When We Were Them - by Laura Taylor Namey (Paperback)

About the Book

"After betraying her two best friends, eighteen-year-old Willa spends the week of her high school graduation going through a memory box commemorating important moments of the three girls' friendship in order to try to save it."--Provided by publisher.

Book Synopsis

From New York Times bestselling author Laura Taylor Namey comes a "lyrical and tender, authentic" (Kirkus Reviews) novel about friendship and the bittersweetness of growing up and growing apart.

When they were fifteen, Willa, Luz, and Britton's friendship was everything.
When they were sixteen, they stood by each other no matter what.
When they were seventeen, they went through the worst.
And when they were eighteen, Willa ruined it all.

Now, it's the week of graduation, and Willa is left with only a memory box filled with symbols of the friendship she destroyed: A book of pranks. Corsages from a nightmarish homecoming. A greasy pizza menu. Greeting cards with words that mean the world...

It's enough to make Willa wonder how anything could tear her, Luz, and Britton apart. But as Willa revisits the moments when she and her friends leaned on each other, she can't avoid the moments they leaned so hard their friendship began to crack.

As Willa tries to find a way back to Luz and Britton, she must confront the why of her betrayal, and answer a question she never saw coming: Who is she without them?

Review Quotes

"Beautifully poignant.... A bittersweet story that will touch many hearts, especially as readers remember that time when their friends were everything. Hand to those who love Nina LaCour."--Booklist

"Female relationships take center stage in Namey's narrative about growing up, growing together, and, sometimes, growing apart."--Publishers Weekly

"Namey's prose is lyrical and tender, authentic in its portrayal of late teen angst and growth.... An intimate portrait of friendship at the cusp of adulthood."--Kirkus Reviews

About the Author

Laura Taylor Namey is the New York Times and internationally bestselling author of young adult fiction including Reese's Book Club pick A Cuban Girl's Guide to Tea and Tomorrow, A British Girl's Guide to Hurricanes and Heartbreak, When We Were Them, and With Love, Echo Park. A proud Cuban American, she can be found hunting for vintage treasures and wishing she was in London or Paris. She lives in San Diego with her husband and two children. Visit her at LauraTaylorNamey.com.