Rated: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (5.0 stars)
Spice Level: 🌶️ (1 out of 5 chili peppers)
Tags: Young adult romance; thriller; mystery; multiple POVs; minimal spice

Let me start off this review by saying this makes only my fourth five-star read for the year! I was given an arc of this book back in January but unfortunately, I was only able to get 5% in before life got hectic. I just recently had the time to sit down and read it once more, starting from the beginning. I deeply regret not reading this sooner! The author (Sloan Harlow) captivated me from the very first page and I found it difficult to put down (reason #1 for rating this book 5 stars). Whenever I did take a break from the book, I often found myself thinking about the book and wondering what was coming next (reason #2 for rating this book 5 stars). This book offers the perfect amount of romance without losing the plot. The spicy scenes in this book are very minimal and not overly detailed, so I would still recommend this book to anyone (young adult and older) who prefer little to no spice.
For those who want a quick synopsis of the book without revealing too many details: Ella was involved in a bad car accident that killed her best friend, Hayley. She battles with the reality of moving on without Hayley, and turns to her journal as a personal oasis. She quickly finds that although Hayley was her best friend, maybe she didn't share <I> everything </I> with her. Insert Sawyer. Sawyer was Hayley's boyfriend. Once Ella starts school back, the grief brings her and Sawyer closer together. Ella is faced with challenges of developing feelings for her dead best friend's boyfriend along with realizing that maybe everything is not what it has seemed.
This book has multiple plot twisters that I did not see coming, which is something I look for in a five star read (.....if you haven't guessed it yet, reason #3 for rating this book 5 stars). One pet peeve I have with many other books is that I find the female main character to be too dependent and too "damsel in distressed". However, I applaud Harlow for writing Ella so that she does not appear too young, immature, or dependent, even if she is only in high school (reason #5). Reason #6 for my five-star review is that Harlow did not loose sight of the plot of the book. Most everything in the book had a specific reason for being in the book. At the end, you will realize there are many context clues that are dropped throughout the book. I plan to re-read this book in the future, now knowing what I know, just to find out how many context clues there were.
There are so many other things I would love to discuss, but unfortunately they are spoilers but WOW! Just WOW! If you buddy read, this is a book I would definitely recommend doing that with. Also, this book is perfect for readers who enjoyed Colleen Hoover's book <I> Verity </I>.

*Disclaimer: I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Ella lost Hayley, her best friend, to a car accident and blames herself for driving while drunk. Not that she remembers anything. Making it even worse to digest. She expects everyone to equally hate her as she herself, but Sawyer, Hayley's boyfriend, becomes her best alley in facing the after. It's a relief, until she starts suspecting Sawyer may have been physically abusing Hayley.

2.5 rounded up to 3.

A lot of this romance read like something that would come out in the later 2000's, and even if I had reason to believe that wasn't the point of the author, it was uncomfortable to read. It's too late when the book gets a little better, and it also felt like it wasn't enough to compensate it all. I think the worst flaw for me was how it didn't seem to decide if it wanted to be a romance despite adversity or a thriller made scarier by a creepy romance.

I wasn't a fan of the characters' choices either, which obviously made it harder to like or even to cheer for them. There is some mystery though that kept me going; it's not a book that drags.


Honest review based on an ARC provided by Netgalley. Many thanks to the publisher for this opportunity.

WHEW. Okay, a lot to unpack. It’s hard to review this one without giving away the twists, but I’ll do my best. Overall, I enjoyed this book. It kept me interested, kept me guessing and handled some very tough issues with a lot of care. There was one twist that I saw coming almost right off the bat, but the others had me audibly gasping and that was enjoyable. I loved the multiple POVs and I thought they really added to the complexity of the story. I will say this and I don’t say it in a bad way because most of you know YA is my favorite genre, but this book is VERY YA so just something to keep in mind if you choose to read it.
*I always do content warnings so if you don’t want to be spoiled on certain plot points, read no further*

CW: sexual content, car accident, mentions of death, injury, domestic violence, abortion, toxic relationship, child abuse, sexual harassment, mention of animal injury


Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Young Readers Group for an advanced digital reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an eARC of this title.

I think I am going to settle on a 3.5 stars for this one. This is a book that I would have eaten up when I was a teenager. Right now, I feel like I'm just not in the right space for this one. I found it a tiny bit predictable, but still fun to read. This was a pretty solid YA thriller. I enjoyed the diary entries that were scattered throughout the story. I think that really made it interesting and was a good way to move the plot forward. This was pretty quick read and overall pretty enjoyable.

Everything We Never Said by Sloan Harlow is a standalone YA thriller novel. We meet Ella, a 17-year-old senior, returning to school, and still grieving the death of her best friend, Hayley. Ella, who was in a car accident that killed, Hayley, continues to blame herself for what happened, and has no memory of that tragic night. With her feelings of guilt, Ella seeks the assistance of the school therapist. She also is told by Sawyer, Hayley’s boyfriend, that it was not her fault, which calms her down; and they bond together, sharing their grief. The Pov’s switch between Ella and Sawyer, as well as Hayley’s diary, which Ella discovers and read throughout.

Ella and Sawyer both begin to have strong feelings for each other. But once she starts reading Hayley’s diary, what she discovers change things. When Ella starts reading more of the diary, she is horrified about violent attempts on Hayley by Sawyer; especially as she reads about her boyfriend “S”. Was this Sawyer?

Ella goes to the school therapist for help, as she fears another side to Sawyer, would make him dangerous. The therapist will get her help, with the police interviewing Sawyer. The further she reads, Ella will find herself in danger, as new revelations reveal a dark secret that Ella never knew regarding Haley. The story was easy to follow, as the pacing was very good, and it kept my attention from the start. There were a number of twists throughout. I will note that there were some sex scenes, which should have been more of NA novel. Ella resumed her friendship with Seema, as they became distant after her friendship with Hayley; but Seema turned out to be a good friend helping Ella get past her grief.

Everything We Never Said was a wonderful YA Thriller, with real life issues that led to a mystery that Ella triggered reading Hayley’s diary; leading to a dark secret filled with tension and suspense. Everything We Never Said was a gripping, emotional and intense novel; which was very well written by Sloane Harlow.

Thank you Penguin Teen for the #gifted ARC and thank you PRH Audio for my #gifted listening copy of Everything We Never Said! #PRHAInfluencer #PRHAudioPartner #PenguinTeenPartner #EverythingWeNeverSaid

𝐓𝐢𝐭𝐥𝐞: 𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐖𝐞 𝐍𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐒𝐚𝐢𝐝
𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫: 𝐒𝐥𝐨𝐚𝐧 𝐇𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐨𝐰
𝐍𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐬: 𝐒𝐭𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐌𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐲, 𝐅𝐞𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐞 𝐂𝐚𝐩𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐨, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐁𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐥𝐞𝐲
𝐏𝐮𝐛 𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐞: 𝐌𝐚𝐲 𝟐𝟖, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟒

This book is marketed for fans of Colleen Hoover, and I can definitely agree that CoHo lovers will enjoy this one. While it’s a YA book, I think it leans more towards NA in my opinion based on some of the more mature content. With that said, it was a really easy book to binge and I read and listened in one afternoon. It was super easy to get lost in this book.

Everything We Never Said is a dark romantic thriller. Ella’s best friend Hayley was killed in an accident, and Ella can’t stop blaming herself. Now that she’s back at school, Ella starts to realize she’s in love with her dead best friend’s boyfriend, Sawyer. To help deal with the guilt, Ella hopes she will find something in the pages of Hayley’s diary to make her feel better about what’s happening, but instead, all she finds are secrets and discovers that Sawyer and Hayley didn’t have the relationship that it seemed from the outside. Ella knows she should stay away from Sawyer, but she can’t help but feel drawn to him, while at the same time scared of everything she never really knew about him in the first place.

🎧I alternated between the physical book and the audiobook. I loved my time listening to the narrators bring this story to life. I always love listening to any audiobook with Brittany Pressley, and I really enjoyed listening to Molony and Capistrano as well. I thought all were perfectly cast and I would highly recommend this in audio format if that option is available to you.

🖤Multiple POVs
🖤Romantic Suspense
🖤Diary Entries
🖤Plot Twists
🖤YA/NA

TW: Domestic Violence

Posted on Goodreads on May 7, 2024: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/144922955?ref=nav_profile_l
**Posted on Instagram - Full Review- on or around May 7, 2024: http://www.instagram.com/nobookmark_noproblem
**Posted on Amazon on May 28, 2024
**-will post on designated date

This is a brilliant debut novel by Sloan Harlow. It's a slow burn mystery with some romance mixed in. The beginning was a little slow, but it hit its stride about 1/4 of the way through the book. I couldn't put it down after that. I did guess part of the twists and turns, but not all of them... some of them had me gasping going "no way!" I can't wait to see what miss Harlow writes next!

Thanks Netgalley for the ARC!

First thought, this isn't YA.
BUT THEN
I think to a lot of things facing teens. The things we maybe we don't think that are happening but they are.

The story was easy to follow. The twists were good. Slightly far fetched in an area but overall very good.

I liked the book. It hit on a lot of hard topics.

Thank you to the publisher for providing me a free copy for review! This one is out on May 28!

Rating: 3/5 stars

Ella’s best friend, Hayley, died in a car crash—so when Ella returns to school for senior year and finds herself falling for Hayley’s boyfriend Sawyer, she’s horrified…even more so when she realizes Sawyer may be harboring a dangerous secret.

I want to start out by saying that this one tackles some very heavy and important topics and is pretty dark (especially for a YA novel). I appreciated that aspect and I do think the overall messaging was done well and should be appreciated.

That said, I also struggled a bit with this one, as I felt it was very slow moving for the first two-thirds. I predicted the ending very early on, so I kept waiting for things to pick up and be revealed. Once they were, I was more invested, but it took a *while* to get there. I was also left with a couple plot holes that are still bugging me at the end, though if I suspend my disbelief a bit I can probably get around those.

All in all, if you like YA thrillers (with a heavy dose of romance), you might enjoy this one! Just be prepared for a bit of a slow burn in terms of plot speed.

CW: Domestic violence/abuse/child abuse; death/grief; car accident

This was a YA book that should just be for YA readers. This was just too unbelievable for me! Spoiler, but she's alive? Too many thoughts to get out on this review, so will leave it as this was almost a one star read for me but I liked the twist.

Everything We Never Said by Sloan Harlow is a captivating dark romance filled with high stakes and unexpected plot twists. I started reading it before bed and could not stop; I pulled an all-nighter because I could not put it down!

A fatal accident, amnesia, guilt, forbidden romance, and a revealing diary. It’s a slow build of secrets creeping towards an ending full of shock and awe.

Ella’s grief is heartbreaking as she returns to high school a broken girl and no memory of what happened that night with her best friend Hayley. Reconnecting with Hayley’s boyfriend, Sawyer, who is dealing with his own anguish, their feelings become more than friends and it feels like a betrayal.

The book tells the story from the perspectives of Ella, Sawyer, and Hayley through her diary entries. It explores their relationships and delves into themes of abuse. The pacing is slow at first, but it picks up about three quarters through the book with a mystery triggered by Hayley’s diary, and a plot twist full of suspense and tension.

Though the mystery is predictable and I figured it out early on, the book does a good job dealing with loss and grief. It is a complex emotion and the author shows how it presents itself differently with everyone.

I recommend this gripping and emotional YA thriller that explores the complexities of grief, abuse, and resilience. It’s a compelling debut novel and I look forward to reading more novels from this author.

Thank you to Ms. Harlow for giving me the opportunity to read this book with no expectation of a positive review.

After finishing this book I sat on my opinion for a few days for a variety of reasons. This lands as a 3.5 rating for me
Things I loved:
The writing style was super accessible and easy to follow. The pacing was good and grabbed my attention from the start and kept it there as I tried to uncover the mystery of the story. The characters reactions and experiences were extremely realistic and understandable. The characters made decisions that were necessary and believable for their age and situation. In addition to this the characters had good solid development by the end of the book.
Things I disliked:
This is meant to be a YA book and read that way in pacing/verbiage but the content of the book was much more in the NA category. This book had on page DV and intimate scenes that I had issues with on why they were even included in the book. I feel the DV was necessary but the on page explicit sex scenes could have been tamed down for the younger reader and the category that this book is in. I read this as an arc and I HOPE there is a trigger warning page because it was not included on the arc and the DV should absolutely be listed as a trigger warning. I am extremely upset that wasn't included as I would have liked to be prepared to read the scenes but I wasn't and it was very off-putting to say the least. Had the trigger been listed I more than likely would give this book a 4 star rating due to the content of the book being interesting but that just left me upset as a reader. I would say the plot was a bit predictable but its meant to be YA and so that wasn't a huge factor for me as this is meant to be read by newer readers.

Overall this book is much more UPPER YA or even bordering on NA for me but I would recommend this book to someone who is newer to reading thrillers and wants some romance and emotional healing along the way.

Wow! This book took some unexpected twists and turns. I was sucked into the story right from the start. I really enjoyed the dual POV of Ella and Sawyer and inclusion of Haley’s diary entries. I think including all of the POVs really added to the story. I found Ella to be a likable character who was easy to connect with. This is an emotional book that deals with some difficult topics including drunk driving, domestic abuse, and family trauma.

The reader has to suspend some disbelief at the end of the book, but it didn’t take away from my overall enjoyment of the story. I still have a couple unanswered questions, but I liked how the ending came together. Definitely some unexpected surprises in the last few chapters of the book!

Overall, a twisty emotional YA thriller that definitely I recommend to reads who enjoy dark romance.

I found this piece to be exceptionally well-crafted, and I'm eagerly anticipating the opportunity to delve into more works by this author. Given its potential popularity among our library patrons, we're certainly looking forward to adding it to our collection

You know those stories that take you to the edge of what seems possible and you think, well, if the stars aligned just so this could actually all be true. This story does that but I think takes it one step too far into the "there is no way that is how that happened and how that worked out". I did very much enjoy unravelling the diary and wish that had been leaned into a little more and started a little earlier in the book.

But for fans of Colleen Hoover, especially Reminders of Him, this book is for you!

Everything We Never Said started out a bit slow and had me questioning if I’d be able to stick with it. The premise felt quite juvenile for a book that was advertised as a dark romance. Thankfully as the book progressed, the flow of the story picked up speed and I became more engaged with the characters. The introduction of a mystery plot really grabbed me. While I didn’t really care for Ella (the FMC), she was tolerated enough just to see what would happen next. This YA romance thriller had some heavy “real life” issues that I think are important to address with high school aged readers! I had my suspicions about the plot twist but was still surprised by some of the events that unfolded! The HEA at the end sealed my positive outlook on this book. A solid 3 star read for me!

It throws me off a little that this is YA and also recommended for fans of Colleen Hoover. There are definitely some dark and complicated topics, but they’re all a reality for some high school students. Some of the topics are found in CH books so maybe that’s why?

This new YA thriller meets dark romance – and let me tell you, I was not expecting the spicy scenes to be a spicy as they were considering the genre. Nothing overwhelming but still surprising. I also think that the author did an incredible job capturing the stages of grief and how overwhelming and all consuming it can be.

Ella feels immense guilt and loneliness after the death of her best friend, Hayley. She blames herself for the car accident that killed her and it trying to come to terms with what happened. She’s back at school and everything reminds her of Hayley, especially her boyfriend Sawyer. They find comfort in each other and Ella slowly realizes she’s falling in love with him.

Add in finding and reading Hayley’s private journal, she begins to learn things about Sawyer that are cause for concern. This book gets exciting but predictable at parts, and I couldn’t complain about how fast it moved. It’s one of those one-sitting reads, and if I didn’t have to work, then it would have been one instead of two!

The pacing is fast, but the mystery is predictable. I found the dialogue and character interactions painful to read, but this might be because I aged out of the core audience. Moreover, the writing is overwrought with an excess of flowery language, eliciting many an eye roll.