Ehh this one just was not for me. I think it just was too much for me. And I did not like the age gap. The narration was good.

I don’t think this book was for me. I don’t have anything against age gaps but this one was a little much. The story itself just felt a little thin and wanting.

The description of the book was approx 95% of the book. It felt incomplete. The male perspective was uncomfortable and overall gave a grooming vibe.

Nineteen-year-old Leah Jones is struggling to cope after she and her twenty-nine-year-old brother Oliver lose their parents in a horrific car accident. Leah was in the car and is plagued by nightmares, intense grief and numbness—her life as she knew it is over.
Oliver hates leaving Leah at a time like this, but the only way he can support them both is if he transfers to Sydney for work. He implores his best friend Axel Nguyen to let her move in with him in their hometown of Byron Bay and watch over her while he's away.

Conflicted and somewhat disappointed is how I felt when I finished. It felt a little dirty to root for them given Leah's age and emotional immaturity. Axel is known to hurt women but Oliver asks him to watch over her and then gets angry when they get involved. I think the age difference would have been easier to overlook had it not been referenced often but the relationship still felt lustful rather than love which made it harder to root for. With that said, I will be looking for the sequel since I will want to know what happens next.

Thank you to NetGalley, Alice Kellen, and Dreamscape Media for gifting me the audiobook to review.

The story revolves around Leah, a young woman grappling with her parents' tragic demise. Her older brother, Oliver, leaves for work, entrusting Leah to their lifelong friend, Axel, in Byron Bay. As Axel steps in to support Leah, he stumbles upon her long-standing affection for him. Over time, their feelings deepen, but when Oliver discovers their secret, he insists Axel let Leah go for her college experience. The book beautifully explores themes of resilience, love, and healing. What enhances this experience further is the outstanding audiobook narration by Bridie Lawrence and Dorje Swallow. They did a commendable job bringing the characters to life, adding depth and authenticity to the story. Their performances enhanced the characters' emotional journey, making it even more compelling. Alice Kellen's writing shines, and her handling of grief, depression, and anxiety is commendable. The emotional depth and character development make it a must-read, leaving readers eagerly awaiting the sequel.

This really digs deep exploring grief and how relationships are affected by it. This is sad and emotional at times.

I enjoyed this book. Even going in knowing it was book one of two, I still was bummed when I finished... excited to read book two. The age difference and "feels like family" made the central romance a bit ick. I really enjoyed the role art played in the story.

I have to admit, this beautiful cover grabbed my attention immediately and I was excited to request the audiobook format. This is the first book in the Let It Be duology, and it was so good!

WHAT TO EXPECT
-themes of grief
-heartbreak
-desire

I thought the audiobook narration was a good choice and it really made me feel all the emotions that Leah and Alex’s POV brought.

*many thanks to Sourcebooks, Dreamscape and Netgalley for the gifted copy for review

🌸𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐋𝐞𝐭 𝐈𝐭 𝐁𝐞 𝐃𝐮𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐲 𝐛𝐲 𝐀𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐊𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐧🌸
𝐏𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐫: 𝐒𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐜𝐞𝐁𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐬
𝐀𝐥𝐥 𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐖𝐞 𝐍𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐖𝐞𝐫𝐞 (𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤 #𝟏)

This book wrecked me!

Leah and Oliver have just lost their parents. Nineteen-year-old Leah’s world is rocked, and she clings to Oliver but he has been offered a job hours away and she needs to finish school. Oliver entrusts Leah to his best friend, Axel, who has been a family friend since they were all little.

Through their love of art and shared grief, the chemistry and the desire between Leah and Axel can’t be denied. But their relationship must remain a secret - because it will destroy everything!

I loved that we got both Leah's and Axel's POVs. It's full of heartbreak, forbidden desire, and steam, and it ripped my heart out. I was so angry and sad. I could not get to book two fast enough!

Thank you #partner @sourcebookcasa for the gifted book and @dreamscape_media for the fantastic audiobook.

My sentiments toward this book were a mix of positive and ambivalent emotions. On the positive side, I appreciated the writing style, which proved to be engaging and facilitated a swift reading experience. The characters, with their realistic and intricate portrayals, added depth to the narrative, contributing to its overall appeal.

However, my enthusiasm waned towards the conclusion, which felt somewhat hurried, culminating in a setup for a potential second part in a future installment. While I generally don't mind ongoing stories, what posed a challenge for me was establishing a genuine connection with and understanding of the characters.

This ambiguity led me to oscillate in my judgment, resulting in an overall sense of unease regarding the healthiness of the depicted relationship.

The thematic elements explored in the book were profound and intricate, steering clear of a light and breezy reading experience.

It delved into complex topics that demanded engagement.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the audio ARC which I received in exchange for my honest review.

I really disliked this book. I have no issues with an age gap romance or even a best friend's sister/brother troupe BUT this was just...cringe. This is someone in an almost "parental" role who is a caregiver for someone experiencing trauma and in an emotionally vulnerable place. He has also known her since her birth and even says he's loved her since she was born - also very gross. Would not recommend.

This is a chunky book, but the super short chapters kept the pace moving. All That We Never Were isn’t just a romance, Leah is in the depths of grief at the start of the novel and has a lot of healing to do; so it’s not your usually fluffy romance that will put a smile on your face, your heart strings are gonna be yanked all over the place. The age gap was a little weird for me at first. I couldn’t put my finger on why considering I know very happy couples with much bigger age gaps. I think it was because he knew Leah since she was a child. But I do think the subject was handled well. I think the dual POV helped as well because you know that Axel never looked at her that way.

I both listened to and read this and enjoyed both. I will be reading book 2 asap. I need to know the rest of their story.

dnf’d at 24% with a one star rating because ew?! spoilers ahead!!!!

from the synopsis, i kind of thought it would be normal and really heartbreaking (because, right?) but i didn’t realize she was 19 while he was 29 AND has known her since she was born. that’s WEIRD.

i thought because it was an audiobook, i could get away with it (depending on how it went) and i just got the creeps when anything slightly sexual happened. i cringed and just couldn’t do it. this girl has had an infatuation with him for SO long and he’s literally nearing 30 and she’s also still grieving her parents and has PTSD and their sexual relationship goes even more than what i read???? vomit! age gaps and “forbidden love” are tropes just not for me. brother’s best friend can be done without being creepy and this completely missed it.

i can (most of the time) overlook a colleen hoover comparison just because ppl use it as a compliment so often now but this was so similar to hoover, it felt like spin off fanfic of it (based on the one hoover book i read).

thank you netgalley and the publisher for giving me an audiobook ARC in return for an honest review.

All That We Never Were is a captivating and heart wrenching romance that took me on an emotional roller coaster. Alice Kellen’s writing is beautiful, delivering well-developed, complex characters. Fair warning - the story ends with a cliff hanger. I am excited to see how the story of Axel and Leah wraps up in the sequel.

I will certainly be picking up more books from Alice Kellen when they are released in the U.S.

Thank you to NetGalley and publisher for this ARC.

This was my first experience reading something by this author and found it to be a very enjoyable read. I actually listened to this as an audiobook, which helped make the experience even better. The narrators did a nice job of bringing the story and the characters to life. Leah loses both her parents in a horrible car accident when she somehow survives, and her brother adjusts his life and takes her in so he can care for her. But because of his job, he has to be away for a few weeks at a time, and he asks his best friend Axel to look after Leah while he is gone. Leah is experiencing a heavy dose of survivor's guilt and is a shell of the girl that Axel knew growing up. He tries to help her get her old self back. As they spend more time together, they develop an undeniable bond, but it's not until he gives in to her love for him that the old Leah once again resurfaces.
An emotional read that will pull at your heartstrings. It was easy to get invested in Leah and Axel's story. Both were well-developed and compelling characters. I enjoyed the story and look forward to reading the next installment.
I received a complimentary copy from Netgalley and Dreamscape media and am voluntarily leaving my review.

I'm not really sure how I feel about this book, specifically about the age gap romance. It was just too weird to me that their parents seemed to be fine with it and thought they would end up together at some point with one mom saying "give him time" or something along those lines. Honestly it felt a little groomy to me.

Oh, the ending on this one! I wanted a happy ending so dang bad and this one hooked me right in. I truly love the big brother’s best friend romance. I think it might be my favorite forbidden romance. Plus, Axel is a swoony “guy we shouldn’t like” character.

🌀Synopsis
Oliver and Axel are best friends. So when Oliver’s parents did it just makes sense he’d ask for Axel’s support. It just so happens that support is for Oliver’s sister Leah. Oh, did we mention that Leah’s been in love with Axel forever? Yeah, things are bound to get interesting.
When Axel moves in to watch over Leah, things are tense. Leah is stuck in her trauma and Axel is still being a playboy. The two slowly find ways to open up to each other. Once they do, a beautiful romance blossoms. One that they hide from Oliver. He’s so upset when he finds out and leaves a big decision on Axel’s plate.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC of this audio. I’ll admit I was originally drawn to cover. The story itself started out fantastically and then… lots of sex ensued. So much that it lasted for chapter after chapter. It just was not for me at all. I could get usually get behind the friends to lovers plot but this one just fell flat for me. I skipped through most of the end just to find out what happened with the brother learned the truth. This needed more character building and more communication between all three of the main characters. It was just lacking for me.

Thank you to the publishers, author and NetGalley for the free copy of this audio book.

I honestly have nothing against age gaps- currently with someone 20 years older than me and happier than I've ever been- but there's age gaps and then there's what feels like grooming and a controlling relationship. I tried, but not really for me...

All I knew going into this one is that it has the most fantastic cover I have ever seen, matched only by its counterpart, All That We Are Together (book 2 in this republished Let It Be duology). As it turns out, the story itself does the cover justice.

A sweeping love story that spans the ages, All That We Never Were tells part one of the story of nineteen-year-old Leah Jones who has recently lost her parents in a car accident in which she herself was a passenger. Plagued with haunting nightmares and trying to come to terms with her trauma, she is left in the care of the much older Axel, by her brother Oliver, whose job takes him abroad. As long time feelings of friendship give way to something new, both must figure out if a relationship is worth the cost of betrayal.

This story gripped me from start to finish as Kellen drew me in to the lives of Leah and Axel and their world in small town Australia. While seemingly at different points in their lives, both are struggling to overcome a past trauma and grief, putting them on more equal footing. It is a more slow burn love story, with very good pacing, that has you on the edge of your seat waiting for the next shoe to drop.

Full of angst, swoony romance, and a cliff hanger of cliff hangers, this is one you will want to check out if you enjoy the tropes listed above.

ʀ ᴇ ᴀ ᴅ ɪ ғ ʏ ᴏ ᴜ ʟ ɪ ᴋ ᴇ :
💔 emotional romance
⚠️forbidden love
⏳age gap
♥️ Friends to lovers
🧍brother’s best friend
😟 all the angst
✌🏼duologies
🇦🇺 Australian setting

Thank you Sourcebooks Casablanca and Dreamscape Media for the gifted copies in exchange for my honest review.