Back Where We Started is perfect for those that love second chance romance. If you’ve ever wondered about the one who got away, those dreams we gave up, this is for you! Keep reading this book review of Back Where We Started for my full thoughts.
Summary
Katie’s wildest dreams have come true. She’s a Hollywood actress, booked and busy, and promoting her latest film. Sure, she still struggles with sexist media malignment and unimaginative roles, but from where she stands today, her hometown of Dutch Ridge, Pennsylvania feels a million miles away—and that makes it all worth it.
Because Dutch Ridge can only ever represent Drew. Every street is filled with memories of their shared adolescence, how they were each other’s first everything, the hours they spent planning for the future. Drew was the only person in Dutch Ridge who didn’t make Katie feel delusional for dreaming big, because he did, too. She was going to be the next Julia Roberts, and he was going to be president someday. Was it their extraordinary level of ambition that brought them together at sixteen? It was definitely what drove them apart in the years after.
But now, a promise to her sister forces Katie to return to Dutch Ridge for Christmas, where she runs into Drew, who seems to have followed a different path from the one they once dreamed up. And strangely, he seems…happy. As their run-ins heat up and the two can’t keep themselves away from each other, Katie begins to wonder whether her accolade-filled Hollywood life really fulfills her after all
Review
(Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest.)
I am a sucker for a Dorothea vibe and Back Where We Started is all about second chances, the childhood dreams which sometimes don’t seem the same all grown up, and the one who got away. With memories of the past, we see the relationship we are running from and these nostalgia tinged memories. Back Where We Started illuminates the ashes in our hearts which we cannot put out, the dreams we thought we would give up everything for, and the people left in the dust. I love how so much has changed for both Katie and Drew who both have to confront what it means to be back where they started in their hometown. For Katie who is feeling stagnant and realizing fame isn’t what she thought and for Drew who is trying to put his dreams to rest and figure out if he can carve a life for himself.
Childhood crushes and second chances, Back Where We Started is about the person we could never get over and how we didn’t fit with their life. The ways we felt we held them back and our own insecurities. We give up so much in pursuit of what we think we want, but when is it too late to confront what we want? Going back home has a way of making us remember what we gave up, what we were running from, and how badly we feel like we don’t belong. Back Where We Started was a charming second chance romance which is one of my favorite all time tropes. I love when people have to confront their own insecurities about their past, their potential, and how lonely success can feel. What it’s like when plans change and we can change with them.
(I do feel like the ending apology was not earned enough on someone’s part, but this could also be a preference thing).
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Find Back Where We Started on Goodreads, Storygraph, Blackwells, Bookshop. org & Libro. fm.