eARC Review: All we lost was everything by Sloan Harlow

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Pub date: May 6 2025

My first book to read by Harlow & it truly won't be my last! I really enjoyed this writing style in this romantic thriller. The plot kept thickening as the story was told and came to light or connected the characters in some type of way. River was sure dealt a rough hand, with everything she encountered & managed to find out.
Yet I did honestly admire her strength & resilience, when in the end she was able to overcome all that had happened to her in the short span of time. The dynamic of River & Logan was intense from the start, I liked being able to see their romance develop overtime as well as how it concluded. Logan had some things to work on & come clean about, which is why it was understandable for River not to fully trust him at times by having her guard up. I am surprised at how much I liked reading this, and I would really recommend it to someone looking for a thriller with not only romance, but also very suspenseful plot twists in it!
Thank you NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I didn't know I'd enjoy this story so much. A mix of romance and suspense, with touches of angst and River's incredible development.
This book shattered me and put the pieces back together again in so many ways that I lost count of them.
A lot of twists and I absolutely fell in love with the characters.

*Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC

Thank you to NetGalley, PENGUIN GROUP Penguin Young Readers Group, and Sloan Harlow for an eArc in exchange for my honest review!***

"All We Lost Was Everything" follows the perspectives of River Santos and Logan Evans. Upon first "glance," it would seem that the two were destined to never become acquainted with one another. However, time and the proper spaces allowed for the two to get to know one another. When secrets get revealed, is the love enough for the two or will they lost everything?

Where do I even begin with my thoughts? Harlow wrote this book in a way that tackled serious issues/topics so beautifully. I was able to connect with the characters in a way that is not always common. River has the absolute best friend and aunt that help hold her together through the grief she faces. The book is fast-paced and you cannot see the plot twists coming...at any point.

This book is a must-read. You do not have to be a Young Adult to enjoy this book. I thoroughly enjoyed the read!

This was such a gripping book right away, it kept me on edge as the secrets, lies and twists unravel with such intensity.

#𝘗𝘦𝘯𝘨𝘶𝘪𝘯𝘛𝘦𝘦𝘯𝘗𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘯𝘦𝘳
𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬 𝘺𝘰𝘶 #penguinteen 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 #gifted 𝘤𝘰𝘱𝘺! ✨

🌱| Fast-paced, dramatic thriller. Twisty. Dark. Relentless suspense. This book will have you gasping and engrossed. So many twists and turns. It unpacks a lot (grief, loss, substance abuse, abandonment, forgiveness) creating the feels from the start.

River Santos world has fallen apart. Her mom disappeared months ago, her house burned to the ground, and her dad didn’t make it out. River has no memory of the night someone mysteriously pulled her from the flames. Now, everyone around her seems to be hiding something, and she’s stuck piecing together the truth while navigating betrayal, heartbreak, and the terrifying feeling of not knowing who to trust.

This book is a rollercoaster. It is fast-paced, full of mystery, and dripping with tension. River’s emotions swing wildly, from love to hate to utter confusion, pulling you along for the ride. I had lots of ideas about what was going on but then another twist would come out of nowhere and prove me wrong. The characters feel real, the suspense never lets up, and the story flows effortlessly. If you love a good mystery packed with action, secrets, and emotional chaos, this one is definitely worth diving into.

River Santos has had a rough go of things. Her mother walked out on her nearly a year ago, her ex-boyfriend broke her heart, and her father recently died in a house fire…one that took everything. River would be lost without the support of her aunt and best friend, especially when the new guy at work keeps giving her the cold shoulder. Moving on with her life feels impossible when her ex pops back up out of nowhere, and then new information about the fire, and her father emerges, plummeting her back into the past. As more secrets are uncovered, River doesn’t know who to trust…she just knows someone is out for revenge…and then there is the mysterious two million dollars…are they connected?

For me the book was just ok. Thriller-romance is not a go-to genre for me so it was a little difficult to get into (particularly the romance piece…ear licking is a hard no for me). I did enjoy the other moving parts though. All of the plot lines were very well layered and the depth of the characters was 👌🏻. I could really feel their grief, excitement, malaise…all of it. Also *no spoilers* but I loved the ending.

4.5 stars.

All We Lost Was Everything by Sloan Harlow is a fast-paced young adult novel with a nice blend of romance and mystery.

River Santos is grieving the death of her father and her missing mother. She lives with her beloved Tito, works at a local diner, and hangs out with her bestie Tawny. River is fighting her attraction to her co-worker Logan Evans while ignoring her ex-boyfriend, Noah Pierce.

River is a vividly developed character whose life has never been easy. Money has never been plentiful so she begins working as soon as she can. Her mom has always had severe mood swings which is why River and her dad are not certain if she just left them. But after months of no contact, they realize she is truly missing but there are no leads on her disappearance. River’s world is turned upside down after the fire that takes not just her father’s life, but everything she owns.

Logan is mysterious and runs hot and cold toward River. He overcomes his reservations about River but their relationship moves in stops and starts. Can their romance survive once Logan’s secrets are revealed?

All We Lost Was Everything is a superb young adult mystery. River is a sympathetic young woman who is very easy to root for. She is caught up in a series of events that soon zoom of control. The storyline is compelling and the story moves at a brisk pace. Letters and ominous foreshadowing add an extra layer of unease. With a series of shocking plot twists, Sloan Harlow brings this engrossing novel to a heartfelt conclusion.

This story reminds me of the saying " What a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive!" I think almost everyone except the main character, River, was deceptive. It was an enjoyable read to unweave all the lies and half truths.

This would have bee a five chair for me, but I am not a big fan of detailed sex scenes. There weren't too many, but enough to knock a chair off of my opinion of this one.

I read Sloan Harlow's book Everything We Never Said and thought it was really good. I was excited to read this one and was happy to find it just as good. I will be looking for her next book.

The writing or maybe it was the story line, I'm not sure, I could not get into this book. It was really dry and did not hold my interest at all. I read until I just couldn't read any more.

This book just wasn't for me!

Great twist at the end that I was not expecting. I liked how it was dark but still had romance. The romance did not take over the plot. which I sometimes worry about with romantic suspense. This cover is absolutely beautiful.

AWFUL. TERRIBLE. BAD WRITING.

I really don't know where to start for this one. It was so poorly written, had all of the tropes in one, just no.

I wasn't sure if I could ever love one of Sloan Harlow's books more than Everything We Never Said.....but I was wrong. This is a truly gripping story that I devoured in one sitting. I have already recommended to all of my co-workers to buy and read this incredible story. I already can't wait for a new release.

All We Lost Was Everything was a young and new adult feeling fiction story about how lies and covering up painful pasts can lead to hurting the people you were only trying to protect. Newly graduated from highschool, River has just survived a house fire that took her father's life and all her belongings. She's staying with her aunt as her mother took one of her mental health hikes before the accident and hasn't been heard or seen from since. When her bestfriend Tawny starts a GoFundMe for her, she gets a mysterious donation of two million dollars. Not willing to spend the money before she learns who donated it, she continues working at the local cafe, where she can't keep her eyes off the new employee Logan, but he seems so angry towards her and she can't figure out why.

Because if she knew who I really am, what I’ve done?
It would be the end of everything.

The first half of this leaned into those young and new adult feelings and issues of not quite knowing what to do with yourself after highschool and having the hots for a boy. River was previously dating someone that she thought she was going to marry but he broke up with her out of the blue, so she's dealing with trust issues between the ex and her disappeared mom. The story is mostly told from River's point-of-view but the middle brings in Logan's pov and readers learn that he has feelings for River but there's a mystery reason that makes him feel like he should stay away from her. The middle loses itself to focusing in on the physical relationship, kisses and having the hots for each other, between River and Logan for awhile, but the latter second half races on as numerous reveals start happening and the reader gets a bit of whiplash from it all.

Someone who loved me enough to walk through fire.

Some of the reveals you'll probably see coming and others will most likely be a surprise. They all were worked in believably but there were some that also felt like a soap opera sweeps week, especially when they are revealed and then moved on from fairly quickly, not letting the reader absorb and try to feel some emotion about. River had that late teen angst attitude at times that colored her with some narcissism, she wanted everyone to act the way she wanted them to act but when the reveals happen, they were so dramatic, it turned me back to her side. This bounced from keeping me engaged in the beginning with the introduction to these characters, to wanting more depth developed in their relationships between them, to barely hanging on for the soap opera drama reveal ride. I could see a younger audience (mostly making out with one open-door scene) enjoying this more as a starter that could lead them into reading Gillian Flynn or Oyinkan Braithwaite. Most of the story was hiding and only sort of working to unfold the mystery, and then raced through the reveals too quickly for them to really emotionally hit, but younger and newer readers might enjoy this step into a romance and mystery mashup.

All We Lost Was Everything written by Sloan Harlow wasn't a horrible book by any means, in fact it was enjoyable with some shocking twists and turns, I felt the grief from the characters, don't get me wrong it was a very sad story, but it didn't make me cry like I was hoping for. I enjoyed this book for the most part, but the romantic scenes were very childish and a bit weird. When I first read the synopsis, I was hoping this book would make me sob, but unfortunately I only shed little tears here and there. I absolutely loved this authors debut novel last year Everything We Never Said by Sloan Harlow, but All We Lost Was Everything was just a mid read for me. As many of you know or should know by now, I'm a sucker for a pretty cover, and of course I think that cover is beautiful, so I had to get my hands on a copy immediately. I know many people will enjoy this book, so please don't let my review discourage you from reading this heart breaking story, in fact, please do yourself a favor and add this book to your to be read list, and or mark your calendars for May 6th, 2025 for the publication of All We Lost Was Everything written by Sloan Harlow. This definitely won't be my last from this author despite this book being a mid read. Those twists and turns had me looking like a deer in headlights, I was completely shocked and stunned.

THANK YOU TO NETGALLEY AND PENGUIN GROUP AND PENGUIN YOUNG READERS GROUP FOR AN ARC OF THIS BOOK IN EXCHANGE FOR AN HONEST REVIEW!!!!!!!!

"It's not blood money-it's a life line. Just take it and say thank you".

"My mom is gone. My dad is dead. And my life will never be the same".

"May you find your muse. May I find my voice".

"When I said everyone has secrets, I wasn't suggesting you stalk me to find out mine".

"I'm not sure you are a real Arizonian if you haven't been stung by a scorpion".
-Okay, I lived in Arizona for eight plus years and have never been stung by a scorpion before, does this not make me an Arizonian?

"I have already been through yesterday, and once was enough, thank you very much".

River Santos has been through hell and back. River's house caught on fire, she lost everything, her guitar, her songbooks, her diaries, her clothes, she lost everything, but most importantly she lost her father, Jay Santos. Jay was the only one who lost his life to the fire. The fire department says the fire caused extensive damage, they can't exactly say what caused the fire, but it was probably electrical issues since the house was so old and half broken. Ever since the fire, River has been deemed "lucky" she survived. After her eighteenth birthday, River's mom just left without a goodbye, she never even showed up to Jay's funeral. Jay Santos was a football coach at Mojave Prep and loved by many. Now River works at Gertie's diner. Logan Evans has been working at Gertie's diner for seven months, he literally hates River, he never talks to her, rarely smiles or shows any emotion toward her whatsoever besides irritation, so are they friends or enemies? Logan lost his mom Helen Evans, she was diagnosed with lung cancer, she went for surgery to remove the tumor but died under anesthesia. I have so many mixed feelings toward Logan, at times he was so rude, and other times he was so sweet. Logan is a master manipulator and a liar, he was such an angry kid in high school.

On his first day at the diner, River accidentally crashed into Logan with a tray full of Diet Cokes, and since then they have been on the wrong foot. It turns out that Logan and River have both been feeding Tigery, the stray cat behind the diner. Logan and River both long for people that were taken from them too soon. Logan always flirts with River but always makes excuses and runs, they even binge text each other after Logan found River crying on a crate of oranges. Okay, let's get to the romantic aspect, their make out sessions were so weird, Logan would lick inside River's ears and she likes it, I'm sorry but that was just weird to me, it was like they didn't know how to make out, they would just suck each other's faces. River's best friend, Tawny McGill set up a GoFundMe for River because she was constantly behind on bills, homeowner's insurance had lapsed. After the fire, River had literally nothing to her name, so Tawny decided to help out her best friend. The GoFundMe donations would come in tens of thousands dollars from people River knew and even people from faraway states who had heard about her story, someone anonymously donated two million dollars. Throughout the story, River is on a mission to find out who donated two million dollars to her GoFundMe. Again, I appreciated the mystery aspect of this book, but the romance aspect was just so weird to me, like I don't know, licking the inside of someone's ear makes me a little uncomfortable. I don't want to say too much, so if you want to know more and be surprised and shocked, please do yourself a favor and read All We Lost Was Everything.

I mean, this was just pure fun. It was as dramatic, twisty and explosive as I was hoping it would be. I felt like I was flying through the pages because I was so invested in this story. Much like Everything We Never Said, this book had me second guessing EVERYTHING. Every time I thought I had it figured out, NOPE I’M WRONG. I loved the dual POVs so much and oh my goodness, THE ROMANCE! There was definitely some heat (I felt like Jennifer Lawrence during Hot One’s saying “She’s WARM) and I thought those scenes were done well, but it did feel a bit new adult instead of young adult. Which, not a problem at all (the characters ARE 18), but good to know for parents/teachers, etc. All the twists were just so wild and honestly so good. I was very happy with where the story went and ended up. I’m definitely reading whatever Harlow writes next!
CW: death of a parent, fire, injury, mental illness, grief

Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Teen for the advanced digital reader’s copy!

Everything in River’s life has gone up in ashes: her home, all of her possessions, her family, and everything that she believed to be the truth. As she struggles to navigate a different life, one where she feels so alone but also is surrounded by her aunt and best friend, she starts to fall in love with the mysterious boy she works with. But as it turns out, even the ones she loves the most are keeping secrets.

The entire time I read this book, I felt like there was something missing. I struggled to place myself fully into the story and follow the plot because, I think, there was some context missing - especially regarding the backstories of Logan and Tawny in their relation to River. I was confused how both River and Logan could have such strong feelings for each other when it seemed that they had never even really spoken before, or how long they had really worked together. Their relationship became hot and heavy really fast, but it was also rushed. With Tawny too, their friendship didn’t have a lot of established roots, so it was hard for me to fully connect with them. The thriller aspect of this story felt all over the place. I did love the ending and how Logan was very much willing to step back and let River heal how she needed to after all she had been through.

CW for fire, sexual content, manslaughter, alcohol addiction, arson, fire injury, death of parent, toxic friendship, mental illness.

Thanks so much to G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers and NetGalley for the ARC All We Lost Was Everything by Sloan Harlow.

I enjoyed this YA murder mystery/thriller. The chapters being written from Logan and River's perspectives is something I like in a book. I'd say the final third of the book really picked up the pace and had me hooked. Many twists and some of them were predictable but a few were not.

Thank you so much to G.P. Putnam's Sons and NetGalley for my ARC!

This book is an extremely compelling read. It quickly grabs your attention and holds it. It is full of one shocking revelation after another, but happily, none are completely out of left field; rather, all of them make complete sense within the story. The plot is so full and so interesting that the mystery of who donated the money isn't even that important to the story, and by the time it is revealed, it hardly feels like it matters.

Even with everything that has happened to her, River is a strong, feisty, and admirable character. She seems to have a lot of great supportive people in her life. The fact that it turns out that hardly anyone in her life is exactly who they seem makes the entire story even more intriguing.

Logan seems like a really great guy once he reveals his sweeter side, and he and River seem like a really great couple. Her best friend, Tawny, is fiercely loyal and always there for her, albeit at times in a somewhat controlling way. Even her ex-boyfriend, Noah, really seems to care about her and to be desperate to be a part of her life again.

Her most touching relationship may be with her aunt, who, in the wake of her own mother's disappearance, is like a mother to her. Their relationship is especially warm and loving. Plus, her aunt is the one person in her life who is exactly what they seem. However, everyone else's secrets only serve to make the book that much more exciting and the ending even more of a shocker.

I really enjoyed All We Lost Was Everything by Sloan Harlow. A great YA story with love, drama, and secrets. And quite a few twists.

River is a young lady who just had her heart broken by someone she thought was the love of her life. That same night, she loses her dad, who is also her rock, in a house fire. Her mother has a tendency to come and go in her life and she hasn’t heard from her in weeks.

Good storyline and I will definitely be looking forward to more books by Sloan Harlow