Book Review: All That Shines by Ellen Hagan

Publisher’s description

A contemplative novel in verse that questions what it means to lose everything you once treasured and rediscover yourself, falling in love along the way.

Chloe Brooks has only ever known what it’s like to have everything. Her parents’ wealth and place in society meant she had all she wanted, and friends everywhere she turned. Until it all crashes down: Her father is arrested in the middle of the night, under investigation for fraud.

Bankrupt and facing foreclosure, Chloe must forgo her lavish summer plans as she and her mom are forced to move into one of the rundown apartments they still own, just outside Lexington, Kentucky. Without her riches, Chloe loses her friends, her comfort, her confidence, and her sense of self, unsure of who she is and if she is even worth anything if she nothing to offer.

To Chloe’s surprise, she bonds with her neighbors, Clint, Skye, James, and Natalia, and they introduce her to the side of Kentucky she’s long ignored. Her new friends are the only ones who see her for who she truly is, but will they stay by her side once they discover her family’s true identity, or will Chloe lose them, too?

In her signature captivating verse, Ellen Hagan encapsulates the hesitant joy of reshaping your identity and rediscovering yourself.

Amanda’s thoughts

I love Ellen Hagan’s writing. I’ve enjoyed every book she’s written. So even though at the start of the book we’re presented with this ultra-wealthy spoiled and annoying girl, I knew to give it time. Yes, I find her insufferable, but she will get more depth. Hagan will make sure of that. And she does. And it’s more than just Chloe’s family losing all of their money teaching her the lesson that money isn’t everything. It would be a boring book if it were that simple. Chloe learns this lesson through missteps, through new friendships, and through some real serious conversations and introspection. And, of course, is many ways money is everything. It affords a certain level of security and privilege and freedom. And suddenly Chloe is without those things.

Chloe is suddenly extremely insecure. She struggles with feeling shame over her current situation and feeling shame over who she was in the past and how she treated others. Her life has been upended and though it may sometimes feel hard to feel too sorry for someone who had absolutely everything , she’s still just a kid, trying to deal with her situation, reeling from the effects of her father’s choices. She’s trying to make new friends, even though those friends are wary of her, and are coming from totally different places than she is. She’s having to worry about bills, think of getting a job, let go of plans she thought were set in stone. It would be easy to think, “Oh, wahhhh. Poor little rich girl lost it all and now has to live like so many other people live.” But in Hagan’s capable hands, we feel more than that. We see Chloe for the unsettled and learning teenager she is. And though Chloe learns from all her new friends, the story never feels like that’s all they exist for, to teach lessons to Chloe along her journey. Chloe has to re-evaluate her life, her family, and herself. That’s not small stuff. The verse novel format adeptly captures Chloe’s racing mind, her outbursts, and her new need for introspection. A solid read with a main character who undergoes genuine growth.

Review copy (ARC) courtesy of the publisher

ISBN-13: 9781547610211
Publisher: Bloomsbury USA
Publication date: 09/05/2023
Age Range: 13 – 17 Years

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