When We Were Young has a lovely cover and is the sad tale of a 1990s musician and his great love, Emily. The novel alternates between flashbacks to Will’s life in the 90s and present day, with multiple narrators. Will finds great success as a musician, but is overwhelmed by the pressures to create, perform and tour. He commits suicide, and crushes his lover Emily in the process.

Cue to present day, and the story alternates between the point of view of Emily, her ex-partner Scott, and their daughter Liv. I found this part of the story to be very difficult to get through. Emily hates her job and her life overall, and seems to be living in a fog, unable to move on from Will’s suicide decades prior. Liv is extremely manipulative, lies to her friends and parents in order to sneak around with her boyfriend. She does many things to pry into Emily’s past, even though her mother asks her multiple times to stop doing this. Her selfish nature and disrespect shown to her mother was particularly cruel.

This novel felt really grey to me. The mood of the book is very depressing until the last two chapters. Will’s suicide, Emily’s unhappiness, Liv’s selfish and duplicitious nature are all very negative. I assume that the author is trying to show us the difficulties and pain of complex grief, but as a reader, the content felt very heavy and the characters very sad. I had a hard time feeling connected with any of the characters, or the story, other than feeling sorry for all of them.

I think this novel will appeal to a reader who enjoys emotional stories about painful loss and grief. A reader who is interested in 1990s rock and musicians would find this novel interesting. The tone and subject matter were too sad and intense for me, but I’m sure there are many other readers who would love this book.

Thanks to Elaine Hastings, Avon Books UK, and NetGalley for providing an advance reader’s copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

When We Were Young is a fast moving, easy to read debut novel. It has a dual timeline and three different POV’s which keeps the story interesting and entertaining. It’s relatable and funny at times, with a unique storyline about a young musician and a young artist who fall hard for one another. Fast forward 16 years and we explore what happened to Will and Emily back in the late 90’s through Emily’s daughter Liv exploring her mum’s history she has never shared with her.

It deals with themes of suicide, drug use and mental health problems whilst ultimately being a story about love, friendship and family.

It was an enjoyable read and an interesting storyline. However I was hoping for more character depth. The book deals with some very serious topics but unfortunately I felt they weren’t explored in any great detail and there was a focus on the fast-paced storyline over emotional depth. A fair few times I was left frustrated at end of a chapter as I just wanted to hear a bit more. Could it have just been a me problem or bad timing, quite possibly. 🤷‍♀️

Oh gosh, I knew this story was gonna be an emotional one and it really was. It felt really bittersweet and is such a complex love story.

Will, a young musician back in the 90s, with a very promising career ahead of him falls in love with extremely talented artist, Emily. They seem to be the perfect couple in love. However, a few years later that all changes.

From that awful day back in July 1999, Emily has been living with so much grief. Fast forward to 2016, a single mother with a teenage daughter, life has pretty much been on hold for Emily. There's been no desire for art, no love life, she's just existing really.

When Liv her daughter uncovers that her mum knew Will Bailey back in the day, she can't quite believe it. Liv is determined to uncover what her mum has been hiding. What she does discover will change the course of hers and mum Emily's life forever.

I still can't believe this book is a debut novel! The duel timeline and different POV's really make this story even more heartfelt and emotional. Exceptional story, which did make my lip wobble quite a few times.

Oh Will 🥺🥹

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

I really enjoyed this one. It was definitely an emotional read from start to finish. I love music so watching Will's career grow during 90s and seeing the positive and negative impacts it had on him was really interesting!

I loved the multiple POV and the dual timeline. Emily, Will and Liv's POVs all felt important to the overall story. There's so many themes explored through those three narratives - love, loss, grief, guilt, acceptance. Relationship struggles with Emily and her daughter and also Will and Emily and his family.

It's very messy and complicated but that's what makes it feel real. I felt like each character went on a journey.

Only thing I wasn't sure about was Scott. The romance storyline with him at the end felt a bit rushed and unrealistic.

That being said, it is a really beautiful story that I would fully recommend.

Reading When We Were Young by Elaine Hastings felt like walking through a memory, one that was equal parts beautiful and bittersweet. From the very first chapter, I was completely swept away.

What I loved most, what truly made this story unforgettable, was the way Hastings wove together multiple points of view and the past and present timelines so seamlessly. Seeing the world through Will, Liv, and Emily’s eyes gave the story such depth. I didn’t expect to fall for all three of them, but I did—equally, and wholeheartedly. Their voices were so distinct yet deeply connected, and watching their lives unfold across different timelines made the emotional weight of the story hit even harder.

There’s something so powerful about how every storyline eventually aligned, little details that seemed small at first came back around in the most heartwarming and heartbreaking ways. I found myself holding my breath, waiting for the moments where past would crash into present, and when they did, it was devastating in the best possible way.

Hastings has this rare ability to write emotion without ever overdoing it. Every feeling, grief, longing, hope, regret, was written with care, and it felt real. I found myself thinking about my own “what ifs,” the people I once knew, and the version of myself I left behind.

When We Were Young isn’t just a story about love, it’s about growing up, letting go, and holding on to the people who shape us. I’ll be carrying this one with me for a long time.

I was drawn in by the beautiful cover and intrigued by the story as it has been compared to Daisy Jones and the Six. If you enjoyed Daisy Jones, you will enjoy this one.

A story of love and heartbreak. I read it over 2 days and didn’t want to put it down.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC

When We Were Young was a heartbreakingly beautiful book reminiscent of Talking at Night by Claire Daverly. Both books took a few chapters to get into their groove, but drew me in, and made me anxious to put them down. I didn’t have high expectations for this book, because of its cover. I was expecting more of a teenage, fast-paced, slick, superficial book. Boy, was I wrong. This novel has multiple points of view and chapters from different perspectives, with daughter Liv, surprisingly (to me), being the main point of view. A car accident changes Liv’s life when her mom, Emily, reveals that she had a relationship with 90’s musician, Will, a talented artist who died before making his second album. The perspectives shift mainly between Will, Emily, Liv, and jump in time from the early 90s to present day.

Emily is living such a punishingly small life. She is disconnected from herself and her teenage daughter; sleepwalking through her existence. As a therapist, I thought that was an accurate portrayal of unresolved, complicated grief. Emily was so stuck in blame and fantasy. Her perspective of Will, so colored by her grief, gave her a child-like view of him. This perspective, shared by Emily and Will, is so strong that it takes the reader time to see Will accurately, and not like some romantic hero. In fact, I was swept up in the tragic romance of it all, sitting in Will and 20 year old Emily’s perspective, that it took time for me to take a step back and see who Will really was. As someone who lived through the Kurt Cobain 90s, and was a teen when he killed himself, it was so easy to be transported to that perspective of a Kurt being a fractured-romantic-genius-artist, and discount his substance use and the pain he must have caused to the people in his life, both at that time and also what his daughter must feel like today, living with that legacy. Thanks Scott, for giving me permission to see Will more accurately. I wish Emily could have done so sooner as well.

Hastings captures a teenage perspective so well; the feeling that everything is so meaningful and so fragile at the same time. The details about the music festivals and concerts were so vivid. I loved the supporting characters (Rue!), they all felt real. It was so beautiful to see both Liv and Emily develop and grow up through the course of the book. And Scott, oh Scott, I was so glad to see more of him as the book progressed. The epilogue killed me; I was crying in bed as I finished. I loved this book! I hope it gets recognized for how special it is. 4.5 stars. Thanks to Net Galley and Avon Books UK for this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

2⭐️ Thank you to NetGalley and Avon Books UK for an advanced copy of When We Were Young.

Liv finds out her mom used to know Will Bailey who was a famous singer years ago but she refuses to talk about him. So Liv decides to do some digging on her own to learn about her mom and Will.

I was really excited about this one but it felt like it really dragged out a little too long for my taste. It just seemed like this big build up to nothing really.

When We Were Young by Elaine Hastings is such a beautifully written story.
I was hooked from the first page, and the way the story unfolded kept me happily reading.
I really enjoyed the characters and the storyline. I found the characters were relatable and I was rooting for them.

Such a beautiful whirlwind of love, loss and learnings! This is definitely a must read for summer 2025.
I absolutely loved following Will, Emily and Liv’s stories and uncovering it all through the past and present.
I really enjoyed how at times this book didn’t follow what I expected to happen and instead kept me immersed and wanting to know more!

This character driven story is very much to my taste, being a big fan of Daisy Jones and The Six.
A beautifully written, emotional story about love, memory, and second chances. I love the dual timeline as Alice and Peter, two once inseparable friends reconnect in their 70s uncovering long buried emotions and face the echoes of their shared past and unfinished stories.
The writing is gentle, emotional, and full of heart, this one will stay with me

When We Were Young is a beautiful, emotional story about love, grief, and second chances. The book moves between two timelines; 1990s and 2016, and follows Emily’s journey through young love with Will, a rising musician, and the present, where she’s a single mother to sixteen years old Liv.
I loved the dual timeline and how it slowly revealed the past while showing how it shaped the present. Will and Emily’s romance felt real and bittersweet. The connection between music and art was lovely, and the emotional depth really pulled me in. Liv's curiosity about her mother's hidden past added a fresh angle.
Overall it was well written and touching story. It handles grief and mental health with care, and the characters felt honest and relatable.
Very grateful to the publisher for my copy through NetGalley, opinions are my own

I LOVED this book. I don’t have one single bad thing to say, I loved every single thing about it. I went into it just expecting a story about love and loss (as per the description) but what I ended up getting was hands down, one of my favorite novels of the year.

There’s multiple timelines and multiple POVs but Elaine Hastings does a great job distinguishing between them, you’re never confused about where you are in the story.

In the past, we have Emily and Will’s POVs as they meet and fall in love. Emily is an art student and Will is a struggling artist trying to make it in the music industry. In the present, we have Emily and her daughter Liv’s POVs as they try to navigate life together. We find out pretty immediately that Will has passed away years ago, and Liv happens upon his music and finds out that her mother knew Will, but she doesn’t give her any details. Liv goes on her own journey to find out exactly what their connection was as she learns more about Will’s life.

I could not put this down but genuinely had to stop myself from finishing it in one go (a feat, since it’s over 400 pages), because I didn’t want to finish it and for it to be over. These characters are going to stay with me for a long, long time and Elaine Hastings has a new fan in me. It’s incredibly well written and I know this is one of those books where I’m going to reread it many, many times. This would be an AMAZING book to adapt into tv/film- I hope it gets popular enough for that to happen. I’m going to tell everyone I know to read it- it’s THAT good!

Thank you to NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this book.

I unfortunately couldn’t get through this book because I found it quite slow and the formatting was really bad on kindle. It wasn’t separated by chapter and was hard to follow along because of that.

When We Were Young 🎶🎸📸🩷
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

As someone who auto-buys any book thats music related, I was thrilled to get the opportunity to read ‘When We Were Young’ early and it absoloutely delievered!

If you loved the emotional rollercoaster of Daisy Jones and The Six, this is absoloutely for you! The 90’s music scenes, duel timelines, multiples POV’s and emotional love story had me hooked!

Elaine captured everything so perfectly that I can’t quite believe this is her debut novel. Im in shock and honestly can’t wait to see what she writes next…

If you’ve kept up to date with my reviews this year, you’ll know I’ve become a little bit stricter with ratings - so know this was such an easy 5 stars for me!

Massive thank you to @avonbooksuk and also @ehastingswrites for writing such a masterpiece and allowing me to share my thoughts along the way 🩷

Publication Date - 17.07.2025 📆

#whenwewereyoung

Thank you to netgalley for the advanced reader copy of this book. This was a great romance read. Loved the writing style.

This was a story of love, family, and loss. It was set across two timeliness that perfectly linked together, leaving me desperate to know the full truth of the past and how it was going to affect the present.

I was hooked on this from the very beginning. In the past, we follow Will and Emily, a couple who have a turbulent time. Will goes from being a busker to a famous musician, whilst Emily is an art student, as they try to navigate their relationship whilst living 2 completely different lives. In the present, we follow Emily and her daughter Liv, who has no idea her mum dated a famous musician, but when she finds out, she goes on a quest to find out more.

The characters of this were so well written, and I was hooked by them from the first few chapters. This is a romance centred around music, with so much love but also tragedy. It was beautifully written, and I didn't want to put it down.

A dual time line novel about the love story between Emily and Will, a love story cut tragically short. Now, in 2016, Emily's daughter Liv has discovered that Emily knew Will, a relationship Emily has never discussed and secrets come out. Make no mistake, not all is rosy. This addresses mental health as well as grief but it focuses mostly on the love between these three. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A good read.

A really beautiful story that I finished with a tear in my eye.

This story flashes back and forth in time as we learn about a woman, her teenage daughter, and the musician she loved twenty years ago. It was uniquely written and depicted grief in I thought a poignant way. Parts of it were a bit slow, others seemed rushed, but that’s a minor complaint to an otherwise very good book.

Elaine Hastings’ debut, When We Were Young, is a nostalgic and emotionally layered novel that moves between two timelines. The story shifts from the vibrant buzz of the 1990s to the quieter and more reflective present of 2016. It follows Emily and Will, two young creatives who fall deeply in love and find themselves swept up in a whirlwind of music, art, and eventual fame. Their connection is passionate but ultimately tragic. Years later, Emily’s teenage daughter Liv uncovers clues about her mother’s past, forcing long-hidden secrets and unresolved grief into the open.

The characters feel genuine and well developed. Emily’s guarded nature, Will’s emotional vulnerability, and Liv’s growing curiosity are all portrayed with care. The novel explores themes of love, loss, ambition, and the complicated ways the past continues to shape the present, particularly through the lens of a mother and daughter navigating truth and identity.

Although the writing is evocative and the emotional core is strong, the pacing does falter at times. Some sections feel a little slow, especially when switching between timelines. Certain story beats may also feel familiar to readers who enjoy books centered on fame and fractured love stories.

Overall, When We Were Young is a poignant and thoughtful debut. While not without its flaws, it offers heartfelt storytelling and compelling characters that linger after the final page. A solid 3.75 stars.