This Used to Be Us

“I’m recommending Renée Carlino’s This Used to Be Us to everybody this summer—it’s a wincingly funny, jabbingly poignant examination of two people locked in an absolute car crash of a marriage, and like a car crash, you can’t look away.”—Kate Quinn, People“An emotionally-charged and heartfelt look at the realities of marriage in all its beautifully broken moments. Carlino’s engaging prose brings Dani and Alex’s vibrant love story to life while reducing you to tears. This book is a gut-punch to the feels.”—Karina Halle, New York Times bestselling author“This Used to Be Us is an unflinchingly raw and relatable tale of humanity that stirs laughter even while your heart aches for the characters. I was utterly immersed.”—K. A. Tucker, USA Today bestselling author of The Simple Wild“This Used to Be Us is a sharply penned, wincingly funny, jabbingly poignant examination of a marriage in shambles: Alex and Danielle snipe and snarl their way through a divorce, aware that they have become the worst possible versions of themselves, wondering where exactly they went wrong. The answers are complicated and painful, as they navigate co-parenting, new romance, and old wounds around the memories of what they used to have. Renee Carlino’s knack for answering the hard questions of the human heart is masterful.”—Kate Quinn, New York Times bestselling author of The Diamond Eye“Hilarious, unnervingly relatable, romantic, and heartbreaking in the best way, I devoured this book. Renee Carlino has that rare ability to utterly transport you, and to create deeply human characters you won’t soon forget.”—Julia Stiles“This Used to Be Us is a real and heartfelt portrayal of the rollercoaster ride that is our time on this planet. It made me laugh, it made me weep, and it made me so grateful for each small moment of beauty in my life. This book will stay with me for a long time to come.”—Jill Santopolo, New York Times bestselling author of The Light We Lost“Renée Carlino takes us through the anatomy of a failing marriage in this heartfelt novel that hits all the right notes. You’ll laugh. You’ll cry. You’ll fall in love with Dani and Alex as they fall in and out of love with each other. You won’t want this book to end!”—Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke, authors of Forever Hold Your Peace“Carlino has written an exquisite novel about love and the pain that comes with divorce and loss… . This heartbreaking novel will have Tracey Garvis Graves’ readers hanging on every word.”—Booklist

Renee Carlino is a screenwriter and the bestselling author of Sweet Thing, Nowhere But Here, After the Rain, Before We Were Strangers, Swear on This Life, and Wish You Were Here, which was optioned for film. She lives in San Diego with her two sons.