Reviews with content warning for Abortion - Before We Were Strangers

Reviews tagging 'Abortion'

Before We Were Strangers by Renée Carlino

11 reviews

kelseyfontaine's review

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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googiereads's review

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emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad fast-paced

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

4.25

"Orvin once told me that time is the currency of life. And I had lost so much of it. It was that idea of lost time that finally made me realize I needed to move on."

One-third of this book I enjoyed how they started their connection and relationship. It was soulful, with bits and pieces of music (Jeff Buckley, U2, etc.) and New York. Pretty nostalgic. Like way before technology. As much as I miss the 90s, I realize the lack of technology can also make it hard to contact people. Frustrating but that's how it was. The second half of the book just broke my heart -- these missed chances, miscommunication, people in between -- I feel that regret they had over time lost. When they started reconnecting, it felt a bit rushed but then given how much time they've lost and the frustration of knowing the chances/moments stolen from them, I understand the urgency.

The book started out in the present time with that fateful meeting after 15 years of no communication, then dipped into the past and their wonderful love story, then back to the present with the big question of what are they going to do now having found each other. I find it fitting that in the beginning (the fateful meeting), the characters talked about being lost:

I became acutely aware of everyone around me carrying on, living life. I was static, standing on the platform, watching train after train go by, wishing I knew which one to be on

When they met again, it was wonderful to see the process of them finding themselves and also finding closure/resolution to their story. I said the second half (present time) was just angsty and I feel so bad, mostly for Grace because Matty had moments I wanted to strangle him. But, the ending was just perfect, heartwarming, and satisfying. I felt truly happy for the future that started out parallel but intersected. A wonderful read if you like second-chance romance (I am not even into second chances but this held my attention and I read the book in one sitting)

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brinkley's review

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challenging emotional hopeful reflective 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

4.0

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emkellner's review

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3.75

The ending felt boring to me. Maybe I'm just a fan of media that hurts, but I think this story would have been more impactful had they not ended up together.

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julierambaeck's review against another edition

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emotional reflective sad medium-paced

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

2.0

This is a no from me. Did not like the characters whatsoever, they were childish and they just kept on whining... I found the characters super toxic, and the relationship even more. The maincharacters did not grow at all they were the same throughout the whole story that spans over 15 years and NOTHING happened with them as characters.

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bookswithbront's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
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

I’m so conflicted about this book.

The characters drove me insane, and some of the story points didn’t work for me. But at the same time, I didn’t want to put it down.

The “before” parts of this book felt so real and true to what it’s like to fall in love in college. And yet I don’t understand why Matt’s character was so much more developed than Grace’s. Even when she was narrating, I felt like I was seeing her through Matt’s eyes. Matt was so much more nuanced and at times straight-up unlikeable, but I always understood what was going on with him. I think if we’d gotten the same for Grace it would have improved the book exponentially for me.

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lauren717's review

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emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

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lujisa'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? It's complicated

4.5

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taelorslibrary's review

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emotional lighthearted medium-paced

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

4.0

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martapsalvado's review

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emotional hopeful fast-paced

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

2.75

Meh. I enjoyed reading this for the most part and it's a really easy read. However, a lot of things were wrong with these characters and I didn't find myself really attached to them or their relationship. The plot was kind of repetitive and not that original.

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