lines are blurry in some places.
On a personal note, I tend to not get attached to characters in standalones. I think what matters most when you have only one single book to tell your story is just that: telling the story, getting the message across. It's not very often that I come across characters that feel three-dimensional, complicated, human. But this book managed that, and I can't pinpoint how. I mean, there was conflict and there was an experience that brought some of them together and drove some of them apart, but that's a thing that many standalones have and yet they don't quite reach the level of depth that this book has. I guess that's one of those things that you have to give kudos to the author for.
The climbing-actual-Mt. Everest part starts around the 50% mark, and that was PERFECT timing. Maybe you haven't read this book yet and you're like "I came here to read about Everest, why do I have to wait 150+ pages to see them set foot on it??" but believe me: it makes sense. The prep work and flashbacks and character development that takes part in the first half of the book is crucial to everything that comes after it. And you wouldn't root for them as hard as you do while they're on the mountain if you didn't have that.
(Also Tate's decision??? Iconic)

This is the first fictional book I've ever read about climbing, and I hope it won't be the last. I'm not a climber myself, but I have watched a lot of documentaries and read Into Thin Air, so I do have some knowledge on the subject and it's clear that the book was very well-researched. The characters are a little dry, but it's so stressful, worrying the whole time if everyone will be okay that you will still want to race through it!

This book was a cute read. I felt there was a bit too much build up for the ending to be as rushed as it was. I also had to keep reminding myself that Rose and Tate were only 18. I felt that they read as people in the early twenties.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. Everest has always interested me. Even though this is a work of fiction, I still loved it

For never having read a climbing book before, Above All Else was a good introduction to the climbing/adventure/survival genre that I have been looking for. I will admit, the beginning was a little bit difficult to get into, but after that it was really intriguing and engaging. My main fear going into this was that the climbing terminology would be overused and difficult to follow, but this was not the case. It was well thought out and I really like how the author was able to portray the evolution of relationships (friends-to-lovers, father-son relationship), and the include a clear message on the conversations of grief and coping with PTSD. For someone that is not to into this genre, I would recommend this to others that have similar reading tastes as me.

This was a book, that made me think a lot. Man was it intense.

As a trekker, a very casual trekker (no where near climbing the highest mountain or even imagining myself in doing it), reading someone's journey of trying and then achiving the Everest felt like my own heart will fill with pride and I might she a few happy tears of my own.

What I loved about this book that even though Ross and Tate have been climbing and training for years to achieve this, the story of expedition was everything it was supposed to be i.e. in the end you will feel like you climbed that mountain with them.

This story doesn't only deal with the trek part of the book but also proves that even if you are so many miles above ground you aren't essentially away from your life, and the struggles within it. Rose is worried about her mother, and is scared that if she will be able to climb without her. Tate has got a PTSD after his narrow escape on a recent training climb. The relationships in the book are equally well written with Rose and Tate, Rose and her mother, Tate and his father.

Although I've never set my sights on climbing Everes. I've always wondered what it was like and why people do. This book gives a lot of insight into both.

Rose and Tate grew up climbing together and dreamed of climbing Everest one day. That day is now. We are taken on their journey with them and see both deal with the reality of what it actually means to climb Mount Everest.

It’s hard not to fall in love with both Rose and Tate. Full of adventure and daring bravery only to cover up the truth of each other. I cheered for them and cried with them as they took me through their lives and what led them to each of their Everest’s. A beautiful story about life and what it really is.

Slow at first, wasn’t sure I’d finish but soon found myself drawn in and in love with the characters! I laughed and cried through this book. I didn’t want it to end. And now have a “book hangover”

At the heart of it, “Above All Else” is a story about two friends who’ve known each other since they were kids, have grown up together and fall in love. It’s also about two teenagers who are going through so much in their lives - dealing with sickness in a parent, anxiety and depression and rage, trying to get into the college of their dreams, trying to make sense of their lives. And all of this is wrapped into a book about climbing Mount Everest, making it a really incredible story to read.

Rose and Tate have been raised in the world of climbing. It’s practically in their blood, so it’s no surprise that the big step for them to take is to summit Everest. They’ve only spent their whole lives waiting for this moment. Rose has big dreams after Everest - she wants to go to Yale. But along the way, she also wants to make sure that her mother, who was recently diagnosed with MS, doesn’t miss out on all the great things in life. Tate’s dreams are a little smaller. In fact, he isn’t focused on the future as much as he’s focused on the right now. He’s been struggling with lots of pressure put on him by his father and he’s trying to come to terms with the fact that he’s not actually ready for Everest even though he’s standing in Kathmandu, ready to climb.

While Rose is very singularly focused on summiting Everest, there’s so much more going on in her life. She wants to do it to prove to herself that she can. She wants to reach the top because they spent their whole lives training for this moment. But more than anything, she wants to climb to the top because for the first time in her life, her mother can’t do something after her diagnosis. Tate is doing it because he knows it’s what Rose wants, because it’s what his father wants and for a long time, that’s why he keeps climbing. But he’s very aware of the fact that it is not what he wants. What he wants is to stop. After an incident where he almost died, Tate’s anxiety and panic stops him from actually believing that climbing is the best thing for him, no matter how much he wants this.

The book is a little slow, because you’re following these climbers - Rose, Tate, Jordan (Tate’s dad), Paul, Luc, Yoon Su - and their Sherpas through every milestone. It takes a while to pick up because Levy has ensured that you can soak up everything about this adventure. The attention to detail and the extra information, while it may seem unnecessary, is actually interesting. You might not be climbing Everest, or any mountain, soon, but reading about it makes you feel like you’re there with Rose and Tate. With every step they take higher into the mountain, you can feel all the things that Rose and Tate are going through and if that’s not enough of a reason to keep reading, I don’t know what is!

That moment when Tate and Rose go from being friends to something more feels like a sigh of relief. You know it’s coming, but you can’t tell when one of them will snap and lose all control over their feelings. And the minute they do, it’s impossible to bottle up and lock away. It’s intense and it’s rushed and it’s magical and with Mouth Everest as a backdrop, it’s a pretty romantic way to fall in love. Like all friendships to relationships, there’s so much they’re not talking about. Tate isn’t an open book and while Rose knows enough about him, he’s holding onto his fear like an anchor and it’s worming its way between them bit by bit till he cracks and it breaks them apart completely. And Rose is so focused on the climb and achieving this one goal that she’s more or less blind to everything going on around her, including the pain that Tate is hiding.

I was so intrigued by this book when I read the blurb on NetGalley and I’m glad I got to read it, because it is an experience unlike any other. It’s familiar, but it also isn’t and I feel like that’s what gives it that something more and something better. Dana Alison Levy has put so much work into the research and you appreciate every minute bit of information, since it puts everything about climbing into perspective. Also, that cover is GORGEOUS!

Above All Else tells the story of 18-year-old best friends who are about to make the climb to summit Mount Everest. The story mostly focuses on their emotions with each other and about climbing, though there are some cool parts about the skill and effort it takes to climb Everest. The first part of the book really captured my interest, but when Kate and Tate's romance suddenly started, it all fell apart for me. Both of them turned into highly emotional teenagers who liked to dwell on all their problems, and I lost interest. I think I was expecting climbing Mount Everest to be the highlight of this book, but instead it took a place on the back burner as they dealt with other things. Even so, I still found it interesting to read, and there is some solid character development.

Writing Aesthetic/Style: 3
Plot/Movement: 3
Character Development: 3.5
Overall: 3

Thank you, Charlesbridge and NetGalley, for the review copy!