I’m a big fan of romantic comedies, but I can also appreciate a book that hits me in all the feels and has a couple that’s really working on their relationship. This Used to Be Us is about a couple who is divorcing after being married for over twenty years. I was really intrigued and I’m glad I picked up This Used to Be Us. Today I want to tell you about this book and what I thought.
A big thank you to Netgalley and Dial Press Trade Paperback for providing me with an eARC to read and review. This doesn’t affect my opinion in any way!
There are two sides to every love story—and every breakup. Get ready for an emotional roller coaster of family, marriage, and divorce that will have you both laughing and crying, from the bestselling author of Before We Were Strangers.
After twenty-two years together, Danielle and Alex are getting a divorce. Once fiercely in love, they can barely stand the sound of each other’s voice. Instead of shuttling the kids between two broken homes, Alex and Dani decide to share a nesting apartment while swapping days with their two teenage boys at the family home.
In the apartment, Dani and Alex, on their own, begin to reflect on the last two decades—why they fell in love and why the marriage fell, spectacularly, apart. With the newfound space and time, they are given a chance to rediscover their autonomous selves again. They both get back in the dating pool. Dani finds major success at work as a showrunner on her own TV project, while Alex faces the challenges of a new relationship.
Still, they find that they just can’t stay away from each other, and somehow, the distance allows them to remember (for the first time in years) what each used to love about the other. When a family crisis draws them back into each other’s orbit, Dani and Alex are once again put to the test, which leads to a dramatic conclusion that will have listeners weeping.
Review
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!
This Used to Be Us is definitely a book I’ll remember! I have a few books by Renee Carlino on my shelves and I’ll definitely be making time for them soon. Have you read anything by this author? Do you have a favorite? Let me know in the comments. I’d love to hear from you.
