Who doesn’t have a goal that they set from childhood? Above All Else focuses on Rose and Tate’s big goal that they came up with when they were young: to climb Mount Everest! This gripping tale of childhood climbing friends will definitely make you feel like you’re right there with them!
Levy wrote this book with two points-of-views, one from Rose and the other from Tate. Whilst Rose’s storyline generally progresses in the right then and there, Tate’s story flicks back and forth between the past and the present, giving some background for some very important points towards the end of the book. Personally, I loved how everything was intertwined and I wasn’t missing anything, which is always a great sign!
Rose is portrayed as the smart, headstrong girl who keeps on going when everything else is falling apart around her, especially as her mum suddenly falls ill and is unable to climb. Tate on the other hand feels very much in the shadows of his family and of Rose, often comparing himself with Rose schoolwise. The contrast between our two characters definitely helped with reading their storylines a lot, as they weren’t the same.
In the story, I loved how the focus was on friends (old and new), health (both physical and mental), as well as touching sensitively on death throughout the book. I also love how all the characters strive in their different ways in order to make climbing Mount Everest happen in the first place and when they finally arrive at Everest Base Camp, I truly smiled.
As Rose and Tate’s relationship developed whilst climbing, I did love how there was a little bit of romance, but that wasn’t the biggest part of the story at all, as if the most important thing to both was their friendship and climbing. I also did love the angst that happened at points, especially when Rose and Tate had different views on certain issues, and I thought it was excellent to see that in this read rather than just having nothing but sunshine and rainbows.
The description of how gruelling climbing is (whether it be Everest or just the local mountain range) was super intense, and at times made me feel like I was climbing, even though I’m certainly no climber myself! Levy described Everest in such a way that made me even so scared to climb the stairs in my house, just in case I fell because I let go of the railings! I love how Rose and Tate both overcome the challenges they face within themselves and with their new-found friends from the trek.
I did like how there was diversity, along with mental health problems, family issues, and physical ailments, and how these were described in enough detail that made me feel like I was right there dealing with everything alongside everyone in the book. Heck, I even cried at some points because the feels hit me so much towards the end of the book!
Overall, this was a gripping tale with triumphs and losses, and a lot of feels! I was always rooting for Rose and Tate, and this book is definitely something for those who are adventurous or want a different type of contemporary read!
Above All Else is available from Amazon, Book Depository, and other good book retailers as of October 13th 2020. I received a e-copy of this book from the publisher Charlesbridge Teen in exchange for an honest review.
Will you be picking up Above All Else? Tell us in the comments below!
Synopsis | Goodreads
Rose Keller and Tate Russo have been climbing for years, training in harsh weather and traveling all over the world. The goal that kept them going: summiting Mount Everest, the highest point on earth. Accompanied by Tate’s dad, the two will finally make the ultimate climb at the end of their senior year. But neither Rose nor Tate are fully in the game—not only is there a simmering romance between them, but Rose can’t get her mind off her mother’s illness, while Tate constantly fails to live up to his ambitious father’s standards.
Everyone on their expedition has something to prove, it seems. And not everyone is making the best decisions while short on oxygen and physically and mentally exhausted. The farther up the mountain they go, the more their climbing plans unravel and the more isolated each team member becomes. Rose and Tate will have to dig deep within themselves to determine what—or who—they value above all else.
In a fictional tale as riveting, irresistible, and heartbreaking as Into Thin Air, teen climbing prodigies Rose and Tate attempt to summit—and survive—Mount Everest.
