Before We Were Strangers
Books | Fiction / Romance / General
4.4
(4.3K)
Renée Carlino
From the USA TODAY bestselling author of Sweet Thing and Nowhere But Here comes a love story about a Craigslist “missed connection” post that gives two people a second chance at love fifteen years after they were separated in New York City.To the Green-eyed Lovebird: We met fifteen years ago, almost to the day, when I moved my stuff into the NYU dorm room next to yours at Senior House. You called us fast friends. I like to think it was more. We lived on nothing but the excitement of finding ourselves through music (you were obsessed with Jeff Buckley), photography (I couldn’t stop taking pictures of you), hanging out in Washington Square Park, and all the weird things we did to make money. I learned more about myself that year than any other. Yet, somehow, it all fell apart. We lost touch the summer after graduation when I went to South America to work for National Geographic. When I came back, you were gone. A part of me still wonders if I pushed you too hard after the wedding… I didn’t see you again until a month ago. It was a Wednesday. You were rocking back on your heels, balancing on that thick yellow line that runs along the subway platform, waiting for the F train. I didn’t know it was you until it was too late, and then you were gone. Again. You said my name; I saw it on your lips. I tried to will the train to stop, just so I could say hello. After seeing you, all of the youthful feelings and memories came flooding back to me, and now I’ve spent the better part of a month wondering what your life is like. I might be totally out of my mind, but would you like to get a drink with me and catch up on the last decade and a half? M
AD
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More Details:
Author
Renée Carlino
Pages
320
Publisher
Simon and Schuster
Published Date
2015-08-18
ISBN
1501105779 9781501105777
Community ReviewsSee all
"Matt and Grace will forever have a place in my heart ♥️ "
Gayane♡
"This book deserves all the stars and more, it lit me up inside immeasurably. If Before We Were Strangers hadn’t serendipitously entered my life, in a turn and rush of otherworldly, warming magic, it would’ve been its own tragically missed connection. Matt and Grace meet in college and have an instantaneous, but beautifully built connection and layered sense of personhood, filled with taking photos together and of Grace, who becomes a delicately enrapturing muse of her own.
Years later in this majorly dually narrated story, Matt wonders where everything went wrong and how they got so far from the people that fell so madly, passionately in love with each other. Then he sees Grace on the subway after years have gone by, but doesn’t realize it’s her until it’s too late and the train is pulling away as she seems to mouth “Matt” from the train with bewilderment besetting her eyes as if it’s hard to believe he’s really there after so long. He runs down the platform, trying to reach her in any way he can, but as all great, prolific love stories go the universe has other ideas and has seemed to “tease” them as Grace so eloquently explains it later. Matt then precedes to put out a letter to his “green-eyed lovebird” written in the missed connections section that implores her to come back to him again.
This book makes me ache for all the time missed in our fleeting existences and the time we waste with not being with someone who we know we love. While it is a love story, it is also a story of how life doesn’t always work seamlessly in favor of love and how unreliable it can be, how heart shattering it can be. Most of all, this story and these characters filled me with countless feelings and I was invested at every step of the way. It is special and will be rendered in my mind forever with the permanence and profoundness of a photograph with a touch of color."
Gabrielle Grosbety
"One of the best books I have ever read. I can’t wait to read more by this Author."
Jennifer Weber
"plot twist 10/10"
Maryn Foote
"Steamy second chance romance. It was a cute story but I felt like it dragged in moments "
Meghan Sue Adams
"Really cute romance. The whole book had kinda a lonely vibe and I’m not sure why. The romance was lovely and passionate. I really loved the flashback and then the back to reality. It had a dual writing pov. Something happened near the end for a plot twist that was kinda out of the blue and I wasn’t a fun of. I won’t spoil it tho. Overall 4/5"
adison
"I loved this book I couldn’t put it down. The story felt so real. I loved the main characters together 5/5"
Alexandra Montenegro
"What a story!! Loved it soooo much! 😍😍😍 well written! Good job Renee Carlino!! 👏🏻👏🏻"
E D
Elisha DeHaan
"I LOVED THE PRESENT TIME STORY SO MUCH!!!"
Angel
"Just finished this book. I am feeling so many emotions. I don't give 5 stars lightly, but this is a 5 star book. Currently my new favorite book. I loved everything about it, the way Matt and Grace spoke, the way the were just so perfect for eachother. Their story, their lives.... everything about this book was so perfect to me. You must read it, if you haven't already. "
Tania
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