For fans of Suicide Notes from Beautiful Girls and Genuine Fraud, this coming-of-age story with a dash of mystery/thriller asks, How do you find someone you never really knew?

Donner Lake is famous for its dazzling waters, dramatic mountains, and the travelers trapped there long ago who did unspeakable things to survive. But for lonely Nora Sharpe, Donner was where a girl named Grace glided into her life one night and exploded her world.

After that, every summer, winter, and spring break, Nora, her brother Wesley, the enigmatic Grace, and their friend Rand left behind their real lives and reunited at Donner Lake. There, they traded truth and lies. They fell in love. They pushed each other too far. They came to know each other better than anyone in some ways, and not at all in others.

But two years later, something has happened to blow their world apart. Grace is missing. And Nora must find her way through the unspoken hurts and betrayals of the last two years—and find her way back to Wesley and Rand—to figure out what exactly happened to Grace, the girl she thought she knew.

“It’s like death by a hundred thousand paper cuts- like I’m bleeding out so slowly, and if I stay, everything I like about me is going to die.”

We all have those fond memories of things that happened in our youth, especially things that happened during the summer break. I remember that one spot in Wildwood, NJ. We would book a certain hotel that overlooked the Atlantic Ocean, walk the boardwalk, play in the sand, and just enjoy the sunshine on the beach. It’s memories like those that we keep close to our hearts. Not only is it the places we keep in our memories but also who we shared them with.

There was a lot going on in this book all at once and it took me a few chapters to get used to it. Once we got there, things started to fully open up like a blooming flower. There were so many layers we had to peel back before we got it all down. This was so much more than a simple mystery book. It brought deep bonding friendships, heartbreaking family trauma, and the love of the lake house that brought everyone together. It was more than just a simple mystery, it was a story with a lot of heart and soul. One you really won’t want to miss.

Nora, Wesley, Rand, and Grace were all flawed characters with a lot of love to share with one another. They all had secrets and definitely weren’t perfect but they never let that destroy the time they had spent together. Grace was quite the intriguing character. She never shied away and made everyone feel welcome. She had this personality that you couldn’t help but love and she’s one character that I would love to have coffee with. Grace kind of reminded me of Alaska from Looking for Alaska. The way she spoke to others as if they were the most important person in the entire room and how she made everything fun. They were both cut from the same cloth.

The overall story was really good. With each season came a break at the lake house. No matter the weather, they all sowed up and made memories to last a lifetime. Not all of us can say we have those memories but this book makes you want to create some. The more I thought about this book the more I like it. There were so many things to explore and discover that you never become bored by this. It was a great piece of literature.

Who We Were in the Dark was a really great book. It made me reminisce about my childhood and brought tears to my eyes. The end wasn’t one that I saw coming and it broke my heart. Prepare yourself for laughter and tears. Just keep those tissues handy because you’re going to need them.