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When We Were Bright and Beautiful
When We Were Bright and Beautiful: A Novel | Jillian Medoff
30 posts | 30 read | 16 to read
The acclaimed, bestselling author of This Could Hurt returns with her biggest, boldest novel yet--an electrifying, twisty, and deeply emotional family drama, set on Manhattan's glittering Upper East Side, that explores the dark side of love, the limits of loyalty, and the high cost of truth. You can have everything, and still not have enough. Cassie Quinn may only be twenty-three, but she knows a few things. One: money can't buy happiness, but it's certainly better to have it. Two: family matters most. Three: her younger brother Billy is not a rapist. When Billy, a junior at Princeton, is arrested for assaulting his ex-girlfriend, Cassie races home to Manhattan to join forces with her big brother Nate and their parents, Lawrence and Eleanor. The Quinns scramble to hire the best legal minds money can buy, but Billy fits the all-too-familiar sex-offender profile--white, athletic, and privileged--that makes headlines and sways juries. Meanwhile, Cassie struggles to understand why Billy's ex Diana would go this far, even if the breakup was painful. And she knows how the end of first love can destroy someone: Her own years-long affair with a powerful, charismatic man left her shattered, and she's only recently regained her footing. As reporters converge outside their Upper East Side landmark building, the Quinns gird themselves for a media-saturated trial, and Cassie vows she'll do whatever it takes to save Billy. But what if that means exposing her own darkest secrets to the world? Lightning-paced and psychologically astute as it rockets toward an explosive ending, When We Were Bright and Beautiful is a dazzling novel that asks: who will pay the price when the truth is revealed?
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Eggs
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Quite a family! Twisty, and emotional drama set on Manhattan‘s Upper East Side, that explores the dark side of love and family.

“You can‘t shroud yourself in self-pity to avoid accountability.”

#Family
#HumbleHarvest
@Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks Looks good! 12mo
60 likes1 stack add1 comment
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Victoriahoperose
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Mehso-so

I‘m not really sure how I feel about this book. It was very repetitive and the characters were all super unlikable. There weren‘t many redeeming qualities. The story was tough, but I just felt like it could have been presented better. I didn‘t love the ending. I didn‘t find it very satisfying and I was a little bit disappointed in the way it all came together. Interesting and hard subject matter, but I didn‘t love this one.

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Kristy_K
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Pickpick

This was darker and more twisted than I thought it‘d be, given that the premise is that our narrator‘s brother was accused of rape. It‘s a sad tale about a dysfunctional family who has everything money can buy and yet still takes intangible things from the innocent.

3.5⭐️ #botm

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Graciouswarriorprincess
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Book 96/100 of the year.

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Cinfhen
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Pickpick

Jillian Medoff writes a story of a privileged and moneyed college student accused of raping his on/off girlfriend. This book dragged in parts but I was too invested to stop. Outstanding narration from Marin Ireland elevated the prose. #BorrowNotBuy probably will not appeal to everyone as the fictitious Quinn family are truly horrible.

Bklover #borrownotbuy is one of my favorite hashtags, and I always forget to use it! Hope you are having a wonderful day, my friend!!❤️ 1y
Cinfhen Thanks for reaching out @Bklover Hope you have a wonderful day 🥰 1y
TrishB Great review 👍🏻 probably not for me. 1y
Cinfhen 💯 you can pass @TrishB 1y
80 likes4 comments
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Sargar114
Panpan

A privileged white male is accused of rape, guilty or not? Told from the perspective of his adopted sister who has secrets of her own. While I appreciate the story trying to be told, not one character is likeable and made for a rough read.

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ashleyn
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Pickpick

A quick read about a rich family from NYC facing a rape accusation. This book gave me a bit of whiplash trying to figure out who was telling the truth, mostly among the Quinn family, and the plot twist with Cassandra's life. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

2/2023

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BookLineNSinker
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Pickpick

I liked this one. It was a complex issue at hand. How do you react when your brother allegedly raped someone? It's definitely dark and twisty but I won't refute the reviews that claim it's a book full of rich people with rich people problems. Nevertheless, I love a good book with intense social issues and this one did not miss the mark for me. ⭐⭐⭐⭐

ICantImReading I really enjoyed this one, even though I‘ve noticed most on Litsy haven‘t been liking it much haha! Glad to not be alone! 😆 2y
41 likes1 stack add1 comment
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BookLineNSinker
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I'm moving on to this title and I'm excited that Marin Ireland is the narrator. I'm only 7 chapters in but I'm hooked. It's another genre bending novel but these have been working out for me lately. Will update with review!!!

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LitStephanie
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Panpan

I tried to find things to like about this book because the premise is interesting: a rich family is thrown into chaos when their Ivy League college student son is accused of rape. But the story is slow moving and even the trial is not very suspenseful. Most of what we know about the characters comes from uninteresting memories of the unreliable narrator. The book is as much about the narrator's illicit affair with a married man that started ⏬

LitStephanie when she was a very young girl. She does move through some trauma associated with that, but really the entire family are useless members of the idle class, and no one exhibits any real growth. 2y
15 likes1 comment
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LitStephanie
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I am three chapters in. Has anyone read this? Are we SUPPOSED to hate the narrator? She is a rich phD student who drives like a maniac in her ridiculously expensive car because she can afford the tickets--but, she also shows skin and flirts, almost to the point of offering sex, to get out of tickets. This after looking down on another girl who "plays down her attractiveness . . . as if there's virtue in looking dowdy." Yuck.

Kimberlone This was such an underwhelming book for me! MC (and really all the characters) are not only unsympathetic but also uninteresting. I don‘t mind unlikeable characters or unreliable narrators but if they are also boring and not self-aware, then what is the point? A major twist at the end is greeted with basically a shoulder shrug by all the main characters. Too bad because I thought the plot/premise had a lot of promise. 2y
LitStephanie @Kimberlone thanks for your comment. Now I know if it gets boring for me to just give up! 2y
Kimberlone @LitStephanie yeah you would think the subject matter of the book would elicit strong reactions from the characters and maybe the point was that super rich people are just not bothered by consequences to any of their actions regardless of the level of criminality, but makes for kind of a boring read when all the characters react so nonchalantly to major events 🤷🏽‍♀️ 2y
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TheBookHippie @Kimberlone someone gave this to me… why I have no clue however… it‘s going to the thrift store 😂😝 2y
Kimberlone @TheBookHippie haha for the best in my opinion…thankfully I read this on Libby! 2y
LitStephanie @TheBookHippie yeah do not waste your time. 2y
LitStephanie @Kimberlone I read it on Libby too so at least it didn't cost anything. 2y
16 likes8 comments
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MartinaLove
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Pickpick

3.5/5 ⭐

An interesting story.

#TeamSlaughter
@Clwojick

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GidgetsTreasures75
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Pickpick

10-12-22: My 102nd finished book of 2022! This was tough subject matter. Cassie Quinn receives a call that her younger brother Billy has been arrested for the rape of his girlfriend, Diana. She races from New Haven to NYC, to her family home, the Valmont, to stand by his side because she believes he is innocent. During a lengthy trial many dirty secrets come out including one about Cassie that is earth shattering. ⭐️⭐️⭐️📖#️⃣1️⃣0️⃣2️⃣

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Julsmarshall
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Mehso-so

This was interesting, an unusual take on an unreliable narrator but it fell short for me. The upsetting content was approached in a way that at times felt flippant and more for shock value than character building. I will be thinking about it for awhile though and found it compelling enough to want to read more from the author. #BookspinBingo @TheAromaofBooks

TheAromaofBooks Great progress!! 2y
47 likes1 comment
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Jnnlb
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Mehso-so

Fast read ⭐️⭐️⭐️

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Eggs
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Day7:

Finished The It Girl audiobook…between 3 and 4⭐️
Finished the tagged…compelling but dark/cringey-
low 4⭐️
Finished 13 books so far

#SuperSeptemberReadathon @Andrew65

Andrew65 Brilliant 👏👏👏 2y
Eggs @Andrew65 🥳🥰 2y
45 likes1 stack add2 comments
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Kimberlone
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Mehso-so

2.5 ⭐️ - borderline pan, but going with so-so since I was compelled enough to finish the book. Rich people problems, #MeToo commentary, courtroom drama. Cassie, the adopted middle child of an extremely wealthy old money NYC family with plenty of secrets, is the unreliable narrator who tells the story of her brother‘s accusation and trial for raping his ex-girlfriend. All the characters were venal and selfish, and I didn‘t care about any of them.

Kimberlone The twist was so obviously telegraphed that I wasn‘t surprised at how things blew up at the end. I wish the twist had been more interesting, since it was pretty unbelievable how the family is soooooo nonchalant about the reveal, and all of a sudden the mom‘s character completely changes. You could make the argument that Cassie‘s immaturity was a direct result of what happens to her, but she was not a compelling or sympathetic character at all. 2y
Kimberlone I‘m so glad that I didn‘t choose this for my September #BOTM and was able to borrow this from Libby. I would have been actively mad if I had spent money on it. 2y
KristiAhlers I‘ve picked up and put down this book so many times. I got the impression it was trying to hard. 2y
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Kimberlone @KristiAhlers Cassie‘s narration was so repetitive there were parts that I honestly thought “didn‘t I read this already” 🙄 2y
KristiAhlers @Kimberlone I hate that. And it frustrates me when editors don‘t catch that. I‘ll give this one a pass. 2y
Kimberlone @KristiAhlers like I said, I was compelled enough to finish reading, more because I wanted to see if the author was going to pull it off in the end, but I regret having wasted 3 days on this book. I think it is wise to DNF! 2y
LitStephanie I did end up finishing it, but only because it isn't that long and I was hoping there would be some personal growth, but alas no. 2y
Kimberlone @LitStephanie pretty much same! 2y
54 likes8 comments
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Redhead_reads
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Pickpick

3.5 cringy stars. Won‘t soon forget this one about this crazy, uber rich, privileged, wacko fictional family. #bookstagram #bookreview #whenwewerebrightandbeautiful

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Bekkers
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Mehso-so

Book 50 for 2022, this was a tough one to rate. It was good and I might have been in the wrong headspace but I found the twist to be very confusing.

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Breanne1
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Mehso-so

While the plot kept me reading to find the outcome I found this book to be problematic. I‘m sure it‘s representative of the way victims may feel however I was hoping for more out of this story. It‘s a book that certainly makes you think, I just found myself wanting more at the end. #BOTM

18 likes1 stack add
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LiteraryinPA
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Mehso-so

I had no indication going into this book about how disturbing it would be, and I wish I had skipped it. Alluding to what bothered me is going to give too much away, so I‘ll just say that this one was not for me. If anyone is thinking of reading it but wants to know the trigger warning, just let me know.

KT1432 Any feedback on if it‘s victim-blamey or if it tries to sell the narrative that most accusations are false? That was my biggest concern when I read the description and why I didn‘t pick it. 2y
LiteraryinPA @lele1432 The topic that I found triggering was actually not connected to the accusation of rape. But no, I did not find it to be victim-blamey. 2y
KT1432 Ahhh okay! Interesting. Thank you! 2y
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peaKnit I felt so much like you at the end of this one. Meh and lousy people. 2y
mollyrotondo Yes I would like to know the trigger warning since I was also debating my interest when it came up as a BOTM pick. I‘m glad it‘s not victim-blamey since that was a major concern. 2y
LiteraryinPA The trigger warning is that it‘s actually a lot about incest. Or sort-of incest because it‘s an adoptive child situation (adopted as a young child). @mollyrotondo 2y
mollyrotondo @LiteraryinLawrence uhh okay I see. That‘s extremely heavily. Yeah I think I‘ll pass unless a book club picks it. 2y
86 likes7 comments
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peaKnit
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Wrapped up the work day and now this book. Something was dark but good here, I wanted to keep at it but in the end it was just ok for me.

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kbuggle
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Mehso-so

Eh.. I‘m probably going to be going against popular opinion on this one, but I didn‘t love it. Characters felt underdeveloped, and big chunks of plot felt empty. Just not my favorite- but it was still an interesting read and can see where people are enjoying certain parts of the storylines. All the trigger warnings for this one. #botm

she.hearts.horror Well, I love the book cover. 😭 2y
16 likes1 comment
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ICantImReading
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Pickpick

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

This haunting and captivating book begs to be discussed! I did pick up on the twist, but didn‘t mind because it allowed me to fully appreciate how clever the writing is. Cassie‘s narration of the story is at times frustrating, uncomfortable, and disorienting - and it‘s masterfully done. I know I won‘t stop thinking about the Quinn family anytime soon. #BOTM

63 likes1 stack add
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Annie1215
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Pickpick

This one was pretty dark. I expected it to elicit some not great feelings because of the prevailing plot but it still surprised me. Some complex characters rounded out the story in unsettling ways.

69 likes1 stack add
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JenReadsAlot
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My #botm picks!

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ICantImReading
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Went with this #BOTM this month, but plan to get some others through the library! Did anyone else choose this one? 🙋🏻‍♀️

JenReadsAlot I did! 2y
LiteraryinPA Me too! 2y
Kimberlone I somehow missed the description for this option when I was choosing my August BOTM and I‘m bummed because this actually looks really good! Oh well…I‘ll have to keep an eye open for a library borrow now… (edited) 2y
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ICantImReading @Kimberlone oh bummer!! If you like audiobooks, I saw Marin Ireland is narrating this one, and she‘s one of my favorites. So it could be good in that format 😊 2y
ICantImReading @JenReadsAlot @LiteraryinLawrence Yay! I‘m excited to see what you both think of it! 🥰 2y
42 likes6 comments
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these_dreams
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#botm selections Have read Practical Magic but want it in hardcover. Will get Rules of Magic next month and then will have the whole trilogy in hardcover ❤️

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LiteraryinPA
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I chose this for my #botm! I hadn‘t heard anything about it but liked the description and it‘ll be fun to read a new-to-me author. If I hadn‘t chosen this, I would have picked Daisy Darker, but I can easily borrow that one from the library. 🤷🏻‍♀️

What did everyone else choose?

kspenmoll I still cannot see the books. 2y
Julsmarshall I chose Daisy Darker and I plan to get this one in ebook so I can read it on my trip 😄 I thought i‘d sounded really interesting too! 2y
TEArificbooks @kspenmoll I couldn‘t see the books on the main page either. I had to go to the “all books” tab and scroll down to “all books” 2y
64 likes3 comments