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ashelee13's review
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
katrinaburch's review
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
I'm so conflicted by this book. One, I'm a little annoyed because it's hyped as historical fiction for which it is absolutely not. Its literary fiction with a historical flashback. Second, the not translating words! Gah! It is a tiny blip in the book but it infuriates me and so even if this was the best book ever, I'd still have to drop it down for that. Third, while the writing is fine and I don't mind flawed characters (cause everyone is flawed), I HATE cheating/affairs stories.
haleykendal's review
challenging
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
bookishwithwine's review
4.0
Thoughts
Happy Pub Day to When We Were Young! A book that will rip your heart out and then put it back together as if it never happened.
Three different women, three different love stories. Sarah's love story starts in 1942, Bea is Sarah's daughter who has more of a twisted love story, and Joey is Bea's daughter who has the most heartbreaking love story of all.
Joey has always been in love with Leo, the son of a family friend they vacationed with in Corfu, an island in Greece. Their love story started off as one for the books until Leo breaks Joey's heart out of the blue on their 1 year anniversary. That was 15 years ago. Fast forward to present day, and Joey is getting married even though she never really got over Leo who just happens to be in town days before her wedding. Leo wants to come clean and tell her why he broke her heart. The truth not only affects Joey, but her entire family.
1942 - Sarah falls in love with Milo, a non-Jewish boy, and leaves her parents and little brother in Corfu to be with him. While she is gone the Nazi's move in and remove all Jewish families. The next time she sees them is through a barbed wire fence. After some time passes Sarah goes back home in hopes that her family has returned, but they are never seen again.
The story alternates chapters between Sarah and Joey past and present, while Bea's story is told in Joey's chapters. I have been reading a lot of books this year that mention Auschwitz, and that's always heartbreaking. The scene where Sarah saw her family, especially her little brother, behind the fences at the camp....well you knew it wasn't going to end well.
Throughout most of the book I was mad at Leo for breaking things off with Joey for no apparent reason. Even after he explained his actions from that day I thought he should have told her then and let her decide what to do. Now he's back just days before her wedding to unload his guilt?! Ugg. Even through all of that I still wanted Joey and Leo to end up together. She was marrying the wrong man, and that is proven in a painting towards the end.
Then there is Bea. If I said a lot about her then that would give away a lot of the story. You'll just have to grab a copy today!
Thank you Forever Pub for my #gifted copy!
Book Rating: 4.5/5
Wine Pairing: St Supéry Sauvignon Blanc
Happy Pub Day to When We Were Young! A book that will rip your heart out and then put it back together as if it never happened.
Three different women, three different love stories. Sarah's love story starts in 1942, Bea is Sarah's daughter who has more of a twisted love story, and Joey is Bea's daughter who has the most heartbreaking love story of all.
Joey has always been in love with Leo, the son of a family friend they vacationed with in Corfu, an island in Greece. Their love story started off as one for the books until Leo breaks Joey's heart out of the blue on their 1 year anniversary. That was 15 years ago. Fast forward to present day, and Joey is getting married even though she never really got over Leo who just happens to be in town days before her wedding. Leo wants to come clean and tell her why he broke her heart. The truth not only affects Joey, but her entire family.
1942 - Sarah falls in love with Milo, a non-Jewish boy, and leaves her parents and little brother in Corfu to be with him. While she is gone the Nazi's move in and remove all Jewish families. The next time she sees them is through a barbed wire fence. After some time passes Sarah goes back home in hopes that her family has returned, but they are never seen again.
The story alternates chapters between Sarah and Joey past and present, while Bea's story is told in Joey's chapters. I have been reading a lot of books this year that mention Auschwitz, and that's always heartbreaking. The scene where Sarah saw her family, especially her little brother, behind the fences at the camp....well you knew it wasn't going to end well.
Throughout most of the book I was mad at Leo for breaking things off with Joey for no apparent reason. Even after he explained his actions from that day I thought he should have told her then and let her decide what to do. Now he's back just days before her wedding to unload his guilt?! Ugg. Even through all of that I still wanted Joey and Leo to end up together. She was marrying the wrong man, and that is proven in a painting towards the end.
Then there is Bea. If I said a lot about her then that would give away a lot of the story. You'll just have to grab a copy today!
Thank you Forever Pub for my #gifted copy!
Book Rating: 4.5/5
Wine Pairing: St Supéry Sauvignon Blanc
gincypendergrass's review
3.0
i loved how every story tied into the other. it was beautiful. i cried some but it was an amazing book.
purrfectpages's review
3.0
When We Were Young is the powerful story of three generations of women from different periods.
In Nazi driven Corfu of 1942 we meet sixteen-year-old Sarah Batis. Tradition states that Sarah marry a Jewish man. Only Sarah has fallen in love with a fisherman outside her faith, leaving her family to force her to choose. Then a sudden Nazi invasion leaves Sarah’s family in jeopardy. Can they survive imminent danger?
Then in Corfu of 2004 we meet Sarah's daughter, Bea who has a happy life with her husband and two daughters. First love blossoms between Bea's daughter Joey and a young man named Leo Winn. But is there a threatening secret on the horizon?
Finally in Florida, 2019 we once again follow Joey who is days away from marrying the Jewish man her family adores. But then Leo returns. Why did he break up with her all those years ago and what does he want now?
When We Were Young is a fictional account of women who struggle with relatable topics such as family, identity, and secrets. Categorizable as historical fiction, this reads more like women’s fiction with historical fiction touches. Some of the characters overlap which makes the timeline jumps easier to navigate. If you enjoy historical fiction stories with a strong emphasis on women’s journeys of self discovery, then this might be a great addition to your TBR!
In Nazi driven Corfu of 1942 we meet sixteen-year-old Sarah Batis. Tradition states that Sarah marry a Jewish man. Only Sarah has fallen in love with a fisherman outside her faith, leaving her family to force her to choose. Then a sudden Nazi invasion leaves Sarah’s family in jeopardy. Can they survive imminent danger?
Then in Corfu of 2004 we meet Sarah's daughter, Bea who has a happy life with her husband and two daughters. First love blossoms between Bea's daughter Joey and a young man named Leo Winn. But is there a threatening secret on the horizon?
Finally in Florida, 2019 we once again follow Joey who is days away from marrying the Jewish man her family adores. But then Leo returns. Why did he break up with her all those years ago and what does he want now?
When We Were Young is a fictional account of women who struggle with relatable topics such as family, identity, and secrets. Categorizable as historical fiction, this reads more like women’s fiction with historical fiction touches. Some of the characters overlap which makes the timeline jumps easier to navigate. If you enjoy historical fiction stories with a strong emphasis on women’s journeys of self discovery, then this might be a great addition to your TBR!
mybooksandkidsbooks's review
2.0
When We Were Young by Jaclyn Goldis
Corfu is one of my very favourite places on Earth (so far). I have never seen such gorgeous beaches, shockingly blue water or amazing city views. What I wouldn’t give to be at a beach in Corfu right now!
This story takes place in Corfu and Florida, through the eyes of 2 women generations apart. This story has amazing historical fiction elements as well as romance and family drama. I did find the various timelines a bit confusing. There were 3 timelines happening with a bunch of memories thrown in to each one. And it also seemed a bit long and then ended abruptly in my opinion. But I still loved the characters and the setting!
Bonus points for the main character being named Joey, it gave me huge Dawson’s Creek flashbacks.
Thank you to @readforeverpub for my gifted copy!
Corfu is one of my very favourite places on Earth (so far). I have never seen such gorgeous beaches, shockingly blue water or amazing city views. What I wouldn’t give to be at a beach in Corfu right now!
This story takes place in Corfu and Florida, through the eyes of 2 women generations apart. This story has amazing historical fiction elements as well as romance and family drama. I did find the various timelines a bit confusing. There were 3 timelines happening with a bunch of memories thrown in to each one. And it also seemed a bit long and then ended abruptly in my opinion. But I still loved the characters and the setting!
Bonus points for the main character being named Joey, it gave me huge Dawson’s Creek flashbacks.
Thank you to @readforeverpub for my gifted copy!
keepingyouonread's review
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
2.0
Leo, Joey’s childhood friend and first love turns up right before her wedding to tell her the reason why he broke up with her and ghosted her 15 years ago. There’s also a past storyline about her grandmother, Sarah during WW2 in Greece and her first love.
What I liked: I haven’t read any WW2 books that focus on Greece before. I especially enjoyed the author’s note about why she wrote the story and the real life inspiration.
What didn’t work for me: I never felt particularly connected with the characters - they all came across selfish or shallow. Lily seems really unrealistic as a teen influencer starting a magazine. Grant isn’t mentioned a lot but he deserved better.
The pacing felt off - there wasn’t a lot of Sarah’s historical storyline and then it took forever for Leo to share the secret and for everything to finally come out.
Who should read it: You like historical fiction/women’s fiction but want history with a side of soap opera family drama.
kelseaschwemer's review
3.0
I wanted to like this book, and it had all the elements to make it great but it didn’t quite get there. Didn’t love how long it was just to end up being predictable with a lackluster ending.
nessaf's review
3.0
I usually don't find the present storyline as intriguing as the past in historical fictions following characters in past and present storylines but I actually enjoyed both fairly equally in this book. There were some reveals that surprised me and kept me engaged but the ending made me drop a star.