Bittersweet, evocative and quietly devastating, When We Were Young is a beautifully told story about love, loss, and the enduring grip of the past. Elaine Hastings delivers a heartfelt dual timeline that explores both the magic of young love and the scars it leaves behind.

In 1994, Will and Emily are both on the cusp of something extraordinary. He’s a gifted musician, she’s a dreamer with paint-stained fingers, and together they burn brightly in a world that feels full of promise. By 1997, they’ve shared a summer of music, art and heady first love. And then, just like that, Will is gone.

Fast forward to 2016, and Emily is a shell of the vibrant girl she once was. A single mother with a teenage daughter, her life is safe, small and far removed from the chaos and colour of her youth. But when her daughter, Liv, discovers the truth about Emily’s past with Will Bailey—now a cult icon in music history—the past is no longer something Emily can keep locked away.

The dual narrative is expertly woven, each timeline enriching the other. I found myself aching for young Emily and Will, fully immersed in the magic of their early love, while feeling the quiet ache of older Emily’s guilt and grief in every page. Hastings captures the rush of first love with a painter’s precision and a songwriter’s heart, but also the heavy silence of everything left unsaid.

Liv’s discovery of her mother’s past adds a compelling generational thread, and their relationship becomes a quiet triumph in the latter half of the book. It’s not just about what was lost, but what can still be reclaimed.

When We Were Young is raw and poignant, yet also filled with hope. It’s a book that will break your heart and help put it back together again, just slightly changed. Hastings handles complex emotional territory with grace and clarity.

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Liv is 16, music-obsessed, and currently captivated by the late Will Bailey, a talented musician whose life was cut tragically short in the 90s. So when she discovers that her own "boring" mum actually knew him (and more than just “knew” him), everything shifts. Her mum, whom she’s always seen as ordinary, suddenly has this past that Liv never expected and a connection to Will that she refuses to talk about, blaming herself for his death.

Back in 1994, Emily was an art student and Will was a busker. Now, in 2016, she’s a single mum working in a school office, quietly carrying the weight of the past, focusing on raising her daughter.

Told across dual timelines (1994 and 2016), the story moves between past and present with a rhythm that’s easy to follow and compelling. Multiple POVs give a fuller, richer picture of the characters’ lives, and far from being confusing, they pull you in. I was completely hooked by the end of the first chapter.

The characters are well developed, and the secondary characters are surprisingly strong too (Magda deserves a special mention, loved her!) The book deals with themes of grief, guilt, and healing with sensitivity. I appreciated the mention of the "ask twice" campaign, a subtle but powerful reminder woven into the narrative.

This was one of those books I flew through in a couple of sittings it flowed really well. It’s heartfelt, haunting, and hopeful, with an ending that wraps things up just right.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon Books for the ARC.

You know it took a while to get into this book but it ended up being so beautiful!

I personally would have changed how some of the reveals were done… but overall it was beautiful!

This is perfect for fans of Daisy Jones and the Six.

A beautiful story of loss and love.

Thank you for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

this was a really beautiful story of love, music, fame and family 🩷 i LOVED the two different timelines and the different POVs, especially Emily's. it took a while to grip me, but from about 40%, i was hooked.

it's pitched as perfect for fans of Taylor Jenkins-Reid and to be honest i don't see that, but not in a bad way. i think this story is its own style and should be credited as such - i've never read anything exactly like it and i'll definitely pick up this author again!!

(gifted - arc)

When We Were Young is a love story for anyone that has fallen in love, got caught up along the way, and made mistakes…this book is for all of us! If you loved Daisy Jones & The Six, you will really enjoy this book. Will dreamed of making it big in the music industry. When his song he wrote about Emily leads him to stardom, and brings them together, Will feels on top of the world. However, with fame comes distance and pressure that Will and his bandmates all grapple with. When We Were Young weaves a story of love entwined with the heaviness of mental health struggles. It is a story of moving through grief and finding forgiveness. When We Were Young releases July 17, 2025, add it to your summer TBR!
Thank you to Netgalley & Avon Books UK for sending me this book. All opinions are my own.