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The Way I Used to Be #3
The Way We Become
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.
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.
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About the author
Amber Smith
16 books3,719 followersAmber 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
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February 25, 2026pre read
the way i used to be had some of the best depression, suicide and rape representation that i’ve read as a survivor myself. i’m so excited to read this and to finally read about the justice that all three girls deserve so much 🥹💗
the way i used to be had some of the best depression, suicide and rape representation that i’ve read as a survivor myself. i’m so excited to read this and to finally read about the justice that all three girls deserve so much 🥹💗
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
REVIEW TO COME😭💐😭😭💗💗💐!!!!!!!
💐🌸🌷;༊My girl Eden NEEDS the justice she deserves💐🌸🌷;༊
💐🌸🌷;༊My girl Eden NEEDS the justice she deserves💐🌸🌷;༊
Want to Read
March 13, 2026i lied when i said 2025 was the year of the book girlies. THE RELEASES THIS YEAR KEEP GETTING BETTER
#joshandedendeservethehappiestendingever
#joshandedendeservethehappiestendingever
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
⋆˚𖤓˖° ❛ 𝑚𝑎𝑘𝑒𝑠 𝑚𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑘 𝑎𝑏𝑜𝑢𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑜𝑠𝑒 𝑓𝑙𝑜𝑤𝑒𝑟𝑠 𝑖𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑓𝑖𝑒𝑙𝑑—ℎ𝑜𝑤 𝑙𝑖𝑘𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑚 𝑤𝑒 𝑎𝑟𝑒. 𝑏𝑒𝑎𝑢𝑡𝑖𝑓𝑢𝑙, 𝑙𝑢𝑠ℎ, 𝑤𝑖𝑙𝑑 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑔𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑑𝑜𝑛'𝑡 𝑛𝑒𝑒𝑑 𝑝𝑒𝑟𝑚𝑖𝑠𝑠𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑡𝑜 𝑡𝑎𝑘𝑒 𝑟𝑜𝑜𝑡 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑡ℎ𝑟𝑖𝑣𝑒 𝑤ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑟 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑦 𝑎𝑟𝑒. 𝑤𝑒 𝑎𝑟𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑜𝑛𝑒𝑠 𝑤ℎ𝑜 𝑔𝑒𝑡 𝑡𝑜 𝑙𝑖𝑣𝑒 𝑜𝑛 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑔𝑟𝑜𝑤 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑏𝑒𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑒. ❜ ₊˚⊹ ᰔ
✧˖°. ┆★★★★ ½ — 𝟰.𝟱 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘀
ılı.lıllılıı.ıllı..
𝑐𝑢𝑟𝑟𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑙𝑦 𝑝𝑙𝑎𝑦𝑖𝑛𝑔 ‧₊ ♪˚⊹
alright now ❘ vera blue
2:06 ─────•── -1:26
⇆ㅤ ◁◁ ❚❚ ▷▷ㅤ ↻
₊ ❤️🩹 ⊹ 𝑡ℎ𝑜𝑢𝑔ℎ𝑡𝑠 ⋆˚࿔
this was the ending i didn’t know i needed and my fav book of the series and now i’m healed 🥹 this book was so perfectly bittersweet and i loved every second of it <3 it was so much better than i thought it would be and it was everything i needed it to be and more!! i was NOT expecting that ending but i’m SO GLAD that all happened. when i said i wanted that to happen i was joking and then it actually did haha. this book made me feel everything, i smiled, i teared up, i even had full body chills it’s actually sickening how this book makes me feel 😩
i wasn’t looking forward to the new pov’s at first, but they were definitely needed and i loved gen and amanda immediately <3 i was v worried i would find one or both of their pov’s boring but i’m v glad that was not the case at all!! each pov was interesting bcuz although they experienced similar things, it affected them all so differently and they also handled it differently and that was rlly interesting and also important i think to see bcuz there is no one way to experience and handle this
all of the writing abt suicide and depression was done so well imo. it was raw and real, especially when amanda was thinking abt committing, that scene rlly stuck w me <3 there were so many beautiful quotes in here abt what it feels like to not want to live but not want to die either and i rlly related to eden and amanda especially abt that
the cover has so much meaning now and it’s so pretty i could cry i love how the playground has stayed such a special and untouched place throughout the series it just feels so magical and i loved the scene were the girls all got high and drunk and went on the swings and put flowers in each other’s hair 😭 it was so silly and so sweet and so nice to see them just being with each other 🥹 the love the three girls all have for each other is one of the best and sweetest things abt this book <3
the only reason this book isn’t five stars is bcuz i didn’t get that five star feeling and there was just smth missing for me, but i do think this book is literally perfect, it kind of changed my life, and it was DEFINITELY a perfect ending, like i literally can’t imagine anything better
IMPORTANT EDIT!!: i just wanna come on here again and say that ESPECIALLY w everything happening w the whole cornell case and situation, the release of this book and telling of stories like eden, gen, and amanda’s is SO incredibly important i cannot stress this enough!! so thank you to amber smith for writing this series and giving hope to so many young girls and women, im so proud <3
💛 𝑐ℎ𝑎𝑟𝑎𝑐𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑠 ᣟ𐚁˳˚
⤿ JOSH okay he's actually the best he’s SO kind and caring and patient and understanding and he’s so good to eden I LOVE THEMMMM, STACY she was a rlly good friend in the end and i'm so glad amanda had her <3, MARA i'll love her always <3
🔑 𝑒𝑑𝑒𝑛 𝑚𝑐𝑐𝑟𝑜𝑟𝑒𝑦 °❀⋆
⤿ eden has grown SO much from the first book to now and i feel so proud i could cry i genuinely feel maternal towards her 😩🥹 her growth is incredible and so beautiful and she’s my baby and my fav and i love her and i’m so happy for her that she’s finally reached a place in her life where she’s living and not just surviving, where she’s more than just okay <3 ALSO super random but the text she got from josh’s mum after they got the verdict was SOOO sweetie i crieddd 😭
🐚 𝑎𝑚𝑎𝑛𝑑𝑎 𝑎𝑟𝑚𝑠𝑡𝑟𝑜𝑛𝑔 ⋆˚꩜｡
⤿ now this is not to reduce gen and eden’s stories ofc, but i found amanda’s story ESPECIALLY devastating, and i think we rlly needed it. it was so sad and interesting how she battled w her learnt resentment for eden and just everything she thought she knew and believed and i love that they're friends again <3 i related to her a LOT w her depression and i think that's part of why she has such a special place in my heart, she's my baby too <3 ALSO I HATE HER MUM FOR WHAT SHE DID IDEC THAT WAS UNACCEPTABLE I'LL NEVER FORGIVE HER SHE WAS SO HORRIBLE
🐕 𝑔𝑒𝑛𝑛𝑖𝑓𝑒𝑟 ❛ 𝑔𝑒𝑛 ❜ ⊹₊⟡⋆
⤿ although i like her pov, i connected w gen the least, but i did rlly relate to her always sleeping and being tired to a degree that no amount of sleep would fix it. her relationships w her parents, especially her mum, were so sad to read abt 😭 but im glad she eventually made peace w both of them, and herself, and finally accepted that she was not at fault and didn’t need to blame herself anymore <3 AND I HOPE HER AND CAE CAN FIGURE THEMSELVES OUT AND GET TOGETHER !!
🎧 𝑝𝑙𝑎𝑦𝑙𝑖𝑠𝑡 ‧₊ ♪˚⊹
⤿ born to lose - bea miller
⤿ 21 - gracie abrams
⤿ go - adela
⤿ girl, so confusing - charli xcx, lorde
⤿ come down - asha banks
⤿ softcore - the neighbourhood
⤿ what was i made for? - billie eilish
⤿ istillfeelthesame - 5sos
💌 𝑞𝑢𝑜𝑡𝑒𝑠 ⛧⋆˚࿔⋆
✧ ❛ 𝑤ℎ𝑎𝑡 ℎ𝑒 𝑑𝑜𝑒𝑠𝑛'𝑡 𝑤𝑎𝑛𝑡 𝑡𝑜 𝑠𝑒𝑒, 𝑤ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑛𝑜 𝑜𝑛𝑒 𝑠𝑒𝑒𝑚𝑠 𝑡𝑜 𝑢𝑛𝑑𝑒𝑟𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑑, 𝑖𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑙𝑎𝑠𝑡 𝑏𝑎𝑑 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 ℎ𝑎𝑝𝑝𝑒𝑛𝑒𝑑 𝑡𝑜 𝑚𝑒 𝑖𝑠 𝑠𝑡𝑖𝑙𝑙 ℎ𝑎𝑝𝑝𝑒𝑛𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑡𝑜 𝑚𝑒. ❜
✧ ❛ 𝑡𝑜𝑜 𝑠𝑎𝑑 𝑡𝑜 𝑐𝑟𝑦, 𝑡𝑜𝑜 𝑎𝑛𝑔𝑟𝑦 𝑡𝑜 𝑏𝑒 𝑡𝑖𝑟𝑒𝑑, 𝑡𝑜𝑜 𝑡𝑖𝑟𝑒𝑑 𝑡𝑜 𝑠𝑙𝑒𝑒𝑝. ❜
✧ ❛ 𝑙𝑒𝑡 𝑚𝑒 𝑏𝑒𝑙𝑖𝑒𝑣𝑒 𝑖𝑛 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑏𝑜𝑡ℎ 𝑜𝑓 𝑢𝑠 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑎 𝑤ℎ𝑖𝑙𝑒? ❜
✧ ❛ 𝑖'𝑚 𝑡𝑖𝑟𝑒𝑑 𝑎𝑙𝑙 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑡𝑖𝑚𝑒. 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑘𝑖𝑛𝑑 𝑜𝑓 𝑡𝑖𝑟𝑒𝑑 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑡 𝑐𝑎𝑛'𝑡 𝑡𝑜𝑢𝑐ℎ. ❜
✧ ❛ 𝑖 𝑐𝑎𝑛 ℎ𝑒𝑎𝑟 𝑦𝑜𝑢𝑟 ℎ𝑒𝑎𝑟𝑡, ❜
✧ ❛ 𝑖 𝑗𝑢𝑠𝑡 𝑛𝑒𝑒𝑑 𝑡𝑜 𝑓𝑒𝑒𝑙 𝑙𝑖𝑘𝑒 𝑠ℎ𝑖𝑡 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑎 𝑤ℎ𝑖𝑙𝑒, 𝑖𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡'𝑠 𝑜𝑘𝑎𝑦. ❜ 𝑒𝑑𝑒𝑛 𝑠𝑎𝑖𝑑 𝑠𝑜𝑚𝑒𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑙𝑖𝑘𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡. 𝑖𝑡 𝑚𝑎𝑑𝑒 𝑠𝑒𝑛𝑠𝑒 𝑡𝑜 𝑚𝑒. 𝑡𝑟𝑦𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑡𝑜 𝑝𝑟𝑒𝑡𝑒𝑛𝑑 𝑡𝑜 𝑓𝑒𝑒𝑙 𝑜𝑘𝑎𝑦 𝑤ℎ𝑒𝑛 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑓𝑒𝑒𝑙 𝑙𝑖𝑘𝑒 𝑦𝑜𝑢'𝑟𝑒 𝑑𝑦𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑗𝑢𝑠𝑡 𝑚𝑎𝑘𝑒𝑠 𝑖𝑡 𝑎𝑙𝑙 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑚𝑢𝑐ℎ 𝑤𝑜𝑟𝑠𝑒.
✧ ❛ 𝑖 𝑐𝑎𝑛'𝑡, ❜ 𝑖 𝑠𝑎𝑦 𝑜𝑢𝑡 𝑙𝑜𝑢𝑑, 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑖'𝑚 𝑐𝑟𝑦𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑏𝑒𝑐𝑎𝑢𝑠𝑒 𝑖 𝑤𝑎𝑛𝑡 𝑡𝑜 𝑙𝑖𝑣𝑒. 𝑖 𝑑𝑟𝑜𝑝 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑟𝑎𝑧𝑜𝑟 𝑜𝑛 𝑚𝑦 𝑛𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑐𝑜𝑣𝑒𝑟 𝑚𝑦 𝑒𝑦𝑒𝑠. 𝑙𝑖𝑣𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑓𝑒𝑒𝑙𝑠 𝑡𝑜𝑜 ℎ𝑎𝑟𝑑, 𝑏𝑢𝑡 𝑖 𝑤𝑎𝑛𝑡 𝑖𝑡 𝑎𝑛𝑦𝑤𝑎𝑦, 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑖 𝑤𝑖𝑠ℎ 𝑖 𝑑𝑖𝑑𝑛'𝑡 𝑤𝑎𝑛𝑡 𝑖𝑡 𝑠𝑜 𝑚𝑢𝑐ℎ 𝑏𝑒𝑐𝑎𝑢𝑠𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑤𝑜𝑢𝑙𝑑𝑛'𝑡 𝑏𝑒 𝑠𝑜 ℎ𝑎𝑟𝑑.
✧ ❛ 𝑤𝑒'𝑟𝑒 𝑒𝑛𝑑𝑔𝑎𝑚𝑒. 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑚𝑒, 𝑤𝑒'𝑟𝑒 𝑒𝑛𝑑𝑔𝑎𝑚𝑒. ❜ ❛ 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑚𝑒, 𝑡𝑜𝑜. 𝑤𝑒'𝑟𝑒 𝑒𝑛𝑑𝑔𝑎𝑚𝑒 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑚𝑒, 𝑡𝑜𝑜. ❜
✧ ❛ 𝑖𝑡'𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑠𝑖𝑚𝑝𝑙𝑒. 𝑖 𝑐𝑜𝑢𝑙𝑑𝑛'𝑡 ℎ𝑎𝑣𝑒 𝑑𝑜𝑛𝑒 𝑎𝑛𝑦𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑑𝑖𝑓𝑓𝑒𝑟𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑙𝑦 𝑎𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑡𝑖𝑚𝑒. 𝑖 𝑑𝑖𝑑 𝑤ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑖 ℎ𝑎𝑑 𝑡𝑜 𝑑𝑜 𝑡𝑜 𝑠𝑢𝑟𝑣𝑖𝑣𝑒 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑖 𝒅𝒊𝒅 𝑠𝑢𝑟𝑣𝑖𝑣𝑒. ❜
⊹ ﹒ ⁺ ﹒ ⊹ ﹒ ⁺ ﹒ ⊹ ﹒ ⁺ ﹒ ⊹ ﹒ ⁺ ﹒ ⊹ ﹒ ⁺ ﹒ ⊹ ﹒ ⁺ ﹒ ⊹
⋆˚꩜｡┆ 𝑝𝑟𝑒-𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑑 .ᐟ ₊ 💐 ⊹
i am so very scared to read this bcuz b2 ended quite happily and istg if they break up again a heartstring will snap 😭 also v scared bcuz it sounds like there r new pov's and idk how i feel abt that 🫠 i REALLY hope eden and josh finally get their happy ending here!! this cover is SO stunning and it's giving healing so i rlly hope this gives us closure and healing for all the girls <3
𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑛𝑘 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑡𝑜 𝑁𝑒𝑡𝐺𝑎𝑙𝑙𝑒𝑦, 𝑂𝑛𝑒𝑤𝑜𝑟𝑙𝑑 𝑝𝑢𝑏𝑙𝑖𝑐𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑠, 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝐴𝑚𝑏𝑒𝑟 𝑆𝑚𝑖𝑡ℎ 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑒-𝑎𝑟𝑐!! xx
✧˖°. ┆★★★★ ½ — 𝟰.𝟱 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘀
ılı.lıllılıı.ıllı..
𝑐𝑢𝑟𝑟𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑙𝑦 𝑝𝑙𝑎𝑦𝑖𝑛𝑔 ‧₊ ♪˚⊹
alright now ❘ vera blue
2:06 ─────•── -1:26
⇆ㅤ ◁◁ ❚❚ ▷▷ㅤ ↻
⋆˚꩜｡❛ 𝑤𝑒 𝑔𝑒𝑡 𝑠𝑎𝑑 𝑤ℎ𝑒𝑛 𝑤𝑒 𝑔𝑒𝑡 𝑙𝑒𝑡 𝑑𝑜𝑤𝑛 ❜˖ ݁♬⋆.˚𝄞
₊ ❤️🩹 ⊹ 𝑡ℎ𝑜𝑢𝑔ℎ𝑡𝑠 ⋆˚࿔
this was the ending i didn’t know i needed and my fav book of the series and now i’m healed 🥹 this book was so perfectly bittersweet and i loved every second of it <3 it was so much better than i thought it would be and it was everything i needed it to be and more!! i was NOT expecting that ending but i’m SO GLAD that all happened. when i said i wanted that to happen i was joking and then it actually did haha. this book made me feel everything, i smiled, i teared up, i even had full body chills it’s actually sickening how this book makes me feel 😩
i wasn’t looking forward to the new pov’s at first, but they were definitely needed and i loved gen and amanda immediately <3 i was v worried i would find one or both of their pov’s boring but i’m v glad that was not the case at all!! each pov was interesting bcuz although they experienced similar things, it affected them all so differently and they also handled it differently and that was rlly interesting and also important i think to see bcuz there is no one way to experience and handle this
all of the writing abt suicide and depression was done so well imo. it was raw and real, especially when amanda was thinking abt committing, that scene rlly stuck w me <3 there were so many beautiful quotes in here abt what it feels like to not want to live but not want to die either and i rlly related to eden and amanda especially abt that
⋆˚꩜｡❛ ℎ𝑎𝑟𝑑 𝑒𝑛𝑜𝑢𝑔ℎ 𝑡𝑜 𝑏𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑘 𝑎 𝑠𝑚𝑖𝑙𝑒 ❜˖ ݁♬⋆.˚𝄞
the cover has so much meaning now and it’s so pretty i could cry i love how the playground has stayed such a special and untouched place throughout the series it just feels so magical and i loved the scene were the girls all got high and drunk and went on the swings and put flowers in each other’s hair 😭 it was so silly and so sweet and so nice to see them just being with each other 🥹 the love the three girls all have for each other is one of the best and sweetest things abt this book <3
the only reason this book isn’t five stars is bcuz i didn’t get that five star feeling and there was just smth missing for me, but i do think this book is literally perfect, it kind of changed my life, and it was DEFINITELY a perfect ending, like i literally can’t imagine anything better
IMPORTANT EDIT!!: i just wanna come on here again and say that ESPECIALLY w everything happening w the whole cornell case and situation, the release of this book and telling of stories like eden, gen, and amanda’s is SO incredibly important i cannot stress this enough!! so thank you to amber smith for writing this series and giving hope to so many young girls and women, im so proud <3
⋆˚꩜｡❛ 𝑤𝑒 𝑔𝑒𝑡 𝑚𝑎𝑑 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑤𝑒 𝑡𝑎𝑘𝑒 𝑖𝑡 𝑜𝑢𝑡 ❜˖ ݁♬⋆.˚𝄞
💛 𝑐ℎ𝑎𝑟𝑎𝑐𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑠 ᣟ𐚁˳˚
⤿ JOSH okay he's actually the best he’s SO kind and caring and patient and understanding and he’s so good to eden I LOVE THEMMMM, STACY she was a rlly good friend in the end and i'm so glad amanda had her <3, MARA i'll love her always <3
🔑 𝑒𝑑𝑒𝑛 𝑚𝑐𝑐𝑟𝑜𝑟𝑒𝑦 °❀⋆
⤿ eden has grown SO much from the first book to now and i feel so proud i could cry i genuinely feel maternal towards her 😩🥹 her growth is incredible and so beautiful and she’s my baby and my fav and i love her and i’m so happy for her that she’s finally reached a place in her life where she’s living and not just surviving, where she’s more than just okay <3 ALSO super random but the text she got from josh’s mum after they got the verdict was SOOO sweetie i crieddd 😭
🐚 𝑎𝑚𝑎𝑛𝑑𝑎 𝑎𝑟𝑚𝑠𝑡𝑟𝑜𝑛𝑔 ⋆˚꩜｡
⤿ now this is not to reduce gen and eden’s stories ofc, but i found amanda’s story ESPECIALLY devastating, and i think we rlly needed it. it was so sad and interesting how she battled w her learnt resentment for eden and just everything she thought she knew and believed and i love that they're friends again <3 i related to her a LOT w her depression and i think that's part of why she has such a special place in my heart, she's my baby too <3 ALSO I HATE HER MUM FOR WHAT SHE DID IDEC THAT WAS UNACCEPTABLE I'LL NEVER FORGIVE HER SHE WAS SO HORRIBLE
🐕 𝑔𝑒𝑛𝑛𝑖𝑓𝑒𝑟 ❛ 𝑔𝑒𝑛 ❜ ⊹₊⟡⋆
⤿ although i like her pov, i connected w gen the least, but i did rlly relate to her always sleeping and being tired to a degree that no amount of sleep would fix it. her relationships w her parents, especially her mum, were so sad to read abt 😭 but im glad she eventually made peace w both of them, and herself, and finally accepted that she was not at fault and didn’t need to blame herself anymore <3 AND I HOPE HER AND CAE CAN FIGURE THEMSELVES OUT AND GET TOGETHER !!
⋆˚꩜｡❛ 𝑖𝑡'𝑠 𝑎𝑙𝑙 𝑔𝑜𝑜𝑑 𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑦𝑏𝑜𝑑𝑦 𝑐𝑟𝑖𝑒𝑠 ❜˖ ݁♬⋆.˚𝄞
🎧 𝑝𝑙𝑎𝑦𝑙𝑖𝑠𝑡 ‧₊ ♪˚⊹
⤿ born to lose - bea miller
⤿ 21 - gracie abrams
⤿ go - adela
⤿ girl, so confusing - charli xcx, lorde
⤿ come down - asha banks
⤿ softcore - the neighbourhood
⤿ what was i made for? - billie eilish
⤿ istillfeelthesame - 5sos
⋆˚꩜｡❛ 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑤𝑖𝑙𝑙 𝑓𝑖𝑛𝑑 𝑚𝑒 𝑜𝑢𝑡𝑠𝑖𝑑𝑒 𝑖𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑠𝑢𝑛𝑙𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡 ❜˖ ݁♬⋆.˚𝄞
💌 𝑞𝑢𝑜𝑡𝑒𝑠 ⛧⋆˚࿔⋆
✧ ❛ 𝑤ℎ𝑎𝑡 ℎ𝑒 𝑑𝑜𝑒𝑠𝑛'𝑡 𝑤𝑎𝑛𝑡 𝑡𝑜 𝑠𝑒𝑒, 𝑤ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑛𝑜 𝑜𝑛𝑒 𝑠𝑒𝑒𝑚𝑠 𝑡𝑜 𝑢𝑛𝑑𝑒𝑟𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑑, 𝑖𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑙𝑎𝑠𝑡 𝑏𝑎𝑑 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 ℎ𝑎𝑝𝑝𝑒𝑛𝑒𝑑 𝑡𝑜 𝑚𝑒 𝑖𝑠 𝑠𝑡𝑖𝑙𝑙 ℎ𝑎𝑝𝑝𝑒𝑛𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑡𝑜 𝑚𝑒. ❜
✧ ❛ 𝑡𝑜𝑜 𝑠𝑎𝑑 𝑡𝑜 𝑐𝑟𝑦, 𝑡𝑜𝑜 𝑎𝑛𝑔𝑟𝑦 𝑡𝑜 𝑏𝑒 𝑡𝑖𝑟𝑒𝑑, 𝑡𝑜𝑜 𝑡𝑖𝑟𝑒𝑑 𝑡𝑜 𝑠𝑙𝑒𝑒𝑝. ❜
✧ ❛ 𝑙𝑒𝑡 𝑚𝑒 𝑏𝑒𝑙𝑖𝑒𝑣𝑒 𝑖𝑛 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑏𝑜𝑡ℎ 𝑜𝑓 𝑢𝑠 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑎 𝑤ℎ𝑖𝑙𝑒? ❜
✧ ❛ 𝑖'𝑚 𝑡𝑖𝑟𝑒𝑑 𝑎𝑙𝑙 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑡𝑖𝑚𝑒. 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑘𝑖𝑛𝑑 𝑜𝑓 𝑡𝑖𝑟𝑒𝑑 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑡 𝑐𝑎𝑛'𝑡 𝑡𝑜𝑢𝑐ℎ. ❜
✧ ❛ 𝑖 𝑐𝑎𝑛 ℎ𝑒𝑎𝑟 𝑦𝑜𝑢𝑟 ℎ𝑒𝑎𝑟𝑡, ❜
✧ ❛ 𝑖 𝑗𝑢𝑠𝑡 𝑛𝑒𝑒𝑑 𝑡𝑜 𝑓𝑒𝑒𝑙 𝑙𝑖𝑘𝑒 𝑠ℎ𝑖𝑡 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑎 𝑤ℎ𝑖𝑙𝑒, 𝑖𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡'𝑠 𝑜𝑘𝑎𝑦. ❜ 𝑒𝑑𝑒𝑛 𝑠𝑎𝑖𝑑 𝑠𝑜𝑚𝑒𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑙𝑖𝑘𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡. 𝑖𝑡 𝑚𝑎𝑑𝑒 𝑠𝑒𝑛𝑠𝑒 𝑡𝑜 𝑚𝑒. 𝑡𝑟𝑦𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑡𝑜 𝑝𝑟𝑒𝑡𝑒𝑛𝑑 𝑡𝑜 𝑓𝑒𝑒𝑙 𝑜𝑘𝑎𝑦 𝑤ℎ𝑒𝑛 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑓𝑒𝑒𝑙 𝑙𝑖𝑘𝑒 𝑦𝑜𝑢'𝑟𝑒 𝑑𝑦𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑗𝑢𝑠𝑡 𝑚𝑎𝑘𝑒𝑠 𝑖𝑡 𝑎𝑙𝑙 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑚𝑢𝑐ℎ 𝑤𝑜𝑟𝑠𝑒.
✧ ❛ 𝑖 𝑐𝑎𝑛'𝑡, ❜ 𝑖 𝑠𝑎𝑦 𝑜𝑢𝑡 𝑙𝑜𝑢𝑑, 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑖'𝑚 𝑐𝑟𝑦𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑏𝑒𝑐𝑎𝑢𝑠𝑒 𝑖 𝑤𝑎𝑛𝑡 𝑡𝑜 𝑙𝑖𝑣𝑒. 𝑖 𝑑𝑟𝑜𝑝 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑟𝑎𝑧𝑜𝑟 𝑜𝑛 𝑚𝑦 𝑛𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑐𝑜𝑣𝑒𝑟 𝑚𝑦 𝑒𝑦𝑒𝑠. 𝑙𝑖𝑣𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑓𝑒𝑒𝑙𝑠 𝑡𝑜𝑜 ℎ𝑎𝑟𝑑, 𝑏𝑢𝑡 𝑖 𝑤𝑎𝑛𝑡 𝑖𝑡 𝑎𝑛𝑦𝑤𝑎𝑦, 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑖 𝑤𝑖𝑠ℎ 𝑖 𝑑𝑖𝑑𝑛'𝑡 𝑤𝑎𝑛𝑡 𝑖𝑡 𝑠𝑜 𝑚𝑢𝑐ℎ 𝑏𝑒𝑐𝑎𝑢𝑠𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑤𝑜𝑢𝑙𝑑𝑛'𝑡 𝑏𝑒 𝑠𝑜 ℎ𝑎𝑟𝑑.
✧ ❛ 𝑤𝑒'𝑟𝑒 𝑒𝑛𝑑𝑔𝑎𝑚𝑒. 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑚𝑒, 𝑤𝑒'𝑟𝑒 𝑒𝑛𝑑𝑔𝑎𝑚𝑒. ❜ ❛ 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑚𝑒, 𝑡𝑜𝑜. 𝑤𝑒'𝑟𝑒 𝑒𝑛𝑑𝑔𝑎𝑚𝑒 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑚𝑒, 𝑡𝑜𝑜. ❜
✧ ❛ 𝑖𝑡'𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑠𝑖𝑚𝑝𝑙𝑒. 𝑖 𝑐𝑜𝑢𝑙𝑑𝑛'𝑡 ℎ𝑎𝑣𝑒 𝑑𝑜𝑛𝑒 𝑎𝑛𝑦𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑑𝑖𝑓𝑓𝑒𝑟𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑙𝑦 𝑎𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑡𝑖𝑚𝑒. 𝑖 𝑑𝑖𝑑 𝑤ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑖 ℎ𝑎𝑑 𝑡𝑜 𝑑𝑜 𝑡𝑜 𝑠𝑢𝑟𝑣𝑖𝑣𝑒 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑖 𝒅𝒊𝒅 𝑠𝑢𝑟𝑣𝑖𝑣𝑒. ❜
⋆˚꩜｡❛ 𝑠𝑎𝑦𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑖'𝑚 𝑎𝑙𝑟𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡 𝑛𝑜𝑤, 𝑦𝑒𝑎ℎ, 𝑖'𝑚 𝑎𝑙𝑟𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡 𝑛𝑜𝑤 ❜˖ ݁♬⋆.˚𝄞
⊹ ﹒ ⁺ ﹒ ⊹ ﹒ ⁺ ﹒ ⊹ ﹒ ⁺ ﹒ ⊹ ﹒ ⁺ ﹒ ⊹ ﹒ ⁺ ﹒ ⊹ ﹒ ⁺ ﹒ ⊹
⋆˚꩜｡┆ 𝑝𝑟𝑒-𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑑 .ᐟ ₊ 💐 ⊹
i am so very scared to read this bcuz b2 ended quite happily and istg if they break up again a heartstring will snap 😭 also v scared bcuz it sounds like there r new pov's and idk how i feel abt that 🫠 i REALLY hope eden and josh finally get their happy ending here!! this cover is SO stunning and it's giving healing so i rlly hope this gives us closure and healing for all the girls <3
𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑛𝑘 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑡𝑜 𝑁𝑒𝑡𝐺𝑎𝑙𝑙𝑒𝑦, 𝑂𝑛𝑒𝑤𝑜𝑟𝑙𝑑 𝑝𝑢𝑏𝑙𝑖𝑐𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑠, 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝐴𝑚𝑏𝑒𝑟 𝑆𝑚𝑖𝑡ℎ 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑒-𝑎𝑟𝑐!! xx
Want to Read
February 25, 2026MORE EDENJOSH IN THE YEAR 2026???? CHEERS HEARD AROUND THE WORLD. pls let my girls find closure and peace PLEASE
![Profile Image for len [ia until december bc of school] ❀ .](https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/users/1784431558i/51318038._UX200_CR0,0,200,200_.jpg)
Want to Read
August 2, 2026wow 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.
definitely an october anticipated release.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
𝙢𝙮 𝙧𝙚𝙫𝙞𝙚𝙬𝙨 𝙢𝙖𝙮 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙩𝙖𝙞𝙣 𝙢𝙞𝙣𝙤𝙧 𝙨𝙥𝙤𝙞𝙡𝙚𝙧𝙨
5 stars! started 9/4 finished 9/6
oh. my. gosh. this book was so so good. I love all these girls so freaking much and they deserve the world. I just love these books so much. smith's writing is beautiful and she captures all of the varying emotions perfectly. in the end, they do get justice. I don't know if it's what I would've picked, but I think what happened is unfortunately realistic. I loved the different povs, I think amanda was actually my favorite. you guys will LOVE this one!
Now Playing:
this is me trying- taylor swift
1:13 ❍─────── 3:15
↻ ⊲ Ⅱ ⊳ ↺
Volume: ▁▂▃▄▅▆▇ 100%
𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒓𝒂𝒄𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒔:
𝒆𝒅𝒆𝒏: oh eden. I love her so so much. she's one of my favorite characters ever. I'm so proud of her on how she's growing so much.
ׂ╰┈➤yellow- coldplay
𝒂𝒎𝒂𝒏𝒅𝒂: she was my favorite pov. I just want to give her the biggest hug. I'm so proud of her 🥹
ׂ╰┈➤I know the end- pheobe bridgers
𝒈𝒆𝒏: I really liked her and I'm proud of how brave she was. I love stella and I love whatever she has going on with caelin
ׂ╰┈➤would've, could've, should've- taylor swift
𝒋𝒐𝒔𝒉: I love what we got of josh in this book. he's so perfect for eden and cares and loves for her so much. I love josh
ׂ╰┈➤orbiter- noah kahan
𝒄𝒂𝒆𝒍𝒊𝒏: I'm so happy we got more insight into him on this one. he blames himself so much, and I wish he wouldn't. he's such a good brother to eden
ׂ╰┈➤another love- tom odell
𝒌𝒆𝒗𝒊𝒏: rot in hell.
5 stars! started 9/4 finished 9/6
oh. my. gosh. this book was so so good. I love all these girls so freaking much and they deserve the world. I just love these books so much. smith's writing is beautiful and she captures all of the varying emotions perfectly. in the end, they do get justice. I don't know if it's what I would've picked, but I think what happened is unfortunately realistic. I loved the different povs, I think amanda was actually my favorite. you guys will LOVE this one!
Now Playing:
this is me trying- taylor swift
1:13 ❍─────── 3:15
↻ ⊲ Ⅱ ⊳ ↺
Volume: ▁▂▃▄▅▆▇ 100%
𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒓𝒂𝒄𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒔:
𝒆𝒅𝒆𝒏: oh eden. I love her so so much. she's one of my favorite characters ever. I'm so proud of her on how she's growing so much.
ׂ╰┈➤yellow- coldplay
𝒂𝒎𝒂𝒏𝒅𝒂: she was my favorite pov. I just want to give her the biggest hug. I'm so proud of her 🥹
ׂ╰┈➤I know the end- pheobe bridgers
𝒈𝒆𝒏: I really liked her and I'm proud of how brave she was. I love stella and I love whatever she has going on with caelin
ׂ╰┈➤would've, could've, should've- taylor swift
𝒋𝒐𝒔𝒉: I love what we got of josh in this book. he's so perfect for eden and cares and loves for her so much. I love josh
ׂ╰┈➤orbiter- noah kahan
𝒄𝒂𝒆𝒍𝒊𝒏: I'm so happy we got more insight into him on this one. he blames himself so much, and I wish he wouldn't. he's such a good brother to eden
ׂ╰┈➤another love- tom odell
𝒌𝒆𝒗𝒊𝒏: rot in hell.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
In this final part of the trilogy, the main characters aren’t just Eden and Josh, but also Amanda and Gen. There are chapters from their POVs as well, and we get to learn all the details of their stories and what they’re going through.
This book made me the most anxious. It mainly focuses on the girls’ lives after the court’s decision, which, honestly, really upset me. Overall, I feel like this book was unnecessary. I devoured the first two, but this one was a struggle to get through. And it wasn’t even because of how heavy the subject matter was, but rather because of the monotony and repetition. I felt like there wasn’t enough action or enough happening throughout the story. The whole book is filled with sadness and anxiety.
Amanda’s story was the hardest for me to read, and at times I even felt anxious myself. Unfortunately, Gen didn’t make me feel much sympathy for her. I felt more sympathy for her in the chapters about her past than in the ones about her present. My favorite chapters were, of course, the ones about Eden and Josh—I love them so much! I think they’re the reason I kept reading.
As for the court’s decision, it upset and disappointed me. The girls went through such traumatic events and endured a horrible trial only to get a decision like that? The author did a really good job showing how all of this affects a victim’s mental and emotional state. What’s the point of going through all of this, then? And I didn’t really like the ending either. It was definitely unexpected, but once again, it left me disappointed because I wanted to see justice for them. I wanted its young readers to believe in themselves and their own strength.
Even though this one didn’t live up to my expectations, the series is still going on my list of favorites. I also highly recommend reading the novella after the second book.
Thank you to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing for the eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
This book made me the most anxious. It mainly focuses on the girls’ lives after the court’s decision, which, honestly, really upset me. Overall, I feel like this book was unnecessary. I devoured the first two, but this one was a struggle to get through. And it wasn’t even because of how heavy the subject matter was, but rather because of the monotony and repetition. I felt like there wasn’t enough action or enough happening throughout the story. The whole book is filled with sadness and anxiety.
Amanda’s story was the hardest for me to read, and at times I even felt anxious myself. Unfortunately, Gen didn’t make me feel much sympathy for her. I felt more sympathy for her in the chapters about her past than in the ones about her present. My favorite chapters were, of course, the ones about Eden and Josh—I love them so much! I think they’re the reason I kept reading.
As for the court’s decision, it upset and disappointed me. The girls went through such traumatic events and endured a horrible trial only to get a decision like that? The author did a really good job showing how all of this affects a victim’s mental and emotional state. What’s the point of going through all of this, then? And I didn’t really like the ending either. It was definitely unexpected, but once again, it left me disappointed because I wanted to see justice for them. I wanted its young readers to believe in themselves and their own strength.
Even though this one didn’t live up to my expectations, the series is still going on my list of favorites. I also highly recommend reading the novella after the second book.
Thank you to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing for the eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
July 31, 2026
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.
October 18, 2026
Coming back to this series is always so heartbreaking, but I always commend the author for how real and honest she keeps the story.
Eden has been through a lot in the past three books and her growth and journey towards healing has not once been linear. She had moments where she relied again on her unhealthy coping mechanisms such as drugs and alcohol. But I think in this book especially, you can tell how much Eden wants and was trying to be better. I was just so proud of her and I loved seeing her blossom into the most amazing woman.
Oh Josh. As much as I love Eden, sometimes I just wanted to shake her for how harsh she can be towards Josh who is an absolute cinnamon roll. The patience and kindness he constantly exudes and gives Eden has always been my favorite qualities about him. He isn’t perfect, but he keeps showing up for her which is the most important thing. I can’t imagine a world where these two didn’t get their happy ending.
I also really enjoyed the addition of Gen and Amanda’s POVs. I had so much sympathy and love for all three of the girls and desperately wanted them to get the justice they deserved. I am so happy that they were all able to find some version of peace by the end of the story.
Overall, this series has touched and moved me so much and I’m eternally grateful I decided to give it a chance. It is not always an easy read, but I don’t regret one moment.
Eden has been through a lot in the past three books and her growth and journey towards healing has not once been linear. She had moments where she relied again on her unhealthy coping mechanisms such as drugs and alcohol. But I think in this book especially, you can tell how much Eden wants and was trying to be better. I was just so proud of her and I loved seeing her blossom into the most amazing woman.
Oh Josh. As much as I love Eden, sometimes I just wanted to shake her for how harsh she can be towards Josh who is an absolute cinnamon roll. The patience and kindness he constantly exudes and gives Eden has always been my favorite qualities about him. He isn’t perfect, but he keeps showing up for her which is the most important thing. I can’t imagine a world where these two didn’t get their happy ending.
I also really enjoyed the addition of Gen and Amanda’s POVs. I had so much sympathy and love for all three of the girls and desperately wanted them to get the justice they deserved. I am so happy that they were all able to find some version of peace by the end of the story.
Overall, this series has touched and moved me so much and I’m eternally grateful I decided to give it a chance. It is not always an easy read, but I don’t regret one moment.
Currently Reading
February 25, 2026HELLO???????
August 7, 2026
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.
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.
Want to Read
February 26, 2026I BEG for closure in this one Amber 😣 pretty please
Want to Read
February 28, 2026SHUT 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
Want to Read
July 27, 2026
*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.
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.
Want to Read
August 15, 2026PRE-RELEASE:-
There's going to be a 3rd book in the series????
I really hope Eden finally get the closure and justice she deserves!!🥹🫂
There's going to be a 3rd book in the series????
I really hope Eden finally get the closure and justice she deserves!!🥹🫂
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Some books entertain you. Some books hurt you.
And then there are books that sit with you long after you’ve closed the final page. This was that book for me. ❤️🩹
I don’t know how to put my feelings about this one into words because The Way We Become is the kind of book that makes you feel everything. Anger. Grief. Hope. Helplessness. Love. Rage. Relief…..somehow, healing.
This is the final book in The Way I Used to Be trilogy, and Amber Smith absolutely understood the assignment. But this book isn’t just about what happened to Eden. It’s about what happens after.
Because surviving something doesn’t mean you magically wake up one morning and everything is okay.
It means learning how to live with what happened. It means figuring out who you are now. It means rebuilding relationships. It means learning to trust yourself again. It means having good days and horrible days. It means realizing healing is not a straight line.
And I LOVED that this book didn’t try to make it one.
For the first time we get Eden, Gen, AND Amanda’s POVs and my heart was not prepared.😭Each girl carries her own version of the trauma. There isn't one “right” way to survive. There isn't one timeline for healing. And there certainly isn't one way to move forward.
Amanda broke me. Her chapters were some of the hardest for me to read because there was so much happening beneath the surface from the anger, confusion, guilt, hopelessness, and that awful feeling of being trapped inside your own thoughts. Her story made me want to reach through the pages and just hug this girl.
Gen….Watching her find her strength and reclaim her sense of self was incredibly powerful. Her journey reminded me that sometimes finding your voice isn't about becoming fearless. Sometimes it's about deciding that you're no longer going to let someone else take your power away.
And then there’s my girl Eden.🥹 Watching her grow from the first book to this one is something I don't have the words for. Her journey has been messy, painful, and complicated. She isn't “fixed.” She isn't untouched by what happened. She's simply living and that difference matters.
Three girls who were brought together by something horrific slowly becoming a source of strength, understanding, and family for one another. Their stories are different, but their pain connects them and so does their determination to keep going.
This isn't a story about forgetting.
It's not a story about pretending everything is okay.
It's about saying:
This happened to me. It changed me. But it does not get to decide who I become.😭❤️🩹
These are the stories we need.
Because survivors deserve to be heard.
They deserve to be believed. They deserve support.
And they deserve to know that their lives don't end with what was done to them.
There is still a future. There is still joy. There is still love.
There is still a version of yourself waiting to emerge on the other side.
“We are the ones who get to live on and grow and become.”
That line really sums up this entire trilogy for me.
This series has been such a powerful reminder that sometimes the strongest thing you can do isn't simply survive.
It's choosing to become.
And Eden, Gen, and Amanda?
They will stay with me for a very long time. ❤️🩹
And then there are books that sit with you long after you’ve closed the final page. This was that book for me. ❤️🩹
I don’t know how to put my feelings about this one into words because The Way We Become is the kind of book that makes you feel everything. Anger. Grief. Hope. Helplessness. Love. Rage. Relief…..somehow, healing.
This is the final book in The Way I Used to Be trilogy, and Amber Smith absolutely understood the assignment. But this book isn’t just about what happened to Eden. It’s about what happens after.
Because surviving something doesn’t mean you magically wake up one morning and everything is okay.
It means learning how to live with what happened. It means figuring out who you are now. It means rebuilding relationships. It means learning to trust yourself again. It means having good days and horrible days. It means realizing healing is not a straight line.
And I LOVED that this book didn’t try to make it one.
For the first time we get Eden, Gen, AND Amanda’s POVs and my heart was not prepared.😭Each girl carries her own version of the trauma. There isn't one “right” way to survive. There isn't one timeline for healing. And there certainly isn't one way to move forward.
Amanda broke me. Her chapters were some of the hardest for me to read because there was so much happening beneath the surface from the anger, confusion, guilt, hopelessness, and that awful feeling of being trapped inside your own thoughts. Her story made me want to reach through the pages and just hug this girl.
Gen….Watching her find her strength and reclaim her sense of self was incredibly powerful. Her journey reminded me that sometimes finding your voice isn't about becoming fearless. Sometimes it's about deciding that you're no longer going to let someone else take your power away.
And then there’s my girl Eden.🥹 Watching her grow from the first book to this one is something I don't have the words for. Her journey has been messy, painful, and complicated. She isn't “fixed.” She isn't untouched by what happened. She's simply living and that difference matters.
Three girls who were brought together by something horrific slowly becoming a source of strength, understanding, and family for one another. Their stories are different, but their pain connects them and so does their determination to keep going.
This isn't a story about forgetting.
It's not a story about pretending everything is okay.
It's about saying:
This happened to me. It changed me. But it does not get to decide who I become.😭❤️🩹
These are the stories we need.
Because survivors deserve to be heard.
They deserve to be believed. They deserve support.
And they deserve to know that their lives don't end with what was done to them.
There is still a future. There is still joy. There is still love.
There is still a version of yourself waiting to emerge on the other side.
“We are the ones who get to live on and grow and become.”
That line really sums up this entire trilogy for me.
This series has been such a powerful reminder that sometimes the strongest thing you can do isn't simply survive.
It's choosing to become.
And Eden, Gen, and Amanda?
They will stay with me for a very long time. ❤️🩹
July 30, 2026
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!!
Want to Read
February 25, 2026OMG OMG OMG!!!!!! how can one be normal about this i need my girls to get the closure they deserve
September 3, 2026
💌 : 'we are the ones who get to live on and grow and become.'
— ☆ 6/5
just want to start by saying thank you to netgalley and the publishers for giving me a copy of this arc in exchange for an honest review.
from the beginning to end i was crying, while this story is bittersweet as you follow along with eden, gen and amanda's healing journey its also deeply saddening. we know edens story, we know what she went through in that time between what kevin did and where they ended in the courtroom. but we dont get gens story nor amandas. and both of their stories are bone crushingly painful.
gen is strong, undoubtedly so. in the way she thought towards the end and everything in between. her strength which started out nonexistent to how she was at the end was so beautifully written. i wish we had of known her more, because she truly is such a beautiful character.
amanda was, just everything to me. every thought she had, everything she did to feel something than what she was feeling just made me feel so connected to her. she was angry, she was sad and she was hopeless. . everytime i read her pov i just understood her, shes me and im her.
and eden, my sweet summer child. i liked so much seeing her growth from book one to now. shes changed so much and this is what ive wanted from book one. her not perfect, but happy, content, safe with the life shes built for herself after kevin. she is and will always be my number one girl. i liked seeing how soft josh was with her too, it wasnt like before but we got to see them at a more mature and connected level. edenjosh are my loves forever.
this book like always was beautifully written and i was so immersed it felt like i was there, feeling their feelings alongside each and everyone of them. im not happy its officially over, but im happy with the ending we got. bittersweet. perfect. i have an eden, gen and amanda shaped hole in my heart where they will stay forever.
i loved the girls they were before, the ones in between and i love the girl even more after what they became.
— ☆ 6/5
just want to start by saying thank you to netgalley and the publishers for giving me a copy of this arc in exchange for an honest review.
from the beginning to end i was crying, while this story is bittersweet as you follow along with eden, gen and amanda's healing journey its also deeply saddening. we know edens story, we know what she went through in that time between what kevin did and where they ended in the courtroom. but we dont get gens story nor amandas. and both of their stories are bone crushingly painful.
gen is strong, undoubtedly so. in the way she thought towards the end and everything in between. her strength which started out nonexistent to how she was at the end was so beautifully written. i wish we had of known her more, because she truly is such a beautiful character.
amanda was, just everything to me. every thought she had, everything she did to feel something than what she was feeling just made me feel so connected to her. she was angry, she was sad and she was hopeless. . everytime i read her pov i just understood her, shes me and im her.
and eden, my sweet summer child. i liked so much seeing her growth from book one to now. shes changed so much and this is what ive wanted from book one. her not perfect, but happy, content, safe with the life shes built for herself after kevin. she is and will always be my number one girl. i liked seeing how soft josh was with her too, it wasnt like before but we got to see them at a more mature and connected level. edenjosh are my loves forever.
this book like always was beautifully written and i was so immersed it felt like i was there, feeling their feelings alongside each and everyone of them. im not happy its officially over, but im happy with the ending we got. bittersweet. perfect. i have an eden, gen and amanda shaped hole in my heart where they will stay forever.
i loved the girls they were before, the ones in between and i love the girl even more after what they became.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
ARC review⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
This book was everything I went through every emotion throughout every chapter.
During this book we got the POVs of not just Eden but Amanda and Gen too,Seeing how they all had a different way of coping with what happened to them and even how their families around them were coping was so heartbreaking.
Amanda’s pov broke my heart the most. She deserves the best and seeing what she went through and the constant thoughts in her head and how she felt trapped and alone was so heartbreaking and incredibly relatable.I have a special place in my heart for Eden and josh but I think Amanda’s chapters were my favorite
I also loved seeing Gen’s seeing her grow stronger throughout the book and realize nobody can take her control away from her compared to the start was so inspiring to see I’m really happy we got to see more of her.
Eden😭😭Eden will always be one of my favorite book characters ever and seeing her in this book grow and heal was so special to see, I also loved seeing her and Josh together and how still their relationship isn’t perfect but they always find away back to each other and no she is not fully happy and living a perfect life and we see those moments in the book but their are moments in the book when we see just how far she’s come and i honestly have never been my proud of a fictional character.
This book also touched on the important topics in which justice isn’t always fair when it comes to rape victims and the heartbreaking and unfair reality of it.
but in the end I love how all these girls realized that they are not alone and they will never be fully okay and never be the way they were before but they are the ones who get to live on and grow and become.
This book was everything I went through every emotion throughout every chapter.
During this book we got the POVs of not just Eden but Amanda and Gen too,Seeing how they all had a different way of coping with what happened to them and even how their families around them were coping was so heartbreaking.
Amanda’s pov broke my heart the most. She deserves the best and seeing what she went through and the constant thoughts in her head and how she felt trapped and alone was so heartbreaking and incredibly relatable.I have a special place in my heart for Eden and josh but I think Amanda’s chapters were my favorite
I also loved seeing Gen’s seeing her grow stronger throughout the book and realize nobody can take her control away from her compared to the start was so inspiring to see I’m really happy we got to see more of her.
Eden😭😭Eden will always be one of my favorite book characters ever and seeing her in this book grow and heal was so special to see, I also loved seeing her and Josh together and how still their relationship isn’t perfect but they always find away back to each other and no she is not fully happy and living a perfect life and we see those moments in the book but their are moments in the book when we see just how far she’s come and i honestly have never been my proud of a fictional character.
This book also touched on the important topics in which justice isn’t always fair when it comes to rape victims and the heartbreaking and unfair reality of it.
but in the end I love how all these girls realized that they are not alone and they will never be fully okay and never be the way they were before but they are the ones who get to live on and grow and become.
tbr-but-mine-bc-fck-the-patriarchy
October 4, 2026so close and yet so far 😔 🙏🏼
October 8, 2026
Very big feels for this series but I will say I felt like the ending was rushed and not very well thought out. Overall loved this series.
October 16, 2026
This series means everything to me. Everything about this series hits so close to home for me.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
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!
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!
October 11, 2026
no estaba preparada para despedirme de estos personajes que han causado tanto impacto en mi persona, voy a dedicarle una reseña larga porque se lo merece
si bien es cierto que el principio se me estaba haciendo un poco lento posiblemente haya terminado siendo mi libro favorito de la trilogía y me hubiese encantado tener el pov de Amanda y Gen desde “the way i am now” (aunque fuese solo algún cap extra) porque son unas protagonistas increíbles, ha sido un viaje precioso tener el gusto de conocer esta historia en octubre de 2024 y que me haya acompañado hasta hoy, siento que los lei cuando más lo necesitaba, amo las historias que muestran la fortaleza de las mujer, me emociona un montón y me encanta que tenga un mensaje tan esperanzador, creo que se han convertido en mis libros contemporáneos favoritos, son muy necesarios! “the way i used to be” sobretodo me parece de lectura obligatoria en el instituto (en el mejor de los sentidos) AMO que digan que no son víctimas, sino supervivientes y que lo que les ha pasado ni las define ni deben sentir culpa o vergüenza (tiene reflexiones y quotes que WOW, destacar la pluma de amber smith)
voy analizando por partes (a partir de aquí SPOILERS)
EDEN: una maravilla ver su evolución , la inteligencia emocional que tiene y quizás su trama en “the way we become” es la menos “potente” ya que hemos pasado 2 libros conociéndola y viéndola superar obstáculos, en este siento que se ha reducido un poco a su relación con Josh (también hay que decir que su arco de personaje ya estaba hecho) pero igualmente me alegro que sea tan feliz, que tenga amigos que la apoyan y valoran como Parker y el noviecito de Luke, lo siento pero no soportaba a Steve y Mara(shitty ass friend que ha aparecido para darle mariwanita pero mira, al menos ya no es personaje recurrente) en los anteriores.
GEN: pf, me ha encantado que muestre las contradicciones que se pueden llegar a vivir cuando sea sufre un trauma como este, el hecho de que sea la pareja de Kevin y que se cuestione su testimonio por eso, el “plot twist” de que a ella realmente le gusta Caelin OMG me he quedado con ganas de ver un poquito más de ellos!! que tomasen la decision de volver a estudiar juntos AW) stella, su perrita misandrica me ha producido tanta ternura (y veo que es su parallel, en el sentido de que ataca solo a hombres, que viene de pasado traumático en la perrera y Gen se mete a defensa personal, se obsesiona con LAW and ORDER, ambas van avanzando y creciendo al mismo ritmo) y que en lugar de desarrollar hipers3xu4l1d4d como Eden ella le coja miedo… (me gusta que te muestren dos caras de la misma moneda y diferentes respuestas a una experiencia similar) el tema de que no sepa decir que no y tenga la necesidad de sobre explicarse derivado del trauma de su madre, muy guay que a través de su personaje tengamos critica a relaciones tóxicas, la masculinidad frágil etc.
me ha golpeado fuerte que todas sus amistades la fuesen dejando de lado, no porque no la creyesen sino porque es too much,bof eh y que haya sido la primera en denunciar y que gracias a ella Eden y Amanda se atreviesen a hablar, mi valiente joder.
AMANDA: mi protegida, sin duda a la que más palos le han dado, su trama es muy fuerte y en ocasiones un pelín explicita (teniendo en cuenta a lo que nos tenían acostumbrados en las anteriores entregas) todo el tema de activar como mecanismo de defensa el creer que lo vivido han sido pesadillas pf, lo manipulada que la tenia Kevin, lo NEFASTOS que son sus padres, he sentido demasiada impotencia y me ha dejado con un malestar horrible leer sus intentos :/ no me ha quedado claro si realmente es bi o lesbi (?) tipo si estaba algo implícito en la historia (por la escena donde intenta besar a Maria la enfermera, como estaba abrumada y dice que no sabe mostrar afecto) y me gusta que el último capítulo y cierre sea suyo.
He AMADO que se presente a una prota con buen support system (Eden) que acude a terapia, a otra que tiene support system pero no acude a terapia (Gen) y a mi pobre Amanda, que no tiene ni lo uno ni lo otro, no creo que haya sido irresponsable con ninguna, sino que se están mostrando distintas realidades y que no siempre se va a tener todo a tu favor, lamentablemente.
JOSH: principito, el estándar de hombre inteligente, comprensivo, deportista y buena persona, que acompañe a Eden en el proceso pero tenga claro cual es su lugar y que el no es protagonista del trauma de Eden y que, aunque le afecte, nunca sera comparable a lo que vive ella.
las escenas subidas de tono que tienen la mayoría de veces me sacan lagrimitas y mira que son 0 explicitas pero transmiten tan bien la devoción y amor que sienten el uno por el otro, me alegro de que vayan a vivir juntos por fin.
CAELIN: he de decir que durante el primer libro no me caía demasiado bien, aunque Eden lo presente como un hermano mayor protector y aliado me bajaron un montón los comentarios que hizo tachando de mentirosa a Gen y apoyando a Kevin, al final entiendo que lo que se quería representar es como las víctimas son cuestionadas y un poco ese pensamiento machista inherente y rápidamente cambia la cosa cuando descubre que Eden ha sufrido lo mismo (mítico de y si le pasase a tu hermana ? A tu madre? Para que consigan empatizar) pero creo que su evolución de personaje tiene sentido y que poco a poco se convierta en un hombre deconstruido, que Gen y Eden le hagan call out para dejar de querer sentirse el alfa y El Salvador empleando la violencia, que reconozca sus errores y cambie a mejor.
Me produjo ternura que se deje la puerta abierta a que Gen y Cae vayan a tener algo en un futuro y que se le note genuinamente arrepentido por juzgarla y sea la primera persona a la que ella decida dar la mano después de lo ocurrido :/
ahora, EL FINAL, mira estuve ese ultimo 25/30% del libro con una angustia dentro… me llené de odio con la sentencia de Kevin (sale en el primer capítulo) o sea 180 días ? Y pensaba que el final seria la celebración de otro juicio donde le cayese el máximo posible de años y todos felices así que imaginad MI CARA cuando leo los dos últimos capítulos donde se les empieza a aparecer a todas e intenta mword a AMANDA pff el corazón en la boca yo NO me lo estaba creyendo y tengo un poco de conflicto porque para la línea que estaba llevando la trilogía me ha parecido un final medio fuerte no? se le metió el espíritu de la autora Chloe Walsh por un momento, o sea tuve que leer dos veces pensando que mi C2 de inglés me estaba fallando y no estaba entendiendo bien lo que pasaba pero nono luego veo “My brother is d34d” a ver que yo evidentemente odio a este cerdo y tiene el final que merece y siento que si alguien tenia que hacerlo era Amanda, por final pudo defenderse y no le tuvo miedo, es su liberación.
y ya que he mencionado a Chloe Walsh siempre pensé que Eden es una Lizzie Young variant si esa señora supiese tratar bien los temas pero Gen (cuando se compara con un ciervo y presa) y Amanda (todo el tema de las pesadillas, pensar que es un monstruo que entra a su habitación por las noches, que le encante escribir etc) TAMBIÉN LO SON y lo digo siempre pero necesito que esta trilogía se haga platino en España joder, que se movilicen y se lo manden a booktokers tenemos que hacer MAINSTREAM esto y no tanto flop dark romance.
bueno, que en resumen me ha dejado buen sabor de boca y no se si la autora de manera intencionada nunca describe físicamente a Eden, Gen y Amanda para que el lector las imagine como quiera, me gusta pensar que si, por si hay alguien que ha vivido una experiencia similar y así se identifica, muy lindo todo el desarrollo de su sisterhood y nadie merece tanto como ellas su final feliz, estoy tan parasocializada que no me importaría un bonus chapter de Gen saliendo oficial con Caelin, Amanda viviendo feliz en la uni cumpliendo sus sueños lejos de los IMPRESENTABLES de sus padres y con el HDP de kevin criando malvas, mi Eden casándose en Italia con Josh.
si bien es cierto que el principio se me estaba haciendo un poco lento posiblemente haya terminado siendo mi libro favorito de la trilogía y me hubiese encantado tener el pov de Amanda y Gen desde “the way i am now” (aunque fuese solo algún cap extra) porque son unas protagonistas increíbles, ha sido un viaje precioso tener el gusto de conocer esta historia en octubre de 2024 y que me haya acompañado hasta hoy, siento que los lei cuando más lo necesitaba, amo las historias que muestran la fortaleza de las mujer, me emociona un montón y me encanta que tenga un mensaje tan esperanzador, creo que se han convertido en mis libros contemporáneos favoritos, son muy necesarios! “the way i used to be” sobretodo me parece de lectura obligatoria en el instituto (en el mejor de los sentidos) AMO que digan que no son víctimas, sino supervivientes y que lo que les ha pasado ni las define ni deben sentir culpa o vergüenza (tiene reflexiones y quotes que WOW, destacar la pluma de amber smith)
voy analizando por partes (a partir de aquí SPOILERS)
EDEN: una maravilla ver su evolución , la inteligencia emocional que tiene y quizás su trama en “the way we become” es la menos “potente” ya que hemos pasado 2 libros conociéndola y viéndola superar obstáculos, en este siento que se ha reducido un poco a su relación con Josh (también hay que decir que su arco de personaje ya estaba hecho) pero igualmente me alegro que sea tan feliz, que tenga amigos que la apoyan y valoran como Parker y el noviecito de Luke, lo siento pero no soportaba a Steve y Mara(shitty ass friend que ha aparecido para darle mariwanita pero mira, al menos ya no es personaje recurrente) en los anteriores.
GEN: pf, me ha encantado que muestre las contradicciones que se pueden llegar a vivir cuando sea sufre un trauma como este, el hecho de que sea la pareja de Kevin y que se cuestione su testimonio por eso, el “plot twist” de que a ella realmente le gusta Caelin OMG me he quedado con ganas de ver un poquito más de ellos!! que tomasen la decision de volver a estudiar juntos AW) stella, su perrita misandrica me ha producido tanta ternura (y veo que es su parallel, en el sentido de que ataca solo a hombres, que viene de pasado traumático en la perrera y Gen se mete a defensa personal, se obsesiona con LAW and ORDER, ambas van avanzando y creciendo al mismo ritmo) y que en lugar de desarrollar hipers3xu4l1d4d como Eden ella le coja miedo… (me gusta que te muestren dos caras de la misma moneda y diferentes respuestas a una experiencia similar) el tema de que no sepa decir que no y tenga la necesidad de sobre explicarse derivado del trauma de su madre, muy guay que a través de su personaje tengamos critica a relaciones tóxicas, la masculinidad frágil etc.
me ha golpeado fuerte que todas sus amistades la fuesen dejando de lado, no porque no la creyesen sino porque es too much,bof eh y que haya sido la primera en denunciar y que gracias a ella Eden y Amanda se atreviesen a hablar, mi valiente joder.
AMANDA: mi protegida, sin duda a la que más palos le han dado, su trama es muy fuerte y en ocasiones un pelín explicita (teniendo en cuenta a lo que nos tenían acostumbrados en las anteriores entregas) todo el tema de activar como mecanismo de defensa el creer que lo vivido han sido pesadillas pf, lo manipulada que la tenia Kevin, lo NEFASTOS que son sus padres, he sentido demasiada impotencia y me ha dejado con un malestar horrible leer sus intentos :/ no me ha quedado claro si realmente es bi o lesbi (?) tipo si estaba algo implícito en la historia (por la escena donde intenta besar a Maria la enfermera, como estaba abrumada y dice que no sabe mostrar afecto) y me gusta que el último capítulo y cierre sea suyo.
He AMADO que se presente a una prota con buen support system (Eden) que acude a terapia, a otra que tiene support system pero no acude a terapia (Gen) y a mi pobre Amanda, que no tiene ni lo uno ni lo otro, no creo que haya sido irresponsable con ninguna, sino que se están mostrando distintas realidades y que no siempre se va a tener todo a tu favor, lamentablemente.
JOSH: principito, el estándar de hombre inteligente, comprensivo, deportista y buena persona, que acompañe a Eden en el proceso pero tenga claro cual es su lugar y que el no es protagonista del trauma de Eden y que, aunque le afecte, nunca sera comparable a lo que vive ella.
las escenas subidas de tono que tienen la mayoría de veces me sacan lagrimitas y mira que son 0 explicitas pero transmiten tan bien la devoción y amor que sienten el uno por el otro, me alegro de que vayan a vivir juntos por fin.
CAELIN: he de decir que durante el primer libro no me caía demasiado bien, aunque Eden lo presente como un hermano mayor protector y aliado me bajaron un montón los comentarios que hizo tachando de mentirosa a Gen y apoyando a Kevin, al final entiendo que lo que se quería representar es como las víctimas son cuestionadas y un poco ese pensamiento machista inherente y rápidamente cambia la cosa cuando descubre que Eden ha sufrido lo mismo (mítico de y si le pasase a tu hermana ? A tu madre? Para que consigan empatizar) pero creo que su evolución de personaje tiene sentido y que poco a poco se convierta en un hombre deconstruido, que Gen y Eden le hagan call out para dejar de querer sentirse el alfa y El Salvador empleando la violencia, que reconozca sus errores y cambie a mejor.
Me produjo ternura que se deje la puerta abierta a que Gen y Cae vayan a tener algo en un futuro y que se le note genuinamente arrepentido por juzgarla y sea la primera persona a la que ella decida dar la mano después de lo ocurrido :/
ahora, EL FINAL, mira estuve ese ultimo 25/30% del libro con una angustia dentro… me llené de odio con la sentencia de Kevin (sale en el primer capítulo) o sea 180 días ? Y pensaba que el final seria la celebración de otro juicio donde le cayese el máximo posible de años y todos felices así que imaginad MI CARA cuando leo los dos últimos capítulos donde se les empieza a aparecer a todas e intenta mword a AMANDA pff el corazón en la boca yo NO me lo estaba creyendo y tengo un poco de conflicto porque para la línea que estaba llevando la trilogía me ha parecido un final medio fuerte no? se le metió el espíritu de la autora Chloe Walsh por un momento, o sea tuve que leer dos veces pensando que mi C2 de inglés me estaba fallando y no estaba entendiendo bien lo que pasaba pero nono luego veo “My brother is d34d” a ver que yo evidentemente odio a este cerdo y tiene el final que merece y siento que si alguien tenia que hacerlo era Amanda, por final pudo defenderse y no le tuvo miedo, es su liberación.
y ya que he mencionado a Chloe Walsh siempre pensé que Eden es una Lizzie Young variant si esa señora supiese tratar bien los temas pero Gen (cuando se compara con un ciervo y presa) y Amanda (todo el tema de las pesadillas, pensar que es un monstruo que entra a su habitación por las noches, que le encante escribir etc) TAMBIÉN LO SON y lo digo siempre pero necesito que esta trilogía se haga platino en España joder, que se movilicen y se lo manden a booktokers tenemos que hacer MAINSTREAM esto y no tanto flop dark romance.
bueno, que en resumen me ha dejado buen sabor de boca y no se si la autora de manera intencionada nunca describe físicamente a Eden, Gen y Amanda para que el lector las imagine como quiera, me gusta pensar que si, por si hay alguien que ha vivido una experiencia similar y así se identifica, muy lindo todo el desarrollo de su sisterhood y nadie merece tanto como ellas su final feliz, estoy tan parasocializada que no me importaría un bonus chapter de Gen saliendo oficial con Caelin, Amanda viviendo feliz en la uni cumpliendo sus sueños lejos de los IMPRESENTABLES de sus padres y con el HDP de kevin criando malvas, mi Eden casándose en Italia con Josh.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
september 18 2026
that was honestly one of the best endings to a series i have ever read. this conclusion did more for me than i could have ever imagined. this series has changed a part of my life. i'm so sad to let go of it. i've watched eden grow, along with amanda and gen in this book. in all sincerity, my heart goes out to anyone experiencing sexual abuse. just know that you're not alone in this and there's someone to talk to. resources are available, wherever you are.
just like what eden said, "i know there are more kevins out there, a million of them, hiding in plain sight, but the world could do with one less, anyway."
amazing five stars every star in the world
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july 13 2026
AYEEE I GOT THE ARC IM SO HAPPY AHHHH
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march 30 2026
OH MY GOD YOU DON'T KNOW HOW MUCH I NEED THIS. I NEED THIS NOWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW AGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH IM GOING CRAZY
that was honestly one of the best endings to a series i have ever read. this conclusion did more for me than i could have ever imagined. this series has changed a part of my life. i'm so sad to let go of it. i've watched eden grow, along with amanda and gen in this book. in all sincerity, my heart goes out to anyone experiencing sexual abuse. just know that you're not alone in this and there's someone to talk to. resources are available, wherever you are.
just like what eden said, "i know there are more kevins out there, a million of them, hiding in plain sight, but the world could do with one less, anyway."
amazing five stars every star in the world
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july 13 2026
AYEEE I GOT THE ARC IM SO HAPPY AHHHH
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march 30 2026
OH MY GOD YOU DON'T KNOW HOW MUCH I NEED THIS. I NEED THIS NOWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW AGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH IM GOING CRAZY
August 14, 2026
I struggled some with this story. While it wrapped up the series, it did feel somewhat repetitive. Also, for sure check trigger warnings on this one. I didn’t love the ending and I had a hard time staying engaged for the first part of the book. I think the topics are important and the trauma described is real, but it was a lot in one book. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.
Want to Read
February 25, 2026ok Amber, take my money i guess ???
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