Booklist Advanced Review
Issue: June 1, 2019
Even though Maddy, Eve, and Robin are a close-knit family, they have their secrets. Whip-smart,
compassionate 16-year-old Maddy has the terrible luck of being diagnosed with cancer. Maddy's mother,
Eve, has been handling her illness as best she can, but the fact that her only child's life is certain to be cut
short is all-consuming. Robin, Eve's boyfriend, fits into their lives with careful grace, quickly endearing
himself to both Maddy and Eve. As Maddy's disease progresses, she decides to contact the father she never
knew, before it's too late. Antonio left Eve when he learned she was pregnant; now Maddy would
appreciate some answers. As Maddy, Eve, Robin, and Antonio navigate the shifting realities of their
relationships, the only certainty is that nothing is certain. Maddy and Eve alternately narrate, and are the
mother-daughter glue of this powerful debut. Domestic-fiction fans and readers who loved YA novels like
John Green's The Fault in our Stars (2012) and Nicola Yoon's Everything, Everything (2015) will fall for
All the Water in the World, which is heartbreaking and heartwarming in equal measure. Unafraid to probe
the complexities of parenthood and partnership, Raney is an author to watch.
— Stephanie Turza
YA: Though Maddy has cancer, she's an average 16-year-old—crushes, friends—and teen readers will
likely relate. ST.
Issue: June 1, 2019
Even though Maddy, Eve, and Robin are a close-knit family, they have their secrets. Whip-smart,
compassionate 16-year-old Maddy has the terrible luck of being diagnosed with cancer. Maddy's mother,
Eve, has been handling her illness as best she can, but the fact that her only child's life is certain to be cut
short is all-consuming. Robin, Eve's boyfriend, fits into their lives with careful grace, quickly endearing
himself to both Maddy and Eve. As Maddy's disease progresses, she decides to contact the father she never
knew, before it's too late. Antonio left Eve when he learned she was pregnant; now Maddy would
appreciate some answers. As Maddy, Eve, Robin, and Antonio navigate the shifting realities of their
relationships, the only certainty is that nothing is certain. Maddy and Eve alternately narrate, and are the
mother-daughter glue of this powerful debut. Domestic-fiction fans and readers who loved YA novels like
John Green's The Fault in our Stars (2012) and Nicola Yoon's Everything, Everything (2015) will fall for
All the Water in the World, which is heartbreaking and heartwarming in equal measure. Unafraid to probe
the complexities of parenthood and partnership, Raney is an author to watch.
— Stephanie Turza
YA: Though Maddy has cancer, she's an average 16-year-old—crushes, friends—and teen readers will
likely relate. ST.