"Everything We Never Said" is a deeply unsettling young adult novel that left me feeling incredibly conflicted. While I generally don’t censor what my kids read, this is one book I would hesitate to put in their hands. The subject matter is undeniably heavy, tackling deeply disturbing themes that linger long after the final page.

That being said, the novel is well-written. The characters are layered, and the emotional depth is palpable. However, despite its literary merit, I couldn't shake the overwhelming sense of unease it gave me throughout. Perhaps that discomfort was intentional—designed to challenge readers and force them to confront difficult realities—but for me, it was more unsettling than thought-provoking.

Ultimately, while I can appreciate the book’s craft and impact, I would struggle to recommend it. It’s the kind of story that demands a careful and mature audience, and even then, it may not be for everyone.*

Everything We Never Said by Sloan Harlow is a captivating mix of YA romance, mystery, and thriller, making it an ideal quick read for those who love a good emotional rollercoaster. This book dives deep into the complexities of grief, offering an honest portrayal of how it can manifest in different ways, day by day. The characters are well-crafted, and their emotional journeys feel real and raw, especially as they navigate loss, love, and self-discovery.

The mystery element of the story keeps the reader hooked, while the romance adds layers of depth and vulnerability to the narrative. It's not just a thrilling ride; it's a poignant exploration of how people cope with the unspoken and the things left unsaid. The author skillfully weaves in tension and emotional complexity, making the characters' growth throughout the story both compelling and heartbreaking.

While the pacing is quick, the emotional weight of the story stays with you long after the final page. It’s a story that reminds us grief doesn’t follow a set path, and healing is never simple. If you're a fan of YA thrillers with strong emotional undertones, Everything We Never Said is definitely worth the read.

Everything We Never Said by Sloan Harlow is a heartfelt exploration of love, loss, and the power of unspoken words. With emotionally complex characters and a narrative that delicately balances heartbreak and hope, Harlow pulls readers into a deeply personal journey. The writing is raw and lyrical, capturing the quiet moments that speak the loudest.

While some plot points feel slightly predictable, the emotional depth and authentic character dynamics make this a memorable read. A perfect choice for fans of character-driven stories that linger long after the last page.

So I'd never actually read a romantic thriller prior to this, and it was quite the introduction to the genre. It has a lot of the traditional thriller elements, but also some forbidden romance and a cautionary tale mixed in. Everything We Never Said follows Ella in the aftermath of her best friend's Hayley's death in a car accident where Ella was behind the wheel. I think that Harlow does a great job at exploring Ella's grief and her feelings of guilt. Somewhere along the line, Ella and Hayley's boyfriend, Sawyer, find comfort in each other and Ella ends up falling for him. But then she happens upon Hayley's diary, which tells a very different story about Sawyer and their relationship.

The book is actually interspersed with Hayley's diary entries, which paints a picture of her abusive relationship with who appears to be Sawyer. The descriptions of the abuse are pretty graphic (especially for a YA novel), but handled in the way that I think it should be handled in every book that discusses this topic: it's a cautionary tale.

Some of the chapters are actually told from Sawyer's POV, so I found myself looking for red flags in his thinking, but of course, this is a thriller so a lot of things end up not adding up. Ella has to come to terms with the fact that she didn't know people that she cared about as well as she thought she did, and overall nothing is as it seemed. I was intrigued trying to figure out what the truth was, and nothing could've prepared me for the way that it ended.

This story was an interesting story from an author I don’t know or haven’t read before! Will look at finding other things by this author. I am grateful for the early access, thank you to those that allowed it!

This was the perfect amount of romance, thriller, spice, & mystery for me. I really enjoyed the style of writing with this author. The characters were developed well & there were twists i did not see coming....which is always a plus! i will definitely look for more by this author.

Ella is grieving the loss of her best friend, Hayley, as she starts her senior year of high school. She is also feeling guilty. Everything reminds her of Hayley, including Hayley's boyfriend Sawyer. Soon she finds that she is in love with him. She reads Hayley's diary to feel close to her but what she finds makes her realize she didn't know as much about her relationship with Sawyer as she thought.

Told in dual POVs I found it enjoyable. There was a lot of teen drama and heartache as well as teenage love. It makes you wonder how much you really know about those you spend the most time with. The end was a little predictable but it wasn't until three quarters of the book that I realized what was really happening, which was awesome. Overall I found it to be a very good debut novel! For those who like young adult romantic thrillers this one is a must!

Thank you Penguin Group and NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. I liked it!

omg what did i just read and why is no one talking about this book?! this is one of the most bingeable thrillers i’ve read in a while. a warning first though — this is marketed at a YA thriller and it’s absolutely not. at best, it’s in the new adult category. the main characters in this book are 17, but they deal very traumatic adult problems. due to content, i would not recommend this to anyone under 18.

ella is starting her senior year of high school months after the accident (that she can’t remember) that claimed the life of her best friend, hayley. already wracked with the guilt of the accident, it piles on when she starts falling for hayley’s boyfriend, sawyer. to make matters worse, she finds and begins reading hayley’s diary and starts finding out things about sawyer that just don’t line up with who he his.

y’all my mind was SPINNING. i loved ella and sawyer, especially together, but the way this story unfolds had me gasping! it’s such a tricky read and i pretty much fell for all the twists and turns. this might be spoilery but there is on page domestic violence. with this being labeled as YA, i don’t mind disclosing this to possible unsuspecting readers.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
content: some language, vague open door

thank you to penguin young readers group for the gifted copy. my thoughts are my own.

I will always want to read a book set in Georgia/Atlanta, but I will quickly love or hate it based on how things play out or are described. Something that truly got under my skin with this book was the need to call everything "The Atlanta [insert thing here]".

The Atlanta Braves

The Atlanta Zoo (it's called Zoo Atlanta by the way)

The Atlanta Falcons

We don't say the "Atlanta" part. It's the Braves, the zoo, the Falcons. We know they're in Atlanta. So up front, I was pretty annoyed there.

I did like how this book was formatted between Sawyer, Ella, and Hayley's diary. It gave a nice well-rounded version of events that were easy to get perspectives from the different characters and their personalities. I didn't think the spicier scenes were necessary, because these were teenage characters, so I did feel kind of gross reading those.

I figured out the twist because my *woman's intuition*. I felt icky about lots of parts of this book, so it felt, if not predictable, than at least kind of obvious to me. I was pretty disgusted with the book, but that was due to the issues presented and the storyline itself, not because the author was a bad writer (the opposite, in fact). I wasn't particularly pleased with the end of the book, which felt too nicely wrapped up (though I won't say more and risk spoiling things).

Solid story and potential, but lots of unnecessary details that could've been edited out.

This book was an emotional rollercoaster. Tons of twists and turns. I didn’t see the ending coming at all. I truly loved Ella and her internal turmoil over Hayley and Sawyer. She’s the queen of jumping to conclusions but rightfully so. Sawyer had many layers to him. He 100% had me speculating. This story was heartbreaking but also intense and had me on the edge of my seat trying to figure out what was going on.

This was a roller coaster of a read for sure. I am glad it was super fast paced and didnt seem to drag on. You get romance, you get suspense, you get grief, etc with Everything We Never Said. You get two perspectives with Sawyer and Ella which I enjoyed reading from both. Def a decent YA Thriller read!

Ella is about to start her senior year of high school. Summer was dreadful- she lost her best friend, Hayley, in a car accident and blames herself for what happened. She also has no recollection of that night and the events leading up to the accident. To make matters worse, Ella finds herself falling for her dead best friend's boyfriend, Sawyer. Ella struggles with her feelings for Sawyer after reading Hayley's diary and learning that Sawyer might not be the person she thought he was.

Although I am in my 40s, I enjoy the YA genre, especially thrillers, and this was no exception. Everything We Never Said alternates between the viewpoints of Ella, Sawyer, and Hayley's diary entries which kept me interested. I liked the relationship that was developing between Hayley and Sawyer, and twist ending I never saw coming!

Thanks to NetGalley and G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers for my advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

This book was just “meh” for me. I felt like I was reading it because I had to finish it instead of reading it because I wanted to finish it. I can’t quite put my finger on what it was.

This one is my first five star read of 2025! It is a mix of my two top genres: YA and Suspense/Thriller. It’s more of a mix of those genres with some romance added in. It does get a slight bit steamy, just the YA version of 16/17-year-olds doing what 16/17-year-olds do.

We have two narrators: Ella and Sawyer. Ella and Hayley were best friends and Ella blames herself for Hayley’s death while Sawyer was Hayley’s boyfriend. We also get to know Hayley through diary entries. Over time Ella and Sawyer become close and then fall for each other. But over time Ella begins to read Hayley’s diary and begins to realize things may not have been what they seemed.

Grief and domestic abuse are themes in this novel and could be triggering to readers. The book takes place in Georgia and Harlow is also from the state so I enjoyed the many references being from Georgia myself! Authors from Georgia that mention locations in Georgia get a plus in my reading! It helps me identify with the characters more.

Everything is a fast-moving novel and yes, I figured out the ‘whodunnit’ 66% of the way in, but not the why this person did what they did. I still had a surprise when I got to that. But then…. To quote Samuel L Jackson, “hold on to your butts” the reader is in for another big twist later on!

I really enjoyed Everything We Never Said. There are three narrators to it. The guy narrator had to ‘grow’ on me. I didn’t really like him, but the two female narrators did great. Brittany Pressley narrated Hayley’s diary entries and did a fabulous job!

I will be looking into Harlow’s future novels!

When Ellas best friend Haley is presumed dead, Ella is heartbroken and guilt ridden. Ella can't rember what happened only that they crashed. Though berely living her life,she is not sure where to begin. Then she finds Haley's diary and starts reading it. THis is where she starts seeing things she never knew about her best friend. As the story goes in further the suspense is bigger.

This was an edge of my seat book. I couldn't put it down.

This book was scary, not in a spooky sense, but in a very realistic sense.

It had been a few months since an accident that killed Ella's best friend, Hayley. Ella blames herself because she was driving. Ella is back to school where she hears all the whispers and where she has to be reminded of Hayley everyday. The biggest reminder is Sawyer, Hayley's boyfriend. Ella lost a lot and so did Sawyer, so they decide to be friends to stick together. After getting closer and closer, Ella has the terrible realization that she's in love with her dead bestie's boyfriend. Turning to Hayley's journal to find clarity and assist with her guilt about her feelings, Ella finds a whole lot of secrets she had no clue about. Some of these secrets involve Sawyer, and according to Hayley's journal, it seems like she may not know him at all.

I would consider this maybe a new adult book versus young adult, but that didn't take away from how much I enjoyed it.
This was definitely a fast-paced read that had a lot of heavy themes, but it was very easy to get immersed in. I had some guesses throughout the first half of the book of where it was going, but then a bomb got dropped. I was flying through that second half to see where we would end up!

Very much looking forward to reading more Sloan Harlow!

I really enjoyed this YA - it was a great mix of mystery, suspense and romance. I figured out some of the ending but not the whole story. I liked the main character and it dealt with some tough topics well.

Wonderful story, great character development, great writing! Highly recommend this book. I thoroughly enjoyed it

I loved this book! It was the perfect book for YA readers, it’s what everyone needs to read for the perspective of a toxic relationship!

WOW! I can honestly say I didn’t see that plot twist!! This was my first time reading a Sloan Harlow (cool name BTW) book and it will definitely not be my last!