Review: Everything I Was - Corinne Demas

I received Everything I Was by Corinne Demas from netgalley courtesy of Lerner Publishing Group.

"My walls were stripped, and all that was left in the room was a pile of boxes and my mattress propped against the wall."


So begins Irene's journey from an Upper West Side penthouse to--well, she's not entirely sure where. Irene's father, a corporate VP, is "downsized" when his company merges with another. When he can't find work, her family's lifestyle--and her mother's spending--quickly catches up with them. Eventually, they're forced to move in with Irene's grandfather in the family farmhouse upstate. But what begins as the most disastrous summer of Irene's life takes a surprising turn, and Irene must decide what she wants for herself after losing everything she was.

Everything I Was is a very sweet simple story. Irene's father looses his job so she along with her mother and father have to move in with her grandfather on his farm. The great thing about this book was the main character Irene, instead of the usual spoilt New Yorker she was a genuinely lovely character. She knew what she wanted and seemed more mature than most teens her age. I loved how resilient she was and how quickly she adapted to her change in circumstance.

Irene meets and make friends with the Fox Family who I loved. They seemed so welcoming and old fashioned. They put on plays and went on family outings, it kind of reminded me of my siblings and cousins when we were younger it brought back some good memories.

Irene's relationship with her parents becomes very strained throughout the book but the ending was perfect, Irene fought for what she wanted and in the end she got it. I will be looking out for more of Corinne Demas's books in the future.

That's all for now.