DNF 45% The child-narrator does and says things that a child that age simply would not do. It keeps pulling me out of the story. I found the story boring. I didn't like the way mental illness was handled and didn't like the anti-LGBT. Just not my cup of tea.

ABOUT 'ALL THAT'S BRIGHT AND GONE': I know my brother is dead. But sometimes Mama gets confused.

Six-year-old Aoife knows better than to talk to people no one else can see, like her best friend Teddy who her mother says is invisible. He's not, but Mama says it's rude anyways. So when Mama starts talking to Aoife's older brother Theo, Aoife is surprised. And when she stops the car in the middle of an intersection, crying and screaming, Aoife gets a bad feeling--because even if they don't talk about it, everyone knows Theo died a long time ago. He was murdered.

Eventually, Aoife is taken home by her Uncle Donny who says he'll stay with her until Mama comes home from the hospital, but Aoife doesn't buy it. The only way to bring Mama home is to find out what really happened to Theo. Even with Teddy by her side, there's a lot about the grown-up world that Aoife doesn't understand, but if Aoife doesn't help her family, who will?

MY THOUGHTS: This is the story of a family struggling with mental illness told from the perspective of a six-year-old girl, Aiofe (Eef-fa).

Aiofe is a star character. I wanted to hold her and hug her and make her feel safe. She tore at my heart and brought tears to my eyes. She has an invisible friend, Teddy, who seems to lead her into trouble frequently, but Aiofe is savvy enough to know not to talk about Teddy or to Teddy when adults are present. It angers or upsets them. But this is an incredibly poignant thread to the main story.

She is quite a solitary child who takes great comfort in her Catholic religion. Her Patron saint is Joan (of Arc) and she takes great comfort from this as well as channeling courage. She is dogged, determined, and unwittingly funny. It is easy to forget just how literally six-year-olds take the things that adults say.

Aiofe uncovers many truths and solves many things that have been mysteries to her - like who her father is - in her quest to find Theodore's killer and bring her mother home from hospital.

The author has done a superb job of showing us the world as Aiofe sees it. Her vocabulary is just what I would expect from a six-year-old and I loved her thought processes, which caused me to chuckle more than a few times. I felt sad when Aiofe learned that adults can and do lie.

But what really shines through is Aiofe's unconditional love for her mother.

A wonderful story that no one should miss. A stunning debut.

⭐⭐⭐⭐.2

#AllThatsBrightAndGone #NetGalley

THE AUTHOR: Raised in the Detroit suburbs, Eliza Nellums now lives with her cat in Washington DC. She is a member of Bethesda Writer's Center as well as the Metro Writers, a weekly critique group that meets in Dupont Circle. ALL THAT'S BRIGHT AND GONE is her debut novel.

DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Crooked Lane Books via NetGalley for providing a digital ARC of All That's Bright and Gone by Eliza Nellums for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.

I feel like this book had a lot of potential and it just did not capitalize on it. The story is told through the eyes of Aoife, a 6 year old whose mother is hospitalized when she has a breakdown in the mall parking lot. This little girl is left in the care of her Uncle Donny while she tries to figure out how to get her mom back, as well as who murdered her brother.

The plot or lack there of, was super convoluted and simple, all at the same time. There were multiple characters introduced throughout the story, but no one was really specifically detailed enough to make the reader want to learn more about any of the characters. The story itself really made no sense because it went in so many different directions. There was no real concrete ending to the story. The book just kind of ended. This was marketed as a book that would tear up your heart strings, but I didn’t feel that at all. It felt like it took me forever to read this book, and there was no real pay off at the end. This is a story that will be easily forgettable, and not one that I would recommend in the future.

“My gramma’s dead,” I explain. “I don’t have a daddy.” That’s what my Mama always says. She says I’m like a Cabbage Patch doll, that she found me growing in a garden and took me home.

Six-year-old Aoife attempts to navigate life amidst a winding family dilemma. With her mother recently institutionalized and her brother Theo dead, Aoife seeks to unearth the truth of her brother’s death with the help of her imaginary friend.

The emphasis of this book is on family and mental illness. Does a mental illness mean you are not capable of love? Can a damaged family heal? Is lying okay if it protects those closest to you?

Told from Aoife’s point of view, the tone throughout the story was childlike, yet astute. Her playful imagination demonstrated her childlike innocence even amid crisis. “Sometimes when grown-ups ask if you can do something, they are really just telling you to do it.” As a result of a six-year-old point of view, it was a quick, easy, and enjoyable read. On the other hand, for such a young age that provided the POV, it limited the use of language and literary devices in the story. Still, a delightful story.

A wonderful debut novel. Many thanks to Crooked Lane Books, Eliza Nellums, and NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

Six-year-old Aoife ends up with her Uncle Donny caring for her, after her mother has a breakdown in plain view of strangers. Aoife is sure it has something to do with her brother Theo being gone. If she can find out what happened, will Aoife's mother end up being ok?

A child is an unreliable narrator, especially in a story such as this one. Aoife is never told why her brother is gone, leaving the child to wonder and assume. As she searches, both in real time and in her memories, Aoife starts to put together pieces of the puzzle that is her life.

Having raised three children myself, one of which who possessed a keen aptitude for language, I found Aoife to be not so believable. She did not speak like a child and acted like someone much older than she. Aoife's brother went away when she was four, old enough to be told the truth in broad strokes. The fact that she was left to wonder what happened to her brother just did not seem realistic. For these reasons, I would be hesitant to recommend All That's Bright and Gone to other readers.

Disclaimer: I was given an Advanced Reader's Copy of All That's Bright and Gone by NetGalley and the publisher, Crooked Lane Books. The decision to read and review this book was entirely my own.

All That's Bright and Gone by Eliza Nellums is such an original and thoughtful book. The choice to use a very young narrator is brilliant. What a unique perspective. Loved this book and recommend.

I enjoyed a lot of aspects of this one - the mysterious tone, the unreliable narrator, and the sweet uncle. I did not like the (maybe?) supernatural element, but that's obviously a personal problem. There is a lot going on in the book, and while most of them are resolved by the end of the book, I do prefer a tidier resolution than I got. Nellums shows a lot of promise as an author though and I'd give her next book a chance!

An outstanding debut-confident, a compelling storyline that entertains you until the very end.

All That's Bright and Gone was a pleasure to read.

I am sorry for not reviewing fully but I don’t have the time to read this at the moment. I believe that it wouldn't benefit you as a publisher or your book if I only skimmed it and wrote a rushed review. Again, I am sorry for not fully reviewing!

Thank you Netgalley and the publishers for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I thought the subject matter in this book was quite interesting and had a lot of potential, unfortunately there was something missing to make this a memorable read.

I struggled with this book. It pulled at my heartstrings and just made me so sad. This book deals with loss, mental illness and family.

The book is extremely well written but you are reading it through the eyes of a six year old. Aoife is in the care of her uncle following her mother's hospitalization for some mental struggles related to the death of her older brother. Aoife is determined to find out what exactly happened to her brother in the hopes that it will bring her mom back to her faster. Along with the help of her neighbor Hannah and imaginary friend, Teddy, she starts to try to find out what happened to her brother.

Aoife is so sweet and her struggle hurts you. You can’t help but want to protect her and help her. I felt like the book was written extremely well and it feels like you were In the mind of Aoife. The book was very good but the material was heavy at certain points.

I picked this book up because the premise really appealed to me. The narrator is a 6 year old girl named Aoife, which provided a very unique experience. I think the author did an excellent job of writing from Aoife's perspective, and I enjoyed being immersed in her experiences as she tries to solve the mystery of what happened to her older brother.

I had a few issues with the way mental health was addressed. Throughout the book, characters were faced with mental health challenges that later resolved too conveniently with barely a mention. There was also a bit of magical realism throughout, which I wasn't expecting and didn't particularly enjoy, though I appreciate what the author was trying to accomplish.

Despite my misgivings, I liked this novel overall and I look forward to reading more of Eliza Nellums' work in the future.

This one was just okay for me I didn’t love it didn’t hate it if you like historical fiction give it a go

Have you ever been so wrapped up in a book that you find yourself white-knuckling your book? That was this book. It had me so full of tension but in a good way. This book reminded me a lot of Room by Emma Donoghue. Aoife navigates an uncertain world when her mom has an episode and is taken into the hospital to get treatment for her mental disorders. Aoife just wants to get her mom back home and with the help of her imaginary friend Teddy and her next-door neighbor, she goes about trying to solve her brother's so-called murder. The twists and turns take you on one heck of an adventure. 4 stars. Thank you, NetGalley for the eARC of this book. I really enjoyed it.

I loved the perspective this story was told from and the innocence of the main character. There were just a lot of missing pieces of the story for me, especially with Mama and why she was being held and unable to come home.

This book was absolutely perfect. I just loved the story and the characters. I couldn’t put it down. I highly recommend reading this book.

Interesting plot but………!

Aoife (pronounced EE-fah) is six. She’s with her mother when she has a mental breakdown in traffic while taking Aoife to buy shoes at the local mall. Her uncle, Donny, comes to stay in the house to look after her while Siobhan receives treatment to stabilise her latest nervous collapse.

Aoife has an imaginary friend” called Teddy, They are inseparable and go everywhere together. Teddy wants to help Aoife find out who murdered her brother Theo (aged thirteen). Aoife is convinced that if she can find out who the murderer is, her mother will get better and they’ll be able to start living a normal everyday life.

We follow the story through Aoife’s words. The author captured this six-year-old perfectly, with all the Catholic saints and superstitions that she’s been brought up with. Unfortunately, I found it monotonous and quite dull. I think Eliza Nellums has been brave choosing Aoife as the story-teller – I’m not convinced that a six-year-old could genuinely work out a complicated situation like the one she’s presented with.

Rony

Elite Reviewing Group received a copy of the book to review.

I knew from the very first pages that I was going to enjoy this book. Aoife is a 6 year old girl who finds herself in a very confusing world when her mother goes into a psychiatric hospital. She tells her story with such innocence and trust that it is truly beautiful.

It takes a really gifted writer to write from the perspective of a child and have the reader completely believe it and I did. I was rooting for this little girl to solve the "mystery" and have her mamma home with her. Thank you Eliza Nellums for a wonderful book.

All That's Bright and Gone is such a great little book. I found it to be a quick read, but one that stuck with me. Aoife is 6, and her mother has just been hospitalized after having a mental health crisis. The little girl has an imaginary friend (bear) named Teddy and she decides they are going to get to the bottom of what happened to her older brother, who she knows died a few years prior. I really like that the story is told from the perspective of a child--her innocence and matter-of-fact view of the world were quite refreshing. Covering themes of mental illness, family, and religion, this book would be a great selection for book clubs.

This book is great! Would definitely recommend. Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.