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When She Was Ours: A Novel
Not yet published
Expected 23 Jun 26Thea Erickson, a renowned surgeon, is filled with both joy and grief as her family gathers at their home on a summer night in 1995. Her elder daughter Phoebe is getting married, but even the happiness of the day feels bittersweet, as Thea grapples with a terminal cancer diagnosis. She worries she won’t be around to support her younger daughter Astra, who’s still in college, but even Thea cannot foresee what is to come—a terrible accident the night of the wedding that changes Astra’s life forever.
In a last-ditch effort to protect her family, Thea arranges a secret meeting with an old family friend and extracts a promise that will reverberate long after she’s gone.
Years after her mother’s death, Astra has moved forward with a career and relationship, but she still struggles with her grief. When a man reaches out to her and Phoebe, offering a window into their mother’s past, Astra must make a choice, and her decision forces her to face what it means to love someone after they’re gone, who we decide to forgive, and how families reckon with the past.
In a last-ditch effort to protect her family, Thea arranges a secret meeting with an old family friend and extracts a promise that will reverberate long after she’s gone.
Years after her mother’s death, Astra has moved forward with a career and relationship, but she still struggles with her grief. When a man reaches out to her and Phoebe, offering a window into their mother’s past, Astra must make a choice, and her decision forces her to face what it means to love someone after they’re gone, who we decide to forgive, and how families reckon with the past.
319 pages, Paperback
Expected publication June 23, 2026
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59 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
January 17, 2026
EVERYONE NEEDS TO GO READ THIS WHEN IT COMES OUT IN JUNE. I’m very proud to be the first one to review this ever!!! How crazy is that? Wow. This was an incredible debut novel to say the least. I’ll be honest, when I first applied for this arc, I only did it for the cover, also gorgeous by the way. But Nordberg’s storytelling and beautiful writing, characters and storyline carried throughout the book and made me want to stay there forever. I laughed, cried, and anxiously flipped to the next page, and also wanted to punch many people (don’t worry, you’ll be rooting for it). You can tell Thea was the mother to her girls that her mother was never able to be. She had such an amazing support system around her, but I wish we would’ve seen more around the time of her death, like the immediate aftermath? Even if it was just a few pages. Tom is such a rom com father, I feel like he is exactly the right kind of person for Thea. Phoebe is so eldest daughter syndrome, and Eli is so just amazing and ugh, I just love everything about both of them. Nick!!! That’s all I have to say. We were very much robbed of them (respectively, frick you, 16 year old Allie, even though you were going through all that). And Astra. Where do I start? She is like the epitome of savior complex, mixed with an unhealthy amount of people pleasing youngest daughter. But she is so strong and knows between right and wrong? Which is also her biggest weakness I think, that she has too fine of a line, too black and white. And I love, how that is illustrated throughout and honestly I wish we would’ve gotten to see it develop more, because she still has this sharp line, even after she’s forgiven Nick (and apologised obviously). I cannot reiterate this enough though, how strong she is. And that’s the front that Thea never wanted her to have, so I’m glad that after her passing, her two girls were able to lean on people for support, I wish we would’ve gotten to see that with Tom too. There are so many like warnings, especially with the dreams that I think is so good. Like there were so many plot twists, and that line after Astra ran from that bear like creature made me alert the whole time. The whole time reading this I was thinking, it has to be this scene, and then the next and then the next. And I love how all the loose ends were tied up in the end, because that usually doesn’t happen when there’s so many elements and storylines happening in the one novel. I think Anna told this story beautifully, one of trust, love, and healing. Thank you to Lake Union Publishing and Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review! All thoughts are my own.
January 18, 2026
When She Was Ours is an outstanding debut that I believe will become a favorite for readers, especially for those that appreciate stories that focus on relationships between mothers and their daughters. I laughed and cried as I watched the heartbreak unfold. Themes of feminism, love that carries on after death, and ultimately forgiveness made this an easy 5-star read. I was shocked by the plot twist (did not see it coming!)
Thank you NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
4.75🌟 I absolutely adored this debut. When She Was Ours was written so beautifully. I loved Anna Nordberg's writing style throughout this book. From the first page, I was deeply invested in Thea, Tom, Phoebe, and Astra as separate characters, but also in their close bond as a family.
The depictions of happy moments in such an awful time were beautiful and heart-wrenching all at once. It felt so intimate to be listening to these, albeit fictional characters, come to terms with Thea's passing, and it was told in such a personal and eloquent way. The change in Tom's role as a father after his wife's death was strangely comforting to me; he adapted quickly to the loss to support Astra, while also grappling with his own grief, which to me was the true show of love in this family.
This was so close to a perfect read for me; however, the one thing I did struggle with was the initial meeting with Nick and Astra. In my opinion, it felt a bit too brief for it to have created such a big impact in both of these characters' lives, and I think I would have liked them to have had a bit more of a history. Nevertheless, I enjoyed their growth immensely through the book and by the end was equally invested in their relationship.
When She Was Ours has given me such a visceral insight into losing a loved one, and all of the things that the people left behind will do to feel closer to them again.
#WhenSheWasOurs #NetGalley
The depictions of happy moments in such an awful time were beautiful and heart-wrenching all at once. It felt so intimate to be listening to these, albeit fictional characters, come to terms with Thea's passing, and it was told in such a personal and eloquent way. The change in Tom's role as a father after his wife's death was strangely comforting to me; he adapted quickly to the loss to support Astra, while also grappling with his own grief, which to me was the true show of love in this family.
This was so close to a perfect read for me; however, the one thing I did struggle with was the initial meeting with Nick and Astra. In my opinion, it felt a bit too brief for it to have created such a big impact in both of these characters' lives, and I think I would have liked them to have had a bit more of a history. Nevertheless, I enjoyed their growth immensely through the book and by the end was equally invested in their relationship.
When She Was Ours has given me such a visceral insight into losing a loved one, and all of the things that the people left behind will do to feel closer to them again.
#WhenSheWasOurs #NetGalley
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
This such a fantastic book for women to read. The struggles between Phoebe and Astra are so relatable and their characters were so well developed. This book does a great job of showing what we grapple with when faced with difficult decisions that involve coming to terms with the past. It’s a true family drama and so easy to follow. I felt strong feelings for their mother and her past actions and was so eager to see how things played out for the girls. I was happy with the way the book ended which is always a plus. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
This is a debut novel that is very well written.
It had me feeling every emotion as matriarch Dr Thea Erickson and her daughters learn to navigate the world upon learning of Thea's illness.
There is love, (piles of love), heartbreak, fear, and lives that must all learn to go forward when one person will not..
Mix in some suspense and mystery and you have a winner!
I truly loved the character's in this story, all with their own challenges that added to the plot.
I would love to see a sequel to learn how this family is doing in the years ahead.
Thank you to @NetGalley and to @Lake Union Publishing for this ARC and allowing me to provide my own review.
It had me feeling every emotion as matriarch Dr Thea Erickson and her daughters learn to navigate the world upon learning of Thea's illness.
There is love, (piles of love), heartbreak, fear, and lives that must all learn to go forward when one person will not..
Mix in some suspense and mystery and you have a winner!
I truly loved the character's in this story, all with their own challenges that added to the plot.
I would love to see a sequel to learn how this family is doing in the years ahead.
Thank you to @NetGalley and to @Lake Union Publishing for this ARC and allowing me to provide my own review.
February 2, 2026
huge thanks to lake union publishing + netgalley for this arc!
phew. oh boy. wowza.
it’s very rare for a book to move me to tears, yet here we are.
what a stunning debut. an immediate all-time favourite with everything i need in a book: nuanced characterization, messy, real relationships, and a quiet, compelling narrative about womanhood, loss, love, and healing.
please read this when it releases in june. anna nordberg’s future releases will absolutely be insta-buys!
phew. oh boy. wowza.
it’s very rare for a book to move me to tears, yet here we are.
what a stunning debut. an immediate all-time favourite with everything i need in a book: nuanced characterization, messy, real relationships, and a quiet, compelling narrative about womanhood, loss, love, and healing.
please read this when it releases in june. anna nordberg’s future releases will absolutely be insta-buys!
January 29, 2026
What a lovely book!! Such a heartfelt, emotion book about daughters, mothers, family, and relationships. So much vulnerability within the writing.
The cover of this book really caught my eye. Glad I was able to get the ARC from NetGalley!
The cover of this book really caught my eye. Glad I was able to get the ARC from NetGalley!
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews