This Used to Be Us - July 9, 2024
***Check out some early reviews below the summary.
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GET READY for an emotional roller coaster of family, marriage, and divorce that will have you both laughing and crying as the journey to rediscover yourself and find love again is put to the ultimate test, from the bestselling author of Before We Were Strangers .
After twenty-two years together, Danielle and Alex are getting a divorce. Once fiercely in love, they can barely stand the sound of each other’s voice. Instead of shuffling the kids between two broken homes, Alex and Danielle decide to share a nesting apartment while swapping days with their two teenage boys at the family home.
In the apartment, Dani and Alex, on their own, begin to reflect on the last two decades—why they fell in love, and why the marriage fell, spectacularly, apart. With the newfound space and time, they are given a chance to find their autonomous selves again. They both get back in the dating pool, Dani finds major success at work as a showrunner on her own TV project, while Alex faces the challenges of a new relationship.
Still, they find they just can’t stay away from each other, and somehow, the distance allows them to remember (for the first time in years) what they used to love about one another. When a family crisis draws them back into each other’s orbit, Danielle and Alex are, once again, put to the test, which leads to a dramatic conclusion that will have readers weeping.
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More Praise for This Used to Be Us
"Renée Carlino takes us through the anatomy of a failing marriage in This Used To Be Us, a heartfelt novel that hits all the right notes. You'll laugh. You'll cry. You'll fall in love with Dani and Alex as they fall in and out of love with each other. You won't want this book to end!
- Liz Fenton & Lisa Steinke, authors of Forever Hold Your Peace
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"If Amy Sherman Palladino doesn't turn this book into the next MARVELOUS MRS. MAISEL, it would be a crime. THIS USED TO BE US is a sharply penned, wincingly funny, jabbingly poignant examination of a marriage in shambles: Alex and Danielle snipe and snarl their way through a divorce, aware that they have become the worst possible versions of themselves, wondering where exactly they went wrong. The answers are complicated and painful, as they navigate co-parenting, new romance, and old wounds around the memories of what they used to have. Renée Carlino's knack for answering the hard questions of the human heart is masterful."
- Kate Quinn, New York Times bestselling author.
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"This Used to Be Us is a real and heartfelt portrayal of the rollercoaster ride that is our time on this planet. It made me laugh, it made me weep, and it made me so grateful for each small moment of beauty in my life. This book will stay with me for a long time to come."
-Jill Santopolo, New York Times bestselling author of The Light We Lost.
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"Another home run for Renée Carlino's THIS USED TO BE US. This story feels very realistic and relatable, and clearly provides a big emotional twist. I couldn't put it down and had an extremely cathartic cry. THIS USED TO BE US is perfect for an adaption and I hope to be in the Renée Carlino business for a long time.”
- Molly Conners, Film and TV Producer