Member Reviews
This was a quick and cute read, though overall everything felt a bit rushed. I would have loved some more depth to make it more memorable in a sea of great YA contemporary novels.
This was such a sweet read and definitely the first of many I will be reading by this author. I found all the characters relatable in their own way. The romance aspect was written so well.
I unfortunately forgot to download the e-book on my kindle before it was archived so I wasn’t able to read and review it (on time). Since I Must give a star rating, I’ve given it 3 stars to stay neutral/in the middle. Sorry to the publisher for not having gotten around to actually read it.
This was a really heartbreaking story to be honest. We have one character who just lost her mom to cancer and has not been able to overcome her grief and move forward, just basically going through the motions of pretending to live. And then we have another character that has been forced to be the adult/caregiver for his mother and is an outcast in town no matter what he does. The two of them met back up in the most trying time of their lives.
At least half the book had the two main characters not interacting, and the book was really short so I feel like the relationship would have been super rushed if they didn't have a backstory of being best friends growing up. The book was very short and predominantly dealt with the characters dealing with their own baggage, not together in a relationship, so I would have loved to have more of the book with them being together and happy (or at least together and struggling with other issues, but at least they would be together). Sure the backbone of the book was romance, but it felt more like a personal growth story where a romance was a side note.
Quick and cute read. Wasn't excellent, but it was enjoyable. I wish the ending wasnt rushed. I wish Katie had a bit more depth to her character.
I enjoyed the push and pull in the beginning, but it did drag on a bit.
Julian was sweet and swoon worthy. I enjoyed his character most.
Thanks for the opportunity.
All the things we lost by Kayla Tirrell is another story that proofs why I love Kayla Tirrell's story's. The writing is very good and I love the characters.
This one was short and sweet!!
I thought it would have a bit more depth after reading the blurb, I just felt like it was going to have a bit more depth to it, but overall it was just a quick cute read!!
And I loved the characters in it, they were so lovely and quite cute. And they just felt real as well, which was really nice!
Katie did annoy me a few times, but Julian was just so sweet!!
And overall it really was just a super cute contemporary.
I loved that it was short and didn't drag on for too long, a great way to spend an afternoon reading this!!
I was provided a copy of All the Things We Lost from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review!
If you're anything like me, these will be the stages you go through when reading All The Things We Lost by Kayla Tirrell:
1) .. okay, sure. This is fine.
2) Ah, this is gonna be the ship. I see You.
3) WHAT IS WITH THE SLOW BURN?!@!@!
4) .. wait, they love each other?! OH COME ON, THEY JUST REUNITED. THEY DON'T KNOW LOVE. WHY IS THIS HAPPENING SO FAST?
5) .. okay, sure. This is fine.
All The Things We Lost read like any other fluffy YA novel & that's perfectly fine! I knew that's what I was signing up for! I didn't swoon that much, but it was still cute & precious & very predictable.
Plus, I really enjoyed that both Julian & Katie worked at a restaurant, because wow it gave me some major nostalgic vibes from my own time in the kitchen. I knew all the slang, the feelings, and everything that goes on behind the scenes. And, I also do understand never being able to get over that someone from your past, because I too, get the butterflies & the hit of a romantic memory when I see that special someone from high school. Some things are just hard to get over.
Another thing that gets a bonus in All The Things We Lost is the relationship between Julian and his mother, and Katie and her father. Both relationships are really rocky, but just maybe they'll make it work.
All The Things We Lost is a really short read & if you're in the mood for some fluff, ya mind as well give it a try.
Short and sweet is exactly how I would describe this! And look at that pretty cover!
But unfortunately, this wasn’t my first Kayla Tirrell book. I’ve previously read Chasing Love, and while I really enjoyed that one, I found this one lacking in certain aspects.
Everything felt really rushed to me. The big conclusion basically consisted of the last 5 pages and bam, the end. While I understand that because this book is overall very short, I prefer my explanations a little more elaborate. The first half where Katie and Julian ignored each other dragged on for a bit too long, whereas the second half was pretty much about insta-love, drama and the happy ending in extremely quick succession.
Frankly, I also thought Katie was a very irresponsable and childish character, from the way she treated her friends and family as well as her money.
The writing itself was’t bad though, but I just wished the story was a bit more balanced.
I wanted to like this book and the brief summary seemed promising enough to give it a try. But I was only a few pages in until I realized, this book wasn't going to do it for me. Unfortunately, I must say. Honestly, it had a lot of potential, but wasn't really different from a lot of New Adult novels there are. Most of the time, I couldn't deal with the writing either. It seemed to me as though the author wanted to find an ending right from page number one. It's good to know where your story is heading, but things sometimes seemed a little forced, a little to fast-paced.
What I liked, though, was Katie. At least what the author managed to make out of her - a strong, independent woman. And Julian was one of the good old stubborn type. So, while I often struggled on continue reading All The Things We Lost, I liked that the chemistry between the two main characters never felt forced to the reader. Even when I couldn't find myself liking the writing or the story itself, that was a good thing.
I wish we had gotten a litle more insight of what Katie's life used to be, but the story kicks off at her most difficult time in life and unfortunately, we never really got to see the history of Katie and Julian. Surprising enough, how the reader still enjoys the scenes between them and ships the two of them.
This is going to be a short review, since there's not a lot I can say about this book. It was an ok-read, but nothing I would recommend straight away. Also, I'm sad to say that I won't be reading the other books in the series. It just wasn't for me.
4/5
(Thanks to Netgalley, the publisher and the author for the chance to read a copy)
I found the story both angsty and tender at the same time. The struggle of the characters to overcome a loss, each in their own way, and how the second chances await anyone. The secondary characters were to me as important as the main characters, and I'm looking forward to reading what happens with Gwen and Mitch in the next book.
I recommend Julian and Katie's book to any New Adult lover, it does not disappoint.
This title feels done and a little cliche, I feel as though I've read it before.
That being said, this book has great characters and flow.
Katie has been floorless since her mother's death. Now she has to try to adjust to other situations that life presents to her and one of them is to face her childhood crush again. Julian is trying to move on after his whole life had collapsed and the last thing he needs is to take another responsibility on him.
These two lost and bitter souls have in Gwen a safe and loving harbor of strength support. Gwen also has her problems but she does what she can to help her friends.
In a story of forgiveness, mourning, resilience and love, I met these lovely and strong characters in a very well written and engaging light sweet plot.
I loved the cover and how perfect it is for the book.
All The Things We Lost is a story about a young girl, Katie, whose parents divorced and she moved from Idaho to Florida with her Mom. After her Mom passed away she eventually goes back to Idaho to try to find herself and heal relationships with her Dad and former bestie Julian. Julian is a troubled soul who has been dealt a bad hand since she last saw him.
This a great heartfelt story of two teens trying to make the best with their lives and forge their path forward after dealing with life changing events. The type of events no kid should have to deal with.
I found this book to be refreshing as it was not the perfect life story but one dealing with real life issues and both main characters fighting to find their path to the future. Interested to see where the second part of this series will take Katie and Julian!
a very sweet and very interesting story, it had me focused and continuously turning the page to found out what happens, i enjoyed it quite a lot.
I'm sorry but I just really did not enjoy this book. The grammar was pretty poor, and the storyline fell really short for me. There were so many plot holes that never got tied up, and so many things were overlooked. I feel as though this book was missing the editing part of it, and could have been improved had it been edited more.
I just read a book that had some similar themes to this one, and this just did not compare at all. Unfortunately, I really did not enjoy this one.
It’s a great book about a girl who lost his mom and be abandoned by her dad when his parents get divorced. And about a guy who was abandoned by her dad, and now his family was a big mess.
Two teenagers who have their dreams ripped out. Two teenagers who was best friend in the past.
Two broken teenagers.
This is a YA story about 18 year old Katie as she griefs the loss of her mother while moving to her hometown to spend time with her estranged father. When she gets there, she takes up a job at the diner, makes friends with a waitress, and reunites (kinda) with her childhood best friend, Julian. The reunion seems bittersweet, she is happy to see him by his lack of reaction towards seeing her is what makes it awkward. I believe the story moves way too fast for a believable whirlwind romance and by the speed at which it moves doesn't leave a lot of room for character development. It's as if the plot wants Julian and Katie to pick up where things left but nothing was really developed since they were so young and even then the reader doesn't get to see much of their past anyway. A big point in the story as well if Katie and her father's relationship which is mended at the end without allowing the readers to see or feel to emotions of such reconciliation. I can tell that the author has set up a lot of stuff for the rest of the books in the series. Since the series shifts characters, I don't know if I'm as interested to continue since I feel like Julian's and Katie's story was cut off when it was just getting started.
My copy was provided by Netgalley for an honest review.
In “All The Things We Lost (River Valley Lost & Found #1)” by Kayla Tirrell we meet Katie and Julian. Katie and Julian were best friends growing up but lost touch when Katie moved away. Now both of them have had some life altering things happen in the last few months and have put off college to figure things out. To do this Katie is back in her old home town. The middle school crush is gone but the attraction they feel confuses them both.
Can they each leave their past where is belongs and look to the future they can have together or is it already to late.
I received a copy of this book through Net Galley and this is my honest opinion.
This book seemed so familiar to me while reading, it doesn't really stand out from all the similar books I have read but for a quick fun read I would recommend it.