I went into this book blind, and due to the fact that I wound up liking it would suggest I'm an outlier.

Why I almost didn't read this once I started:
• It deals with spirituality, healing, and auras which I am curious about, but rarely like to read about as fictional topics
• I only knew one of the co-authors through her appearances with Derek Hough on the TV show So You Think You Can Dance and I was already pre-disposed not to like it, thinking it might be a vanity project.

What I liked about it:
I don't know how much was conceptualized by Julianne, who seems to be multi-talented, or by her ghostwriter Ellen Goodlett, but I thought the fact that they were able to turn a based-on-true-life experience into a cohesive narrative was well done. The descriptions of healing made me long to see auras myself. The Bea character, the owner of the local "oddities" shop, was well drawn, and it was so easy to visualize her. There was the backdrop of the Mormon religion which played well against the idea of Lexi's life crisis brought about by the Saturn return, a concept I had never heard of before this book. There were also interesting takes on how the people in Lexi's life related to her new abilities.

This book is about so much more than spirituality; it's about repressed memories and the lifelong damage they can inflict, about longing for something more, abuse, families, friends, and hope through spiritual awakening.

Overall, it was a well-written book about a difficult to describe topic. I love that there are interviews in the back with both authors, and there is a QR code to take you to a quiz for finding which elements you relate to, as well as a soundtrack written by Julianne.

Thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for an advance reader's copy.

Lexi Cole stands on the precipice of change during an awards banquet. As she accepts her top-seller award (again) at the realty firm, she starts feeling strange. A man nearby, she doesn’t recognise, triggers an inexplicable sensation of drowning. Later, Lexi discovers that this man, now deceased due to an overdose, was involved in a traumatic boating accident that shattered his family.
Lexi’s life takes an unexpected turn when she realizes her newfound ability: she can feel others’ emotions and glimpse their private memories. To protect her loved ones, she must confront her own buried past. The novel delves deep into Lexi’s inner struggles, her journey of self-discovery, and the delicate balance between her gift and its emotional toll.
While the initial chapters engage us with Lexi’s encounters with strangers, the heart of the narrative lies in her internal conflicts. Some readers may yearn for more interactions with the people whose emotions she senses. Overall, Everything We Never Knew invites us to explore power, transformation, and the intricate threads that bind us all.

Thank you to NetGalley and SOURCEBOOKS Landmark

Title: Everything We Never Knew
Author: Julianne Hough & Ellen Goodlett
Genre: Fiction
Rating: 3.25
Pub Date: August 13, 2024

I received complimentary eARC and ALCs from Sourcebooks Landmark and RBmedia respectively via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. #Gifted

T H R E E • W O R D S

Unique • Atmospheric • Healing

📖 S Y N O P S I S

On stage at an awards banquet is the last place Lexi Cole expected to drown. But as she accepts the award for top-seller at her realty firm, something unusual catches Lexi's eye: a man surrounded by a dark haze. Then she hears a woman screaming for help, and the taste of saltwater overwhelms her. Just as Lexi's throat begins to close, the man leaves the room and the sensation of drowning abruptly stops. Later that night, the man dies of an overdose, and Lexi learns about the traumatic boating accident that killed his sons and tore his family apart.

Lexi wants to believe it's a bizarre coincidence. Any other explanation would disrupt the normal, comfortable life she's worked so hard to build. Lexi is an expert at denial, a pro at fitting in. But as more strange events unfold, Lexi can't deny the truth: something is changing inside her. She feels other people's emotions, sometimes even glimpses their private memories.

By embracing her new abilities, Lexi can help heal people--though not until she confronts the past she's spent a lifetime burying. But when a vision reveals her husband is in danger, Lexi must decide: face her inner demons or lose the person she loves most.

💭 T H O U G H T S

When I first head Julianne Hough was publishing a novel, I instantly knew I would want to read it. While I don't consider myself a huge fan, I have always been drawn to her personality and listened to her music. The cover and synopsis sealed the deal for me.

Everything We Never Knew came across as a deeply personal narrative - at times I had to remind myself it wasn't Julianne's memoir. What started out highly engaging, soon turned into a plot that struggled to hold my attention. Lexi experiences bouts of survivour's guilt and anxiety. It's a story of finding oneself and the going through the process of deep healing. Lexi's character growth leapt off the page and is the true strength. I appreciated learning about the Saturn return.

Julianne narrates the audiobook herself. While the pacing and intonation suited the plot quite well. the narration truly lacked the emotional depth of the complex storyline. I expected much more emotion in voice and atmosphere from such a deeply personal story, especially one about healing.

I had incredibly high hopes for Everything We Never Knew that unfortunately were not met. It ended up being meh despite containing such a unique concept and content. Additionally, the ending felt like it cut short a story because the word count was reached. With that said, it is unlike anything I've read before, so kudos to the authors for stepping outside of the mainstream.

📚 R E A D • I F • Y O U • L I K E
• the spiritual world
• unique plotlines
• witchy vibes

⚠️ CW: infertility, miscarriage, blood, toxic familial relationship, child abuse, sexual abuse, sexual assault, sexual harassment, death, child death, boating accident, drowning, overdose, mental illness, panic attacks/disorders, cursing

🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S

"You learn to hear the blank spaces in other people's stories when you insert them in your own."

"We want to believe we're in control so badly that we convince ourselves everything is our fault. Because the alternative - the world being totally random and our of our hands - is terrifying."

"You hate the new shape of the world, but you accept it anyway."
1 like

I made a mistake reading this book, not because it was bad. It's because I knew it wasn't for me & I did it anyways.
Thank you, NetGalley for the ARC.

This book was absolutely phenomenal! Such a beautifully written story and just had all my heart melting. Wonderfully done!

I really want to like this book and o really thought I would but I just couldn’t be pulled in and often times found my mind wondering to where I wasn’t comprehending like I should have.

The concept was so interesting to me but as hard as I tried I couldn't stay engaged and found myself missing half of what was going on. Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the ARC!

This book was SO different than I thought it would and it was one of those novels where I couldn't put it down, but also couldn't tell if I truly liked it. If that makes any sense! I think you really have to be into spirituality and go in with an open mind when you read this. It talks a lot about energy, finding yourself and a different way of looking at things. Interesting!

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC. I had such high hopes for this book. It sounded so interesting and started out strong and then kinda fell short. It has some super natural aspect that could have been great if done a little different.

3.5/5 stars

Everything We Never Knew combines women's fiction and speculative fiction. It is a fictionalized version of Julianne's own story.

I have enjoyed Julianne Hough since she was a professional dancer on Dancing With The Stars. So I knew that I wanted to read this book. And the cover is beyond stunning.

When the book begins Lexi is at an award's banquet. She starts to experience things that she doesn't understand. This is a book about a woman’s journey of self-discovery. Lexi is able to feel other people’s emotions. And she discovers the supernatural ability of healing.

This is an interesting book. I liked Lexi. She had a difficult childhood and does not get along with her mom. The book deals with childhood trauma and grief. And shows people that you don’t have to be afraid of change.

This is a unique story. I do love books that feature psychics and people like that. But the energy healing aspect is not something that I'm familiar with. So there were definitely times when this book did not seem realistic. However this part does come from Julianne’s own life. So that is quite interesting.

I absolutely love that the ghostwriter is listed as a co-author. And overall, I did enjoy much of the book. It will definitely make readers think.

Lexi is a woman going through a visceral transformation which we get to follow intimately throughout the story. I believe everyone will encounter moments in their life where they are no longer content to let their personal and professional life continue on a course that does not bring growth or happiness. Lexi at the beginning has a seemingly perfect job, amazing husband, and awesome friends but after an event that triggers a spiritual awakening, she finds she is dissatisfied in her job and the way she has decided to move through her life.

The struggles between Lexi and her husband as she is rediscovering herself, or rather finding her true self for the first time, is very reflective of how a change in a partner can upend a marriage. It takes both to be open and willing to work through the change that is inevitable. Her awakening leads her to find healing for herself and her relationships. I found this whole story to be very relatable and reflects something in all of us.

⭐️/5

I really wanted to love this ARC copy/book 😭 it was just not it for me. Within the first two chapters everything was unleashed (miscarriage, hallucinations and traumatic death). It then felt like I was listening to someone’s counseling session throughout the remainder of the book, and not in a good way. Additionally, the supernatural content of this book was not the material I enjoy. This led me to skipping a lot of it. feel the description of the book does not match the delivery and what it’s actually about.

Thank you NetGalley, Source Books, and RB Media for the advanced reader and listener copies, but I could not get into this one for the life of me. I just found it so odd, and right from the start. There just wasn't a flow to it that made sense. Perhaps it was the mash of elements (mystery, magical realism, spirituality and astrology) that just didn't work. I even tried slowly the audio down to a speed that wasn't my normal speed to see if that helped but it didn't. I like Julianne Hough as an actress, but as an co/author, I now have my hesitations. Only made it 21%, so chapter 8, before I set it aside. Maybe I'll come back around to give it a chance again but that seems unlikely.

4 ⭐️
tw: miscarriage, sexual assault
when lexi starts being able to feel other people's emotions it takes her on a journey of self healing and confronting her demons. i was a little hesitant about this book based on some other reviews i read but, i thoroughly enjoyed this book and it's concept. it was easy to read and had me hooked from the very beginning.

thank you to the publishers and netgalley for this ARC!

This was definitely one of my
Most anticipated. Ugh I wanted to like this but I was so bored. Unfortunately it wasn’t for me

Thank you to NetGalley and SourceBooks for a copy of this ARC. This book was a journey I never expected when I first requested this ARC. I absolutely adored Lexi’s story and the way she embraced herself throughout the novel. I will say I’m not a very spiritual person so I appreciated the crash course told through Bea’s character. I do think it got a little wordy at times and may have lost the plot during certain sections of time. It also felt like there were a couple jumps in time that threw me off the groove. Overall though, I liked the really original storyline. I liked the way the book made me examine my own life. Being 27, I feel like I’ve definitely started feeling those signs of my Saturn sign returning or quarter life crisis and so it felt so nice to be seen in this. It was heavy on emotions but the pacing made it easy to get through without getting too caught up in the thick of it. Such a surprising book so I absolutely recommend!! Rounded up from 3.5 stars.

I am a fan of Julianna Hough and was interested in reading her debut novel. This was a compelling story of a talented young woman with abililties to help others who is exploring her future and her talents. She is a rich character and a woman who stands on her own. I liked the unique story of Lexi as a strong woman who has self doubt yet finds her way through to embrace who she is. , A very entertaining read I recommend

Thank you to the authors,, to Net Galley and to the publisher for the opportunity for review

Weird ghost written story that wanted to be deep but just felt cheap and shallow. It needed more detail and yet to be shorter? This was not the vibe.

DNF @ 44%

I thought that me not enjoying this book might go away once I got a bit more invested into our main characters life, but I was wrong. Pretty bummed about this one honestly.

Thank you so much to Raincoast Books for this physical advanced copy and to Sourcebooks Landmark for this advanced copy on NetGalley!🤍

I'm a HUGE Julianne Hough fan ever since her time on Dancing with the stars so when I saw she had co-written a book I was beyond excited! Sadly while this one started off strong and had great mental health (panic attacks) rep, I lost interest halfway through when the FMC becomes somewhat obsessed with all things astrology as a way to help improve her life/marriage. Just didn't turn out to be the book I was expecting wanting and I ended up DNFing mid way. I may pick it up again at a later time. Perhaps it was just wrong book at the wrong time or not to my tastes. I did like that Julianne narrated the audiobook herself though - she did a fantastic job! Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital and audio copy in exchange for my honest feedback!