Book Review: The Way I Am Now by Amber Smith
The follow-up to The Way I Used to Be, The Way I Am Now follows Eden and Josh as they try to repair their broken relationship. Check out my full review for The Way I Am Now below!
Book Information
Eden is desperately trying to find a new normal. She patiently waits as news on a trial for Kevin is pending. She is doing her best to stay sober and in a monogamous relationship. That is, until Josh shows back up in her life.
Now, she breaks up with her boyfriend to be with him. Because he was always the one for her. But with her broken pieces still not fitting together, can a relationship with Josh even work out?
Review | Heidi Dischler
So, I was really looking forward to this book. I absolutely loved Eden and Josh in the first book, but this one felt different. Eden felt the same, but Josh didn’t and it really disappointed me.
As a character, Josh was always patient and kind and understanding. I get how learning Eden’s secret could change him, but he was angry and impulsive and straight up rude at times in this novel. It really irked me.
With the plot, I felt like nothing really happened in the novel. Sure, we get Josh and Eden as they work out their relationship. Sure we get a little on the trial with Kevin. But all in all? Nothing really happens, so it was a slow read.
Spoilers ahead.
One thing that I found super powerful is Eden’s response to the question if she had ever said “no.” It really hit me that when people ask sexual assault survivors if they had ever said no, they are not even considering that the rapist asked the question in the first place. Eden repeated over again that Kevin had never asked the question for her to even say no to. It made me stop and rethink everything. Out of the whole book, this was probably my favorite part.
Overall, this is a super short review, and while I didn’t dislike the book per se, I also didn’t love it either. 3.5 stars out of 5, rounded up to 4 for Goodreads and Amazon. I would’ve been perfectly content staying on that hopeful note at the end of the first book, but I understand that some people want something a little more concrete.
Source: Audiobook from Audible.
