If I knew you were going to be this beautiful, I never would have let you go by Judy Chicurel

If I knew you were going to be this beautiful I never would have let you go is set in a “fictionalised Long Island” in 1972. It follow the lives of working class teenagers dealing with the pressures of growing up and the consequences of the Vietnam war.

The title sounds so romantic, but this isn’t a traditional love story that will sweep you away. A haunting novel that gets right in the middle of the harsh reality of the time.

I found this book took an awfully long time to pull all the threads of the plot together, but by the time it got there I really had a good feel for the characters and the place they grew up. The story felt real, as if this was someone’s account of their teenage years rather than a story written to entertain. The end of the book particularly had me hooked as the war and it’s consequences became more of a focal point.

3/5 stars

Get the book here If I Knew You Were Going To Be This Beautiful, I Never Would Have Let You Go

I received this book from Lovereading.co.uk in exchange for a review.