Another wonderful eARC that I should have read when I received it but somehow didn’t!
Aoife (a beautiful name!) has had her life upended - her mother is under psychiatric hold and her brother Theo is dead - and all she knows that she isn’t supposed to be talking about her imaginary friend, Teddy, like he is a real person.

“Sometimes when grown ups ask you to do something, they are really just telling you to do it.”

Told in 6 year old Aoife’s voice, the wonderfully innocent and childlike tone of the plot remains throughout - it honestly created more of a wonder like feature when reading the book, especially considering that the plot itself was focused on mental health and familial loyalty!

Aoife as a protagonist was resourceful, intelligent and yet retained the child like curiosity that made me wish that she was a friend I had in my childhood. She uncovers secrets in her family and deals with them far maturely than one would expect of a 6 year old with a whole lot of upheavals in her life than she should have had.

All That’s Bright and Gone is an emotional and gorgeous novel with a childlike wonder focusing on mental illness and it’s effect on not just the patient, but also those around them.

This book is not what I would normally pick up for myself but I enjoyed it nonetheless. Nellums creates a mystery and story that you can't wait to finish!

It took me several months to get to it, but I was able to finish this book during quarantine and I am so glad I had this story to dive into. I loved Aoife's story and the family dynamics at play. I know many have critiqued the voice of Aoife as coming across as older than she is, but I either didn't notice or didn't let it bother me. I've recommended this title to my friend who also loves these types of stories, and she's loving it already after just the first few chapters.

Thank you for the opportunity to read and review this title!

I honestly can't decide how I feel about All That's Bright and Gone... There were times when the narration by 6 year old Aoife was so compelling and engaging... there were other times where I felt it was holding the story back. Overall I would recommend this - but if child narrators aren't your thing you may want to give it a pass.

A family secret unravels due to an curious creative six-year-old girl. The mystery novel is written through the viewpoint of the child.. All That’s Bright and Gone is very good for a debut novel.

This was an absolutely beautiful debut. Stunning writing. This work really pulled at the emotions. If I’m being completely honest - there were moments when I felt frustrated and like there was a bit of depth missing. However there were also moments where I felt like I was drowning in the hurt and the unfairness Of it all.

I think this was very well done and this writer can only get better

A well-written story from the point of view of a child and I must confess it has been a while since I've read such a book and one that's done so well. Exploring the mind of a six-year-old when you've already learned to see the world as an adult can be very rewarding.

What an amazing feat at writing this book from a 6 year old's perspective!! WOW! So here's what's going on...Aiofe has a mother who becomes institutionalized when she starts screaming at her deceased son in the middle of the intersection, leaving Aiofe to be with her Uncle. She also has an imaginary friend, named Teddy, who is a large teddy bear.

Aiofe's deceased brother, Theo, was murdered, and Aiofe is determined to help her mother by solving what happened. Good thing she has the help of her friend, Hannah, but don't worry, she may be 8 but her father is a police office so they'll solve it, no problem.

This story goes through the tales of family and mental illness while Aiofe heartbreakingly learns what adults do (lie, fabricate stories, etc). It is very easy to dislike all the adults in this one while your heart bleeds for the children.

The immaturity, the hopelessness, the feelings of insecurities was powerful to experience as a reader following alongside 6 yo Aiofe in this powerful journey of reasoning.

Thank you to Crooked Lane Books for providing me with a copy of Eliza Nellums’ novel, All That’s Bright and Gone, in exchange for an honest review.

Six-year old Aoife has recently witnessed her mother have a mental break-down at a shopping mall and is currently being cared for by her Uncle Donny, while her mother is recovering in a hospital. While living with her uncle, she tries to search for clues regarding the mystery surrounding her older brother, Theo. Her mother talks about Theo as though he is still alive, but Aoife is sure that he has been murdered. To add to Aoife’s confusion, her mother’s boyfriend has started coming around and he claims to be Aoife’s real father. Aoife attempts to navigate her muddled world with the help of her imaginary friend, Teddy, and her eight-year-old neighbor who is an amateur sleuth.

Nellums has created a vibrant and winning protagonist in Aoife. I think it is hard to craft a believable young child protagonist, but Nellum has nailed it, balancing Aoife’s precociousness with her innocence. Also balanced is the amount of truth that we know from the adults in Aoife’s world, allowing the reader insight to her reality vs. her assumptions. It is a compelling look at a child caught in the middle of adult issues.

Teddy makes the reader wonder if Aoife is headed down the same path toward mental illness as her mother or if an imaginary friend is simply a childhood rite of passage. Teddy resembles a teddy bear and he urges Aoife to act in ways that direct her toward danger. The inclusion of Teddy worked well to make me think that Aoife could be an unreliable narrator, but the uncertainty of it kept me on fence, adding to the mystery of the story.

I throughly enjoyed All That’s Bright and Gone. I truly had no idea where the story was headed, but was gripped from the start. I was hooked by the feeling of uncertainty and that Aoife might always be in danger. There is a great scene with a elderly neighbor that had me really worried for Aoife. Nellums never allows the tension to drop, which keeps the pacing tight and makes All That’s Bright and Gone a quick read.

Nellums is a gift writer with regard to both prose and plot. All That’s Bright and Gone is her debut novel and I’m looking forward to reading her future works.

All That’s Bright and Gone by Eliza Nellums, was a heart wrenching, but beautiful book told from the perspective of a six year old. The author did a fantastic job capturing the world/situation in the eyes of a young child which made the story that much more captivating. I will say this book was a tough read, but well worth it. It deals with mental illness and murder.

Would highly recommend.

Six-year-old Aoife and her mom set out for the mall, but never get there, as her mom suffers a nervous breakdown en route. Such is life for Aoife. Her mother is hospitalized and her Uncle Donny steps in to take care of her. Among the many things that Aoife wonders about is, when will her mother come home and what happened to her older brother Theo? She remembers him well but when she asks about him, her mother gets very upset and Uncle Donny is vague and evasive. There is no father in Aoife's life, and she relies on prayer to her favorite saints to help her when life gets too difficult.

An exceptional book, written entirely from Aoife's point of view. This book will grab you from the first page and you will likely think about it long after you've finished reading it. It is a sad but entertaining and delightful story, and you will love this bright, inquisitive little girl. Very strongly recommend.

Thank you very much to Netgalley, the author Eliza Nellums, and the publisher Crooked Lane Books for the free ARC I received for my honest review.

Oh this heartbreaking book. I just couldn’t put it down. What is it about a book and children. There were definitely triggers, but I would definitely recommend this one.

I received an ARC of All That's Bright and Gone in exchange for an honest review. This book was actually published this past December. I don't know what happened to my ARC of this book. I was unable to find it on my device, so I got a copy from another source to complete my review. What a sweet story. Aoife is a six year old girl who's family is in crisis. Her mother had a mental breakdown and is now hospitalized. While Aoife does not understand all that this means, she is sure that her mother will be able to come home if Aoife can only find out who killed her brother, Theo. I loved the innocence of reading this through Aoife's eyes. As Aoife discovers so many different things about her family, we learn what is really going on in her family.

Telling any story through the eyes of a child is difficult; add in mental health issues, single parents, lost children, and financial constraints suddenly you've got yourself a pretty tragic story. Consider this your warning, All that's Bright and Gone is an amazing read; but it's darker and not necessarily a feel good story. That's not to say it's all bad; but overall you're likely to feel sadness through most of it. Eliza Nellums brings us the story of a child (and her imaginary friend) coping to handle her mother's mental illness, the loss of her older brother, and childhood in general.

Children Are Innocent
At the heart of this story is Aoife, a 6-year-old, who doesn't quite understand: the things going on around her, why she gets in trouble for talking to her imaginary friend, and that frozen chicken nuggets in the microwave are perhaps not a sustainable food for weeks on end. Right from the get go we realize that Aoife is a strong, resourceful little girl, who hates when adults say her name wrong. Her obsession with her name really struck me as genuine and conveyed the way children think well. Many times we are reminded that Aoife doesn't understand adults, health care or society the way we do. She is confused: why her Mom can't come home, scared for herself (and imaginary Teddy), and yet curious about her brother's death (whom no one will talk about).
The only criticism I might have is that Aoife sure is good at eavesdropping, or has the hearing of a superhero (lol). She is often found to be in just the right place to hear the adults talking. This is obviously a way for Nellums to easily convey the story to us without Aoife understanding what is said. But it does happen a few too many times for my liking.

Mental Health
This is a very poignant story portraying how mental health hurts surrounding the inflicted person. There is no ignoring it when down days happen, and there may be no reason why things strike someone the way they do. From the neighbour to Uncle Donny to (of course) Aoife herself; we see the drastic effects that the mother has on herself and those around her.

Twists and Turns
It might seem obvious what some of the twists and turns will be from the get-go. But I bet by three-quarters of the way the average person is so enthralled with Aoife and her perspective that they forget that her narration is from her eyes; and therefore may not be truly true. Anytime a child is the storyteller the reader needs to remember that they are unreliable. Aoife's voice is so strong at times that I would completely forget that her accounting of events or experiences weren't necessarily the truth. If you allow yourself to get lost with Aoife I think the twists and turns will hit you, like they did me.

Lies and the End
This is a wonderful story that reminds us that little kids always want their parents; even when said parent is ill or dangerous. All That's Bright and Gone brings out the darkness that many families try to hide and puts it on display smack dab in the middle of the street. Nellums does a great job of showing why we should always try to be honest with children. That lie, you think might keep them safe, may one day backfire. The more we lie to children the more we skew their interpretation of the world. Usually it's just best to tell the truth. Even when the truth is difficult, messy or undesirable. Nellums shows this so well by the end of the novel that I felt, as someone who tries to tell the truth to kids, that I wasn't doing enough (and I am not a parent) for the children in my life. And so I leave you with one of the (many) comments Aoife has about adults:
"Now that Dr. Pearlman pointed it out, grown-ups really do lie all the time."

Please note: I received an eARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. This is an honest and unbiased review.

This was a very quick read and told from the perspective of 6 year old Aoife. I was drawn in from the beginning and enjoyed following the family through their crisis. I was shocked at the ending and didn't see it coming. I did know there was something off about the neighbor but didn't guess what it was.

This is a beautiful heart wrenching story written through the eyes of a six year old. Any time an author can capture the innocence and whimsy if a child in writing it is a beautiful thing! This was no exception.

This is a great debut novel about the resilience and curiosity of children, and the strength of family.

Touching story about the bond between a mother and daughter, mental illness and a family in crisis. The story is told from 6-year-old Aofie's point of view - her confusion about why her mother is in the hospital and the mystery of what happened to her brother Theo. I enjoyed seeing the story from Aofie's eyes and found her very charming and wise beyond her years.
Thank you to Eliza Nellums, Crooked Lane Books and NetGalley for the ARC of this wonderful book!

Unfortunately, after multiple tries I just could not get into this story like I was hoping. I have to DNF this one.

I thought the premise of the book was interesting but the book was just okay for me. It was kinda heart breaking at the end and I really just wished the mom had talked to her child. I am glad that I read the book.