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A review by anothermoodreader
When We Were by Diana Elliot Graham
5.0
I first heard about this book on TikTok set to that song Complex (demo) - you know, the one that utterly ripped the internet to shreds? Well, that video showed up on my FYP at the right moment - a few glasses of wine deep and DEFINITELY in my feels (about what? who knows, I'm happily married lol).
I immediately followed the author and willfully, hopefully, tipsily sent in a request to get an ARC and by some miracle I got one. And me, your girl, JUST finished it, so here are my honest thoughts and feelings (that are still as fresh as the tears I shed). [this will be spoiler free, mostly because I'm still processing it all, but also I hate spoilers].
I am typically very wary to give out 5 stars, especially for romance books and especially lately as the romance I have been reading have not been hitting the same... well THIS romance slapped me so hard in the face with feelings I'm pretty sure it left a mark.
This story was beautifully written - Funny in all the right places, shocking, and heartbreaking. The characters, at first seeming like part of any other romance novel, filled the roles as expected, actually turned out to be so utterly human, surprising and frustrating in all the good and bad ways. And because of that every guess I made about where the characters or plot would take me was so very wrong and I loved every second of it.
The book is such a rollercoaster, with familiar elements and a unique flair that will keep you on your toes (like the emotional whiplash of a Taylor Swift album). I seriously can't wait to get my hands on a physical copy so I can underline the crap out of it.
Oh and for the people who want to know - the spice... it's good. very good. lol
I immediately followed the author and willfully, hopefully, tipsily sent in a request to get an ARC and by some miracle I got one. And me, your girl, JUST finished it, so here are my honest thoughts and feelings (that are still as fresh as the tears I shed). [this will be spoiler free, mostly because I'm still processing it all, but also I hate spoilers].
I am typically very wary to give out 5 stars, especially for romance books and especially lately as the romance I have been reading have not been hitting the same... well THIS romance slapped me so hard in the face with feelings I'm pretty sure it left a mark.
This story was beautifully written - Funny in all the right places, shocking, and heartbreaking. The characters, at first seeming like part of any other romance novel, filled the roles as expected, actually turned out to be so utterly human, surprising and frustrating in all the good and bad ways. And because of that every guess I made about where the characters or plot would take me was so very wrong and I loved every second of it.
The book is such a rollercoaster, with familiar elements and a unique flair that will keep you on your toes (like the emotional whiplash of a Taylor Swift album). I seriously can't wait to get my hands on a physical copy so I can underline the crap out of it.
Oh and for the people who want to know - the spice... it's good. very good. lol