When We Were Young, Richard Roper
When We Were Young, Richard Roper
8 Rating(s)
List: $20.00 | Sale: $14.00
Club: $10.00

When We Were Young

Author: Richard Roper

Narrator: Huw Parmenter, Anthony Mark Barrow

Unabridged: 11 hr

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Penguin Audio

Published: 07/20/2021


Synopsis

From the author of Something to Live For, a nostalgic, heart-warming story of two long-lost friends who embark on a 184-mile walk of the Thames Path in order to find their way back to the truth, and to their friendship.

How do you move forward…when all you want to do is go back?

Joel and Theo haven’t spoken since the summer they turned sixteen, but that’s about to change.

From the outside Joel looks like the picture of success: a TV scriptwriter with a smash hit who’s still together and in love with his teenage sweetheart, Amber. But he's falling apart at the seams. He's headed home to reconnect with best friend Theo--to get back to the start of it all.
 
Theo has been living in his parents' shed, nursing a broken heart and a wounded ego, convinced life can't get any worse. Then he gets evicted on his 30th birthday. He thinks he's done with the real world - until it shows up on his doorstep...

One of them is keeping a secret, and the other is living a lie. But can the promise they once made to walk all 184 miles of the Thames Path help them find their way back to the truth--and to their friendship?

About The Author

Richard Roper is a non-fiction editor at Headline, an imprint of Hachette UK. He lives in London and is the author of Something to Live For.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Katie on July 18, 2021

Wow 😭 an unexpected tearjerker that I liked more than I initially thought I would. I was hooked after a few short chapters, eager to know what would happen in the end. In this book, Richard Roper beautifully puts into words how precious life is. Thank you to PRH for the advanced reader’s e-copy! I c......more

Goodreads review by Jane Adams on July 23, 2021

What a great story - emotions including tears and laughter throughout. The use of flashbacks allow a slow reveal of the answers to all the questions that you have as you get to know the two voices of the story (Joel and Theo), where they are now and how they both got there. Normally this type of sto......more

Goodreads review by Charlotte (char.lottereads) on March 04, 2022

This world's a funny old place. You, me, everyone - we're told when we're kids how our lives are supposed to go. Get a good job. Buy a house. Get married. Have kids. Settle down.. But there isn't really a plan after that, is there? You don't plan for falling out of love with the person you m......more

Goodreads review by Di on November 05, 2021

This one just wasn’t for me. I am not a fan of the star crossed lovers thing…where things could easily be cleared up if people would just talk and say what they mean. I can’t stand it when people beat around the bush in real life, and so I am not a fan of it in literature either. And that is what th......more

Goodreads review by Stephen on June 07, 2022

I hastened to get my hands on this book after being thoroughly impressed with How Not to Die Alone. Of the two, this is perhaps not as good, although it did sweep me up in the final third. It's a story with two main characters, Joel and Theo, both of whom knew (or at least hoped) when they were b......more


Quotes

Advance Praise for When We Were Young

One of Good Morning America’s 33 Books to Heart Up Your July

“Richard Roper writes with wit, soul, and beautiful prose.” –Good Morning America

“A funny, tender British bromance.” –People

When We Were Young is such a warm, uplifting read. It's a celebration of the bond we have with our oldest friends, and it's so funny, without ever losing its poignancy—Richard Roper writes humour so brilliantly.” –Beth O’ Leary, author of The Flatshare and The Switch

“This delightful, endearing outing becomes a heartfelt meditation on male companionship, forgiveness, and navigating life’s ups and downs. Roper’s story shimmers.” –Publishers Weekly  

Writing with both great humor and heart, Roper has a light touch that keeps the reader laughing even while he gently pulls on the heartstrings...A funny and poignant portrait of friendship.” –Kirkus

“Bittersweet and full of heart, this book will appeal to fans of Jonathan Tropper and Matthew Norman.” –Booklist

“Roper possesses a wry and formidable wit. But his real gift is the ability to infuse that humor with such immense heart that it becomes the path for an uplifting and redemptive journey. I loved this book.” —Steven Rowley, author of Lily and the Octopus

“Delightfully life-affirming and funny, a moving exploration of friendship and finding the path to redemption. Fans of The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry will love it!”—Bianca Marais, author of Hum If You Don’t Know the Words

"A beautifully bittersweet tale about the enduring power of friendship, reminding us how sometimes the best way to face life’s biggest challenges is to take them one step at a time with your best friend by your side.” —Oliver Sands, author of Breeda Looney Steps Forth


Praise for Something to Live For

“[An] offbeat and winning debut...Something to Live For earns its pathos. Even more to its credit, it gives resiliency and the triumph of the human spirit a good name.” —The Wall Street Journal
 
“[A] winning debut novel...Roper’s unbridled compassion for his characters is the book’s greatest strength.” —The New York Times Book Review
 
“Just the kind of book I wanted to read in these times. Charming, empathetic, witty, emotional, and hopeful, Roper’s cast of quirky, vulnerable characters make for a truly warm and affecting debut.” —J. Ryan Stradal, author of Kitchens of the Great Midwest
 
“Darkly humorous.”—Entertainment Weekly
 
“Wryly funny and quirkily charming–perfect for fans of A Man Called Ove and Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine.” —Eleanor Brown, author of The Weird Sisters
 
“Richard Roper uplifts the human spirit and shows us how to embrace life and hope.” —Phaedra Patrick, author of The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper
 
“The pleasure in Roper’s winning, good-hearted tale is seeing this lonely sad sack cautiously rejoin the world.” —People