loved this book. Highly recommend. Great character development. Interesting story. Didn't want it to end.

This book was different. It made me sad to see Aoife have to go through everything she went through, but at the same time, it was interesting to see things through her eyes. I can’t imagine a 6 year old having to deal with the things she went through, but I think that’s what kept me so intrigued. Overall, this was a good read!

I received an ARC of this novel from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Family story told from the viewpoint of a 6 year old child whose mother suffers from a mental illness. Very sweet novel that shows empathy for the parent who truly loves her daughter and is doing the best that she can.

I love this book and all of its loving, flawed characters.

Nellums pens an intriguing mystery as seen through the innocent and curious eyes of 6 year old Aoifa and her “imaginary?” Friend Teddy.
Caught in a world of adult assumptions and forgotten memories, Aoifa unravels the tale piece by spellbinding piece.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC of All That's Bright and Gone by Eliza Nellums. This is a sad story about a six year old girl named Aoife. After Aoife's mom is put in the hospital for being "confused" about Aoife's brother Theo, Aoife decides to find out what happened to her brother.

CHARGE (What is the author trying to say?): To explore whether secrets are better left alone or exposed.

FACTS: A brother disappears from his sister’s life. She assumes he is dead but is that so? How does a family adapt to their new reality? Ripples of this disappearance flow outward into all aspects of the family’s life. Can revelation of secrets bring healing, or should some things be left unknown? Family dynamics, abuse, and mental health all play a part in this rather improbable story.

VERDICT (Was the author successful?): Guilty, as charged.

Writing: 4/5 Plot: 4/5 Characters: 4.5/5

A strange and captivating book that gets better and better with each page. Six-year old Aoife (pronounced EE-fah) misses her mama who is “confused” and has been taken someplace to help her feel better. With the help of her imaginary friend — a large bear named Teddy — and her slightly older and more confident neighbor Hannah, Aoife sets off to solve the mystery of her brother’s murder with the childish logic that this will allow her mother to come home again.

Aoife is the most compelling of narrators — her mind is young and she has been kept uninformed about the big issues facing the family (as is typical of six-year olds). She tells her story piece by piece, describing events and her interpretation of them in an utterly convincing manner — her mother’s “confusion,” visits from cee pee ess (child protective services), and the explanations her Uncle Donnie, Father Paul, and her mother’s “special friend” Mac give in answer to her questions.

A beautifully imagined book about a child growing up and making sense of her (in no way average) world. A surprising and well-structured plot, good writing, and well-drawn characters as depicted from Aoife’s perspective. Understated themes of mental illness and what it means to be crazy.

Highly recommended.

This book focuses on a six-year-old little girl and the troubled family she has. Six -year-ole Aeife does not understand why her mom is in the hospital after she stopped her car in the road and started talking and carrying on with the other drivers. Since her mom has mental issues she needs to remain in the hospital Aeifer uncle' takes care of her since he does not want her to become a foster child. Once her uncle comes to her home he is shocked at the state of the house. Aeife has a friend who is a bear named Teddy , the trouble is no one else can see him and her mom has warned her never to tell other people about him. Aeife also has a brother but she believes he is dead and says that her mom gets confused and talks like he is alive. Things become worse when Aeife believes that her mom has been in the hospital longer than Aeife wants her too and decides that the only way her mom will be able to come home is if she finds out who killed her brother. One night Teddy convinces Aeife that with his help they can find out who killed her brother. Thus, begins Aeife's search for her brother.

I enjoyed this book and a Aeife and her adventures the only reason I gave it 4 starts is because the middle of the book is a little boring an I almost gave up reading but just that time it started to pick right up. The ending is a surprise and it really makes the book. I would recommend this book to others.

Thank you Net galley for allowing me read this book.

I was kindly sent this book by netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Overall I enjoyed this one it was a nice easy read and would be a 3 stars from me. I haven’t read any books by this author previously but I would in the future.

A story with a huge twist!
Seeing the world through the eyes of six year old EE-fah and her imaginary bear friend Teddy.
Her mother struggles to come to terms with past events and has a breakdown leaving her in the care of her uncle.
Explores friendships and relationships but things are not as they seem.

Story told from a 6 year olds point of view. Puzzled by what caused her momma to be confused, uncertain if her brother is dead, and not quite sure if she came from a cabbage patch or not. Aoife struggles to make sense of her world after her momma is confused and ends up in the hospital. Uncle Donny comes to take care of her, and she tries to solve the mystery of her brother Theo. Is Theo dead? Why doesn’t anyone like her talking to her friend Teddy, just because she is the only one who sees him? Will momma get well enough to come home?

Advanced copy for honest review.

All Thats Bright and Gone is the debut novel by Eliza Nellums. It is a story told from the perspective of Aiofe (pronounced Ee -fah but not to be confused with Eva) who is six years old.

Aiofe understands many things because she is six years old. She understands that her brother Theo is dead, her mother often confused and always saddened by the loss of Theo, God is important and the Saints offer protection in varying forms to both herself and her mother, Theo's father is dead but she came from the cabbage patch, and she is to stay clear of Mr Rutledge who lives up the road. Aiofe is accompanied in her daily life by Teddy, a friend who everyone says must be invisible but Aiofe knows he is a real bear. Teddy and her eight year old friend Hannah set out to investigate Theo's death (of course he was murdered said Hannah, and the must look for suspects and evidence). Aiofe knows if they can solve Theo's murder it will help her mother who has been hospitalised after having a mental health episode in the middle of an intersection with Aiofe in the car. Aiofe tells everyone her Mama has simply gone away, she doesn't want everyone knowing her Mama is so confused.

Enter Uncle Donny, Aiofe's maternal uncle who steps up to care for Aiofe while her mother is hospitalised. Donny struggles in caring for Aoife. Does he try to protect Aiofe from knowing too much or does he explain the reality of her mother's variable mental health, her mother's relationships, and the real risk he and Aiofe’s mother face of losing Aiofe if CPS determine there is enough evidence to suggest Aiofe's physical and psychological needs are not being met. There is a repeating role for Mac, Aiofe’s on-again-off-again boyfriend.

Aiofe’s point of view is interspersed with letters written by Aiobhan, Aiofe’s mother. They loosely tie the novel together, but in my opinion not sufficiently so. Aiofe’s abilities at times to pick up on subtleties belie her chronological age and are not convincing and are juxtaposed with her missing much of the obvious (ie. she is six!). The final chapters were unconvincing given the issues at stake and I found it hard to believe. [No spoilers here].
Thank you to Eliza Nellums, Netgalley and Crooked Lane Books for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

My review will be posted on my personal blog instagram @aplace_inthesun and also on goodreads..

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Thank you NetGalley.
All That's Bright and Gone is told from the viewpoint of a six year old girl whose brother Theo has died. Aiofe's mama is confused and sometimes doesn't remember that Theo is dead.
Aiofe feels like she has to keep the family together and working.
this book is beautiful... and sad. everyone should read this.

This complimentary ARC was courtesy of netgalley - the opinions below are mine and unbiased

I loved this

The story is told from the child's perspective which is unusual but very effective

Extremely well written characters - I found the book moving - couldn't put down
.

Thank you Net Galley and Eliza Nellums for the opportunity to read this ARC.
This is a story written from a 6 year old girls viewpoint of what is going on in her world, she has a mother who has had to go away " to get better" an uncle who has come to stay with her, a brother whom she thinks has died and she wants to find out who killed him, she embarks on this journey with her imaginary friend Teddy and her neighbor girlfriend.
this story did not capture me, I finished the book as it was an ARC and I wanted to give my review.
I found the characters well developed, the plot was well thought out and the story read well, but I found the first part of the story a little childish/immature for my liking.
We follow Aoife through the novel and her adventures and life lessons to the end of the story when everything and everyone comes full circle and her world is complete
I would classify as a cute story, easy to read, but just not my cup of tea.

A unique and charming story. This is all told through the eyes of a 6 year old little girl. It is heartwarming to see things through the perspective of a young child. They are so pure and guileless. Aoife (pronounced EE-fah) is a 6 year old whose brother is dead. Her mama gets confused a lot and her best friend is an imaginary bear that can grow to any size as necessary but seems to get her in trouble all the time. She has another real life best friend, who lives next door and is two years olde than her. One day, Aoife's mama gets super-confused and ends up being taken away in the blue van, and Aoife is left in the care of her Uncle Donovan. Aoife knows that she has to solve the case of who killed her brother in order to bring her mama home. She enlists the help of her next-door neighbor (who is great at investigating things). Together, they make a list of suspects and witnesses and write down clues and try to solve the case and bring Aoife's mama home. Things, however, even in the world of a six year old, are never that simple, and there are a few bumps and twists and turns. I was utterly charmed by this story as I remembered back to my early childhood years, where everything was so simple, yet so complex. It reminded me that as adults, we need to listen to children and try to understand and help explain things to them, rather than just telling them they'll understand when they are older. I adored Uncle Donovan. He was the perfect stand-in parent for Aoife, and did his very best to help her understand what was happening in her world. This whole story left me feeling nostalgic for my childhood years.

This book exceeded my expectations, I was really impressed.
I think it's very hard to write from a child's perspective but the character of Aoife is very well written and fleshed out. It reminded me a little of The Boy In The Striped Pajamas which is high praise for sure.
A special, moving and emotional book.

I received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

All That’s Bright and Gone is a very intriguing novel that explores mental illness in a family. It is very sad to read about the mother being in a mental institution while the young daughter struggles to make sense of things. She is really too young to absorb many of the events that occur in her life. The story revolves around her and what happens as time goes on while she is being taken care of by her uncle. I read this book in two days! It is a very fast read. I would recommend it to anyone who wants to read something that is different and a novel where you feel what it is like to be mentally ill and how it effects the family dynamic,

"I know my brother is dead. But sometimes Mama gets confused..."

In All That's Bright and Gone we meet six-year old Aoife, who is trying to figure out what is going on in her world around her. On a normal day out, Mama suddenly stops the car and gets out to talk to Theo the son she lost years ago. Aoife knows better than to talk to things that aren't real, Mama said so herself. This is why young Aoife is not allowed to talk to her imaginary friend Teddy, but Teddy is real and she wants the world to know.

After Mama lands herself in the hospital, Aiofe is sent home with her Uncle Donny. Teddy likes Donny, and so does Aoife, he's her favourite. Young Aiofe has so many questions when she gets home, questions that her uncle can not answer. Aiofe realizes that the only way to get Mama back home is to find out what happened to Theo all those years ago. Young Aiofe embarks on a magical journey with the help of Teddy and her best friend Hannah, and gets into a lot more trouble in the process.

I had mixed feelings about Aoife, I wanted to love her but I often got very frustrated at how sheltered her character was. Although in the end her character development is strong, I disliked how innocent she was to so many concepts. This book had me wanting to sit down with the adults and just explain to them how much of a poor job they were doing explaining concepts to her. Due to them, Aoife was often left confused about major situations in her life.

*I would like to thank NetGalley and publisher for a copy of this book in return for an honest review.

*4 Stars*

ARC kindly received via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was an interesting read and I found the characters interesting as well. Shows that some people believe in religion and some children have imaginary friends. Lots of good things happened in this book to help the characters with their unknowns.