When We Were Strangers Novels & Stories

The first time I picked up 'Before We Were Strangers', I was completely unprepared for how it would tug at my heartstrings. It’s a love story that spans decades, following Matt and Grace, two college sweethearts who reconnect after 15 years through a chance encounter on a subway platform. The narrative alternates between their passionate, messy past and their present-day lives, where they’ve both built careers but carry unresolved feelings. What struck me was how raw and real their connection felt—the way their youthful idealism collided with adult responsibilities, and how timing kept pulling them apart. The book explores missed opportunities, the weight of choices, and whether second chances are possible after so much time has passed.

Renée Carlino’s writing is achingly romantic but never saccharine. She nails the nostalgia of first love—the late-night conversations, the shared mixtapes, the way Matt and Grace’s artistic souls intertwined (he’s a photographer, she’s a musician). But she also doesn’t shy away from the pain of their separation or the compromises they make as they grow older. The subway scene where they spot each other again is one of those moments that lingers; it’s electric with what-ifs. By the end, I was a wreck in the best way, thinking about how life rarely gives us clean endings or perfect reunions, but sometimes, just sometimes, it offers a way back.