The Way We Become

The Way I Used to Be #3

by Amber Smith

Eden and her fellow survivors look to the future in this powerful story of justice, autonomy, and healing told in multiple points of view—the powerful conclusion to the Way I Used to Be trilogy from internationally bestselling author Amber Smith.

Eden struggled to find her voice for years after her brother’s friend Kevin raped her. It wasn’t until Kevin’s ex-girlfriend Gen and his sister, Amanda, came forward, that Eden knew she wasn’t alone. Telling her family was hard, reporting to the police even harder—and giving testimony on a witness stand was next to impossible.

Eden, Gen, and Amanda have done everything in their power to pursue justice. And now, in the wake of the jury’s decision, they are expected to move on—even as they’re still grappling with grief and hurt after their lives were turned inside out. With Amanda finishing high school, Eden still adjusting to college, and Gen determining what she wants to do when she graduates, each girl has to chart her own course forward to find healing and discover the woman she’ll become.

Genres: Romance, Young Adult, Fiction, Mental Health, Booktok

Kindle Edition

Expected publication October 6, 2026

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

[lena ♱]

we are finally, finally going to be able to have closure for edens story. im not breathing until this releases.

[Cara · Rating 5 out of 5]

REVIEW TO COME😭💐😭😭💗💗💐!!!!!!!


💐🌸🌷;༊My girl Eden NEEDS the justice she deserves💐🌸🌷;༊

[zeinab ৎ [vacation - ia]]

i lied when i said 2025 was the year of the book girlies. THE RELEASES THIS YEAR KEEP GETTING BETTER

#joshandedendeservethehappiestendingever

[nadine]

omggg guys i got the arc 😭😭😭

[emily]

MORE EDENJOSH IN THE YEAR 2026???? CHEERS HEARD AROUND THE WORLD. pls let my girls find closure and peace PLEASE

[len ❀ [ia bc of school]]

wow i did not know this was gonna be a thing but i am so excited! i have been waiting for eden to get her justice since 2016!!! (pls i can’t believe i read the first book 10 years ago when i was 15 like where has time gone???) despite the fact that i did not like The Way I Am Now, i am super excited for this, especially with the other girls being added too. also, i will take all/any edenjosh crumbs (even though i firmly believe josh deserved better after TWIAN but whatever!!!!

definitely an october anticipated release.

[cyd · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review. This book was the perfect ending to Eden’s storyline as well as Gen and Amanda. The books touched on some of the problems of how rape victims are treated and joe oftentimes justice is not served. I loved getting to see how each of the three girls were coping with what happened to them and I loved how the book really showed that healing is nonlinear. I think Amanda’s chapters were my favorite and I really hope we get a solo book or even novella about her college years. This was honestly just the perfect bittersweet ending to one of my favorite book series I cannot recommend enough.

[ahmeeka]

HELLO???????

[emelie 𐙚]

I BEG for closure in this one Amber 😣 pretty please

[diba · Rating 5 out of 5]

i don't even know how to put into words how much this book affected me. i genuinely cried throughout the entire thing.

unlike the last two books, which were told entirely from eden's pov, this one gives us the perspectives of all three girls—eden, amanda, and gen. i really loved getting to see how each of them was coping and dealing with everything in their own way. amanda's pov in particular broke my heart. the way her thoughts and feelings were written felt so painfully real, especially her constant comparisons, the feeling of being trapped in her own head, and just the general messiness of being a teenage girl. her pov genuinely spoke to my soul. getting to follow all three of their healing journeys was such a beautiful experience.

and josh and eden!! my heart! i loved seeing how much their relationship has grown since the last book. they're so sweet together, and watching their relationship slowly flourish and progress was everything. they said it themselves—they're endgame!!!

this book was such an emotional rollercoaster, but in the best way. it hurt, it made me cry, and it made me feel so much, but that's exactly what made it so special. amber smith writes these characters and their emotions with so much honesty, and i genuinely loved every second of it.

[aislinn ★]

SHUT THE HELL UP. THIS IS THE LAST THING I EXPECTED BUT I AM CRYING TEARS OF JOY. I will be staring at my wall until October no one talk to me

[Sylvie {Semi-Hiatus}]

*Many thanks to NetGalley for providing me an E-Arc in exchange for an honest review!*

Nothing says "it's time to commit" quite like finally starting book one after putting it off for ages... and then immediately receiving the ARC of book three. I guess my TBR made that decision for me.

[sophia_thesecond (in my noah kahan era)]

OMG I GOT THE ARC FOR THIS! BRO I LOVE THESE BOOKS SO SO MUCH

[lili · Rating 5 out of 5]

rtc

[dani · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25 stars

a beautiful end to a beautiful story! i enjoyed every second of this and am glad that we have the final closure for these girls, especially eden who i have loved since the first book.

amber smith paints out an important picture of how devastating and heartbreakingly difficult it is to be a victim of sa. how it’s something that lives inside you like a parasite you cant get rid of, and of course, how flawed our justice system is for women affected by it. it shows that something like this is not inherently straightforward, and how each person deals with it in different ways as we saw with gen, amanda and eden.

Im glad we got their story and month by month, saw them begin to slowly to heal and become stronger so as not to let what happened to them define who they are. this series is very very important & a story that will forever live on.

thank you to simon teen #simonteeninfluencer for the arc to read and review!!

[marioncoin | coin.reads]

ok Amber, take my money i guess ???

[Serra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing & NetGalley for the ARC!

Pre-read: This is so bittersweet 💔. Review to come

The final installment in this trilogy was so gut-wrenching but also beautiful at the same time! You can expect multiple POVs, which were crucial because we get to follow the healing journey of three young girls.

Eden: My girl, she deserves the world! She and Josh are so cute together, and their relationship always feels real. I loved how their story wrapped up.

Gen: I really enjoyed getting to know her. She brought a fresh perspective to the story, and her resilience was so inspiring.

Amanda: Her POV absolutely broke me. I was in tears by the end, and her journey was one of the most emotional parts of the book.

I'm going to miss this story so much. It means the world to me. I wish we could get more of these characters! I would love to see them in the future. Like the rest of the trilogy, The Way We Become is a 5 star read!

[marissa]

OMG OMG OMG!!!!!! how can one be normal about this i need my girls to get the closure they deserve

[Rosariosbooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was the perfect conclusion to this story. I've followed Eden's story from the first book and seeing her journey and growth in this book is so special. This story is emotional but so healing. I loved that we also got to see Gen and Amanda's journey as well. I cannot recommend this book and this series enough. Please check trigger warnings. Thank you NetGalley, Amber Smith and Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing for the arc copy.

[gizem ₊˚⊹]

gosh i hope that this is true 🙏🙏

[honeii ☆]

july 13 2026

AYEEE I GOT THE ARC IM SO HAPPY AHHHH
-----
march 30 2026
OH MY GOD YOU DON'T KNOW HOW MUCH I NEED THIS. I NEED THIS NOWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW AGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH IM GOING CRAZY

[Cadence Boudreaux · Rating 5 out of 5]

These books are so beautiful . Every single one of them has brought me to tears . I remember vividly the moment i read each one and where i was .

Book one I read the day before co-op class I stayed up all night and I cried so much I needed water to cry more . I was gutted at how the story was left unfinished and yet I knew it worked well that way.

Then the sequel was announced and I was ecstatic . seeing Eden get peace was something I desperately craved + josh!!! I read the second book on a cruise in a hot tub and I cried so much snot came out of my nose .

I got an early copy of this one and I read it while dogsitting and who’s surprised to learn i cried ?

I think of all three the second is my favorite . This one brought us back to that whirlwind of pain and it gutted me that they didn’t get proper justice even though it’s realistic . I’m so glad kevin is no longer with us . Good riddance, rest with no peace ! but it sucked seeing the system fail them.

I loved the moments with eden and josh and eden and her brother . I loved the final scene with her brother and amanda . I think this ties up the story so nicely .

[buse · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review of advance copy received from Edelweiss+
this was such a roller coaster, i literally felt every emotion under the sun while reading it. seeing eden amanda and gen finally getting a closure was so perfect i can say it was the biggest relief ever. i absolutely loved reading all three povs even though it was amanda and gen’s first (and unfortunately only) time getting povs i immediately connected with them. i wish we could’ve gotten them a little bit more i actually wouldn’t mind a novella in the future with all of them. these girls and their journeys together left an impact on me i love them all dearly so that’s why this one definitely became my favorite in the series. on the side note edenjosh were so cute together as well.

thank you to edelweiss+ and publisher for providing an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

[lily 𖧧 · Rating 5 out of 5]

infinity stars 🌟 ADVANCED READERS COPY.

never did i think we would get another book. i genuinely needed this. getting amanda, gen and eden’s POV’s in this book felt so real and raw. seeing them struggle and learn to lean on those around them was so heartwarming. i will never be over these books. they are forever etched in my heart.

edenjosh🫀my #1 clients!!! they mean everything to me. how much i see myself in eden hurts me so deeply. seeing the way she tried to push josh away and the way she saw herself hit so close to home for me. i love that josh is so patient with her, it makes me appreciate my josh so much more. i will probably continue to reread the trilogy because i will never be tired of them!!!

[Phillipsbooknook · Rating 5 out of 5]

This third and final installment in the series did not disappoint. This book wrecked me, built me up, wrecked me again, and then built me back up again. Amber Smith does not disappoint and does an excellent job at humanizing and being transparent about the grief cycle for SA survivors. I’m so thankful to NetGalley, Amber Smith, and Simon and Schuster for the opportunity to read this ARC.

[sewar˚⋆𐙚｡⋆𖦹.]

I’m so unwell oh my god

[Dylan Trent · Rating 5 out of 5]

bears

[Alexa’s Shelf]

⋆‧°𓏲ּ𝄢 Pre-thoughts ⋆‧°𓏲ּ𝄢

First of all...GUILTY OR INNOCENT?? (Obviously guilty)

Ughhh, I'm just so excited to see Josh and Eden's story come to an end. A lot of people think this book should've been a duology, I think it's PERFECT as a trilogy! Already predicting as a 5-star...also will probably be my most heart-wrenching read of 2026

[amby · Rating 5 out of 5]

thank you to netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

this is one of my most anticipated reads of this year and i was so very grateful to have been accepted. this book has 3 povs of kevin’s victims. each of these girls were affected in different ways but yet also felt the same. we already know eden’s story, but it was also very beautiful to learn more about gen and amanda. my heart truly truly hurt for each and one of the girls. amanda’s pov made me so mad because how could someone you call “family” be such a disgusting person? this book had also shown that the justice is truly so cruel. the fact that kevin was given less time than what the girls had originally thought he was supposed to get made me sick to my stomach. and even then he still was able to get out earlier. these girls never even had their peace until he was dead and that’s what makes me so sick. and even then, this will forever live in their brain. they will heal, and possibly get better but it will forever be engraved into their brain. what they went through will always be there. i seriously adore each and one of these girls, and was so happy they finally got their peace. it was also so so beautiful for them as victims to have each other and to know that they weren’t alone in this fight. they were seen and they were heard. i also really did love the edenjosh moments, josh is so so patient with eden and understands her completely. although eden was pushing him away, and fighting this battle, he was still always there. gen eventually finding her way back to caelin and them getting their happy ending was heartwarming. and lastly amanda was suicidal, but at the end she wanted to live and not let what happened to her define her. this was so so beautiful. i am sad that this trilogy has come to an end but feel so lucky to have read each and every book. this is a very serious topic and it was represented so well and so accurate. my heart goes to all the victims in the world that couldn’t get their justice.

[bookzz4mee · Rating 5 out of 5]

this is such an empowering book, everyone in the world should read this book series. it is so beautiful, raw, powerful, emotional, inspiring, and so much more.

i am the biggest eden and josh stan and i think every josh and eden interaction in this book should be framed and put in a museum. i am sad josh is more of a supporting character and that he doesn’t have a pov, but what he brought to all three girls’ stories was really special and i loved it all. i love eden and i am so happy to see how she grows throughout this book. i also learned so much about eden in this book. some of the things she did in the other books confused me, but this book really helped me to better understand her actions and motives in the other books and in this one. i want five thousand more eden books please. i also have been rooting for caelin and gen since the second book, so i loved the snippets of them.

i like how stella mirrors gen’s own feelings. all three girls struggle to not bury their worries and problems and gen’s connection with stella, eden’s connection with josh, and amanda’s connection with stacy all give an insight into their internal struggles that they struggle to let out. in the words of my middle school english teacher, this story does a fantastic job of showing and not telling.

i love the importance this book sets on independence and how it was raw and messy both with the girls’ connections with others and with their own individual journeys.

it was hard to switch back and forth between povs because the actual stories don’t always intertwine so you can get left on a cliff hanger while you read another girl’s story, but i loved to see the different ways in which the girls moved forward with their lives after the first two books, the heart of all three girls’ stories are similar.