When We Grow Up by Angelica Baker Book Review

When We Grow Up is about friends who have known each other since high school. They know all their secrets and flaws, but not in a good way.

Sometimes, when you are in your 30s and get together with your high school friends, it is not a good thing. These friends have known each other for so long that they know each other’s secrets, fears, insecurities, and flaws. Instead of bringing each other up and maturing together, these friends tear each other down.

When We Grow Up by Angelica Baker is an interesting story about a group of friends on a vacation who come to terms with the fact that they might not be healthy for one another anymore.

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When We Grow Up Overview

Title: When We Grow Up

Author: Angelica Baker

Pages: 288 Pages

Publish Date: February 25th, 2025

Genre: Contemporary Fiction

My Star Rating: 3 out of 5 stars! (I liked this book and would recommend only certain people read it)

Grab your copy here: https://amzn.to/40FlOGR

Synopsis From Amazon

Clare is supposed to be the grown-up one. Married to the love of her life, with a major deal for her first novel, she has everything she thought she wanted. So then why does it all feel so wrong? When she agrees to a weeklong vacation with five of her oldest friends, she is hoping for an escape with the people who know her best. There is Jessie, who won’t stop talking about her new boyfriend; Mac, trying to pretend he hasn’t outgrown the group; Kyle, the eternal peacemaker; and Renzo, who brought them all together but keeps picking fights. And then, of course, there’s Liam, the guy Clare has barely seen since high school but somehow can’t get out of her head―or her bed.

But when a terrifying news alert shatters their peace, it becomes harder to ignore how much the world has changed since they were teenagers. As the resentments and tensions that have always simmered just beneath the surface begin to boil, Clare must ask if their shared history is enough to sustain their friendships, or if growing up might mean letting go.

My Review of When We Grow Up

Thank you to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for this ARC audiobook of When We Grow Up. Imani Jade Powers is a great narrator and has such a powerful voice for the character Clare.

Let me start this review off by saying the characters in When We Grow Up are deeply flawed and act like they are still in high school, and that’s the point! The point of this book is that sometimes we can outgrow our high school friends and we don’t need to revert back when we hang out with them.

I love the complicated relationships these friends all have with each other. Their friendships are based on years and years of knowing each other deeply. They also are the first ones to point out or highlight each other’s flaws. You will struggle to like all the characters in this book. But guess what?! That’s real life! You aren’t going to like every character especially if they are written as 3 dimensional characters.

This book was hard to listen to at times, just because it does address a lot of serious topics. Then instead of any resolution or acknowledgment of progress the group just moves on. They are all set in their ways. Which is very much like real life. Maybe that’s the problem. We all expect people to grow and change just like us but life isn’t like that.

When We Grow Up is a character-driven novel but the characters are hard to root for.

Grab your copy here: https://amzn.to/40FlOGR

Who I Would Recommend This Book To

This book is not for everyone. It’s a bit of a slow-paced book with characters you will feel strongly about. It reads like a drawn-out soap opera about friends who didn’t mature together and revert back to their high school ways.

This book is great for people who love complex people who are very flawed. People who love drama and books about personal growth. It’s a great book if you like to read about less likable and more realistic characters.

Grab your copy here: https://amzn.to/40FlOGR

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Final Thoughts

While this book was a struggle at times, it’s a fascinating book with a niche following. I love how realistic the characters were but how there seemed to be no resolution. If you check this book out, let me know in the comments what you think.

Lastly, if you enjoyed this review or know someone who might like this book, please share this book. I appreciate all the love and support!

Thanks for reading,

Kel