All We Could Have Been
by T.E. Carter
Publisher: Feiwel Friends
Release Date: April 23th 2019
Five years ago, Lexie walked home from school after her older brother failed to pick her up. When she entered her house, her brother sat calmly, waiting for the police to come arrest him for the heinous crime he had just committed.Treated like a criminal herself, Lexie now moves from school to school hiding who she is—who she’s related to. She struggles with loving her brother, the PTSD she now suffers from, and wanting to just live a normal life. But how can she be normal when she can’t even figure out how to just live?
This is a powerful look at the assumptions we make about people. Lexie’s emotional journey to separate her brother’s horrific act from herself is stunning and heartbreaking. This is Lexie’s story and journey—not her brother’s—and it will stay with you long after you turn the last page.
Favorite Quotes
But when I stand in my bedroom and try to mix the colors, I can’t breathe. The last time I tried it, I got to the front lawn before lying down on the grass and nearly chewing a hole in my forearm.
I’m some kind of poor-girl pit party of one.
I want to become as small as I can and fill nothing so no one notices I’m there.
Nothing hurts more beautifully than memory.
Memory tricks you. The past has talons and they tear you apart.
About the Author
TE Carter was born in New England and has lived in New England for pretty much her entire life. Throughout her career, she’s done a lot of things, although her passion has always been writing. When she’s not writing, she can generally be found reading classic literature, playing Xbox, organizing her comic collection, or binge watching baking competitions. She continues to live in New England with her husband and their two cats.
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Review of All We Could Have Been
Review (5 Stars): This story was hauntingly beautiful about picking up the pieces and pretending to be normal after experiencing tragedy. Lexie has been to a different school each year trying to start over after an incident happened with her older brother. We see little bits of what happened that day during Lexie’s story and how Lexie has been trying to hold herself together ever since.
The thing I like about this story is that when tragedy strikes we learn all about what happened but never see what happens to the people that are left behind. How they try to move on without that moment in time affecting them and how they cope with their new “normal.” This was an amazing story and Lexie’s journey will stay with me for quite some time.
