I wasn't sure what I was going to get when I started this one but I will say I was pleasantly surprised. It was absolutely captivating and kept me hanging on to every word. A story of love, loss, friendship, betrayal and so much more. After Ella loses her best friend in the worst way imaginable she thinks she will never be happy again but sometimes we find happiness where we least expect it. And sometimes things aren't always as they appear....

After Ella loses her best friend Haley in a car accident that she caused from driving drunk, she tries to come to terms with the loss and move on. The only problem is she can’t remember what happened that night. And now she’s becoming close with her best friend’s boyfriend, Sawyer, and she’s feeling guilty about that, too. After finding Hayley’s diary, Ella begins to suspect Sawyer may have been physically abusing Hayley. What’s a girl to do?

This brilliant debut reads like a Colleen Hoover novel for young adults. I would argue that it should be moved into the New Adult category because of some of the explicit content. Either way, this was a twisty, heart-pounding read that I devoured in a couple days. It’s perfect for a day at the beach or a rainy weekend indoors.

Trigger warnings: domestic violence, sexual content, toxic relationships, harassment, abortion, partner abuse, child abuse, death

Thank you to Sloan Harlow, Penguin Young Readers Group and NetGalley for an advance e-copy of the book for an honest review.

Rating: 4.5 stars rounded up.

I absolutely adored this book. It made me laugh, it made me cry, it pulled at my heart. The relationship between Ella and Sawyer. The love they both hold for Hayley. The loyalty Ella continuously has for Hayley. I loved every single second of this book. I will say, I do think this is a really great book example of why New Adult should be a more recognized reading level. This book does handle some more mature topics and there are some scenes than lean a little spicier than I would expect young adult to. Overall, I loved this book. I read it in one sitting, couldn't put it down.

Predictable YA thriller with some romance. The dialogue was boring, but I enjoyed the tense moments. Overall not really for me, but I’m sure a younger audience will really enjoy it. Thanks to NetGalley for an advanced copy!

I actually thoroughly enjoyed this one! I am always a little nervous going into YAs, especially YA thrillers. They can be so hit or miss. I really liked the execution on this one though! It was predictable at times, but not so much so that I didn't want to keep reading.

4.5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rounded up!
This YA gem offers everything needed in a superior dramatic thriller! After reading this, I can't stop thinking about the important message within these pages: Be careful, be wise, and use discernment when pursuing relationships. Not everyone is as they seem.

What you don't know can hurt you...It's been 4 months since the accident that killed Ella's best friend, Hailey. Ella is ridden with guilt and is trying to just get through the first day of school. Everything reminds her of Hailey, especially Sawyer, Hailey's boyfriend. Ella is drawn to Sawyer - and is slowly falling for him. When Hailey's mom asks Ella to come over to clean out her room, Ella discovers Hailey's diary. Reluctantly, she begins reading through Hailey's entries, hoping to find anything to bring her comfort. Instead, she finds important information about Sawyer that helps explain why Hailey was acting so strange in the weeks leading up to her death. Everything We Never Said explores the secrets in even the best of friendships and asks how well you ever know the ones you love.

I see that I am the exception in giving this a 5 star rating. I'm ok with that. I give it this rating not only because this has all of the makings of a great thriller, but because of the message it sends to young adults, teens, and even adults. Some of the toxic relationships, strategically developed by Sloan Harlow, happen daily in the real world, leaving many traumatized and left to pick up the pieces. This book is not only entertaining. It's a warning. And I can't help but want to encourage every young person to read it. After all, writing and reading are not solely about being entertained. Rather, a good author should leave the reader changed.

Thank you Sloan Harlow, NetGalley, and Penguin Young Readers Group for this enlightening thriller ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Wow! My first Sloan Harlow book but definitely not my last! Well developed characters. That kept me flipping pages nonstop. Packed with tension, lies and great reveals. Did not see the twists coming.
Thank you NetGalley Sloan Harlow for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin Group for the advanced readers copy of this YA novel.

When they say it's perfect for Colleen Hoover fans, they aren't lying! I found it to be very similar in nature to her novels.

I think this tackled some tough topics for teens like partner abuse, abuse from parents, etc. This was a gripping novel that had a story line take a turn I didn't quite see coming at all. It was a really good novel.

I found that this book was extremely choppy and mainly plot driven, however there was so much of this book that was in no way plausible and lacked any form of reality. Ella is returning to school after an accident that killed her friend, however she doesn't remember anything that happened. She was told that she drank a beer, however for some reason there were no legal issues that resulted from her assumed DUI. Ella feels guilty being attracted to Sawyer, however they immediately turn into a couple of horn dogs. Turns out there was not much loyalty there. For some reason, Hayley's mother wants her daughter's killer to clean out her room. Turns out Phoebe has no real relationship with her daughter so not sure why this was an issue in the first place. I think one of the biggest things I noticed was the presence of so many different guys with names that start with the letter S. I am not sure why this was necessary when the mystery was so obvious. Thanks for the ARC, NetGalley.

Thank you to Net Galley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review. This novel seemed dark, and it wasn't wrong. I thoroughly enjoyed it and it could be both YA and for all audiences. It was truly an entertaining read.

Equal parts romance and mystery, this was such a compelling read. I was hooked from the first page and could not put it down!

There were multiple twists and turns in this one, and while I was able to predict the big reveal, it didn’t detract from my enjoyment of the story. For the most part, this book did not feel YA. There were a lot of heavier/mature themes present throughout the story: abuse, parental neglect, parental abandonment, death of a loved one, and I kept forgetting that the characters were in high school. This story was definitely on the grittier side and was very bingeable.

𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐢𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞:
👯 Multiple POV
❤️ Forbidden romance/messy relationships
👀 Romantic suspense
❤️‍🩹 Heavier themes
🌶️.5

Everything We Never Said is perfect for audiences that love thrilling romances. This was a quick read and I enjoyed learning more about the characters and their life after loss. I highly recommend for adults in addition to young adults.

It was good but it wasn’t great. I liked the plot and it kept me interested, it just isn’t one of those books where I found myself begging for more.

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

This book got a bit darker than I expected, I would warn of abuse trigger warnings, it didn't trigger me so to speak, but I also wasn't sure what to expect. That said, I really enjoyed the book. It was very well-written and I feel like the portrayal of the abused person was accurate. I did call a couple of the reveals in the book, so I found it a bit predictable, but it wasn't in a way that detracted from the storytelling. I was eager to find out if I was correct in my deductions. I would absolutely recommend this book to others, with the caveat that I would be sure they are aware of the subject matter before I said "go, read this."

A novel that delves into the secrets hidden within even the strongest friendships. It is a dark story that is somewhat predictable but will keep readers on their toes.
Many thanks to PENGUIN GROUP and to Netgalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

Rated: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (5.0 stars)
Spice Level: 🌶️ (1 out of 5 chili peppers)
Tags: Young adult romance; thriller; mystery; multiple POVs; minimal spice

Let me start off this review by saying this makes only my fourth five-star read for the year! I was given an arc of this book back in January but unfortunately, I was only able to get 5% in before life got hectic. I just recently had the time to sit down and read it once more, starting from the beginning. I deeply regret not reading this sooner! The author (Sloan Harlow) captivated me from the very first page and I found it difficult to put down (reason #1 for rating this book 5 stars). Whenever I did take a break from the book, I often found myself thinking about the book and wondering what was coming next (reason #2 for rating this book 5 stars). This book offers the perfect amount of romance without losing the plot. The spicy scenes in this book are very minimal and not overly detailed, so I would still recommend this book to anyone (young adult and older) who prefer little to no spice.
For those who want a quick synopsis of the book without revealing too many details: Ella was involved in a bad car accident that killed her best friend, Hayley. She battles with the reality of moving on without Hayley, and turns to her journal as a personal oasis. She quickly finds that although Hayley was her best friend, maybe she didn't share <I> everything </I> with her. Insert Sawyer. Sawyer was Hayley's boyfriend. Once Ella starts school back, the grief brings her and Sawyer closer together. Ella is faced with challenges of developing feelings for her dead best friend's boyfriend along with realizing that maybe everything is not what it has seemed.
This book has multiple plot twisters that I did not see coming, which is something I look for in a five star read (.....if you haven't guessed it yet, reason #3 for rating this book 5 stars). One pet peeve I have with many other books is that I find the female main character to be too dependent and too "damsel in distressed". However, I applaud Harlow for writing Ella so that she does not appear too young, immature, or dependent, even if she is only in high school (reason #5). Reason #6 for my five-star review is that Harlow did not loose sight of the plot of the book. Most everything in the book had a specific reason for being in the book. At the end, you will realize there are many context clues that are dropped throughout the book. I plan to re-read this book in the future, now knowing what I know, just to find out how many context clues there were.
There are so many other things I would love to discuss, but unfortunately they are spoilers but WOW! Just WOW! If you buddy read, this is a book I would definitely recommend doing that with. Also, this book is perfect for readers who enjoyed Colleen Hoover's book <I> Verity </I>.

*Disclaimer: I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Ella lost Hayley, her best friend, to a car accident and blames herself for driving while drunk. Not that she remembers anything. Making it even worse to digest. She expects everyone to equally hate her as she herself, but Sawyer, Hayley's boyfriend, becomes her best alley in facing the after. It's a relief, until she starts suspecting Sawyer may have been physically abusing Hayley.

2.5 rounded up to 3.

A lot of this romance read like something that would come out in the later 2000's, and even if I had reason to believe that wasn't the point of the author, it was uncomfortable to read. It's too late when the book gets a little better, and it also felt like it wasn't enough to compensate it all. I think the worst flaw for me was how it didn't seem to decide if it wanted to be a romance despite adversity or a thriller made scarier by a creepy romance.

I wasn't a fan of the characters' choices either, which obviously made it harder to like or even to cheer for them. There is some mystery though that kept me going; it's not a book that drags.


Honest review based on an ARC provided by Netgalley. Many thanks to the publisher for this opportunity.

WHEW. Okay, a lot to unpack. It’s hard to review this one without giving away the twists, but I’ll do my best. Overall, I enjoyed this book. It kept me interested, kept me guessing and handled some very tough issues with a lot of care. There was one twist that I saw coming almost right off the bat, but the others had me audibly gasping and that was enjoyable. I loved the multiple POVs and I thought they really added to the complexity of the story. I will say this and I don’t say it in a bad way because most of you know YA is my favorite genre, but this book is VERY YA so just something to keep in mind if you choose to read it.
*I always do content warnings so if you don’t want to be spoiled on certain plot points, read no further*

CW: sexual content, car accident, mentions of death, injury, domestic violence, abortion, toxic relationship, child abuse, sexual harassment, mention of animal injury


Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Young Readers Group for an advanced digital reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an eARC of this title.

I think I am going to settle on a 3.5 stars for this one. This is a book that I would have eaten up when I was a teenager. Right now, I feel like I'm just not in the right space for this one. I found it a tiny bit predictable, but still fun to read. This was a pretty solid YA thriller. I enjoyed the diary entries that were scattered throughout the story. I think that really made it interesting and was a good way to move the plot forward. This was pretty quick read and overall pretty enjoyable.

Everything We Never Said by Sloan Harlow is a standalone YA thriller novel. We meet Ella, a 17-year-old senior, returning to school, and still grieving the death of her best friend, Hayley. Ella, who was in a car accident that killed, Hayley, continues to blame herself for what happened, and has no memory of that tragic night. With her feelings of guilt, Ella seeks the assistance of the school therapist. She also is told by Sawyer, Hayley’s boyfriend, that it was not her fault, which calms her down; and they bond together, sharing their grief. The Pov’s switch between Ella and Sawyer, as well as Hayley’s diary, which Ella discovers and read throughout.

Ella and Sawyer both begin to have strong feelings for each other. But once she starts reading Hayley’s diary, what she discovers change things. When Ella starts reading more of the diary, she is horrified about violent attempts on Hayley by Sawyer; especially as she reads about her boyfriend “S”. Was this Sawyer?

Ella goes to the school therapist for help, as she fears another side to Sawyer, would make him dangerous. The therapist will get her help, with the police interviewing Sawyer. The further she reads, Ella will find herself in danger, as new revelations reveal a dark secret that Ella never knew regarding Haley. The story was easy to follow, as the pacing was very good, and it kept my attention from the start. There were a number of twists throughout. I will note that there were some sex scenes, which should have been more of NA novel. Ella resumed her friendship with Seema, as they became distant after her friendship with Hayley; but Seema turned out to be a good friend helping Ella get past her grief.

Everything We Never Said was a wonderful YA Thriller, with real life issues that led to a mystery that Ella triggered reading Hayley’s diary; leading to a dark secret filled with tension and suspense. Everything We Never Said was a gripping, emotional and intense novel; which was very well written by Sloane Harlow.