It’s been twenty-seven days since Cleo and Layla’s friendship imploded.

Nearly a month since Cleo realized they’ll never be besties again.

Now, Cleo wants to erase every memory, good or bad, that tethers her to her ex–best friend. But pretending Layla doesn’t exist isn’t as easy as Cleo hoped, especially after she’s assigned to be Layla’s tutor. Despite budding new friendships with other classmates—and a raging crush on a gorgeous boy named Dom—Cleo’s turbulent past with Layla comes back to haunt them both.

Alternating between time lines of Then and Now, When You Were Everything blends past and present into an emotional story about the beauty of self-forgiveness, the promise of new beginnings, and the courage it takes to remain open to love.- Goodreads

This book was written fantastically. However, HOWEVER, it needs to be known that Cleo is not exactly the victim. Here is why.
She is a terrible friend. Layla meet new people (who weren’t that great but that is not the point) because Cleo left her alone at a party. When Layla begins connecting with these people Cleo gets extremely jealous and begins saying hurtful things to Layla, privately and publicly. She expected Layla to see that she was jealous despite these horrible things and act like nothing happen.
It didn’t work that way and through out the entire novel, Cleo repeatedly makes it seem as if it is Layla’s fault for wanting new friends. Cleo is selfish from the beginning to the novel to the end. The people that she surrounds herself with only encourage that mindset.
It is extremely possible that their friendship would have just faded out on good terms or Layla would have seen what type of friends her new friends were and just stayed isolated with Cleo but Cleo screwed up on multiple times and tried to ruin peoples’ lives.
This is not to say that Layla was the perfect angel. She didn’t give her friendship with Cleo the time it deserved and although she tried to include Cleo in her new friendship, Layla didn’t take Cleo’s word when she noticed certain things and that could be since she knew Cleo didn’t like her being with new people. Did Layla do something messed up? Yeah (ish) She did something out of her character, but I do not feel that it was THAT messed up.
As much as I hated the fact that this book glorified a selfish, entitled, vindictive girl and made her seem as if this break up was not her fault, I loved the fact that it pulled emotions from me and kept me reading. It took some time for the book to get going but once it did, it was great.
I would have loved or love to see Layla’s viewpoint. But then again, I don’t see that happening specifically if this book is based on some truth.
Overall,
4 Pickles

This book kept me guessing at just the right pace to keep my interest. I knew Cleo and Layla's friendship had imploded, that was clear from the beginning, but I didn't realize the full extent of the drama. I am a sucker for drama, which this book fulfilled in the best possible way.

The story line alternates back and forth between Cleo post friendship break up and Cleo pre friendship breakup. Woodfolk balances this perfectly, weaving the friendships and story line back and forth more fluidly than almost any split timeline book I've read before. It's rare to read a YA book that masters this element so easily.

As I am also a sucker for character development in addition to relationship drama, this book really sailed straight into my wheelhouse. The whole book is a story about Cleo's personal development, meted out through various interactions with people in her life. I loved how much we got to see of her friendships, her relationships with her parents, and her relationships with the boys she dates/has dated. It's ideal that the relationship this book focuses on the most is her friendship with Layla, a friendship that came to a crashing halt following a series of events, as this gives her other relationships more room to breathe and therefore to feel more genuine. I have a hard time reading a book that's solely about parent drama or boyfriend drama, but because this centered first and foremost on friend drama, it made the others fall into place in a very relatable way.

Of course every teenager feels like their life is imploding at one time or another. Sometimes we feel that consistently. What Cleo experiences, is the feeling that one after another relationships are falling like dominoes, and she's wondering if it's outside of her circle of control. In fact, she's hoping it is, because then she can at least be justified in her unlike-ability and miser-ability. It can be hard for us all to find our places where we feel comfortable but also in our growth phase, and that's especially true during high school. This book highlights those feelings well, and I felt deep empathy for Cleo even as I acknowledged the areas in which she were failing herself.

Despite the turbulence in Cleo's relationships, there's a certain stability running throughout the book as well. There are plenty of healthy relationships running throughout the story, and plenty of healthy coping skills that both Cleo uses and the other people in her life use. It's clear that Woodfolk understands emotions and is able to write about them in a way that does not come across as imposing, but lends a self-awareness to her characters that is perfectly suitable for a YA (and adult) audience learning to manage their inner emotions. I'm so excited for more people to read this book.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of this book.

This was a good, heartfelt book. Usually you read about relationships and breakups, but not friendship breakups, and that's something a lot of us, teens and adults alike, can really relate to.

This novel is told in alternating timelines, a then and now, of Cleo and Layla. You get the story over time, and find out what happened between them. The ending was okay, nothing that really "wowed" me. But I think this was a great book.

Thank you so much to Netgalley for the ARC of this emotional yet uplifting tale of a girl attempting to piece her world back together after a best friend break-up. This isn't a topic that I see explored very often, and if it is, it isn't ever in this kind of unrelenting detail. I think people are inclined to be incredibly understanding about romantic relationships falling apart, but the loss of a platonic love can be just as devastating. We meet a plethora of people as we grow, and some are destined to stay while others are put in our lives for a season; to help us in some way before moving on. These transitions are never easy but are, unfortunately, a fact of life.

We learn this and more from our protagonist Cleo, who we see in two timelines: one where she and Layla were still friends, and the present. I so enjoyed the slow reveal of what went wrong between the two friends through this storytelling device, and the gut punches waiting in each. We watch a relationship die but have hope woven into each downswing as Cleo starts to make new memories and new friends. When her favorite teacher pushes Layla back into her life, things get messy again and ends up begging the question-- how much can you forgive? Ashley does an impeccable job of not placing blame too heavily on one side or the other; there is bad blood spilled that reminds us actions have consequences and all people are fallible in their own way. This is not only limited to the friendship but also Cleo's mom and dad as they separate, the new boy Dom who seems interested in Cleo, and a new friend named Sydney who has the potential to hurt her just as much as Layla did.

This is a story of loss, but of rebirth and self-discovery too. A running theme through it all is change. We change, our loved ones change, and sometimes after this change people no longer fit. I think Ashley wants us to see that the shedding of our skin as we age is normal, and although you do eventually find people who will follow you to the end of the line, you have to let some connections go. I believe all of us have a long lost friend that we think about often and want to reach out to, memories that might bring us to tears, and new relationships that scare us to our core. When you make a bond like that, having it sever will leave a scar on your heart, but it's okay to carry it with you. Deal with it however you need to, but know you're never alone, and that there's hope. Just never stop letting people in, and be yourself through it all. That's what this book relayed to me.

What do you do when your best friend, the person who has always been there through everything, suddenly... isn't?

That's the premise of Woodfolk's latest: Cleo, a teen girl with a love of Shakespeare, finds herself growing apart from her best friend Layla. At the same time, she's dealing with the dissolution of her parents' marriage, overtures from the new guy in school, and the possibility of achieving her deepest dream.

This book hit me in the heart. Just like most, I've had those experiences of feeling like I'm growing apart from someone I care about, and I love how Woodfolk approaches it. It's not a subplot while Cleo chases a boy or saves the world. This is what she's going through, and it makes all the other challenges of her life that much harder. It's an incredibly vulnerable feeling, and I love how she focuses on that.

At the same time, Cleo ends up meeting new people and making new friends in her new social position. It's wonderful how Woodfolk shows how new opportunities can arise out of challenges and heartbreak. So many of us, adults as well as teens, forget that, but Cleo ends up creating a whole new support network. By the end, she finds herself stronger than she would have predicted.

Some of the conflicts did stray into that, "why don't they just communicate better?" territory. I can't argue that too much, because that is reality sometimes. Regardless, I really enjoyed this, and I would definitely recommend it.

When You Were Everything

"Somehow I'm the girl who makes all the wrong choices, but I am also a girl who aches in every way to be wanted despite my mistakes "

I requested this arc on a whim and it turned out to be something that came to me in the perfect time in my life. If you have been through a friendship breakup, toxic friendship, or even questioning whether you should cut someone out of your life, definitely check this book out.

The story follows our main character Cleo who has broken up with her best friend, and we go back and forth from what caused the breakup and how she deals with it.

I loved this format and how it keeps you on the edge. You see throughout the novel that Cleo is guilty and Layla ( her best friend) sounds awful but when you see the actual events you see that they are both just flawed complex people. Like any incident, there are always two sides to the story and to be able to read from such a frankly unreliable narrator was so fascinating.

In addition to all of this, I loved Cleo's love for Shakespeare being sprinkled in and her friend Sydney. Sydney was the kind of friend everyone wants and deserves: loyal, adventurous and charming. I also adored Cleo's budding romance with Dom.

I give this book a 4.5/5 💫

I am so excited to read more of Woodfolk's work and cannot wait for other people to pick this up!!

I definitely enjoyed this book because it was more realistic than most of the books about teens I’ve read recently but it lacked a certain appeal. I could easily set it down and not read it for a few days but it definitely good enough to not DNF. The writing was great but I think the plot missed a certain spice.

AWhile I thought some of the general meanness portrayed as "common" contemporary teen behavior was pretty over the top, overall I enjoyed this book. There was a raw honesty to the collapse of Cleo and Layla's friendship and the ways in which they hurt one another while still missing one another that felt both genuine and born of lived experience.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Delacorte Press for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.
This book gave me a lot a feels, especially since I'm watching my teenage daughter go through it as well.

I've always been amazed at how many teen books do not talk about friendship breakups, but only love breakups. In my opinion friendship breakups are so, so much more harder then boyfriend break ups. The book is told in a then and now timeline. When Cleo and Layla were still besties but starting to lose their touch with each other and grow apart. Again, this was very emotional for me to read when you are watching someone you love to go through it.

I'm amazed at how well is was written. Its a book that teens and adults alike can relate to on so many different levels and I loved every minute of it.

Amazing book about losing a best friend and moving on. I really related to the main character. She handled losing a friend the way I imagine most teens would.

This book is told in dual timelines of then and now, and I think it works perfectly for the book. The “then” is when the MC Cleo and her ex-best friend Layla were still close but starting to drift. The “now” is Cleo moving on and trying to start a new life with Layla. I love the dual timelines and I love that you don’t find out everything that happens until almost the end of the book.

The only thing I didn’t love was the ending. It worked fine but it didn’t wow me in any way.

WHEN YOU WERE EVERYTHING so beautifully tells the story of Cleo and Layla's friendship, alternating between timelines. While I've read a number of books recently that don't alternate settings effectively, Ashley Woodfolk employs this tactic gorgeously. I needed something melancholic that would hit me in the feels and leave me feeling built up at the end, and this did not disappoint.

A sweet story about a topic seldom covered— the hurt and heartbreak when friendships come to an end.

A few issues, though:
Is there a high school in this country where AP Lit is offered as a course for sophomores?? MAYBE juniors, but it’s primarily something that seniors will take.
Sending an email to the entire student body from a library computer (after quickly creating a new untraceable account)?? It’s 2020, and I can’t imagine a school system that doesn’t have some kind of security in place to protect against this type of abuse.
Two-dimensional characters. Sloane and the other chorus girls are catty and superficial; Dom is way too good to be true; and the various storylines are wrapped up with so many feel-good ribbons at the end.

Overall, a strong start, but the contrivances and predictability put it firmly in the average category.

Thanks to Random House, Delacorte, and NetGalley for the electronic ARC.

A heart wrenching story a story of the all consuming friendship your absolute best friend.The sadness heartbreak when these friendships end.Highly recommend this emotionally morning book.#netgalley#delacortepress

This is an incredibly well-written book that tears at the heartstrings and gets the pain of a friend break-up just right. Woodfolk really captures just how devastating a friend break-up can be, and I love that this is one of two new books (alongside Spalding's WE USED TO BE FRIENDS) that take seriously this experience, which is almost as common as romantic break-ups but not nearly as frequently portrayed. I think this book will be so helpful to young people (and frankly, adults) who will see echoes of their own experiences in Cleo's.

I don't think I was mentally prepared for what this book put me through. I went through a friendship breakup so similar to Cleo and Layla's in the past and this hit so close to home.

When You Were Everything gives a look into the complications and the trials that friendships go through when you grow apart with someone. I am deeply impressed with how Ashley Woodfolk made it abundantly clear that both of the parties involved were both deeply flawed and ultimately both of their behaviors lead to their eventual "break-up".

I enjoyed seeing the character development of Cleo but I really wish that we would have been able to see a little bit of what was going through Layla's mind throughout the story.

This is the first book I've read of Ashley Woodfolk, and I was not disappointed. What a beautifully written book about friendship, loss, love, and all that in between. As someone who has lost her fair share of friends throughout my life, this book really touched me on a deeper level. I liked how we saw how both actions of both girls brought upon the end of their friendship. Some of the drama felt a little over the top (dad and the English teacher), but other than that, I really enjoyed this book. I would definitely recommend this to someone once it's been released.

Oh my lord Jesus this book was absolutely brilliant! The main character goes through trials of losing friends and gaining more. She goes through her family being separated but, it was written so beautiful! Ashley Woodfolk knew what she was doing when she wrote this book and it was absolutely amazing. It’s honestly leaving me speechless!

I started out reading this book thinking oh just another high school drama - same old, same old - but by the last chapter I was literally sobbing. A book that can elicit that emotion is a good thing. But it was an uphill struggle - both for the main character, and for me to stick with her.

Cleo Baker, who is African American, and Layla Hassan, from a Bangladeshi family, have been best friends ever since they met in Middle School. (Other characters in the book run the gamut of diversity, although it is never a plot point.) But when the book begins, Cleo and Layla haven’t spoken for twenty-seven days. The story then goes back and forth in time to explain what happened and how Cleo reacted to their falling out. Cleo feels much like she did when her beloved grandmother Gigi died four years earlier:

“That person you loved? They’re gone. . . . I’m sick of crying every time I see or hear or feel something that reminds me of [Layla]. But before I can move on, I have to shake off the weight of my past. Of our past. I need to rewrite our prologue before it destroys me. So that’s exactly what I’m going to do.”

She also needs to grow up, and let her friends and loved ones lead their own lives that don’t revolve around her. She needs to learn that love and friendship don’t have to be * exclusive.* But it takes a very long time.

In the process, she makes some very bad mistakes out of hurt and jealousy, but also finds some new friends, meets a possible boyfriend, and learns that her parents are human beings who have flaws like everyone else. As Dom - her new possible boyfriend - tells her, “Things that you can’t control happen all the time. . . . But you *can* control what you do next.”

Evaluation: The characters we get to know best - both the teens and the adults - are complicated human beings trying to navigate a world of uncertainty. Woodfolk wants us to understand that relationships of all kinds - whether between friends, family, or love interests, are a complex mix of attraction, expectations, and adaptations to change. No relationship is trivial, and deserves thought, care, and participants granting each other freedom to evolve. This is a book not only worth reading, but would be valuable for parents to read together with their teens and discuss.

Beautiful storytelling and also a bit heartbreaking. Only because it is so relatable is why it was heartbreaking. I need more from Ashley. Keep breaking my heart and putting it back together with your gorgeous writing and storytelling.

i loved how this book validated friendships, while there was a love interest, it didn't overtake the issues that showed up as she navigated the loss of her best friend, what they both did wrong and how to move on and trust/try again. anatomy of a friendship, all the love, dependence, vulnerability, expectation and how our friendshps teach us, define us and can bring us to our knees. as an older adult, who has always valued friendship despite a world that thinks love relationships are the main that really change us and make us stronger. Having lost a lot of friends in the past few years, some to relationships ending and some to people dying. it still resonated with me and brought me to tears, despite it not being over high school issues and high school rejection and bullying 4.5