This Used to Be Us

A Novel

By: Renée Carlino

Narrated by: Rob Shapiro, Eileen Stevens

There are two sides to every love story—and every breakup. Get ready for an emotional roller coaster of family, marriage, and divorce that will have you both laughing and crying, from the bestselling author of Before We Were Strangers.

“Hilarious, unnervingly relatable, romantic, and heartbreaking in the best way.”—Julia Stiles

“This book is a gut-punch to the feels.”—Karina Halle, New York Times bestselling author

After twenty-two years together, Danielle and Alex are getting a divorce. Once fiercely in love, they can barely stand the sound of each other’s voice. Instead of shuttling the kids between two broken homes, Alex and Dani decide to share a nesting apartment while swapping days with their two teenage boys at the family home.

In the apartment, Dani and Alex, on their own, begin to reflect on the last two decades—why they fell in love and why the marriage fell, spectacularly, apart. With the newfound space and time, they are given a chance to rediscover their autonomous selves again. They both get back in the dating pool. Dani finds major success at work as a showrunner on her own TV project, while Alex faces the challenges of a new relationship.

Still, they find that they just can’t stay away from each other, and somehow, the distance allows them to remember (for the first time in years) what each used to love about the other. When a family crisis draws them back into each other’s orbit, Dani and Alex are once again put to the test, which leads to a dramatic conclusion that will have readers weeping.

Critic reviews

“I’m recommending Renée Carlino’s This Used to Be Us to everybody this summer—it’s a wincingly funny, jabbingly poignant examination of two people locked in an absolute car crash of a marriage, and like a car crash, you can’t look away.”—Kate Quinn, People

“An emotionally-charged and heartfelt look at the realities of marriage in all its beautifully broken moments. Carlino’s engaging prose brings Dani and Alex’s vibrant love story to life while reducing you to tears. This book is a gut-punch to the feels.”—Karina Halle, New York Times bestselling author

“This Used to Be Us is an unflinchingly raw and relatable tale of humanity that stirs laughter even while your heart aches for the characters. I was utterly immersed.”—K. A. Tucker, USA Today bestselling author of The Simple Wild

“This Used to Be Us is a sharply penned, wincingly funny, jabbingly poignant examination of a marriage in shambles: Alex and Danielle snipe and snarl their way through a divorce, aware that they have become the worst possible versions of themselves, wondering where exactly they went wrong. The answers are complicated and painful, as they navigate co-parenting, new romance, and old wounds around the memories of what they used to have. Renee Carlino’s knack for answering the hard questions of the human heart is masterful.”—Kate Quinn, New York Times bestselling author of The Diamond Eye

“Hilarious, unnervingly relatable, romantic, and heartbreaking in the best way, I devoured this book. Renee Carlino has that rare ability to utterly transport you, and to create deeply human characters you won’t soon forget.”—Julia Stiles

“This Used to Be Us is a real and heartfelt portrayal of the rollercoaster ride that is our time on this planet. It made me laugh, it made me weep, and it made me so grateful for each small moment of beauty in my life. This book will stay with me for a long time to come.”—Jill Santopolo, New York Times bestselling author of The Light We Lost

“Renée Carlino takes us through the anatomy of a failing marriage in this heartfelt novel that hits all the right notes. You’ll laugh. You’ll cry. You’ll fall in love with Dani and Alex as they fall in and out of love with each other. You won’t want this book to end!”—Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke, authors of Forever Hold Your Peace

“Carlino has written an exquisite novel about love and the pain that comes with divorce and loss. . . . This heartbreaking novel will have Tracey Garvis Graves’ readers hanging on every word.”—Booklist

Love and what it means to love

This Used to Be Us : Love and what it means to love ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.73
A very angry story in the beginning 😡😤🤬 BUT as it continues it turns into a peaceful read AND change is hard but ok….. but how it ends 🤯😢🥰 “love your people everyday”

Enjoyed

Deeply emotional and such a beautiful story of Love. Was a bit hard to get into at first but I am so happy that I stuck with it.

“We Made It”

I search long and hard for a book that will make me cry. Weird? Yes. But it’s something I do when looking for a book to buy. Those one was recommended on a FB page I am on. I didn’t think the tears would ever happen. But near the end of the book, I lost all composure and ugly cried! I love this book in its entirety and 100% recommend it to anyone who needs a beautiful love story and a good cry!

Good story

Definitely worth the read. Don’t regret it! Found it on TikTok book club. 6 out of 10

Beautiful

What an incredible story about love, loss and forgiveness. The author did an amazing job of making this book feel so real. There was no fairytale relationship. It was raw and normal. Couples bicker. Couple change. Kids test limits. This book was real the life of so many people. Absolutely wonderful read.
And the narration was incredible.