Name: Saving Everest
ISBN: 9780993689925

Sky Chase

Saving Everest

Sven Test

Everest was undeniably admired by everyone. Shockingly, it seemed as though I was the only person who felt any sympathy.

I greatly wanted to love this book. The premise sounded like I was going to fall head-over-heels in love. Unfortunately, that didn't happen. Despite that, I still enjoyed this book a lot!


Everest is the popular kid in school who soon turns into a pariah when rumors circulate he tried to kill himself. Beverly is the quiet girl at school who suddenly doesn't want Everest to be alone through a dark moment in his life and decides to befriend him. What comes out of this is a beautiful friendship that teaches hope and acceptance.

I thought the rain was beautiful, but nothing compared to this--watching someone broken finally getting a glimpse of happiness after so long.

(I'm sitting with my laptop on my blank, staring blankly in hopes I can put my thoughts together *ahem* Let's try this again in bullet points and see if it works better.)

Anika | @chaptersofmay

“Are you ready for a storm?”
“I stay rain ready.”

Saving Everest is a debut Wattpad Original told from the POV of Everest and Beverly, two high school students living in Pittsburgh. It dusts over heavy subjects like depression, racism and suicide, but lacks the charisma to have a deep and meaningful effect on the reader. 

I really wanted to like this book! I was prepared for it to read very much like a fanfic, but looked forward to an original story. It definitely had the levity and cheesiness of a YA book, and made me smile. The book is laced with poems and confessions at the beginning of some chapters which was a nice surprise and added to the narrative.

Beverly is the observant, intelligent and witty student who keeps to herself. She is the only black girl in the school and spends most of her time alone. Her unstable mother disappears for most of the night, clings to the idea of being young and free, and emotionally manipulates her daughter. Beverly works at a local cafe, while trying to balance high school life and her irresponsible mother. 

Everest was the most popular guy in school, before attempting suicide. He was the kind and caring quarterback, but rebelled against his former image after his time in hospital. His mother, father and sister are distant, and are very much like the stereotypical wealthy family in YA fiction. He also likes to sing, which made me think of him as Troy Bolton for the most of the book. 

Everest’s depression felt more like a plot tool, and and the family issues that both characters experienced were dropped in every so often and felt very cliché. I was expecting a book like this to shed light on struggles that young people face, especially with Everest’s story, but it was really glossed over. He made an attempt on his life, and returns to school a week later only to be bullied and ostracised, even by teachers. The book is called “Saving Everest”, but it didn’t really feel like he was being saved. Beverly regularly experienced racist aggressions and sexist comments in the book, but this again seemed like a plot tool. The prejudice battle she was fighting felt gimmicky, rather than moving. As a black woman, it didn’t inspire me, it didn’t hit home, it just annoyed me. 

The writing was straightforward and enjoyable. There were a few scenes that felt unnecessary and more like filler paragraphs. The conversation between the characters was entertaining, but lacked the heart that made it feel authentic. The relevance of the story wavered around half-way through, and while it’s an easy book to read, I wasn’t hooked by the drama or romance. The plot twist was half a page long, and didn’t shock. 

I liked most of the characters, apart from Beverly’s mother and aunt. The secondary characters like Nami, Mikey and Hadley really made the story entertaining and their personalities stood out to me more than Everest’s. They were amusing and playful, and behaved like teens/kids. I liked Beverly a lot. She was artsy, resourceful, quiet but bold, and a hard-worker. She had no privilege like Everest, but is still determined to make something of herself which was admirable. She was also kind to every person she met, handled opposition maturely, and made an effort to befriend Everest at his worst. Her positivity was refreshing. 

There were definitely moments that felt unrealistic. For example, in the beginning Everest was painted as this upright guy with the perfect moral compass and a sound mind. Then he has one bad day and begins to smoke, drink, take drugs and get a tattoo. That all happened over one page and felt too rushed to be true. The thought process behind his recklessness didn’t add up, and could have been effective without being so extreme. The same goes with the whole concept of The Basement and drug use in the book, it didn’t fit, and appeared to be in there to work as a shock element. 

By the end, I didn’t feel excited to see the love story come to an conclusion. I was hopeful for Beverly and Everest because I like them as a couple and I think they complement each other really well. The chemistry between them was nice to read, and because they started as friends and grew to love each other more and more, you’re rooting for them to be together. I also enjoyed reading about Beverly enjoy genuine friendships and the typical high school experience. 

Saving Everest was enjoyable to read, but needed more weight to make it an affective story. I don’t think it portrayed mental illness very well, but the narrative was a good idea and the characters made it a fun book. 

Read more reviews and blog posts at https://chaptersofmay.com and follow along at instagram.com/chaptersofmay ✨

Genesis (@whisperingchapters)

Everest was undeniably admired by everyone. Shockingly, it seemed as though I was the only person who felt any sympathy.

I greatly wanted to love this book. The premise sounded like I was going to fall head-over-heels in love. Unfortunately, that didn't happen. Despite that, I still enjoyed this book a lot!


Everest is the popular kid in school who soon turns into a pariah when rumors circulate he tried to kill himself. Beverly is the quiet girl at school who suddenly doesn't want Everest to be alone through a dark moment in his life and decides to befriend him. What comes out of this is a beautiful friendship that teaches hope and acceptance.

I thought the rain was beautiful, but nothing compared to this--watching someone broken finally getting a glimpse of happiness after so long.

(I'm sitting with my laptop on my blank, staring blankly in hopes I can put my thoughts together *ahem* Let's try this again in bullet points and see if it works better.)

🌻 The Characters:
I genuinely enjoyed Everest and Beverly, individually and as friends. They were simply adorable together, neither wanting to admit they liked each other. Their friendship felt more like a relationship without them knowing it and I was so giddy over it! It did get old, at times, because it was beyond obvious that their behavior towards each other wasn't just friendly, but it was cute, nonetheless.

I liked Bev's character a whole lot more, though. Her growth shines throughout the novel and it was breathtaking to see her coming out of her shell and befriending her classmates.

Everest, while I liked him, I have conflicting feelings. He starts off being this mouthy, nonchalant, don't-give-a-f*ck-attitude jerk that I was not a fond of. His acting out and his reckless decisions hurt various people and I was just hoping something would happen so he'd change. Thankfully, he did.

I totally adored the friends that Beverly and Everest made along the way. They were friends that truly cared and just wanted what was best for you. Two cute little ones were introduced and I wish I had more time with them! Those were Hadley, Everest's sister, and Manny, Beverly's cousin. They made things super fun and adorable.

🌻 The Relationship:
I love romance, and I loved how these two were behaving with each other. BUT! It became the sole focus on the book. Normally, I do not mind this at all, especially how cute it was! My problem was how because of this, depression wasn't really talked about in the novel.

I was just a lost guy who'd befriended a ghost girl whose soul shone so bright, I sometimes believed that she wasn't human.

🌻 The Plot:
This is were my feelings grow even more conflicted. I was expecting an in-depth novel, creating more awareness for Depression in high school teens. Sadly, I saw the "Depression" angle used more to have something interesting at the beginning of the novel and that's it. It was rarely talked about in the book, until this one specific scene (almost at the end of the book) shows light on the matter again.

I liked the idea that the book was on a lighter aspect, but at the same time, it wasn't educating me, or giving me reasons as to why this topic got introduced in the first place, except to throw it in there and serve its purpose of having the popular kid become an outcast.

"You don't want to die. You just need to figure out how to start living."

🌻 The Holes in the Plot:
This novel also introduced many other issues that were never really resolved. They were thrown in the book to mention them and that's it. There was the case of racism. I was expecting something more and once again, it was only named in passing.

The familial issues were yet another thing that weren't resolved as they should have been. For the entire novel, we see Everest's dad being closed-off and talking sh*t about Everest. Then suddenly, he says ONE SENTENCE that gives the inkling that things are better.

We also have Bev's mom and aunt, who irritated me to no end since the book started. Same thing happened with them. Something happened between Bev and her mom, in which I was expecting a full resolution and I didn't get it. It was more of a pat on the back and we're good.

As I mentioned, I liked how it started. It showcased how a happy-looking person can actually be dying inside with so many demons tormenting them. But soon, this fizzled to nothing, left in the past, to focus on the friendship/relationship, specifically Bev's character.

I know I pointed out so many negatives but I did like the novel, mostly for the friendships made. If you want a really light Mental Health novel, then this might just be for you :)

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alli novick

From the outside, Everest has it all, but there's only one girl who can see him for who he truly is... High school senior Everest is the most popular guy in school. On the surface, handsome, wealthy and captain of the football team, but inside, desperately unhappy. Depressed and suicidal, he tries to take his life. Beverly is the exact opposite. Quiet, shy, and hard-working, she'd rather spend her time in the library, distracting herself from her less-than-perfect home life. Everest returns to school, in more pain than ever. Discarded by his friends and girlfriend, he is totally isolated. But when Beverly and Everest meet unexpectedly in a dusty corner of the library, together they discover how just how rich life can be - how love, tenderness and acceptance can change their lives forever... A sensitive, heartfelt #ownvoices love story about finding your inner strength, perfect for fans of Nicola Yoon and All the Bright Places.

Saving Everest

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