Yeah fine, I'll accept that I loved this so much more than I expected, even if Sage's chapters bored me and I just wanted to get back to Charlie and Luke.

Also, well, this made me flat-out sob and not really in a "it's sad" way, although it is, but more in a "I feel far too seen and this reminded me of all of the messy, broken things in my life" kind of way. I'm not as strong as Charlie and Luke are, but I wish I were.

I didn't love the parts with Sage, mostly because her back and forth with Nick was so typical of a YA book. Once I understood that she was protecting Charlie, I appreciated their sneaking around more, but I think it's so dumb for a couple that has nothing to lose to lie to each other. But whatever. That aside, I also didn't love some of Sage's actions regarding Charlie's sexuality; it's not fair of her to tell him when and where to come out and to act like she's held hostage by his secrecy. But in fairness, I did see her perspective as well; I just think she was being a tad selfish (and I suppose that was kind of the point).

Anyway, I really appreciated the discussion of how hard it is to come out and I absolutely adored Charlie. I don't love when books pull the "I don't want us to be together in secret, so you have to come out" card, but I think it worked better with this book than it has in other ones. Charlie still did it on his terms and his time and more as a result of realizing the importance of his relationship with Nick than emotional blackmail. I do wish the book had discussed that it's unfair of someone to expect someone else to come out <i>for them</i> but I also realize that there's a level of honesty someone would like in a relationship and I don't think Charlie was fair to Nick at many points either.

So yeah, this book isn't perfect, but it captivated me, I read most of it today, and the writing is really good. I ended up being swept into their drama, their lives, their loves, and I would absolutely die for Luke and Charlie. The cutest. The sweetest. The best.

-Book Hugger

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review! This is no way impacted my review/rating of the book.

Cute YA romance set at a boarding school featuring childhood best friends, one's brother, and the new guy at school.

Content warnings include: casual homophobic jokes, internalized homophobia, unacknowledged eating disorder and weight loss, breakups, off-page sex between teenagers; mentions of mild violence.

This kind of felt like a typical American high school romcom, except also not. There was the big cast of popular characters, the tons of parties, everyone knowing everyone, so much drama around relationships, supposedly a ton of homework except everyone is always hanging out and doing activities together literally all the time... and yet it didn't annoy me in the same way those shows usually do.
I liked that there was no bullying or cliques, no nerd/jock/art kids/goths separation, no real unecessary jealousy drama, no forced or involuntary outing, blackmail, inappropriate teacher/student relationships or similar things.

There was a storyline about a gay couple with one of them out while the other isn't, and the tension around them was focussed on the closeted one struggling with the idea of coming out, but it was handled respectfully, with both characters being fully in their right and without actively pressuring each other.

The two protagonists, Sage and Charlie, are best friends, but I found their friendship less of a big deal as the book's description made me believe. Instead, Sage and Luke, the new guy at school, had a friendship that at least to me was in the foreground a lot.

The one thing I couldn't quite wrap my head around was Sage and her hang-up around high school romantic relationships. The drama and heartbreak that caused had no relation to the reasoning she named and could have been solved had she just spoken up earlier, and when she does she gives in immediately anyways without any big discussion or character development.

Generally I had some issues with the timeline - I couldn't always tell which parts were described as having happened in the past and which were happening at present. Other events only happened during the POV of a non-present character, so the reader only learns about them second hand, which I found a weird choice since it's switching POVs anyways?

My biggest issue was probably all the names - there is a huge cast of not only all the people at the boarding school, but also their extended families, all the different buildings each had a name, as well as several locations at the protagonist's homes, and at no point was it explained who was who or what was what or where, and that was just super annoying. Even now that I'm finished there are several names that I couldn't tell you who or what they are.

Overall still a fun read that passes the time.

Yesss another debut novel that pulled my heart-strings in the best way possible! 💕
I am a sucker for friendship and love stories. Push a boarding school into the storyline, and you've the perfect recipe to make me happy! 😁
If We Were Us is basically sunshine in book form. ( I modified a quote from the book to fit my review, that's how much I loved it 😌) Not only does this book talk about friendship and love, but also shows how young people struggle to accept their own identities in the ever-changing world.
Charlie and Sage, who've been best friends since their childhood, will make you dream for a friendship like theirs. Their relationship was so heart-warming and perfect. You know how they say, "The world is a better place if you have the right friend by your side. " ? Sage and Charlie showed me that it's true.
The development of romance betn Sage & Nick and Luke & Charlie was wonderfully written too. The right amount of banter and humor was also thrown into the storyline. Aaanddd don't even get me started on the boarding school life & fun! AAAHH ALL OF THEM FEELS. 😭
While reading books from a specific POV, I've felt a lot of times that the book missed the depth it needed because of not having the POVs of characters vital to the plot. If We Were Us completely changed that aspect for me. Even though the POVs change between Charlie and Sage only, the author did an amazing job of including Luke and Nick's contribution to the story too.
I loved how If We Were Us portrayed the fact that we can become the best versions of ourselves by choosing to be true to our own hearts before anything else. This book will definitely stay with me for a long time. I want more! 😩
I can't wait to read K.L Walther's upcoming books, given how wonderful her debut novel is!
Thanks to the publisher and author for the e-arc 🧡

There was absolutely nothing wrong with this story, I just really lost interest the more I read. I was so excited to see a story with a platonic soulmate in it - and I loved the relationship between Sage and Charlie, but even really liking the idea of the relationship, I didn't quite connect with the characters the way I wanted too. The characters never felt real to me -there was an exaggerated outlandishness that made the story feel unattainable. And even my love of boarding school books didn't help because it all just felt so out of reach. I only started to see the relationship develop between Charlie and Luke and Sage and Nick respectively, and while I liked them they weren't enough to keep me going.

I received a copy of the book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

If We Were Us is a story told from the perspective of two best friends, Charlie and Sage, during their senior year of high school at an elite boarding school. I will break down this book into what I think worked and what I think didn't work because I am very on the fence about it.

What didn't work:
1. The narrators. I was not invested in either Charlie or Sage. I would have much preferred the narrators to be Nick and Luke, as I thought they were more interesting characters. Charlie and Sage seemed flat to me, and it didn't feel like their chapters had a separate voice.
2. The plot. I was not a fan of the "we must hide our love" trope in either of the storylines. It felt a bit cliche and I didn't think it was handled deftly enough. I also don't think Luke or Nick's reaction worked because it sets up conflicts that seem a bit unnecessary.

What did work:
1. The setting. I loved the idea of it at a boarding school. Some of my favorite novels I read in my teen years (yes, including Harry Potter!) take place at a boarding school. I love the vibe that puts off, especially in the ways in which the author built that space.
2. The writing. I did like the writing and though overall it was well-written. The problem for me was plotting and character building, but the writing itself was good.

Walther has done the impossible and made me enjoy overwrought teenage melodrama.
It's just so well done that I simply needed to know if Charlie, Sage, Nick, and Luke got the happily ever after they deserved. There's enough sweetness to give you a toothache and the perfect amount of positive messaging to make you feel good when you walk away after finishing it.
There isn't much complexity to the plot beyond the will they/won't they/just talk to each other element, but it plays out in a way that you really do get enthralled by it. Poor Charlie has the worst relative a closeted gay kid could possibly have. Combine that with unrealistic family expectations and the kid's going to have some deep issues even if he is falling head over heels with his soulmate. I also enjoyed seeing Sage discover that her parents' lives aren't a roadmap to hers. Got to admit that Luke and Nick are a bit underdeveloped next to Sage and Charlie, but they're the heart of the story and get some solid moments.
Overall, it's a perfect light read with positive messaging, enough drama to keep you reading, and a happy ending to help you end with a smile.
Also, on a slight side note, I am so here for a book that portrays well-to-do, private school teens as something other than the horrors of Gossip Girl and the like.

Major thanks to SOURCEBOOKS Fire for granting my wish to read it on Netgalley!

I LOVED this book! A well-written and engaging look at how real-life relationships can get so messy! I found the story arc of one of the MC's coming to terms with their sexuality very true-to-life and whilst the plot overall didn't throw out any unexpected plot twists, that didn't distract from the engaging prose at all. Absolutely fantastic!

Walther transports her readers to the idyllic Bexley Academy, a boarding school in New England. The story centers on Charlie and Sage, narrating in alternating chapters. They are life long best friends and everyone around them presumes that they may not be dating now, but they will be end game. It's quickly uncovered that there are some very good reasons that they are not meant to be kissing as the credits roll. This ends up being the biggest asset to the novel because you don't quite know how this school year that plot encompasses will play out.

The characters are well-drawn, particularly Charlie's journey to self-acceptance as he struggles to take control of his own destiny on a variety of fronts. Sage's role does tend to be more supporting to his journey, to underscore the pains of young love and duty. This is not necessarily a problem because it gives each of them a purpose, yet keeps their stories tethered together plausibly. This is highly recommended for fans of YA, romance, and coming of age stories.

I was very excited about this book but I also have a number of problems with it and all of them together meant that I didn't actually enjoy it at all.

The first thing is the premise for the characters. The gay boy we get as a main character is deeply closeted and no stranger to internalised homophobia, which brings him to date girl after girl, to prove something to himself. I'm not saying that's not a reality for gay teens anymore but I am saying that it's a very tired trope in literature and one that shows said teens that they shouldn't hope for anything better.

There's also a problem of Charlie's attitude. It's one thing to use girls as beards when you're trying to figure stuff out about yourself, but it's another altogether to treat those girls with very little respect and like nothing more than props.

And as if that didn't make the gay rep in this book poor enough, we get the well-known by us all "we can't date if you're not out". It's just... This is not how it works, folks. This is not what teen stories should be telling LGBT youth.

I wanted to read this book mainly because of the gay characters and got disappointed time and time again, to the point where I would call this rep harmful.

This was adorable and funny and heartfelt and just the kind of read I needed right now. Stories about friendship and romance , friendship during romance and how these two things can effect each other are incredible.
I absolutely loved it

This story was so much fun! I loved everything about it. The characters for me were the best part and I loved every single one of them. I thought If We Were Us was such an original story and the writing was fast paced that kept me interested. If you are looking for a fun, quick read this is definitely the story for you.

I enjoyed this story! If we're talking about just the story and writing, then I would give this book 3 stars, but there was so much that was just plain fun to me, so I had to give it a 4.

The story is about Charlie and Sage who have been best friends since they were kids and everyone thinks they're destined to get together. However, Charlie is drawn to a new kid at school, Luke, and Sage has been getting closer to Charlie's brother Nick.

There was so much to love about this book. I'm a sucker for any "childhood best friends to lovers" trope plus an "in love with my best friend's brother" trope. I also think elite boarding school settings are so cool. Plus it's set in New England?? And teenagers are worried about life after high school and being away from their friends??? And dealing with identity issues??? It had everything that I loved. I think the characters were amazing and really cool and I'm lowkey jealousy of their life and all the fun stuff they do. I loved the friendships portrayed in the story (even more so than the romantic relationships) but I think the romance aspect was sweet, too! Overall, very happy with the story and the ending and I think it was great for a debut novel.

Though I did have some issues! A lot of the issues that the characters faced could have been solved by simply communicating, and it cheapens the actual plot and makes it seem like a lazy attempt at creating conflict. Also, the two main POVs, Sage and Charlie, were so alike (obviously, they are best friends) but there were times when I forgot which POV I was reading from because their internal monologues were so similar. It made me a bit sad because I really enjoyed Sage and I thought she was such a cool girl, but I felt like her POVs, and even her conflicts, were overshadowed by Charlie's. Lastly, the two twins in this story were named Nick and Charlie and I legit could not stop thinking about the iconic Heartstopper couple, Nick and Charlie.

But, in all, these problems were minor annoyances. I still thought the book was great!

This book was absolutely charming, very entertaining, and another boarding school story you MUST add to your collection! By the end of the first chapter, I wanted to apply to Bexley myself.

This author's world-building skills were incredible. I could picture the entire school campus, the hang out spots across the street in town, and every dorm room (Nick's is a sight to behold). I did look up Walther's bio, and it does say she attended boarding school, so she would know what flies and what doesn't. The world of Bexley, right down to its dress-code and other rules, felt very authentic to me.

Now the characters...ugh, my heart! The "flock" friend-group's stories are funny and touching, and I would've loved to read more about them. There are a quite a few characters mentioned, but I found it easy to keep track of who's who. Sage has her girls, Charlie and Nick have their boys, and they all mesh so well together.

And oh, did the couples make me swoon. Luke and Charlie, while they feel an instant connection, are
such a slow-burn that you can't help but giggle and grin when things finally fall into place. I cannot express how much I loved them. And Nick and Sage already have a foundation for their relationship, so you tear up the going gets tough. They too, with their funny phrases, were adorable.

While not involved romantically, I also count Charlie and Sage as a couple. I loved reading about their fiercely loyal best-friendship, how they were always there for each other. It brings a new meaning to the phrase "ride-or-die."

Like real life, the couples had their ups and downs. They had to do a lot of soul-searching to figure out what they wanted, and I think that will resonate with most teens.

I cannot wait to see what Walther writes next, and hopefully more Bexley will come our way! Nick, Sage, Luke, and Charlie might have graduated, but I think the school holds plenty more secrets and stories.

sorry but i can't handle this book anymore. I found it extremely boring. From the beginning I already knew where the story would go. The author introduced so many characters to the book that it seemed unnecessary since I was confused to what relationship they had with our four main characters.
It might not be my type of reading, but if the premise catch your attention you may like it.
thanks to netgalley for providing me with an arc in exchange for an honest review

This book was light and a great summer romance read. It was easy to read but had to understand sometimes. Characters were referenced without any sort of acknowledgement of where they came from for awhile and I was also very confused to where the story was going but not in a good way. I think the characters could've been developed a little better and their connections established a little more.

This was sweet and charming and compulsively readable (I flew through it in two sittings), but it also had a lot of depth. I so appreciated the discussion on how it can be really fucking scary, but ultimately so freeing and rewarding, to be yourself and to admit, both to yourself and others, what it is you truly want. The depiction of friendship was great, too— and you know I’m always a sucker for a boarding school book. I really grew to love these characters, and I think lots of contemporary readers will be just as enchanted by Sage, Charlie, Nick, Luke, and their friends as I was. A great debut, and I look forward to reading anything else this author publishes in the future!

I am numb as I am writing this. I am possessed by emotions, my heart is filled and cannot take anything more.
I received an arc approximately 6 hours ago and I started reading it as soon as I could. By the time I was ten seconds in, I knew the story was undeniably going to become my favourite of this year, and I was exactly right.
Apart from that, let’s talk about the book itself. We have Sage and Charlie, best friends since childhood who people believe will end up together at some point, however, Sage likes Nick, Charlie’s twin and Charlie is gay.
Moreover, we have Luke. a new student who immediately catches Charlie’s attention. I cannot begin to explain how consuming their relationship is, most of my notes are about them; they’re adorable, heartbreaking and wholesome.
Whereas Nick and Sage were cute too, not as much as them. Nick made some mistakes that infuriated me but they still produced many screams that came from my mouth.
This book was absolutely perfect. The friendships were SO loyal, it was endearing to read; they cared deeply about each other (I cried many, many times) the romance was engrossing; I was a doomed fool who knew what she had in store yet reacted with wonder every single time.
In brief, the book is a work of art, it’s real and foolish at some points (they could have fixed numerous problems BY TALKING) that you begin to recognize how something can be perfectly imperfect, it’s a 5/5 and it’s obviously going on my favourites from this year.

I was quite excited for this book and started reading it almost immediately after it downloaded on my kindle. But it turned out to be pretty boring. I didn’t find any of the characters likable enough, Sage and Charlie didn’t treat anyone around them properly and I wasn’t sure how I was supposed to root for their romances when they were quite rude to their love interests most of the time. The book also had a couple of tropes I don’t particularly like which was a disappointment.

You’ll probably enjoy this more if you want a light hearted book with slightly superficial characters. I like mine with a bit more depth and I found it missing here.

This book was the right kind of addictive. I loved how the characters developed. It was a perfect book to read at the end of the day. Highly recommend!

Thank you to Netgalley for this ARC!

I really enjoyed the character dynamics in this novel. Sage and Charlie are such great main characters and I thoroughly enjoyed getting to know them.

Initially, I was a bit confused as to the set up of the book as it dove in head first (not a bad thing) and the vast number of characters introduced. I would say it takes about 25 pages to fully understand what is going on (even now some terms don't make sense to me but that might have to do with boarding school terminology) and maybe another 50 to get invested. So it is definitely something you need to stick out and not something you get into easily.

I really believed Sage's motivation for not wanting to get with Nick - it's absolutely heartbreaking, her backstory, but it's so believable and one I think a lot of people can relate to.

I had a more difficult time to empathize with Charlie but I will say that as a straight woman I would never understand the challenges an LGBTQ+ person would face and therefore cannot speak on this matter or how he handled his choice. I did love his relationship with Luke, however, and the way they easily fell into one another.