“Each of us narrates our life as it suits us.”
These are words spoken by Lila to her Brilliant Friend, Elena. These two girls turned women have built a friendship that is both touching and toxic. In the third book we pick up right where we left off in book 2 and it is just as much of a roller coaster as the first two. I won’t offer a summary since it’ll give away what has happened in the previous book but let me just tell you that this series has been both enthralling and memorizing.
Not only do we watch these two women grow up but we also witness the backdrop of Italy change before our eyes as well. When reading or listening I am completely immersed and I just can’t look away.
This is the order I’ve read and watched the series: I read the first two books, watched the first two seasons, then I read book 3. I’ll probably read book 4 and then watch 3 and 4. Book 1 and Season 1 are extremely similar BUT Season 2 mixed up and changed some of the details so I made sure I reread a full summary of Book 2 before starting Book 3. A positive to reading a few and then watching is I was able to picture characters and places so much better when I read Book 3, a negative is Book 2/Season 2 was a little confusing and messed with my memory of what happened in the book vs the show.
I have alrea put Book 4 in my thriftbooks cart - I just can’t get enough of this series!
Find Those Who Leave and Those Who Stay at the publisher →
Toni Rocchetti is a copy editor helping authors strengthen their narratives, deepen character arcs, and find the story that is already in the draft. She reads 80+ books a year across literary fiction, memoir, and nonfiction — and writes about what she is learning along the way. Work with Toni →
