We Loved to Run is nominally about a tight knit group of women runners at an elite east coast college. However, while cross-country running is the glue that holds the story together, the book is much more than a story about running. It’s about the lives of this group of women: how they connect and disconnect; what drives each of them; how their life stories and back stories unfold.

I felt as though I had a new understanding of running as a sport having read this book. Moreover, I felt I knew enough about the characters to wonder what happened to them once their college running days were over. Did they stay connected? How did their lives unfold after graduation and how were their lives affected by the experience of being so closely knit for several years?

I received this book as an ARC from the publisher and NetGalley.

I love stories that take place on college campuses in New England, so this book was perfect for that! I also like to read about women's friendships, and Reents has crafted that with this novel. The book takes a deep dive into the lives of ambitious women who run races in school. The action and character development are well written, and we get a good glimpse into what it's like to remain hopeful and competitive when it's most difficult. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

Thank you to the Publishers and Netgalley for the arc.

Minor spoilers ahead

I loved this book. It’s the type of book that punches you in the gut — but quietly and stealthily, so you don’t realize it until you’re pressing on the aching bruise.

At its core, it’s about being a woman (NOT a girl, as Harriet would remind me) in a world that always wants more, takes more.

Set in the 90s, we follow a team of cross-country runners at a small liberal arts college on the East Coast. This is a story about girls who run — and the things they are running from.

I liked the multiple POVs, as well as the first-person plural interspersed. At times, I felt there were too many characters; it was hard to keep track, but for the most part, Reents does a good job of making them feel distinct. Since the only fixed perspectives we get are from Kristin and Danielle, we learn the most about them and see the ways their stories end up mirroring each other.

I loved the team dynamic: the way the girls love each other hard, but also wouldn't hesitate to trip each other if it meant they would get ahead. Also really enjoyed the casual representation and diversity of both queer characters and POC. It's just such a great cast of characters, and the way they interact felt so refreshing and real.

Also want to take this moment to mention that it's set in college!!! I love the college-age setting (probably because I am a college student) so I was happy to be sent an arc that's not set in high school but also not real grown-up adults -- not that I don't enjoy those books too, but it's just nice to feel seen in what you read.

I had an inkling going into the book, just based on the description, what was going to come. Major warnings for sexual assault that is described in detail. It was tough to read, but also impactful, and unfortunately, it will likely ring true for many. The girls put it best in the novel, asking who among them doesn't have a story about a boy who pushed too far?

There were a few plotlines I wished were developed more. Some of the girls on the team are highlighted briefly, then pushed to the back again. I would've liked to explore Harriet and Danielle's dynamic a little deeper. There are also mentions of Danielle having a drinking problem and Harriet having an eating disorder that don't go further, though I would've liked to see them expanded on.

My critiques, however, are small. They didn't hinder my reading experience. I enjoyed the slightly open ending too. The reader gets to wonder what happened next without it feeling like you're missing out on some major result. It feels like life, almost, the way it ends.

I adore the very last paragraph. The simple sentences that show us where the girls are now, all the ways they've changed, but also all the ways they've stayed the same. It's poignant and caps off the book perfectly.

To try to sum it all up: I love women and the relationships we have with ourselves, with others, and with society as a whole. This book hurts because it's too real. It's honest in a way that's almost painful to look at. These girls aren't all good, all the time. But do they have to be?

4 stars

We Loved to Run is an ideal novel for female runners of any age but I think it’ll especially hit home with millennials and Gen X who grew up in the 90s and early 2000’s and were in sports, especially running. But this novel is about more than just a liberal arts cross country team and runners highs and competing and the unhealthy eating that was genuinely promoted as correct in that timeframe. It’s also about the power of friendships to get you through tough times. On and off the field, so to speak.

I latched on to Kristin’s journey the most because it took up the most space, but it was actually Chloe and Danielle who I wanted to know more about and wish their stories had been a little more fleshed out too.

In any case, this book captures the essence of that time, of the body image struggles, of the way life was before the internet fully took over; and of the way a team is only as strong as each of its members. I did like how sometimes the narration would switch to “we” and away from one person in particular to really emphasize the team aspect.


Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an ARC of this book and provide an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy of We Loved to Run.

I really enjoyed this novel—Reents captures the spirit, intensity, and camaraderie of cross country running with depth and honesty. The character development and storytelling were standout elements. The emotional arcs felt real, and the writing was both thoughtful and grounded in the world of competitive running.

That said, I did take one star off because of the sheer number of characters. At times, I found myself confused or having to flip back to remember who was who. This book will especially resonate with readers who have run cross country or been part of a tight-knit sports team. It has a very specific, nostalgic energy that will speak to that audience in a meaningful way.

Overall, a well-written and immersive read.

Thank you to the publisher and the author for the opportunity to read this book in advance!

I wasn't sure what to expect from this book, since I am not a runner and have never been interested in running. I loved that this followed a group of girls who all have one thing in common - running. It brings them different things and sometimes hurts more than it helps, but I understood the community they felt (even when it was fraught with controversy or downright unhealthy for some of them).

I think this book spoke to the confusion that girls in college can feel when they are faced with big decisions, or hurtful things that happen to them, or dealing with trauma from the past. It can be really hard to tap into that and still make the character likable enough to want to finish the book, so I think the author did a great job with that.

I found myself rooting for these girls to find their peace - and run towards that!

Poetic and quietly intense, this novel delves into ambition, sacrifice, and endurance. The running metaphors worked beautifully, though the narrative structure was at times disjointed. A thoughtful literary take on competition and identity.

I went into this book hoping for a kickstart summer read with an entertaining plot paired with the intensity that accompanies competitive sports- this book is SO much more than that. "We Loved to Run" is an anthem to women everywhere; deeply engaging, inspiring, and relatable.

I am seriously in awe of Reents writing and of the characters she created. The obvious focus of this story is the relationships between the women on this team, but Reents hit a home run when describing the smallest details that shaped their outlooks and experiences. Even the narration of the story - while some chapters are from a specific point of view, it reads almost as one consciousness, utilizing more "we" perspectives than any other. It was such a thorough way to push and emphasize the presence of female empowerment and unity. I adore her writing style and her ability to describe even the most remarkable (yet unremarkable) emotions.

The story also has strong currents of assault, manipulation, isolation, and self blame. She recreates situations where characters dance across the grey lines that would seriously make you question yourself; circumstances that out world today would likely still debate. Reents navigated these themes with stunning grace, from the obscure-sounding experiences that women often find themselves dismissing or turning into a joke, all the way to the very real struggle that women face when coping with and addressing their trauma. I thin every woman (and man, honestly) should pick up this book. it is quick, entertaining, and adamantly thought-provoking.

Highly recommend.

While I was excited to read a book about runners in a college setting, this one fell a little short for me. While the author did a great job with the stories of the six main characters, I found it hard to remember who was who initially, which had me turning back pages for clarity. I feel like this stalled the fluidity of the read for me. That being said, I did like getting into the minds of the competitors, delving into their friendships, insecurities, and successes.

This is a visceral, touching read about a women's college cross country team. The story is told through the alternating viewpoints of each of the team members over the course of the season.

The reader experiences the team members' alternating feelings of runner's highs, love for teammates, excitement over competitions to the body policing of the coaches, misunderstandings, sexual assault, and eating disorders.

The author does a great job of making the sounds, sights, and feelings of the run come to life. For example, she compared the sticky barefoot steps over mats in the weight room to a thigh peeling off the vinyl seats of a car. Perfection.

As a runner, I liked the author's discussion of the technical aspects of training. But it is not so in depth as to be unappealing to non-runners.

Overall a great read for readers who like to read about teams, campus life and friendships.

"On a day like this when the whole world unspooled slowly and leisurely, we loved to run." (loc. 1316*)

It's the early 90s, and at a small liberal arts college in Massachusetts, the women's cross country team is on fire. They are smart, and they are fast, and they swing between being the closest of close friends and being ready to tear each other's throats out. They are all fast, but some of them are faster; some of them are faster, but the slower runners' times count, too, in their meet placements. They are all thin, but some of them are thinner; some of them are thinner, but some of them know how dangerous that slippery slide can be. They tell each other secrets and break each other's confidences; they push each other to be their best and knock each other down; they run.

Reents plots a course here that is partly in third person singular and partly in first person plural: "Emotions did not behave predictably under physical duress. We loved each other, too, the love as dark and sticky and intense as blackstrap molasses." (loc. 116) There are too many characters to follow each one closely, but a few are highlighted and a few more run through the chapters again and again. Some of them are more palatable than others, but that's kind of the point. In some ways I found Harriet and Chloe to be the most interesting characters, Harriet because she subverts a lot of literary expectations of how a character with an eating disorder is written, and Chloe because she can't quite get a grip on her teammates finding her tedious.

What you make of the book will probably depend largely on how you feel about the first person plural. It worked for me, but I think partly because we also had those sections in a single character's head. (Having numerous POV characters also allows for multiple dramas, small and large, which never hurts...) I'm guessing that the choice of timing (the 90s rather than a contemporary setting) has something to do with Reents's own experience as a college runner, but regardless, it was a nice choice; I think I wouldn't mind reading a bit more fiction set in, say, the 80s through early 2000s—contemporary enough, but minus everyone being constantly glued to their cell phones and social media.

*Quotes are from an ARC and may not be final.

Thanks to the author and publisher for inviting me to read a review copy through NetGalley.

I loved the concept and the premise of 6 cross-country runners competing for the championship. It's a college coming-of-age story that I couldn't relate to, since I did not run or partake in sports in high school or college. At first if found it to be so interesting but soon lost interest quickly because there were too many characters, and so many words about running. it's a slow-burn story about obsession, what it means to be a woman in sports, and the found family between the six runners. I think it could have been shorter, in my opinion. Im glad I read this because it's something I wouldn't have picked up!

An interesting look into the psyche of competitive cross country female runners. Maybe a tad too many characters which made it difficult to follow at the beginning. It touches a sensitive topic of rape and consent, and that’s where it got intriguing for me.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of We Loved to Run.

I love to run but unlike most people, the best thing I love about running is that I can do it by myself.

I can't imagine running in a group. but then I'm also a loner.

I thought this was about the bond between the female runners but the themes were darker than I expected; sexual assault and eating disorders to name a few and some readers might find this triggering.

There is insight between the women, their friendship and inside jokes, but also rivalries, jealousies and navigating each person's distinct personality amongst the group.

The author does a good job discussing the politics of college sports and the pressures placed on athletes especially women.

The constant POV shifts made it difficult to remember who was who and dealing with what issues so I never identified or related to anyone.

The writing is good but I couldn't figure out what the tone and the narrative is really about; the women or their personal struggles and if so, why should we care?

We looove a book about female friendships, but I was a little overwhelmed by the number of characters it kept flipping between.

Thank you to NetGalley and Hogarth for sending me this book!

I was drawn to the premise of this book and at the beginning was very much into the dynamics between the women, how the sport of cross country played into their friendship, rivalries, and personalities. However, at times it felt like the book could not decide what it wanted to be. That being said, I appreciated how each of the women were complicated and felt real, and that it didn't hold back from talking about serious issues while at the same time remembering that these women were still young and were still developing their own thoughts, feelings, and voice.

A gorgeous story that approaches sensitive and important topics in an original way. Much like the characters, I felt so immersed in the story that it was hard to see which way was up. Reents is incredibly talented.

Emotional, relevant, and such a powerful look into the ways women try to justify the world around them while growing up and trying to figure themselves out at the same time. Really loved the way running was woven into themes that felt so relatable. A tough but great read I would definitely recommend.

A well-written story overly complicated by a confusing narrative structure. I sincerity enjoyed Reents' commentary on toxic collegiate running culture, body dysmorphia, and eating disorders but found it hard to follow amid the constant POV switches. While I can recognize this as a strategy to help homogenize (and then latter individuate) the girls along the course of their journey, it made things really hard to follow for the first half. I can also see this being a super triggering book for individuals struggling with weight-related concerns, especially those with an athletic focus. Read with caution.

I quite enjoyed this. I think the author clearly knew her stuff and was writing from experience -- this was obvious and heartfelt. I think non-athletes might have a difficult time relating to what a collegiate student-athlete can go through, and runners have an especially unique training and social regimen.

I really felt this, and it rang totally true to me. I was a little nonplussed about the variation of the narrators, and the liberal use of "we" when the narrator was not identified. But really, not a major matter.

Highly recommended, and I certainly could see a Netflix limited series in the novel's future.

Will I read more from the author? Absolutely.

I received a complimentary copy of the novel from the publisher and NetGalley, and my review is being left freely.