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When We Were Bright and Beautiful: A Novel
"Two parts Gone Girl, two parts Notes on a Scandal. . .will play with your expectations about who's the villain and who's the victim." - Jennifer Weiner, USA Today
The acclaimed, bestselling author of This Could Hurt returns with her biggest, boldest novel yet-an electrifying, twisty, and deeply emotional family drama, set on Manhattan's glittering Upper East Side, that explores the dark side of love, the limits of loyalty, and the high cost of truth.
You can have everything, and still not have enough.
Cassie Quinn may only be twenty-three, but she knows a few things. One: money can't buy happiness, but it's certainly better to have it. Two: family matters most. Three: her younger brother Billy is not a rapist.
When Billy, a junior at Princeton, is arrested for assaulting his ex-girlfriend, Cassie races home to Manhattan to join forces with her big brother Nate and their parents, Lawrence and Eleanor. The Quinns scramble to hire the best legal minds money can buy, but Billy fits the all-too-familiar sex-offender profile-white, athletic, and privileged-that makes headlines and sways juries.
Meanwhile, Cassie struggles to understand why Billy's ex Diana would go this far, even if the breakup was painful. And she knows how the end of first love can destroy someone: Her own years-long affair with a powerful, charismatic man left her shattered, and she's only recently regained her footing.
As reporters converge outside their Upper East Side landmark building, the Quinns gird themselves for a media-saturated trial, and Cassie vows she'll do whatever it takes to save Billy. But what if that means exposing her own darkest secrets to the world?
Lightning-paced and psychologically astute as it rockets toward an explosive ending, When We Were Bright and Beautiful is a dazzling novel that asks: who will pay the price when the truth is revealed?
The acclaimed, bestselling author of This Could Hurt returns with her biggest, boldest novel yet-an electrifying, twisty, and deeply emotional family drama, set on Manhattan's glittering Upper East Side, that explores the dark side of love, the limits of loyalty, and the high cost of truth.
You can have everything, and still not have enough.
Cassie Quinn may only be twenty-three, but she knows a few things. One: money can't buy happiness, but it's certainly better to have it. Two: family matters most. Three: her younger brother Billy is not a rapist.
When Billy, a junior at Princeton, is arrested for assaulting his ex-girlfriend, Cassie races home to Manhattan to join forces with her big brother Nate and their parents, Lawrence and Eleanor. The Quinns scramble to hire the best legal minds money can buy, but Billy fits the all-too-familiar sex-offender profile-white, athletic, and privileged-that makes headlines and sways juries.
Meanwhile, Cassie struggles to understand why Billy's ex Diana would go this far, even if the breakup was painful. And she knows how the end of first love can destroy someone: Her own years-long affair with a powerful, charismatic man left her shattered, and she's only recently regained her footing.
As reporters converge outside their Upper East Side landmark building, the Quinns gird themselves for a media-saturated trial, and Cassie vows she'll do whatever it takes to save Billy. But what if that means exposing her own darkest secrets to the world?
Lightning-paced and psychologically astute as it rockets toward an explosive ending, When We Were Bright and Beautiful is a dazzling novel that asks: who will pay the price when the truth is revealed?
Editorial Reviews
"A haunting drama about the #MeToo era and the lies we believe in order to survive." - People
"If you're looking for story that takes on elements of the #MeToo movement, Jillian Medoff's When We Were Bright and Beautiful is two parts Gone Girl, two parts Notes on a Scandal, and will play with your expectations about who's the villain and who's the victim."
- Jennifer Weiner, USA Today
"A gifted novelist turns to an explosive topic-sexual assault-and the disquieting stories that leap to life from our darkest corners…Medoff writes with a soothsayer's eye and a taut, alluring prose which winds inexorably to courtroom revelations and a shocking, shattering climax."
- Hamilton Cain, Oprah Daily
"Jillian Medoff's captivating, keenly observed new novel gives the well trafficked Trouble on the Upper East Side story a much needed jolt." - Town and Country, "The Best Books to Read This August"
"You are going to be thrilled with When We Were Bright and Beautiful. This novel begs to be a book club selection because you are going to need to discuss these characters, the choices they make and the trouble we can get into making assumptions about what we think we know about the world of wealth and privilege." - The Ethel, "Best Summer Books for your Balcony or Vacation"
"A fast-paced drama. . . . a book for these endlessly turbulent times and a comet force of a story that will satisfy our lust for surprises and plot twists. The shadows unveiled will stay with us long after the remarkable conclusion." - BookReporter
"I read When We Were Bright And Beautiful in a few big gulps; deftly and beautifully written, it's a fantastic page-turner with a shocking twist." - Kate Christensen, award-winning author of The Last Cruise and The Great Man
"Jillian Medoff has written a hell of a book, one bound to captivate readers and ignite conversations." - Grant Ginder, author of
"If you're looking for story that takes on elements of the #MeToo movement, Jillian Medoff's When We Were Bright and Beautiful is two parts Gone Girl, two parts Notes on a Scandal, and will play with your expectations about who's the villain and who's the victim."
- Jennifer Weiner, USA Today
"A gifted novelist turns to an explosive topic-sexual assault-and the disquieting stories that leap to life from our darkest corners…Medoff writes with a soothsayer's eye and a taut, alluring prose which winds inexorably to courtroom revelations and a shocking, shattering climax."
- Hamilton Cain, Oprah Daily
"Jillian Medoff's captivating, keenly observed new novel gives the well trafficked Trouble on the Upper East Side story a much needed jolt." - Town and Country, "The Best Books to Read This August"
"You are going to be thrilled with When We Were Bright and Beautiful. This novel begs to be a book club selection because you are going to need to discuss these characters, the choices they make and the trouble we can get into making assumptions about what we think we know about the world of wealth and privilege." - The Ethel, "Best Summer Books for your Balcony or Vacation"
"A fast-paced drama. . . . a book for these endlessly turbulent times and a comet force of a story that will satisfy our lust for surprises and plot twists. The shadows unveiled will stay with us long after the remarkable conclusion." - BookReporter
"I read When We Were Bright And Beautiful in a few big gulps; deftly and beautifully written, it's a fantastic page-turner with a shocking twist." - Kate Christensen, award-winning author of The Last Cruise and The Great Man
"Jillian Medoff has written a hell of a book, one bound to captivate readers and ignite conversations." - Grant Ginder, author of
Readers Top Reviews
little bookworm
The Quinns are a wealthy family residing in New York, who on the surface seem to have it all. However, when Billy, the youngest member of the family is accused by his on/off girlfriend of rape and finds himself facing trial, the family comes under intense scrutiny. Told from the perspective of Cassie, Billy's older sister, as the investigation and trial unfolds, it seems there is more than one Quinn who is harbouring a secret! Not my usual sort of read, however, I found myself drawn to this book as its themes appeared to be very topical, and I was interested to see how the author would handle the topic. Overall, this was an unusual read, all at once oddly compelling and yet at the same time disappointing, and certainly disturbing. Certainly Medoff had me eagerly turning the pages of this book; even when I wasn't particularly enjoying the story or characters, I was intrigued to get to the denouement, to discover the verdict of the trial and whether we would find out if Billy really was guilty or not, as well as how Medoff would resolve other matters. Unfortunately, the actual ending fell rather flat after all that build, and ultimately left me unsatisfied. I do think the book ought to come with trigger warnings as certainly this is a dark story. Overall, I do appreciate what the author was perhaps trying to set out, however, for me the execution didn't really work. Certainly watching the whole investigation and trial unfold from the point of view of the defendant's sister was interesting, and with the themes covered, I think the book had the potential to be very impactful, however, for me at least, didn't really achieve this, but rather left me frustrated. I don't think it helps the story that all the characters are intensely dislikable, even the ones you are supposed to feel sympathy towards. Much of their dialogue and family interactions was incredibly grating. There are twists and turns certainly, and I did see some of these coming. Without wanting to give away spoilers, I will say that I personally thought the author's handling of Marcus, felt rather like a cheat, simply in order to try to lead the reader astray and strive for shock value. Certainly I can appreciate that Cassie as narrator, should be taken as unreliable, however, the book is written in first person, and it just didn't make sense how she refers to Marcus even in her own thought processes, and then after a certain reveal, this all falls away. I didn't think the author was trying to depict a trauma memory here either, though I appreciate she was at certain points in the story, however, with regards to the persona of Marcus, a trauma memory doesn't work. Therefore, this aspect of this particular arc in the story, didn't work for me as it just seemed like a deliberate ploy. Where the beginning of the story does set up the intrigue, and the later pa...
Sharon L.little b
A page turner with a Crazy twist I did not see coming.
Melissa MigdalAno
When we were bright and beautiful changed the Quinn family forever. Starting with a phone call from her brother nate that Billy has been accused of rape. The quinns have money and privilege and are used to throwing money at things to make them disappear. Cassie ends up changing the whole dynamic and the families truama is intense. This book probably won't be for everyone due to its subject matter.
V. GreenMelissa M
I didn’t know what to expect but found the description intriguing… It was so well written and I literally could not put it down! That being said, it was a very disturbing story and some details were graphic. Necessary to the story I guess, but hard to read.
MaryMaggie SmithV
This was a dark story - if you are into that - great . Me not so much. It kept me from going to sleep easily one night after reading part of it. Also the ending - a lot of it just didn't make sense to me. I don't want to spoil anything for anyone but the mom's response was not in character. I really don't recommend reading this book.
