When You Were Everything
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- Create Date：2021-04-28 11:51:20
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Ashley Woodfolk
- ISBN：1524715948
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Summary
For fans of Nina LaCour's We Are Okay and Adam Silvera's History Is All You Left Me， this heartfelt and ultimately uplifting novel follows one sixteen-year-old girl's friend breakup through two concurrent timelines--ultimately proving that even endings can lead to new beginnings。
Stunning。 --Nic Stone， bestselling author of Dear Martin and Odd One Out
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 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。
Breathtakingly beautiful。。。。Woodfolk has a way of making words sing and burst with light。 --Tiffany D。 Jackson， award-winning author of Monday's Not Coming and Let Me Hear A Rhyme
Stunning。 --Nic Stone， bestselling author of Dear Martin and Odd One Out
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 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。
Breathtakingly beautiful。。。。Woodfolk has a way of making words sing and burst with light。 --Tiffany D。 Jackson， award-winning author of Monday's Not Coming and Let Me Hear A Rhyme
Reviews
Nicole Shum
，
This was the first YA novel I’ve read in a while。 I found the pettiness and cattiness in the story to not reflect how I personally remember high school， but I’m sure many can relate。 While I didn’t experience that kind pettiness or cattiness， I definitely have felt the natural ebbs and flows of friendships over time。 And there were （and still are as an adult） times when those ebbs were really hard to accept。 I really appreciated the diversity and representation included in the book without it be This was the first YA novel I’ve read in a while。 I found the pettiness and cattiness in the story to not reflect how I personally remember high school， but I’m sure many can relate。 While I didn’t experience that kind pettiness or cattiness， I definitely have felt the natural ebbs and flows of friendships over time。 And there were （and still are as an adult） times when those ebbs were really hard to accept。 I really appreciated the diversity and representation included in the book without it being in your face or having an alternate agenda。 It was refreshing to hear it as normal and not dwelt on and for a book to also focus on friendship over romantic relationships for a change。 But I also loved the innocence of Chloe and Dom’s relationship and the respect they had for one another。 While I couldn’t personally relate to a lot of the story and I found it a bit cheesy at times， I think it was really well written and a must-read for teens as they go through such a formative （and perhaps confusing） time in their lives full of changes and self-discovery。 And now I want to reach out to all of my best high school girlfriends。 🙂3。5 ⭐️！ 。。。more
Nanna Brochdorff
，
RTC
Iyana
，
I cannot express how beautifully and lovingly written this book is。 Woodfolk captures both the beauty and brutality of high school， girlhood and friendship。 This book was so special because it’s something we have all experienced。 We have all been left behind or left someone behind， and had someone we love turn into someone who has hurt us so deeply。 Its a part of growing up I wish we discussed more openly and honestly and this book does just that。 NETFLIX， COME GET THIS BOOK。 NOW。
Chanel
，
If you have ever loved and lost a best friend， this book is for you。 So relatable in the real love you can have for a friend and the different ways friends can betray and disappoint one another。 I love that the main characters are black and brown folk who are not experiencing violent tragedies， but rather are normal people going through the ups and downs of life and love。 Just saying that I would love a companion book from Layla’s POV。
Candyce Kirk
，
Where do I even start？ When You Were Everything really had everything I was expecting from this book， but didn't even know I was expecting。 Friendships are a big part of everyone's life， but books don't often show that when friendships end that they can hurt just as much as when you're in love and a relationship ends。 When you end up being really close to someone when you're younger I don't think anyone really expects or thinks they won't be this way years later。 When You Were Everything was rea Where do I even start？ When You Were Everything really had everything I was expecting from this book， but didn't even know I was expecting。 Friendships are a big part of everyone's life， but books don't often show that when friendships end that they can hurt just as much as when you're in love and a relationship ends。 When you end up being really close to someone when you're younger I don't think anyone really expects or thinks they won't be this way years later。 When You Were Everything was really unique for me in that sense。I loved that this book was switched between 'then' and 'now'。 A lot happened between our two main characters， Cleo & Layla， and I think we needed both timelines to get the complete story。 When You Were Everything is told through Cleo's POV。 Cleo and Layla became friends when they were twelve and have been inseparable since then。 It's basically them against the world。 Until Layla starts to pursue some of her other interests and starts hanging out with the chorus girls。 This is hard for two reasons: Cleo isn't interested in chorus and the new girls don't exactly make her feel welcome。As the book continues we see them slowly growing apart and it's painful。 I think most of us have experienced a friendship that just didn't last and slowly grows apart。 On top of slowly losing this friendship， Cleo is also dealing with her parents separating。 I can't imagine losing your friends and your sense of home all at once。 But that's where things get tricky。 Cleo and Layla don't communicate as much and Cleo is hurt。 There are many misunderstandings that end up leading to bullying and just purposely hurting each other。 Let me be clear bullying is never okay and purposely hurting someone when you're hurt isn't either！ So many times I wish they would just sit down and talk it out， but there was a lot of pain。 Then there's the other side of a friendship like this ending。 How do you trust enough to let knew friends in？ Cleo ends up hanging out with a few new people， but clearly tries pushing them away， because she doesn't want to be hurt again。 This was hard to see， because these side characters were really trying to welcome her in their lives。 Healing from a friendship break up and making new memories isn't easy， but Cleo is slowly learning how to do this during the book。 When You Were Everything is very much a character driven book and can be considered slow at times， but it really dives into the emotions and dealing with so many changes。 There's a cute romance as well， but I love the fact that it didn't end up being the main part of this story。All in all， When You Were Everything is an amazing book。 I'm normally someone that loves when things get settled and everything is happily ever after， but life isn't always like that and this book balances that aspect very well。 I'll definitely be reading more by this author in the future！ 。。。more
Kate
，
3。5 stars。I think books about friend break ups are important band should happen more。 I also really enjoyed the storytelling in this one。The thing that kept it from being a higher rating for me is that it was such a dramatic breakup。 Those girls were awful to each other。 And while I do understand that's something that often happens， I just didn't *enjoy* that part。 I personally want to see more books about friend break ups that happen only because the girls maybe can't grasp they are growing apa 3。5 stars。I think books about friend break ups are important band should happen more。 I also really enjoyed the storytelling in this one。The thing that kept it from being a higher rating for me is that it was such a dramatic breakup。 Those girls were awful to each other。 And while I do understand that's something that often happens， I just didn't *enjoy* that part。 I personally want to see more books about friend break ups that happen only because the girls maybe can't grasp they are growing apart， not that they're just。。。。awful。 The one thing that didn't mind of save it for me is that some of them at least seamed to feel a little remorse。 。。。more
Emma
，
"I've seen the way you can lose someone in slow motion， and I know the kinds of things it can make me do。" There are so many amazing quotes in this book， is so hard for me to no put everything in this review， it's a light read about growing apart and learning to adapt to the new things in life， but it's also very deep on many levels， Cleo is such a good show of morally grey characters， if you read this book you'll probably don't like some things she does， and thought her acts are not defensible， "I've seen the way you can lose someone in slow motion， and I know the kinds of things it can make me do。" There are so many amazing quotes in this book， is so hard for me to no put everything in this review， it's a light read about growing apart and learning to adapt to the new things in life， but it's also very deep on many levels， Cleo is such a good show of morally grey characters， if you read this book you'll probably don't like some things she does， and thought her acts are not defensible， reading her was realistic， she did bad things because she was hurt， she learnt and tried better with her new relationships。 Is not about forgetting or ignoring her bad actions， it's about reading the path she takes to be a better version of herself and to understand what happened and how she lowered herself to that point。"What can I do to make things better between us？" "The last time I messed thing up with someone， I waited too long to apologize。 So here I am。" Many books fail or don't show a real development， but this one did such a great job showing it。 Since it's a friendship book I didn't have greats expectations but I'm so so glad I picked up this book。 。。。more
Amber Rencher
，
3。5 If she said "daddy" one more time I was going to quit this book。 I don't know what it is about people over the age of 3 saying daddy， but it makes me cringe。 Also cringy: the hypocritical back-stabbing and terrible life choices。 Yeah， slowly loosing Lela was rough and her little betrayals stung， but Cleo make the first low blow。 It's hard to respect her or be on her side as the reader after that。 Also， I ask you， is anyone honestly this obsessed with shakespeare？ I can't think of anyone I've 3。5 If she said "daddy" one more time I was going to quit this book。 I don't know what it is about people over the age of 3 saying daddy， but it makes me cringe。 Also cringy: the hypocritical back-stabbing and terrible life choices。 Yeah， slowly loosing Lela was rough and her little betrayals stung， but Cleo make the first low blow。 It's hard to respect her or be on her side as the reader after that。 Also， I ask you， is anyone honestly this obsessed with shakespeare？ I can't think of anyone I've met who understands and experiences life through a shakespearean lens。 Rather than movie quotes like a normal person they all speak solely in Shakespeare quotes and metaphors。 I also feel like they did about three too many flashbacks。 By a certain point I understood what happened in the past and just wanted to look forward to the future。 I slowly lost interest and the flashbacks as they became less and less important to the momentum of her moving forward。 。。。more
rory gilmore
，
could’ve done without the romantic subplot （not every book needs romance！ please！ i’m so tired！）， but i’m a sucker for friendship stories like this
Safa
，
this book hit so hard now that i can relate to the story， altho Cleo and i didn't have the same reaction， we both learnt how to let go。 it was good。 give a shot if u have time。 this book hit so hard now that i can relate to the story， altho Cleo and i didn't have the same reaction， we both learnt how to let go。 it was good。 give a shot if u have time。 。。。more
Ellie
，
I wish this book had existed when I was 16！ （And 18） （And 21）
Michelle Lara
，
This book really hits home about one's lost of friendship and trying to navigate life after the breakup from the friendship。 The book is sad， quirky， beautiful， and full of so many emotions jammed into one。 Defintely a must read story。 This book really hits home about one's lost of friendship and trying to navigate life after the breakup from the friendship。 The book is sad， quirky， beautiful， and full of so many emotions jammed into one。 Defintely a must read story。 。。。more
Kari Allsup
，
What girl hasn’t Ben down the messy road of female friendship？ Common experience makes it easy to connect with， but it’s beautifully written too！
Creya
，
4。5 STARSWhat a sweet sweet book about a girl， Cleo， who was abandoned by the person she loved most in the world: her best friend。 Following a month of pain and sorrow， she looks for the chance to gain closure and move on from the bestie who will never be hers again。 She is able to meet new friends and make new memories along the way。 I absolutely loved one of our side characters， Dom， and the book’s ending。 Perfect for high school and early college readers， Woodfolk tells the story of imploded 4。5 STARSWhat a sweet sweet book about a girl， Cleo， who was abandoned by the person she loved most in the world: her best friend。 Following a month of pain and sorrow， she looks for the chance to gain closure and move on from the bestie who will never be hers again。 She is able to meet new friends and make new memories along the way。 I absolutely loved one of our side characters， Dom， and the book’s ending。 Perfect for high school and early college readers， Woodfolk tells the story of imploded friendships well。“Perhaps he doesn’t know how it feels…to break in this particular way。 Or perhaps it’s different for boys？ But girls cling to their friends for dear life as they wade through the rough waters of learning who they are while everything around and inside them is changing minute by minute。 And aren’t we all a little bit in love with our best friends？”“That’s the thing about words: they can leave you both unscathed and completely gutted。 Girls wage endless wars with their voices， tearing you apart without touching you at all。” 。。。more
Samantha Kelley
，
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5“But girls cling to their friends for dear life as they wade ThTs ugh the rough waters of learning who they are while everything around and inside them is changing minute by minute。” Friend break ups are THE WORST。 Honestly， I think they’re more painful than a romantic break up。 And it’s not written about enough， and it should be。 What topic is more relatable than a once close friend becoming a stranger？ Who hasn’t been through that before in their lifetime？ This book was super relata ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5“But girls cling to their friends for dear life as they wade ThTs ugh the rough waters of learning who they are while everything around and inside them is changing minute by minute。” Friend break ups are THE WORST。 Honestly， I think they’re more painful than a romantic break up。 And it’s not written about enough， and it should be。 What topic is more relatable than a once close friend becoming a stranger？ Who hasn’t been through that before in their lifetime？ This book was super relatable， and hit me in the feels。 The pain that Cleo felt losing Layla; I felt that pain in my bones。 The reason this isn’t a 5 star is because it does take place in high school and there is a lot of petty high school drama that unfolds， that I am just too old for and to be reading about。 I enjoyed that we flip between then and now， the ‘then’ being how and the progress of Layla & Cleo’s friendship ending and the ‘now’ being the aftermath。 It seems like Cleo was hit harder， but I think a few chapters from Layla’s perspective would have been interesting！ Cleo was kind of annoying at times， and she wasn’t my favorite character but I was happy to see her grow throughout the story and make peace with a lot of things。 This would be a great story for a middle or high school library and definitely a book high school girls need during those four years。 “But the heart is strange and life is even stranger。” 。。。more
Marley Evans
，
This was a really sweet read。 It’s about a friendship ending。 I don’t think I’ve ever read a book like this， and I so related to the characters。
Bella
，
，，ouch ？
Jaelyn
，
4。5 StarsThis book was stunning。 Words cannot describe the importance or the beauty of this book， I loved it so much。 It's the story of a girl in high school， living through all the intricacies of life and friendship and love and family， and it's beautiful。This book focuses on losing a friend， on the fights and the pain that comes from having a best friend that you aren't friends with anymore。 It went from the past to the present， back and forth， showing the beautiful friendship and comparing it 4。5 StarsThis book was stunning。 Words cannot describe the importance or the beauty of this book， I loved it so much。 It's the story of a girl in high school， living through all the intricacies of life and friendship and love and family， and it's beautiful。This book focuses on losing a friend， on the fights and the pain that comes from having a best friend that you aren't friends with anymore。 It went from the past to the present， back and forth， showing the beautiful friendship and comparing it to the way things had turned out。 It was stunning and interesting and emotional and painful。I loved the focus on friendships， how new ones can be made， and I really loved every character。 They were all so unique and contributed to a true feeling of community in the book。 There was also a heart-wrenching focus on family， and how difficult it can be to love your family while they make hurtful choices。 The romance was sweet and well-developed， and I really enjoyed it。 Every character was flawed， making them complex and motivated。 This would be my only complaint with this book， that some of the characters seemed to have flaws that were overlooked to an unreasonable extent， but it is part of what makes this book special and realistic。Also， the diversity in this book was so interesting， as it included people's experiences in their identities， allowing them to all be special and hold their own values while making them all diverse and from different backgrounds。 I loved itPG+ for swearing， talk of alcohol 。。。more
Aislign
，
4。5 stars rounded up。 This was a beautiful YA story， and one that often doesn’t get told。 As a society we focus on romantic breakups， but friend breakups can be so much more shattering， because as we say， dudes come and go but friends are forever。 Except sometimes they’re not。 I’m glad that the point of this story wasn’t the eventual reconciliation of Layla and Cleo but instead was about how you get past a shattering friend breakup and learn to trust again。
kai | 凯香
，
i simply cannot stand cleo or layla and there was a lot teen drama that maybe people can relate to， but it felt hollywood-esque to me。 maybe i just had a boring ass high school experience
Elise
，
This was a really moving exploration of how a friendship "break-up" can happen。 I think this story will resonate with many teen and adult readers。I thought the structure of this story was really clever。 The book is told in two parts: "before" the friendship ends and "after" the friendship has ended。 We're moving forward in time in both timelines， but we learn more about how the "after" happened every time we visit the "before" scenes。 It was such a lovely way to tell this story。 As an adult read This was a really moving exploration of how a friendship "break-up" can happen。 I think this story will resonate with many teen and adult readers。I thought the structure of this story was really clever。 The book is told in two parts: "before" the friendship ends and "after" the friendship has ended。 We're moving forward in time in both timelines， but we learn more about how the "after" happened every time we visit the "before" scenes。 It was such a lovely way to tell this story。 As an adult reader， it was really frustrating to see the characters fall apart over what I believe is a lack of communication。 Cleo was feeling hurt by Layla getting new friends and having less time to devote to their friendship。 I wish they had talked about their feelings BEFORE they both hurt each other！ But I also know from experience that teenagers don't always communicate their emotions in a productive way。 This is a story about learning how to say what you need in a friendship and while it's unfortunate that Cleo had to learn this lesson by losing Layla， it's something we all go through in life。 I think this book captures the teen experience incredibly well and I'll definitely recommend it to young adult readers in the future！ 。。。more
Robbin
，
“The thing I didn’t realize about having a best friend while I still had one is just how wrapped up she is in everything I do。 Every outfit I wear or song I listen to。 Every place I go。 Losing someone can leave you haunted。” Pg 6From the moment I read the synopsis I knew I wanted to read this book because I could immediately relate。 I feel like everyone has experienced the pain of losing a best friend。 Someone who you considered family， who you never thought would one day just not be in your lif “The thing I didn’t realize about having a best friend while I still had one is just how wrapped up she is in everything I do。 Every outfit I wear or song I listen to。 Every place I go。 Losing someone can leave you haunted。” Pg 6From the moment I read the synopsis I knew I wanted to read this book because I could immediately relate。 I feel like everyone has experienced the pain of losing a best friend。 Someone who you considered family， who you never thought would one day just not be in your life anymore。 This story was so refreshing because although you could see where both girls were wrong， ESPECIALLY Cleo， you could honestly understand both points of view。 Cleo really frustrated me a LOT。 But at the same time I really sympathized with her。 She was going through a lot and holding it all in。 As a result she started lashing out。 What she said to Layla was honestly unforgivable and just cruel。 She knew it too， but she just couldn’t stop herself。 Hurt people hurt people。 I felt like I got closure at the end。 In life relationships end sometimes and it’s no ones fault。 People change and sometimes people outgrow each other。 That’s a part of life。 Instead of trying to forget your past just be happy for the times that were good and the role that someone used to play in your life。 Life always goes on ❤️Honestly I can’t wait to read anything Ashley Woodfolk has written。 I’m officially a fan！ 。。。more
Sarah Mattocks
，
If I could give 4。5 stars I would。 This book is not about the regular kind of heart break you read about， it’s about the heart break of breaking up with a best friend。 My only complaint is sometimes the teenage boy character seemed too good to be real， but the other characters were realistic， imperfect and unique。
Snowco
，
Very touching YA coming of age story about a platonic friendship gone bad and what it looks like to pick up the pieces afterward。 It's very much a mirror for teens， but it was a good window for an old 50+ duffer like myself。 The writing is solid and the emotions ring true。 Very touching YA coming of age story about a platonic friendship gone bad and what it looks like to pick up the pieces afterward。 It's very much a mirror for teens， but it was a good window for an old 50+ duffer like myself。 The writing is solid and the emotions ring true。 。。。more
Kelsey Wolf
，
For anyone who’s ever lost a friend - beautifully written。 Cleo is such a complex and relatable character。 Excited to see more from Woodfolk！
Mrigaya
，
Really liked this one。 Nothing ever prepares you for loss， be it a family member or a friend。 How do you deal with losing someone when they’re in front of you？ How do you deal with it when you’re never gonna see them again？ Finished this in one setting。
Anne
，
Such a beautiful and poignant book that accurately describes the pain and complications of losing a best friend。 It is something that is not talked about in books the way it should be， but it is here showing how heartbreaking losing a friend can really be。 Great characters， intriguing story， finished it in a day and a half， highly recommend。
Hailey （Hailey in Bookland）
，
I think this book is SO important。 I've said it pretty much every time I talk about wanting to read this book， but the loss of friendship is something so prevalent in all stages of life and it's a topic I wish was covered more。 This did it perfectly。 It offered just the right amount of reconciliation that I hoped for。 You got to see a lot of development， growth， and healing from the main character。 Friendships end for all sorts of reasons and it's a really hard loss and I think this book covered I think this book is SO important。 I've said it pretty much every time I talk about wanting to read this book， but the loss of friendship is something so prevalent in all stages of life and it's a topic I wish was covered more。 This did it perfectly。 It offered just the right amount of reconciliation that I hoped for。 You got to see a lot of development， growth， and healing from the main character。 Friendships end for all sorts of reasons and it's a really hard loss and I think this book covered it tremendously well。 Bullying was a prevalent topic and I felt like it was realistic， especially regarding the danger of rumour spreading。 I enjoyed that the story alternated between then and now portions to give a fully rounded look at the story。 There was a cute romance added， but the real focus was the platonic relationship and the difficulties of loss。 It was a refreshing change。 I do think that the middle of this dragged a bit。 It's a very character driven story and the plot didn't really come in until the last third or so of the book so there was a point where I wanted the story to be tightened up a little bit。 But overall I think this is a book that everyone would be able to relate to and one that offers a lot of insight into the pain of friendship breakups， but also how to go forward from that， especially after losing a relationship as long lasting and strong as Layla and Cleo's。 。。。more
Tiffanie
，
3。5 ⭐️
Samantha
，
It feels weird to say I enjoyed a book about a friendship break-up， but I did。 I don't think we talk enough about what it's like to break up with a friend， and sometimes those scars last just as long as a romantic relationship breaking up。 Cleo and Layla have been best friends for years， but now they are growing apart。 That growing apart blows up spectacularly， in a way that makes it difficult to be friends again。 But how did it happen？ The format of this one is a little tricky。 It flips back an It feels weird to say I enjoyed a book about a friendship break-up， but I did。 I don't think we talk enough about what it's like to break up with a friend， and sometimes those scars last just as long as a romantic relationship breaking up。 Cleo and Layla have been best friends for years， but now they are growing apart。 That growing apart blows up spectacularly， in a way that makes it difficult to be friends again。 But how did it happen？ The format of this one is a little tricky。 It flips back and forth through time， which worked better for me at the beginning than it did towards the end。 At the end I was having a hard time figuring out how far away December was from the present。 I think it works in a way to make you more sympathetic to Cleo at the beginning， and then you slowly realize that she has a lot to do with the break-up at the same time。 I've been the Cleo before and had a friendship blow up without knowing why。 More like this， please。 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=When You Were Everything
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=When You Were Everything&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft