When We
Were Young
A gorgeous, glamorous debut novel about love and loss
About the book
A gorgeous, glamorous debut about love and loss, perfect for fans of Taylor Jenkins Reid, Holly Brickley and David Nicholls.
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Spring, 1994.
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Will Bailey, a struggling musician busking in a tube station, falls for Emily, the quirky art student who passes by every morning. By 1997, Will’s performing on the pyramid stage at Glastonbury, and Emily has her own gallery show. The pair share a magical summer, touring across Europe and America with Will's band – caught up in their love, both for each other and their art. But within two years, Will is dead.
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Spring, 2016.
Emily has stayed single since Will’s death. Her art career is long gone, and her 16-year-old daughter, Liv, is all that matters. But when Liv plays an old Will Bailey song in the car, Emily loses control and crashes. Concussed, she reveals she knew Will back in his heyday. Liv can’t let this secret go: how could her boring, normal mother – who never goes anywhere or does anything – have known someone like Will Bailey? And why does she blame herself for his death?
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Interweaving Emily and Will’s bittersweet love story with Emily and Liv’s present-day struggle to understand one another, When We Were Young explores what it means to have loved and lost and will remind you that the ones you love can set you free.
Reviews
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Elaine's novel is simultaneously heartbreaking and heartwarming. It reminds us of the importance of love in all its forms; romantic, platonic, and familial. You’ll emerge hopeful and with a heart cracked wide open.
Malika Nekhla
Writer and freelance editor
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When We Were Young is a gorgeous dual timeline love story. I'm delighted that readers will have the opportunity to fall in love with Will and Emily in the same way that I have.
Tanera Simons
Greenstone Literary
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Music, romance, heartache and loss – Elaine weaves these threads into a story that will chew you up and spit you out at the end. Not only is Will and Emily's journey captivating from the start, it'll leave you thinking about these wonderful characters long after the final pages.
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Sophie Hamilton
Author of More Than Nothing
Two decades.
One love story.
And a song that changed everything...
About Elaine
Elaine Hastings grew up in west London, the second of two children to Irish parents. She studied art and graphic design at the University of the Arts London. Elaine works as the Creative Lead in a communications agency and writes fiction in her spare time.
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When not at her desk, you’ll find her curled up with a book or strolling in the local woods. She lives in Surrey with her husband and son, all three of them constantly pandering to their little black cat’s every whim. When We Were Young is her first novel.
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Interweaving Emily and Will’s bittersweet 90s love story with Emily and Liv’s present-day struggle to understand one another, When We Were Young explores the concept of ‘the love of your life’ and will remind you that the ones you love can set you free.
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