You Were Never Supposed to Stay

by Alexis Silver

Kat Ellis has learned how to keep everything under control.

Cole Matthews has learned not to get attached.

Neither of them plans on changing that.

But somewhere between late nights, quiet moments, and everything they don’t say out loud, they become something neither of them was prepared for.

And when the future starts pulling them in different directions, holding on might hurt just as much as letting go.

Because some people come into your life to stay.

And some were never supposed to.

Genres: Romance, Mental Illness

389 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 30, 2026

Reviews

[Lilly Fallon · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this book on my Instagram feed and went into it with high expectations because of the mental health representation and wow, it exceeded every single one of them!!

Let me just say: Katherine Ellis is one of the MOST relatable characters I’ve ever read. As someone who has struggled with depression for a long time, I can honestly say the author captured those feelings so accurately. It never felt forced or overdramatic, it felt real and for that reason I felt incredibly seen while reading.💕

I finished this book in one sitting because I simply couldn’t get enough of Kat and Cole. Their chemistry was everything and I found myself completely invested in their story from the very beginning. And Cole Matthews? Quite possibly the biggest green flag to ever exist. The way he cared for Kat, supported her and understood her had me smiling through so many scenes!!!!

What I loved most was how emotional and authentic the story felt. The characters felt like real teenagers, with real struggles, flaws, and growth. It handled heavy topics with so much care while still leaving room for hope, healing and some truly heartwarming moments. :)

This is one of those books that stays with you after you’ve finished it. I laughed, cried, got emotionally attached and now I’m left wishing I could read it again for the first time.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

[Eleanor Chandler · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book so much! I got so emotionally attached to these characters and the way Kat expresses her struggle with depression had me till the very end. I want more so badly and want to read this book for the first time even more. This has such a beautiful writing style and I truly felt seen with Kat and her struggles. I love Cole Matthew’s so so much. He took care of Kat so well and stayed even when some boys wouldn’t. Even when Kat was sure he would leave, he stayed; like the amazing gentleman he is. Their relationship and chemistry is top tear. I had so much fun with this book and am so grateful for my friend finding it on instagram and telling me to read it. Big thanks to the author for really showing how depression can be even when it seems like there’s no reason but can be so big and hard to handle at the same time. There doesn’t always have to be a solid explanation to why on everything. Even tho Kat had family and friends that love her, depression can still make you feel like you don’t and I love how this book really captures that perspective.
“What’s wrong with me? I mean it. What the fuck is wrong with me?” -Katherine Ellis
I love this book and understand Kat so deeply. Every time she breaks, cause no one can keep up and act that long, I get it so deeply it’s not even funny. I have so many highlights in this book.😭🔫🫶🏻😳 It’s almost TO relatable. Remember if you relate to Kat you are not alone, you got this. Push through for just a little longer. Try getting some professional help please.

“I didn’t feel anything. Everything just… felt numb. Like nothing mattered enough to care about. And the worst part is, nothing even happened. There wasn’t a reason. No big thing set it off. I just woke up one day and everything felt wrong.” -Katherine Ellis

[Amanda Galloway · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars. This book isn’t bad necessarily, but genuinely barely anything happened and I was glad I finally finished it. But I wanted to like it sooooo bad because based on the description, this was similar to my high school experience. The plot is so drawn out in the beginning then extremely rushed. There is also barely any character development at all. I feel like if I was in middle school and read this I would like it but otherwise I don’t recommend. The author also repeated their word choice SO MUCH. The amount of times “something heavy settles in my chest” or “that lands heavier than anything else” needs to be counted bc it’s excessive

[layan ليان · Rating 2 out of 5]

I appreciate what this book is trying to discuss. I think the mental health representation is handled respectfully, although that’s also subjective because everyone’s experiences are different. I can absolutely see the potential of the story and what the author wanted to achieve, but it unfortunately disappointed me a lot.

My biggest issue is the writing style. It’s genuinely what ruined the book for me. Everything is written in this very fragmented, metaphor-heavy way. Like every single emotion is compared to something, every description is trying to sound profound instead of just telling the story naturally, and it’s SO uncomfortable to follow through. Sure thing, metaphors are beautiful when done correctly, but this was toooooo much.

Like this line:
“The red lipstick catches the low light, sharp and unapologetic.”

Like, I’m sorry, what does that even mean?

The dialogue is very awkward as well, but I mean I’ll let it slide since it’s a YA book.

Anyway these are my post-read thoughts, might add later.

[Hannah Ma · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked it.
I loved how the FMC was describing her depression, like sometimes she doesn’t even want to get out of bed and I just saw myself in her and almost burst out crying.
Their story was written beautifully and I can’t wait for next books.

[Isabella Dall'Osto · Rating 3 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️
lol I kind of hated this. I thought it had such a great idea but it just wasn’t written well sadly. I feel like it moved very fast without anything really happening and a lot of moments without substance

[Reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a good book, I love it!

[Hali Putz · Rating 5 out of 5]

heart jerking read

This is a fabulous book that touches on mental health struggles in our everyday lives. Touches on but also provides support

[Laura C · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kat 🥺. Kat and I share many relatable feelings and moments throughout this book

[Olivia Borum · Rating 5 out of 5]

My gosh 💔 Just read it. So authentic

[Lyna · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love this book so much. I wish it was longer so we could see more of what happens after Cole leaves but it makes me more excited for the next book. I hope everything stays okay later on. I love all the characters and I feel like Kat is literally me in another font.

[Savannah Donaldson · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐️ Now listen, was it repetitive at times and felt like it wasn’t fully developed, yes. But the way Kat’s mental health was portrayed was done in a way that makes everyone feel seen and the gentleness and softness Cole had w her 🥹 I am a huge sucker for that type of romance!!!

[livia · Rating 1 out of 5]

⭐️ - kinda wished id DNFd this book
im so disappointed, i bought this book because i saw the author post it on instagram and i had high hopes since the themes were ones i related too. i have a lot of problems (and questions) with/about this book.

first of all, not everything cole or kat says has to “land” i dont know how many times the phrase “that lands harder than expected” or “that lands exactly where its supposed to” was written in this book. there were a lot of other phrases repeated and the entire book just felt repetitive. i couldnt keep myself from rolling my eyes at them.

second, where did drew go? was he not the brother of wes? how did he not show up one single sunday to bother them if he was such a bad guy? and what was the meaning of his existence if he was only there in the first 2 chapters?

third, i really HATED cole in the beginning, he was okay from his POV but from kats? he was unbearable and just straight up annoying. kat was also a pick me wdym u guys went on 1(???!!!) date and u got mad because he didnt text u for 2 days?

now the rest of everything that bothered me; the book had really weird pacing which i didnt enjoy.

i also related to two of the main themes which i thought weren’t properly portrayed. coles athletic pressure was rushed over and weirdly portrayed as if the only thing happening was his dad forcing him to train.

the book wasnt properly edited there was one chapter where it was the same paragraph twice and a couple of misspellings and weird fonts.

to summarize i wanted to relate to this book but instead id wished id never bought it, i was just irritated all the time and nothing about this book is memorable. shouldve dnfd it instead

[Elinor Tate · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Instagram content on this book made me think I’d really like it but unfortunately I was disappointed. It’s a good idea and not bad for a first time self published author, but the writing was very simple and repetitive. Everything “lands” or “hits”. The dialogue was basic and there were a lot of unnecessary one word responses. I thought there’d be more emphasis on her mental health struggles but I felt we didn’t truly see into that until about 50 pages from the end of the book. The side characters lacked depth for me. There weren’t any side stories or plots going on. There was the one part about Vienna being upset about her family issues but there was no follow through. Very little existed outside of Kat and Cole themselves. If you want an easy read or are middle school aged I’m sure this would be amazing! I was just expecting a deeper, well-written, slightly more grown up story on mental health.

[KC · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read it in one sitting and LOVED IT, it was SOO amazing. I know this is the authors debut novel and I think she has great potential of becoming big one day. I would love to read another book of her! Her writing is beautiful and she did an amazing job of describing the way mental health takes over. I'll definitely be rereading this!

[Willa · Rating 5 out of 5]

10/10 AMAZING, I’m going to need 3-5 business days to recover from this book because omg I’ve never related to a character so much. The mental health aspect was written so beautifully and portrayed so well that I cried many times. Honestly this is one of my favorite books I’ve read this year and I’m so excited for more!!!!

[Magdalena Ober · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don’t think there are a lot of romance books out there that touch the subject of mental health issues involved. I think it’s a great idea and very important / realistic.

Sadly though it is kinda boring in my opinion. It’s more like every day life and nothing exciting is happening really, apart from them meeting obviously.

[Georgia Weller · Rating 5 out of 5]

cried like a baby. i loved the representation of how you think a relationship will heal you and push away all of those bad feelings, however depression never truly goes away. at least not that easily. i saw a lot of myself in Kat.

[Valeria Putney · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think everyone should read this book. It was so beautifully written and opens the door to real & raw emotion. The author writes so passionately about the real effects of depression & anxiety, living with this, and how it takes control of one’s life. Kat and her feelings are portrayed so well.

[sofia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Was told by a few sources that this would change the life of the eldest daughter who has “no reason” to be mentally ill because of her great life. It was okay 3.5 ⭐️

[keiva · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75⭐️

[Nova · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book hit me so hard emotionally, that it started to hurt physically. Their story is so beautiful and i honestly can't even deacribe in words how amazing this was.

[Chels · Rating 3 out of 5]

Book review is over on my Instagram (@chels_reads_05)

[Tia Normoyle · Rating 5 out of 5]

genuinely the best book ive read in awhile, no corniness or smuttiness. really heartfelt and has it shows how hard it is to deal with depression.