Review: The Girl He Used to Know by Tracey Garvis Graves

The Girl He Used to Know by Tracey Garvis Graves

Expected Publication: April 2, 2019

Publisher: St. Martin’s Press

Rating: 4/5

Synopsis

Annika (rhymes with Monica) Rose is an English major at the University of Illinois. Anxious in social situations where she finds most people's behavior confusing, she'd rather be surrounded by the order and discipline of books or the quiet solitude of playing chess.

Jonathan Hoffman joined the chess club and lost his first game--and his heart--to the shy and awkward, yet brilliant and beautiful Annika. He admires her ability to be true to herself, quirks and all, and accepts the challenges involved in pursuing a relationship with her. Jonathan and Annika bring out the best in each other, finding the confidence and courage within themselves to plan a future together. What follows is a tumultuous yet tender love affair that withstands everything except the unforeseen tragedy that forces them apart, shattering their connection and leaving them to navigate their lives alone.

Now, a decade later, fate reunites Annika and Jonathan in Chicago. She's living the life she wanted as a librarian. He's a Wall Street whiz, recovering from a divorce and seeking a fresh start. The attraction and strong feelings they once shared are instantly rekindled, but until they confront the fears and anxieties that drove them apart, their second chance will end before it truly begins.

My Thoughts

This is the story of Annika and Jonathan told in dual timelines and POVs we get to see their story. We see how they met in college and how they fell in love. Annika is on the autism spectrum which I loved the representation and we see how she functions at college and doing through the experience of trying to make friends and dating. They meet at chess club and soon they become friends and soon after that Jonathan falls for Annika.

Annika is a breath of fresh air for Jonathan he likes how she is so honest. She can’t lie and she wears her heart on her sleeve. She was taken advantage of by a guy she liked before but with the help of her roommate, she slowly starts getting the hang of college life. So when she meets Jonathan and they hit it off she doesn’t know he likes her. They begin to spend time together and they fall in love but Annika wants certain things in life and so does Jonathan so when it comes time to move together Annika doesn't show up leaving Jonathan heartbroken. Flash forward a few years and Annika and Jonathan randomly bump into each other and both are single and despite the years Annika still makes Jonathan’s heart skip a beat. They decide to reconnect and hang out never feeling like time has passed. The connection that they have never has gone away, he was her first love and the one who loved and supported her when others didn't even see her.

I really enjoyed this novel of a second chance at love but the only thing I didn’t like was that I felt the ending was rushed. We get the grand love story between these two but everything just felt forced at the end. 9/11 plays a huge part towards the end and while that in it’s self is emotional I just felt their story just wrapped up too fast. This was a good love story and Tracey Garvis Graves gave us a couple you will root for.