When You Were Mine

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Life is full of ‘what ifs?’, isn’t it? I’m sure we’ve all made decisions that we’ve second guessed later on down the line. Did we do the right thing? What if we’d gone left instead of right? I just completely loved this book and how these seemly completely different peoples lives were all connected and woven together. I got angry on their behalf – I was feeling a tad stabby. *shakes head* Nope, I refuse to give details. Len Stephens is this guy in our class we don’t hang out with. Charlie calls him “toxic,” but most people just call him an ass. He’s sarcastic, and his hair is too long and messy, like he cuts it himself or something. Another one of Charlie’s theories is that we live in a high school movie. Olivia seems to think this is true too. What I mean is that they can say things like “We’re so ruling school” and not feel the need to add sarcasm. I guess we are popular. Charlie is formidable, engaging in a way that makes her feared and loved. Olivia, on the other hand, is basically the high school dream girl. Big boobs, cute nose, and good-natured. There is literally no guy in school who isn’t in love with her. Plus, her parents have more money than God. Her dad does something in the music industry. He’s a producer or a record label owner. I think maybe both. To be honest, sometimes I’m not sure how I ended up in this mix.

We were sitting on the floor in my bedroom streaming an old episode of Friends. This part isn’t particularly unusual. We do that all the time. Rob likes to escape the chaos of his house, where he has three little brothers. But there was something different about him that night. When Ross made a joke, Rob didn’t laugh, which was crazy, because Ross is his favorite character and Rob always laughs. He has this deep baritone laugh. It reminds me of Santa Claus.Not anymore,” Charlie says, pulling the covers off. “It’s the first day of school, and I’m not letting you drag me down with you. Time to rise and shine, Ms. Caplet.”

My stomach clenches and releases. It’s been doing that all week. The thought of seeing Rob is, well, making me ill. It’s been eight weeks, which I guess is a long time, although I refuse to see it that way. In the general scheme of things, what’s two months? Like, a millisecond. Okay, so it’s the longest we’ve ever been apart and, yeah, I’ve missed him, but I’ve known Rob my whole life. It’s really not a big deal seeing him again. It’s been a busy summer, and it’s not like Robert Monteg is my boyfriend or anything. God, even his name flashing through my mind like that makes me nauseous. I don’t get it. It shouldn’t. We’re friends. He’s just the next-door neighbor.I laughed – Couples’ Counsellor, Maggie, had some of the BEST lines in the book. Especially when it came to *whistles*, you know what I mean, a wee bit of the horizontal mamba (other positions are available) *winks*: I guess maybe it wouldn’t be such a big deal if I had, you know, done it myself. It’s not that I’m opposed to sex or anything. I mean, morally speaking. You want to know my problem, actually? It’s that I don’t feel particularly moral about the whole thing. It’s like this girl I used to know, Sarah, who never ate meat. Literally, in her entire life, she never had a hamburger. Her parents didn’t eat meat, and she was just raised that way. Anyway, one day her dad started eating it again, and all of a sudden it was in their house and on the table, and I remember her telling me how weird that seemed, how unnatural. Like all of a sudden she was supposed to just start eating meat and it was supposed to seem normal. She was a vegetarian, for crying out loud. It seems weird to just start. Like changing something fundamental about who you are. Many of the characters in the book seem focused on the future, yet the past also plays a significant role in each of their lives. For example, Charlie’s mother died when she was young, and Rosaline remembers taking piano lessons from the same teacher as Len. In what ways does the past shape the present for the characters in the book? Lisa Swift has produced an absolutely wonderful story, with twists which I honestly couldn’t predict. This is one of those books you won’t want to put down. Although, when you finish it- the decision of what to read next will be difficult; purely because this is so wonderful.

From the New York Times bestselling author of One Italian Summer and In Five Years comes an intensely romantic modern recounting of the greatest love story ever told—narrated by the girl Romeo was supposed to love. The author frequently blurs the line between plans and fate. What are the differences between the two? Are there any events in the novel that seem determined by both? A feel good, heart-warming novel about about first loves and second chances. Fans of Holly Martin, Dani Atkins and Heidi Swain will be captivated.

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Most of the twists and turns I guessed fairly easily but it didn't detract from my enjoyment of the story but I'll admit there was one big twist I didn't see coming and didn't like very much (thus 4.5 stars instead of 5!)