ALL WE ONCE HAD

Two teenagers reconnect when they both need it most.

After three years, Piper and Henry, who are both cued white, reconnect by chance. The night they met, Piper was dealing with the grief of losing her parents, who died in a crash caused by a drunk driver, as well as with loneliness and academic stress. Seventeen-year-old Henry, from Spokane, Washington, was visiting his dad in Sugar Bay, Florida; he was the calming presence she needed. Now, Piper’s coping with tense relationships with 32-year-old Tati, who’s both her sister and her guardian, and Gabi, who reads Black and is her former best friend. Hypercritical Tati feels Piper is headed down a bad path, and Gabi feels betrayed by Piper. Henry is back for the summer, staying with his dad, who runs a sports bar, and dealing with his own relationship issues. While the narrative is engaging, it moves at a slow pace and can be repetitive. Still, as Piper and Henry reconnect, their characterization forms the heart of the novel. The story alternates between the leads’ first-person perspectives, and their sincerity makes them sympathetic. Piper’s experience of grief offers a reminder that we don’t always know what others are going through, while Henry’s struggles will resonate with readers who are navigating troubling family relationships. Upperman effectively discusses difficult topics like alcohol abuse, consent, and reproductive choice.

A touching, character-driven romance about second chances that will appeal to patient readers.