Happy Release Day!
Congrats Phoebe
on the release of
The Way We Weren't!
The Way We Weren't by Phoebe Fox
Contemporary Fiction, 384 pages
Published November 9, 2021 by Berkley
An unlikely friendship between a septuagenarian and a younger woman becomes a story of broken trust, lost love, and the unexpected blooming of hope against the longest odds.
You trying to kill yourself, or are you just stupid?
Marcie Malone didn't think she was either, but when she drives from Georgia to the southwestern shore of Florida without a plan and wakes up in a stranger's home, she doesn't seem to know anymore. Despondent and heartbroken over an unexpected loss and the man she thought she could count on, Marcie leaves him behind, along with her job and her whole life, and finds she has nowhere to go.
Herman Flint has seen just about everything in his seventy years living in a fading, blue-collar Florida town, but the body collapsed on the beach outside his window is something new. The woman is clearly in some kind of trouble and Flint wants no part of it--he's learned to live on his own just fine, without the hassle of worrying about others. But against his better judgment he takes Marcie in and lets her stay until she's on her feet on the condition she keeps out of his way.
As the unlikely pair slowly copes with the damages life has wrought, Marcie and Flint have to decide whether to face up to the past they're each running from, and find a way to move forward with the people they care about most.
My thoughts about The Way We Weren't ~~
(I love to note the first lines of the books I'm reading. First lines can really grab a reader's attention and I love seeing where the author takes the reader after their first lines.)
First lines—"'It's his hands that let her know that everything is going to be okay after all."
Right off the bat, two things about The Way We Weren't made me want to read this book. First of all was the author Phoebe Fox. I'm a huge fan of hers and have loved all of her stories. She is definitely one of my must-read authors. The second thing was this cover! Isn't is beautiful? I fell in love with it the minute I saw it and it enticed me to find out more about the story. Isn't that an amazing blue?!
Well, let me tell you, the story itself blew me away. I loved everything about it! What an intriguing, compelling storyline and interesting, unforgettable characters. Such entertaining people and interactions and a story that didn't go the way that I thought it would.
Marcie hops in her car one day and just keeps driving, escaping her life and wanting to figure out some things about who she is and what she wants. Discovered on the beach in pretty bad shape by the old codger Flint, she tries to make a new life for herself, even as she knows its only temporary. She has to go back to her responsibilities at some point, right?
I absolutely loved the relationship between Marcie and the salty old guy, Flint. It still brings smiles to my face when I think about their interactions throughout the book and the way they treated each other. Such fun! And I loved the way that Marcie found her way in the community and earned the acceptance of the 'old timers'.
Like I said, I loved everything about this book and would give it more than five stars on a five star scale. How about 5++? I'm not typically a re-reader of books but this is definitely one that I will need to pull down off the shelf at some point and enjoy again. Well done Phoebe! I highly recommend The Way We Weren't!!
I received The Way We Weren't from the author and NetGalley. This is my honest opinion of the book.
About the author
Phoebe Fox has been a contributor and regular columnist for a number of national, regional, and local publications--currently for the Huffington Post as a relationship writer. She's been a movie, theater, and book reviewer; a screenwriter; and has even been known to help with homework revisions for nieces and nephews. She lives in Austin, Texas, with her husband and two excellent dogs. ~ Goodreads
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