If We Were Us by K. L. Walther

If We Were Us by K. L. Walther
Genre: YA Realistic Fiction

Blurb (on back of book): Morgan Matson meets Becky Albertalli in this story of two best friends who are forced to confront truths about their friendship, identities, and relationships their senior year at boarding school.

Everyone at the prestigious Bexley School believes that Sage Morgan and Charlie Carmichael are meant to be. Even though Charlie seems to have a new girlfriend every month, and Sage has never had a real relationship, their friends and family all know it's just a matter of time until they realize that they are actually in love.

When Luke Morrissey shows up on the Bexley campus his presence immediately shakes things up. Charlie and Luke are drawn to each other the moment they meet, giving Sage the opportunity to steal away to spend time with Charlie's twin brother, Nick.

But Charlie is afraid of what others will think if he accepts that he has much more than a friendship with Luke, that he's never felt this way before. And Sage fears that if she lets things with Nick get too serious too quickly, they won't be able to last as a couple outside of high school and miss their chance at forever. The duo will need to rely on each other and their lifelong friendship to figure things out with the boys they love.

MY OPINION: ***

I began this book loving everything about it. The premise sounded really cute and fluffy and I was ready for another simple teenage romance. However, there ended up being a lot that I didn't like about it that I couldn't get past, resulting in the average rating instead of the five-stars I thought I was going to give it. 

Starting out with what I loved, I adored the plot. I liked the idea of two people seeming to be meant-to-be when in reality they weren't. Sage and Charlie have been best friends for years but everyone around them seems to think they are destined for each other. However, as we read through the book, we easily see that this isn't true, mainly because Charlie doesn't play for her team and Sage seems to be crushing on Charlie's twin brother, Nick. 

Charlie. I adored everything about that boy and my heart broke for him throughout the book as he was forced to admit to himself and to the people around him who he really was. He deserved so much better and even though I liked Luke, I didn't like the way he treated Charlie. It is never okay to force someone to come out just to save a relationship. That is toxic and manipulative and I didn't like how Charlie felt like he had to come out just to stay with Luke. Charlie deserved better. He's seen as the golden boy with the perfect grades and a new girl on his arm every week but in reality, he was so much more than the image he had created for himself, which I think made me like him so much. He had to suffer through figuring out who he was and how to show that to the world without destroying the persona he had made already. 

Sage wasn't my favorite character. She was kind of annoying and she kept making up dumb excuses to not be with Nick when it was so obvious that it was all she wanted. She would get jealous if Nick hung out with a different girl AFTER she told him that she couldn't be with him and she spends half the book going "I love Nick but I can't be with him for some stupid reason." I also personally did not see any chemistry between the two of them. Their relationship started a few years ago when they kissed in Spin the Bottle but other than that, they seemed to come out of nowhere. Within a few kisses they were supposedly in love which I do not believe. It takes time to say those words but both Sage and Nick threw it around like it was nothing. I did like how Sage stood up for Charlie even if it was hurting both herself and Nick; it shows that she is a true friend and I admired that quality in her. 

Luke. Agh, Luke. I have very mixed feelings about him. On the one hand, he's the adorable, shy, introverted, cute nerdy boy that we all love. He's the definition of a "soft boy" and I loved that about him. However, I didn't like how he treated Charlie. Even though it was going well at first, he started to pressure Charlie to come out and broke up with him when Charlie admitted he wanted to wait. I understand that nobody wants to keep their relationship a secret and that they want to flaunt to the world that they are in love but it was something that obviously was hurting Charlie and Luke didn't understand that and instead took the most selfish route. 

Nick was okay but I didn't like how he treated either Sage or Emma. He got mad at Sage when she didn't want to be with him even though she explained why and wouldn't listen to her when she tried to explain that she didn't want to be with Charlie. He broke up with Emma as soon as Sage was willing to try again and didn't seem to care about her feelings all that much even though they were in a solid relationship. I didn't like Nick's character very much to be honest, though I loved the twin relationship he had with Charlie.

The book is fairly simple and pretty fast-paced. While I wasn't the biggest fan, it's perfect for those looking for a cute, LGBTQ+, fluffy romance novel.

Main Character: Sage, Charlie

Sidekick(s): Luke, Nick, etc

Villain(s): Misunderstanding, being in the closet, finding yourself, etc

Realistic Fiction Elements: This book was all very real to life.