All That We Never Were -- Alice Kellen, Paperback

Devastating grief has a way of overshadowing love...

Nineteen-year-old Leah Jones is struggling to cope after she and her twenty-nine-year-old brother Oliver lose their parents in a horrific car accident. Leah was in the car and is plagued by nightmares, intense grief and numbness-her life as she knew it is over. Oliver hates leaving Leah at a time like this, but the only way he can support them both is if he transfers to Sydney for work. He implores his best friend Axel Nguyen to let her move in with him in their hometown of Byron Bay and watch over her while he's away. Oliver, Axel and Leah have known each other since childhood. For Axel, seeing Leah so broken and devastated is a punch to the gut. He promises himself he'll do anything to bring the light back into her eyes, no matter what it takes.

He would be shocked to learn that Leah is in love with him. Little by little, as he does everything in his power to bring Leah back to the sparkling, energetic beauty he's known, he falls in love with her, too, even though he feels that he's betraying Oliver's trust. Before he can tell him, Oliver finds out about Leah and Axel's relationship and is outraged. He insists Axel prove his love by letting her go so she can fully experience life at college. Axel agrees to break both of their hearts, and stoically breaks up with Leah so she can start a new life, not realizing the repercussions that will affect them both for years to come.

Author: Alice Kellen
Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca
Published: 08/29/2023
Pages: 448
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 0.79lbs
Size: 8.20h x 5.40w x 1.30d
ISBN: 9781728283760

Review Citation(s):
Publishers Weekly 06/26/2023
Library Journal 07/01/2023 pg. 59