I read this book because I am looking for some good contemporary reads. Unfortunately I did not really enjoy this book as I found it quite bland and boring. I didn't really like Livvy or Jack as I found that the weren't very interesting.

I received this free eARC novel from Netgalley. This is my honest review.

Nope. Nope, nope, nope. I don't do books with rape in it and in this book, Livvy gets raped by her boyfriend twice and I quit at chapter 22. Especially after the second time when she thinks "this is my life now". NO!!!

No one deserves that and for her to be so broken she can't go to anyone, I just can't handle that.

Plus the synopsis made it seem like Livvy and Jack were attracted to each other, but Jack had his own issues to deal with when it cane to his girlfriend Delia. Jack really only wanted to be with her for sex and he connected more with Livvy on a personal level.

I was only 50% through this book and knew I couldn't deal with it anymore. I really wanted to see what happened with Jack and Livvy but it definitely wasn't with it.

So, anyone else who doesn't like book with descriptive rape scenes, I advise to not pick up this book.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

I wish I had more to say about this book then what I have. It was a good read, but it didn't really stand out to me at all.

This was so precious! I loved Livvy and Jack, they were both so broken and troubled but so desperate to be accepted and okay. I'll admit, the story dragged a bit at times but I still really enjoyed it.

When We Were Young is a story about loss and loss and more loss. You wait and wait and wait for the things to get better but Anna Benoit keeps hitting you hard.

Livvy Edison is a sweet girl surrounded by the worst people on earth except for her neighbor who she lives with, David. But he is also taken away from her when he has to deal with his own problem Jack aka the son he didn't know he had. In spite of nothing in common Livvy and Jack instantly feel a connection over a bunch of beers on her porch hammock. 

But the next day at school their dynamics change quickly as they find out more about each other and their social level. While Livvy is the good student who never fails a test her life is only pretense and Jack tries to keep himself safe and sober, keeping his probation in mind. 

The story takes off really slow, weaving in every detail teasing the shit out of the readers but when Anna reveals it gets dark real quick. The story is something that could actually happen to a young adult or anyone for a matter of fact. Abusive and manipulative relationships are real. The way she has painted the picture of Luke and Livvy's relationship is amazing it will make you wonder who is insane, and even if you are reading it right. I loved this part of the book including the fact that throughout the book the leads have their own lives, partners and different problems. It is not until the end when they finally find each other. 

You can find the complete review here : https://www.thr4sam.com/single-post/2018/12/06/When-We-Were-Young

This story was a bit hard to delve into, due to the formatting issues. The story moved along quickly and I felt connected with the two main characters, Livvy and Jack. This story depicts teenagers in their senior year dealing with their own emotional trauma. Livvy has arrant parents who have little to do with her life and a boyfriend who is abusive but she is afraid to leave him. Jack is dealing with anger issues that he has been managing for his life after discovering who his biological father is.
This story has a lot of triggers for those who suffer from physical, sexual, and emotional abuse.

I loved this book!!! It sucked me in and I had to read the entire book in one sitting because I had to know how it ended and what happened to Livvy and Jack. The situations shown in the book felt really realistic, and the characters were well written and incredibly complex. The plot itself was slightly predictable, though I kept second guessing how I thought it would end. I did find the ending to be really weak, and I found it really disappointing because it felt really rushed.

While this book deals with difficult subjects, it was a tough read. I know that stuff like this happens all the time, and I think that is what makes it such a tough read. I do think the heroine was a tad bit of a doormat, however I know there are women and girls that get abused everyday, and they don't speak up, they forgive and they stay, that is why it's called a vicious cycle. I think with this book you will either love it, or you will hate it. There really isn't a middle ground here. I do think though that it was a good first book from this author, I would like to see what else she has in the future.

This deals a lot with domestic abuse as the main character, Livvy ends up being in a relationship with a guy she has dated for a long time. Throughout their break ups and make ups, Luke, her boyfriend changes and abuses her emotionally, physically and sexually. He becomes a person to hold something against Livvy so she won't end the relationship. From the start of the book, we also meet Jack who is someone new to Livvy and who also is living with his dad after going through some very hard times that ended him with probation. I always believed Jack and Livvy were meant to be since the first night they hung out that they both fell asleep on a hammock. It wasn't until the end of the book that they got together as they both were dating other people throughout the book and it wasn't their time yet.



One of things that made me so mad was Luke and how much privilege and power he had to manipulate things to go his way. The sad thing about this is that people like him do exist and some get away with it while others get what they deserve. I know a lot of people will say that Livvy was just not smart enough to get out of the relationship, but let's be realistic here. There are many people who go through abuse and can't get out, especially for those who are with someone who is manipulative, making it seem like they aren't a victim of anything and deserve to be punished.

Amazing storytelling in this YA novel.

We all have things in our past that scar us. Livvy appears to have a perfect life. But, that's just her keeping up appearances in the community.

When Jack moves in next door, she realizes just how unhappy she is and that she feels more 'her' when around Jack.

The novel takes you through their extremely bumpy senior year of high school with an ending that speaks of hope and the ability to heal those wounds..

I really have mixed feelings about this book. The book deals with some very serious dark issues but only superficially. There is one drama after another yet none are given much depth at all.

None of the characters are likable. The adults were so shallow and uninvolved with their children that it was just insane to me. The friends were little self absorbed brats. The title led me to believe that we would see the main characters as adults looking back on there youth. This was not the case.

I felt that the book just dragged on and on with drama after unsolved drama until the ending. The ending was very rushed. Overall it was okay but definitely not a great book.

This was an amazing read. I love stories like this and I really felt for her as a survivor. I felt a real connection with the characters in the story and I want to know what happens to them.

Omgosh. What to say about this story. It made me laugh, cry, and laugh some more. The brutal honesty of the characters was very well written. Livvy’s story is one I could relate to, on a personal level. I shed many a tear for her as the story progressed.

The characters were all amazing, and I felt like they were my friends. I fell a wee bit in love with Jack & Livvy. As well as David & Zach.

David was thrown into a situation that he wasn’t expecting . I think being there for Livvy, previously, helped him deal with Jack. Jack’s resentment was not without reason, either.. David & Javk developed a strong, relationship by the end.

Livvy’s parents should not have tried so hard to escape Livvy and run from the past. They were neglectful and very opinionated in a negative way.

Zach did his best to help Jack & Livvy both, through each of their issues. He was there for them, individually, when they needed him.

I would definitely recommend this book to others.

Disclaimer: I was given a free advance copy from NetGalley in return for my honest review

I think the book was good if you're just looking for something to read (though be warned it's definitely not a light, fluffy read) however nothing particularly stood out to me with this. It tends to drag quite a bit and although some of the issues dealt with were interesting, the amount of characters made it particularly confusing for me. I think for my tastes, it was also just a little bit too dark for me since so many awful things happen but if that's the sort of thing you like, then maybe give it a go.

I have such mixed feelings with this one. I was hooked right from the start but by the middle, I was so stressed out with all of the characters that I didn't know if I could continue on. Then I did and the ending just left me feeling really unsatisfied. I went back and forth on what to rate this book, and I'm still not sure if I'm 100% on board with the 3.5/5 stars. But alas, let's get on with the review.

I didn't love any of the characters. I was disappointed in all of them, especially the adults. The adults, besides a select few, were just awful, thoughtless, self-serving assholes. Then there were the friends, and they weren't much better. Just terrible people. That leaves us with the two main characters, Jack and Livvy. I really wanted to like them, to root for them. But maybe inflicting too much "realness" into their characters made me not like them as much as I wanted to. I felt extremely bad for both of them, but their choices and flaws kept me from wholly embracing them.

This book comes with a near ton of issues and triggers. They pile on and on and just when you think you're into more mellow waters, here comes something else out of the blue to surprise you. Truthfully, some felt really unnecessary. Did Livvy need to have a past drug problem? I don't know. I think some of the issues were just added to create more drama, but never had the background info or depth to make them believable within the story.

I think that's a big issue I had with this book. There are all of these surface problems and "dramatic" situations, but the author never delves that deeply into them.

Nonetheless, I kept reading until the very end. I guess I wanted to see how much of a trainwreck it would be and if any happiness would ever come to these two unlucky characters.

I didn't love the ending. The more I dwell on it the more disappointed I become. The last few chapters were incredibly rushed and we never really got to see Livvy and Jack's relationship. I didn't like that the bad guy still won. I didn't like that there were so many loose ends with the other characters. I didn't like the not-so-happily ever after. I get that the author wanted to create a realistic story, but I guess I wasn't in the mood for such a downer when I was really hoping the main characters would get a more fulfilling ending.

To be honest this was another book I debated. I'm glad I chose it. Even though it is a YA book, there are real issues that are happening these days. A little dark of a book. It drama filled and I usually dont pick books like this. This book had me from the get go.

Really enjoyed this book - read it on the beach and it kept me entertained to the point of sunburn! I qpild recommend this to those who.also indulge in YA as a pleasure, guilty or otherwise.

I would recommend this book. Although I normally dont pick this gene most time, I was very surprised how it gripped me from the begining to the end. I love how it deals with alot of issues the young teenagers deal with now. Great Book!

This book felt so suffocating, so realistic from the first chapter that it scared me quite a bit. It hit very close to home; the boyfriend being a total dick and the girlfriend not being able to get out of that relationship.
With all that being said and having read the book, I felt positively surprised by how often this book gave me the chills.. the characters are well built, the abusive relationships are realistic A-F and let’s not forget about their damn parents..

This would be a good read for people who are maybe a little gullible and easier to get into one of those kind relationships..

I enjoyed the beginning of this novel and was immediately engaged in Livvy and Jack's relationship. I wanted to know if they would end up together or if Jack would remain in Delia's dangerous web. I did not enjoy the ending of this novel and felt like it was too rushed.