3.5 stars

First, let’s talk about how much I love this cover. So pretty I could stare her all day.
Both Rose and Tate are such well-developed and well-rounded characters. And, more importantly, their relationship was well-developed. Romance is there, but that's not what this book is about their friendship has a deep connection and it was actually quite riveting to read.

This was an overall captivating story, and everyone that the adventure seeker should read it.

𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘶𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘕𝘦𝘵𝘎𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘦 𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘥𝘷𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘱𝘺 𝘪𝘯 𝘦𝘹𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸!

This was an extraordinary read. I could almost feel the struggles Rosa and Tate were going through. I’ve never experienced this much of a bond with the main characters in a book.
The story was built perfectly, describing one of the hardest, toughest locations on earth, I’d imagine. The characters were rich and full of their own quirks, the way the other characters were mentioned and used was amazing.

Thank you for this read, 10/10 would recommend

Above All Else by Dana Alison Levy was an exciting story about what it takes to climb Mount Everest. I was intrigued by this book initially because I love outdoor activities like hiking and rock climbing. I find stories including these activities are highly lacking in the book community in general but especially in the Young Adult genres. When I read the synopsis, I knew I had to read it.

The characters in this story were well done. While I could not identify with any one character in particular, I did enjoy getting to know the characters; especially Tate and Rosa. I will do my best to describe why I liked these characters without any spoilers. Tate was probably my favourite character. I admired his love and compassion for characters going through difficult times. How he was willing to help those in need. How Tate stepped up when things were tough even though he was scared as heck! I commend him for knowing his limits as well and knowing when to stand up for himself. Rosa had a passion I think very few ever have for anything. It is contagious and scary all at the same time. Lastly, Paul was the comic relief with all of his Disney knowledge, singing, and jokes.

I did wrestle a bit with the buildup in the relationship. Tate and Rosa have been friends and hiking partners their whole lives, so they pretty much know everything about each other. So, while they really don’t need to get to know each other, I find what happens in their relationship very sudden. I feel it could have been built up a little more during the flash backs or build up to Everest, or not gone so deep so fast.

I found the story line was a good mix of background story, training, the initial training at Everest and the final climb. The story moved at a pleasant pace, and I did not feel there was any extra fluff. The story dove into some of the moral dilemmas of how much people pay to have an opportunity to climb this mountain while there are people living in extreme poverty there. The dangers and tragedies faced. What the Sherpas and their families face on that mountain for thrill seekers, but how welcoming they are to share their home. I found the knowledge and information put in about the summit to be at a perfect reading level. It was very clear information and not so overdone that it would be boring and drag the story.

I am sure some instances were glazed over a bit since this book is for a younger audience. There are some possible trigger warnings such as dead bodies and some of the darker sides of climbing to the highest point in the world. It is not all glory. There are a lot of issues that climbers deal with once they return home. There was also language, making out, and a sex scene in the story. The sex scene was not described in any detail.

I received a review copy for my Kindle from Net Galley. Thank you, Charles Bridge Teen and Dana Alison Levy, for an epic adventure! All opinions are 100% my own.

This was a really great read! I really enjoyed reading this book, would definitely recommend. This is a good book for all ages.

This book... Wow!!

What a wild ride! Self... meet book hangover, for DAYS!!

Levy's research is evident throughout this entire book. I feel as though I've been to Everest myself and came back with the scars to prove it!

Never have I ever lent a single thought in the direction of desire to climb Mt. Everest. Hello asthma and a VERY healthy fear of heights. But the friendship between Rose and Tate and the intense drama that unfolds when their ultimate climbing dream becomes a reality was enough to make me consider it. Even if it was only for a second, because... lets be real, I would die.

"If a person were dropped on the top of Mount Everest with no acclimatization, she'd be dead in three minutes."
This is me... I would be that girl.

I did appreciate that Rose and Tate's parents were actually present and important. In the world of YA books and the epidemic of MIA parental units, it was refreshing for these parents to be actively involved.

There were a couple things about this book that I thought the author could have done better. I think she has a lot of subjects she is passionate about and wanted to shine a light on them all within her book, but when you try to fit that many BIG subjects into 300-something pages, some things won't be done as well as they could have been.

Overall though, this tight knit, epic group of climbers came, they saw, they conquered (mostly), and I was here. for. it!

Thank you to Netgalley and Charlesbridge Teen for sending me a copy of this ARC.

Hmm................ok

I love a good friends to lovers more than anyone but this just wasn't it for me. I can't put my finger on it.

Firstly, I felt the jumping around of the plot was difficult to follow. I understand wanting to parallel previous climbs with the Everest climb but it was done in a way that was difficult to follow, especially given the alternating first person POVs to worry about too. And this is a personal preference too, but I hate first person alternating POV.

Probably would float the boat for a large sector of YA audiences but...not me sorry.

This review will be posted on my blog closer to the publication date.
I have never been an athletic person. In fact, I’m pretty much as far as you can get from athleticism. But Above All Else makes me want to climb a mountain. The way the characters talked about climbing was so inspirational and the passion was so evident. Dana Alison Levy took multiple trips to Mount Everest to ensure the book is factually correct and the detail when talking about the streets of Nepal to the actual climbing on the mountain was so intricate and as far as I know accurate. The work that went into making this book is definitely worth it.

The writing in this book was so good that it made me care about things I would otherwise not care about at all. Above All Else is told with alternating perspectives in the past and present from the perspective of both main characters. Normally books told in this format, have one section that is more interesting but I found all sections equally fascinating. The voice of this novel seemed younger than the actual age of the main characters / audience the book is marketed as. It reminded me a bit of the Eric Walters books that were commonly read in my elementary schools except there was some mature content in Above All Else.

The past was focused on preparation for the climb. On Rose’s side, her concern over her mother’s illness is the main focus and on Tate’s side, his anxiety stemming from a climbing accident is his main struggle. This section was quite interesting and introduces themes that are present throughout the novel. As Rose’s mother’s illness progresses and inhibits her from climbing, Rose feels more and more guilty that she still can climb. This contrasted Tate’s progressive lack of interest in climbing and was an interesting source of conflict between the characters.

I really enjoyed the friendship between the two main characters, Rose and Tate. They were both good complex characters and I really enjoyed them on their own too. But the romantic aspect of their relationship felt so unnecessary. I think the book would have been stronger without it as their friendship was so strong. There was plenty of mountain drama anyways, without having to incorporate teen relationship drama.

It was super interesting seeing how climbing such a difficult mountain like Mount Everest changed the characters. During the climb, all the characters become more selfish but perhaps that is why they were successful. The book also touched on some of the controversy surrounding climbing Mount Everest.

Final thoughts: 4.5 stars. If you ever wondered about climbing Mount Everest but are realistic and know it’s never going to happen, this book is for you.

I really wanted to like this book. I even feel apologetic now, as I sit here and say that I've made it as far as I can: 43%. There are a few things that I liked, but the overwhelming majority of my thoughts are negative. I'll explain in detail below why I stopped the book despite wanting so badly to enjoy it.

Positive:
- World building! The suffocating air, the altitude, the bad decision of looking down, letting the dizziness from the height overwhelm them, the adrenaline as their hands shake on a particularly slippery edge. The imagery is more than decent, and although I've never climbed before, I feel that I do have a pretty good idea now of why I never will. :P *shudders*

Negatives:
- I don't know if it's just because it was an advance copy I received, but the formatting was *so* messed up. Paragraphs jumbled together, some spaced out too far, and the chapters didn't even start correctly. Words were separated from their start, and although I tried to look past it, this deceptively small detail made the reading experience a lot more difficult for me.
- Lack of character development. I loved the concept (who can say no to an intimidating adventure and challenge?), but the execution of the characters made it confusing. I was frequently conflicted about where the characters stood. Sometimes they wanted to climb, but other times, they didn't. I couldn't tell what their motivations were, and as a result, I couldn't connect to them.
- A random relationship? There was also a sudden relationship that blossomed (or more like, exploded) in the middle of nowhere. Even though readers can occasionally appreciate a spontaneous romance, Tate and Rose's relationship felt forced and extremely uncomfortable. There was seemingly no attraction to begin with, and then all of a sudden it seemed like they were thrown at each other as a coverup for the lack of development in their characters. Fact: They were better as friends.
- This reason is probably why I can't continue reading: The writing style is very elementary. If this book is meant for YA, which it is, there should be a lot more sophistication in the scenery, movement, and dialogue of the characters. It's lacking in all of those fields. When I read a book, I want to be immersed in the story, not cringing because of some strange dialogue choices or misplaced tenses. It eventually got to the point that I couldn't look past the writing and began to fix the sentences in my head instead of actually investing myself in Tate and Rose's story!

Conclusion:
I think this book would have worked SO much better had it been marketed towards a middle grade audience. The writing is clear but inelegant for the more advanced reader, and the concept could be extremely interesting and marketable if only the execution were smoother.

Would I recommend this book?
Honestly? Not really. I don't think you'd be missing much. If Levy were to release a new and revised version of the story, where things are a little cleaner and the character development is a bit stronger, I would be more than willing to give this story another chance.

This fantastic story filled with romance and adventure will appeal to a wide variety of YA readers. The combination of an incredibly unique setup (teens climbing Mt. Everest) with universal themes of friendship, family, and first love create an engaging and heartfelt book. The additional information at the end of the book was fascinating as well. Highly recommended.

Above All Else is a story that is not for the faint of heart.

Fueled by the desire to climb the highest and most dangerous mountain in the world, Rose and Tate's friendship has always been united by their common dream to summit Mount Everest. Together with Rose's mother and Tate's father, the adventurous group of four has spent hundreds of hours and thousands of dollars chasing the most challenging of climbs.

Rose and Tate have no idea what is in store for them as they head out to climb Mount Everest. Trial-after-trial comes their way. At first, Rose must face the trip without her mother. Then, Tate has a horrible accident that should have taken his life. Add in a friendship between the two that seems to be turning into more, and you have the makings for a great YA novel.

Above All Else is a story of love and adventure. Rose and Tate are complicated characters that are trapped between their fears, their dreams, and a life-risking climb ahead of themselves. They know there is no way they will be able to face the journey ahead unless they band together.

But Everest has a way of breaking even the toughest at heart, Tate's accident has set him into a series of panic attacks. He doesn't want to let Rose down, but something inside him has broken. Rose is growing weaker and quieter as the months summitting Mount Everest take their toll.

Will the two be able to make it to the top of Mount Everest? Will their friendship even survive? Will they?

Be sure to read Above All Else, by Dana Alison Levy, to find out!

I have climbed one mountain, it was 11,000 feet and I barely made it to the top. Even the idea of climbing Everest scares me! This book taught be so much about climbing and climbing Everest. I had a hard time picturing some of the scenes, but I watched multiple YouTube videos in conjunction that it much more interesting. The idea that 18 year olds doing that climb was insane. I really enjoyed the character development of both the main and supporting characters, the plot, and those last 100 pages have you biting your nails. Good read!

Thank you for sending me an ARC. This one is between a 3-4 star. I like the outdoors aspect of the story but I had a difficult time staying interested in the story. I kept wondering off to read other books in between reading this one. I felt like the story was good but needed more to it to keep my personal interest.

Above All Else is a story about two best friends who instead of finishing their last months of high school in their town decide to climb Mount Everest. Both Rose and Tate have worked for this almost their entire lives and it is heartbreaking when Rose's mum is not able to come. However, Rose, Tate and his father Jordan still go and what an adventure awaits them!
I think the author has done excellent work researching mountain climbing. I have no personal experience but I had a girl in my class who went mountain climbing every year. It is an incredibly difficult....passion. But it truly has to be a passion in order for you to succeed in it. I really enjoyed this book. I think it was realistic and I read it in one sitting. Some people have mentioned that the relationship was not necessary but I think it came rather naturally and really hoped for them to work out. I think that it was age-appropriate, and let's be honest - teenagers are selfish! So I did not think it was overly dramatic or anything.
I definitely cried at the end.
Thank you for providing me an ARC in exchange dor an honest review.

I've never really been interested in climbing and Everest and all those things, but I felt very attracted to this book.
I learned a lot about climbing Everest (and comforted me in the idea that I'll never ever go this high), and this was my favorite part of the book. The romance did not take too much place, and the balance between the characters' personal problems and their climbing doubts was perfectly found.
It made me cry (several times), it scared me, and it made me feel addicted. I could not put this book down, it is a real page-turner.
I would 100% recommend!

Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to read this amazing book!!

I skimmed my way through this book. I tried to get into it a few times, and I failed at every attempt. I didn't want to DNF it, so I had to resort to the next best thing.
I think the writing was okay, and it has potentially interesting characters, but none of it intrigued me enough. It wasn't for me.

This is quite different from the other books I have read by this author, but I enjoyed it! Both Rose and Tate have clear motivations and their attraction to each other and their clashes felt real. Teens who love climbing, the outdoors, and adventure will like this book.

DNF at 20%
I see that many people love the book and i understand that, but this book sadly wasn't for me.. I couldn't invest with any of the characters and it seemed i didn't like any of them. The writing was a bit annoying also.

This is it, guys - my last ARC of 2019. Whoa. Crazy, right? 

Okay, first off. That cover! Easily one of the prettiest covers I've seen this year. That was what initially drew me in but it was the premise - when else are you ever going to find a YA book about teenage mountaineers climbing Mt. Everest? - that made me request it. And to that end, it definitely lived up to my expectations. But in other ways, it really didn't. Let me explain: 

Starting off with the good, the author clearly did her homework. In the author's note, Levy mentioned having taken several research trips to Nepal (where this book is set) while writing "Above All Else," and it seriously shows. The setting is incredibly well-captured with the kind of detail that only someone who'd seen the places they were describing firsthand would be able to capture. And although I don't know enough about mountaineering to say whether the process of the climb was portrayed accurately, it certainly seemed to be. It was obvious that the author's research on Nepal, mountaineering, and Mt. Everest had been exhaustive. That level of detail made for a great sports/adventure novel even when other aspects of the plot fell short. 

I also liked that it struck a balance of life issues and climbing issues. Though Rose and Tate's quest to climb Mt. Everest was obviously the driving plotline, Levy did well in incorporating the kids' real-life issues into the central conflict. Both have very believable issues with their families (Rose's mother is ill, Tate constantly clashes with his father) and in their personal lives (Tate has ADHD and mild PTSD from a climbing accident, Rose and Tate have feelings for each other that they don't know how to process) that get in the way of their focus on climbing the mountain. And I loved the exploration of what going though such a grueling experience does to you not only physically, but morally and psychologically. I'd never thought about this, but Levy makes in an excellent point in emphasizing that accomplishing a goal that requires so much of you, and that carries such a high risk, really does change you in that it requires absolute self-centeredness. The constant refrain of "is any achievement really worth becoming a person you hate for?" is fascinating. And none of this felt like a distraction from the plot as a whole. But...there was ONE subplot that absolutely did not earn that distinction. 

You'll almost never hear me say this, but I honestly thought this book would have been stronger without the romance. 

I know. I KNOW. Me, who will literally always be in favor of a romance being shoehorned into absolutely everything, not wanting one? Shocking. But seriously. For a few reasons, I really wished Rose and Tate had just been friends. 

Firstly: their personal issues were poignant enough without the romance that it wasn't needed to give the book emotional depth. Plain and simple, it was unnecessary, and there was almost no way in which it actually served the plot. It may have been a contributing factor to a big fight they had late in the book, but there were so many other reasons that happened that I can't very well say that their burgeoning romance caused it. Basically, it accomplished nothing - I felt like it was there just to be there. 

Secondly: it came out of nowhere. I know they were best friends, but other than one description of Rose blushing at an accidental touch, there had been absolutely no indication that their love for each other extended beyond a deep platonic bond until Tate kissed her out of the blue around the 40% mark. It was just...weird. They had a great friendship, and I was really hoping it would stay that way because there was no indication that it wouldn't before that kiss (except in the summary that I didn't read carefully enough), but nope. I'm almost never the "just let the girl and guy who obviously care deeply about each other be friends" person, but this book was an exception. 

And lastly: the way the romantic subplot was written sort of fell into the "stereotypically hormonal teenagers" trap so much that, I'm sorry to say, at times it kind of read like fanfiction. It's not that it was badly written; the comparison is more just in that this book took every possible excuse to get them in bed together. Even if I wasn't Super Uncomfortable with sexy stuff in books (I gravitate towards adventure stories partly because they have less of that since you can't very well get scandalous when you're fighting for your life...I was wrong), that would have been weird. There was a good 20% in the middle that I had to skim because it got so much more graphic than I was comfortable with. I'm not sure how realistic it was that they went from childhood besties to Uncomfortably Physical after ONE KISS while FACING CERTAIN DEATH? Idk man. It was weird. 

All of that sounds super harsh, and I feel bad for being so hard on this book when I actually did really enjoy it. I love sports and adventure books, and the setting was novel and excellently-realized, and I liked the characters (especially the supporting cast), and really, the romance didn't kill it because *SPOILER* they get separated right after they get together, so it's not that much of the book *END SPOILER*. And there was one scene at the end that genuinely made me want to cheer. "Above All Else" was a gripping adventure that I greatly enjoyed - its only major flaw was that it tried to be a romance when it really wasn't. 

ENDNOTES

Favorite Scene: at the end, when Tate conquers his internal demons for long enough to rescue some dying climbers who no one else was willing to help - that was the best moment of this entire book by far. 

What Made This Book Stand Out: the novelty of the setting and premise, and its impeccably-researched descriptions of Nepal and mountaineering. 

One-Sentence Summary: man, this mountain is really out to get these kids...

Something that Bugged Me: ...didn't I already beat that dead horse enough times? 

Adult Content: quite a bit of language, TONS of making out (described pretty graphically), and at least one sex scene that's sort of described but I'm not really sure to what extent because I skipped over that section. 

Overall Rating: 4/5 Confused Llamas

I don't know about this one. I guess this one just wasn't for me.

For people who are gonna read this, there are minor spoilers in this.

Thank you to the publisher for giving me an arc of this book for an honest review.

I went into this book with an open mind, I had never read a book about climbing before so I was very intrigued. I went into the book getting to know the characters and all things went well.

Characters looked great and they want to climb the Mount Everest cool. Okay so they want to climb the Mount Everest. They want to climb the Mount Everest. Hmmmmm.

Yeah I wanna say like the first 50% of this book is them wanting to climb the mount everest and getting ready for it, talking with other people about it and such and then eventually getting to the camp where it actually starts. Then a breakdown and a random sex scene. Yeah that's what I got from it.

I was so excited about this book but got so disappointed. Eventually when the big moment is supposed to be there and it was all supposed to happen like the whole realization of things. I felt like it was rushed on 1 page and was like "Okay well got 10 more pages to write till this can be called a good size novel" stuff like that.

Anyhow the general story was okay. The characters were fine but yeah I got nothing great to tell other than that.

Oh wait I do

The random disney song singing is what I live for.

2/5 stars

I have never dreamed of climbing Mount Everest—nor will I ever—but it was an interesting read. I imagined going there was hard, I hadn't known how much. I really liked this story, going up and higher with two eighteen-year-olds and their courage and fear, liked the bits about the locals and the unique, deadly business of helping tourists realize their dreams. All the characters were very likable, which is definitely a plus. I'd recommend this book to young YA.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review, and congratulations to the author, who, in spite of not having summited the Roof of the World, really manages to make you feel like she has.