S. E. Hinton

Sixteen-year-old Mark and Bryon have been like brothers since childhood, but now, as their involvement with girls, gangs, and drugs increases, their relationship seems to gradually disintegrate.

That was then, this is now

madeleine

You can't walk through your whole life saying "If".  You can't keep trying to figure out why things happen man-- You gotta just take things as they come, and quit trying to reason them out.

Now I wish I had told him how much he meant to us, to me and mom, how he made us seem more like a family. But I never have been able to say things like that, tell people I loved them.

You know whay the crummiest feeling you can have is? To hate the person you love best in the world.

Byron and Mark are like brothers but when they get to 16 things begin to change. Byron is into girls but Mark is only interested in making money, yet they still enjoy hustling pool games in Charlie's Bar. When Charlie is killed defending them in a brawl Byron and Mark begin to drift apart. Byron is in love with Cathy and has to make the decision of his life when her drug-addicted brother goes missing.

That Was Then, This Is Now

 easily takes the cake for the darkest, most poignant book in s.e. hinton’s catalog. it’s devastating in all the best ways. adolescence and early adulthood are tumultuous, the transitional period between becoming an adult and remaining a child is hell. it’s a bombardment of expectations, insecurity, doubt, and hesitation. nobody seems to write that specific feeling of fear or angst better than hinton. bryon and mark’s story is a prime example. their story is filled with so much struggle, it’s almost as if these character can never win. they’re faced with death, addiction, abandonment, and violence all while trying to balance their own transitions from childhood to adulthood. these characters still cling to their idyllic versions of their past, they cling to the comfort and the nostalgia their childhoods bring. they all try to escape their reality by reminiscing, yet it never truly sets them free. the final chapter feels like a shot aimed directly at the reader’s heart. it’s melancholic, it’s tense, it’s painful. the last moment between bryon and mark is a moment of severance, gone are the days when these two boys were thick as thieves. betrayal has divided them in ways the reader can’t even comprehend. there’s oceans, nay, there’s continents between them. their final scene is devoid of any emotion while simultaneously brimming with intensity. there’s burning hatred cautiously fighting with undying love, undying adoration. it’s hauntingly callous. bryon actively fights that second of hesitation you feel when you still love somebody who’s done you wrong. once you read the final page, you’re left with your thoughts and your reflections. this is the type of book that makes you stare at the wall, this is the type of book that makes you contemplate. nostalgia can be comforting, but it can never truly be a full escape from your reality.

tink 😵‍💫⭐

that was then, this is now easily takes the cake for the darkest, most poignant book in s.e. hinton’s catalog. it’s devastating in all the best ways. adolescence and early adulthood are tumultuous, the transitional period between becoming an adult and remaining a child is hell. it’s a bombardment of expectations, insecurity, doubt, and hesitation. nobody seems to write that specific feeling of fear or angst better than hinton. bryon and mark’s story is a prime example. their story is filled with so much struggle, it’s almost as if these character can never win. they’re faced with death, addiction, abandonment, and violence all while trying to balance their own transitions from childhood to adulthood. these characters still cling to their idyllic versions of their past, they cling to the comfort and the nostalgia their childhoods bring. they all try to escape their reality by reminiscing, yet it never truly sets them free. the final chapter feels like a shot aimed directly at the reader’s heart. it’s melancholic, it’s tense, it’s painful. the last moment between bryon and mark is a moment of severance, gone are the days when these two boys were thick as thieves. betrayal has divided them in ways the reader can’t even comprehend. there’s oceans, nay, there’s continents between them. their final scene is devoid of any emotion while simultaneously brimming with intensity. there’s burning hatred cautiously fighting with undying love, undying adoration. it’s hauntingly callous. bryon actively fights that second of hesitation you feel when you still love somebody who’s done you wrong. once you read the final page, you’re left with your thoughts and your reflections. this is the type of book that makes you stare at the wall, this is the type of book that makes you contemplate. nostalgia can be comforting, but it can never truly be a full escape from your reality.

Another classic from the author of the internationally bestselling The Outsiders Continue celebrating 50 years of The Outsiders by reading this companion novel. That Was Then, This is Now is S. E. Hinton's moving portrait of the bond between best friends Bryon and Mark and the tensions that develop between them as they begin to grow up and grow apart. "A mature, disciplined novel which excites a response in the reader . . . Hard to forget."--The New York Times

This was gut wrenching. Through the entirety of the book we are drawn into a relationship of two boys that seems like it just gets ripped apart at the end. There isn’t really a resolution and I think that’s the point. Sometimes in our relationships with people there is no resolution, a friendship just ends and it can be heartbreaking. This book captures that truth in a thought provoking manner.

I did think some aspect were rushed or choppy. Like I got everything I wanted but it felt a little weird. Some of the dialogue was unnatural too.

Camron Swartzendruber

This was gut wrenching. Through the entirety of the book we are drawn into a relationship of two boys that seems like it just gets ripped apart at the end. There isn’t really a resolution and I think that’s the point. Sometimes in our relationships with people there is no resolution, a friendship just ends and it can be heartbreaking. This book captures that truth in a thought provoking manner.

I did think some aspect were rushed or choppy. Like I got everything I wanted but it felt a little weird. Some of the dialogue was unnatural too.

But I loved this, it hurt so much.

I do adore this book with a sense of nostalgia, even though I’ve never read it before, because of S.E Hinton’s writing style. I wish there was a tad more detail about dialogue because she often writes that a character said something mean, without the mean thing they said. Ya know?? Heart wrenching ending. 

Brynn Sklar

Yochanan Vered 

A heartbreaking look at growing up. Fans of The Outsiders should definitely read this one.

this book is just driving around in cars, and its amazing.

i love the title and the message it caries throughout the book.

the character development, the plot twist, the armosphere and the writing! ♡

I LOVE YOU S.E HINTON, YOU GET ME. ps. seeing ponyboy in this completly different context was so surprising.

this book is just driving around in cars, and its amazing.

i love the title and the message it caries throughout the book.

the character development, the plot twist, the armosphere and the writing! ♡

I LOVE YOU S.E HINTON, YOU GET ME. ps. seeing ponyboy in this completly different context was so surprising.

Maria Elkoro-Iribe

** spoiler alert **
           la forma en la que me caen todos fatal?????? cathy me alegro mazo que estés con ponyboy good for them good for them mark se merecía mejor y bryon busca terapia hueles mal

grace

ummm WOW ive never read a book with an ending like that before.. SE Hinton is my idol honestly

That was then, this is now

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