When You Were Mine

Product Information

Lonely, friendless and completely burned out, he takes himself off to rehab and then begins to rebuild his life. This was a cute read, though a slow and confusing one to start with. A book on family and relationships where friendship and love mattered.

This was a wonderful romantic comedy about an unconventional family! I have to admit it did take me a few chapters to get into the story. The chapters were told from different characters points of view and it took a little while to settle into this. By the time I had done though I was well and truly hooked and the slower start was a dim and distant memory! Maggie and Ibby were great characters and I loved their set up as a family! They, and their daughter Amelia, didn’t shove their unusual family relationships in people’s faces, but they also didn’t shy away from being proud of who they are and putting their daughter first despite their own sexual preferences!! They were also very funny and I just knew that Maggie, as a relationship counsellor (AKA a sex coach), would provide plenty of witty one-liners and humorous moments!Charlie thinks this is tragic. Olivia’s and my virginity are like an affront to her values, or something. Mind you, she’s done it with two people already. The first was Matt Lester, her boyfriend sophomore year. They did it after homecoming, and she said it was awful and they never did it again. Now there’s Jake, her on-again, off-again boyfriend—and, as Charlie says, “I’ve lost count.” Which I guess is what’s supposed to happen. It’s not like you keep counting the number of times you have sex. At a certain point it just becomes sex, I think. This book had so many wonderful characters in it. Maggie, Ibby, and Jordan were all well-developed likable characters who I was definitely rooting for. The secondary characters Other Max, Nikki, and Nat were great. Can I just say I loved how they called there other BFF Other max! But for me the shining star of the book was Amelia, the girl had some major spirit and fierce determination, and yet she still was sweet and vulnerable. This was an engaging and sweet story with a few unexpected twists. I really enjoyed spending time with these characters and was sad when it ended. This is my first book from Lisa Swift (with any name) but it certainly will be my last.

I loved the main characters but I also really loved the supporting characters especially one because I have a thing for paramedics! Eventually, you find out how Jordan Nash fits into the lives of Mags and Ibby and that is where the book really takes off. Thanks for your letter. I’m glad to know Charlie is as crazy as ever, and thanks for the gum. I’m chewing it now.

Find a book you’ll love, get our Word Up newsletter

But Maggie is about to get her own dose of chaos when, a blast from her past is about crash his way into their lives, with a media storm no one was expecting. Amelia is by far my favourite. She shows a maturity that is unheard of but is not unreal. Whatever sacrifices Iggy and Maggy made to provide her a stable, healthy childhood is totally paid off. Message of the story is simple and probably as old as the universe itself . . . love conquers all. It doesn't matter how odd your family is, if you stand together and welcome the changes with an open heart, anything can be overcome. What’s up?” I asked. He didn’t answer. He just kept looking at me. He has these gigantic brown eyes that look like little teacups of hot chocolate. Not that that’s what I think about when I look at him. I don’t even like hot chocolate. I’m just trying to describe him accurately, here. Except for this one thing that happened the night before he left. I haven’t told Charlie or Olivia, because I’m not sure how I feel about it myself. But I keep going over it in my mind. I’ve been going over it for two months. I rub my eyes and sit up. It’s already light out, but that’s not too surprising, given that it’s August in Southern California. It’s also hot, and the tank top I slept in is drenched. I don’t understand why, after all these years, my parents still have not sprung for air conditioning.