Who We Are Now, Lauryn Chamberlain
Who We Are Now, Lauryn Chamberlain
List: $20.00 | Sale: $14.00
Club: $10.00

Who We Are Now

Author: Lauryn Chamberlain

Narrator: Brittany Pressley

Unabridged: 9 hr 16 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Penguin Audio

Published: 08/08/2023


Synopsis

One of Skimm's Books We Couldn't Put Down This Year

Four friends. Fifteen years. Who We Are Now is a story of Sliding Doors moments, those seemingly small choices of early adulthood that determine the course of our lives.
 
It is 2006 and Rachel, Clarissa, Dev, and Nate are best friends, seniors on the eve of their college graduation. Their whole lives are before them, at once full of promise and anxiety. Bound to one another as they are, they imagine their closeness will last forever—but things change as they take their first steps away from one another and into adulthood.
 
Each year is told from one character’s point of view, and in that way, we stride swiftly through their lives. These four friends feel their twenties and thirties flying by, and suddenly small moments fast become regrets or unexpected boons, decisions they’ll spend years wishing they could undo and choices that come to define them. As the foursome endure professional setbacks, deep loss, and creative success, fortunes shift and friendships strain—and it will take a tragic turn of events to bring them together again. 
 
Who We Are Now is a poignant story of epic friendship that jumps boldly through the years, moving at the same unforgiving pace as does that precious, confusing time between college and real life. This novel is perfect for readers who adore tales of friendship, explorations of the second coming of age moment that arrives in our thirties, and fans of Meg Wolitzer’s The Interestings or Dolly Alderton’s Ghosts.

About The Author

Lauryn Chamberlain was born and raised in Michigan. She studied journalism and French at Northwestern University and then moved to New York City, where she worked for several years as a journalist, freelance writer, and content strategist (sometimes simultaneously). She currently lives in Toronto.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Arvin on March 23, 2023

I adore this book. The premise is simple: four friends, fifteen years. But we all know friendship is anything but simple. It's messy and complicated, and dramatic too, which is exactly what you're getting here with Dev, Clarissa, Rachel, and Nate. I think when we hear the word "epic" we often think o......more

Goodreads review by Michelle on August 25, 2023

I’m trying to get all my August reviews out before the month ends so today let’s review this nostalgic, perfect for the summertime book about four best friends from college and their lives in the years after. This was a real pleasant surprise for me and with the beautiful bright cover I was happy to......more

Goodreads review by BookishVegan on November 19, 2023

This book was reminiscent of a indie 2000a, late 90s movie. It felt very realistic, maybe because I am the target audience, an older millennial. The writing was well done. Solid 4-5 stars for the writing. This is an excellent read and not at all A feel good read This is for someone looking for a taste......more

Goodreads review by Shannon on August 05, 2023

This was a heartfelt (and heartbreaking at times) coming of age story that follows four college friends from graduation to adulthood as they help support one another through life's ups and downs. From career highs and lows to new loves, addiction problems, coming out and unexpected deaths. This one......more

Goodreads review by hannah ☆ ୨ৎ˚࿔ on August 28, 2023

The premise of this book made me so nostalgic, I couldn’t wait to pick it up! I loved how this book starts with 4 best friends in college in the mid 2000s, and then follows them for years post-graduation. 🎓 When we first meet our 4 main characters they can’t imagine life without each other. But, as......more


Quotes

Praise for Who We Are Now
"An unforgettable novel, populated with recognizable characters, packed with nuanced emotion, and replete with the intimately tender, relatable style that has fast become Lauryn Chamberlain’s trademark. Every lifelong friendship is its own epic tale, and Chamberlain gives these stories their due with a level of care I found incredibly moving, all while expertly weaving a diverting narrative I couldn’t put down!"—Marissa Stapley, New York Times bestselling author of Lucky

Who We Are Now transported me back to my college years and twenties in New York: I could hear the thumping club music, see the rows of cubicles, and feel each character's yearning for the day everything falls into place. Chamberlain beautifully captures the intimacy of friendship and the ache of nostalgia. Propulsive, poignant, and stylish, this is a must-read.”–Hannah Orenstein, author of Playing With Matches and Meant to be Mine

“Chamberlain masterfully portrays the complexities of friendships as they grow and change over time…Engaging and beautifully written, this story provides a poignant and insightful tale of friendship, love, and resilience. It is a must-read for anyone seeking an immersive and compelling story of young adulthood.”Booklist

"A brilliantly paced coming-of-age novel, Who We Are Now stars four memorable characters who each remind me of someone I know and love. Chamberlain beautifully captures how our relationships, dreams, and priorities shift over time, and is unflinchingly candid when describing the sticky mixture of envy and pride we feel when our friends succeed before us. This book is brimming with heart and wisdom; I'll admit I wept several times during the last few chapters, so don't say I didn't warn you!"—Caitlin Barasch, author of A Novel Obsession
 
Who We Are Now is an honest, insightful look at the ways in which friendships, first formed in college, continue to expand and contract through the years. Chamberlain aptly demonstrates that who we are now is, in fact, a composite of our past histories and our future desires. A relatable and engaging read.”—Karen Winn, author of Our Little World

"Who We Are Now
is the compulsively readable coming-of-age tale following four friends in the early aughts of New York throughout their most formative decades. Chamberlain masterfully invokes the wistful nostalgia of that tender time post-grad, on the precipice of real life, when we’re brimming with the promise of the future, yet swathed in self-doubt. Chamberlain’s sophomore novel is a brilliant meditation on modern friendship and sophisticatedly captures how the micro decisions we make on the brink of adulthood can have macro consequences on who we ultimately become."—Louise Claire Johnson, author of Behind the Red Door