This was a DNF for me. I couldn’t get into it. I felt like the main character was just like “boo hoo feel bad for me” I couldn’t get into it.

Ella and Hayley get into a tragic car accident, where Ella is the only survivor, but Ella has no recollection of the entire day of the accident.

She's left to return to school for senior year without Hayley. How will she survive? Oh, by falling in love with her best friend's ex boyfriend, that's how.

But then she finds Hayley's diary, and it's clear that Sawyer, Hayley's bf at the time of her death, is harboring some seriously dark secrets.

Oh, I dunno...

I think the prose was well written, but the plotting here leaves something to be desired.

Here are some examples:

Hayley's use of the word "baby" when referring to Ella was quite condescending and awkward. She's a baby bird, so she's helpless? Ick.

We are told that, when Hayley was alive, Hayley, Ella, and Sawyer were together all of the time like three best friends. So, after Hayley's death, Sawyer and Ella don't talk at all ALL SUMMER? Unsure I believe that.

Then... they fall instantly in love. Sawyer's side is explained later (but gave me a little ick there too), but Ella's just like "oh, I know I shouldn't, but I want to so bad." Baby bird knows how to fly after all.

Ella was drinking and driving on the night the accident occurred. She gets in no trouble whatsoever, and everyone's like "it's not your fault." But... yes, yes it is. 🤷🏻‍♀️

The twist? Lots of red herrings throughout, but it's a no for me. 🙅🏻‍♀️ Without giving spoilers, it just didn't make sense to me.

And the other twist also had tons of plot hole questions. Like... is it even possible? 🤔

This is being compared to CoHo, but I think that's just because it's sorta dark romance. I don't think it reads like her stuff at all.

It did keep me interested and keep me guessing until the twist became obvious. I think this book will definitely find its audience. People will love the wild ride the end takes them on.

I was so excited at the inclusion of a school psychologist at the start of this book. And then I wasn't anymore. I'm just not a fan of dark academic romances, age gaps, etc. and I think I have read too many of a similar topic recently to really be objective.

This was also poorly written and at times felt icky to be reading as an adult. It is very Colleen Hoover-esque. Not for me, but I'm sure younger readers may enjoy it and not find it as predictable.

Trigger warning on this story as it does have some DV scenes.

I really enjoyed this book. At first it seemed that the story was about Ella who lost her best friend in an accident where she was the driver and is currently grieving. As you go further through the story you find there is a more nefarious plot as Ella slowly begins to regain her memories of the accident. I definitely did not see that twist coming. I would definitely read more books from this author. Great ya thriller book.

very good! i liked the diary and the mystery all unraveling. It kept me on the edge of my seat to keep reading.

4.5 stars

Synopsis: As Ella returns to school, she cannot stop blaming herself for the accident that killed her best friend, Hayley. She is flooded with constant reminders of Hayley, especially when Hayley's boyfriend Sawyer is around. When the school psychologist forms a grief counseling group to support the students impacted by Hayley's death, Ella and Sawyer begin to grow closer. Amidst their grief, they discover that there are more profound feelings brewing between them. Upon helping Hayley's mom pack up her belongings, Ella happens on Hayley's diary. She quickly learns that nothing she told Ella about Sawyer is true. Is he the sweet and attentive guy she sees, or does he have more dark and sinister qualities?

Thoughts: This was a totally bingy YA that I flew through in one day. It was exactly what I needed to get out of my reading slump. Although I had figured things out prior to the reveal, I still really enjoyed this one. I think that YA reads, especially those who love CoHo, will be obsessed. I particularly liked that we got both Ella and Sawyer's perspectives, in addition to Hayley's through her diary. It helped paint a more holistic picture of the story. There are some mature themes, so be cognizant of that-- I probably won't read this in an academic setting.

Read if you like
-Romantic suspense
-Colleen Hoover
-Multiple POVs
-Messy relationships

This was a murder mystery, a romance and a cautionary tale about teenage domestic violence all wrapped into one well written emotional page turner! Ella returns to the school feeling heartbroken and guilty after the death of her best friend. She believes she caused her death, and it seems so does everyone else, even though she can’t remember the night at all. When she begins to have some very intense feelings for her dead best friend’s boyfriend her guilt knows no bounds. When she finds Hayley’s diary and starts reading she opens up a whole knew world of questions and hurt. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and I think my students will too and I look forward to more from this author.

This book was amazing! I loved it! I recommend this book. It is a book with sensitive topics but done in a way that was respectful and made the story complete.

I enjoyed this book a lot more than I thought I would and am very happy I took a chance on it! I absolutely love Ella and as a Filipina American I was excited to read about a female main character with the same culture. This was a great story, with great characters, and a twist I did not see coming! Definite must read!

Sloan Harlow's "Everything We Never Said" exceeded my expectations by far. It's a narrative rich in raw emotion, grappling with grief, tangled lies, and buried secrets. But as the layers unravel, one must question: are these secrets worth killing for?

Ella wrestles with overwhelming guilt following the tragic death of her best friend, Hayley. Haunted by the accident, she blames herself daily, yet crucial details evade her memory. A pivotal moment arises when Ella stumbles upon Hayley's journal while tidying her room. Hoping for solace, she delves into its pages, only to uncover a web of dark and twisted truths her friend had concealed. The revelation shatters the illusion of perfection, revealing a hidden reality.

Thanks to NetGalley, Sloan Harlow, and Penguin Group for the opportunity to read this ARC.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advance review copy in return for an honest review.
The beginning half of this book was really fun but as it went on it became less believable that these things would happen. The end was also predictable and left me unsatisfied.

Yikes! I'm disappointed with myself and with this book that I didn't like it as much as I was hoping I would. It really wasn't a bad book, story-wise at least and in theory, but the writing and the development could have been much better. I'll explain.
The story itself starts promising. Ella is reeling over the death of her best friend Haley from a car accident where she was the driver six months ago. She has no memory of said accident six months ago, but she knows she was drinking. She feels depressed and the weight of guilt from having been the driver, and her grief consumes her. I can understand her depression and her pain. Coming back to school without her besite was going to be hard. Right away, I feel myself sympathizing with Ella.
Where the book went wrong was that some of the romance was very forced, very rushed, and wasn't very well developed. The side characters also had very little depth, although I did think creepy Mr. Wilkens and Seema were a little better than the others, but even they were annoying. Beth and Rachel could have been used more to make the world-building more fleshed out (not to mention, they were a good lgbtq rep, but they ended up woefully unutilized and just faded in the background in the end). And Scott...well, he was just a jerk for no reason most of the time.
The writing at times was awkward. Maybe its a little too YA for me, I don't know, but I've read YA books before that did better expressing their themes and developing their characters. I also didn't like how at times the characters themselves summarized the events of the book or going into lengthy explanations of their motives. Ther was also alot of exposition that made the events feel kind of rushed.
On a more positive note, Hayley, I really liked, and I enjoyed getting to know her in her diary.
Some of the revelations that unveiled in the book did actually surprise me despite the story taking somewhat of a predictable turn. I do like the message that Harlow sends with the friendship between Ella and Hayley as well as the story she was trying to create about abusive relationships and other tough topics.
Again, I really wanted to like this book more than I did

What a tear jerker! Straight to the heart.

This book centers around grief of a best friend, as well several other challenges the main character faces. The twist was so great!

My jaw was dropped throughout this whole book. It kept me on my toes and anxious to get to the end.

This book was a YA thriller that hooked me from the beginning and I finished it quickly. I was invested and kept reading to find out what happened, but the story became predictable and some things that happened didn't make sense. It is considered a YA book, but there was too much steam for me to consider it as such. Overall, I liked it but probably wouldn't read it a second time.

Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin Young Readers for the ARC!

3.5 stars. Any time I get to the end of a YA story and haven't given myself an aneurysm from excessive amounts of eyerolling, I consider it a success. And this one was a success. I can even say I enjoyed it. Yeah, it's kind of far fetched the way things wrap up, but it was still pretty darn good. It had romance and it had mystery and it was an enjoyable way to spend a few hours with these characters. What more can you want?

I wanted to read this book because of the name of one of the characters and because it was categorized as a dark romantic thriller. I definitely think it hit the marks on this description. I felt engaged the whole time reading and wanted to learn more with each page that I read. I'll be recommending this book to friends and family!

4 – 4.25 STARS

This YA suspense novel is a pretty fast read, one I easily completed in just one sitting. At its crux, this is a story of a forbidden romance, dark secrets, and domestic abuse. But it’s also an emotional journey centering around friendship, teenage angst, loss, and grief. It’s the story of Ella, Hayley, and Sawyer, and how this trio of high school friends were forever changed by one tragic and fateful night.

“Everything We Never Said” is a very compelling story, though fairly predictable. However, I did get one crucial element wrong, so kudos to the author for her clever manipulation of the facts. Still, it taps into a myriad of emotions that we can all easily relate to and relays a story that is more real than not.

"Everything We Never Said" delves into the life of Ella as she embarks on her senior year of high school under the shadow of a tragic event. The usual senior year enthusiasm is eclipsed by the aftermath of a devastating accident at the end of her junior year, where Ella, behind the wheel, loses control, resulting in an accident that claims her best friend's life. Once a shining star in academics and a record-setting swimmer, Ella now navigates the world as a fraction of who she used to be, grappling with guilt and loss. This book takes you on an emotional journey that is profoundly touching and remarkably crafted.

This book was chock full of twist, turns, surprises and unexpected plot twists! I don’t usually love YA that much but this one had me waiting on baited breath to see what was gonna happen next.

Harlow was a real rollercoaster for me, honestly.. It was a dark YA romance that constantly had me at the edge of my seat. Ella's grief and simultaneous trauma bonding was heartbreaking and heartwarming at the same time. I was very enthralled with their relationship and then BOOM he's not who we think he is. This story was a whirlwind. I've been wanting to get into thrillers so this felt like a great way to step into this genre while sticking with what I know. Thank you for letting me review this, it was a delight to read.