So glad I received this arc. This author is just amazing. This book is such a cute read with purpose. I highly recommend reading this if you’re looking for something different. but lovely four 4 1/2 stars

I was surprised this jumps right back in at the exact same time. It was a beautiful story but I still felt like I needed more. It was a hea by the hair of its chiny chin chin. The only real character development was in the last 30 mins of the book. Josh is still trying to do hard to do good and gosh he breaks my heart.

I really enjoyed The Way I Used To Be, so I was looking forward to reading this sequel. Unfortunately, I was let down. Perhaps not every book requires a sequel. This novel just didn't appear to have as much heart as the previous. Overall this was just okay.

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing for the E-ARC

All thoughts and opinions are honest and my own.

I actually enjoyed this one much more than the first book. It's rare that I can say that about a sequel, but the character growth was phenomenal. Everything was wrapped up in a way that didn't feel forced or to perfect. I could not have asked for a better ending.

I read and reviewed The Way I Used to Be when it came out in 2016

Balancing everything (reader expectations, Eden's psychological and life journey, her relationship with Josh, and her quest for justice) was a tough job in this book.

I did like that this was a dual POV book and the reader gets to know Josh much better. I think it improved the book to make him not just a perfect book boyfriend, but a full person in his own right with his own difficult family dynamics and his own struggles. However, I did think including his POV meant less space and time for showing Eden's journey, both psychologically and through the justice system

Trauma changes you. After a traumatic event, you can still be a happy person and have a wonderful and fulfilling life. But I also think you can't get your old self back, and the titles of the two books reinforce that.

Over the course of these books, we see three Edens: the happy and carefree fourteen year-old prior to her assault, the Eden who tries to hide and push down her shame and guilt over what happened, and a third Eden who chooses to share and face what happened to her and try to heal and move forward.

I can see that opinions of this book are varied, but I also feel that it's hard to "review" this kind of a story. Eden's story was not a neat and tidy narrative. But these books are important and can both touch and inspire many.

I was so excited to be approved for The Way I Am Now because of the love I have for The Way I Used to Be but I do feel like The Way I Am Now fell flat in some areas.

Eden and Josh are obviously young and in love. And they are completely trauma bonded. One thing I really appreciated about this book was the many times their friends and Josh’s family pointed out how hard it could be for them to be together. And although they did start to work on themselves towards the end, it still seemed too quick and very codependent.

There were so many moments of joy though that could have just been expanded. Eden’s friendship growth with Parker and Mara was one thing I wish I had seen more of. I loved the moments with Josh’s parents and the growth there and I needed some closure on Eden’s family. Maybe if we are lucky enough to get a third book, that will be the focus.

I have been looking forward to this novel since I read the first one and it broke my heart. I know Eden's story will sit with me forever, and I was ready for her and Josh's happy ending. I am so happy about this sequel because it showed the healing part of the story, and that is the most important.

Amber Smith, this sequel is amazing. Although you could read it alone, I recommend you read the first book ‘The Way I Used to Be’ before this to get a full story. When you’re fighting your way back to self actualized control and freedom from fear, it takes some work. This is a story of that work, of trusting, of asking for and seeking help, of finally finding yourself again after the trauma you’ve endured and for standing your ground. Smith has done this in such a way that you become invested in the characters. You laugh, and yes, cry with them, and you become protective of them while you’re cheering them on for both themselves and each other. I am going to have such a book hangover from this one. Please consider continuing this story because I haven’t had enough of these characters or this plot!

Thank you to Simon Teen and Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Coming from a reader who loved The Way I Used To Be, I feel so conflicted about this book. I originally rated this 3.5 stars but upon further reflection, I'm lowering my rating to 2 stars.

First of all, why does nobody seem to acknowledge the inappropriate age gap between Eden and Josh? Admittedly, I went into this book without reading the synopsis so I wasn't aware it would mainly focus on their romance. I like the characters separately, but I find it hard to root for their relationship given their past. Eden was only fourteen (!!) when she dated Josh, who was seventeen (!!) at the time. She lied about her age, and when Josh found out, he was disgusted. Although it wasn't his fault for not knowing she lied about her age, in The Way I Am Now, he is well aware of their age difference. Josh's friend reminds him that Eden is still in high school, and he even tells his dad about their age gap, which he sees as a reason why they shouldn't get back together. It just felt wrong reading this, especially when there were on-page sex scenes between a seventeen-year-old girl and a twenty-year-old (He turned twenty-one near the end of the book).

Another thing I didn't enjoy was Eden's behavior. I understand she is a victim, but that should never excuse terrible behavior. For example, Josh wants to know how Eden's feeling after the hearing, and all she wants to do is have sex with him. She gets mad at him because he doesn't want to and completely ignores his feelings. She also stops taking birth control and doesn't tell him. When he finds out, he is rightfully upset about it, and she acts like what she did is not a big deal and she basically makes herself seem like she is the innocent one in this situation. When Josh asks why she didn't tell him, she says "It felt good" and that it was an "accident"...

While there are certainly some enjoyable moments and I am glad that Eden got her happy ending, I just can't ignore those two aspects of the book. The age gap and the toxic behavior are incredibly inappropriate and leave a terrible message for teen readers. I know a lot of people will probably ignore the age gap just for a "silly romance book" but I honestly wouldn't recommend you read this sequel and I think The Way I Used to Be stands well on its own.

This is an excellent sequel to a book I never believed needed a follow-up. I knew there was potential, but I feared what the book would become when presented as Eden and Josh's story. Oh, trust me. I was very wrong. I actually think this a beautiful story where we get to see Eden heal. It's not just a story of trauma and pain. The first book had a good balance of Eden's issues, but arguably, she was unhappy the entire time. Just reading that Eden was smiling in certain scenes and making friends. It's precisely what I think people who read Eden's story need to see. It was the full circle of the story as a whole. Thank you, Amber Smith.

I was very impressed with this sequel. Please continue to check your trigger warnings. This is deep stuff but beautifully written.
Edy is still going through it, just a few months out from revealing what happened to her several years ago. She has a chance encounter with Josh and it helps to rekindle their friendship/romance.
Edy is ready for a fresh start. When she begins school and is out on her things are looking up. The impending hearing has her reliving what happened to her and causing the anxiety to flare. Josh stands by her side through it all. The book allows us to read how what happened to Eden pains and hurts those she loves, like Josh. How his life is put through it as well just trying to make her stronger.
Fabulously written. A beautiful goose bump worthy story.

Pros: This book has an accurate representation of PTSD. Eden is traumatizes and experiences flashbacks, anxiety, panic attack, and other symptoms of PTSD. I appreciated how a fair amount of this book was dedicated to describe the long-lasting effects of trauma.

Cons: Josh and Eden's relationship is built off of miscommunication, lies, and broken trust, which is shown in the first book when Eden lies about her age. In this book, Eden is 17 and Josh is 20/21. Josh is well away of her age now and should know better than to be dating and having a sexual relationship child. I don't know exactly where this story takes place, but where I live, this is statutory rape. Eden is very immature and that is proven around the 80% mark of the book. This pissed me off so much. I also wish this book had focused more on the trial than their relationship. Parts of the trial were rushed through, especially the ending. I cannot, in good faith, recommend this book.

MY GIRL EDEN AND MY BOY JOSH DESERVE THEIR HAPPILY EVER AFTER! I loved it so much but the ending left me with a lot of questions I smell a book three???

The Way I Am Now is the sequel to The Way I Use To Be and was everything I was hoping for! I couldn’t wait to read this book and I devoured it! I love that the author writes in a way that makes you feel like you are there with the characters and I felt what they were feeling. The first book was so healing to me and I couldn’t wait for Eden and Josh to get their happy ending. There were a lot of ups and downs but I was rooting for them the entire time. This book does deal with some heavy topics so check the trigger warnings.

I was excited to learn that there would be a sequel to THE WAY I USED TO BE.

THE WAY I AM NOW contains as many emotional beats, if not more, than the first book. However, I felt that the pacing was a bit off. Though, that ending was superb.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an e-ARC of this book!

The Way I Used to Be is such a powerful book, and maybe one that is simply hard to follow. I am glad that Eden and Josh's story had a chance to grow and evolve, and enjoyed elements of this book. The Way I Am Now follows both Eden and Josh and they continue healing and give their relationship a real shot. I think many teen readers will feel seen by the nonlinear progression of Eden's journey and be ultimately left with hope.

Some parts of the story did feel rushed and lacking in depth, but the pacing was quick, which will appeal to teen readers.

I may not have been the ideal audience for this considering I didn’t love (3/5 ⭐️ to its predecessor) but I was curious enough to continue Josh and Eden’s story. Unfortunately, this one didn’t do too much for me either. It also receives a rating of 3/5 ⭐️
The good:
Reads quickly, with short chapters
Dual perspectives worked well
Trial scene (won’t quote due to an ARC but her response to ‘Did you say no?’ is excellent)

The bad:
So much miscommunication- it was painful at points. Just talk to each other!
The ending doesn’t wrap much up at all. I feel like I’m missing the last 50 pages.
Overall, not a terrible continuation but I won’t call it a conclusion because nothing really gets wrapped up except the love arc.

I received a digital ARC through NetGalley in exchange for a review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a DRC of this title for review. All opinions are my own.

I'll get right to it; I loved this book. I saw a blurb for it, found book 1 in the duology, and was immediately hooked. In The Way I Used to Be we meet Eden and Josh. Eden is struggling with the aftermath of a sexual assault and Josh is part of her life after the attack. In this book, we see the characters shortly after where book 1 leaves off and it is perfection.

The plot, the depth into their story lines, their interactions, their love story, their growth, their struggles, it was all amazing. I couldn't put it down. Highly recommend.

This is exactly what I wanted in the follow up for The Way I used to Be. Although it did feel a bit rushed I did feel like it was a great ending.

4.5 stars

I was so excited to see that Eden's story continued and that she would get a second shot at a relationship with Josh. The content remained difficult to read about, as Eden continues to struggle in the aftermath of her rape. I also enjoyed that this book gave voice to Josh's POV. There was messiness in this one too, which was fitting for the characters, and I was happy they eventually got their HEA.