I am hard-put to explain this book in one line. At a pinch, I would say that it moves along the lines of ‘The Curious Incident of the dog in the Night Time’. The protagonist here is younger and not hampered by any difficulties in her understanding of the people around her except for the natural limits that exist in a child’s mind in their comprehension of the grown-up world.

This book threw up one of those eternal questions that plague modern thinkers and philosophers – whether a mentally unstable person must have children when there are no other members in the nuclear family? It seems harsh and cruel to even question the morality of such decisions but time and again they are used as props in stories and fiction to show the triumph of love over such drawbacks but one is forced to wonder whether that actually works in everyday life.

Aoife is a little girl whose mother has been taken away to psychiatric care and she is now forced to live with her uncle, whom she hardly knows, and who is trying his best to do right by her. Early on we learn about the loss of her older brother and, at first, it seems that may be the reason for the mother’s loss of control. But as the story moves on, we are introduced to many threads that weave into their lives and as Aoife begins to try and unravel them on her own, in the belief that if she finds out exactly what happened to her brother she will be able to bring her mother home, the reader moves along with  her and places all their faith in this frail little lonely girl.

The story is beautiful. There are no two ways about it. I love how Aoife tries over and over again to get people to pronounce her name correctly and yet, I kept getting it wrong, as did all the other characters in the book. The story is about love, about best intentions and toxic relationships, about friendship and loyalty, about childhood and the faith and love that we have for our parents – our very link to this world. Most of the book is told from the perspective of the little girl and she does a pretty good job of telling her story, even if she seems a bit too mature for her age. She is too adorable and darling for words.

By the end of the book I was in two minds about the question that was posed at the beginning of this blog – there is certainly so much love between both of mother and daughter, but there is also a dire need for a helping hand at all times. A definite must-read for those with a penchant for feel-good stories that move throw a lot of angst and pain to get to the happily ever after part!

Aiofe (Pronounced EE-fa, please) is a sweet six year old girl that has had to deal with a lot.  Her brother, Theo, is dead... she knows this, but there are times when Mama gets confused.  When one of those instances ends up seeing Siobhan in the hospital and Aiofe home with Uncle Donny.  All she wants is her Mama back home, but that isn't going to happen until she isn't confused anymore.  Gathering her courage, she decides the only thing to do is find out what really happened to Theo so Mama can come home.

      With the help of her human best friend, Hannah, and her bear of a best friend Teddy, she starts her own investigation.  How is she supposed to get any answers, though, when no one wants to talk about her brother?  And what will she do when the investigation leads to discoveries she never expected?  Can she survive and pull her family back together?

            There was a lot going on in this book, but I felt it was really well structured and thought through while allowing for the very young age of our main character.  Aiofe is such a dear thing that loves everyone, especially Mama and wants to badly to be good even when her bear-y best bud tries to lure her into mischief.  It's easy to be pulled into her world of love where even really harsh realities are simplistic.  The chaos that surrounded her home is... natural.  Isn't it normal to have a blanket fort in the living room, only tater tots in the house, and no computer or television (you can't let the demons get in, after all).  Her life revolves around Mama, who loves her dearly but has very obvious mental illness.  It shows itself vividly in the descriptions of Aoife's "normal" home life and the letters interspersed between chapters.  

      The plot in itself was really well done and kept me guessing.  I liked how each of the characters interacted here.  Honestly, I couldn't put it down and my sole issue with the book were a few grammatical problems that I am positive will be fixed in publication.  For me, this was a five star book and I can't wait for more from this author.

        On the adult content scale, there's a bit of swearing but that's about it.  It's really very mild.  Even though I feel like this book is geared toward adults I think young teens might enjoy it as well.  Let's give it a three.

    I was lucky enough to receive an eARC from Netgalley and Crooked Lane Books in exchange for an honest review.  My thanks.

I was intrigued by the blurb of this book but when diving in found myself annoyed and disappointed. Maybe it's because it was told from a child's POV or just the overall story. In all honesty I don't think I could pinpoint just one thing I found wrong, it was so many things for me.

Starting out I was okay reading from Aofie's POV but then it got to be too much for me. The way it was executed made it a hard to really follow the story. And well, the plot just ended up being lackluster for me by the end. The end of this story felt extremely rushed after the author slowly (and I mean SLOWLY) built the story up to be what I thought would be a huge event. It's like everything the story built up to was forgotten in the last couple of chapters and epilogue. And the characters overall did nothing to really add to this story.

This just wasn't the story for me and many times I almost put it down but I wanted to see how it all worked out.

I don't usually read reviews while I'm reading a book because I don't want to be influenced. I read reviews while I was reading this book because I wanted to be influenced. The reviews are read are, by and large, quite positive. I wanted to be influenced toward that.

It didn't happen.

This book is weird. My review is basically a list of trigger warnings - very badly handled severe mental illness (which kind of magically goes away in the blink of an eye... in more than one person), religious delusions, anti-lgbt stereotypes thrown around and never resolved, kidnapping, bullying, emotional manipulation of a child, hints of pedophilia (except it's sleepwalking???), murder (except maybe not really???).

This book has it all. If you like that sort of thing, all these things told from the perspective of a six year old girl, give it a go. No judgment from me. This book... it was just not my cup of tea.

It's not a bad book, at all, or even particularly offensive. It was just... too weird. Too much. Too much weird. For me.

Thanks, in any case, to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for the chance to read an advance copy of this book.

Thanks to Netgalley for ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I’ve enjoyed previous books written from a child’s perspective and this was charming. Unfortunately the author failed to really explain what was going on and tell a clear story. There was kind of not a lot going on and I was bored with it. Then the end didn’t totally wrap it up.

Overall I liked the idea and some cute parts of the book but overall not a great read for me.

A very well-written book with an interesting concept. The author does a great job of capturing the world through the eyes of a child. That's not easy to do and she pulls it off. My only complaint is that it was a little slow-moving at times, but overall it held my attention and kept me turning pages. Thank you to the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Imagine that your mother has had an episode of the psychiatric variety. Also imagine that you are left in the middle of the road when this episode is transpiring. And you might want to add that you think your Mother is the best, most fun mother in the universe, except when she is having one of her episodes and this latest one has landed her in a hospital. Oh, and you have a best friend who is invisible, a dead brother, no father and no one can pronounce your name correctly. This is an obstacle course no child should have to traverse.

Eliza Nellums has taken on a huge undertaking by using the voice of a six year old and for the most part it works. Her protagonist, Aoife Scott, tells this story with wit, humor, and a whole lot of references to the church and saints, especially her personal Saint Joan, but that might be better left for the reader to ponder. There are many take-aways which made this adult fear for all those children who are left to navigate troubled home waters trying to make sense of the craziness that surrounds them. We are constantly reminded that it is impossible to put a puzzle together when someone hides a bunch of the pieces. Aoife is convinced that unless she is able to unravel the mystery concerning her brother her Mama’s never coming home. She really needs all those missing pieces.

Much of the forward motion of the story was positive. Aoife doesn’t brood, she doesn’t throw tantrums, she doesn’t give in to hysterics. She considers and her thoughts and behavior adhere to a fairly strict moral compass. Her maturity is apparent in many of her inner thoughts: “Sometimes when grown-ups ask if you can do something, they are really just telling you to do it.” Huh, pretty slick thinking. This is one mature and precocious six year old. Another story where child is father to the man or mother to the woman.

A solid 3-1/2 stars rounded up. Thank you NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for a copy.

Received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for a honest review. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own

It reminds me a little of Fredrik Backman’s “my grandmother asked me to tell you she’s sorry”, but in a tamer version. Found it somewhat lacking and a little boring. On the plus side, it’s short and easy to read

3.5 stars

I really enjoy books that are told from a child's POV. It really makes you think that if a story was told from the adult's POV it would be a completely different story (especially after getting to the ending in this one).

This book had me drawn in from the first chapter and I couldn't put it down. It's a well done look at mental illness and how it can affect a family.

Thank you to Crooked Lane Books and NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

(Also posted on my GR account!)

4 solid stars

It's pretty hard to me to categorize the book into a genre. Yes, it's bittersweet; yes, there's a mystery behind it (and quite interesting too); yes, it's a (family) drama; but none works well to describe All That's Bright and Gone.

The book introduced me to the adorable Aofie who had to stay with her maternal uncle since her mother was unwell in the beginning of the book. Aofie only had her mother, or so she thought. She was under the impression that in order to make her mother comes home, she had to unravel the truth behind her brother's death. Something grim and dangerous for a six-year old girl.

I might exaggerate the last sentence on the paragraph above, but join me adventuring with Aofie and you'd find yourself trying to save the little girl from dangers that might lurk.

Aofie's voice is adorable, precious, and precocious. Eliza Nellums' writing is clear, concise, and suitable from the pov of a 6yo. There are enough showing instead of telling (how Aofie saw her refrigerator full of food) and many little things that makes the book perfect.

I'm awaiting the next title from the author.

This is a very unusual story line with an unlikely major character. 6 year old Aoife is living with her uncle because her mother is being mentally evaluated in the hospital. Aoife is sure that her secret invisible friend Teddy can help her solve what's going on with her mother talking to her dead brother Theo. The story moves along well but there are several incidents that drag and seem unrealistic. I received a copy of this ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

This book tugged at my heartstrings from the initial pages. Aiofe is six and has an imaginary friend, a large bear named Teddy. Her mom is in the hospital because she was yelling at Aiofe’s dead brother, Theo, in the middle of an intersection.

As we learn more about what’s been happening in their house, what comes across is how whatever kids deal with is normal to them and they don’t want anything to change.

Nellums does a wonderful job of showing us the world through Aiofe’s eyes. She totally gets the vocabulary limits of a six year old. After Aiofe has a vision in church, she decides the only way to get her mom back home is to solve Theo’s murder. She has the help of her eight year old best friend, Hannah. Hannah’s dad is a cop, so Hannah is a knowitall when it comes to investigating. As they launch their investigation, the scenes are totally bittersweet. And when the Sea-Pea-Ess ladies come to call, well, oh my goodness!

But what is so sad is that the main thing Alice learns is that grownups lie and obfuscate.

My thanks to netgalley and Crooked Lane Books for an advance copy of this book.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.
What attracted me to this book was that fans of Fredrik Backman will enjoy this, so I went for it.
I'm so glad I did.
I was a little curious as to how an adult author would be able to write from the view of a six year old without this being a "kiddie book". Would the innocence still be there?
In a word, yes. This book was beautiful and I can't help but be charmed by Aoife. She's confused by what is going on in her family with her mother being confused and getting help so that she is less confused and her brother being dead. While her mother is in the hospital getting the help she needs, Aoife is convinced that the only way to make her better is to figure out what happened to her brother.
This is not one of those books where the narrator is wiser way beyond her years. Aoife is brave and strong but she is still six year old and the author does a fantastic job of keep that balance. I love how the story tackles how it is having a parent with a mental illness at such a young age. This book has just the perfect amount of sadness, heartbreak and hope.
Thank you so much to #NetGalley and Crooked Lane books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Have you ever read a book that you loved from the very first sentence and it just kept getting better and better the more you read? Then when you reach the last page you almost feel depressed and let down that it was over and you don't have any more to look forward to? Well, that happened to me when I read All That's Bright and Gone. My favorite books are ones with children as the main characters, especially when written in their point of view, and I just adored reading about Aoife and her life. She is so precious, so real, and so innocent, and I could not get enough of her. Her take on life and what happens around her pulled at my heart strings and I wanted to hold her close and shelter her from the truth and from any pain thrown her way. I flew through this book and loved every single word. There are so many breathtaking scenes, some painful and some beautiful, and I found myself feeling so emotional throughout the entire book. I cannot say enough great things about this book, I LOVED it!

This book is narrated by Aoife, a delightful six year old. All Aoife wants is the truth, but when she gets strung along by the adults in her life, she decides to go out and find it on her own. While there were some touching moments, I felt that the book was just a tad too short and everything wrapped up too quickly and somewhat unresolved.

What an absolutely amazing first novel! The story centers around six year old Aoife and her journey to solve her brother’s murder in order to help get her mother out of a mental institution.
The story is told by Aoife and we get to share her pain as she struggles to come to terms with both her mother and brother out of her daily life. Some reviewers called the writing simplistic because it is written in the point of view of a six-year-old but that is far from the truth. The writing is beautiful and you really get to know the small family. I would love to hear more about Aoife and her life after the return of her mother.
I am so happy to have received this advance copy from NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books and highly recommend it.

“...this family, we may fall down sometimes, but we always get back up. We are clever and brave and strong. We can get through anything.”

All That’s Bright and Gone follows young Aoife (pronounced EE-fah) as she tries to understand what is happening to her family. She doesn’t know what happened to her brothers and her mother has been taken away to the hospital. As she, and her invisible friend Teddy, tries to solve the mystery of her brother, she begins to uncover things about her family that have been long kept secret.

This was such a heartwarming story, filled with great characters being seen through the eyes of a child. I loved Aoife’s point of view on life. She’s such a strong girl, and I never felt like she was dumbed down for a second, even though she’s supposed to be six years old. I also appreciated that the adults never really seemed like they were talking down to her, even if they were telling her she was “too little” to understand some things.

The mystery of Aoife’s brother kept me on the edge of my seat. I had to know what happened!

All That’s Bright and Gone is a must-read for 2019! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this eARC.

This story had a lot of potential but fell flat. I understand a child narrator often makes for a simple writing style but the writing felt even more basic than necessary. It reads like an early draft that still needs some editing. Getting all my information through the eyes of our 6-year old narrator was frustrating at times.

I don't understand when authors choose to give characters unpronounceable names. Yes we had the phonetic guide but it was still difficult to remember and distracted me from the story. I can't figure out why the narrator's name was such a big deal, everyone mispronounces it and she's always correcting them. It's a large portion of the writing and it seemed unnecessary. Sure, she's named after her grandmother but the fact that it (and her mother's name) was so odd didn't have a point.

Otherwise, this is a sweet story. It's about family and what we're willing to do for each other when the going gets tough. I liked the 6-year old protagonist, she's loving and smart and funny. But she didn't consistently feel like a child, sometimes she thought and said things that were way above her level.

I'd still recommend this for readers who enjoy family drama and magical realism. It's not a bad book, it just isn't high quality and it's not for me.

This is a book that you don't think will instantly grab you, yet it does. Aoife may be young, but Nellums gives her just enough of that amazing insight that kids have, to see where something isn't adding up, and secrets are being kept. As the book unfolds, and you follow the trail with the kids, it's a descent into functioning dysfunction, and a surprising ending, that will stay with you for weeks. Make sure to add this one to your holiday reading list!

All That's Bright and Gone is an absolutely enchanting book. Nellums tells the story of Aoife Scott's family through her six-year-old eyes, making this refreshing and poignant book all the more original.

Aoife has a lot on her mind. Her mama has a hard time dealing with life, so Aoife does the best she can to take care of them both. She doesn't have a Daddy, Mama said she found Aoife in a cabbage patch. Teddy, her invisible friend (who's a bear), helps her a lot, but Mama doesn't like it. She says it's rude to talk to people that other's can't see. That's why Aoife is so surprised and scared that day in the car, when Mama starts screaming and crying at Theo, Aoife's dead brother. She ran the car right into the middle of the street and stopped! Why they could've been killed! All the cars were honking their horns, and then got real quiet when Mama stepped out of the car, still screaming and crying. Soon the police came and took her to a hospital, just until she stops being so confused the doctor's say, but Aoife is afraid she'll never come back. Like when Theo never came back.

Uncle Donny comes to stay with Aoife and he's really nice, but it's not the same as if Mama were home. If only Aoife can solve the mystery of who killed her brother, then their family will be together again. That is her quest. She must be brave, like Saint Joan of Arc, and figure it out. Then things will be okay again.

Nellums does an excellent job of presenting the world of a troubled young girl and her dysfunctional family through a six-year old's eyes. It is captivating, endearing, sad, and victorious in equal measures.

I urge you not to miss this impressive read. I finished the book last night, and already I miss Aoife. She's a little girl who makes an impression on your heart.

"...this family, we may fall down sometimes, but we can always get back up. We are clever and brave and strong. We can get through anything." (From the author's fingers to God's ears. Save and protect our precious children!)

My thanks to NetGalley, the author and Crooked Lane Books for allowing me to read All That's Bright and Gone in exchange for an unbiased review. All opinions expressed here are my own.