When You Were Everything

Ashley Woodfolk’s novel When You Were Everything is a work of young adult fiction originally published in 2019. The novel is told from the first-person perspective of the protagonist, Cleo Baker, as she reflects on the dissolution of her high school friendship with Layla Hassan. The novel alternates between Cleo’s past and present life in order to emphasize how Cleo’s memories contribute to her developing identity in the midst of an array of stressful life changes.

A graduate of Rutgers University with over a decade of experience in the publishing industry, Ashely Woodfolk is the author of The Beauty That Remains, When You Were Everything, Blackout, Nothing Burns as Bright as You, and The Flyy Girls series.

This guide refers to the 2020 Delacorte Press paperback edition of the novel.

Content Warning: Both the source text and this guide include descriptions of bullying, exclusion, and mental health conditions such as anxiety and depression.

Plot Summary

Cleo Baker and Layla Hassan have been best friends for years. When they start their sophomore year at Chisholm Charter in New York City, Cleo expects things to remain as they always have. She and Layla have developed a habit of spending time together at school, attending the same classes, going to parties, and relaxing at their local Dolly’s diner in the afternoons and on the weekends. However, when the school year starts, everything feels wrong to Cleo. Layla joins chorus and starts spending time with the Chorus Girls and their ringleader, Sloane Sorenson. Cleo tries to see Sloane and the Chorus Girls in a positive light, but one day, the girls start saying mean things about Cleo and questioning why she is spending time with them and Layla at all. Cleo tells Layla about this, but Layla doesn’t defend her.

Meanwhile, Cleo tries to focus on school. Her English teacher, Ms. Novak, has told her about a Shakespeare-themed summer program in London, and Cleo is desperate to get accepted to it. She devotes her time to working on her application, reading Shakespeare, and tutoring her classmates. However, she and Layla are not spending as much time together, and Cleo often skips class to mitigate her anxiety.

Cleo decides to make new memories around the city in order to forget Layla. In the meantime, she continues spending time at Dolly’s and gets to know the owners’ grandson, Dominic (Dom) Grey. They start spending time together at the diner and at Dom’s nearby apartment. Cleo also befriends another classmate named Sydney Cox, who offers to help her make new memories. However, Cleo pulls away from these friendships when Sydney reconnects with her former best friend Willa Bae and Dom gets upset with Cleo for overstepping her bounds and trying to help his family save their business.

Then one day, Cleo’s parents, Naomi Bell and Cliff Baker, inform her that they are splitting up. Cleo does not understand what is happening and reaches out to Layla for support. However, Layla doesn’t want to talk to Cleo anymore because she feels that Cleo does not support her singing endeavors or her new friendships.

Frustrated with Sloane’s continued bullying, Cleo decides to send an email to the student body about Sloane’s rocky romantic relationship history in order to get revenge on the Chorus Girls for stealing her best friend and ruining her life. Sloane verbally attacks her for this, and Cleo feels guilty. Not long afterward, Sloane spreads a rumor about Cleo’s father, alleging that Cliff left the school because he had an illicit relationship with a student. Cleo confronts her parents about what happened in their marriage and discovers that her dad is in love with Ms. Novak.

Cleo confronts Dom about their disagreements and apologizes for misunderstanding him. She decides to trust him and share her own personal challenges with him. Dom encourages Cleo to work on her communication with her parents. Cleo also makes amends with Sydney and develops a new friendship with Willa. She starts spending more time with her new friends and decides that she needs to let Layla go. Dom hosts an open-mic night at Dolly’s to raise money for the business, and Cleo offers to participate. She recites a monologue that describes her friendship with Layla and how it changed and ended. Layla then sings a song for Cleo on stage that sounds like a goodbye. Cleo feels happier and more peaceful than she has all year.