Ella is grieving the loss of her best friend, Hayley, as she starts her senior year of high school. She is also feeling guilty. Everything reminds her of Hayley, including Hayley's boyfriend Sawyer. Soon she finds that she is in love with him. She reads Hayley's diary to feel close to her but what she finds makes her realize she didn't know as much about her relationship with Sawyer as she thought.

Told in dual POVs I found it enjoyable. There was a lot of teen drama and heartache as well as teenage love. It makes you wonder how much you really know about those you spend the most time with. The end was a little predictable but it wasn't until three quarters of the book that I realized what was really happening, which was awesome. Overall I found it to be a very good debut novel! For those who like young adult romantic thrillers this one is a must!

Thank you Penguin Group and NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. I liked it!

omg what did i just read and why is no one talking about this book?! this is one of the most bingeable thrillers i’ve read in a while. a warning first though — this is marketed at a YA thriller and it’s absolutely not. at best, it’s in the new adult category. the main characters in this book are 17, but they deal very traumatic adult problems. due to content, i would not recommend this to anyone under 18.

ella is starting her senior year of high school months after the accident (that she can’t remember) that claimed the life of her best friend, hayley. already wracked with the guilt of the accident, it piles on when she starts falling for hayley’s boyfriend, sawyer. to make matters worse, she finds and begins reading hayley’s diary and starts finding out things about sawyer that just don’t line up with who he his.

y’all my mind was SPINNING. i loved ella and sawyer, especially together, but the way this story unfolds had me gasping! it’s such a tricky read and i pretty much fell for all the twists and turns. this might be spoilery but there is on page domestic violence. with this being labeled as YA, i don’t mind disclosing this to possible unsuspecting readers.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
content: some language, vague open door

thank you to penguin young readers group for the gifted copy. my thoughts are my own.

I will always want to read a book set in Georgia/Atlanta, but I will quickly love or hate it based on how things play out or are described. Something that truly got under my skin with this book was the need to call everything "The Atlanta [insert thing here]".

The Atlanta Braves

The Atlanta Zoo (it's called Zoo Atlanta by the way)

The Atlanta Falcons

We don't say the "Atlanta" part. It's the Braves, the zoo, the Falcons. We know they're in Atlanta. So up front, I was pretty annoyed there.

I did like how this book was formatted between Sawyer, Ella, and Hayley's diary. It gave a nice well-rounded version of events that were easy to get perspectives from the different characters and their personalities. I didn't think the spicier scenes were necessary, because these were teenage characters, so I did feel kind of gross reading those.

I figured out the twist because my *woman's intuition*. I felt icky about lots of parts of this book, so it felt, if not predictable, than at least kind of obvious to me. I was pretty disgusted with the book, but that was due to the issues presented and the storyline itself, not because the author was a bad writer (the opposite, in fact). I wasn't particularly pleased with the end of the book, which felt too nicely wrapped up (though I won't say more and risk spoiling things).

Solid story and potential, but lots of unnecessary details that could've been edited out.

This book was an emotional rollercoaster. Tons of twists and turns. I didn’t see the ending coming at all. I truly loved Ella and her internal turmoil over Hayley and Sawyer. She’s the queen of jumping to conclusions but rightfully so. Sawyer had many layers to him. He 100% had me speculating. This story was heartbreaking but also intense and had me on the edge of my seat trying to figure out what was going on.

This was a roller coaster of a read for sure. I am glad it was super fast paced and didnt seem to drag on. You get romance, you get suspense, you get grief, etc with Everything We Never Said. You get two perspectives with Sawyer and Ella which I enjoyed reading from both. Def a decent YA Thriller read!

Ella is about to start her senior year of high school. Summer was dreadful- she lost her best friend, Hayley, in a car accident and blames herself for what happened. She also has no recollection of that night and the events leading up to the accident. To make matters worse, Ella finds herself falling for her dead best friend's boyfriend, Sawyer. Ella struggles with her feelings for Sawyer after reading Hayley's diary and learning that Sawyer might not be the person she thought he was.

Although I am in my 40s, I enjoy the YA genre, especially thrillers, and this was no exception. Everything We Never Said alternates between the viewpoints of Ella, Sawyer, and Hayley's diary entries which kept me interested. I liked the relationship that was developing between Hayley and Sawyer, and twist ending I never saw coming!

Thanks to NetGalley and G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers for my advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

This book was just “meh” for me. I felt like I was reading it because I had to finish it instead of reading it because I wanted to finish it. I can’t quite put my finger on what it was.

This one is my first five star read of 2025! It is a mix of my two top genres: YA and Suspense/Thriller. It’s more of a mix of those genres with some romance added in. It does get a slight bit steamy, just the YA version of 16/17-year-olds doing what 16/17-year-olds do.

We have two narrators: Ella and Sawyer. Ella and Hayley were best friends and Ella blames herself for Hayley’s death while Sawyer was Hayley’s boyfriend. We also get to know Hayley through diary entries. Over time Ella and Sawyer become close and then fall for each other. But over time Ella begins to read Hayley’s diary and begins to realize things may not have been what they seemed.

Grief and domestic abuse are themes in this novel and could be triggering to readers. The book takes place in Georgia and Harlow is also from the state so I enjoyed the many references being from Georgia myself! Authors from Georgia that mention locations in Georgia get a plus in my reading! It helps me identify with the characters more.

Everything is a fast-moving novel and yes, I figured out the ‘whodunnit’ 66% of the way in, but not the why this person did what they did. I still had a surprise when I got to that. But then…. To quote Samuel L Jackson, “hold on to your butts” the reader is in for another big twist later on!

I really enjoyed Everything We Never Said. There are three narrators to it. The guy narrator had to ‘grow’ on me. I didn’t really like him, but the two female narrators did great. Brittany Pressley narrated Hayley’s diary entries and did a fabulous job!

I will be looking into Harlow’s future novels!

When Ellas best friend Haley is presumed dead, Ella is heartbroken and guilt ridden. Ella can't rember what happened only that they crashed. Though berely living her life,she is not sure where to begin. Then she finds Haley's diary and starts reading it. THis is where she starts seeing things she never knew about her best friend. As the story goes in further the suspense is bigger.

This was an edge of my seat book. I couldn't put it down.

This book was scary, not in a spooky sense, but in a very realistic sense.

It had been a few months since an accident that killed Ella's best friend, Hayley. Ella blames herself because she was driving. Ella is back to school where she hears all the whispers and where she has to be reminded of Hayley everyday. The biggest reminder is Sawyer, Hayley's boyfriend. Ella lost a lot and so did Sawyer, so they decide to be friends to stick together. After getting closer and closer, Ella has the terrible realization that she's in love with her dead bestie's boyfriend. Turning to Hayley's journal to find clarity and assist with her guilt about her feelings, Ella finds a whole lot of secrets she had no clue about. Some of these secrets involve Sawyer, and according to Hayley's journal, it seems like she may not know him at all.

I would consider this maybe a new adult book versus young adult, but that didn't take away from how much I enjoyed it.
This was definitely a fast-paced read that had a lot of heavy themes, but it was very easy to get immersed in. I had some guesses throughout the first half of the book of where it was going, but then a bomb got dropped. I was flying through that second half to see where we would end up!

Very much looking forward to reading more Sloan Harlow!

I really enjoyed this YA - it was a great mix of mystery, suspense and romance. I figured out some of the ending but not the whole story. I liked the main character and it dealt with some tough topics well.

Wonderful story, great character development, great writing! Highly recommend this book. I thoroughly enjoyed it

I loved this book! It was the perfect book for YA readers, it’s what everyone needs to read for the perspective of a toxic relationship!

WOW! I can honestly say I didn’t see that plot twist!! This was my first time reading a Sloan Harlow (cool name BTW) book and it will definitely not be my last!

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Young Readers Group, G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers, for the ARC!

The story follows Ella, a 17-year-old grappling with the death of her best friend, Hayley, in a car accident where Ella was driving. Her grief and guilt are palpable, and they shape every decision she makes.

The story gets even more intense when Ella starts to develop feelings for Sawyer, Hayley’s boyfriend. Their connection feels very messy and complicated but also incredibly real given their shared grief. As Ella starts to uncover Hayley’s secrets through her journal, the tension skyrockets. The journal entries were one of my favorite parts. They revealed so much about Hayley’s life and her relationships, making her character feel alive even though she’s no longer in the picture.

I appreciated how the book didn’t shy away from tough topics, like emotional abuse and toxic relationships. These themes are handled thoughtfully, though some of the scenes mighttttt be unsettling for younger readers. It made me reflect on how important it is to recognize red flags in relationships, which is a message I think many teens need to hear nowadays.

The pacing of the book is solid. It starts slow, allowing you to really sit with Ella’s emotions, but then builds into a whirlwind of twists and turns. While I guessed parts of the mystery, there were still moments that left me shocked. The final reveal tied everything together in a way that felt both satisfying and heartbreaking.

If I had one critique, it would be that some of the romantic moments leaned a bit too dramatic for my taste, but I can see how that would appeal to readers who enjoy high-stakes emotions in their love stories.

3.75⭐️

An emotional story with heartfelt moments, but the plot meandered at times. The writing was beautiful, though the narrative lacked a strong hook to keep me fully invested. A poignant read with room for improvement.

"Everything We Never Said" by Sloan Harlow is a poignant exploration of unspoken emotions and fractured relationships. The narrative delves deeply into the complexities of love, loss, and the lingering impact of words left unsaid. Harlow's prose is heartfelt and evocative, drawing readers into the characters' inner struggles. While some may find the pacing uneven or the plot predictable, the raw emotion and relatable themes make it a compelling read for those who enjoy character-driven stories.

I absolutely loved this book! The unexpected twists, turns, and surprises kept me hooked, and I found myself racing through it just to see how it all ended. It’s such a fun, fast-paced read! While it’s definitely a YA romance, I thoroughly enjoyed it. The relationships were so captivating, they had me on the edge of my seat, constantly trying to piece together what was happening.

I am a sucker for dark angsty romance and this book did not disappoint. The mystery element in this was great, I loved the pacing I flew through this book and didn’t want to put it down. The characters were relatable and interesting and I really loved the romantic relationship between the two main characters. This was the first book I have read from this author but hope to read more in the future. I would like to thank NetGalley and the publishers for a chance to read this book for an honest review.

This book was good. I wasn't so hooked that I couldn't put it down, but I was consistently reaching for the book to see what Ella had to say and see what was going on. I was able to somewhat predict the twist at the end by the middle of the book, although I was suspecting Scott before I suspected the guidance counselor. I enjoyed the plot points, the story, and honestly never saw the twist with Haley coming in a million years! I truly enjoyed Sloan Harlow's writing, and I plan to read another if I am able to! She had a great way of capturing the internal struggle one has with their emotions in these charged situations, and I really enjoyed reading it. I don't think anything was rushed, or too slow. Well-constructed book overall!