When We Were Bright and Beautiful: A Novel

Written by Jillian Medoff

Narrated by Marin Ireland

“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

Longlisted for the Brooklyn Public Library Book Prize for Fiction

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? 

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperAudio
• Release date: Aug 2, 2022
• ISBN: 9780063142053

Jillian Medoff

Jillian Medoff is the author of the national bestseller I COULDN'T LOVE YOU MORE, as well as the novels GOOD GIRLS GONE BAD and HUNGER POINT. A former fellow at MacDowell, Blue Mountain Center, VCCA, and Fundación Valparaiso, she has an MFA from NYU. In addition to writing fiction, Jillian has a long career in management consulting and is currently a Senior Consultant at the Segal Group, where she advises clients on all aspects of the employee experience.

Reviews for When We Were Bright and Beautiful

[Kelly Egan · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

It had the potential to really land the points it was trying to make. The glossing over of Cassie’s earlier trauma, dating back to age 10-12ish, is a horrible hole left in the plot. She is left a victim in the end, still holding herself accountable for being groomed. There were inconsistencies in the plot, specifically referring to Cassie being adopted. It dragged on unnecessarily at times. It had a lot of potential and ended up just falling flat and really missing the mark morally and literarily.

[Dundee Cantu · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Very well written. Suspenseful and clever. Slow at the beginning but picks up speed.

[Kelly Mendel · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Chose this as a summer Book of the Month selection but it immediately went to my shelf and I kept overlooking it - unfairly prejudging that I maybe wouldn't like it. So I decided to listen to it instead. I really enjoyed the audio! Courtroom drama + super rich family drama makes for a good read! The character development was excellent and I really enjoyed the way things unfolded. Check trigger warnings before reading.

[Marina · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Really interesting and well paced book, right until the last 2 chapters, which I think came dangerously close to victim blaming ( I don't think that was the intention). As a lawyer, I found the courtroom drama plausible, which is a rare thing.

[brenda · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

An interesting take, a riveting story and an ending to perfectly close a story that keeps you at the edge of your seat.

[V Shep · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

It started off strong then fizzled. Told from one point of view

[Michele · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I was thoroughly captivated and enthralled by this story. In the first lines, the author grabbed my attention and it was unputdownable from there!

[Lindsay Olivarez · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

Was slow and took until the very end to pick up speed.

[Selia Whitney · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Not sure what to make of it. Still processing but I think its goid that its staying with me.

[Libbie George · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Good writing but extremely heavy for my taste. An important topic none the less.

[ryanjaymce · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Dark and heavy read, great writing, and stellar narration. I read this book in 12 days despite my busy schedule. I think the book should have ended without the epilogue but overall good book. Will be reading something more light after.

[Jamie Bolton · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The story was amazing. The narrative was spot on. The twist and turns were so good.

[Jennifer Bracken · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Omg I wish I had never listened to this book. Stopped at chapter 47. Idk how it could possibly get better. Trigger warnings abound.

Ok so I ended up finishing it. It was a difficult read but I’m glad I finished it. My response made me realize I need therapy, so there’s that.

[Hannah DeConti · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Heartbreaking with unexpected twists. The authors note at the end was wonderful - thank you to Jillian for those words.

[Joyce · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Interesting read. Wasn’t until over half way through figured it out then the way she wrapped it all together was amazing.

[Leah Barton Tew · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I’m a hard grader, so to earn four stars from me a book has to be pretty good. One thing I look for in a book is that doesn’t pander and insult my intelligence, which (unfortunately) most books - especially those geared towards a female audience - do. This book is intelligently written, has good character development, and is interesting as well. It gets a little tedious here and there, but not for long. Overall, a good read.

[Laura Sainsbury · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Wow, this book will stick with me a long time. Devastating story beautifully told by an author I will read again.

[LynneGauthier · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Started off a bit slow, but I’m glad I stuck with it. The book became hard to put down and had a realistic depiction of the complexities of statutory rape.

[Maryrose Roque · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

It’s a book with horrible, broken characters that are so convincingly portrayed you just have to keep reading.

[Jennifer Fehrmann · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

*book contains content about child sexual abuse
I wish I had known this above point prior to starting this book, as I was only aware of general sexual violence content. I’m glad I stuck it out, though, because it was a captivating listen. And the ending is enjoyable!