Hi guys! Happy Monday (there’s a cashier at work who is always SO happy and after each transaction she goes happy, whatever day of the week, and I live for her enthusiasm and happiness! 😊) Anyways! Today I’m going to be reviewing Amber Smith’s novel The Way I Used to Be.

I just want to point out that this book may be triggering to some dealing with PTSD, rape, sexual assault. Books don’t usually make me cry, but this one managed to.

The Way I Used to Be by: Amber Smith: Eden lived a simple life; being good came natural to her, that is until her whole world came crashing down upon her. After being sexually assaulted by someone she thought she knew and trusted, she must start to put the pieces of her life back together, only she’s not really sure how. Burying the truth in a bed of lies until the lies can’t win anymore. This novel was hard hitting; it was raw; it was honest; it could at times be brutal, but it definitely made a statement. The plot really opened doors for people reading it to feel like they aren’t alone- even if it may feel that way; that things are going to be okay. Smith gives teenagers of sexual assault a voice, and a beacon of hope. Her writing was simple and relatable and doesn’t sugar coat things. The way Smith broke up the story into four parts, each of Eden’s high school years, was an excellent choice because not only did it really help the flow of the novel, it also really showcased her character’s growth that otherwise wouldn’t have worked so well. Her characters, not just the main one, were all thought out and they felt so real, like they could just walk right out of the book. This novel makes the reader feel a lot of emotions, good and bad, but it was a very well put together novel.