When You Were Everything by Ashley Woodfolk hits hard. It really hits hard on the friendship side of things. If you want a contemporary YA that doesn’t throw romance in your face, but explores friendship, this one is for you!
I felt this one in my bones whilst listening to it, as my own best friend drifted away from me in my final year of high school and it stung. This made me relate more to the story, and made it a super emotional, but authentic and validating read for me.
I really loved how in this one, there were two timelines, the ‘then’ and the ‘now’. The ‘then’ part explores how Cleo and Layla’s friendship was ending, and the ‘now’ part explored Cleo at present, moving on from the friendship. I felt that this two timeline thing really worked well so show the during and after friendship breakup, riddled with emotion and uncertainty, just like all friendship breakups are like.
The descriptiveness of the heartbreak Cleo felt upon realising her friendship was over was touched on really well, and I felt every gram of pain that she felt, and I really felt like it was a true depiction of what happens with friendship breakups. Not to mention that she’s also having to deal with the separation of her parents at the same time. What a trooper, I’d have broken down a lot if that happened to me! The words were clear at demonstrating the feelings, and it’s all just everything I needed to have a validated experience. Just imagine the heartbreak at losing a best friend and the secrets and trust you have with them in a single hit. It truly hurts.
I enjoy listening to how Layla started drifting, by hanging out with the ‘Chorus Girls’, who exclude Cleo. The way that accusations and name-calling flew reminds me of how petty high school girls could really be, and just how brutal school can be if you’re not in the ‘in’ group. All of this felt super authentic, given my personal experiences.
I truly felt that whilst listening to this one that I actually was Cleo, just watching Layla drift away and it made me cry on the trains toward uni each time. I also love how Cleo picks up the pieces as well, and carries on with her life, finding someone new to call a friend. I found this super uplifting, and I feel like it sends out the strong message that even if you suffer a friend breakup, you might just be lucky to find a new friend down the line, and all is not lost. I too experienced that personally, finding a new best friend a few years after being dropped by my ex-best friend. In this story, I feel like the new friendship may have been rushed a little, but that may be my interpretation as sometimes people do just click together too.
Truly, I feel that this is a super important read, validating that it is okay to feel devastated after losing a best friend. I feel like this is always going to be a timeless coming-of-age story, that a fair few of us will relate to. I just wish I had this book four years ago, when I needed a giant hug and something to pull me out of my funk!
When You Were Everything is available from Amazon, Book Depository, and other good book retailers, like your local bookstore.
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Synopsis | Goodreads
You can’t rewrite the past, but you can always choose to start again.
It’s been twenty-seven days since Cleo and Layla’s friendship imploded.
Nearly a month since Cleo realized they’ll never be besties again.
Now, Cleo wants to erase every memory, good or bad, that tethers her to her ex–best friend. But pretending Layla doesn’t exist isn’t as easy as Cleo hoped, especially after she’s assigned to be Layla’s tutor. Despite budding new friendships with other classmates—and a raging crush on a gorgeous boy named Dom—Cleo’s turbulent past with Layla comes back to haunt them both.
Alternating between time lines of Then and Now, When You Were Everything blends past and present into an emotional story about the beauty of self-forgiveness, the promise of new beginnings, and the courage it takes to remain open to love.
