this was a really beautiful story of love, music, fame and family 🩷 i LOVED the two different timelines and the different POVs, especially Emily's. it took a while to grip me, but from about 40%, i was hooked.

it's pitched as perfect for fans of Taylor Jenkins-Reid and to be honest i don't see that, but not in a bad way. i think this story is its own style and should be credited as such - i've never read anything exactly like it and i'll definitely pick up this author again!!

(gifted - arc)

When We Were Young is a love story for anyone that has fallen in love, got caught up along the way, and made mistakes…this book is for all of us! If you loved Daisy Jones & The Six, you will really enjoy this book. Will dreamed of making it big in the music industry. When his song he wrote about Emily leads him to stardom, and brings them together, Will feels on top of the world. However, with fame comes distance and pressure that Will and his bandmates all grapple with. When We Were Young weaves a story of love entwined with the heaviness of mental health struggles. It is a story of moving through grief and finding forgiveness. When We Were Young releases July 17, 2025, add it to your summer TBR!
Thank you to Netgalley & Avon Books UK for sending me this book. All opinions are my own.

Liv is 16, music-obsessed, and currently captivated by the late Will Bailey, a talented musician whose life was cut tragically short in the 90s. So when she discovers that her own "boring" mum actually knew him (and more than just “knew” him), everything shifts. Her mum, whom she’s always seen as ordinary, suddenly has this past that Liv never expected and a connection to Will that she refuses to talk about, blaming herself for his death.

Back in 1994, Emily was an art student and Will was a busker. Now, in 2016, she’s a single mum working in a school office, quietly carrying the weight of the past, focusing on raising her daughter.

Told across dual timelines (1994 and 2016), the story moves between past and present with a rhythm that’s easy to follow and compelling. Multiple POVs give a fuller, richer picture of the characters’ lives, and far from being confusing, they pull you in. I was completely hooked by the end of the first chapter.

The characters are well developed, and the secondary characters are surprisingly strong too (Magda deserves a special mention, loved her!) The book deals with themes of grief, guilt, and healing with sensitivity. I appreciated the mention of the "ask twice" campaign, a subtle but powerful reminder woven into the narrative.

This was one of those books I flew through in a couple of sittings it flowed really well. It’s heartfelt, haunting, and hopeful, with an ending that wraps things up just right.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon Books for the ARC.

You know it took a while to get into this book but it ended up being so beautiful!

I personally would have changed how some of the reveals were done… but overall it was beautiful!

This is perfect for fans of Daisy Jones and the Six.

A beautiful story of loss and love.

Thank you for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you Avon Books UK for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own

These book is set in two timelines spring 1996 and spring 2016, this book also has multiple points of view but it’s very easy to follow what is going on. Will is an aspiring musician and he comes across Emily an art student while he is busking. By 1997 Will’s band is playing at Glastonbury and Emily is preparing for her first gallery show. Emily ultimately ends up going on tour with Will and they spend an unforgettable summer together.

In 2016 in the present timeline Emily’s life mostly resolves around her 16 year old daughter Liv, Liv digs into her mums past and finds out her mum knew Will. Bailey and does not know how her mum came to know someone like Will Bailey.

This book broke my heart in places and then stitched it back together at the end, it was a story about coming to terms with your past and forgiving yourself. It was quite a cathartic read and I thoroughly enjoyed and would not hesitate to recommend.

For anyone who has ever loved deeply and lost, this novel will resonate in ways that feel both heartbreaking and healing. It’s a gorgeous read that explores how we carry our pasts with us and how those we love whether they’re still with us or not continue to set us free.

Interweaving dual timelines, When We Were Young explores what it means to have loved and lost, and reminds you that the ones you love can set you free. Pick up this gorgeous hug of a book and get transported to a beautiful place wraps itself round you like a cosy blanket. It has warmth, charm, laugh-out-loud moments and a wistful nostalgia. I absolutely loved it.

Bittersweet, evocative and quietly devastating, When We Were Young is a beautifully told story about love, loss, and the enduring grip of the past. Elaine Hastings delivers a heartfelt dual timeline that explores both the magic of young love and the scars it leaves behind.

In 1994, Will and Emily are both on the cusp of something extraordinary. He’s a gifted musician, she’s a dreamer with paint-stained fingers, and together they burn brightly in a world that feels full of promise. By 1997, they’ve shared a summer of music, art and heady first love. And then, just like that, Will is gone.

Fast forward to 2016, and Emily is a shell of the vibrant girl she once was. A single mother with a teenage daughter, her life is safe, small and far removed from the chaos and colour of her youth. But when her daughter, Liv, discovers the truth about Emily’s past with Will Bailey—now a cult icon in music history—the past is no longer something Emily can keep locked away.

The dual narrative is expertly woven, each timeline enriching the other. I found myself aching for young Emily and Will, fully immersed in the magic of their early love, while feeling the quiet ache of older Emily’s guilt and grief in every page. Hastings captures the rush of first love with a painter’s precision and a songwriter’s heart, but also the heavy silence of everything left unsaid.

Liv’s discovery of her mother’s past adds a compelling generational thread, and their relationship becomes a quiet triumph in the latter half of the book. It’s not just about what was lost, but what can still be reclaimed.

When We Were Young is raw and poignant, yet also filled with hope. It’s a book that will break your heart and help put it back together again, just slightly changed. Hastings handles complex emotional territory with grace and clarity.

Read more at The Secret Book Review.

When We Were Young is a dual timeline romance, bouncing between 1994 and 2016. In 2016 Emily’s daughter is obsessed with a musician from the 90’s. She discovers her “boring” mother had a relationship with said musician. The two spent an amazing summer together when then student Emily and then busker Will met and Emily went on tour with Will’s band sometime later. For fans of “Daisy Jones and the Six”, this is a story of the past, the present, love, loss and music. This is not what I would call a “contemporary romance” as some of it is set in the past and its has more of a golden hour love and loss vibe compared to more the popular romance novels today. This book was a far cry from what I usually prefer to read so it did take some time to hook me into the story.

This is a story about a woman coming to terms with her past, love, family (Child/Parent Relationship), and friendship. The daughter brings up a name from her mother’s past, which sets this story in motion. The story goes back and forth between the daughter looking into her mom’s past, the mom reflecting on the past, the father figuring out his part and the past. Part of what I enjoyed about this book is the portrayal of an ordinary every day mom and the daughter discovering her mother’s relationship with a lead singer of a famous band. We sometimes forget parents lived full lives before us. I also liked how the story had a couple love stories in it but didn’t diminish the feelings involved in either relation- the love stories shared similarities and differences and it did not portray either love right or wrong, just different.

I gave it four stars because it was a great book but I reserve five stars for books I think have a more general mass appeal or really touch me to the core. This was a really good book in it’s genre.

Great story of love and loss. Emotional and touching read. My first book by this author and I enjoyed it. Short chapters and easy read. 4 stars!

Read and reviewed in exchange for a free copy from Netgalley. I loved this book. Hastings completely drew me into the characters' world. The perspectives of Liv, Emily, and Will, and switches between past and present, were done skillfully, and the characters were believable and engaging. I was utterly invested in this emotive, captivating story.

Five Stars
I fell in love with Liv and Emily and Matty and Rue and Will and Scott and Magda and Miranda. These characters were so well written that I felt like I knew them- or I wanted to know them. The way author builds tension between Emily and Liv is perfect- exactly how a teen daughter and mother go through hard times. And Mary's love for Will- the way she wanted what was best for him even in the end. I must admit I cried. The author did a fantastic job on a sensitive topic. She wrote with rawness but with a delicacy that made it easier to read. I think the way she left it- the not knowing for sure why- was beautiful and exactly how it should be. Engaging and beautifully written.

My Goodreads review link is posted below. These are my unpublished few thoughts and thanks :-)
I LOVED this book. Absolutely adored. 100% recommend.
Thank you to so much, Avon UK, for allowing me this incredible opportunity.

I really enjoyed this book, it perfectly encapsulated the love and loss that we will all experience and I loved the duel timeline.

However, as this book is pitched to fans of Taylor Jenkins Reid, I constantly found myself comparing this book to “Forever, Interupted” another duel timeline story of love and grief in the same genre. I’m not saying this was a bad thing, I enjoyed both books, but I think this removed some of the originality from When we were Young.

I loved the characters and world building and will definitely be recommending, it definitely has a slower pace and takes some time to fully delve into the story but I still really enjoyed this book.

Thank you so much NetGalley and Avon Books for the eARC of When We Were Young. I was initially drawn in by the cover, it caught my eye right away and peaked my interest. When I read the description this sounded so similar to my favorite book of all time, Mayluna by Kelley McNeill. I have been chasing the feeling that that specific book gave me for over a year now and I definitely thought this book would be the one to do it for me. Especially since this was described as being good for fans of Daisy Jones and the Six byTaylor Jenkins Reid, another of my favorite authors, I couldn't wait to dive into this one!

Two Decades, One Love Story and a song that changed everything. With a tag line like that, how could you go wrong? I am such a music lover, any romance that centers around music, bands, song writing, or a connection through music is always going to draw me in. Connections through music are not something that all people will get to experience in their lifetimes so when you meet someone, or read about two people who connect through music on such a deep level it is awe inspiring.

The story is told across dual time lines, Emily and Will's story when they meet in 1994 and everything that unfolds to get to where we are in present day, 2016, when Emily is just a "boring mom" to her 16 year old daughter, Liv, who could never imagine that her mom lived such an interesting life in the past.

The story is easy to follow, and the multiple POVs give a much broader picture and make you feel more connected to the character's and their stories. You are provided with a lot of background information, as well as being able to see our main character through the eyes of another person.
This makes characters feel so much more complex and fleshed out in my opinion. This was such an easy read to get lost in, I was gripped from the very beginning.

Elaine Hastings did a great job with her character development and creating characters that the reader can feel fully invested in. If you don't have a strong connection to the characters, it can be hard to get lost in a book, and I think the way that the author executed the character development to further the plot along and connect the two time lines was done flawlessly.

This is such a sorrowful, heartfelt, and hopeful novel that will pull at your heart strings from chapter 1. You want to root so badly for the romance in the past timeline even though you already know how the present time line will end (for the most part). This was such a beautiful story that dealt with topics such as grief, guilt, and I loved the healing journey that Emily went on.

This book definitely broke my heart but ultimately put it right back together at the end. As someone who keeps my past memories and relationships near and dear to my heart, I could really relate to the themes of coming to terms with your past and forgiving yourself. To me, this felt like such a cathartic read and I absolutely adored this. I would definitely read other works by this author in the future. I recommend When We Were Young to music lovers, to those who dwell on the past, to those who may be harboring guilt over a past situation, to those that are on a healing journey, and especially to those that love to see how the connections we make throughout our lives influence our current relationships.

A bit of a whirlwind for me from start to finish. The vibrant colors and male and female silhouettes on the cover drew me straight away. The narration is split into 3 narrators and the chapters between vary to past and present. At first this old lady brain had trouble following who was narrating and where we were in time, but that didn’t last long. I was swept up and invested 100%. Mother and daughter are 2 of the narrators and the relationship dynamic between the two was complicated as is with any mom and teenage girl. But I loved each of their journeys, and they were both on their own individual journeys, but their come together at the end was tear worthy. There are 2 love stories unfolding through time, past and present. I loved, loved, loved this and the feelings it stirred up. The writing and pacing were beautiful and spot on. First published work by author and she’s definitely one I’ll watch for.
Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC copy in exchange for my thoughts.

Heartbreaking, beautifully written books about love, loss and how it shapes us as a person will always get my vote. As someone in her sad girl reading era, this was exactly the kind of story I love to loose myself in.

This is a great look into how our pasts significantly shape our future.
Love and loss bring forth new beginnings and ways to move forward.

Thanks NetGalley for this ARC.

A poignant and moving story which evoked emotions and also entertained me. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for letting me review this book.

This had Daisy Jones and the Six vibes - a lovely read about past loves and rock stars.

When Emily's daughter discovers that her mum was rockstar. Will's one true love she tries to find out what really happened to Will and what lead to his death, going against her mum's wishes.

This was a heartfelt read and a little melancholy as from the start you were waiting for the moment of Will's death,

Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to review this book, this is my honest opinion.

Would recommend

When a music obsessed teenager finds out that her mother used to know a musician who tragically died in his twenties she's intrigued, an internet search reveals her hardly recognisable mother Emily at the edge of the Glastonbury Pyramid stage where he was performing.

This book stole my Sunday, one chapter in and I was hooked, unable to put it down until I'd turned the final pages. Dual timelines, great characters and compelling narrative piece by piece reveal a wonderful story of friendship, family, love and loss. Loved it

Thank you again to Avon Books UK for allowing me access to this ARC through Netgalley.

This dual timeline book takes us into the lives of up and coming musician Will Bailey and the love of his life Emily.
By 1999, Will and his band are the next big thing, with record execs putting on the pressure for the all-important 2nd album, but a loved-up Will is struggling with writer's block, and with Emily needing to focus on her own dream of being an artist, the whirlwind romance seems to be running its course.

Will's dreams are tragically cut short though when he suddenly passes away late that summer...

16 years later, Emily has never gotten over Will's death and the guilt that she harbours. Her only focus in life is her 16-year-old daughter, Liv.
When Liv accidentally discovers her mum knew *the* Will Bailey, she can't let it drop, despite her mum's pleas. She is determined to delve into the past and find out what really happened that fated summer.

Elaine Hastings debut novel is a fantastic story of young love, devastating loss, mental health struggles, and how allowing yourself to let go can set your soul free.
•
Before reading this, I'd heard that if you loved Daisy Jones and The Six, then this was the book for you. That's quite a recommendation to live up to!
Whilst I see the comparisons, this book is very different.
Not only is it dual timeline, it's also multi-PoV, so there's a fair amount of jumping back & forth. I found it easy to keep up with though.
I loved Will, my heart ached for him. Liv, whilst at times a slightly frustrating teen, meant well.
And Emily? I went back and forth over her, but by the end, I liked her a lot.
It was an emotional story and one I would agree that if you love TJR, you will likely enjoy this.
Published on 17th July, keep an eye out for this one!

This is just the best book on so many levels! Firstly, the cover is just stunning and is the perfect cover design to encapsulate the novel. And this is just the most spectacular debut from Elaine Hastings and I am so looking forward to reading her next book! But first … When We Were Young!

Love, music, and loss come together in a beautiful story that spans past and present. I loved the dual timeline. I found it engaging and very easy to follow, seamlessly intertwining the past and the present.

In 1994, busker Will and art student Emily fall hopelessly in love. They share an immense passion for music and being creative in their own ways, dreaming of a future full of possibilities. They are so happy and love their world that they have composed together. This is a book about love but also a book about loss …

Just when everything is falling into place and their future feels certain, tragedy changes everything.

By 2016, Emily is a single mother. Her love for creativity is buried deep inside. I found myself rooting so much for Emily to rediscover her creative spark and do what she loves. I wanted her to shine again – she deserved this so much.

When Emily’s daughter Liv uncovers the truth about Will and the secrets her mum kept, she’s desperate to understand why. And what did actually happen to Will? Liv is determined to find out. Liv thought she knew everything about her ordinary Mum, but discovering her secrets leaves her feeling very hurt and confused.

I loved seeing Liv and her mum’s relationship evolve, strengthening their bond and bringing them closer than ever.

The characters were absolutely brilliant. We got such a deep insight into each of them that I felt like we really knew them so well. There were heartbreaking moments that deeply touched me.

If you love books and music, this book is a perfect match – such a heartfelt story. I absolutely loved it. Challenging themes are thoughtfully explored with depth and great care. Although they are very hard topics, it is so important that they are included in novels. When We Were Young highlights the vital importance of why talking is so important and when you ask your friends if they are okay, ask twice. Even brief conversations can have a big impact and make such a difference.

Losing loved ones tragically is deeply painful, and self-blame often follows. When We Were Young powerfully highlights the importance of accepting your past and embracing self-forgiveness, freeing you from any guilt you may feel, opening the door to new beginnings. Our past shapes our future, and accepting it helps us move forward, one day at a time.

A deeply touching and emotionally powerful story. When We Were Young is beautifully written, moved me so much but also brought a smile to my face. Most importantly it left a lasting impact and a very clear pivotal message. I will never forget this book.

Thank you very much Avon Books UK for my advanced copy. This review is based on a NetGalley ARC provided in exchange for an honest and unbiased opinion.