title: Everything Was Beautiful and Nothing Hurt
author: Ben Reeves
publisher: Avid Reader Press/ Simon & Sschuster
publication date: July 7, 2026
pages: 240
peppers: 1 (on this scale)
warnings:
- death, lots and lots of death
- drug use, alcoholism
- suicide
summary: Travis, who is death, lives across the hall from Dalia and her daughters, Layla and Neda. Eight-year-old Layla keeps trying to befriend him, show him her photographs, and bring him into her life. Meanwhile, he's being death, so getting close with Layla and her family causes complicated feelings in him.
tropes: This isn't a trope-laden novel. With Death as its narrator, it's not following a lot of rules.
what I liked:
- Layla is a great character
- the book's quirkiness
- vignettes of people's deaths
- some great lines and lovely writing
what I didn’t like:
- though its ultimate message is hopeful, it's not a cheerful read.
overall rating: 4 (of 5 stars)
As always, you can click on the photo above if you want to buy the book.