It's been over 20 years since Archaeologists Kate Roth and Ben first met each other. Throughout the years they have met at various engagements for their profession, always being drawn to each other and interested in each other, but with one or the other of them always being attached to a partner, they could only ever be friends. Now they are in their 40's, and with Kate being abandoned by her girlfriend, she feels that the best thing to do would be to run away to help her friend, Viking Ben, at his dig site, taking a break from her life and enjoying a relationship that has taken decades in the making.

I really like this book. I like that they are middle aged. That Ben is overweight and insecure. That he has a bad back and grey hair. I like that she has stretch marks and is going through menopause. But what I love is what I learned about archeology, but also, I loved the way their relationship evolved. I loved their love for each other, the way they saw past the superficial things about each other and supported each other and were able to find each other and make a relationship together even beyond a time when most books would be written about a couple. I love that this was written about a couple in their 40's with a lifetime of baggage and not a couple with perfect bodies and passionate drama in their 20's. I normally don't like romance novels, but this was sweet, and it made me feel good to read. I enjoyed this book immensely.

Reeling from an awful breakup, the last thing Kate expected was an email from an old colleague offering her a great opportunity. She’s initially reluctant to accept; she had a huge crush on Ben when they studied together, and those feelings never quite disappeared. After all, Ben has a wife and daughter. He’s happily married and has his life together, while she on the other hand has been self-medicating as she tries to process being ghosted by her ex.

With the urging of her best friend, Kate accepts.

Despite what Kate thinks, Esben, Ben to his friends, does not have his life together in any way shape or form. His ex-wife is trying to break their custody agreement, and his daughter Frida seems to want nothing to do with him. As for being happy; Ben can’t remember the last time he’s felt that. He’s been struggling with depression for a long time, and combined with chronic back pain and body image issues it’s a whole complicated mess. He’s a complex mess that no woman could ever find attractive.

So what on earth was he thinking when he invited Kate to fill the open teaching spot at his field school this summer?!

He’s had feelings for her since they studied together twenty-three years ago, but when their study camp ended, Kate had started a relationship with someone else. Ben’s determined to keep their relationship professional.

Completely unaware of how the other feels and has felt all this time, both Kate and Ben start to rebuild their friendship while trying to hide the messy and painful parts of their lives.

Even If We’re Broken by A. M. Weald is exactly how I like my romance; raw, genuine and filled with representation. I came for the chronic illness and mental health representation, but I adored all the BIPOC, LGBTQIA+ and cultural representation in the book. None of it felt forced, I want to emphasise that. Weald listed the full LGBTQIA+ representation on her Instagram;

Kate (MC): bisexual
Clara (Kate’s BFF): lesbian
Felicity (Clara’s wife): trans, lesbian
Sam (Kate’s student): nonbinary, pansexual
Jorunn (Ben’s BFF): lesbian
Alex (Ben & Jorunn’s colleague): gay man
Zoe (Alex’s student): pansexual
Nikki (Kate’s ex): lesbian
Rio (Alex’s husband): gay man
Sylvi (Jorunn’s wife): bisexual
Spoiler: questioning

Even if I didn’t already know that this was written by an author with lived experiences, I would have recognised it as one. It isn’t just Weald’s attention to detail as someone living with chronic and mental health conditions, it’s the content she has included. With a title like Even If We’re Broken, you’d expect a book to go into the painful parts of the characters’ pasts. The synopsis says as much, right? But I’ve seen other books promise the same and then not deliver.

The huge difference is Weald’s lived experience, and it is clear that she’s poured her entire heart into this book. From the scenes about fat shaming from medical professionals and past partners, to finding the right medication and the difficulty in doing physio exercises alone when you’re in pain. Every single thing is perfectly nuanced. My heart was in my throat, and tears in my eyes so many times. This isn’t an easy read at times, but it is a cathartic one.

There is also joy and humour with Weald’s characters, even the dodgy professor, coming to life in full-blown colour. The dialogue is great, as is the pacing, and seeing people find their people is always wonderful. Even If We’re Broken is one of those books that had me feeling so many things, and it’s hard to put into words. So rather than start keyboard smashing, I’m just going to keep it simple; read this book.

The love story between Kate and Esben was so satisfying to witness, as it was witnessing their personal growth. The story was relatable and palpable. It had me all kinds of emotional over totally made-up people.

The way this book was written? I gobbled it up and I still want more. Weald can write and they showed us they could. The way they described and delved into emotions and their characters's thoughts was insanely good and despite me not knowing a single thing about archeology, I adored this book so much I struggle to explain why.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing an ebook copy of this!
Unfortunately this did not hit nearly as much as I thought it would. I liked the archeological aspect of the story and related to the body-image issues the characters struggled with. I also liked the relationship between Esben and his daughter as it reminded me of the one I have with my own father.
All of this being said, I could not for the life of me bring myself to care about what happened in this book. I forced myself to finish it and unfortunately the only thing it left me with is a reading slump.

The first chapter mentions a trowel injury, Australopithecus, and Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds. This might be the first time I’ve picked up an archaeology romance and actually felt like someone in archaeology wrote it.

The details to this book. So much archaeology nostalgia but also the layers put into the characters like strata. Weald makes the reader into an archaeologist digging deeper into the character’s lives. It’s definitely a slow burn but worth digging into.

As a kid I loved archaeology and I still find it really fascinating, so combine that with a second-chance-at-love trope and it's a no-brainer for me to want to read the resulting book, even if the protagonists are fifteen+ years older than me.

I did indeed struggle a bit with relating to the two main characters because I'm in my early/mid twenties, so their experiences still seem very distant to me in terms of academia, relationships, kids and aging. I knew that going into the book, so it's not like I wasn't prepared for this kind of disconnect, but it did inhibit the way I experienced the story.

However, the setting gave me summer camp vibes and the plot was super easy to follow along, so it was an enjoyable read for me nevertheless.

And oh my god the casual representation of queer (bi, lesbian, non-binary) characters as well as both mental (depression, anxiety, PTSD, body image issues) and physical health issues was everything! I loved how well all of these topics were included in the plot and how respectfully and lovingly they were discussed between most of the characters. It did irk me a little that we had almost only lesbian/bi female characters and none that were ace or demi, but that's just me wishing for more representation of myself and not any kind of real criticism.

All in all, this was a good read that I think I will want to return to when I'm older and better able to relate to these characters and understand what they're going through on a deeper level.

3.5/5 stars.

perfectly shown here, but this realness makes you feel so much more than some cliche perfect romance. You really live with the characters and their struggles, theres so much real talk of real issues, theres awesome communication. I really really enjoyed reading this. Its incredibly well written.

Thank you to netgalley and the author for sending me the book in exchange for an honest review

This was a very interesting approach to second-chance romance and I appreciate the focus on mental health. I didn't connect with the characters or the story as much as I hoped, though. I don't think the writing style worked for me in that regard, but I see value in this story and the way it explored what it's like to struggle with different mental health issues and still build a relationship, which can be difficult on its very own, and support one another in your healing.

Overall, a solid story, especially for a debut. 3.5 stars.

This is beautiful and stunning love story. I really don’t know how to put into words how completely captivating this was. This touches on many difficult topics, but they were all done with such care. This was a joy to read.

Smart. Emotive. And engaging. Like the archeologists revealing their finds, this multi-layered novel is more than I thought. If you are looking for a thought-provoking Romantic fiction, this is easy to recommend. (I saw this talked about on Twitter and picked it up via NetGalley as an advanced reader.) I’m going to recommend it to my book club.

Two broken, equally anxious, introverts meet again after twenty years apart.
Would this finally be the right time for them to be together?

Honestly, I was ready to fight if these two couldn't find a way to each other. Burning Norway to the ground, killing an awful ex-partner, paying for their research… anything for these beautiful souls to finally be with someone who understands their pain and fragilities.
By the way, this is what I mean when I say that fictional characters over 40s should be portrayed as actual adults, and not horny teenagers who never grow in their skin.

One of the many messages that can be found is that people who go to therapy understand that they need it because of people who thought they didn't need it. In other words: therapy for everyone!
And this story does feel like it: free therapy. More than that, it's the feeling of being heard, seen, understood as very few people - if any - can do; individuals with mental illnesses are more prone to recognize it, but it doesn't happen every day to see on paper what’s going on in your mind, and understanding that you’re not alone.

May you be drawn by the archaeology parts - still my dream job - or by your gut telling they have a good feeling about this story, “Even If We’re Broken” is the most heartwarming slow burn you'll have the chance to witness this year, with just the right amount of suffering and realization on the way.

Thanks to Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op and NetGalley, who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest opinion.

ARC REVIEW (Thanks NETGALLEY!)

Do I speak Norwegian? No
Do I know anything about anthropology? Also, no
But I still requested and enjoyed this book.

23 years ago, Kate and Ben meet at an anthropology dig and spend the summer together. Ben is smitten, Kate was as well but homie never made a move and Kate got distracted by a shiny girl. They’d kept in slight contact through social media and their work. 20 something years later they’re back together again at another dig site but a lot has changed for both of them.

Although sad, and let’s be honest prob hit a little close to home. Ben and Kate’s brewing relationship was honest, organic, and sweet.

Rating: 4/5 stars

Bioarchaeologist Kate Roth can't seem to catch a break in relationships and the latest one really throws her for a loop - she's ghosted. Apparently even over 40s still take the low road. In an effort to turn over a new leaf and heal, she accepts a position to teach university students at a dig site from - surprise! - an old friend and former colleague, Esben "Ben" Veholt, who she hasn't seen since they were students together over twenty years ago. As it turns out, Ben's going through some romantic and familial troubles of his own. When one of his current colleagues drops out of the dig and Kate's name shows up in the list of recommended replacements, it has to be a sign...right?

'Even If We're Broken' tells us that it's okay to not be okay, but when you aren't, you don't have to be alone. Kate and Ben both struggle through their sadness and trauma separately but with the support of loved ones and a welcoming a fresh set of eyes that can give a new perspective, we can learn along with them that we shouldn't put so much stock into what others think about us. Facing heartbreak and grief in life is inevitable but as long as you're willing to hold your head above water and ask for a lifeline then you'll always find your way back to happiness, contentment, and love, from yourself and others, in the end.

Thank you to A. M. Weald and the Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This story was so sweet and tender. I loved how gentle the characters were with each other, and the way they accepted and valued the parts of each other that made them vulnerable and self-conscious. I also really appreciated the normalizing of mental health care and medication. I do wish there had been more focus on the first summer they spent together. I was confused because it seemed like they didn't actually interact much during that time and aside from some "what might have been feelings" there was very little communication between them in the decades since. I wasn't convinced that would be enough for them both to come into the relationship twenty years later so emotionally invested. I would have preferred that they had a much deeper relationship previously or that they had barely thought of each other in the interim and the new relationship reminded them of the connection they had back then. It seemed to straddle a middle ground where they were both longing for each other for decades despite barely having known each other previously. Aside from that, I really loved the progression of their relationship in the modern timeline. It ramped up nicely and they handled the distance like the mature adults they are rather than running off together immediately or running away from each other. Both the characters were very likeable, and I was rooting for them both the whole time.

A sophisticated second-chance romance that I found a bit forced at time but I also enjoyed.
The unusual setting, the overthinking and complex character, the hope for a HEA.
A good read, recommended
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

I appreciate the unique plot in archeology and the setting in Norway and Canada. And I love to read about MCs over 40. I appreciate the LGBTQ representation as well. Unfortunately this wasn’t for me - it felt really hard to start, especially watching the female MC deal with such severe emotions/trauma. I did read the content warnings and felt they were appropriate. I completely value the need to write a love to story for everyone’s experience, but I felt like the writing and plot were a little too on the nose for what the characters were dealing with in this case.

Whoa. I was not prepared for how engrossed I would become when I first started my read. I basically dropped everything to find out how Ben and Kate's truly adult (characters in their 40s) romance would settle. The addition of an archaeology set world and the true toll of mental health issues encapsulated such a detailed and complex portrayal of the human experience.

Thank you to Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op for providing an eARC for an honest review.

Even if We’re Broken was an emotional, gripping, real, raw story. I was drawn in by the characters’ deep humanity; and their disabilities, mental illness, grief, and physical and mental pain.
This is a sweet, tender slow-burn about kind, good, flawed middle-aged people. It’s beautiful. The writing pulls you along smoothly and makes you feel sooo many different feelings. It showcases good communication, recovery from abuse and painful relationships, a healthy parent-child relationship, and acknowledgment of the ways chronic pain and insomnia affect humans and their coping mechanisms.
It also has a lot of great queer representation, including one of the MC’s.

𓍢ִ໋🌷͙֒✧˚ ༘ ⋆｡˚♡ — 𝖠𝖱𝖢 𝗋𝖾𝗏𝗂𝖾𝗐


𖤐 𓈒࣪ ᭡ ˖ 𝖭𝗂𝗄𝗄𝗂 𝗅𝖾𝖿𝗍 𝖻𝖾𝖼𝖺𝗎𝗌𝖾 𝗌𝗁𝖾 𝗐𝖺𝗇𝗍𝖾𝖽 𝗍𝗈 𝗅𝖾𝖺𝗏𝖾.
𝖠𝗇𝖽 𝗆𝖺𝗒𝖻𝖾—𝗃𝗎𝗌𝗍 𝗆𝖺𝗒𝖻𝖾-𝗂𝗍 𝗐𝖺𝗌𝗇'𝗍 𝖾𝗇𝗍𝗂𝗋𝖾𝗅𝗒 𝗆𝗒 𝖿𝖺𝗎𝗅𝗍.

Overnight, Kate gets ghosted by her girlfriend. She finds herself alone with her insecurities, her anxiety and her panic attacks. As she tries to regain some semblance of control over her life, Ben, the person she loved 23 years ago, offers to take part in an archaeological dig during the summer, during which she can teach .

But 23 years later they have both changed. Both Kate and Ben must face their demons. Ben can't stand his appearance, he suffers from chronic back pain and has to live with scars - both physical and psychological.

As they meet again, they realize that these feelings they had 23 years ago have not disappeared. As the book progresses, we learn about their past and then we follow their new love story.

A love story that is closely linked to mental ilness, and a journey healing.

I really enjoyed reading this book. But no more than that? This book didn't really make an impression on me, I expected to cry, to have my heart torn, but no.

Afterwards, of course it touched me to see Ben and Kate talk about their past and their trauma, it was touching. But the way everything was written, it didn't upset me either.

I still really enjoyed the journey healing part. Seeing Kate reassure Ben and vice versa.

𖤐 𓈒࣪ ᭡ ˖ "𝖨 𝗐𝗂𝗌𝗁 𝗒𝗈𝗎 𝖼𝗈𝗎𝗅𝖽 𝗌𝖾𝖾 𝗒𝗈𝗎𝗋𝗌𝖾𝗅𝖿 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗐𝖺𝗒 𝖨 𝗌𝖾𝖾 𝗒𝗈𝗎."
𝖧𝖾 𝖼𝗈𝗎𝗅𝖽𝗇'𝗍 𝗅𝗈𝗈𝗄 𝖺𝗍 𝗁𝖾𝗋. "𝖧-𝗁𝗈𝗐 𝖽𝗈 𝗒𝗈𝗎 𝗌𝖾𝖾 𝗆𝖾?"
"𝖳𝗁𝖾 𝗐𝖺𝗒 𝖨'𝗏𝖾 𝖺𝗅𝗐𝖺𝗒𝗌 𝗌𝖾𝖾𝗇 𝗒𝗈𝗎," 𝗌𝗁𝖾 𝗌𝖺𝗂𝖽, 𝖻𝗋𝗎𝗌𝗁𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝗁𝖾𝗋 𝗍𝗁𝗎𝗆𝖻 𝖺𝖼𝗋𝗈𝗌𝗌 𝗁𝗂𝗌 𝖼𝗁𝖾𝖾𝗄. "𝖠 𝗁𝖺𝗇𝖽𝗌𝗈𝗆𝖾, 𝗇𝖾𝗋𝖽𝗒 𝖵𝗂𝗄𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝖢𝗈𝗐𝖻𝗈𝗒."

At one point I thought about dfning this book. I read without really investing myself much more than that. But I really wanted to know how it was going to end so I continued.

I think it's a good book, but it's not what I expected.

The archaeological aspect was quite nice. But the biggest strength of this book I would say is the fact that it addresses mental illness, how a person's words can hurt and scar, how hard it can be to get better, to accept yourself. That's what I liked the most I think, seeing how Ben and Kate were affected and how little by little, together, they were able to move forward at their own pace.

𖤐 𓈒࣪ ᭡ ˖ 𝖡𝖾𝖼𝖺𝗎𝗌𝖾 𝖪𝖺𝗍𝖾 𝗅𝗈𝗏𝖾𝖽 𝗁𝗂𝗆, 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝖥𝗋𝗂𝖽𝖺 𝗅𝗈𝗏𝖾𝖽 𝗁𝗂𝗆, 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝖪𝖺𝗍𝖾 𝗅𝗂𝗄𝖾𝖽 𝖥𝗋𝗂𝖽𝖺, 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝖥𝗋𝗂𝖽𝖺 𝗅𝗂𝗄𝖾𝖽 𝖪𝖺𝗍𝖾.
𝖤𝗏𝖾𝗋𝗒𝗍𝗁𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝗐𝗈𝗎𝗅𝖽 𝖻𝖾 𝗈𝗄𝖺𝗒.

Regarding the romance, it was beautiful to see Kate and Ben together. But I think it happened a bit suddenly? at least, I didn't feel any chemistry between them, or anything that would allow me to say that it was an incredible romance. It was cute, and sweet, but nothing more.

𖤐 𓈒࣪ ᭡ ˖ "𝖪𝗃𝖺𝖾𝗋𝖾. 𝖨𝗍 𝗆𝖾𝖺𝗇𝗌 𝖽𝖾𝖺𝗋 𝗈𝗇𝖾, 𝖽𝖺𝗋𝗅𝗂𝗇𝗀."
"𝖮𝗁. 𝖨 𝗅𝗂𝗄𝖾 𝗍𝗁𝖺𝗍. 𝖲𝖺𝗒 𝗂𝗍 𝖺𝗀𝖺𝗂𝗇?"
"𝖪𝗃𝖺𝖾𝗋𝖾."
"𝖮𝗈𝗁. 𝖠𝗀𝖺𝗂𝗇."
𝖧𝖾 𝗅𝖺𝗎𝗀𝗁𝖾𝖽. "𝖪𝗃𝖺𝖾𝗋𝖾!"
"𝖠𝗀𝖺𝗂𝗇," 𝗌𝗁𝖾 𝗌𝖺𝗂𝖽, 𝗌𝗍𝖾𝗉𝗉𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝖼𝗅𝗈𝗌𝖾 𝗍𝗈 𝗁𝗂𝗆, 𝗀𝗋𝖺𝗓𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝗁𝗂𝗌 𝗅𝗂𝗉𝗌 𝗐𝗂𝗍𝗁 𝗁𝖾𝗋𝗌.
𝖧𝖾 𝗀𝗋𝗂𝗇𝗇𝖾𝖽 𝖽𝗈𝗐𝗇 𝖺𝗍 𝗁𝖾𝗋, 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝗌𝗁𝖾 𝗌𝗁𝗂𝗏𝖾𝗋𝖾𝖽 𝗐𝗁𝖾𝗇 𝗁𝖾 𝗐𝗁𝗂𝗌𝗉𝖾𝗋𝖾𝖽 𝗂𝗍 𝗂𝗇𝗍𝗈 𝗁𝖾𝗋 𝖾𝖺𝗋.

Thank you, the author, Netgally.