“Some things never change. Who would want them to?”

This book had me hooked from page one!!
Everything pulls you in. The characters, Dani and Alex, are both so relatable and felt 100% real. The setting was done so well! The premise behind this was great!

The way Renee weaved past events with the present… just flawless. Truly chefs kiss. Everything about this book surprised me.

I truly didn’t expect it to be so many amazing things. These perfectly placed moments with a great balance of humor. The humor really sent me for a spin because even just reading the synopsis you wouldn’t think this one would be so funny. But it is. Also Dani. Just wow. Well done Renee! Absolutely loved her!!!! Renee truly writes amazing characters.

I can’t tell you the last time I cried throughout a book! So many things hit you hard in the chest. Had to keep stopping to gather myself.

”It sounds like the music you would hear in heaven. This is the moment that represents exactly what love is to me. You look up and smile again.”

I spent 90% of this book thinking “Wow! I’m really about to finish my first 5 star read of the year!!” only to LEGITIMATELY turn the page, hit 91% and things changed immediately.

At one point while reading I marked an update something like “I know how this is going to end and I don’t even care!”, and I meant it. I thought I knew where everything was headed (which would usually piss me off), but I didn’t care. I wanted it!!

The last 9% of this book though... Just why?! Why?! How can something truly go from being absolute perfection… to whatever this ending was. It felt like a completely different book.

Really just wanted something else. Even if it wasn’t the ending I had thought it would be, almost anything else would have been better.

We were so close to 5 stars with this one, sadly I just can’t look past that ending.

THIS USED TO BE US is the perfect example of what I could want in a romance. There was so much angst, tension, history, love, and emotional depth between Dani and Alex in this marriage-in-crisis story that I had to read it in two sittings. After 22 years together and married yet never felt so distant from one another, Dani and Alex have decide there is no way back to each other and must navigate their newly divorced life while raising their two sons.

The author's writing is incredibly believable, real and layered that it has a way of pulling so much emotion out of me when reading her work. I greatly admired and appreciated the dual point of view and getting in the mind of both characters. And how in the end, divorce is what saves their marriage. Grateful to have witnessed Dani and Alex's beautiful, heartbreaking/heartfelt love and their story.

Much gratitude to Random House Publishing Group and NetGalley for the arc in exchange for my honest review.

As soon as I read the synopsis of “This Used to Be Us”, I knew I had to read it. I ended up reading it in one day - I just could not put it down.

While this is wildly personal, I related more to this book than anything I have ever read. Dani’s thoughts, fears, and reactions to her marriage and divorce are ones I have felt personally. Excerpts that I could have sworn were plucked straight out of my own memories.

Renee Carlino is masterful in creating the most heartbreakingly beautiful stories with the most relatable characters.

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House Publishing for the opportunity to read this ARC.

Music prompts memories and the emotions surrounding that certain period of time. That is why at first her father and then Dani carried on the tradition of writing on the record covers of how that one moment, that one lyric encapsulated all of the emotional connection surrounding it. It told the story of Dani and Alex's lives. A story at the beginning that they had forgotten. Dani was Times New Roman. Bold and fearless, she charged ahead with life and was passionate about her family and what she wanted. She was undeterred on her path. Therefore, she perceived Alex's calmness as weakness and he simply lacked emotional empathy. He constantly stonewalled her. It led to the demise of their relationship and eventual divorce. They no longer heard nor saw each other. The brightness faded. However, in going out there alone, they were the loneliest they ever felt even when they were totally separate physically and emotionally as a couple. It is only with her diagnosis and understanding of the finality of time, that they realized that the most important thing is to love and love fiercely. Fight for the family you have created. It is worth more than any Emmy. It is the story that is written on the album that demonstrates the underlying love. Dani deserved the dramatic ending of being part of fireworks as her fire never diminished. They ended up being lovelove6.

Marriage in crisis is starting to become a fave of mine. A happy ending is never guaranteed. And yes, I'm not quite sure what that says about me and/or my marriage. ​​​​​​​​
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I have noticed now that my couple friends' kids are school-aged and we find ourselves turning 40 and entering mid-life, divorces are starting to happen at an increased frequency. Couples that have been together 10+ years are splitting up and 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗨𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝗧𝗼 𝗕𝗲 𝗨𝘀 could be their story with all the pain, emotions, and vulnerability.​​​​​​​​
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Danielle and Alex are no different. After 22 years of marriage, they are call it quits. Kids are keeping the house and they are rotating in a nesting apartment. Moving on comes with new challenges, ones I honestly hadn't considered. ​​​​​​​​
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Thank you to Jesse (@exercise_read_repeat) for pushing this one up my TBR. It's a 5 star in my book. My heart still aches thinking about it.​​​​​​​​
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DETAILS: Renee Carlino // 368 pages // July 9, 2024 // Gifted: @randomhouse @thedialpress

Dani and Alex have been together for 22 years. Parents of two teenage boys. As it sometimes happens, they stop communicating. Stop being there for each other. Instead of uprooting the boys, they opt to get an apartment and swap it with each other on the days they don’t have their boys.

In this apartment, they each come to realize what’s been missing.

I’m going to leave it there. Go in blind with just that much. Their story will make you laugh, want to smack both of them, and make you cry. Pick it up when you can read it in one sitting. You will not want to put it down.

Did I binge this in two sittings? Absolutely. What an honour and a privilege it is to have received an ARC for my anticipated read of the year — still pinching myself considering this is my first ARC ever! Renée has always been the queen of writing second chance romance, This Used To Be Us specifically includes my guilty pleasure subplot being mariage in trouble.

This book was a long time coming — I remember exactly when it was first hinted at and then announced. All this to say, I was extremely excited! With no surprise, Renée outdoes herself time and time again. She perfectly depicted a couple that simply do not make each other happy anymore. So much built-up resentment and miscommunication accumulated to the point of no return — to the point where neither of them wanted to put in an effort anymore. At the same time, as readers, we see aspects of Alex and Dani’s past that point towards unconditional love — that you want the other person to be happy even if they don’t end up with you. That’s what hurt the most. Seeing each of them let go of the other, not because they didn’t love each other, but they wanted happiness for the other person. Another point of the story was understanding that it’s impossible for one person to be your everything, something that I grapple with. It was so difficult to not read between the lines and notice so many small pieces of sentiments and admiration behind their words, even when angry.

As a long time Renée Carlino fan, I noticed many similarities to her personal life and made me question how much of it inspired the book. As always, Renée has an ear for good music — to the point where my inner music snob feel threatened. In this book, her passion for music bleeds through the pages. The love language of writing on the vinyl sleeves, being passed down from generation to generation, was so beautiful. Especially the effortlessness of being transported back into a part of the past through songs. I viewed these vinyl notes as their “marriage survival kit” — a reminder of what they had.

I love seeing Renée’s passion for music exemplified within all her stories in such a way that’s unique to her. Thanks to Before We Were Strangers, I discovered Jeff Buckley and found one of the best written albums of all time.

The story made me sob uncontrollably and made me question when I’d meet my Alex. With such a solid foundation for the first 90% of it, I was devastated in a disappointed way when reaching the last 3 chapters. It reminded me of Renée’s other book, Wish You Were Here; however, the “plot twist” was presented much earlier (not at the 90% mark) which warranted its inclusion in the story.

I think the story should have ended with a more climatic reconciliation and resolution between Alex and Dani — working through their issues. I do resonate with the idea that you have to lose something to realize what you have. However, Alex and Dani were lucky enough to have a second time finding each other, begging the question why did they have to go through all of that for it be taken away so easily?

Overall, I think the ending was very out of context and outside the realm of possible outcomes for this particular story. It was unnecessary. An alternative ending may have been better able to demonstrate the moral of the story, perhaps through more introspection and character developmental on each of Alex and Dani’s parts. If a story is done properly, a momental life-changing event does not need to be added within a story to elicit a reaction upon its readers — it’s done through words. This story was exceptional and even a day later, I can’t stop thinking about it. I just think if a book is built-up with such emotional depth, the addition of the plot twist was random and out of place. I would say do not go into this expecting a HEA, despite the beautiful life morals — an aspect I crave in romance novels.

Thank you SOOO much NetGalley, Random House Publishing, and the wonderfully talented Renée Carlino. I feel like the luckiest gal in the world and will truly never forget this.

Thank you NetGalley & Random House for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. This review is also posted on Goodreads.

If there are only two things Renée Carlino can do, it is write the hell out of a second chance romance & make me sob. My favorite romance book is Carlino's 'Before We Were Strangers'. I had HIGH hopes going into this read, and I was not disappointed.

Alex and Dani have been married 22 years when they decide it's finally time to divorce. The last five years of their marriage has been strenuous, and they feel like they're strangers who hate each other. Trying to do what's best for their two teenage boys, Alex and Dani decide to trade off days in their family home and share a nesting apartment.

Alex is a successful physical therapist who is trying to rediscover himself in the dating world after the divorce. Dani is a successful TV writer who is working on clawing her way back into show business with a new show idea. While they're both in and out of the nesting apartment, it's here that they really start to process why their marriage didn't work.

Over the span of months, we follow Alex and Dani as they traverse what it's like to be single and to date, how they're figuring things out for their boys, and ultimately how they realize that the love they have for each other will never go away.

Their love is messy, it has its traumatic moments, there's a LOT to fix, but it's beautiful in the end. Just like her other books, Carlino packs in SO MUCH emotion in the fast paced story. By the end, you'll be reaching for the Kleenex and wishing you weren't crying your makeup off at 7am. This was perfect and I love her!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Renee Carlino does it again! I’ve been waiting patiently for another novel and she delivered impeccably. This novel of realistic romance was heart wrenching. The character development, emotions, conflict and the raw reality of the storyline was gripping. I laughed. I cried. I resonated. I didn’t want to read the last page because I knew it was over.

Getting married isn’t the hard part. Staying married through trauma, illness, death, raising children, careers and etc. is. This hit deep. Thank you Renee for gifting the world this beautiful novel.

Thank you also to NetGalley & Dial Press for the ARC.

This was my first book by this author and I was not sure what to expect. Renee Carlino's writing is very easy to read, her dialogue with realistic, and I found myself nodding along with her depiction of life as parents of tweens balancing professional and personal lives. I could see, even with all the anger between the ML and FL, that they loved each other deeply and would find their way back to each other. I also loved the characters' relationships with their sons. I would definitely read another story from this author, after I recover from the emotional roller coaster of this book.

"This Used to Be Us" by Renee Carlino @reneecarlino1 is a heartfelt story that delivers on all fronts, evoking a whirlwind of frustration, tears, and ultimately, happiness. Carlino masterfully crafts a tale that resonates deeply with its readers, navigating through the complexities of life, love, and loss. The characters feel so real, their struggles so palpable, that you can't help but be drawn into their world. As they confront their pasts and navigate uncertain futures, you'll find yourself rooting for them, crying with them, and ultimately celebrating their triumphs. Carlino's writing is poignant and moving, capturing the essence of human emotion with exquisite detail. "This Used to Be Us" is a captivating read that will stay with you long after you've turned the final page. I highly recommend this book to others who appreciate narratives that capture the true essence of life's trials and tribulations.

I really struggled with getting through this book, it was tough. Although there were redeeming moments later on, the beginning was just not it for me. I could not stand Alex or Danielle. Their actions throughout were just horrendous. Danielle was over the top, dramatic, and just a complete you know what. I was almost glad that Alex was divorcing her. Alex was not better at all either. I understand why he acted the way he did because of Danielle but he needed to take ownership of his actions as well. It was all very immature. This was just not my cup of tea and I really couldn't connect with the characters or accept the working on things because of how they were from the beginning.

Danielle and Alex, who have been together for twenty-two years, are getting a divorce. Instead of having the kids move between two homes, they decide to share an apartment while swapping days with their sons. In this new space, they reflect on their past, rediscovering themselves and even dating again. Despite their attempts to move on, they find themselves drawn back to each other.

I wasn't a fan of both mcc. Danielle and Alex had their flaws, and they both played a role in what happened to their relationship. I saw more of their negative aspects and not enough of why they truly loved each other. This story felt like it dragged on for a while, and then when it finally got to the heartbreaking part, it was over in just three short chapters. It would have been better if that heartbreaking moment were given more time to really sink in.

Even though I didn't enjoy this book, I found myself reading it quickly.

Renee Carlino knows how to create raw and real characters that hook you into the story right from the start. After reading Before We Were Strangers, I immediately knew I had to read “This Used To Be Us.”

What I loved:
- The meaning of the story. Everyone faces difficulty and indifferences in their relationship, but it’s important to hold on to the love that you share between you and your special someone.
- The characters. They felt so real, and it made me really sympathize for them and their situation. Not only does Renee manage to create such great main characters with tons of depth, she also knows how to write side characters that keep your interest. I found myself not only caring about the story between Dani and Alex but also wanting to know how this would affect the side characters within the book.
- The banter between Dani and Alex. It was apparent that a connection still remained between them. At times their indifferences toward one another left me frustrated, but I still held out hope that they would come to their senses.

I think if there would have been a past and present timeline rather than just quickly mentioning moments from their past that I would have rated it even higher. I really would have loved to have seen more of them falling in love when they were younger. However, Danielle and Alex’s love story pulled on my heartstrings nonetheless.

I couldn’t put this book down and finished it in a few sittings. Once I hit the 60% mark, I stayed up until midnight to see what was going to happen because my heart couldn’t take not knowing. I was sad to see this book come to an end, but Carlino wrapped it up so beautifully. It’s safe to say that I’m going to read anything Renee Carlino writes.

Thank you so much to Netgalley and Random House Publishing for the opportunity to read an arc of this book.

I love Renee Carlino so I instantly jumped at the chance to read this! For the majority of the book, it felt a bit slow but that was fitting with what was happening with the couple over time. Renee does such a great job making these characters believable. I could picture my husband and myself in the same situation - how would we handle these things, I'd like to think we would be like them. The book seems like it will end rather anticlimactically but that is so far from the truth - prepare to be shattered in the last 10%.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

All the stars for this book. Renee Carlino has cemented her place as one of, if not, my favorite author. Her writing is so beautiful. I read this book in one sitting. When I hit the 70% mark, I resolved to the fact that I would be up well into the night reading. Alex and Dani's story was heartbreaking, beautiful, and oh so real. I rooted for them, while event at times I was frustrated with both of them. I am not over this book and will be thinking about it for a very long time.

I have loved nearly every book by Renee Carlino, but this one, was not for me. I'm in the minority I see according to the reviews.

I'm always so excited for a new release from Renee, so when I saw this on Netgalley I jumped at it.

It started off ok for me, but then it kinda dragged out. It seemed like alot of the chapters were fillers about just general life things. Dani and Alex were not that memorable to me. They both kinda irritated me. Perhaps it was the topic of the story. Divorce, everyday mundane life and then dying. I felt the story dragged out and then when it should of been heart breaking it was done in 3 chapters that were very short.

I will forever be a fan of Rennes writing, the old saying is true....."You can't love them all"

Thanks to Randome House Publishing and Netgalley for the advanced copy.

Experience the intricate dynamics of love, marriage, and divorce in this emotionally charged narrative. After twenty-two years, Danielle and Alex are navigating the complexities of their breakup, opting for a unique approach to co-parenting.

The storytelling by Renee Carlino, in her first book for me, took me on an intense emotional journey. Dani's character resonated with me, showcasing a rare and unapologetic display of emotions. Alex also captured my heart. Despite unfortunate circumstances, the characters exhibit resilience, making this a tale of genuine people persevering. The ending lingers, leaving a profound impact. For a poignant reminder of love's essence and its manifestations, this book is a must-read.

A HUGE Thank you to NetGalley, Random House Publishing, and Renee Carlino for this poignant narrative.

Dani and Alex loved each other but cannot stand each other anymore. They’re getting divorced and learned how to stay a family for their kids.
I loved how they finally saw the other one was right during their wedding but didn’t acknowledge it at the time.
They’re still in love and still learning.
Dani is amazing! Loved her record collection, such a sweet idea.
And of course because it’s Renée Carlino, I cried.

I don’t think this author could write a book I didn’t love—even when it breaks my heart. Every book has resonated with me and has made me ugly cry. I love all of her music references in the stories. She just writes beautifully and I will always auto-buy any book she writes.

I absolutely loved Alex and Dani’s story. Their love story was just beautiful—the good and the bad. Their banter was my favorite part. This story was raw and felt very real. It was witty, charming, happy, sad, funny—just pure perfection. The worst part about reading a book you love is that it ends. I am just not ready to let go of their story. All the characters were as if they were your own friends and family. I just adored this book.