Reviews tagging 'Death of parent'

Before We Were Strangers by Renée Carlino

21 reviews

_brockoli_'s review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective relaxing sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I did not expect to like this book as much as I did. It’s cute and funny while being so real and heartbreaking at the same time.

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kal517's review against another edition

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emotional fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

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jeswasik85's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional hopeful sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.75

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leximarie06's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful reflective sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

Im going to be honest, i was not expecting to like this book so much. Ive read my fair share of romance books but this one just had a more realistic vibe to it, it was so much easier to sympathize with the characters because the plot-line was just so raw and real. There was nothing crazy about it, it was just a story of two young college students in love. They both went after different things after they graduated, but met again 15 years later, and found out news that completely changed everything.

The middle section of the book was pretty full of smut, and usually i don’t particularly seek out books with it, and when i read books that are heavily filled with smut, i have to soldier through it but it was different with this one. I didnt mind it, it just was a reflection of the intense love these two shared, it didnt feel forced. It, again, just felt so real. I can picture this being a real persons exact scenario which i think is why i liked it so much. A lot of romance novels feel too forced and rushed? they took their time with this which i appreciated.

I definitely recommend this book, it truly was a beautiful story. It was a “right person, wrong time” case.

Im so happy Matt was able to form a bond with Ash, i think Ash was truly the best thing that could have happened to him at that point in his life, and i LOVE that Grace named her that. “The evidence of a love burning well” indeed.

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aurora4847's review against another edition

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emotional funny reflective sad 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

2.75

It was fine, but nothing special in my opinion. I liked the story overall, but I didn't really like Grace or Matt at all.

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michellebub's review against another edition

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emotional funny tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No

3.0

Shy pixie girl meets eccentric depressed boy

This seemed so cliche I couldn’t believe my eyes.
When I think of a manic-pixie-girl romance, this will forever be what I think of. An innocent poor girl with lots of energy and ambition, but no means to do what she wants. But that won’t stop her. She has her quirks that might be strange to most but not to him. He of course is also the artsy type but more marked by life aka his family. And she distracts him from that, brings colors to his life.

I really wanted to like this book, which is why I started reading it on kindle in German, but oh gosh the translation is horrible, so much sentiment is literally lost in translation.

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jessicabearbooks's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

"The present is our own. The right-this-second, the here and now, this moment before the next, is ours for the taking. It's the only free gift the universe has to offer. The past doesn't belong to us anymore, and the future is just a fantasy, never guaranteed. But the present is ours to own. The only way we can realise that fantasy is if we embrace the now".

This book is for anyone who has ever been so desperately in love, you can't see yourself surviving if it ends. I think a little part of this story will stay with me forever. As a side note - this book only took me three months to read because I was too busy crying over a dissertation. But once I opened this again I was OBSESSED and read the last two thirds of the book in a couple days.

The characters are beautiful, it's so easy to fall in love with a lot of them. Maybe because I saw so many similarities to people in my own life - but I think the relatableness is what makes this story so heartbreaking and real. There are plenty of silly, everyday scenarios that have happened to almost every university student and person, paired then with the plot twists that make you grateful your own life isn't as dramatic. But whatever the crazy situation and context is, the emotions are the same and tug at your heart because you've felt them. There is such human innocence in this book, and I think that's so beautiful.

Grace, oh sweet Gracie, who was always too gentle for this world, I'm glad you're happy now. Matt and especially Grace didn't deserve what happened throughout this novel, and GIRL - I hated the frustration I felt as a reader having to watch everything unfold! But ultimately the story was beautiful, there was such a nice balance between comedy, emotion, dialogue and description. The world building and scene setting was always great - after visiting New York last year I've been searching for a way to go back. Reading this was perfect and maybe that's why I felt such a sense of loss when I had to say goodbye to these characters, their world, and their story.

The story was beautiful and there were so many powerful quotes I found myself tabbing and going back too! However, I had a few issues with some of the things Matt agreed to or said, whether this is him being a teenager or him being a dick I can't decide, for the most part though Grace was lucky to have him. I got confused a lot over the whole Monica/Elizabeth timeline - there's definitely a lot of little things and hints to think about and remember when reading this book, as a lot of loose ends are tied up throughout and aren't as shocking or relieving unless you're reminded of which characters or plot they relate too.

Overall, a strong four stars as the book definitely lives up the hype. I would recommend (I actually bought this book again straight away as a gift for my Mum, who reminds me so much of Grace and Aletha), especially to those desperately in love, or who still think about the one who got away.

"I feared there would be no healing us. The scars were too deep".

Mini playlist for this book:

Matilda - Harry Styles
Timeless - Taylor Swift
Nothing New - Taylor Swift
When We Were Young - Adele
This Love - Taylor Swift

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kelseyfontaine's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Very cute second chance romance! The story kept me hooked the entire time, and the plot twist was very unexpected. I felt very connected to Matt and Grace’s love story and it was interesting to read a different type of romance that what I normally do.

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brinkley's review against another edition

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challenging emotional hopeful sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

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valeriaboom's review against another edition

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slow-paced

2.75

The first part of this book was amazing, I thought it would be 5 stars, and I was actually enjoying it a lot until page 231!!! but then things started to go downhill and I hated it so so much. Dan and his relationship with Grace creeped me out so much,

and the fact that they got married??? Wtf!

I also absolutely hate the miscommunication trope, and it made no sense at all in this book!!!

And the unexpected pregnancy? No thank you!

It made me sad how much this book made me angry, and even though I liked most of it, I can’t give it more than 2 stars for that stupid ass ending grrrr

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