The Way I Used To Be Pdf Book is a Young Adult Contemporary novel By Amber Smith which centers on the unforgettable story of a young woman as she struggles to find strength in the aftermath of a Sexual assault. It is a standalone novel.
The Way I Used To Be Summary
Eden was always good at being good. Starting high school didn’t change who she was. But the night her brother’s best friend rapes her, Eden’s world capsizes.
What was once simple, is now complex. What Eden once loved—who she once loved—she now hates. What she thought she knew to be true, is now lies. Nothing makes sense anymore, and she knows she’s supposed to tell someone what happened but she can’t. So she buries it instead. And she buries the way she used to be.
Told in four parts—freshman, sophomore, junior, and senior year—this provocative debut reveals the deep cuts of trauma. But it also demonstrates one young woman’s strength as she navigates the disappointment and unbearable pains of adolescence, of first love and first heartbreak, of friendships broken and rebuilt, and while learning to embrace a power of survival she never knew she had hidden within her heart.
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About Amber Smith Author of The Way I Used To Be Pdf Book
Amber Smith the Author of The Way I Used To Be Pdf is the award-winning and New York Times bestselling author of the young adult novels: The Last to Let Go, and Something Like Gravity, along with her middle-grade debut, Code Name: Serendipity. An advocate for increased awareness of mental health, gendered violence, and LGBTQ equality, she writes in the hope that her books can help to foster change and spark dialogue. She grew up in Buffalo, New York, and now lives in Charlotte, North Carolina with her wife and their ever-growing family of rescued dogs and cats. You can find her online at AmberSmithAuthor.com
The Way I Used To Be Pdf Paperback, Hardcover Book Information
- Publisher : Margaret K. McElderry Books; Reprint edition (March 7, 2017)
- Language : English
- Paperback : 384 pages
- ISBN-10 : 1481449362
- ISBN-13 : 978-1481449366
- Reading age : 14 years and up
- Lexile measure : HL640L
- Grade level : 9 – 12
- Item Weight : 12 ounces
- Dimensions : 5.5 x 0.9 x 8.25 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #2,112 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #2 in Teen & Young Adult Fiction on Sexual Abuse (Books)
- #4 in Teen & Young Adult Fiction about Self Esteem & Reliance
- #6 in Teen & Young Adult Fiction on Social & Family Violence (Books)
- Customer Reviews: 4.7 out of 5 stars 3,642 ratings
The Way I Used To Be Reviews (Amazon.com)
5.0 out of 5 stars A great read and a book all teens should read.
Reviewed in the United States on August 19, 2019
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1 out of every 4 girls…1 out of every 6 boys are the statistics…what would they be if every person who went through what Eden went through could come forward. I am A SURVIVOR MYSELF and when I say SURVIVOR I think about how long it took me to have the courage to tell. I dont know if you can say that you enjoyed this book…but I read it within a day and I loved that Eden finally realized that she was so much more than she ever thought. That she discovered there’s power in truth and decided that she did have the courage to face the truth, let go of the lies and hate and realize that hurting others wasn’t the answer.
5.0 out of 5 stars Heartbreaking, beautiful, one of the best I’ve ever read.
Reviewed in the United States on March 23, 2016
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It’s been a long time since I’ve written a review, and I’m writing this minutes after finishing “The Way I Used To Be.” In the hundreds (thousands?) of books I’ve read in my lifetime, I’ve never related to a fictional character more. I read the last ten percent with tears in my eyes, hating that it had to end but knowing there would be some relief once it did.
This book is heartbreaking on so many levels. Aesthetically, the writing is absolutely gorgeous – I can’t believe this a debut, and I will preorder every one of Amber Smith’s following books without even bothering to read the synopsis. From page one you are captivated by this story, and it was near impossible to put down. It’s been a long time since I’ve finished a nearly 400 page book in 24 hours.
It hurt to read sometimes, because reading Eden’s words felt so much like reading my own thoughts, both as a teenager and now. We don’t have the same story, but books like this are necessary because they remind you that you don’t need to have the same experiences as someone to understand their journey. Emotions are universal. The struggle to overcome any trauma is nearly indescribable, and yet Smith did this in a way that made it seem almost effortless. I rarely read the same book twice, but this is a book I will revisit time and time again.
I don’t know what else to say. Oddly, words don’t seem like enough. This book was so much at once. If I had to choose one word, I’d choose beautiful – but even that doesn’t encompass everything that it is. If you’re reading this review on Amazon or Goodreads, please, please, please go and buy it. I’m a stranger to you, but I promise you won’t regret it.
I know a lot of people read books to escape, but I’ve always read to connect. Never before have I connected so completely with a story. I dreamt about it last night after reading nearly half of it in one sitting, and I think I’ll dream about it again tonight. The scenes were so vivid, the characters so completely real. I think it might be another lifetime before I feel this way about a book again. I almost hope it is.
5.0 out of 5 stars These were suppose to be the best years of her life…
Reviewed in the United States on April 29, 2018
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In The Way I Used To Be, we are introduced to Eden a fourteen year old girl who endured a horrible breach of trust in a person whom her family accepted into their family. Caelin, her brother has been her protector and friend. They were close until he went away to college. When he went away to college the family dynamics changed. Her father no longer had his buddy to root for in sports. Her mother no longer had the responsibilities of doting on him. The household seemed empty and lost without him. He was the glue that held the family together.
This story is broken down by each high school year. For Eden high school became about the groups, rules, and cliques. Eden didn’t fit into any groups or cliques. Nobody stood up for people like her and Mara who got bullied. Not fitting is not something that gets talked about. Eden realized she was suppose to accept their behavior. After all she believed it was her problem that others bully her because she was too weak to stand up to them. Eden knew better than this, but she feels like her family, her friends, and the school system has failed her.
We watch Eden cope by finding alternate ways to avoid the negative attention placed upon her. Both Mara and Eden explore areas that garner them the necessary reprieve they are looking for at certain moments in life.
Eden just wants to blend in and be normal and finish school unscathed. It’s an adjustment and one that’s difficult to manage with no role model to follow. Eden is a young teenager trying to navigate the tough years of adolescence in high school. Eden goes through some very awkward stages in her high school years. It’s completely understandable considering the circumstances. The rape not only violated her body but her mind as well. Eden is confused and doesn’t know how to express the feelings taking place within herself.
I found Eden’s character to be quite relatable given the circumstances of her relationship with her parents, brother, and Kevin. Her stages of rebellion were the best ways for her to deal or cope with these confusing feelings when she lacked a support system.
I was so afraid to read this book due to subject matter inside. I got to say Amanda Smith made it easy to read. Rape is a scary word and when attached to a persons age and the identity of that person it’s even more alarming. I didn’t want to read about a rape, yet Amanda made sure to be careful with how she wrote that scene. I survived because Amanda was cautious enough to focus on the aftermath of that situation. That’s what I strived for, in this book an opportunity to read about one girls struggle with a toxic secret that ruined her life.
5.0 out of 5 stars A must read!
Reviewed in the United States on May 4, 2021
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This book is a heartbreaking yet rewarding standalone about overcoming trauma and finding yourself.
Eden is a young, innocent girl when she experiences a terrible trauma. Her life changes after that, and we watch as Eden is thrown into a downward spiral because of what she went through. We follow Eden’s story over four years of high school, where she experiences highs and lows.
This book absolutely shred my soul, but it was so raw and was a story that absolutely needed to be told. The subjects in this book are not for the faint of heart, but Eden’s journey was something that other women have experienced, and raises awareness to how trauma never goes away. This was 100% my favorite book of 2021 that I’ve read so far.
Favorite quotes:
“He’s not the hero and he’s not the enemy and he’s not a god. He’s just a boy. And I’m just a girl, a girl who needs to pick up her own pieces and put them back together herself.”
“Maybe he’ll get what he deserves. Maybe not. Maybe I’ll never find it in my heart to forgive him. And maybe there’s nothing wrong with that, either. All those maybes swimming around my head make me think that “maybe” could just be another word for hope.”
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