When We Were Close

The Seasons of Us #1

by Cassandra Whitmore

Some friendships shape you. Some loves never let go. And some choices change everything.

Ashley thought she had all the time in the world to figure out her feelings. Growing up in Elmwood, she was surrounded by the people who meant everything to her—her best friend, Erin, the boy who always had her back, Jake, and the one who always felt just out of reach, Brandon. But love and timing don’t always align, and when teenage insecurities, peer pressure, and unspoken feelings get in the way, friendships fracture, hearts break, and life moves forward whether you’re ready or not.

A poignant, emotional coming-of-age story about friendship, love, and the moments that define us.

Parental discretion is advised due to mature themes.

Genres: Ebooks

1225 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 24, 2025

Reviews

[Fantasylover87 · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is what you'd consider an objectively bad book. I enjoyed the story but it was too long and needed to be edited. Plus why am I supposed to root for Brandon when he treats Ashley like crap. This is her future husband and yet he won't date her because of what people think. The triangle us written wrong. You're supposed to wonder who she is going to end up with but we know she's going to end up with Brandon. Jake is better for her. I've never read an objectively bad book (one that every reader hates) before so the extra stars are for that.

[Mona Garg · Rating 3 out of 5]

My thanks to LibraryThing and the author for my eARC.

This was a long read. The length, in and of itself, didn’t intimidate me. But I know that was an issue with many reviewers. The author acknowledged that. For me, it depends a great deal on the plot, characters, and writing style. Some lengthy books can feel short and vice versa.

The book depicts the lives and interpersonal relationships of a group of friends throughout the years from elementary school to adulthood.

There were a lot of characters besides the core group. It was a challenge to keep track of them and their interpersonal relationships. The characters, themselves, seemed very liberal and advanced for their age(also acknowledged by the author).

Overall, I thought the book was ok. It took me a WHILE to get through. There was no plot as such, but I did get a good sense of the characters. It DID read like a diary/journal. Most of it was the characters’ house-hopping. What made it long was the excessive, unnecessary descriptive detail and repetition.

An afterthought : I did enjoy the FAQ’s at the end as it provided insight into the author’s inspiration. It also piqued my curiosity enough to add her other books to my TBR list.

[Chicklitaddict · Rating 1 out of 5]

I am not sure whether to hate or admire this author for having the confidence to continue writing these books. These books are complete trash and not in a good way. And I am still not convinced that she didn't use AI to at least edit these. I emailed her because her email is in the books, and I needed to know. She sent me screenshots showing me that this book was posted on her private blog in 2020. However, the writing in the screenshots and in the books is a bit different, which probably means that even if she wrote the whole thing herself, she used AI at some point to edit it. But that's not the main reason for the one star, even if all books that use some AI should be one-star. And again, I can't really prove she used AI, even if there is some weird purple prosey writing in it or repetition. And when I say these books are repetitive, I mean that. She uses the same phrases throughout, especially in the dialogue tags. And when I say the writing is slightly different, I mean it looks like two different people wrote it within the same page. As in, she probably took some of her paragraphs and fed it to AI.

In the author's note, the author acknowledges that, for this particular book, she should have rewritten portions so it could have been divided into four books. But here is the thing: yes, the book is too long, yes, she should have done that. But the story itself, from grade eight to grade twelve, didn't need to be so long that it would take four or five books. A lot could have been taken out without changing the story. It could have been one book, covering all five grades in about 300 to 400 pages. We didn't need to know every single detail of these characters' days. We didn't need to know all about Ashley and Jake's relationship if she was going to end up with Brandon in the other books. The story didn't need to be this long. We didn't need to know ALL the details of what happened during the ice storm.

The author's note states that the author is convinced that the only reason this book is getting bad ratings is that it's long, no, sorry, but no. Just no. Sorry, but absolutely not. There are longer books than this with good ratings. So, nope. Sorry, but no. Just no. It's because it's horrible. Even if it had been divided up, each book she wrote would have gotten a 1 to 2-star average review, just like this book and her others. When We Drifted Back, the next book in this series is shorter (but still too long) and GUESS WHAT!? IT IS DOING HORRIBLY! It isn't even 3 stars! How the hell can she see her ratings and still feel the need to keep publishing? She told me she avoids looking at her ratings, so yes, I did send screenshots, not just of her ratings but of the reviews, to show her how much people hated her books. She blocked me after telling me it's not going to stop her, which is fine. I only emailed because I wanted to know whether she used AI, which I am still not convinced she didn't. I'd say that even if she wrote the entire books herself, she used AI to edit them. But I'm not going to harass someone, which is why I am leaving a review instead.

But I truly don't get it. She plans to release a bonus book of other POVs. No one is reading her damn books enough to care about other POVs. The level of delusion is remarkable. How can you release four books, see that everyone hates them, and... continue... to do it...? Like what? I've never written a book, and I can only imagine it's hard, but if I did and saw these ratings, I would cry. Like lock myself in a room, cry and eat chocolate all day. I would give up and never face the book world again after issuing an apology for publishing such appalling books. That's why I don't know whether to hate or admire her for this. She said she's not going to give up or unpublish them. This author has successfully written books worse than Twilight and Fifty Shades of Grey! At least those authors didn't use AI.

The only book in this series that might be okay is the prequel before this one, but even then, it's still not great. If you're reading the reviews and you're wondering if you should read these, don't. Not unless you want to hate-read or make a hilarious review of your reading experience, as I have. My rating applies to all four books in this series. I might rate the others, but it would just be one star for them, too. I'm mainly writing a review for this one because the author's note at the front says the only reason it gets rated low is the length. Nope. It's because the books are trash. I will say the author seemed nice when we briefly spoke. The author's note was asking people not to leave fake reviews because I guess some were trying to push her ratings up, which she didn't want. But being nice doesn't equal good books. The book deserves minus stars. That's how bad it is.

Don't read this book.

Also, I'm part of BookThreads and used to have a book review account on Instagram. I mainly spend time in Facebook groups for books. I am in the book space daily. I even had a popular BookTok when I was more active in the book community. I know that authors shouldn't be in readers' spaces and shouldn't read their reviews. But as long as authors don't respond to reviews, I think these books are examples of why authors SHOULD at least check their ratings, because this author is going to keep releasing books. If it were me and I read these reviews and saw these ratings, I'd quit. In situations like this, I think authors should know how people feel about their books because this author needs to quit. She left an author's note in When We Came Full Circle (the last book she published) stating she plans to add ONE MORE BOOK TO THIS SERIES, plus a bonus book. As I said, I've been in the book community for a long time and even had a very popular BookTok, so I know what I am talking about. Sometimes you just need to quit while you're ahead. No one is asking for one more book in this series, and no one is asking for a bonus book.

I also love long books. Often, I am drawn to them. But if a book is unnecessarily long, I will side-eye the author. And yes, I am side-eyeing this author very, very harshly. If I am judging a long book, that means it's too long. Sorry. I hope you enjoyed my review, which I assure you is much better than the books. I'm in tears of laughter from this. I hope you will be too.🤣

[Charlielovestoread · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is kind of hard to rate. It's not the best, but I didn’t hate it as much as I thought I would. I'll be honest: I mainly chose it because I saw someone else tearing it apart on my Goodreads newsfeed the other day, and it made me curious enough to see if it was that bad. I went in with the lowest of low expectations.

This is a long book, but the length didn’t bother me that much. However, I do believe a lot could be taken out if the author wants most people to take it seriously. From what I understand, this is supposed to be a bonus book, so I get that the author included all the extra scenes. However, the problem with that is there should still be a shorter version for their teen years before the next book, because if you jump into that book instead of getting the background in this one, you're lost, which is why the next one isn't doing so well. It's hard for readers to care about Brandon and Ashley if they don't have the backstory, because in the next one, it just looks like they're exes who decide to get engaged on a whim.

That's why it's hard to rate this one. Is it a bonus book or isn't it? If it isn't a bonus, then it needs to be heavily edited, but the author acknowledged that. I think she should maybe release two versions. A shorter edited one that readers can enjoy, and then this one with all the cut scenes. Authors do that all the time. I'd say even make this one free.

I think there was also too much dialogue. There are chapters where the characters are just talking to each other. Also, too much telling instead of showing.

Now the good. I'm in the minority here, but I honestly loved most of the day-to-day stuff. It brought me back to my teen years in the early 00s. The flip phone part really took me back. You get to know the friend group well, and you understand Brandon and Ashley's relationship better. They're best friends who are in love but are too scared to make a move, so they date other people.

The next book makes more sense once you understand it. I don't mind that they get engaged fast in the next book, but then again, I'm constantly reading instant love stories, especially in fantasy—fated mates are my weakness. I liked the time we spent getting to know all four of them, plus their other friends. I'm similar to Ashley, except that I had two best friends, plus our extended group. The sleepovers also brought back memories, such as sneaking alcohol and weed brownies, except it was in our friend's basement.

I can't rate this more than three stars, but I see the author's talent; she just needs more discipline and a red pen. There's a real love story in all this padding. There are actually two because I liked Ashley's relationship with Jake when she was a teen. I'm actually a little disappointed that they don't work out because I could see both their characters' growth throughout the book. As teens, their chemistry was better than that of Ashley and Brandon's. So, the book did make me care about the characters.

I don't care how badly written a book is; if it's character-driven, I love it. And I flew through this book despite the flaws, so that's a plus for me when it's long.

There are a lot of characters, but for me, she introduced them gradually enough that I knew who was who. But for other readers, the number of characters might be a weak point. I'd say keep in mind that it takes place at school and covers five grades, so characters are introduced throughout their high school years. I'm used to reading academy stories, so I'm used to a lot of characters. I just finished Zodiac Academy not too long ago, and it had a lot. So this book didn't really affect me in that regard.

I don't know what else to say. This is the type of book you're either going to hate or love, and I'm in the middle. I enjoyed reading it, but most of these reviews are right. I'd take them more seriously than mine, maybe. I'm the type of reader who loves all the pointless scenes because I get to know the characters better. However, in fiction, every scene should move the story forward, and many in this book don't. Many are the same because they're either hanging out at Brandon's or Ashley's, and if you removed them, the story would be the same.

But I will say again, if it's a bonus book, fine. But there needs to be a smaller version. This book weakens the entire series overall because I tried reading the next book in this series first, as the author's note recommended, and I had no clue why I should care about the couple's history enough for them to be so in love that they can get engaged right away. Again, I don't have a problem with instant love in stories, but in other books, you still see the buildup. If you don't read this book, you don't see the buildup. I can't see many people committing to this, which will make the next book harder to read. I honestly think that with a bit more polish across this whole series, it would be a gem. These books, in my opinion, are rough drafts. I've been sick in bed, so I have all the time in the world to commit to stuff like this.

I also think the author should have kept it as a present and past story. I've read the one that comes after this one, too (I've read all 4, just finished the prequel this morning), and a lot can be cut from the next book to make room for some of the scenes in this one.

Overall, definitely not as bad as I was expecting. Just don't go into it expecting a masterpiece.

[Tenkara Smart · Rating 2 out of 5]

Writing this book review was quite a challenge, especially since the author congratulated me at the end for completing it. Certain aspects of the story resonated with me. The writing and story felt somewhat like a case study of growing up in a small town and navigating life with a close group of friends, in this case, Ashley, Brandon, Erin, and Matthew. In the 5th grade, these kids sign a contract to always be there for each other, and they stay true to their word. Throughout their growing-up years in the 90s, they experience all the typical coming-of-age events: parties, sleepovers, sexual awakening, experimentation with light drugs, get-togethers & breakups, and wondering what the future holds.

The writing itself was good, and the dialogue felt believable. However, the book was far too long and excessively wordy, lacking the necessary excitement or unexpected twists. It genuinely felt like I was reliving my school years. Just like Ashley, I went to a new school in 5th grade and made new friends. The story touched on concepts like friendships, romantic relationships, the ‘cool parents’, and the love triangles that Junior High and High School often bring. I felt that this was a retelling of someone’s diary, which was interesting but not necessarily what makes a good fiction novel sell.

One element I found distracting was the author’s disclosures at the beginning of the book, which also caused issues with the layout on Kindle Unlimited—the chapter numbers were jumbled. I pushed through the book because I felt challenged by the author’s disclaimers that most people DNF, and ultimately, I thought it was too lengthy without enough thought given to the story’s beats and plot points. Additionally, I didn’t know the beginning connected well to the ending, which was a letdown for me because I wanted to know more about what happened 10 years after they parted between Brandon and Ashley when all of a sudden he shows up in the town she’s moved to and wants to be with her; I expected more to be revealed and concluded at the end.

Overall, while the writing and dialogue were solid, I give this book a score of 2. I believe the author has potential, but the structural issues were too difficult for me to overcome, and I didn’t feel any of the angst I expect in a coming-of-age novel with young adult romance throughout.

[Janelle Marie · Rating 5 out of 5]

When We Were Close by Cassandra Whitmore is a beautifully written, emotionally rich story that pulled me in from the very first page. It explores the complexities of friendship, love, and grief in a way that feels deeply personal and relatable. The characters are fully developed and flawed in the best way—real people dealing with real-life pain and the hard work of healing.

What stood out most to me was how raw and honest the emotions were. Whether it was the ache of distance between once-close friends or the quiet hope of reconnection, every moment felt authentic. I found myself reflecting on people I’ve lost touch with and wondering about the “what ifs.”

Whitmore doesn’t rush the healing process in this book, which I appreciated. She gives the characters—and the reader—space to breathe, process, and grow. It’s a powerful reminder that even broken bonds can mend with time, honesty, and heart.

If you're looking for a moving story that stays with you long after the last page, this one delivers.

[Kelly Werner · Rating 3 out of 5]

the book was ... okay. the story brought back some high school pre-internet nostalgia. the author really captured high school insecurities, thoughts, and conversations. I kept reading because I was invested in the characters. but there were a lot of errors - characters names changed (Jake was once referred to as Jared) and sometimes transitions were awkward and bumpy. I kept thinking I skipped pages. or a character's name was mentioned with no context of who they were. I'm reading the second book so it wasn't a terrible book but it needed a strong editor.

[Gwen|| Bookish Blondie · Rating 1 out of 5]

Easily one of the worst books I’ve read in awhile. First off this book is wayyyyy too long and then the author has the audacity to claim there are four three other books about the same relationship that was boring as fuck in this one? Hell no.

The writing is also questionable at best and it’s way too much purple prose on top of the author clearly writing the FMC as herself or how she wishes she had been. The FMC is very much a Mary Sue.

This author is an auto hard pass for me from now on.

[Natalia Trofimov · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was fine. It was lengthy but the author was right on no good place to split it into multiple books unless you split it at middle and high school years. It’s a bit wordy and juvenile in literature which given the age it’s written as - makes sense. Wish the end circled back to the beginning of the book. I might read the next one.