When I Was Yours

I enjoyed this emotional book, especially the characters of Pearl and Olive, as it spans two world wars and all the changes that those times brought to the people of England. I loved the dual time format, and to see how ultimately those two intersect. The experiences of Vivienne during World War I were really fascinating and among my favorite parts of the book. There were mentions of the way the war was affecting their lives during World War II, which were nice touches and historically accurate. Why Vivienne wanted to take in a war orphan seemed so real, I really felt for her. Otherwise, the character of Vivienne seemed to lack self-awareness and self-reflection at points which made her a frustrating character. Also, this isn't really a spoiler but how did she not develop any real friendships the whole time after she left London?! She seems so social before, it seems odd. On the other hand, her sister Olive's throwing off of social conventions made her a more interesting character that I would have liked to see more of. While there were aspects to Olive that could have been explored much more in depth, I appreciated eventually learning them (even if they were things I long suspected). The character of Pearl was adorable, and I liked that she was Jewish although it wasn't explored as much as it could have been. The ending was very satisfactory as well and demonstrated some nice growth from the characters. I would definitely recommend this book to friends. *received from NetGalley in exchange for a review*