I had a friend recommend me this book because she really enjoyed it and it brought her out of her reading slump. So I knew I had to give it a try.

I really enjoyed this book. It isn’t my normal read but it was really good! I’m so glad I read outside of my comfort zone!

LOVE. One of my favorite authors and this was soooo good. I cannot wait for the author's next one. This one had it all - plot, characters, and feelings. Thank you to NetGalley and publisher.

Read this is if you want to be broken down...and slowly but surely put back together. As with the previous books I have read by her, Renee Carlino took me on a full rollercoaster ride of emotions. Divorce. Seconds chances. Rediscovering yourself. Love. Pain. It's all there. 4 stars.

Renee Carlino; just put a dagger through my heart why don’t you! Every book from you hurts more than the last, and THAT is why I love your books so much. This was a tearjerker and it caused me pain, but I love it.

Ugh wow I really don’t like the direction this book went in. I loved this author’s previous book “Before We Were Strangers” so I was looking forward to picking this up. The writing was good and it had strong, well developed characters. It also took place in the area of Los Angeles I grew up in, so that was a nice surprise. I just really didn’t enjoy the plot, especially the ending. It’s also supposed to be a second chance romance but I honestly don’t think these characters should’ve gotten back together? Overall it held my attention? But I’m disappointed and I don’t think I recommend.

Thanks netgalley and publisher for a chance to read this book.
I couldn’t put this book down but it was also very sad at the same time.

After twenty two years together. Danielle and Alex are getting a divorce. They have two teenage boys and they currently can’t stand each other.

They decide to split time between their house and an apartment.

This book was very honest and raw. I highly recommend it if you love Renee carlino’s books.

I will be thinking about this book for weeks. What a beautiful way to tell a heart wrenching story. I basically spent the last three chapters sobbing uncontrollably. It’s been a while since I read something that made me feel so deeply. From cover to cover This Used to Be Us was perfection and teaches readers that HEAs don’t necessarily need to be perfect. There is beauty and strength in showing the messy parts of love too.

Thank you to NetGalley, Random House Publishing and Renée Carlino for an early review copy. These are my honest thoughts.

This is my third book by this author and it was utterly impossible for me to put down. I was so grateful to receive an ARC from @dialpress but I also listened to some of this on audio and that worked out well because I wouldn't have been able to see the words through my tears in some parts of this story. I want to keep some of the plot a bit vague to avoid any spoilers for this one, but here's a bit of what it's about and why I was so moved by it:

- this is a story of a couple with 2 boys going through a divorce
- If you enjoyed a book like Kennedy Ryan's Before I Let Go that really gets into the nitty-gritty of how a relationship begins and heads toward an ending, you might enjoy this book
- The characters are lovingly handled, intimately described, and so very relatable. I particularly loved the female main character, Dani.
- This book is honest, gripping, heart wrenching, hopeful, inspirational (we do only have one life!), loving, tender, and special.
- there are some trigger warnings that I'd be happy to share but don't want to spoil anything so feel free to DM me!!

Long story short: this felt very worth my time even if it broke my heart too. It has been a while since I connected so viscerally to the characters in a book despite different life circumstances. I'm so grateful to my friend Jenna for reading this one shortly after me so that I had someone to discuss it with!!

I hate that waited so long to read this. I binged the whole thing in a day and it was absolutely heartbreakingly beautiful!

thank you netgalley for the e-arc. THIS is the adult romance i want and need where people communicate and have actual problems to sort out. i love how honest the characters were with eachother because instead of avoiding conflict, they went for it head on.

AMAZING!
gimme 14 of them.

this book was realistically beautiful.
i think every middle aged woman should read this one.
very rarely do authors get these types of books right but renee carlino absolutely killed it.

Ugh-This book started off strong. But, WHAT was the ending?! I was so bummed by it. The story follows Alex and Dani, a couple that have been together for twenty years. Their marriage has finally reached it's breaking point and the couple decide to divorce. To make things easier for everyone, they rent an apartment that they take turns staying at when one parent isn't with the kids in order to keep their children in the childhood home.

Listen, first of all Dani annoyed the heck out of me! WHY ARE YOU CRYING so much? Literally this chick cried constantly. Alex was just a jerk. Neither of them communicated well at all. Idk- I was a bit disappointed in this one. The end was just-abrupt!

I wasn’t ready for the heartbreak this story brings. It really unleashed a whirlwind of emotions for me. This is far from a light read; it's intense and be sure to check for any trigger warnings. And yes, you'll need a Costco-sized box of tissues.

This isn’t your typical love story. It's about losing yourself during a divorce and then rediscovering who you are beyond the roles of parent or spouse and understanding what initially drew you to each other. I found the characters incredibly relatable, as if I were witnessing someone I knew navigating this complex dynamic. Renee Carlino masterfully guides you through a profound emotional journey, making each feeling resonate deeply with every page. I only wish we could have seen more of Dani and Alex's younger selves and their initial romance. We got occasional glimpses, but their love story was so enchanting that I wanted more. Their passion was magnetic, even as they worked through their new reality post-divorce.
Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for the eARC.

My expectations were different based on other Carlino books that I have read. I can appreciate the realness and the raw truth that comes from two people when their marriage is falling apart. But this was just plain sad and depressing. I would have loved more flashbacks to temper the present day disgust these two characters felt for each other. Tough to get through for me.

Renee Carlino is an author I've been wanting to read more by (after only reading Blind Kiss), and having a few of them on my bookshelves. This Used to Be Us really caught my eye when I read the synopsis because I don't think I've ever read a book like this. Reading about a couple after they divorce after over 20 years of marriage.

Alex and Danielle just can't seem to get along anymore, and it seems to be a pile of things that just pushed them both too far. This Used to Be Us is told in dual POV and feels realistic and raw. I have to say at certain moments I didn't like either one of the main characters, and I felt that was fitting for this story. It was interesting see both of them try and get into a new normal after their divorce and all of their history. Add in some looking back at their marriage and happy moments, and I was really hoping they'd find each other again.

This Used to Be Us seemed to be heading in a direction I was expecting and then took a turn and hit me in all the feels. I can tell you I wasn't expecting to be tearing up as I finished this book. Renee Carlino has such a way with words and how she creates her characters, and I know I'll be thinking about Alex and Danielle for a very long time. One of my favorite elements was they way music played a role in this story. Music is an outlet for me, and I loved how it connected everything in this story.

This Used to Be Us is a book you should go in and experience for yourself because the journey of both characters is quite the read. I'll definitely catch up with Renee Carlino's backlist!

My review will also be posted on https://thebookdutchesses.com on September 28th.

I am a huge Renee Carlino fan and I'm so grateful for the opportunity to have read the ARC of This Used To Be Us. At times laugh-out-loud funny and at times rip-your-heart-out devastating, this is an honest look at a beautiful marriage and what happens when it falls apart.

Dani is a passionate, vibrant writer, wife and mother who wears her heart on her sleeve. Alex still loves Dani but struggles to show any emotion. They mutually decide to separate and co-parent their wise-beyond-their-years boys, but the logistics are much easier on paper. Dating disasters, miscommunication, and surprisingly hilarious brushes with the law become part of their everyday lives. Will their time apart show that not all seemingly perfect marriages are meant to last, or will it bring them back together?

Get ready with a box of tissues -or two- to devour this modern classic in one sitting. Music lovers will especially love the role that songs play throughout the timeline of Alex and Dani's relationship. Five stars and a big thank you to NetGalley.

I never go into books blind so I knew this was going to be an emotional read and it certainly delivers on that front, but what I loved most was the realness of the story and characters - Alex and Dani are characters that I felt like I could have known in real life . The writing and character development was great and I loved how memories of their early relationship were shared through music. As for the ending while I was prepared for it, it still surprised me. Also, I thought the ending was very rushed.

Overall, this was a great read that hooked me from start to finish.

I was thrilled to receive an advanced copy of Renee Carlino’s latest release, This Used to Be Us, especially after hearing such wonderful things about her previous book, Before We Were Strangers. However, I found this book to be quite disappointing. The story centers around a couple dealing with marital issues and divorce, and unfortunately, it felt like I was stuck in the middle of their constant fighting for the majority of the book. By the time I reached 60%, it was still all about the arguments, which became quite exhausting. The ending also left me baffled and unsatisfied. Overall, this book did not meet my expectations.

Thank you Netgalley, Random House Publishing Group - Random House | Dial Press Trade Paperback, and Renee Carlino for the eARC.

This Used to Be Us is out now.

Absolutely not!!!!! This was awful on so many levels. Toxic relationship taken to the next level. No. I can’t with good conscience even finish this book. It was a DNF

Possible spoilers……..

What a unique love story! It starts with a divorce, and the reader tries to figure out what happened along with the main characters, Dani & Alex. Why did they fall out of love? Where do they go from here? Now that they’ve grown apart, they have the ability to be more objective about themselves and the relationship. And maybe find their way back to each other.
I didn’t love the ending, but this is a love story, not a romance. I would still recommend this powerful, emotional story.