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When I Was You

Minka Kent (Goodreads Author)

3.89 · Rating details · 28,873 ratings · 2,132 reviews

A stolen identity leads a woman down a dark and desperate path in a gripping novel of psychological suspense by Wall Street Journal bestselling author Minka Kent.

After barely surviving a brutal attack, Brienne Dougray rarely leaves her house. Suffering from debilitating headaches and memory loss, she can rely only on her compassionate new tenant, Dr. Niall Emberlin, a welc ...more

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Kindle Edition, 282 pages

Published February 1st 2020 by Thomas & Mercer

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· 28,873 ratings · 2,132 reviews

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Feb 01, 2020 Nilufer Ozmekik rated it liked it · review of another edition

Another fast paced, not so surprising, twisty but hmm it’s okay, let’s meet in the middle and plan another vacation to Switzerland book. The big twist was caught too early (actually at the beginning by my real spider senses – they’re stronger than Peter Parker’s, trust me!-) too predictable because everyone was acting way too much suspicious. (All those thriller lovers might have sensed easily because they got practiced with real mind bending, WTH I just read kind of rug just pulled out from you Another fast paced, not so surprising, twisty but hmm it’s okay, let’s meet in the middle and plan another vacation to Switzerland book. The big twist was caught too early (actually at the beginning by my real spider senses – they’re stronger than Peter Parker’s, trust me!-) too predictable because everyone was acting way too much suspicious. (All those thriller lovers might have sensed easily because they got practiced with real mind bending, WTH I just read kind of rug just pulled out from your feet books!)

The blurb was effective! Brienne Dougray has been attacked to kill and suffered from short term amnesia. Now she locks herself into her house, being afraid of adapting in daily life. Only person she easily connects her new tenant Dr. Niall Emberlin.

Then one day she gets a strange phone call from real estate office that she rented a new place and woman on the phone insists that they’ve met in person. Her search makes her sure that somebody stole her identity during her attack and now she acts like her. She calls a private investigator who acts like she’s a nutcase destroys her last piece of self-confidence so she decides to conduct her own investigation to find her impostor but her search takes her to some place so dark that she may lose her total reality and find out nothing as it seems.

The beginning of the book is a little slower to give us more clues about the psychological situation and inner fight of Brienne. I felt a little annoyed because she was so reluctant and weak at the beginning. She was so passionate to follow her imposter instead of gathering pieces of her old life and connect with her loved ones or get some help from law enforcement. (Only one call indicates she has mental problems shouldn’t make her give up so easy!) Those parts made me question things!

Overall: Second and third parts of the book are more intriguing, action packed, riveting and entertaining. I wish the first part which nearly gets the half of the story shouldn’t be so long. We may get to the chase and we may be get fooled by the twists easily.

I gave first parts 2.5 and last parts of the book 4 stars: so with its 3.25 we had a well written, I absolutely didn’t hate it but it could be better stars book with satisfying ending.

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Jan 01, 2020 Paige rated it liked it

Shelves: mystery-thriller

This is a light thriller. The first part, which is Part 1 for Brienne, moved slower than the rest of the novel. This first part last from 1%-41% (on a Kindle) and caused the beginning to drag. It's her repeating constantly how she is scared and how she wants to confront the person who took her identity but never acts upon it...other than that she only talks about how she thinks her roommate is cute. So, that made it repetitive and draining. Also, there were several obvious clues dropped during t ...more

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Feb 04, 2020 Bridgett rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: arc, kindle-first

'All I want is an answer. An explanation. And for this to end. I don't even need an apology despite the fact that it's beyond reprehensible to inflict mental trauma on someone who has already been victimized.'

3.5 stars rounded to 4

The best advice I can give you about When I Was You is this...despite the incredibly slow pacing at the beginning, keep reading. Once you hit the 40% mark, the novel kicks into gear and the action is fast-paced and fun.

Told from dual perspectives, those of Brienne ...more

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Feb 01, 2020 Ash rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Recommends it for: people who can suspend disbelief

Shelves: arcs, 1-star, mystery, dnf, read-2020

Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

DNF ~40%.

Sometimes you can tell right from the beginning that a book just isn’t for you. This was one of those times.

When I Was You stars Brienne Dougray, a thirty-year-old single woman living with PTSD after she was violently attacked. I’ve read plenty of other mysteries and thrillers that feature a female protagonist who is struggling to hold her life together after a traumatic event: Littl Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

DNF ~40%.

Sometimes you can tell right from the beginning that a book just isn’t for you. This was one of those times.

When I Was You stars Brienne Dougray, a thirty-year-old single woman living with PTSD after she was violently attacked. I’ve read plenty of other mysteries and thrillers that feature a female protagonist who is struggling to hold her life together after a traumatic event: Little Secrets by Jennifer Hillier, Dark Places and Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn, all books I thoroughly enjoyed. I hoped When I Was You would join that list. It did not.

Brienne is a shell of a character. She has no personality outside of her fear and anxiety and infatuation with her tenant, Dr. Niall Emberlin. She’s passive, two-dimensional, and her motivations are flimsy at best and incomprehensible at worst. When she discovers someone has stolen her identity, she calls one private investigator, and when he doesn’t believe her story, she immediately gives up and decides to take the case on herself, despite having none of the requisite skills to do so. Her decision-making skills do not improve from there.

(view spoiler)

When I Was You had a slow beginning, the first third dedicated to Brienne’s dull everyday life. Then we get to the first twist, which was so cliché it almost made me stop reading, but because it came so early on, I thought, “Surely there must be another twist,” which there was. It was less cliché than the first, but infinitely less believable, and that was the point at which I put the book down.

Ultimately, the final nail in the coffin for this book was that Minka Kent never succeeded in making me care about her characters or her plot. I didn’t read to the end because I didn’t need to know how it ended. This one was a pretty big disappointment, but at least I didn’t waste too much time on it. Unfortunately that’s the best praise I can give it. ...more

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Feb 21, 2020 Constantine rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: z2020-02, x-3-star

Rating: 3.0/5.0

Genre:
Thriller

This is the story of a stolen identity. Brienne Dougray is a survivor of a brutal attack. She suffers from headaches and memory loss due to that. Dr. Niall Emberlin becomes her new tenant and offers her the compassion she needs in her life but disturbing things start to happen and she finds there is an imposter who is trying to steal her whole life from her.

To me When I Was You is just an OK thriller. I can't say I enjoyed reading all its parts. The chapters are shor ...more

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Jan 12, 2020 Monnie rated it really liked it · review of another edition

I read a ton of pre-release books, and when I get them gratis or at low cost from publishers, I figure I owe it to my benefactors to finish them no matter what. And if I've learned one thing over many years and many more books, it's that I'm right to not be too hasty to call it quits.

Such is the case with this book, which I got through Amazon's First Reads program. Somewhere around the 10% mark, I was ready to call it a day. The main character, Brienne Dougray, depicts the kind of woman who, for ...more

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Jan 25, 2020 Darinda rated it really liked it

Shelves: kindle-first-reads, thriller-psychological

Brienne was brutally attacked months ago, and now rarely leaves home. She has taken on a tenant, Niall, so that she is not alone. When Brienne learns someone has stolen her identity and is living as her, Brienne has to get out of her comfort zone.

Told with the alternating points of view of Brienne and Niall. Brienne is not the most reliable narrator, since she recently survived a brutal attack. Niall is kind and provides Brienne with the support she needs. Of course, nothing is ever quite as it ...more

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Feb 15, 2020 Christina McDonald rated it it was amazing

I loved this twisty, topsy, turvy thriller! No, this is not a literary thriller, it's a book that's meant to entertain. It's interesting and addictive and just pure fun.

When I Was You follows Brienne Dougray, who's recently suffered a harrowing attack that nearly cost her her life. Now she's living in near seclusion, afraid of the outside world, with only her roommate, Niall, for company. But are things as they appear? Of course not. Otherwise there would be no book to read!

I particularly loved ...more

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Feb 25, 2020 Debbie "DJ" rated it it was ok

Shelves: thriller-mystery, own

This one started off okay, and really had me going about half way to three quarters of the way through. But, oh no, the ending! It’s almost as if the author forgot this was a thriller, and switched to the hallmark channel. Very sappy, and honestly quite boring.

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Feb 09, 2020 Rachel rated it liked it

3 Stars

This 3 Star Thriller had some very definite 4 Star qualities but overall, I found the premise unbelievable.

SUMMARY
Brienne is feeling pretty vulnerable after a violent, traumatic attack. She is barely able to leave her house and suffers from debilitating migraines, memory loss and anxiety. She lives in the giant Victorian house where she was raised by her grandparents and has recently taken in a roommate (a handsome doctor) because she was feeling too alone. In addition to her issues from ...more

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Dec 27, 2019 Cassie-Traveling Sister- rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

What did I just read??? Oh my gosh this book had me at the edge of my seat. I didn’t know who to trust or believe! Brienne Dougray was attacked while leaving work barely surviving her attack she’s now afraid to leave her home or talk to anyone. She decides to rent out a room upstairs in her home to the handsome Dr Niall Emberlin. She soon finds herself relying on him and his friendship as she heals from emotional and physical wounds. When she receives a key in the mail for an apartment she suppo ...more

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Jan 14, 2020 Murph rated it it was ok

Recommended to Murph by: Amazon First Reads

Shelves: 2020-books, thriller, meh, silly, not-great, not-for-me, modern-setting, mental-health

I got this book through Amazon First Reads, which I had never tried before. I’ve also never read Minka Kent’s work, and I was less than... thrilled. I think this was meant to be in the Gone Girl style of mind fuckery, but the holes in the plotting were the size of the Grand Canyon, it was wildly unbelievable, and once the twists are revealed, it loses a lot of it's intrigue. Besides the brief synopsis, I'm hiding everything below behind a spoiler wall, because I don't want to ruin anything for a I got this book through Amazon First Reads, which I had never tried before. I’ve also never read Minka Kent’s work, and I was less than... thrilled. I think this was meant to be in the Gone Girl style of mind fuckery, but the holes in the plotting were the size of the Grand Canyon, it was wildly unbelievable, and once the twists are revealed, it loses a lot of it's intrigue. Besides the brief synopsis, I'm hiding everything below behind a spoiler wall, because I don't want to ruin anything for anyone else, and I still firmly believe its better to go into this kind of book cold.

The basic synopsis is that Brienne Dougray questions her sanity as she beings to suspect someone has stolen her identity following a violent attack. There are complications that ensue, and certain characters are not what or who they seem. As much holes as I poke into this story, the twist does merit some shock value.
(view spoiler)[

I won't lie, the first couple pages sucked me in pretty quickly. Writing in the present tense can be tricky, it sets a nice ambiance. The drawback is everything feels very unplanned. The dialogue in this book is sparse, almost all internal musings. However, as Brienne begins to try and piece together information about the woman who looks like her, with the same name, I started to lose the character motivations. Brienne starts leaping to some wild conclusions pretty fast. I had a hard time following why she so quickly goes from "it's weird this woman with my name kinda looks like me" to "I need to confront her, she is ruining my life!" She states multiple times that the woman is not stealing her money or credit, and the weirdest their overlap ever got was that the mystery woman was friends with a few distant relatives on social media. I just don't find that super weird. Brienne also eschews all social media, which really makes her the weird one in my book. Anyways, It makes little sense to me why she should really care about this mystery woman, besides the fact that she suspects she may know who attacked her, which is also a pretty large leap. However, Brienne is unable to confront mystery woman in any manner at all.

Another big thorn in my side was that Brienne's "friends" disappear from her life after her attack and SHE JUST NEVER TRIES TO FIND OUT WHY.

I had a very hard time rooting for Brienne. She's insanely rich. I'm talking 13 million in the bank rich. She could get robbed of 3 to 6 million and she would still be just fine in the long run level of rich! It doesn't make what happens to her okay, but it doesn't make me feel particularity bad for her, even with her assault history. Wealth alone isn't a character flaw, but it's all inherited from her grandparents, who threw their daughter, Brienne's mom, out of their lives for a few dumb decisions (in the books own words.) Then, they kept and raised their grandkid away from her mother. This book paints them in a horrible light, though Brienne remembers them fondly. They never reconcile with their daughter despite her multiple attempts to have a relationship with her kid, which is very shitty.

Brienne also makes some STUPENDOUSLY DUMB decisions. I was going to make the argument that even naive little rich girl like her wouldn't fall for all the crap she swallowed, but then I saw Parasite last night, and maybe I was wrong on that count. Maybe. Parasite is a very good film. But good god, Brienne is dumb. She lets a stranger live in her house with no background check, gets isolated from her friends with no push back, gets convinced that she is this mans mentally unstable wife despite little to flimsy evidence, gets committed to an psych institution VOLUNTARILY, lets him get rid of computer evidence, waits until the LAST POSSIBLE MINUTE to go to the police, and then goes in person, alone, to confront him. Not to victim blame, but if she had been murdered by this guy, I would not have been surprised.

Honestly, it was hard to root for anyone here. Niall/Shane's plan is wildly risky at its best, and it seems highly unlikely that anyone believed his lies in the first place. His motivations for victimizing Brienne are probably the most believeable thing in the book (not saying much), but as the book leans further into their shared mother, I found myself rolling my eyes harder and harder at the melodrama. Also it strikes me as improbable that he was as prepared and as smart as he thought he was. He never accounted for Sam finding out he was posing as in a relationship with another woman, and that she might be pissed about that. Also, claiming someone is your wife and not having the wedding rings until after she asks about them is wild! Barely thought that plan through.

Sam could be the most sympathetic character, but she is wildly naive. Just a thought, if your long time significant other is asking you to get a job under an alias, and then showing up and showering you with an expensive apartment, car, clothes, and accessories, all while working on minimum to moderate wages, everything is not on the up and up! It doesn't take a rocket scientist to realize that! Especially if he already asked you to go to jail for him!!! Also, there is this exchange between Brienne and Sam at the end of the book made me kinda uncomfortable. Sam, who somehow dodges getting charged for any crimes, writes Brienne a letter along the lines of " living as you has made me realize I deserve better in life!" The issue is, when Sam was posing as Brienne, everything that helped her pass for a more successful person was assuming a rich persons privilege that Sam was not afforded in life. This is just a little too close to "pulling yourself up by the bootstrap mentality" for me. Sam isn't unsuccessful because shes never realized she deserves better. She was born very poor, and shes had a really shitty boyfriend for most of her life.

Also, this may not be fair to the book, but I have a bone to pick with dissociative identity disorder being used in fiction. There is a LOT of controversy in the psychological world about the validity of dissociative identity disorder as an actual psychiatric condition. A famous "case study" of this disease was documented in the book Sybil. It's now widely debunked as just a fabrication of Dr. Connie Wilbur leading a dependent patient to tell her what she wanted to hear. Fiction in all its forms adores this disease as a story telling device, especially visual media. It gives actors a chance to do some really amazing work (ie. Toni Collette in United States of Tara, or James McAvoy in Split). Granted, in this book, it is actually a false diagnosis, but the book seems to use the treating psychiatric doctor's confusion as proof that Naill is a really great con man, as opposed to a doctor perpetuating a diagnosis that may not even be a real thing. Brienne has to beg him to realize that she doesn't fit in with a typical diagnosis! I find when this disorder is used in fiction, I am almost immediately taken out of the story.

My main problem with this book is that it never fully sells the con, and there are a lot of questions that don't get resolved. For example, was Sam posting social media updates as Brienne? Who were the people in her fake Instagram? Also, I just don't buy being tricked into thinking you have multiple personality disorder, especially not by the shoddy work this guy was doing to convince her. If your beloved wife was living as someone else for an extended period of time, psychological intervention would be necessary WAY before she starts to "stalk" someone. (hide spoiler)]

Overall, I was rushing through the last few chapters and confrontation, which just seemed very silly to me at that point. I seem to be in the minority of the reviews here, so maybe this book just wasn't for me. Hoping the next Amazon First Read is more fulfilling. ...more

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Mar 04, 2020 Ankit Garg rated it liked it · review of another edition

"When I Was You" is the perfect example of a fast-paced novel. Even with a slow start, the story catches up fast. The flawless execution of a not-so-unique plot is worth giving this book a chance.

The surprises didn't really catch me off-guard, most (if not all) of the times I knew what was coming next. In the first half, the antagonist is portrayed as a too-good-to-be-true human. That was enough to give the plot away. Maybe the author should consider this point for her next mystery thriller.

The ...more

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Mar 28, 2020 Bren rated it liked it

Recommended to Bren by: Dita

Shelves: skimmed-to-finish-or-unfinished, read-and-reviewed, domestic-thriller, mystery, suspense

“It never fails to amaze me all the things people do when they think no one’s watching, the things they think they can get away with.”
― Minka Kent, When I Was You

"Go to the police, go to the police, go to the police."

Dita

So I was a bit let down by this book although I didn't hate it. In terms of WHY I was let down, my GR friends Dita and Paige say it best. The book was a bit DRAINING. I skipped much of part one because, as has been said, all it really is, is the main character ruminating over h ...more

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Feb 27, 2020 Jennifer Kyle rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Entertaining

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Jan 12, 2020 Mary Carrasco rated it really liked it

Brienne has a good life until one day after leaving work, she is attacked. Her belongings were stolen and she was left with a traumatic brain injury. She lives in a large house that her grandparents bequeathed to her but in light of her recent trauma, she doesn't want to live there alone. She takes on a tenant. Her recovery is slow and soon strange things begin happening.

I've enjoyed a good handful of Minka Kent's novels and this was no exception. I practically read it straight through! The plo ...more

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Jan 30, 2020 Amy rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: physical-arcs

I’ve read all of Minka Kent’s books and good lord does the woman know how to write a super twisty and unputdownable thriller! Her books always suck me in immediately, she doesn’t waste time with a whole bunch of buildup, she jumps right into the action from the start and I was hooked on this one after the first chapter. Her books remind me a little of Tarryn Fisher’s, there’s always a hint of bat shit crazy and I’m about that life 🤣 Not a lot for me to discuss plot wise because spoilers, but if ...more

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Jan 05, 2020 Darcia Helle rated it it was ok

Shelves: ebooks, fiction, suspense-thriller-mystery

This book tries to be something much more sinister than straightforward identity theft, but the abundant plot holes and implausibility ruined it for me.

The writing itself is engaging. I was initially intrigued by the situation, and I wanted to know more about Brienne. But we really don't learn much about her at all, aside from what's necessary for the plot.

The major twist is like a train coming at you with its horn wailing. It's easy to see coming from early on.

Pacing is slow for the first third ...more

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Feb 06, 2020 Miriam Reynoso rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: next

I just finished When I was You and all I can say is that it didn’t live up to my expectations. Brienne Dougra is a survivor of a vicious attack who believes that she is the victim of stolen identity. She is determined to discover who is behind it. Ok so far !! But a few questions, why wouldn’t Brienne just call the police? What about that weird relationship with her roommate? ( you are rich, but you need a roommate😒)? Also, You have over 13 millions in the bank, but you are hesitant about instal ...more

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Jan 15, 2020 Bella rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Kent’s new thriller is gripping from the very first chapter, as Brienne – who tells the story in the first person – recounts the story of her trauma in painful detail. In the audiobook version, narrator Erin deWard successfully captures Brienne’s vulnerability and paranoia without ever becoming whiny.

The vulnerability earned in those early pages creates significant narrative momentum that will propel many readers to finish the book – which weighs in at an economical 282 pages – in just one or tw ...more

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Feb 13, 2020 Emma☀️ rated it liked it

Shelves: r-adult, r-mystery-thriller-horror, 3-stars-liked, read-2020, arcs

Predictable but very fast-paced! I did see the plot twist from a mile away but I still found it to be enjoyable!

The pacing was a bit of a problem for me. Part I dragged on for quite a bit because nothing really happens.
However, Parts II and III made up for the slow-moving plot and were very fast-paced and gripping. I kept turning the pages and before you know it, I was finished with the book!

In terms of the plot, there were a lot of plot holes and missing pieces. I was left with more questions ...more

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Jan 04, 2020 Myla rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

.
.
.

"𝐼𝒻 𝐼'𝓂 𝑔𝑜𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝓉𝑜 𝒻𝒾𝓃𝒹 𝓉𝒽𝒾𝓈 "𝑜𝓉𝒽𝑒𝓇 𝓂𝑒," 𝒾𝒻 𝐼'𝓂 𝑔𝑜𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝓉𝑜 𝓉𝒶𝓀𝑒 𝒷𝒶𝒸𝓀 𝓌𝒽𝒶𝓉'𝓈 𝓇𝒾𝑔𝒽𝓉𝒻𝓊𝓁𝓁𝓎 𝓂𝒾𝓃𝑒, 𝐼 𝓃𝑒𝑒𝒹 𝓉𝑜 𝒽𝒶𝓋𝑒 𝒶 𝒸𝓁𝑒𝒶𝓇 𝒽𝑒𝒶𝒹. 𝐼 𝓃𝑒𝑒𝒹 𝓉𝑜 𝒷𝑒 𝒸𝒶𝓁𝓂. 𝐼 𝓃𝑒𝑒𝒹 𝓉𝑜 𝓃𝑜𝓉 𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓇𝓇𝑒𝒶𝒸𝓉."

This book was nothing like I read before. The premise is simple, a woman got brutally attacked resulting in some memory loss but with each turn of the page, things get more and more mysterious. Characters are well developed and these people are not always what they seem. The most compelling part for me was the way the story was to

...more

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Jan 18, 2020 Lauren Spaduzzi rated it did not like it

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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May 21, 2020 Deborah Rogers rated it liked it

Three and a half stars. When I Was You is a breezy, easy afternoon read. Not really dark enough to be called a psychological thriller, however the story was well written with interesting characters. The plot was a little simplistic for my usual tastes but an enjoyable read nonetheless.

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Mar 10, 2020 Jennifer rated it really liked it

Shelves: netgalley-ebooks

4.5/ 5 stars

When I Was You is a psychological suspense thriller. This is my fifth book by this author. I have previously read: The Thinnest Air, The Memory Watcher, The Stillwater Girls, and The Perfect Roommate.

This book is divided into three parts. There are two narrators (1st person POVs). The first narrator is Brienne (30 years old).

Brienne was attacked a few months before the book begins. And she now gets migraines and is scared to leave her home. She has a tenant, a doctor named Niall, who ...more

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Sep 18, 2020 Andreia ❤The Butterfly Lover❤ Vegan & Childfree rated it did not like it

Shelves: 2020, audible-2020

DNF 60%.

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Mar 17, 2020 Ana Stanciu-Dumitrache rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Destul de slab si prost construit, desi are o intriga interesanta ...

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Jan 02, 2020 Barbara rated it liked it

Shelves: amazon-prime-first-reads, mystery-crime, fiction, free-2020, usa

This was my January pick for the Amazon Prime first reads and it was an enjoyable book that moved along with good pace and seemed to break some of the 'rules' of suspense by revealing the 'why' of the manipulation before the book was half done. It's much more typical to have to hang on right to the end to figure out why baddies are baddies and why they're up to no good.

The start is rather abrupt and we're presented with a back story of why Brienne finds herself lonely and friendless after an at ...more

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Feb 11, 2020 Erin Clemence rated it really liked it

Shelves: kindle, first-reads

3.5 rounded up to 4

Special thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for a free, electronic ARC of “When I Was You” by Minka Kelly, received in exchange for an honest review.

After a harrowing attack that nearly cost Brienne Dougray her life, she is now living in near seclusion, with only her grandparents’ sprawling estate and her roommate, Niall, for company. One day, Brienne comes across unsettling information; a woman who looks very much like her is living in an apartment under her name, drivin 3.5 rounded up to 4

Special thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for a free, electronic ARC of “When I Was You” by Minka Kelly, received in exchange for an honest review.

After a harrowing attack that nearly cost Brienne Dougray her life, she is now living in near seclusion, with only her grandparents’ sprawling estate and her roommate, Niall, for company. One day, Brienne comes across unsettling information; a woman who looks very much like her is living in an apartment under her name, driving a car that is similar to hers and (after a social media diving expedition), even physically resembles her. In order to solve the mystery, Brienne must leave her house but as she delves deeper Brienne realizes that leaving her house is not the scariest thing she will encounter, and her life is about to take a dark and dangerous turn.

This novel started off pedantic and predictable, and quite honestly, I was frustrated with the main characters’ lack of basic common sense. She seemed too naïve for even the youngest and most immature of shut-ints (which she was not) and seemed to fall for anything that came her way. I was immediately skeptical of the unrealistic character of Brienne, as someone who grew up around money (as she did) would not be so openly trusting with a relative stranger.

The plot line itself was familiar, and anyone who is well-read in this genre will immediately be able to recognize and predict it. That isn’t to say that it didn’t provide ample entertainment along the way. Once the “twist” was revealed about mid-way through (and my faith in Brienne was reassured), it was smooth sailing and I almost completed the rest of the book in one sitting.

The ending was satisfying and just desserts were served, leaving very few unanswered questions. Being new to Kelly’s work, I have nothing to compare “When I Was You” to, but she has not completely turned me off. I may check out her other novels in the future, but they may sit on the TBR list for a while (but then again, doesn’t everything)?
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