A review by chicagosunroof
The Girl He Used to Know by Tracey Garvis Graves

3.0

I really wanted to enjoy this book more than I did. I like the idea of relationships developing again after time apart, but I felt like so much of the moments between these characters involved just saying how they felt instead of showing the reader, through their actions, how much they cared for one another. I liked the issues of mental health and diagnosis brought up in this, and would have loved if this was explored even further. I felt like I could not fall for the characters because I did not know them well enough, but there are moments where character comes through strong, especially with how Annika moves past her own fears. I read the book very quickly, and enjoyed certain aspects, but I wish there were more moments that felt unique to these characters and their romance, especially in the area of the book set when they reconnect. That might be one of the main reasons this did not work that well for me. The concept of the book is about reconnecting after ten years, but almost all the development and more unique moments happen in the past, and the 2001 timeline seems to get lost at times. I enjoyed the book more when the chapters jumped more frequently from timeline, instead of staying in the past for multiple chapters all together.