Everything We Never Had

Praise

Praise for Everything We Never Had By Randy Ribay:

Winner of the Asian/Pacific American Award for Literature
Longlisted for the 2024 National Book Awards – Young People’s Literature
A National Indie Bestseller
A Publishers Weekly Best YA Book of the Year
A Kirkus Best YA Book of the Year
An NPR Book We Love of 2024
A School Library Journal Best YA Book of the Year
A Booklist Editor’s Choice
An ELLE Staff Pick of the Year
2024 BookBrowse Best YA Award Winner
A Golden Poppy Finalist
A Mirrors & Windows Award for Excellence in Children’s Literature Finalist
2025 Texas TAYSHAS Reading List pick
CSMCL Best Books of 2024
Common Sense Media’s Best Books of 2024
A 2025 Asian Pacific American Award for Young Adult Literature


★ “[An] emotionally resonant tale…Compact storytelling richly layered with Filipino American culture and history provides the backdrop for each father-son relationship as the Maghabols confront personal and familial expectations in both past and present narratives.” —Publishers Weekly, starred review

★ “Told in alternating viewpoints, this strongly characterized novel covers the boys’ struggles with identity against the backdrop of changes in American society. The many heartwarming and heartbreaking moments offer deep insights into intergenerational patterns and how one’s life experiences and upbringing affect parenting and relationships….A powerful and moving family saga.” —Kirkus Reviews, starred review

★ “Entwined and exquisite like a taut braid, the narrative expertly weaves the lives of these fathers and sons into a powerful family drama centered on one family’s Filipino American experience. Even more impressive than Ribay’s ability to balance four separate point-of-view characters is the way the story immerses the reader in each character’s time period…Ribay vividly and honestly brings these settings to life so the reader can better understand how the characters’ worlds shape them.” —Booklist, starred review

★ “­Ribay juggles skillfully and with great heart a ­Filipino American family history…A must for all collections, this four-generation saga of Filipino fathers and sons will resonate with teenagers of all cultures.” —School Library Journal, starred review

★ “A masterclass…an insightful and powerful look at generational trauma.” —The Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books