⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

Thank you to Netgalley and Bloomsbury YA for the chance to read and review an early copy of Alex Richards new novel, out now!

T/w: death of a parent, grief, alcoholism

This was a GREAT story showcasing grief and how everyone grieves differently.

This is more of a dark YA that is both moving and inspiring. Losing someone is never easy, and watching Evie go through that and the different stages of grief while immersing herself into a new hobby of photography, was beautifully done.

We have a misfit of characters who started off as strangers to Evie and eventually became like family. I loved all of their different personalities and how they protected Evie, despite only meeting her weeks prior in this class. I think it showcased well how we can bond with others, no matter how different they are than us, through a shared love of an activity.

Evie was definitely selfish at times and at times a terrible friend to Juana, so that was frustrating, but then again she was only 17 and what teenager isnt selfish at times? Juana was amazing though. What a freaking amazing friend! She was devoted and non-judgmental and able to call Evie out on her BS when needed.

It was also interesting to see Evie connect with the “villain” of the story as they processed the same characters death together, and how connecting with her helped Evie in so many ways.

Overall, a beautiful story that I highly recommend. This is my first read but Richards but I will be picking up her other book on my shelf very soon.

I really loved this book! Evie after losing her father suddenly is dealing with her grief while also discovering her love of photography. I felt for Evie having lost my father suddenly. I think Alex Richards does such a great job of showing the heart of grief and how it affects everyone differently.
A beautiful book about grief and healing and complicated family relationships.

Thanks NetGalley for this ARC!

When We Were Strangers by Alex Richards was okay, I had a hard time getting into it -- but overall it was an okay read.

Evie Parker is still dealing with her father's death. Unfortunately, she's also been harboring a secret : the day of his heart attack her dad was going to move out.Evie wants to spare her mom's feelings so she quickly puts everything away. Things go downhill when Evie finds out why her father was moving away: he had an affair and got the girl pregnant. I'll be honest this isn't my usual type of book that I like to read, but I thought the premise was interesting so I wanted to give it a chance. I would've loved to see Evie's relationship with her dad through flashbacks or something, but there wasn't anything so I had no idea what kind of relationship they had. It felt kind of flat to me and Evie is constantly arguing with everyone in the book for the sake of conflict. This is not the book for me, but perhaps this is it for you. I felt disconnected to Evie and the other characters in the book. I would've loved to see more of their personalities.

I was immediately drawn to the storyline of this book! The unimaginable happens immediately after Evie's father dies and she is left not only to deal with her grief but also all the questions that flood her when she realizes that her beloved dad was living a double life. There comes a point when we realize the humanity of our parents--and it happens at different times for everyone. Richards shows us this humanity of both of Evie's parents and we go through the pain and betrayal with Evie. There is a symbolic element to photography and Evie's growth as she is forced to see the situation from various viewpoints and decide what emotion will win her focus. The characters are well-developed and the pacing is perfect. There is an abnormal (to me) vibe and boundaries between the women in the story and how they speak to each other: Evie and her mom; Evie and her best friend; Evie's mom and her best friend-- personally, it bothered me; however, it was also a "window" moment because I realize that mother/daughter relationships are unique and don't all look the same.

When Evie's father suddenly dies of a heart attack, she and her mom are devastated. But Evie realizes that things aren't always as they seem, when she comes home from the hospital to find all of her dad's things packed. Was he leaving them? Why? A good story about grief and complicated family situations.

I anticipated more from this book. While it was still a great read, the beginning moved a bit slower for me. I love the characters, which intrigued me to keep going, until the biggest plot point.

Unfortunately, this book just wasn't for me.

The premise really drew me in--Evie's father's passes away unexpectedly and when she gets home from the hospital, she finds all of his belongings packed up. She then goes on to learn that not only was he going to leave her and her mother, but he was having an affair with a much younger woman who was also pregnant. Evie takes it upon herself to investigate and try to keep the truth from her mother.

The story started off on the wrong foot right off the bat. It immediately begins with Evie getting home and finding her father's suitcases packed up and ready to leave. We don't get any introduction into Evie, her father, her relationship with her father--nothing. So while we're supposed to be grieving the loss of this girl's father and feel this betrayal along with her, we can't because we don't even know who these characters are yet.

Instead, this book should've started at the beginning of the day, which ends up being glossed over in a brief flashback, where Evie went to school thinking it was a normal day, hears her father had a heart attack, and moves forward from there. That way we would have an understanding of her "normal life" before it was disrupted by her father's death.

Not to mention, the writing was very immature. Evie's 17 but her voice reads like someone much younger because of how she's written. The dialogue was very awkward, and Evie kept picking fights with everyone over literally nothing at all just to--create conflict? establish that she's "edgy"? I'm not even sure, but it wasn't effective--it was just incredibly frustrating.

I wish I'd liked this story, but alas, I just couldn't put myself through finishing it.

Seventeen year old Evie's life has done a complete 180. Everything had changed since the death of her father who suddenly died from a heart attack and if that wasn't enough, she finds out that not only was her father cheating on her mother which a much younger women, he had also got her pregnant. Curious about the woman, Evie starts spying on the women, Bree, who is only a few years older than her.

While there is some cute romance featuring a cute boy that Evie meets in her photography class, the real story is Evie, her grieving process and her relationship with her family. Heavy at times but overall hopeful. I enjoyed reading this book and finished it in one sitting.

What would you do if right after your father dies you discover that he was planning on leaving you and your mom and moving in with his secret mistress who is pregnant with his child? Evie Parker has always loved her dad and is devastated by her father’s sudden death. When she comes home she finds his packed luggage... and later on over hears her mom talking about a woman her dad was having an affair with. To make matters worse it is the 22 year old receptionist at his work who is only 4 years older than Evie and went to the same school as her. Now on top of her grieving her father, she has enrolled in a photography class and soon finds herself following Bree around everywhere. She becomes obsessed with finding out more about Bree while also trying to understand why her father would do this to them and trying to sort out her own grief. On top of this new obsession and her grief, she is also struggling to deal with her relationship with her mother and a budding new relationship. This was a really interesting story filled with family drama and dealing with grief, especially the betrayals and secrets that loved ones can have. It was interesting and really kept you hooked until the end.

*Thanks Netgalley and Bloomsbury USA Children's Books for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

The Quick Cut: A seventeen year old girl finds out the secrets her father held after his sudden death. Grief and a photography class lead her to take a new path in her life.

A Real Review:
Thank you to Bloomsbury YA for providing the ARC for an honest review.

Death does not come with a schedule. On rare occasions, people know when they are about to die, but in most cases it comes at unexpected times and with very little preparation for it. Because it is unanticipated it can leave those left behind thrown by what they discover of the recently deceased. Do you know the people in your life as well as you thought you did? This is a question that seventeen year old Evie asks when she uncovers secrets her father held after he dies of a heart attack.

When Evie's father dies at the end of her junior year, it's a shock that rocks her entire family. No one anticipated him leaving for work one morning and having a heart attack. So when she gets home from the hospital before her mother and sees all her father's belongings packed up - she realizes that her father was planning on moving out and leaving them behind. Why would he do this? Evie discovers later on because he has a mistress.... and her father died a few months before she is due to give birth to their child. How can she think about her future when the image of her father has just been shattered? What will she do now that the man who raised her no longer left behind that rosy image of a loving and dedicated father?

Life is complicated and death has this really fun way of highlighting that. Very rarely do we leave this world with all of our affairs perfectly wrapped up and easily taken care of. Alex Richards is easily one of my favorite authors because of how excellent she is at capturing the complex emotions a person has in difficult situations. This release only continues to show just how fantastic she is creating realistic characters who truly struggle like any one of us would in uncomfortable circumstances (at best).

Evie is like any other girl in high school who is close to her dad. They have secret jokes, shared hobbies, and fond memories of the times where they bonded over mutual interests. When you have a good relationship with your parents, it's easy to stop seeing them as complex humans and instead see them more as fun friends. So having her father die unexpectedly and leave a horrific mess behind? Not only is she grieving the father that isn't there, but she's grieving the person she thought he was. Rather than being a perfect parent, she has to deal with the fact that her parents did not have a great relationship and that her dad played a big role in that crumbling relationship. Seeing her struggle through that while trying to deal with the grief of her mother? It's an impossible situation with no good way to navigate it and all that awkwardness is captured in the writing. I loved every moment of it because relating to Evie was so easy to do.

Another element of this story is the photography class. Beyond the fact that Evie is grieving over her dad, she's also in that super comfortable junior going to be a senior in high school. It's common for everyone to expect you at that age to have a plan for post high school graduation and who you want to be as an adult. I was lucky in the way that I knew my plan at that time in my life, but Evie? She's like many who don't really have a passion that is driving them to take a certain path. With her father gone, that path is even less clear. So when her uncle convinces Evie to take a photography class, she also begins to discover a talent and a skill that she didn't know she had. Watching her start this begrudgingly and then see it turn into something she really enjoys? I rooted for her even more and it also came at a time she really needed it. Again, mirroring what is common in life. Rarely do the paths we take in life happen linearly with one major plot point at a time. Sometimes it feels like everything is coming at us at once and we just need to adapt. There's a realism in how this is captured that speaks to me deeply.

A powerful story about the complexities of life captured in a moment of grief.

My rating: 5 out of 5

Evie Park is still getting over her father's sudden death when she returns home to find her father's packed bags. As if returning from the hospital wasn't enough, she discovers that her father had planned to move out earlier that day.

On an impulse decision, Evie unpacks the bags and hides everything from her mother, including the reason why he left. Turns out, his receptionist is already 6 months pregnant! Evie soon takes up photography class to spy on her father's mistress, but soon discovers that there was a lot more to it than she initially thought.

Star Rating: ★★★☆☆ (3.5)

This book was engaging because I couldn't put it down after I started it. I was really curious about what would happen next, but I found it to be a little predictable.

The interactions between Evie and the rest of the characters were touching and honest. I felt the same pain and sadness Evie did but also anger towards her dad for the way he treated his family.

Overall, When We Were Strangers was a book about grief, pain, and healing. It felt real and not everything was perfect which I liked.

When We Were Strangers is an emotional heartfelt story about family, love and grief. I couldn't put it down. I was completely immersed in the emotions of Evie Parker (not a superhero). When her dad dies suddenly her world is wrecked. Her relationship with her mother is already complicated but then she goes home after the hospital and discovers something else. Her father was leaving them; he had his bag packs before he died. She impulsively decides to unpack his bags and keep the secret from her mother. She finds solace in photography and new friend. She learns a lot about herself. I really enjoyed this story. Families are hard, and grief is harder. I liked that the author chose to make this story complicated. It didn't all fit into a neat little box where the mom and daughter suddenly become best friends in their grief. Evie and her mothers relationship felt honest, and real.