“They say your first love is the hardest to forget. But even then, if I had known what was coming: the debilitating heartbreak; the many tears I had yet to shed; the love; the hope and all the ones in between, I knew I would do it again, simply because of how it would end.”
Genre: Romance
Actual Rating: 4 stars
Spicy Meter: 2 fire emoji
Content Warnings: Describes a crowd surge. Contains sexual content.
“The Ones in Between” follows Charlotte (Char), an Australian girl, as falls in and out of love, falls in and out of casual affairs… Well, ultimately, we follow her as she grows up. This was a true, slice-of-life novel, and it was truly amazing how it captured both dumb mistakes and moments of clarity along the way.
This book gave me real “All Of The Girls You Loved Before” by Taylor Swift vibes and I loved it. Beyond that, it had been a while since I had felt so connected to a character, having someone be so relatable to my past and my history. As Char, I too had my long list of ex lovers and rebelled a bit, and as Char, I too found my happily ever after against what I thought were all the odds.
I adored Lillian Lumley’s writing style and the way she decided to portray this young adult story—each chapter being a “character card” of a boy Char dated or liked at some point. Told in chronological order, this read felt like growing up all over again, living through Charlotte all the trauma high school and uni and life can and will send your way.
I would highly recommend this read if you’re looking for a messy love story, but more than a love story—the story of a life.
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ARC provided by Lillian Lumley and Shawline Publishing in exchange for an honest review.
andrea's galley 