BEFORE WE WERE STRANGERS by RENEE 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

AMAZON | BARNES & NOBLE | iTUNES

MY REVIEW

Have you ever read a book that from the very first page you simply feel - connected? Connected to the story, the characters, the setting? That, as you are reading, you have to stop and hold it over your heart and whisper-wish into the void that you love everything about it? Keep a copy on you at all times, hoping that maybe you can revisit your favorite moments anytime you want? Fall in love with it each and every time you read it - the first time, the fifth time, the last time? For me, Before We Were Strangers is that book. Before We Were Strangers follows Matt and Grace as they enter their final years at NYU. Matt is a photographer whose professional success in the industry is imminent. Much like him, his work is smart, forthright and beautiful. Grace is a cellist favored by her cohorts. She plays with life and honesty and her talent reaches far beyond her insecurities. As friends first, Matt and Grace simply feel themselves into love with one another, not giving chance to anything or anyone on their way. Their relationship is serendipitous and alive with the simplicity of first love. Through shared experiences, joys and insecurities they find their affections received with the utmost devotion and propensity as it is given, but sometimes life, expectations and ambitions get in the way, and you need a second chance. A do-over where you hope not everything has been turned to ash. Renee Carlino seems to write casts and stories that always leave an impression on me. I want to grab her characters through my book and hug them, talk to them, laugh with them. They're real, and fun, and have flaws the same as the rest of us. Her tales take on an anecdotal quality that pull me under and excite me and leave me drawing parallels about my own life to the one written on the pages of the book. The words never feel manufactured or compulsory and the narratives are authentic, dynamic and are teeming with moments that bewitch and fascinate. I love that about her writing and Before We Were Strangers showcases it beautifully. Renee’s leading men are some of my favorites and Matt is no exception. His energy and confidence were so alive and vibrant. His spirited and dynamic nature captivated me from the very beginning. I was easily able to draw a connection to Grace too. She is imaginative and selfless and carries herself with a quiet demeanor that speaks loudly of her kind and gentle heart. As I watched Matt and Grace fall in love I was reminded of all the promises of first love and the poignancy and beauty of letting it go. I absolutely adored all of the nostalgia in this book. Having been in my early twenties 15 years ago, I loved reminiscing over the resourceful and creative ways there were to earn money or a meal or having to use a phone card at a payphone. As the perfect backdrop for Matt and Grace, New York is just as bold and desperate as they were as they navigated their way through their last years at school on nothing but a few dollars and love. The way Renee delicately interlaced her own passions and interests into Matt and Grace’s story especially heightened my reading experience. Her admiration and respect for music and photography are evident, as is shown in the way her characters hold those same interests with like esteem. I thought this book was amazing. It deserves every one of the five stars I gave it. If I could, I would eagerly give it more. As one of my favorite reads of 2015, and possibly ever, Before We Were Strangers has left its literary mark on my heart. It will not be soon forgotten, instead be fervently remembered and celebrated as a story so affective, vibrant and wondrous.

GIVEAWAY

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ABOUT RENEE

Renée Carlino is a screenwriter and bestselling author of romantic women's novels. She lives in Southern California with her husband, two sons, and their sweet dog June. When she’s not at the beach with her boys or working on her next project, she likes to spend her time reading, going to concerts, and eating dark chocolate.

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