Thank you @netgalley & @duttonbooks for sending me this book for review. Opinions are my own.
Who We Are Now follows four best friends/roommates (2 guys and 2 girls) starting with their university. We follow them through the next couple decades, including moving to NYC, careers, relationships, and their evolving friendships. It’s really a coming-of-age story.
I liked getting the perspective of a year in the life of each of the friends in rotation so that each of them narrated a few times as the years passed. We learn about their year during their narrating, and they also fill us in a little bit on the other characters during their turn. We hear about books being character-driven or plot-driven and this one is definitely character-driven.
The description mentions that a tragic turn of events brings the characters together again, and we find out what it is in prologue, but not all the details, so I spent the rest of the book trying to piece it together. I will say that if the author didn’t want us to know, she probably should have labelled the chapter titles differently, So, if you want to be surprised, don’t look at all the chapter titles.
While I liked the different perspectives, some serious things happened in their lives that weren’t always explored enough. Although maybe that was the point – they weren’t always fully there for each other so they didn’t know the details either. I thought the battle between creativity and financial security and how it played out amongst the friends and their careers was fascinating. However, I didn’t understand how they all came together as best friends. We don’t see their university years and I guess people change a lot from undergrad to adulthood. The author writes, “People always talked about timing in romantic relationships, but how much of friendship was down to timing, too?”
Overall, I liked this book but didn’t love it.

Who We Are Now follows four friends who are starting their life after college. This is a time of big change but these friends are determined to continue their bond as they begin this time of change.
This book wasn't my favorite and I found it hard to finish.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Dutton for the eARC of Who We Are Now.

I really tried to get into this one but unfortunately was a DNF. Maybe just wasn’t in the right mood when I picked this book up. I think one day I might come back to it and try again

There were parts of this story I really loved and there were parts that fell flat for me. But it was a very cute story and I would definitely recommend this to my audience even though it wasn’t my favorite.
This is my first time reading a book by this author so I think I need to try more of their books.

This is a great story about what happens with the Bright and Shiny of how you think life is going to be when you are young and coming into your own. It seldom turn out the way we think it will. Most definitely people change and relationships change as we mature. This was a fascinating look at it all, oftentimes kind of melancholy or even downright sad. I'm glad I read it, and I think those of you who like that kind of journey will too.

Bland, Bland, Bland.

The writing was bland, the storyline, the characters, just all bland. For a book with such a colorful cover, this story was just one continuous shade of beige.

And again, I need to stop picking books when I just know that I was gonna vibe with it. Like just from the start I just knew I was not gonna enjoy this book. I don’t know what it was, but the characters just was annoying and I didn’t care for them.

I think this book can hit home for a lot of readers and their growing pains. College graduation to adulthood was THE hardest transition I experienced and it felt similar to these characters. I loved the multiple POV's and the timelines. This had moments of happiness and sadness and may have pulled on my heartstrings.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for granting me this book in exchange for my honest review.

This book was a super cute romance novel. I don't know if I would say it was the same type of novel as Emily Henry or Tessa Bailey, but it was still very cute and I enjoyed reading it.

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Thank you!

WHO WE ARE NOW is the latest novel by Lauryn Chamberlain, the tale of four best friends graduating college and starting the rest of their lives.

I was excited to receive this ARC as the premise was promising - Rachel, Clarissa, Dev, and Nate graduate from Northwestern; Rachel and Nate set for big jobs in New York, Clarissa exploring the comedy scene in Chicago and Dev unsure of what comes next. Each chapter captures a year in their lives. I enjoyed this story but overall wasn't captivated by it or all too impressed. Some of the scenarios were heartfelt and touching, while others felt so far-fetched and hard to believe. I would hesitate to recommend this novel unless the premise really grabs you, or if you are a fan of the author.

Thank you to NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP Dutton, Dutton for the ARC which I received in exchange for my honest review.

I liked the self discovery aspect of it but nothing else stood out to me but it could have easily been two hundred pages less

I love books that have themes of self-discovery, and WHO WE ARE NOW was a great example of why I enjoy this theme so much, as it explores those transition years from college to adulthood. The story centers around the POVs from Rachel, Clarissa, Dev and Nate as they each take steps to becoming adults and find out who they want to be.

WHAT TO EXPECT
-themes of love, and loss
-themes of friendship
-coming of age
-focus on career

*many thanks to Dutton and Netgalley for the gifted copy for review

This was soooo good! I will for sure be seeing this around at book clubs! I highly recommend to all.

Who We Are Now is Lauryn Chamberlain’s latest book that explores the relatable transition from college years to fully independent adulthood. Through the perspectives and experiences of Rachel, Clarissa, Dev, and Nate, we go through the turbulent years that are early adulthood and the choices the characters make shape their paths. Spanning over 15 years, each year is told from the point of view of one character, exploring themes of love, loss, friendship, careers, success, failure, and coming of age.

I’ll admit it took a bit to get into this story, the chapters can be longwinded at times and the story doesn’t always move fast. At the same time, this is similar to how the transition to adulthood goes for most of us, sometimes it feels like things are flying and sometimes we are coasting waiting for the next milestone. The character development was really beautiful to read and each character struggled in their own way to determine what they wanted from their future. Sometimes things worked out the way they planned and sometimes they stumbled in to the next phase of their life.

I enjoyed the narrative throughout the story, it was definitely a comfort read that was easy to pick up and reach a chapter at a time. You really grew up with the characters and following them as they changed throughout the story was like following your own friend group. Making the transition from college years to adulthood isn’t easy, even if you have a plan, often things don’t go the way you planned and this was perfectly reflected in the story.

I really liked this book, it was different than anything else I've read which was a breath of fresh air. I will be recommending this to my friends, and auto buy this author!

As a 2004 college graduate, I related to a lot of the pop culture references in this story. It’s a great story told from multiple perspectives with the perfect bit of nostalgia tossed in. It was a fun Women’s Fiction read for a change from my usual Psychological Thrillers. I would definitely recommend for a low key, entertaining read. It’s a bit slow paced to start, but once I got in, it was great.

Thanks to the author and publisher for this ARC.

Meh.

We follow a group of four friends from the end of their college lives into their mid 30s and all the way life affects their friendships.

With so much time in the book I still feel like I didn’t get to know the characters deeply nor attach to them.

It’s not a bad read just a bit shallow.

This book was exactly what I needed to get me out of a reading slump! I loved the alternating perspectives, and while some characters were more likable than others, I did find myself loving different aspects of each of the members of the friend group.

This book made me feel all of the feelings - happy, sad, nostalgic, bittersweet - and I also found myself longing for my college days and my college friends, both the ones still in my life and the ones who have drifted away as life does. The story was all too relatable, for better or worse, and I loved the way the story unfolded. I simply could not put this one down and will be thinking about it for years to come.

Thanks to Dutton for the NetGalley ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.
Happy day before Thanksgiving! This can be a time associated with reunions, as many people return to their hometowns for this holiday. This book is all about friendships over time, bringing me all the nostalgic feelings, so what better day to post my review?
The book begins with a prologue, dated 2018, at a funeral, but the reader is unsure of who has passed away. From there the book goes back in time with three parts: 2006-2010, 2011-2014, and 2015-2018, followed by a coda. In 2006, the four main characters are on the precipice of graduating from Northwestern, about to either intentionally stay in Chicago or move to New York. With alternating POV from each of the characters, the story follows their friendships over the dozen years right after college graduation, including the funeral referenced in the prologue.
As a 2005 college graduate who loves women's fiction, I fit the target audience for this book. It took me on a nostalgic trip down memory lane - from applying to jobs to realizing my friends were all moving to the same city (Boston) and I wanted to end up there eventually (which is funny because I’m one of very few still left in the Boston area now). I remember dating and making “big” decisions in my 20s, along with the ebb and flow of college friendships, as the book realistically portrays. By the end, I couldn’t believe I hadn’t read this book before now! I did a mix of reading and listening to the audiobook while traveling, and I recommend both. I’m excited to read more from the author, including her 2021 debut, Friends from Home.

This book was reminiscent of a indie 2000a, late 90s movie. It felt very realistic, maybe because I am the target audience, an older millennial. The writing was well done.
Solid 4-5 stars for the writing.
This is an excellent read and not at all
A feel good read
This is for someone looking for a taste or nostalgia or a close to home /realistic /bittersweet story about friendship and the ups and downs of becoming an adult, loss, love, growth and everything in between.

Thanks NetGalley