The Book Depository The Way I Used to Be by Amber Smith
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Price: £8.99
Brand: The Book Depository
Description: The Way I Used to Be : Paperback : Oneworld Publications : 9780861546732 : 0861546733 : 12 Jan 2023 : THE TIKTOK SENSATION THAT EVERYONE IS TALKING ABOUT. The Book Depository The Way I Used to Be by Amber Smith - shop the best deal online on thebookbug.co.uk
Category: Books
Merchant: The Book Depository
Product ID: 9780861546732
MPN: 0861546733
GTIN: 9780861546732
Author: Lisa Waddell
Rating: 5
Review: Loved it, read all of it in 5 hours and didn’t look away from it once! Related to it so much
Author: angelfish257
Rating: 3
Review: We follow Eden's story, in the aftermath of SA at the hands of her brother's best friend. This is pitched as a YA so I am aware I'm very much not the demographic this is aimed at; however I appreciated the opportunity to read this as I have nieces and the eldest is right in the age range for this. I do not read a lot of YA but have enjoyed in the past series like The Hunger Games, The Way I Used To Be is obviously very different with the subject matter it tackles and the way it approaches it and presents it for the reader. At that age I do not remember there being much available for YA readers, Judy Blume was a favourite but there wasn't an awful lot available that tackled more adult themes. This may just have been the limits of my small hometown library and I get that things are a LOT different nowadays with books far more readily available (physically and in digital format). As an adult reader, I found TWIUTB interesting as it follows the effects of the SA on the main character over 4 years, so we get to see some of the aftermath. We're in Eden's world throughout though, the entire story is from her POV and none of the supporting characters around her are more than lightly sketched (even the perpetrator is given a light touch, there are vague references made to an incident with an uncle but the reader is left to fill in the blanks). I found that this made the story very one-sided and there were some important plot points that were not explained or any reasoning given, like when she starts using her parent's christian names instead of Mom and Dad to show how she is gradually isolating and distancing from those around her. At the start of the book Eden is 14 when we meet her and over the course of the story most of her experiences are fairly regular teenage ones (fighting with her parents; older brother thinking she is being a brat; differences of opinions with friends), but we really get to see how from her perspective the SA impacts everything and her MH disintegrates along with her relationships. I found it hard to understand why Eden says nothing to her mother when she comes into her room the morning after events take place - her Mom treats it like her period has started overnight, but Eden describes extensive bruising and blood on clothing and bed, so I struggled with her Mom being oblivious. Perhaps that is partly the point though, that grown-ups have a tendency to see what they want to see? The book does end on a hopeful note - we don't get to see what happens but the start of positive change. There are a number of other YA books available that tackle SA and bring important perspective and discussion around what happens, the aftermath and how survivors are treated. TWIUTB is part of the overall narrative, but I feel there are other books out there who handle the subject in a more productive and supportive way.
