I could not finish this book. I am usually good with age gap romances, but this one felt icky due to the power dynamics, age of the FMC and the grief surrounding her situation. Could it have gotten better, maybe, but it felt predatory early and I could not get into it.

I loved this book. It took me back to both grief and first love. This was a May December young romance.

I made it through this book but I dint enjoy it. I wondered if I would have liked it better had I been reading rather than listening. The way it ended sound like there is a sequel to it.

I had higher hopes going into this, and it mostly fell flat for me. The backstory of Leah and Axel's families and how the situation came to be was one I thought I would really enjoy. When it came to fruition it left a lot to be desired. Both characters have a lot of growing still left and the story ends with a to be continued. I'd like to see how the story ends up with a second book, but I don't see it going very high on my TBR.

I was so excited to get this audiobook because I had seen Ali Hazelwood post about it and she was right when she said this was a great book. It was an interesting listen from start to finish and I kept wanting to listen more each time I had to stop. I can't wait for the second book!

Leah had been struggling since the loss of her parents. Her older brother, Oliver, had been doing his best to provide and care for them both. When a better job popped up, he didn't hesitate to take it, even if it meant relocating. Knowing Leah's fragile state, he thought it would be best if she stayed behind with his best friend. Axel. But after weeks of living together, she could no longer ignore her feelings for him. Does he feel the same? Would he be able to help her with her grief?

The idea and concept was there. But the story didn't have that emotional pull. Also, the "love"/romance didn't feel real. Leah and Axel lusted for each other, but that's not the same as love. It needed more development and depth. Overall, it was an okay read.

*** Thank you to NetGalley, Alice Kellen, and Dreamscape Media for graciously sending me the audiobook to review. As always, all thoughts are my own.***

Wow- what a story! This was beautiful and I loved the character growth. I loved the dual POV and how we got flashes from past and present. I thought the narrator did a great job of allowing me to feel what each character was going through. What an ending- gotta go right back for more!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

This was a heartbreaking and lovely book. The focus on loss and moving through grief was so powerful.

⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

First off thank you to Alice Kellen, Dreamscape Media and Netgalley for the audio arc.

Our 19 year old MFC Leah is trying to get her life back together after losing both parents to a tragic accident that she survived from. She ends up staying to live with out MMC Axel, who is her brothers best friend since childhood since both of their families have always been great friends. Our MMC is also 10 years older so this is an AGE GAP and Brothers Best Friend Trope. Leah has always had feelings for Axel and Axel is just starting to understand his new feelings for her while also fighting them off at the beginning.

For the most part I did enjoy the book overall but I did find it at times slow or maybe it was just a little too predictable. The spice was okay, I do wish maybe there was more tension shown between them. I think I will probably pick up book 2 to see how it ends for the couple.

Thank you to Dreamscape for the ALC.

I really tried my best to let this story play out, but I could not get over the controlling ways of Axel. Maybe I am not the target audience for this book, but he felt far too forceful in telling Leah how she should grieve and what would help her. I'm typically okay with age gap romances, but this just didn't work for me.

The writing was well done overall, but this was just something I couldn't get over.

Crippled by grief following the death of her parents in a car accident, nineteen year old Leah, moves in with Axel (her brother Oliver’s best friend). Leah has always been like a little sister to Axel, their families have been forever intertwined. Axel is confronted by Leah’s grief. He deeply feels the loss of her parents too, especially her father who was a mentor to him. He pushes Leah to overcome her grief, and slowly she transforms. Suddenly he’s struggling with his feelings for Leah. He loves her. He always has. He’s loved her since the day she was born when he was ten years old. She used to be invisible to him and now she’s invaded his thoughts. Now suddenly he not only loves her, but wants her. And then they act upon it - a connection they can’t undo - their lives inextricably intertwined. Even before their relationship blossomed into something beautiful and tender, these two were connected by something else - they’re both artists. When her brother Oliver discovers their relationship he forces Axel to end thing’s permanently with Leah. He’s forced to break her heart and break his own…

This book was an absolute roller coast of emotions and honestly the point where it ends has me broken.

I ABSOLUTELY CAN NOT WAIT FOR THE CONCLUSION TO THIS STORY!!

I need to know that there will be a happy ever after for Leah & Axel because I feel deep down that their love is beautiful and pure and totally misunderstood.

Leah and Oliver are very close despite having close to 10 years between them. The recent death of their parents has brought them closer, and cause Oliver to "step-up" to take care of his baby sister. Leah is still struggling with the weight of her grief and depression, so when Oliver gets called to work out of town for the next year, he asks for help from his closest friend, "Axel". The only thing is that he does not know, is that Leah has been in love with Axel for years...

The book reminds me of a Colleen Hoover romance, however, I had a very hard time listening to this romance. The author put a lot of emphasis on the age gap, which is fine, but continually referred to Leah as a "child" making the romance between her and Axel feel "wrong". If this was the authors goal, great it worked... however, it made the book feel very "off" in listening. Overall, it bothered me to the point where I was not able to enjoy the story...

The audio quality was good, and easy to listen.

1 Stars
Yeah, I couldn't finish this one. I wasn't a fan of how Axel kept trying to tell Leah how she's supposed to feel and grieve, plus with him being 10 years older than her and knowing her since they were kids, his behaviour just gave me weird vibes.

Thank you NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the ARC!

A heartbreaking love and life story. Lea is been in love with Axel her brother best friend forever. After losing her parents in a fatal accident, she has lost her light, her happiness. Can Axel bring her back to life while she lives with him while her brother is working in Sydney? A beautiful tule about friendship, family, facing your demons and finding your happiness again. Axel never expected to fall in love with Lea but helping her open her heart again will make him realise what he was missing in her life. But their love is doomed from the beginning even if the best that ever happened to them. The audiobook is awesome, Birdie Lawrence and , Dorje Swallow do an incredible work with Alice’s words.

The cliffhangerrrr! Uff ! Lol but the book is amazing! I read it in Spanish and so getting the audiobook in English was amazing and captivated start to finish!!!!

This was such a good book! My only complaint was that I didn't realize when I started it that it would be a little bit of a cliffhanger or even that it was being continued into another book. So, that was a definite surprise and I'm now I'm anxious for the next book so I can see what happens to these characters that I grew attached to.

Leah and Oliver lost both of their parents in a car wreck. Leah was in the car when it happened and has been traumatized ever since. Oliver's best friend, Axel and his family have been the only stable force in their lives ever since. When Oliver needs to take a job in another city for a while to build up more money to be able to send Leah to college, he asks his friend, Axel for a huge favor - - to watch over his sister in his absence and let her live with him. Naturally, Axel agrees but quickly finds himself trying to help Leah move forward and address her grief instead of remaining stagnant. The bond they form is undeniable and intense and it gradually evolves from one of solid friendship to something more....something that feels forbidden.

I absolutely became so invested in these characters and their story. This was truly an emotional and gripping read and I'm ready for more.

AUDIOBOOK REVIEW: I was lucky enough to receive early copies of both the ebook and audiobook. This made it possibly for me to bounce back and forth between the two of them so that I was always able to keep "reading" this book. The narration worked for me and helped to keep me engaged in the book. 5 stars

Thank you to NetGalley for early copies of both the ebook and audiobook. I voluntarily chose to read/listen to and review them both and the opinions contained within are my own.

3.5 Stars - All That We Never Were captures a lot of emotion in a fairly short book with easy, short, digestible chapters. It is obviously a ‘part one’ since it ends really quickly after the climax with a ‘to be continued’. I felt that the story was primarily Leah’s journey through grief and recovery with a little bit of romance to pull her along, instead of a full-focus romance.

I was confused about the age gap and Leah still being in high school (but also 19?), when some of her friends are actively working, but she failed a year and had to repeat it. I wish this tidbit had been revealed sooner in the story for clarity.

I was a little disappointed because the synopsis on Goodreads really gives everything away; it was more summary than anything else since it gave away the ‘third act break-up’ but perhaps this is intentional in its efforts to get you to read the second book.

The narrators were good and captured the essence of the story well.

I really enjoyed how the title was pulled from/incorporated into the book, which I feel most romance novels don’t do lately. It gave me chills, and really added to the emotional impact of the story.

This was an emotionally heavy older brother's best friend/roommates/forbidden romance definitely recommended for fans of CoHo and Anna Todd. Sadly there was something about it that just didn't hit right with me and I had to DNF about 50% in. I did like the narrators though and would consider reading more by this new to me author. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early audio copy in exchange for my honest review!

DNF at 48%

This felt super creepy and gross. Leah is basically still a child who has adored her older brother’s best friend for years. She’s suffering from PTSD and Axel is pushing her to do stuff she isn’t comfortable with. Axel is 10 years older then Leah. He seems super immature but still he’s a grown ass man while Leah isn’t even out school yet. Axel saying “don’t disobey me” really rubbed me the wrong way, that line gave super predatorial vibes. Also, the constant smoking but “I’m not a smoker” bullshit was super gross and annoying.

I wanted to like this and tried to listen for as long as I could but the kiss broke the camel’s back and I’m out.

This story was filled with a lot of emotional angst, which centers around the loss of Oliver and Leah's parents in a car accident. Leah is still a 19yo teenager, and her adult brother vows to take care of her from here on out. But a job opportunity means that he needs to leave for a while. So he entrusts the care of Leah to his best friend Axel, who's been like a brother to them all their lives.

The problem is, Leah has always had a crush on Axel. And while she isn't feeling much of anything these days, deep in her grief and survivor's guilt, Axel is determined to bring her back to them. (And I love the care, patience and determination he employs in doing so.)

As he begins to reach her, the first thing she clings to again is her love for Axel and her determination to get him to see her as an adult and a potential partner. But Axel is set in his ways and determined to continue living a free bachelor life.

Given that there's so much deep material covered in the story, it was a hard read at times. And when I got to the end only to find out it's "to be continued," I was very disappointed. The story was good, but I didn't find myself eagerly thinking about getting my hands on Part Two. Instead, it was a bit disappointing to know the story hasn't been wrapped up nicely. Instead, we're left at a very dissatisfying cliffhanger. And if we are still hoping for an HEA, which seems unlikely now, we won't find it in this book. I would have liked to have known this was part of a two-parter before I started, so I could have been prepared for the way the story ended.

Thank you to Alice Kellen, Dreamscape Media, and NetGalley for an advance review copy.