Seventeen year old Chloe receives a heart. She begins to have memories she shouldn't. She has flash backs and greatest urge to learn to surf. Her parents become super protective leaving her to surf in secret with a young man she later discovers was her donor. What's real, what's not? Story of courage. Story you want to finish.

Ugh such a touching book! This one really made me think and tugged on my heartstrings, no pun intended! Takaoka did a fantastic job and I cannot wait to read her other works!

Everything I thought I knew by Shannon Takaoka one of the most difficult to review novels I have ever read. The more I think about this one, the less I know what to write, I loved this and hated it so deeply. All I am going to say, is if you read the blurb and it sounds like something you would enjoy pick it up, as you may enjoy it, and even if you don’t it will make you think.

I loved every page and finished this one in a few hours! I just couldn't put it down! This is what contemporary stories should be! Ones that make you fall for characters while also ripping out your heart. I loved Chloe's journey and how she felt so real. This debut is a real gem!

Es un libro realmente conmovedor y reflexivo que toca un tema delicado que definitivamente les tocará el corazón y la autora manejó muy bien el tema y su manera de relatarla fue fantástica. Te hace reemplantearte muchas cosas de la vida, la muerte y lo que realmente deseamos. Acompañar a Chloe durante su recorrido fue muy interesante.

Quantum physics and romance collide in Shannon Takaoka’s debut Teen/Young Adult novel, “Everything I Thought I Knew,” published October 13, 2020.

After collapsing at a track and field meet, Chloe is rushed into the hospital only to discover that she has a rare form of cardiomyopathy – Arrhythmogenic Right Ventricular Dysplasia (VRVD) – and has been put on the transplant list. Chloe, a Grade 12 student with more on her mind than anyone realizes, struggles to come to terms with what this means for her. Simply put, she doesn’t have time to press pause. She’s in Grade 12. After the transplant, a week before Christmas, Chloe begins to feel strange. She starts having auditory and visual hallucinations and memory issues. Like any 17-year-old, she Googles her symptoms and decides that she might have what’s termed as ‘cellular memory’ from the heart donor. With wide abandonment, Chloe’s life takes on new challenges as she decides to ‘take the road less travelled’ and use the new lease on life to discover who she really is. She gravitates towards all the things that the ‘old Chloe’ would never have tried: surfing, weed, speed, tattoos, flirting, and questionable friendships. Luckily for Chloe, she meets Kai who becomes her soul mate. Does she pick up the pace and graduate with her friends? Does she get her university applications in on time? Does she find a balance between the ‘old Chloe’ and the ‘new Chloe’? Does this behaviour have anything to do with the 'cellular memory' from her donor?

I loved Chloe right from page one. She walks the line between what she knows is right and what she wants to discover for herself. She questions everything. She wants to live life to the fullest. I appreciated the unique premise of this novel because readers get to see Chloe from different perspectives and see how she grows and navigates the stress of her final year of high school after having major derailment to her planned life.
Part self-discovery, part scientific mystery, you absolutely must read this thought-provoking novel that probes the issues around organ transplant and gives readers an insight into the struggles that teens face as they prepare to leave high school.

Thank you to Shannon Takaoka, Candlewick Press and Netgalley for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

I am not certain whether words can do justice to the emotions this book evoked- to be honest I am not entirely sure even I know what I am feeling right now. "Everything I thought I knew" hit the right points and missed very few, leaving me smiling longingly with teary eyes.
Needless to say I finished it in one sitting and I will be revisiting this book in the future 😊
Even though it has the basic elements of a YA content, it reads as a well put-together and mature piece, with well-rounded characters, emotional depth and thought-provoking themes, leaning towards adult fiction with a touch of paranormal elements.
Shannon Takaoka expertly manages to explore the struggles of teenagers, the pains of growing up as well as the heartbreak of feeling left behind. After the surgery, Chloe has to come to terms with the fact that life went on without her, while having to deal with the weird feelings a stranger's heart inside her chest forces on her.
On her way to emotional as well as physical recovery, she matures emotionally and starts making dreams searching for inner peace once again. Kai, the ever mysterious and handsome surf-instructor adds the right amount of spice to the story and being one of the main characters, contributes significantly to Chloe's growth.
Even though I had predicted the ending halfway through the book (thus I was fairly prepared for what was to come) my heart still breaks just a little at the thought and this might just be the sole element I am skeptical towards- if not a little angry about 😐
Nevertheless, "Everything I thought I knew" was an enjoyable read, filled with ups and downs, blending heartbrake with sweetness, quirky dialogues with profound thoughts and was a refreshing break from the classic YA formula.
I am looking towards reading more books by Shannon Takaoka as she is a promising and talented writer.

Thanks to Candlewick for providing me with a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

The best part of this book was the fact that Kai likes The Oh Hellos. But now that I'm thinking about it, that whole scene was a plot device.

EVERYTHING I THOUGHT I KNEW was an interesting concept. Very similar to that of the movie Last Christmas, so it was very easy to guess the plot twist. It was a beautiful book, but I didn't really enjoy the execution.

Everything I Thought I Knew by Shannon Takaoka is an exceptional read that is emotionally wrenching, while at the same time being, ultimately, life affirming and beautiful.

Chloe is only seventeen when she collapses during track practice. When she consequently receives a heart transplant, it seems that she has been given a second chance at life, but she is all too aware that her second chance is the result of the lost life of her donor. As Chloe tries to adjust to her new normal, she is confused by recurring dreams and images of places and events that she knows she has never experienced, but yet seem so tangible and familiar. Chloe knows that she must learn the identity of her donor if she is ever to achieve synchronicity between her mind and body.

This is a powerful read that had me fully invested in Chloe's story from the very start. I would highly recommend it, and look forward to reading more from this author. 4.5 stars

Many thanks to NetGalley and Candlewick Press for this ARC.

This book exceeded my expectations.
I do not usually read YA contemporary and I was a bit reluctant jumping into the first chapters of this one as I was worried that the themes that came up would not be fully explored as it is common in the genre.

But this was well dealt. Shannon Takaoka definitely writes to look up and have on one's reading radar!
Organ donation is the main subject and all the feelings and experience of a 17-year old that gets a heart transplant goes in.

A beautiful read that made me quite emotional and definitely confirmed that I want to continue being pro organ donation.

Thank you Netgalley for providing me with this eArc in exchange for an honest review.

Everything I Thought I Knew is a YA novel by Shannon Takaoka. What I enjoyed about this book is its outlook on life from someone's who had almost lost it and now has to live a different life she planned for herself while everyone else around her moves on.
It's sad yes, but it's also uplifting as she learns to live life through the new challenges she faces in her once perfect world and it's one of the reasons do like the character of Chloe, but she does have a lot of flaws. There were times where she was borderline annoying even.
Kai was someone I enjoyed reading about a lot more and his presence in the book is felt a lot more in the entire book compared to Chloe even though she's our main character.
The book starts off a bit slow for my taste and it took quite a while for us to move on from what happened ton Chloe's past and move on with what's more important in her present. Yes the events were the highlight of the story but being reminded of it again and again was maybe a bit unnecessary.
The plot twist at the end - I did enjoy it, and it was definitely something unique but the fact that it was an open ending makes me miss the closure I would have received after going through the process of reading the entire book.
Overall, I would recommend this book for its plot.

Strong 3.5 stars

If you like John Green's plots this novel might be for you.

"Everything I Thought I Knew" is definitely going to be one of those beloved YA books a year from now. Chloe is a likeable protagonist and her journey through first-love is unlike any other YA story I have read before. Her heart attack and subsequent heart transplant change her life in ways that she is both grateful for and hates completely.

The novel really lives up to the title and I can't say much more without spoiling the entire story.

The writing style is quite strong and easy to read. I would definitely classify it as a sad, summer read and look forward to hopefully watching this book become a YA classic.

Thank you to NetGalley and Candlewick Press for allowing me to read a copy of this book for review. All opinions stated are my own.

The story is about a seventeen-year-old girl named Chloe, an only child, whose life was well planned before she collapsed during a cross-country practice and was informed that she needs a new heart. She had a successful heart transplant but was unable to graduate due to her surgery.

Eight months post-transplant, Chloe attended summer school to complete the requirements she needed to graduate. In summer school made a friend with a girl named Jane whom she confided about the strange things that are happening to her like recurring nightmares and memories of people and places she has no knowledge of. She also started to take interest in surfing which she was not so keen to do before her heart transplant. Then she met Kai, her surfing instructor...

The story was well-paced and interesting although there are some unexplained events in the plot that needs to be answered. It has a mixture of contemporary and sci-fi genres which I love and the ending was sort of an open-ended narrative for me. I also find it inspiring as well to know that life is so precious to take it for granted.

I thank the author, the publisher, and Netgalley for allowing me to read and review this book. I will surely check out the future works of the author.

When heart meets neurology. Chloe is a 17-year-old with a plan: get good grades, excel in cross-country, attend a top college. Her plans literally collapse during cross-country practice. One minute she's running and the next minute she's in the hospital. After medical tests and such, it is found that Chloe needs a new heart.

Fast forward eight months and the novel reaches its plot. It seems Chloe received more than a heart from her transplant donor. She now hits the waves on a surfboard, rides motorcycles and has flashing memories of people, places and a motorcycle crash that do not belong to her. Everything Chloe thought she knew is questioned.

Everything I Thought I Knew serves sad ill teenage love story with every page. But it never tugged at my heart strings. Of course I sympathized with the main character's diagnosis of Arrhythmogenic Right Ventricular Dysplasia (ARVD). And yes, I learned about cellular memory. The novel certainly had the potential. It just wasn't enough for me to turn the pages faster or for the characters to stick with me long after finishing. Hence why I recommend it as a good in-between-books choice.

Happy Pub Day, Shannon Takaoka! Everything I Thought I Knew is now available.

LiteraryMarie

I absolutely adore this book. This book completely pulled me out of my reading slump and I was hooked from the first page. It's a book that I as a medical professional can truly appreciate. The information was correct and the story is easily read. I constantly asked myself what would happen next and how this book would end and though I suspected something like this to happen, I never could completely guess the ending, which makes a book good (for me). This was an absolute banger and I wish I could read it again.
The simple mention of one of my favorite artists (the oh hellos) made me smile.
I'll definitely buy this book and look out for more of this writer.

*Thank you for Netgalley and Candlewick Press for an ARC in exchange for a honest review*

I couldn't finish this one. I immediately disliked the main character, and honestly, the book seemed like it was written by a young teenager. I didn't enjoy it at all.

Review of Everything I Thought I Knew by Shannon Takaoka:
⭐️⭐️⭐️✨

At 17-years old, Chloe was on track to graduating from high school with plans to get into a prestigious college. That is until she fell down unconscious during cross country practice only to learn that she has a heart defect and needs a heart transplant. Several months later a donor heart becomes available but almost immediately after surgery, Chloe starts to experience memories that she can’t figure out. Doctors tell her it’s just the effects of the medication she’s on but when the memories don’t stop, she becomes curious about the identity of her donor.

This was a fast read and one that nearly had my attention until the end. The ending was just hard for me to fully grasp despite the explanation being there. I so wanted a different ending, especially since I expected it to go a completely different direction, but the storyline leading up to it was so achingly beautiful and bittersweet. I enjoyed the supporting characters, Jane and Kai, and being a young adult novel, the struggles that Chloe encountered may be relatable to those preparing for college. What most enticed me was the idea of cellular memory and how an organ donor recipient could take on their donors memories and personality traits. What a rabbit hole I went down and such a fascinating theory to integrate into a story! This book is sure to give you all the feels.

Thank you to @CandlewickPress and @Netgalley {#partner} for gifting me with both a physical and electronic advanced readers copy in exchange for an independent and honest review. This book is out now and was just released on 10/13/2020 so grab yourselves a copy!

🏄‍♀️

3.5 stars

*Thank you Netgalley and the Publisher for providing me with an early copy of this book for review, all opinions are my own*

The beginning of this book seemed like any other YA book, the story of a girl who in the last year of high school something happens that changes everything and all plans in her life, but as the reading progresses you realize that the book manages to go far beyond the cliches it presents on the surface, the deeper you go in history the more it surprises you.
It's a very quick book to read, the author's writing is simple in a way that you can read without even seeing the time pass by, I loved her writing, she can bring information that would be difficult to understand for an easy-to-read language.
The story itself as I said is nothing special, if you pay attention you can discover the plot twists quickly but that doesn’t take away the emotion of seeing the main character discovering for herself.
I found the explanation she gave to the events at the end a little bit boring and that's why the book doesn't get 4 stars, but apart from that I highly recommend the book and I can't wait to read more of this author the fluid, simple and quick write.

Rating 2.5 DNF

I really wanted to love "Everything I Thought I Knew" by Shannon Takaoka but sadly I just couldn't get into it. Right away I noticed the writing style was just not for me. I tried to keep going but the story/characters were not doing anything for me, so I did not finish at 30%. This story is supposed to be full of emotion but unfortunately I didn't feel it. However, I still love the cover of this book and I do feel as though the cover fits the book well.

 
**Received an advanced copy through NetGalley in return for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own. **

Thanks Net Galley for the preview!

I loved this story-I was immediately hooked into the idea of cell memory and transplant aftermath. What I didn't expect was a self-discovery story that had me laughing, crying, wondering and finishing this book in ONE DAY! The twist was complicated and left me with questions and wanting more but I also feel like that was a purposeful tactic by the author. Chloe's story isn't linear and there are many universes and possibilities as to where she can go. I thought the book was beautiful and would definitely recommend to a friend.