it's been a long time since I've gotten this emotional over a book. Dani and Alex have gotten to the point of almost hating each other the past 20 years and decide to split. It's over the course of their time apart that they remember the good times and start to question if the grass is really greener on the other side.

These characters felt like friends and their inner thoughts and feelings were almost too relatable and real to be a work of fiction. I can't remember the last time I laughed and cried in the same sitting with the same book. Be prepared to feel all of the feelings going into this, but once you are ready dive in. This story will be one that sticks with you for a while.

I’m not usually a fan of second chance romance but this was a beautiful story.

It’s the story of Alex and Dani, we flash back to memories that they had of building their life together and being in love and then to the present day and the unraveling of their love.

This is a story of what happens to two people when they let life get in the way and stop fighting for their love. With reminders of memories written on the vinyl sleeve.

I loved every second of this book, the end was a stab to the heart.

“You don’t have to keep up, just have to stay in the right place. A place where I can always find you. That’s what home is.”

Alex and Dani are something special. I have never experienced a divorce but felt that this is a dual POV raw and honest look through the journey of divorce and life after. Parts of Alex and Dani definitely pull at your heart strings but I enjoy the balance of Dani’s sarcastic personality. This was my second read from Renee and she has become an auto-buy author for me. Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for the ARC.

Thank you Netgalley & Dial Press Trade Publishing for an eARC 💔

I thought I was prepared for this book, but oh boy, was I wrong. Renee Carlino has woven a tale that will shatter your heart into a million pieces.💔

Dani and Alex's story is a gut-wrenching portrayal of love, loss, and the harsh realities of marriage. I found myself sobbing uncontrollably as I turned the pages, feeling every shred of their pain and heartache.

Their journey is a cruel reminder that love isn't always enough, and that sometimes, even our deepest connections can be torn apart by the very things that once brought us together.

I felt like I was eavesdropping on their most intimate moments, witnessing the slow unraveling of their relationship. My heart broke for them, for the love they once shared, and for the fragments of their shattered dreams.

The ending absolutely shattered me. I'm talking ugly crying, can't-catch-my-breath, feeling-like-I've-been-run-over-by-a-truck shattered. It's been a long time since a book has left me feeling so emotionally drained, so utterly devastated.

Renee Carlino has crafted a masterpiece that will haunt me for a long time. If you're ready to have your heart shattered, then step into Dani and Alex's world. But be warned: their story will stay with you long after you finish reading, lingering in your mind like a ghost.

I have been a big fan of Renée Carlino’s novels for almost 10 years. This Used to Be Us is breathtaking and tear inducing. Carlino’s writing will have you wanting to know what happens next and then you can’t put the book down.

Dani and Alex’s story is gut wrenching. I cried and cheered them on as it follows their divorce after 20 plus years. It depicts the hardships of marriage in a beautiful way.

▪️𝘦𝘮𝘰𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘥𝘢𝘮𝘢𝘨𝘦
▪️𝘴𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦
▪️𝘮𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘤𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘪𝘴
▪️𝘴𝘰 𝘮𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘢𝘥𝘶𝘭𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨

talk about emotional fcking whiplash, carlino has this beautiful ability to wreck you but also make you fall so hard in love. this book shows us a couple who’s been together for over 20 years and while there is still love there, there is so many more emotions that get in the way of their relationship. this book wasn’t a fairytale, it was real and raw and emotional. highly recommend🩷
thank you @netgalley and the publisher for my eARC!

This Used to Be Us is a story about loss of faith in yourself and your spouse. It is also the story of true love-the kind that never dies. At first, both MCs drove me crazy with all the bickering and sarcasm, but then, I started seeing myself in Dani, and it ended up being a super eyw opening experience for me. It is hard to say more without giving away major plot lines. Was the story jam-packed with exciting stuff, not particularly. It had some highs and lows and kept me riveted to the pages.

I feel utterly heartbroken. I hate writing trigger warnings because I feel like they are such spoilers, but I didn’t expect this and will just say this is some kind of bittersweet happily ever after that has left me feeling utterly unhappy.

I always love Renee Carlinos words and read This Used to Be Us in almost one sitting, so that still holds true, but this might be my least fav and I wish I could re-write a different end haha.

Alex and Dani were so relatable and reading their fights was spot on from my own history. Renee did a super great job writing a realistic marriage just dripping with resentment.

Thanks for the arc Random House and NetGalley.

This is a very real adult romance - emotional and raw. It's about Dani and Alex, a couple who have been married for twenty-two years and are on the verge of a divorce. When they can't take it anymore and counseling is not helping, they decide to divorce, but apartment share while the other takes care of their two boys.

It shows the real side of marriage and divorce and the issues that come with it. How do they date others when they are each so involved in the other's life? This also shows, in both Alex and Dani's POV, their thoughts on their marriage and what went wrong.

It was looking like a five-star read until the ending. I just didn't get it. The family was all coming together to just tear them all apart. It felt rushed and not necessary to the kind of story this was, an added angst that didn't fit the story. I enjoyed it up until that point.

Thank you to Dial Press and NetGalley for an advanced readers copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This was my second read from Renee and I really enjoy her style. This book had me in my feels. Still trying to recover from the ending which kept it from being a perfect read for me. Still will continue to read more from her though!

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for the advanced copy!

Wow, what a heartbreaking book. Renee Carlino knows how to write such real and authentic characters and stories. The book opens with Dani and Alex separating/divorcing after a 20 years together. We see them navigating this new normal with their two boys. Both Dani and Alex trying to figure out how to live without each other. I am big fan of second chance books and I was so invested in their story and what would happen. The writing was so spectacular and beautiful. I got so attached to Dani and Alex and their story. I loved the aspect of music and how it played such an important part in the story and in Dani and Alex’s lives. Truly such a beautiful and heart wrenching story. I highly recommend even though it destroyed me emotionally.

Thanks again to NetGalley and Random House for the advanced copy!

This is not your typical romance novel. It is raw, vulnerable, and heartbreaking. Renée Carlino taps into every possible stage of a relationship and she left me sobbing.

Alex and Dani have been together for more than twenty years. They were once very much in love. They did all the things people in love do - they got married, had children, shared a home, built a life. Sadly, that love was not enough. Alex and Dani can barely coexist and their marriage is crumbling.

Through a series of reflections, mostly tied to music, we bear witness to the highs and lows of their relationship. We see how it blossomed and how it slowly, ever so slowly, disintegrated. But, can a love that powerful ever truly die? THIS USED TO BE US invites us on a realistic journey of love, marriage, and divorce. It’s powerful in its truthfulness. Grab the tissues. I wish someone would have warned me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for the opportunity to read an advance copy of this book in exchange for my unbiased review.

(2.5⭐️) It has been a while since a book ending has made me as frustrated as this one did - like “throw my Kindle down on the bed after reading the last page” frustrated🙃

I’ve read and enjoyed other books by Renee Carlino, and was looking forward to this one, but from the beginning it just didn’t click for me. I knew this book was about a couple divorcing and (potentially) finding their way back to each other, but their level of nastiness towards one another at the beginning was a big turn off for me, and it felt kind of hard to come back from.

As the story progressed, I did enjoy seeing the growth the MCs made, and the realizations they came to while figuring things out individually. Things were messy and flawed and real, and I could appreciate that representation (even though they both kept making questionable decisions). This would’ve been a 3 or 3.5 star for me if the book had continued that way, but then the last 20 minutes of the book came. I cannot tell you how I felt reading those last few chapters except for resigned to the fact that the book was ruined for me by what was going on.

I can see why other people may have loved this book, but it was a no from me.

This book is GOLD.

It was a hard book to read, mostly because it was so incredibly sad. It is NOT a Romance, but it does tell a love story.

I found the characters - Alex and Dani - incredibly well developed. I loved the story development, and listen, I may be one of the few reviewers who understand and accept the ending - as absolutely heart breaking as it is. It was necessary for the story, for the "HEA" and for the characters.

I've read almost every Renee Carlino book - and while this wasn't my favourite simply because it's so sad, it was still incredibly well written. I would absolute recommend it only if you're in the right emotional state to read it. I think there should be a trigger warning at the beginning, and a reader beware that the writing is so good that YOU WILL FEEL these characters emotions.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House/Dial Press for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Anyone who has been married for more than 20 years likely will recognize at least some of the issues and sentiments that have sent Dani and Alex toward divorce. Oddly, once the decision has been made, they begin to find themselves circling one another again. There are two sides to every marriage and Carlino manages to make the reader see that. Is this a second chance romance? Not telling, Know that the ending is, shall we say, disconcerting. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A good read.

This book was wonderfully heartbreaking. It tells the story of Alex & Danielle's marriage. And their divorce.

Reading from both perspectives really makes a mark, because you not only read how they're feeling, but I swear you can feel it too. Alex is hurting. Dani is hurting. And you, the reader will be hurting for them too. The author did a fantastic job telling this story.

It was a raw, beautiful, and loving story of a marriage that fell apart. I'd definitely recommend it!!

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This was a rollercoaster full of emotions. I’m still not sure if I loved it or not (the emotions I felt, not the book, the book I loved). A lot has literally happened in this book and I’m still processing everything. It was too much and not enough at the same time. I sympathize with both Alex and Dani. At first you sort of can pick sides but eventually you’re just like… how could I??? They both had their reasons. I didn’t want to finish the book because of what transpired near the end. How could you end a book like that??? It was so cruel. But at least, despite everything, it was still a happy ending? Yes, a question mark. I’m still processing it lol.

Where to even begin with this one. I picked it up one evening and I didn’t put it down until I was done. It was worth staying up until 2am because I was well and truly wrecked by the end. Swipe for a live look at me circa 2am last Thursday morning.

First and foremost, if you’re looking for a happy book - this is not it. But it did give such a good representation of young love, parenting and adjusting to life after divorce. Every single character was flawed in some way and you get to see the best and worst sides of a marriage that slowly unraveled over the years. Slowly, we see Dani and Alex tried to forgive and move forward in their lives.

IT. HURT. ME. Physical and emotional pain was inflicted - how carlino can make you feel SO many emotions in the span of 350 pages is a gift. This is my first of her books and it will absolutely not be my last.

Read this if you like:
🌺AFTER I DO by Taylor Jenkins Reid
🌺realistic relationships
🌺strong FMC’s
🌺complex family dynamics
🌺flawed characters

The emotional queen is back in this marriage in trouble drama!

Danielle and Alex had a very successful marriage. Now, they've drifted apart and started the divorce process. But as they start their journey of co-parenting, they start to realize that the person they once loved is still there.

This one needs the tissues! Here's what I liked:

The angst of it all. Carlino writes stories that always pull out the angst, I felt for Danielle and I felt for Alex. I wanted then together but could also clearly see why they weren't. Watching them move on gutted me though. But seeing them have a life outside of their marriage was also beautiful.

The kids. I loved their kids. I thought they were so level headed and honestly amazing kids. They added a little something to the story, grounding it.

The only thing that I wasn't a super fan of was the ending. But, I can see why she went in the direction she did. It was just very, very sad, so be prepared.

Thank you to the author and publisher for the gifted copy!

I was fully expecting to thoroughly enjoy this book but it turned out to be a complete and utter disappointment. It is so poorly written that the great story simmering below the surface never manages to make its way out.