Someone I Used to Know: The gorgeous new love story with a twist, from the bestselling author

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Every time I see Paige Toon is releasing a new book I literally Squeal with excitement! I have been reading her books since the very beginning .. well since Lucy in the sky ... and I have loved every single book she has released since! The prologue tells Daisy’s first encounter with Luis and their quarrel. Daisy feels Luis almost run over her car, while Luis thinks Daisy is an incompetent driver and almost scratches his expensive car. A heartfelt, heartbreaking and heartwarming story of love, family and loss and the ties that bind us' DANI ATKINS The story is told from Leah’s perspective, alternating between a past and present tense. At the age of fifteen, Leah is used to sharing the attention of her parents with others as they foster several troubled teens, but when angry George walks in to their home she found herself drawn to him despite his aggressive nature, but she certainly never anticipated falling in love with him. Gorgeous, brimming with heart, this is Paige Toon at her best. Beautiful and accomplished... A class act' MILLY JOHNSON

I truly don’t know where to start with this review. Paige Toon made this book everything I had hoped for, and so, SO much more! From Leah's wonderful parents, the children that came into the White's lives, the heartwarming friendships, the beautiful setting, the alpacas & bunnies, the family traditions, the love... I was so invested and I adored it all!⁣With alternating chapters between the then and now we get to know Leah, Theo and George rather well. The Then chapters are while they are teenagers, having all grown up together.

Thanks to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster I read an early excerpt, and I after those first three chapters, I had already made up my mind about Theo and George. I thought my heart would be with George because I expected him, as a foster child, to be the brooding bad boy type, but I couldn’t be more wrong! Although George had had such a hard life until he came living with Leah’s family, my heart went out even more to Theo, the rich kid who seemed to have it all. Leah is a favourite of mine with how she has coped through all of it and is a brilliant role model for her daughter Emilie. She sums her life up perfectly when she realises if life had turned out differently she would never have had Emilie in her life. The one thing she would not change, the one thing she would never class as a mistake. She earns a special place with me for this. Appealing characters, an emotionally charged storyline crux, a revealing look into fostering and a link made between past lives to current day living, Someone I Used To Know is a story for all readers. An absolute tearjerker, full of love for the family we’re born into and the one we build along the way. This book will live in my heart for a long, long time’ LINDSEY KELK The heartbreaking, romantic story of three childhood friends caught in the crossfire of an all-consuming teenaged love triangle, and their homecoming a decade later that will finally reveal what really happened.I loved this from start to finish! I loved the characters, the alternating of chapters between the then and now and most importantly I loved the alpaca’s! Can I persuade the husband to let me have one in the garden! 🤔😂 me thinks not but a girl can dream! But this really is a fabulous book, one I very much enjoyed reading every second of it and I really wish life hadn't got in my way of reading this in one sitting which is what I really really want to do with the book, as its so good and hooked me in so early on. Leah's parents are amazing people and were foster parents to many, many children, so the then sections, had me hooked on discovering more about the current children in their care, as well as life on their Alpaca farm, which even has a bunny barn! In fact if you are already a Paige Toon fan, then stop deliberating and just read the book as its easily one of her best books, full of depths and even had me on the the verge of tears a few time, such was the brilliance of the turn of phrase.

They meet Theo on the bus to school one day, when he reluctantly starts attending the public school Leah and George are enrolled in. Despite his previous dismissive comments towards Leah and her family, she can’t help but feel sorry for Theo – and when he get’s into an altercation in school, Leah and George soon forge quite a remarkable friendship with him. These first few chapters had me hooked .. I loved this sample and now I am even more excited for the book. I need to know more about Leah, Theo and George! Paige Toon's writing is just amazing, I know without a doubt I am going to love this book and this preview has only confirmed what I already knew. On the face of it Theo is the spoilt rich kid who comes to Leah’s mainstream school after previously being at a boarding school. Narrated from the perspective of the lovely, likeable Leah, and set over dual timelines, it flows seamlessly between alternating chapters of ‘then’ and ‘now’. Featuring wonderful, well-crafted, relatable main characters, and a stellar supporting cast. The alternating dual timelines was a wonderful way to show the deep connections between Leah, George and Theo and how much of an impact Leah's parents had on their foster childrens lives.⁣Unfolding via a then to now style timeline interchange, Someone I Used To Know introduces Leah and George. Both characters are learning to overcome their circumstances. Despite their troubles, Leah and George forge a bond that will be strained at times but also supportive. When Theo arrives at Leah and George’s school a connection forms between the three teenagers. Over the course of a summer, this bond becomes stronger. However, when life stresses and changes get in the way this intense bond is put under strain. Will the teenagers continue to support one another into the future? Theo's wealthy family have mysteriously pulled him out of boarding school and he's now enrolled at the local state school with Leah and George. When their worlds collide that summer, the three teenagers form a bond they believe will be unbreakable. But life doesn't always go to plan... A heartfelt, heartbreaking and heartwarming story of love, family and loss and the ties that bind us’ DANI ATKINS

I loved seeing all the various bonds being formed in this book in both timelines - there is just so much love and compassion to go around it was really heartwarming. Daisy then finds out that Luis turned out to be one of two new riders who will join their team the following year. When the racing season begins again, Daisy tries to avoid Luis because she does not want Luis to remember the event that ‘almost collided them while in Brazil. In an effort to prevent Luis, Daisy once again finds herself almost bumping into him. And of course Luis then remembers her, and again the war of their words begin. I had an idea to write about a girl whose parents fostered. I imagined it must be quite challenging to grow up in a household full of troubled children and teenagers who come and go and take up so much of your parents’ attention. But I wanted my character’s parents to be good at what they did, the sort of people who might inspire others to foster. In doing my research, I discovered that siblings are often separated when they go into care, with the younger ones being put up for adoption and the older children being fostered – sometimes they don’t even get to say goodbye. The idea for George arose from this scenario. The book is told in alternating chapters between then, when the characters are fifteen, and now, when they’re thirty. In both time frames the love story feels forbidden – but you’ll discover it’s for very different reasons. I love the cover of the book! How did the concept for it come about, and were you involved in both UK and US covers?Leah is the only biological child to her parents, Carrie and Ivan, who have dedicated their lives to being foster parents. On a final note, I never, ever thought I’d find myself in tears over the idea of someone making toast, but that’s the magic of literature!🤣 Paige also did an amazing job describing some of the realities of the foster care system ... positives and negatives! Thank you so so much to Paige Toon for sending me a copy of this one in exchange for an honest review!