Who We Are Now

"Can you believe it's the last night we'll all be here? It's so weird."
 
Nate shook his head, then massaged his aching neck. No, he couldn't believe it. The last night of college? Four years of midterms and Easy Mac and tapped kegs and a blur of evenings like the one he had just passed had all culminated in . . . this? It seemed both too incredible and too ordinary to be believed.
 
"Get dressed." Rachel reached over and smoothed his hair. "We need you in the living room at five."
 
He glanced at the clock again. "Five? I need more time."
 
"But we missed you so much all day!"
 
"I don't believe you."
 
"Fine, we want you to drive us to go pick up vodka for the pregame."
 
"Ah, bingo."
 
"Thanks, Natie," Rachel said as she stood up. "I'm going to finish getting ready. The last Friday night!"
 
Nate leaned back against the wall at the head of his bed, trying to will himself to get up and get in the shower. The last Friday night.
 
Every preceding Friday night for the whole of their senior year had started in pretty much the same way. He and Dev would hang out in their shared room-he was still annoyed the girls had won the battle for the separate bedrooms upstairs-reading for their Joyce seminar, messing around on the guitar, or napping off the effects of a too-wild Thursday night. At some point in the evening, they'd hear the squeak of the stairs, glance up at their sloped ceiling, and wait for the clacking of Rachel's high heels and the stomping of Clarissa's boots as the two of them bounded downstairs. Then the girls would burst into the room, announce the plans for the night, and start needling the boys, making fun of them, dressing them, offering them vodka shots like intrusive collegiate fairy godmothers.
 
It never occurred to Nate or Dev to make any Friday night plans. Every weekend, they waited for the girls to plan their adventures. He would miss that when he

Lauryn Chamberlain was born and raised in Michigan. She studied journalism and French at Northwestern University and then moved to New York City, where she worked for several years as a journalist, freelance writer, and content strategist (sometimes simultaneously). She currently lives in Toronto.

Praise for Who We Are Now
"An unforgettable novel, populated with recognizable characters, packed with nuanced emotion, and replete with the intimately tender, relatable style that has fast become Lauryn Chamberlain s trademark. Every lifelong friendship is its own epic tale, and Chamberlain gives these stories their due with a level of care I found incredibly moving, all while expertly weaving a diverting narrative I couldn t put down!" Marissa Stapley, New York Times bestselling author of Lucky

Who We Are Now transported me back to my college years and twenties in New York: I could hear the thumping club music, see the rows of cubicles, and feel each character's yearning for the day everything falls into place. Chamberlain beautifully captures the intimacy of friendship and the ache of nostalgia. Propulsive, poignant, and stylish, this is a must-read. Hannah Orenstein, author of Playing With Matches and Meant to be Mine

Chamberlain masterfully portrays the complexities of friendships as they grow and change over time Engaging and beautifully written, this story provides a poignant and insightful tale of friendship, love, and resilience. It is a must-read for anyone seeking an immersive and compelling story of young adulthood. Booklist

"A brilliantly paced coming-of-age novel, Who We Are Now stars four memorable characters who each remind me of someone I know and love. Chamberlain beautifully captures how our relationships, dreams, and priorities shift over time, and is unflinchingly candid when describing the sticky mixture of envy and pride we feel when our friends succeed before us. This book is brimming with heart and wisdom; I'll admit I wept several times during the last few chapters, so don't say I didn't warn you!" Caitlin Barasch, author of A Novel Obsession
 
Who We Are Now is an honest, insightful look at the ways in which friendships, first formed in college, continue to expand and contract