Reviews with content warning for Adult/minor relationship - The way I used to be

Reviews tagging 'Adult/minor relationship'

The way I used to be by Amber Smith

52 reviews

amandasantosx's review against another edition

5.0

challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

TRIGGER WARNING please

Content Warnings

naoml's review against another edition

4.0

dark emotional sad fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Please ask yourself if you're really ready to read this book before you do. It's a very graphic description of rape and it's aftermath.
The book deals with the emotion and consequences SA has on a life very truthfully. I think there is room for further nuance but understand that every story is different.
This book didn't make me cry, but it made me throw up

Content Warnings

kanthereader's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense 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

Content Warnings

readingreveries's review against another edition

3.0

challenging emotional reflective sad fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

I picked up this book nearly 1 1/2 years after I read Speak. Seeing it in videos of “books that made me uncontrollably sob” piqued my interest, and knowing the plot similarities to Speak - a book that I found incredibly moving - I believed I’d like it no matter what. I hoped it would crush me emotionally.

The idea of the story spanning out over all four years of high school was smart, but the execution left something to be desired. I hoped it would display accurately that healing from trauma isn’t linear, but instead, I felt as if everything was rushed. We missed months of each year of Eden’s life, and this caused a disconnect. I understand that this could have been done deliberately to show how the time was slipping away from Eden, as she grew to know herself less and less. I get that it was likely meant to show how rapidly she had to grow from a little girl, to what she believed was a tough adult, however, I think this book could’ve been depicted as taking place over even just two years, and we still could’ve gotten the same effect.

I did not form any emotional connection to these characters, beyond the fact that I obviously felt bad for Eden, however, even then, I was not on the edge of my seat. I wasn’t hoping for her to reconnect with Mara and Steve. I wasn’t hoping she’d let her parents and Caelin back in again. I feel at the end of a book I should know the characters well, know how they’d react in most situations, and I unfortunately don’t feel that way about Eden.

Not all of the book was bad. I enjoyed the relationship between Josh and Eden, the dynamic they had, even if it was frustrating at times. I believe the depiction of Eden and her relationship with intimacy was accurate in some sense. The change between blacking out at Josh’s touch and years later becoming almost hyper sexual, which is a reality for many victims of rape. The way Eden slowly grew apart from Mara over the years. How she slowly isolated herself. The moment of Josh sharing his secrets with Eden, and years later, Eden sharing her own. The most compelling part of the story was her monologue to Josh about hatred. The most interesting relationship dynamics being the ones between Eden and Caelin and Eden and Josh. This, this was good.

As I’m writing this review, I have just finished reading “The Way I Used To Be.” Was anything inherently and objectively bad about it? No, but I wish so badly that I had liked this book. That it elicited the same reaction in me as it did for others, however, in the end, I felt like it was really just all around average.

As for the sequel, I don’t exactly know how much content there can be, without it falling short. Honestly, I wonder if it could’ve just been an epilogue. Perhaps they’re will be room for improvement in the second book, I’m not sure, but I do genuinely hope so, as Eden’s story does have room to be compelling, I’m just not sure if it is there yet.

Content Warnings

stephabee_reads's review against another edition

3.5

challenging emotional sad

Content Warnings

tdhuck's review against another edition

4.5

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Content Warnings

katycanum's review against another edition

5.0

dark emotional hopeful inspiring sad tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: N/A

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

This book was the first book I finished in 24 hours in years. I am not sure if it was the writing style, or just the story. This is a book that needs to start being shared in schools, in communities. it captures it perfectly.

Content Warnings

bedwellbooks's review against another edition

5.0

challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective sad fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: N/A

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

Wow. What an emotional read. I read this in 3 days and couldn’t put it down. The main character truly takes you with her while she recovers from a traumatic incident throughout her years of highschool. She makes you feel her emotions. I would recommend to anyone but major trigger warning for SA.

Content Warnings