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A review by bookswithbront
Before We Were Strangers by Renée Carlino
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.
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.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Infidelity, Grief, Death of parent, and Pregnancy
Minor: Abortion and Classism