The Way We Met

The Way I Used to Be #2.5

by Amber Smith

Eden and Josh are in a good place – finally. But now Eden is facing down a new major milestone: spending the weekend with Josh’s parents. The last time she met them, it didn’t exactly go so well. She needs it to be perfect, for them to like her, and like her with Josh. As the weekend unfolds and she gets to know Josh’s family, the return home also brings back memories of the first time Eden met Josh. The real story, the one Josh doesn’t even know…

Genres: Romance, Fiction, Young Adult, Contemporary, Novella, Mental Health

48 pages, ebook

Published January 1, 2024

About the author

Amber Smith is the New York Times bestselling author of several novels for young adults, including the international bestsellers The Way I Used to Be and The Way I Am Now, as well as the critically-acclaimed and award-winning novels, The Last to Let Go and Something Like Gravity. Along with her middle-grade debut,Code Name: Serendipity, she also contributed to the award-winning YA anthology, Our Stories, Our Voices. An advocate for increased awareness of mental health, gendered violence, and LGBTQIA+ equality, she writes in the hope that her books can help foster change and spark dialogue. She lives in Ithaca, NY with her wife and their ever-growing family of rescued dogs and cats. Find her online at AmberSmithAuthor.com

Reviews

[zeinab [completely gone] · Rating 4 out of 5]

josheden they could never make me hate you 🥹

[Liyah's · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was so sweet

GIVE ME MORE

And for anyone who wants to read this, it's ONLY available on a website called Simon Teens!! And it's all free

[isu ✮ · Rating 3 out of 5]

★ 3.75
«If a girl dies in a crowded room, but nobody sees it happen, did she ever really exist at all?»

[im_just_vidu · Rating 5 out of 5]

I would never get tired of Eden and Josh. And I'm glad that I can finally read something about them. Just them. I'm not the same person since I read "The way I used to be". And I'll never be. But this was a closure I needed for myself. (May23 2025- 2.01a.m.)

Edit: For everyone who's asking where to read it, it's on the "Simonteen website"-

https://ss-6b72361bafdbfb6d777d7bc29f...

[mandie ୨୧ · Rating 4 out of 5]

this book series means so much to me, i'm just glad eden is finally getting a happy ending

[charlotte ✩ · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75 ★

this healed something in me

[hajer · Rating 5 out of 5]

"I see you" killed me

[J · Rating 5 out of 5]

My precious babies. They mean more to me than anyone could ever imagine😞

-
“The glasses. The smile. Every time I look at this picture, I’m overtaken with such deep sadness. She doesn’t know what’s about to happen to her—how she’ll be changed by what’s about to happen to her.”
-
“If a girl dies in a crowded room, but nobody sees it happen, did she ever really exist at all?”
-
“I feel myself giving in, wanting all those versions of myself to be seen, to be witnessed, to matter, to be understood.”
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“I look over at Josh, my person, my safe place, who has been showing me, for so long and in so many ways, that I can find my own safe places within me, too. That home can be wherever we are, because we have a past that belongs to both of us, and a future, and a right now. Right now, right here, we're together. And that's all that matters.”🥹

[Cherlynn | cherreading · Rating 4 out of 5]

✨ "Was that girl really okay?"

A very short but sweet read that really tugs at your heartstrings 🥹

Can't get enough of Eden and Josh and would love to follow the rest of their story, even into adulthood. To know that there's life and love and happiness after trauma and abuse. Home.

✨ "If a girl dies in a crowded room, but nobody sees it happen, did she really exist at all?"

[love🌸 (semi-hiatus) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I miss my babies already

[Valeria · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amo mucho a Eden y Josh.
Creo firmemente que una parte de la vida de las personas que leemos estos libros cambia por completo y te hace entrar en retrospectiva de muchas cosas.
Me gusta que Amber muestre esta parte de Eden y que pueda tener más contenido de ellos juntos.

Son muy especiales para mí y la historia en general es un ANTES Y UN DESPUÉS.
Aún recuerdo lo que lloré en el primer libro y el final especial del segundo.
Siempre es bonito reconectar con personajes que han significado algo para nosotros y esto me pasa con la historia.

Cada vez que veo un diente de león, pienso en Eden y me hace sonreír.
Pienso en su silencio, en su lucha, en su juicio y en quién es.
Tengo su historia grabada para siempre.

[shana · Rating 4 out of 5]

I can’t believe I just discovered this. It was a cute and comforting short story that made me miss Eden and Josh so much. Josh will forever remain the best book boyfriend. Wish it was longer though.

[Kelseylovesbooks(heated rivalry version) · Rating 4 out of 5]

that was so sweet

[Tiff · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a cute way to wrap up this short and sweet series ! I almost done want their story to end. I would love to keep reading more and more to see where they end up in the future. I actually fell in love with this couple and will never stop thinking of this series.

This series change the way I look at myself, my relationships & the importance of self-care.

This story healed something in me that I didn’t know needed to be healed.

***I found the book on TikTok; the Simonteen.com did not work for me.***

[Pat · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mt fofo

[Autumn Bacon · Rating 5 out of 5]

sobbing

[kimberley (thearieslibrary) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this series so much. Such a beautiful way to finish it all off even though I am so sad that it is over as I love the messages it spreads, the world and the characters. This will be a series that I will always think about - it’s changed my brain chemistry in a way that I didn’t know I needed.

[dee · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was literally everything I wanted and more

[Addison Wand · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good short book to know the ending and that Eden will be alright!

[Lu ⋆⁺₊⋆]

¡¡¿POR QUÉ RECIEN ME ENTERO DE QUE SALIO ESTO?!!

[Angelica]

WHERE CAN I BUY THIS BOOK :( ???

[ariyanna]

I could read about this couple all day for the rest of my life and I'm so serious

[Readbyana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Aww, this was so cute. Her meeting with his family and the way they treated her.
Also I loved the way they are together now.🥹❤️

[Jennie Bedard-Lachance · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is a really cute addition. I love how they help each other grow.

[Mariam˚｡౨ৎ˚ · Rating 5 out of 5]

i love eden and josh

[౨ৎ lucy. · Rating 3 out of 5]

★ 3.5 | ❛ I feel myself giving in, wanting all those versions of myself to be seen, to be witnessed, to matter, to be understood. ❜

[Caramella Ammoury · Rating 5 out of 5]

they're soo cuteeee

[Juliana Freitas · Rating 4 out of 5]

wish it was longer. i could so eat up another 5 books about them

[Cassie M · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love anything and everything about them! Need an extended epilogue of them happy 10 years in the future 😭😂

[Alyce Hunt · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would happily read about these two for the rest of my life.