This Used to Be Easier

by Katia Rose

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I was extremely torn about how I felt with this book. Basically, it was okay. I liked the overall plot, but it just felt a bit underdeveloped. I appreciated the struggles the characters went through, but I never really felt connected to them enough to really enjoy the high points or feel emotional in the low ones.

The relationship didn’t develop in a really comfortable way either. I thought they were cute and the concept was interesting, but I feel like it could have benefited from a bit more tension and build-up.

It was a cute story and fun read, but it could have used just a bit more depth in the character development.

Full Review with Spoilers

I really struggled trying to decided exactly how I felt about this book. By the end of it I felt like it was, okay. I really liked the concept, it is a good friends to estranged friends to lovers plot, but it just felt a bit underdeveloped. The journey they take just felt like it was missing a really good tension and buildup. Which I do get that they are essentially childhood friends, but with the fact that they part on somewhat bad terms for four years makes me really miss this when they start to be around each other again. The relationship aspect moved forward a bit more quickly than I felt was believable, even with them pulling back to figure things out on their own.

I liked main character Connie. Her anxiety issues gave her a really relatable and interesting struggle to cope with. I also did feel like Meg was relatable to, with her life after school struggles. It made her very human as well. I admit I didn’t like her as much though. She came off a bit whiney with her mother, and again I know the development of that relationship was also key to the story, but it did make her a bit annoying at time. She felt a bit more like a high schooler trying to reconcile how she feels about her small town life and awkward family than a college graduate trying to get her life together.

I also felt like the secondary characters where underused. There were a few, like Meg’s friend Justice and the old school mate Pat that had great development when introduced, but they felt like they where dropped and forgotten about part way through the book. They would be mentioned a couple of times, but never actually have a “scene” again, which was a shame because I felt like they had a lot of personality just to not be used again.

The first time sex scene was actually a bit awkward for me too. Like I mentioned above, this also felt like it happened a bit too soon in the plot. The whole scene didn’t really feel like it was the best way to handle things between them. It was awkward and didn’t get the “sexy” concept across, though I’m willing to admit that is completely a personal thing. The ending also felt a bit abrupt and honestly not that satisfying. I liked seeing them being happy and Connie really pushing through her anxiety, and I even really appreciated that they didn’t move in together right away, but I think I would have liked to see just a little bit more. It felt like the book just ended after a scene that didn’t have a strong sense of finality.

Overall

It was a cute romance that could have benefitted from a bit more depth and character development, especially between the two main characters.