We Were Never Here

In this exquisitely written and emotionally charged young adult debut, critically acclaimed author Jennifer Gilmore explores how sometimes the wounds you can’t see are the most painful.

Did you know your entire life can change in an instant?

For sixteen-year-old Lizzie Stoller, that moment is when she collapses out of the blue. The next thing she knows, she’s in a hospital with an illness she’s never heard of.

But that isn’t the only life-changing moment for Lizzie. The other is when Connor and his dog, Verlaine, walk into her hospital room. Lizzie has never connected with anyone the way she does with the handsome teenage volunteer.

But the more time she spends with him and the deeper in love she falls, the more she realizes that Connor has secrets and a deep pain of his own . . . and that while being with him has the power to make Lizzie forget about her illness, being with her might tear Connor apart.

• Hospital Romance: For sixteen-year-old Lizzie, a sterile hospital room becomes the unlikely backdrop for the connection of a lifetime when volunteer Connor and his dog, Verlaine, walk through her door.
• First Love: She’s never felt this way about anyone before. But as Lizzie falls deeper for Connor, she learns that the boy who makes her forget her illness is fighting his own invisible battles.
• Teens with Secrets: He has a past he can’t talk about, and she has a future she can’t control. Their bond is powerful, but Connor’s pain might be too deep for their new love to survive.
• Emotional Love Story: A heartbreaking and hopeful story that explores how the wounds you can’t see are often the most difficult to heal.

“Heartwarming, heartbreaking, tender, and true. We Were Never Here is, quite simply, a book to love.” - Deb Caletti, National Book Award Finalist for Honey, Baby, Sweetheart

“A powerful, graceful, and poignantly beautiful story. I cannot overstate how much I loved this book.” - Courtney Sheinmel, author of Edgewater and Positively

“This poignant, sharply observed novel of invisible illness also reminds us of the redemptive power of love and community.” - Adele Griffin, author of The Unfinished Life of Addison Stone

“This young adult debut explores how invisible scars are often the hardest to heal. Readers will root for Connor and Lizzie even as past tragedy and circumstances tear them apart. ” - School Library Journal

“This moving, lyrical, life affirming story is perfect for John Green fans.” - Booklist

★ “In her first YA novel, adult author Gilmore (The Mothers) movingly expresses a teen’s changing perspective, highlighting a series of turning points during a few months of Lizzie’s 16th year. Reading this dramatic romance is both a painful and mesmerizing experience.” - Publishers Weekly (starred review)