The Girl He Used to Know
Updated: Jan 21, 2021
Tracey Garvis Graves
$14.99
I’m not the biggest fan of romance novels. When I was an inexperienced teenage wallflower I quite liked escaping into the romance of Jane Austen, but now my jaded 30-year-old self finds the idea of a perfect couple in the perfect relationship conquering all of life’s challenges laughable. What made me take a chance on this one was the unique premise - our heroine Annika who’s likely on the Autism spectrum runs into her old chess club flame Jonathan after years of not speaking at a supermarket in an incredibly awkward fashion.
The story is told from the perspectives of both of our lovers in a well-put together mix of the past and the present. There are moments when things do seem a bit too perfect, but only in the sense that love often has a honeymoon period. There was enough gritty reality mixed in as well to keep my stony-hearted self interested.
This isn't a beautiful facade of what love can be in moments; it's the messy reality two people have to delve through in any relationship. It’s a story that asks us what we can actually accept or overlook in a partner.
It's a great summer read and Tracey Garvis Graves is an amazing storyteller that does not disappoint.