Book #84 of 2024

Completed: Aug. 31st

I have read many novels by this author but this is my favourite. It is her BEST work, in my opinion. From the gorgeous autumn cover to the epilogue that makes your heart feel like it will stretch right out of your body, this book is a must-read. I listened to the audiobook and the narrator, Kim Churchill, is fantastic! I had never heard her before but I would not hesitate to buy an audiobook with her name attached to it.

This novel has joy and heartbreak, beauty and ugliness, tears and laughter, emptiness and fullness, strengths and weaknesses, low valleys and mountain-top moments. And she does it all with the reader feeling fully invested and immersed in the characters and community.

They are not perfect characters with a Cinderella story. There are flaws. There are missteps. There are moments you want to scream in utter frustration, cry in despair, and cheer with jubilance. And swoon??? Oh, YES, there is heart-palpitating swoon that is so full of depth and meaning.

There are so many layers to this story and it keeps you reading as you peel them back one by one. I would love to see this become a series (hint-hint!!!) because I love the people and community of Pinehaven. I am, therefore, firmly invested in what comes next:

- The sister to Jonah?

- The handsome doctor returning home?

- The best friend of Lauren visits or takes a job there? (Maybe her AND the doctor!)

Two or three more books would be juuuuust right! After all, that stunning barn venue is just waiting expectantly, in all its splendor, to be the amazingly romantic setting for endless weddings to come!

*** HUGE thanks to #NetGalley and #ThomasNelson (publisher) for an advanced copy of the audiobook. My honest review is voluntary and in my own words. #BeforeWeWereUs

This book makes me so happy! Definitely one of Hunter's best (and that's saying something).

When I started reading it, I panicked for a mo' that I'd done my usual: start book 2 or 3 in a series without having read book 1. It felt like I came into the middle of a story already happening (which, granted, is true); I also hadn't read the back-cover copy in a hot minute, which would have clued me in as to what the plot and conflict might be. LOL. So there's that.

Once I figured that out, I was hooked on both the characters and the story. Even when the MCs annoyed me a bit, it fit in with the story and how they might be feeling/reacting to plot events. And everyone needs a Jonah Landry in their lives, truly. #swoon

Fans of Hunter's other books, especially the Riverbend Gap and Bluebell Inn Romance series, will undoubtedly enjoy this read.

A very, very good read, and a perfect way to finish out the summer.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Denise Hunter never disappoints. She had written another novel about temporary traumatic amnesia a while ago but this book definitely has a different feel to it. I loved Jonah and his steadfast, unwavering, sacrificial love for Lauren. Lauren was quite prickly for most of the book but, given her ugly past and her unrelenting climb out of helplessness, this was to be expected. Just like Jonah, I admired Lauren's determination, grit, drive, work ethic, and incredible creativity. I fell in love with Pinehaven resort and the beauty of New Hampshire, as well as Jonah's lovely parents and younger sister. The story had chapters of flashback to give the readers a detailed backstory of how Jonah and Lauren started as enemies and fell in love. Their friendship and subsequent romance were sweet, tender, thoughtful, and delightful.

I received a complimentary copy courtesy of Thomas Nelson via NetGalley and was under no obligation to post a positive comment. All opinions are my own.

Before We Were Us is a wonderful, slightly unusual second chance romance from best selling author Denise Hunter. I expected to love this one, as it was one of my most anticipated releases for this year, but I wasn't expecting for it to become one of my all time favorites from this author. A sweet and compelling story that was both swoon worthy and heart wrenching, I predict that this story is going to touch each and every heart that reads it.

Readers follow the POV's of both Lauren and Jonah, who on their way to finding happily ever after. Unfortunately, disaster strikes and Lauren's badly injured in a fall that causes amnesia and for her to forget her entire relationship with Jonah. While Jonah's determined to fight for the woman who has claimed his heart, he can't stop wondering if he can rightfully do so when doing so seems to go against what Lauren wants for herself and her future.

Set amidst the atmospheric and cozy Pinehaven resort, Before We Were Us is truly Denise Hunter at her best, and I had a hard time wanting to put this one down. It had all the cozy vibes I look for in Autumn themed reads, and the characters soon came to feel like old friends. This would be the absolute perfect clean romance to curl up with in front of the fireplace and a cup of your favorite hot drink once the temperatures start to cool down.

It doesn't shy away from touching on some hard topics, like the feelings of abandonment that Lauren has grown up with after being placed in the foster system. While Lauren's character can be kind of hard to take throughout some of the story, I definitely sympathized with what she was going through, and I thought this was represented authentically. I loved Jonah as a main character, and how he went out of his way to show a self sacrificial love towards Lauren, even when it seemed like it might never be reciprocated.

All in all, I adored this one and would list it as one of my favorites now by this author. I'd highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys clean, contemporary romances. My only complaint was that I wish there had been a stronger faith element, as I thought that would have made a great story that much better.

Final Rating: 5/5.

Thanks so much to Thomas Nelson for allowing me to advance read and review this title!

I voluntarily read and reviewed a complimentary advance reader copy of this novel from the publisher (Thomas Nelson) via NetGalley. I was not required to give a positive review. All thoughts and opinions are my own, and this is my honest review.

Lauren Wentworth wakes up in the hospital to be told she took a bad fall from a ladder and hit her head. Fortunately, she will be okay. Unfortunately, she can't remember the past several months of her life. She's told that she's in a serious relationship with Jonah Landry. What?!!! All she can remember about Jonah is her great dislike for him when she came to work for his parents at their resort in New Hampshire. This is her first job out of college to give her some experience so she can go back to the city and have her dream job at Glitter that is waiting for her.

Jonah's parents and his sister, Meg, are all very warm towards her so she must have had a close relationship with them, but she can't remember any of it. She's not sure she wants to remember as it can jeopardize her dream job. Better to keep distance between everyone here. Especially, Jonah. Understandably, Jonah is devastated, but tries to give her space and hopes and prays her memory will return.

Lauren has abandonment issues. Jonah was adopted by the 'parents' who raised him and has insecurities that they truly want him to run the resort. Surely, they want 'blood' to be the one taking over upon their retirement.

Great story by Denise Hunter, one of my favorite authors! Wonderful characters! Her description of the resort makes me lont to visit it in New Hampshire!

I was given an advance ecopy by the publisher, Thomas Nelson through NetGalley. I was under no obligation to leave a positive review.