RRP: £8.99 Details

Save: £2.23 (25%)

FREE Returns

FREE delivery Thursday, February 9 on your first eligible order to UK or Ireland. Details

Or fastest delivery Tomorrow, February 7. Order within 33 mins. Details

In stock.

As an alternative, the Kindle eBook is available now and can be read on any device with the free Kindle app. Want to listen? Try Audible.

[{"displayPrice":"£6.76","priceAmount":6.76,"currencySymbol":"£","integerValue":"6","decimalSeparator":".","fractionalValue":"76","symbolPosition":"left","hasSpace":false,"showFractionalPartIfEmpty":true,"offerListingId":"Ekt7cM7J9975t%2FVqKP0hE4awomQynAFvUE4oLONJzmxeZqMWiUyXkWqkDGUFA04%2FYbocDknKFpXySaXYngzgPDFTSZ3u0oZMjdmywGQeYflXr8E9lo3qfG5iMbNusngD","locale":"en-GB","buyingOptionType":"NEW"},{"displayPrice":"£3.04","priceAmount":3.04,"currencySymbol":"£","integerValue":"3","decimalSeparator":".","fractionalValue":"04","symbolPosition":"left","hasSpace":false,"showFractionalPartIfEmpty":true,"offerListingId":"FG3b5L5rTt%2FXJDnmTIvbFAYu5mov5BBl14I4XZMbx%2BHN0SnwXtFHGQFhaFRvRb%2FGvCRjoRXfWvdHZaSnmjDtCKXy7co%2FlefKk1AuTaZ1kXO8s7oMxknDsoPKUxVrlzef3a%2BeEx6H7qps9FLxIHvQPTqc37zPJksJEPBlF7LL0uHXy7E%2BwPCYeg%3D%3D","locale":"en-GB","buyingOptionType":"USED"}]

££6.76 () Includes selected options. Includes initial monthly payment and selected options. Details

Secure transaction

Dispatches from

Amazon

Sold by

Amazon

Details

Dispatches from

Amazon

Sold by

Amazon

Return policy: Returnable within 30 days of receipt

Add gift options

£2.80 delivery February 10 - 13. Details

Select delivery location

Used: Like New | Details

Sold by World of Books Ltd

Have one to sell?

Sell on Amazon

Flip to back Flip to front

Listen Playing... Paused You're listening to a sample of the Audible audio edition.
Learn more

See this image

Follow the author

Richard Roper

When We Were Young Paperback – 26 May 2022

by Richard Roper (Author)

228 ratings

See all formats and editions

Amazon Price

New from

Used from

Kindle Edition

"Please retry"

£3.99

—

Audible Audiobooks, Unabridged

"Please retry"

£0.00

Free with your Audible trial

Hardcover

"Please retry"

£7.80

£1.88

Paperback

"Please retry"

£6.76

£6.75

£3.03

Kindle Edition
£3.99 Read with Our Free App
Audiobook
£0.00 Free with your Audible trial
Hardcover
£7.80

12 Used from £1.88 17 New from £7.80
Paperback
£6.76

10 Used from £3.03 15 New from £6.75

Enhance your purchase

A tender and funny story about wanting to go back - when you know it's time to move on.

---------

Theo has been living in his parents' shed, nursing a broken heart and a wounded ego, convinced life can't get any worse. Then he gets evicted on his 30th birthday. Theo thinks he's done with the real world - until it shows up on his doorstep...

Joel is a successful TV scriptwriter, still in love with his teenage sweetheart. A proper grown-up - and yet he's falling apart at the seams. He's headed home to reconnect with best friend Theo - except they haven't spoken since the summer they turned 16.

One of them is keeping a secret, and the other is living a lie. But can the promise they once made to walk all 184 miles of the Thames Path help them find their way back to the truth - and to their friendship?

---------

Your favourite authors have loved reading Richard Roper's uplifting first novel, Something to Live For:

'A magnificent read. Tender, funny, compelling' Lucy Foley
'Funny, moving and thought-provoking - I loved this' Clare Mackintosh
'I adored this! It warmed my heart, broke it a little, then put it back together' Beth O'Leary
'Funny, fresh and achingly tender. Richard's writing hooked me in from the very first page' Cathy Bramley
'A life-affirming novel that simultaneously tweaks your funny-bone and tugs at your heartstrings. Brilliant!' Matt Dunn
'It pulls you in, makes you laugh and breaks your heart' Gill Hornby

Print length

384 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Orion
Publication date

26 May 2022
Dimensions

12.8 x 2.8 x 19.6 cm
ISBN-10

1409185664
ISBN-13

978-1409185666
See all details

Richard Roper
1,042
Paperback
43 offers from £0.95
Christy Lefteri
6,647
Paperback
54 offers from £0.95
Jodi Picoult
14,980
Hardcover
23 offers from £5.27
Nick Alexander
7,218
Paperback
13 offers from £2.79
Kate Brook
30
Hardcover
17 offers from £3.07
Josie Silver
4,028
Paperback
38 offers from £0.95

From the Publisher

Product description

Review

WHEN WE WERE YOUNG is such a warm, uplifting read. It's a celebration of the bond we have with our oldest friends, and it's so funny, without ever losing its poignancy - Richard Roper writes humour so brilliantly. ― Beth O'Leary

Following up the wonderfully heartwarming 'Something To Live For', Richard Roper is two for two with 'When We Were Young', an equally absorbing and heartfelt tale of past mistakes and friendship lost but never forgotten. Wholly relatable, with a compelling central pair, this novel will take you back to your past and might make you think about making some changes to your present. A joyful summer read. ― Owen Nicholls, author of LOVE, UNSCRIPTED

A funny and heartwarming story. -- Claire Frost ― FABULOUS

A funny, breezy summer read that digs deep into the richly fertile territory of male friendship... The tone is acutely funny, like a hard-hitting buddy movie dreamed up by Nick Hornby and David Nicholls... Roper is very good on the truths men hide from themselves as well as from each other. -- Claire Allfree ― METRO

A lovely read. ― BELLA

A beautifully written comedy with strong Withnail And I overtones. -- Wendy Holden ― DAILY MAIL

Quirky and moving, we iove this tale of secrets and the bittersweet realities of growing up. ― TAKE A BREAK

Heartbreaking yet uplifting ― WOMAN'S WEEKLY

Nothing will make you want to grab and hug your best mate more than this heart-warming tale. -- Anna Matheson ― SUNDAY EXPRESS S MAGAZINE

Book Description

A quirky and tender, funny and moving story about the bittersweet highs and lows of 30-something life - perfect for fans of Mike Gayle, Nick Hornby, David Nicholls and Gail Honeyman.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Orion (26 May 2022)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 384 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1409185664
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1409185666
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 12.8 x 2.8 x 19.6 cm

Best Sellers Rank: 47,874 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- 283 in Hiking & Walking Holidays
- 378 in Rural Life Humour
- 4,597 in Humorous Fiction

Customer reviews:
228 ratings

About the author

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.

Richard Roper

Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.

Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Richard Roper grew up in Stratford-upon-Avon, before studying English at the University of Sheffield. He now lives in London, where he works as an editor. His first novel, SOMETHING TO LIVE FOR, has been translated into 19 languages. He is @richardroper on twitter and instagram. He can also be found at www.richardroperauthor.com

Customer reviews

4.3 out of 5

228 global ratings

5 star		51%
4 star		32%
3 star		12%
2 star		3%
1 star		2%

How customer reviews and ratings work

Reviews with images

See all customer images

Top reviews from United Kingdom

There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.

Kindle Customer

Book of 2021

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on 7 September 2021

Verified Purchase

The book is fabulous a great read would recommend to all!

One person found this helpful

Helpful

Tony L

Hilarious, tender, touching. Just brilliant

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on 15 August 2021

Verified Purchase

Perfect summer read, every bit as good as the first. Buy it.

Helpful

Tilly

An absolute joy to read!

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on 31 December 2021

Everyone else is doing their top 10’s and I’m over here just trying to squeeze some last reviews in 🤣. Although, I now need to add this one to my favourite reads of this year, because it’s such a gorgeous, moving story!

Theo and Joel were best friends in school, until a terrible accident tore them apart. Now Theo hides away from the world living in his parents shed, whilst Joel’s a successful screenwriter like they both dreamed of being. But when Joel gets some devastating news, all he wants is to make amends and so he convinces Theo to walk the Thames Path with him like they once said they would. Can they get back the friendship they once had? Or is it all a little too late?

Genuinely couldn’t get through this one quickly enough - the pacing, the characters, and the humour was all just spot on and made this the kind of page turner that’s usually reserved for thrillers! And it also had a good bit of mystery and intrigue (although not in a creepy way!) as we uncover what went wrong with the friendship to begin with.

I’d never read anything by this author before, so had no idea what to expect, but the writing is just joyful. Hilarious and full of warmth and kindness, it’s one of those reads that puts a goofy smile on your face…until it leaves you sobbing 😭

Whilst it did end up breaking my heart a bit, I’d still call this uplifting and heartwarming - it shows us the best kind of people, who’ve made mistakes but want to be better. It shows the best sides of friendship, family and romantic relationships, and is just one of those stories that I won’t forget in a hurry. Highly recommend and it was enough to make this an auto-buy author for me!

Helpful

Locky

An emotional and poignant journey

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on 21 August 2021

When We Were Young tells the story of Theo Hern and Joel Thompson who were great friends at school and supported each other through good and bad times. They had plans to be comedy writers but the pair fell out badly and lost touch.

Years later, now aged 30 and with lots of water under the bridge, Joel contacts Theo and suggests that they walk the Thames Path together. This was something that they planned on doing years ago but never got round to it.

The book is told in alternating viewpoints from Theo and Joel so we hear both sides of their story. They both think the other has had the perfect life and assume lots about each other.

This is an emotional, heart-warming and heart-breaking read as the pair rediscover their friendship and lots of past secrets and memories are revealed in flashbacks. I really enjoyed following their poignant journey to its surprising conclusion.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on 12 September 2021

A slow moving story about friendship which sadly did not meet my expectations. I picked it up from the library last week as the blurb drew me in mentioning that the protagonists were planning to walk The Thames Path.

Two young men Joel and Theo were friends through childhood and their teenage years until a traumatic event meant they did not speak for years. As adults they have an opportunity to try and reignite their friendship by doing the walk they had many years ago promised to do together.

Well it was ok but did nothing for me which was somewhat disappointing as I believe I am in the minority. Some of the events and consequences just all felt slightly ridiculous, a shame as the idea was a good one in theory but just did not work for me. Maybe my thoughts would have been otherwise had I chosen to read it for different reasons.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on 29 July 2021

I was looking forward to reading this after enjoying Roper's earlier novel, Something To Live For and I wasn't disappointed.

The story is told through both the present day, where the old friends reunite to walk the Thames Path together, and in flashbacks where we learn about their friendship in its early stages and events that have influenced them. Each snippet of the past revealed a little more about the characters and their motivations.

The characters were great, I especially enjoyed Theo's humour and the relationship he has with his sister, Alice, who I'd be happy to read a whole book about Mr Roper if you're reading this!

Joel's life has, from the outside, been everything that Theo wanted, but we learn of Joel's struggles and that his perfect life might not be quite as perfect as it seems. Theo meanwhile, seems to have ground to a halt and his development in the book and the realisations he comes to about his life are well written.

This is both a uplifting and heartbreaking book and I really enjoyed it. Roper really deserves to be more well known and I think both of his books would appeal to a lot of readers.

One person found this helpful

Helpful

Book lover

Story of a friendship which winds round your heart

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on 26 July 2021

This is my first book by the author and I would absolutely read more. A gentle read which winds around your heart.
This is the story of two friends - Joel and Theo- except they aren’t friends any longer, haven’t been for years. Theo is so down on his luck that he’s living in his parents’ shed.except they are about to evict him. Joel is a successful comedy writer with a gorgeous girlfriend. They haven’t spoken in years..until Joel turns up on Theo’s doorstep and asks him to walk the Thames Path with him.
This is a book full of comedy - laugh out gags and clever humour. It’s a story that will make you cry..At the heart of the book is a glorious, incredible friendship that started as children, was broken and then mended. The two central characters were beautifully written, I felt I would know them if I met them in the street and I particularly loved the relationship between Joel and his Mum. The walk along the Thames Path is funny and poignant, an evaluation out of what’s gone wrong and a catalyst for future events ..Loved it!

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on 19 August 2021

I enjoyed this. The story is about 2 guys Theo and Joel who became friends at school. They lost touch in their teenage years but now they are 30 they are back in touch. The story has many laughable parts but also sad.
The story wrapped everything up in the end but not how I'd have thought. All in all a great story.

Helpful

Amazon Music Stream millions of songs	AbeBooks Books, art & collectables	ACX Audiobook Publishing Made Easy	Amazon Web Services Scalable Cloud Computing Services

Audible Download Audiobooks	Book Depository Books With Free Delivery Worldwide	DPReview Digital Photography	Goodreads Book reviews & recommendations

Amazon Home Services Experienced pros Happiness Guarantee	IMDb Movies, TV & Celebrities	Kindle Direct Publishing Indie Digital & Print Publishing Made Easy	Shopbop Designer Fashion Brands

Amazon Warehouse Deep Discounts Open-Box Products	Amazon Business Service for business customers	Whole Foods Market We Believe in Real Food

Follow the author