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Who We Were

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My Papai always said wine made everything better. Countless times he uttered those familiar words to me— “The Merlot will melt your problems away, meu amor. With a good bottle of wine in your hand, you hold the magical key to anything you want.”

I believed my father wholeheartedly, until my world came crashing down on me at twenty-four years old.

It wasn’t going to take wine to help Brody and I find our way back to one another. It was going to take fighting … not only for our love—

But for my life.







294 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 29, 2015

79 people are currently reading
757 people want to read

About the author

Kelly Elliott

110 books6,510 followers


Kelly Elliott is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling contemporary romance author. Since finishing her bestselling Wanted series, Kelly continues to spread her wings while remaining true to her roots and giving readers stories rich with hot protective men, strong women and beautiful surroundings.

Her bestselling works include, Wanted, Broken, Without You, and Unconditional Love, to name just a few.

Kelly has been passionate about writing since she was fifteen. After years of filling journals with stories, she finally followed her dream and published her first novel, Wanted, in November of 2012.

Kelly lives in central Texas with her husband, daughter, and two pups. When she’s not writing, Kelly enjoys reading and spending time with her family. She is down to earth and very in touch with her readers, both on social media and at signings.

To find out more about Kelly and her books, you can find her through her website.

www.kellyelliottauthor.com

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5 stars
710 (61%)
4 stars
312 (27%)
3 stars
100 (8%)
2 stars
16 (1%)
1 star
16 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 142 reviews
Profile Image for Jan .
2,156 reviews45 followers
December 15, 2015
Bitter Sweet

Such a heartwarming emotional roller coaster read that has you with tears in your eyes one minute then laughing out loud the next.

Kelly Eliott really balanced the book well,Focusing on a character battling cancer and the emotional trials Brynlee and Brody faced but also bringing humour through the extended characters of family and friends made this such an amazing read.

I loved it, loved the fact Kelly obviously poured her feelings into every emotional part of this story through her own personal experience and it shone through.

The setting on the vinyard was perfect and other characters, I loved Melanie and Travis they were so funny at times and it really helped bring that balance to what could of been a heartbreaking story.

There was so many moments throughout making this an all round read, hot bedroom action, angst,heartache, humour and finale allowing myself as a reader to finish with a content happy sigh.

""My love will always hold on to you. I'll never let you go sweetheart never"

Arc gratefully received for honest review Bbbf-sizzlereads-bestbookboyfriends
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Profile Image for Emily Goodman.
1,070 reviews39 followers
January 6, 2016
If you have ever came across Kelly Elliott's name you are typically associated with her stories of hot, romantic Texas cowboys that have you selling your house and moving to Texas yesterday. However, that's not the case with Elliott's Who We Were. I will admit. As much as I love me some of Elliott's cowboys, I was beginning to get a little burned out. I wanted to see what else my beloved author could give me. So how excited do you think I was when I heard about a story line set in wine country with an important message? I was ready and eager to devour Elliot's book. So much so, that I ordered it months in advance of it's release and patiently waited. Not only did I read Who We Were, I devoured it. I literally read it cover to cover in under four hours. As a mom of two under 7 this should tell you something! It was that good! Brynlee's and Brody's struggles were so different than what Elliott has ever given us in the past. I was hooked all over again. Yes, Elliott still gave us her trademark romantic swoon worthy man, but she also delivered a story with an important message about love overcoming all obstacles. She still included fun feisty best friends, funny t-shirt quotes, and another strong, loving family to fall in love with. Who We Were has rejuvenated me as a Kelly Elliott fan! As much as I have always loved her books, I am so excited as a reader to watch Elliott explore her talents and to see what she has in store for us in the future!
Profile Image for Stefanie.
913 reviews46 followers
February 4, 2016
Honestly I loved everything about this book from the characters, the subject matter discussed and the writing. But I expected nothing less than greatness when it comes to a Kelly Elliott book!
Profile Image for Hannah Ella.
21 reviews1 follower
August 17, 2016
Well where to start on this one, I originally started reading Kelly Elliott's novels when Wanted was on offer at 99p on Kindle store.

I loved that first book I read of hers and it introduced me to a whole new genre of books, the subsequent books that followed were okay, but as time has gone on it's become apparent that the books that are being churned out are losing my interest.

She is a good writer and in no way does this diminish the fact that I have enjoyed previous books she has written but this one was in no way something I enjoyed reading.

The story line was abysmal, there was no plot development, huge time spaces were skipped over, which felt like laziness rather than being a good choice for the book. The subject matter was centred around cancer, which is a hugely emotional subject matter to deal with and although she dealt with in an appropriate manner I am just disappointed that the book was as poorly written as it was.

I feel that she is now rushing to get out a certain quota of books per year, mainly to appease her fans I'm guessing but unfortunately it appears that because of this they are rushed, boring and far too short. It felt like I was reading a novella rather than a full length novel.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Jamie .
1,487 reviews2 followers
December 10, 2015
What and Amazing Love story between Brynlee and Brody. Meeting in College when they lay eyes on each other something magical happens. It didn't take them long to know they were the one. Things take off fast with a beautiful whirlwind wedding and you have two people that can't get enough of each other. Brody left behind his Family & Friends to be with Brynlee in CA where her family owns and amazing Vineyard. During their first year of marriage their Love will be tested but For Brody and Brynlee they have a wonderful support system to help them get through all this mess, Their Family but Brody's Best friend Travis and Brynlee sister Melonie stood by their side and in the end they form a kind of push and pull relationship, join their journey in life and see the beautiful story they have. I 100% recommend this read.
162 reviews2 followers
December 14, 2015
OMGosh did I love this book!!!! First things first, I recommend #OneClickingASAP but you will want to read when you can read all the way through. It's a quick read but my gosh I had to stop and it was with me for those hours until I could finish. That is how great this read is!!!! The topics are raw and will touch home on many different levels. At times I was on the edge of my seat but this story is beautiful and everything that happens, happened for a reason and when you finish the read you understand what it takes to truly get back to "Who We Were". I flove when books evoke emotion and this read had my heart shattered, aching and full of love all at the same time. Kelly really stepped out of the box with #WhoWeWere!! The secondary characters (Melanie and Travis) are great too and add a lot to the story. Totally recommend!!!!!
Profile Image for Carron L Clark-Scott.
137 reviews1 follower
December 29, 2015
Beautiful Story
Wow where do I start, my normal reviews are normally the books great or the book not. This book really took me in and I loved every word. I don’t think any review could do this book justice. The characters are perfect and the story is so real. I did not put this book down from start to finish. It is fast pasted by it also covers so much detail. I think I learnt from this book in so many ways. It is a beautiful romance story with all the hotness you would expect from Kelly but it has so much more! It has the added bonus of a second story running behind the main story. This really hits my favourite books. Definitely one I will re-read!!! I never say too much because I don’t want to give the story away, as I feel this would spoil the experience I had the privilege to have. Well done 10 stars!!!!!
Profile Image for MJLovestoRead.
2,270 reviews58 followers
December 30, 2015
A book that had potential but just felt a bit too cheesy and quite honestly fell flat for me.

Although for the most part it was well-written, the insta-love between the two main characters was over the top silly to me. I just didn't feel the chemistry although Travis and Mel were more interesting a duo and I wish their story would have been told in more detail instead.

Events that could have been resolved easier (call Amy already!) were drawn out too long for my tastes and the sudden dive into the voyeurism scenario on their vacation was misplaced. I get that they were young but they were very immature and their reactions took away from the story.

I know I'm in the minority but I'm not sure this author is for me. I really tried but sometimes it just doesn't work.
Profile Image for Sam Larks.
422 reviews16 followers
Read
August 6, 2016
This one was a bit arse backwards for me! They fell in love quite fast and I'm not normally a big fan of insta-love, but it all happened so quick that you knew something was going to disrupt it all.....and disrupt it did! But I didn't think the drama overpowered the building of the characters relationship. However once they did work there problems out it was back to the insta-love type stuff again!
Profile Image for Raj.
1,514 reviews8 followers
January 12, 2016
3 stars

Good start but I got bored after awhile.

I didn't feel that affected or I didn't feel a deep sympathy towards the heroine, it just didn't feel like she's really suffering from cancer.

The story was okay, written in 1st Person dual POV.

I skipped here and there and I also skipped some of the love scenes...
Profile Image for Brianna bribookish.
1,832 reviews362 followers
November 11, 2016
I haven't yet ventured past the Wanted series, but this is definitely a favorite. It's honestly difficult to say if I loved this more than the Wanted series and I love both for very different reasons. This book was a little bit of every emotion. I'm sure people thought I was crazy seeing my facial expression while driving. Especially when I burst out laughing! Absolutely adored this book!
Profile Image for Christina Mitchell.
190 reviews5 followers
December 9, 2015
I received an ARC of Who We Were. I just fell in love with the characters. I love how Kelly put her sense of humor into most of her books. The love and the struggles between the main characters went through shows that love and faith can over power anything. Travis and Jacob had such a great father/son bond they make up fall in love with them. Thank you Kelly for another book that inspires you to have faith in yourself and other around you.
Profile Image for Giulie Kiessling.
17 reviews21 followers
January 14, 2016
This book is one of Kelly's best books to date! I'm absolutely in love with this book. Kelly definitely takes you on an emotional roller coaster ride with Brynlee & Brody's story! Definitely a MUST READ!!!!
Profile Image for Linda Wimer.
1,195 reviews7 followers
January 1, 2016
I absolutely loved this book. What am I saying I love everything this author writes. Enough said. It is a must read.
31 reviews2 followers
January 15, 2016
Finished this in one sitting. enjoyable read.
Profile Image for Melinda.
2,137 reviews20 followers
January 13, 2025
kay have to say after reading Kelly Elliott's other books this one just teared me apart. Right from the beginning you can feel the love Brynlee and Brody have leaping off the pages it's hard to imagine them going through bumps in their love. Now this is the kind of love Brynlee never had before and Brody shows her in every way how true he has for her. The thing about these two is they fit so perfectly yet when tough times comes they are struggling to find their way back together. Kelly Elliott not only shows them a life of not being together it's so painful to see them apart yet it is their memories that brings their love back. The thing about love is that no matter what comes in life it can be the one thing to keep things together no matter how blank like may seem at the time. This was a great story to read and shows Kelly Elliott's talent in every way bringing true things to life like love overcoming doubts, fears and what if's.
Profile Image for CastingCrowns with Cassie.
517 reviews25 followers
May 8, 2017
An amazing story!

5+ Stars!!

Holy WOW! This was the first book I have ever read by this author and it didn't disappoint. In fact I am SO pissed I haven't read her before as I have a few of her books and I read others say great things about her! (Sorry Kelly!!)

This story threw me for a loop, and I had no clue that was where it was going to head when I read the blurb and started. I was expecting a second chance lover story based on a winery. That is definitely not what you got, you got SO MUCH BETTER.

This book had great characters, and supporting characters that made this story all it could be. It was about love, fighting for what you believe in, family, strength, and learning about personal strength! Thanks Kelly for such a great story! I can't wait to read many more of your stories!
864 reviews4 followers
November 12, 2017
No cliffhanger
Standalone
Told from both POVs
Minor editing errors

This book pulls you in from the first page and doesn't let you go. I feel like I have a book hangover. I cried, I laughed, I held my breath...the emotions this book evokes are insane.

The book starts with a whirlwind romance. Love at first sight and marriage soon after but what sets this book apart from every other book is it focuses on what a true marriage really is. It is a fight. A fight to never get complacent, a fight to hang on to your vows...staying true through the good times and the bad, sickness and health... A fight to prove that true everlasting love truly does exist.

Brody and Brynlee face some of the biggest hurdles any couple could face extremely early on in their marriage. The book focuses on how they both have to fight to stay together and hold true to not only themselves but each other.

I don't want to give too much away but I think the author did an amazing job showcasing the emotions each person in a family feels when someone they love gets sick.

Follow Brody and Brynlee through their journey and I promise you won't regret it.

The only downside for me to this book was to realize Travis and Melanie weren't going to get their own book because those two were hilarious!

A must read. I love this author.
Profile Image for Nicki - The Overflowing Bookcase .
4,812 reviews176 followers
February 6, 2023
WARNING: You will need more than one glass of wine and a box of Kleenex to read this book. Melanie and Travis have a love story that might have happened quickly but it seemed like they were in it for the long haul. Until a devastating diagnosis and a night of debauchery that leaves them both feeling alone and ashamed. Can they rebuild what they lost in an instant? Or is this an end to a beautiful love story? With emotions running high for most of the book and characters the reader just needs to hug tightly this was a fabulous read. Kelly Elliott once again takes the reader on a wild ride the they do not want to get off of until the HEA is in sight.
Profile Image for Ray.
1,067 reviews
June 21, 2020
This book covers this couple from insta love in college to getting married right away through years of marriage. In true Kelly Elliot fashion, the main characters are nearly devoid of flaws. Even their mistakes aren’t huge and their humility and love seems to be never ending. This is definitely intended to pull your heartstrings. It’s a sweet story.
Profile Image for Shasta Hope.
945 reviews18 followers
November 21, 2017
Beautiful Beautiful Beautiful!

I love and adore Kelly's books. This was no different. Breast cancer or cancer in general is a hard topic. Losing a great friend to it was difficult. But its the journey and path traveled to get to the promised land. Excellent!!!!!!!
Profile Image for amy butler.
16 reviews1 follower
December 24, 2023
This book had me really feeling my emotions throughout the book. Love the story from being to end. If I could give more stars, I would. Kelly can't wait for your next book to follow Brody and Brynlee. ❤️
Profile Image for Nicole Noell.
245 reviews1 follower
July 16, 2024
Wow! Okay so this book played with my emotions like a fiddle. Even though my heart broke a few times, I’m glad there is also a lot of comedy that helped with the sad parts. I love Brynlee and Brody’s story. Their chemistry is 🔥!
Profile Image for Rayanna Smith.
83 reviews9 followers
March 16, 2017
Loved!

Loved this story! It was emotional, funny and had some pretty hot moments. Overall, I loved the storyline and recommend this to anyone looking for a standalone with a HEA.
67 reviews
March 17, 2019
I loved this book. So sweet and funny. Very emosional, it gad me crying. People can really relate to this book. Highly recommended.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 142 reviews

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