A review by lifeofchrstnlvly
When We Were by Diana Elliot Graham

emotional sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

But just because you don't want to hold on to something anymore, doesn't mean letting go is easier.

This book broke and healed me at the same time.

I need to get this out of the way: 19-year-old Arden's stupidity and childishness the "night of" infuriated me (emphasis on 19-year-old Arden, the past Arden, not the present). I was highlighting so many sentences; the only note I added for every highlight I did was "stupid."

Instead, she opted to stay surrounded by arrogant sycophants and aggressively drunk college students, but that's her choice.

This was precisely why I felt she was stupid that night. This perfectly captured it. I want to explain more, but I want to avoid delving into more details on what happened in this book because I want everyone to go as blindly as possible.

Yes, I cried. For how long? I do not know. I know I bawled my eyes out even after reading this book. You know a book is good when 1) the writing is good, and 2) the author can make you feel things. It is challenging to let readers feel all the emotions an author wants to convey without convincing them to feel things. However, the author made me feel things because of how raw and honest this book was written.

I was never a fan of the miscommunication trope (this is not a spoiler because it is literally in the blurb), but this book is different. While the central premise is about the miscommunication between him and her, it delves into the characters' lives more.

Just because you close the back cover on your favorite book doesn't mean it doesn't stay with you.

This book will stick with me for a long time. I will never look at Scrabble tiles the same way again.
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