Reeling from an awful breakup, the last thing Kate expected was an email from an old colleague offering her a great opportunity. She’s initially reluctant to accept; she had a huge crush on Ben when they studied together, and those feelings never quite disappeared. After all, Ben has a wife and daughter. He’s happily married and has his life together, while she on the other hand has been self-medicating as she tries to process being ghosted by her ex.

With the urging of her best friend, Kate accepts.

Despite what Kate thinks, Esben, Ben to his friends, does not have his life together in any way shape or form. His ex-wife is trying to break their custody agreement, and his daughter Frida seems to want nothing to do with him. As for being happy; Ben can’t remember the last time he’s felt that. He’s been struggling with depression for a long time, and combined with chronic back pain and body image issues it’s a whole complicated mess. He’s a complex mess that no woman could ever find attractive.

So what on earth was he thinking when he invited Kate to fill the open teaching spot at his field school this summer?!

He’s had feelings for her since they studied together twenty-three years ago, but when their study camp ended, Kate had started a relationship with someone else. Ben’s determined to keep their relationship professional.

Completely unaware of how the other feels and has felt all this time, both Kate and Ben start to rebuild their friendship while trying to hide the messy and painful parts of their lives.

Even If We’re Broken by A. M. Weald is exactly how I like my romance; raw, genuine and filled with representation. I came for the chronic illness and mental health representation, but I adored all the BIPOC, LGBTQIA+ and cultural representation in the book. None of it felt forced, I want to emphasise that. Weald listed the full LGBTQIA+ representation on her Instagram;

Kate (MC): bisexual
Clara (Kate’s BFF): lesbian
Felicity (Clara’s wife): trans, lesbian
Sam (Kate’s student): nonbinary, pansexual
Jorunn (Ben’s BFF): lesbian
Alex (Ben & Jorunn’s colleague): gay man
Zoe (Alex’s student): pansexual
Nikki (Kate’s ex): lesbian
Rio (Alex’s husband): gay man
Sylvi (Jorunn’s wife): bisexual
Spoiler: questioning

Even if I didn’t already know that this was written by an author with lived experiences, I would have recognised it as one. It isn’t just Weald’s attention to detail as someone living with chronic and mental health conditions, it’s the content she has included. With a title like Even If We’re Broken, you’d expect a book to go into the painful parts of the characters’ pasts. The synopsis says as much, right? But I’ve seen other books promise the same and then not deliver.

The huge difference is Weald’s lived experience, and it is clear that she’s poured her entire heart into this book. From the scenes about fat shaming from medical professionals and past partners, to finding the right medication and the difficulty in doing physio exercises alone when you’re in pain. Every single thing is perfectly nuanced. My heart was in my throat, and tears in my eyes so many times. This isn’t an easy read at times, but it is a cathartic one.

There is also joy and humour with Weald’s characters, even the dodgy professor, coming to life in full-blown colour. The dialogue is great, as is the pacing, and seeing people find their people is always wonderful. Even If We’re Broken is one of those books that had me feeling so many things, and it’s hard to put into words. So rather than start keyboard smashing, I’m just going to keep it simple; read this book.