Everything I Promised You

January 1, 2025

Gr 10 Up-High school senior Lia is one year removed from the death of her soulmate, Beck. Throughout the story, readers learn about Lia and Beck, how their relationship started before they were born because their parents are best friends, and that Lia is struggling to engage with a life post-Beck. Lia begins her senior year at a new school in yet another new town thanks to her father's career in the army. Still reeling from Beck's death, Lia just wants to make it through the year so she can go to Commonwealth of Virginia University (CVU) to fulfill her and Beck's lifelong dreams. As the school year progresses, Lia slowly begins to process her grief and even makes new friends. One of these new friends is Isiah, a teen with his own share of difficulties. Over time, Lia learns that Isiah's parents are in jail for abusing him and causing the death of his baby sister. Both Lia and Isiah have trust issues and are leery of even being friends. Lia's feelings for Isiah cause her to reevaluate her preconceived notions of Beck being her soulmate and her plan of going to CVU for college. After much turmoil, Lia comes to realize that she can love again and consider a different future path. Teen sexual encounters and underage drinking make this more suitable for older teen readers. VERDICT A story that will pull at the heartstrings of those longing for an epic romance.-Charla Hollingsworth

Copyright 2025 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

December 1, 2024
The boy she believed was the fated love of her life dies; now a 17-year-old girl must find a new future--and a new version of herself. After the death of her boyfriend, Beck, and her military family's latest move, Amelia Graham tries for a fresh start. On her first day at her new school, she nearly hits fellow senior Paloma with her car but ultimately finds a new friend in her. After months of being depressed and alone, Lia realizes she's living again. And then there's the boy. Although she feels an immediate connection, Lia stays away from him, trying to honor her love for Beck. But Isaiah is there when Lia needs support, and she's increasingly drawn to him. As the past recedes, Lia realizes that who she was with Beck wasn't all she'll ever be. Told through Lia's first-person point of view and moving between past and present, this story covers heartbreak, healing, and learning to live when the person you lived for is gone. Upperman's writing is engaging, and although the emotions are heavy, an undercurrent of hope snakes through the narrative, growing brighter as Lia comes back to life and begins to see that the future holds multiple possibilities. Central characters present white; Paloma is cued Latine. A poignant and romantic coming-of-age tale. (A Geographical History of Amelia Graham)(Romance. 14-18)

COPYRIGHT(2024) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

Starred review from January 1, 2025
Grades 9-12 *Starred Review* When Lia's mother was 17, a fortune teller predicted her future: she would soon meet her best friend, have one daughter, and her daughter, Lia, would fall in love with her best friend's son, Beck. So no one is surprised when Lia and Beck finally become a couple--it was meant to be. But then Beck dies, her army officer father takes a new job and uproots the family, and Lia's world is turned wholly upside down. A year after Beck's death, Lia is still struggling to move on. Who is she without Beck? Is she betraying him if she moves on? Emotionally raw and tender, Lia struggles with her grief and loss, working to open herself up to love and friendship again. With intermittent flashbacks to their relationship, readers can feel the grief alongside Lia, understanding why Beck and his family were so important to her. Upperman thoughtfully works Lia's new friendships as the standouts of the story--they help Lia grow more than a love interest does. Though ultimately a story about moving on, readers feeling a bit lost with the end of high school looming are sure to relate to Lia's emotional journey. Give to teens who love a good emotional tearjerker.

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