Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the digital copy.


TRIGGER WARNINGS (as stated by the publisher): death, grief, suicide attempt and recovery, sexual assault, bullying.


It's been almost a year since Pru's brother died and her life and heart were shattered. Her mother left the dining room as messy as the night it happened and never leaves her bedroom, her father only thinks about work and sleeps on the couch and hers best friend Steve - who was also Davis' best friend - doesn't have the right to be a part of her life anymore since her father told her that he is responsible for Davis' death.

Over the course of this last year, Pru has lost all her most important relationships because her family disintegrated and her best friend was the cause of it, so it was even more natural to isolate herself from everything and everyone and take refuge in her art, in the 80s music for which she and Davis shared a passion and in the sweets that are her salvation when everything goes wrong - which is always.

But her grades have also plummeted and Pru risks not graduating and not being able to leave Podunk - too bad everyone came up with the brilliant idea of assigning her Steve as a tutor. And Pru wants nothing to do with it, especially considering that she doesn't even recognize him anymore and he's not the same boy who grew up with her and Davis - not only because of how this last year seems to have changed him, but also because he's dating Maddison and the Steve she knew would never have gotten together with her bully since middle school.

The only thing she has left of Davis - after her father emptied his room and gave everything to charity - is his car still parked in the garage and when Pru sleeps in the backseat she manages to dream of Davis, she can to hug him again when he welcomes her into an apartment he has chosen just for them. But, as the dreams continue, the apartment becomes more and more disturbing and less bright and Davis himself seems to feel increasingly unwell and become a shadow of his former self.


I'm an only child, so I don't know what it's like to have a sibling.
But my mother did, she had a brother - a brother who died before I was born and therefore an uncle who I never met. And even without ever knowing him, I know how much this changed my family's life and how my mother and my grandmother always carry a shadow and a pain that never goes away.

Pru's story is touching and emotional, peppered with a hint of magical realism when Pru dreams of Davis and these dreams become vivid and almost real - so real that even the drawings on Pru's art journal change. It's the story of a bond and a love so deep that there are no words to express it and that I, as an only child, may not even be able to understand what it's like to lose someone who literally grew up with you.

It's difficult for Pru to get out of that black hole, to even think about living again when every single molecule in her body knows that Davis no longer has a life - when she knows she has lost her best friend, her confidant, her shoulder to lean on, her pillar, the one who encouraged her and protected her and took care of her.

It's hard for Pru to deal with Steve again--even harder when she discovers some things about that night that she didn't know. And I would have liked to have some chapter from Steve's point of view - who, after losing his mother as a child, felt like he had lost his family a second time when Davis died. And I can understand what pushed him to get involved with Maddison given the circumstances, but in reality I didn't fully appreciate the way the relationship developed - perhaps I would have made a different choice but, I repeat, perhaps I'm not even able to fully understand.

At some points the story is not always easy to follow - especially when Pru dreams and although everything is described graphically and vividly, I often had to re-read some sentences to really understand them.

This is also a book that pushes a lot on the importance of therapy and healing - more than one character here turns outward for help, whether for a suicide attempt or grieving.

"Everything That Was" is a touching book that you will remember for a long time and you won't forget its characters easily - above all, it will make you want to hug your loved ones tightly after you've finished crying.

Thank you to the author, publisher and Net Galley for an ARC of this book. All the reviews expressed are entirely my own. I think Hansen realistically portrayed a family going through the grief of a child/sibling/close friend. It was a very heart breaking story. Pru's dreams were vividly described. I think this book could help anyone going through similar circumstances. I will be purchasing it for our high school library.

"Everything That Was" is an accurate and raw depiction of grief and isolation after the unexpected loss of a love one. This one in particular reminds you of how people handle hardship differently, especially teenagers who are still figuring themselves out. I loved Pru's character, but wasn't a fan of the other characters and their interactions - I felt they did more harm than good. Some parts felt a little dark and hopeless, but it ended on a much more positive note than I expected, yet still felt realistic. Thanks so much for the ARC!

A magical realism take on grief, Everything That Was is meant to look at the different ways we hurt and cope after an unexpected loss. Pru's entire remaining family is a disaster, and none of them have done any work to move past what happened. Pru has completely isolated herself, blamed the only person who could've provided her comfort, and is so wrapped up in missing her brother that she sleeps in his car and starts seeing him in her dreams. Pru realizes the dreams might be visits, but that those visits are having a strain on her brother's spirit. As dream Davis gets sicker, things get worse in the waking world as well.

This was a little bit frustrating to read because the communication between these people is horrific, but it also felt real in the way that people would shut down when something bad happens. Too many people infantilized Pru and she didn't even realize it, she let them, and it felt really good when she figured out how she wanted to fight what was happening around her.

It ends way more hopefully than I expected, and was fantastic catharsis as a reader to go through all of these people reaching a turning point. I was sad and stressed for most of it, high emotions, but felt very much at peace when it was done.

Everything That Was by K. R. Hansen was an emotional YA story.
I enjoyed Hansen’s writing tremendously. I was captivated from the very beginning and her characters really drew me in.
The story was well written and I really enjoyed it.

Thank You NetGalley and Victory Editing for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

Thank you to the publisher and author and netgalley for an arc read copy of everything that was.

4 star read.

This was such a lovely read , definitely more towards the YA section, it takes you through how young teenagers go through grief differently and how it can affect your relationships and life.

I really enjoyed this , was a breathtaking read for sure. Seeing how pru was dealing with her grief and how to make her own relationships better with everyone aswell as her own heart breaking.