As I did not pick this book from my kindle to read until 2022, following the corona virus lockdown of the UK and most of the world, I could not actually read this as it was too topical and I was still suffering the after effects of having lived through such a time.

Very apt reading for right now?! It's like Amanda Hickie saw into the future writing about this SARS-like virus and what feels like the end of the world.

Fairly well written but I would've enjoyed a little bit more suspense to keep me fully captivated at all times.

This book was so good! With the current coronavirus in the news at the moment I felt I could connect with this book really well.

It shows the love gif family and the lengths a parent will go to to keep them safe

The first thing I noticed about Hannah was how protective she was over the ones she loved (something I could easily relate to) and the whole situation seemed so normal. Then I began to realise that her protective instinct was more than normal and with the threat of Manba hanging over the country she seemed obsessed with avoiding contact with ALL germs.

There was an overwhelming sense of impending doom and I couldn’t help but put myself in Hannah’s position and wonder how I would react if it happened to me. I felt helpless on Hannah’s behalf and found myself trying to think up ways of surviving.

The author’s writing drew me in, I simply couldn’t stop reading as I just had to know what would happen next and where it would all end. I’m pretty sure I held my breath until I’d read the very last words!

A scarily realistic and thought-provoking read that will definitely stick in my mind.

A bold story and one with an interesting plot premise but one I couldn't quite get in to like other similar style books

A disappointing book in many ways. An epidemic takes over the world and this story focuses on what one family does to get through it. The kind of interesting part is that the mother, who is the main character, had cancer eight years previously and is now paranoid about any kind of risk to her family. When news of an epidemic starts, she begins to panic and seems paranoid to everyone until what she fears comes to pass.

Now that could potentially be an interesting story but there is no plot and the main character herself is not likeable at all. I finished the book because I was reviewing it but I disliked the mother and would rather have been anywhere else but in that house.

By the end, maybe there was some attempt to show that she had learnt to let go of her paranoia a bit but it didn't really come through. I mean, if you're going to be paranoid, at least do it well. Stock up properly and get provisions that will last. Be like Branch in Trolls. Now there's a character who gets my respect.

I spent most of the book hoping she would get the disease and from many of the comments on Goodreads, so did most people. I imagine the book was signed up because Hickie was a debut author and so could get a cheap deal, and the topic was easy to market. It would be easy to turn into a movie too.

Skip this one.

The premise of Before This Is Over is beyond compelling with a virus spreading and a mother feeling the need to do what it takes and protect her family. The story is well-written with realistically flawed characters. It is fast-paced, sure to keep readers on the edge of their seats. With the post-apocalyptic books adding up, this one is a bit more fresh and original.

Firstly oh my god hannah was soooooo annoying!!!!

So there’s a virus going about wiping out the nation and Hannah is a VERY protective mother who’s determined to keep her family alive (no problem with that obviously) any way she can.

She’s stockpiled food and water and basically locks them all up so they can’t catch it....and this is the story of how it all pans out for them, how they live through this (if they live), how she keeps them safe and what she has to do in order to achieve that. A story of human nature and has you thinking what would we do in her situation??? It wasn’t gory but very tense and did have you gripped in parts,

I actually quite liked it though I thought it dragged in parts, especially all the meal planning but again it needs to be done!

I enjoyed it, I think most people would though honestly I really struggled to like Hannah!!!

The cover drew me to this book and although it's taken a while to read I'm so glad I did. My sister read at the same time and we both loved. The story drew me in and got under my skin. I'll definitely recommend,

I knew Before This Is Over would be an interesting read due to its subject matter - post-apocalyptic stories, especially where something like a virus or pandemic spreads (because I can more easily imagine that happening than other situations), tend to really pull me in - and this one was no exception. What a brilliant novel!

Firstly, the characters are fantastic. Parents Hannah and Sean are both flawed in their own ways; they don't get it right every time and especially Hannah admits that she aims to be selfish as necessary to protect her own family - whatever it takes, even if it's at the detriment of others. Of course, it isn't always as easy as that when faced with real people, and I loved that the characters were convincing and not too 'perfect'. They felt realistic and convincing and I hugely enjoyed reading about them all and the relationships between them: Hannah and Sean, kids Zac and Oscar, and other people too...

This book really made me think about what I'd do in this situation which I think is always the mark of a good book. I could put myself in Hannah's situation, and the novel drills into the family's relationships with each other.

The thing that's so scary about this is that the start feels so normal. I can imagine there being some sort of virus spreading, and the niggling worry that it might reach your own country...then your own city or town... The fact that the book is also mostly set within the family's house adds a real sense of claustrophobia, very similar (or so I imagine) as they themselves feel. This set the novel apart from other books with a similar storyline - it wasn't necessarily about anyone fighting off other people with the virus, or trying to solve/ cure/ discover more about it. It's about an ordinary family coping in their own way, and the small but important measures they take to try and survive. 

Overall, this drew me in completely and I raced through it, savouring every detail about the family's (and indeed the country's) life as they dealt with the ever spreading pandemic. Powerful, interesting and a little different - definitely recommended.

The Manba Virus is sweeping the world, the epidemic that has been likened to Bird Flu but even more deadly, is causing airports to be shut, ports to be locked down and people to be extra vigilant.

Hannah is extremely vigilant, some might say too vigilant. Particularly her husband Sean. But Hannah has survived cancer and isn’t about to let a pesky virus take down her family.

As Hannah starts stockpiling supplies, not going to work and keeping her youngest son home from school as a precaution, those around her worry about her anxiety levels. But Hannah isn’t the one that they need to be concerned about.

By the time the Manba Virus hits Sydney, Hannah and her family are practically the only ones in the neighbourhood that had the foresight to be prepared. They shut themselves in, accept only online grocery deliveries left in the porch to avoid contamination, and wait for the Manba to pass.

But Sydney itself is not prepared for the virus to hit, it spreads quickly killing thousands, worse than anyone could imagine, and it does not pass quickly.

As electricity and water supplies fail and the family’s food supplies begin to diminish, Hannah almost wishes that she had cancer again-at least she knew her family couldn’t get that from her, and would be okay without her.

With Manba nothing is as certain...

Before this is over is a very real novel, about a very real threat, no matter unlikely we think that is, the truth is no developed country has been faced with a virus quite like this yet, no one knows if we would be able to cope.

Before this is over would make a brilliant film, it could be argued that the pandemic ones have been done to death, but this novel puts a different spin on it, and is not sensationalist in any way, it is what it is, real, gritty and beautifully written.

Sci-fi meets psychological thriller on an apocalyptic scale.

FAst enough paced to remain interesting while detailed enough to stay with you, this is a decent read I would recommend despite it being a genre I don't tend to enjoy.

I usually love dystopian type books and I was looking forward to reading this one.I am not the most patient reader however and I kept wanting this to get going and really take off, and I'm, afraid it didn't do that for me.It was quite a long book and I honestly think if it had been punchier with more action and shortened it may have hit the mark for me but I struggled with it.I feel that I was stuck in treacle and like this book going nowhere fast while reading it.I hate to be so negative especially when I am reviewing an ARC kindly given to me by the Publishers and Netgalley and I do think the basis of the book is good and more patient readers than me may enjoy it, and I honestly hope they do.

Hannah worries. Alot. The Manba virus is spreading and she wants to do everything she can to protect her family. Her husband thinks she is being over cautious until her plans come to fruition in that she has stocks of food and is keeping their youngest child Oscar away from school for fear of him catching it from one of the other children. The other son , Zac, is away on a school trip and although away from any cases, Hannah is still worried. This is a well written book and gets you thinking “what if”. Few people think about how much everyday things have been handled by others- change for example and this brings to life how a germ could be spread and how the public react- generally in a bad way but always those who are willing to help others. the good , the bad and the downright ugly rear their heads in this rather unusual tale of survival. Of being selfish and selflessness when called for, of love and family and community. A highly enjoyable read.I voluntarily chose to read this ARC and all opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased.

This book is brilliant and is one of the best that I have read this year. I was totally immersed in the story about the world being in the grip of a deadly flu virus. Our main characters the Halloran family are set in Australia. They are held up in their home. Hannah who will do anything to protect her boys. Sean, her husband, who finally has to believe that everything Hannah was panicking about, has come true. Zac their teenage son who has to grow up fast and young Oscar who just wants to play. A must read!

Who knew a book that took place mainly in one location could keep me gripped for its entirety. Before This Is Over is a silent thriller – the thrills aren’t right there in your face but they’re bubbling under the surface the whole time. As Manba, a deadly virus, is sweeping the world, cities full of people are dying, the death toll rising each day and now it’s reached Sydney. But that’s okay because Hannah prepared for this, she stocked up on supplies, and is determined her family will survive this. But she didn’t plan for the electric and water being cut off, and she certainly didn’t plan for having an extra mouth to feed!

Whilst reading this novel, I felt a strong sense of unease, and that’s because I identified with Hannah so much it scared me. Zac and Oscar are her children, her priority, her first, last and everything, so when she reluctantly gives food to her neighbour, she’s very aware that is one less meal for her children. Hannah doesn’t want to share her supplies, and I don’t think I would in her situation either. And this moral dilemma plagues you throughout the whole book – would you give food to the old lady next door, supplies are low, you don’t know when it will be safe to go outside again? If you reluctantly agree to take in a child, one that is not your own, one you barely even know, do you give them the same size portions as your own children because one portion given away is one less portion you have for your own children? Needless to say, this is indeed a thought-provoking read, one that has you constantly questioning what you would do in Hannah’s situation.

This family must adapt every day, Zac is forced to grow up, and Oscar is shielded from as much of it as possible. As each day passes and the kids go to bed, that’s another day survived, but there’s no time to celebrate, you must begin thinking about how you will survive tomorrow and all that it will bring!

The events portrayed in this novel are so realistic, I wouldn’t be surprised if it was based on true events. Manba is a virus, so if you need complete realism in your novels, you’re safe here, there are no zombie apocalypses.

My only niggle with this one – I don’t think the novel needed to be quite so long. I felt at times, small parts of the story dragged. As this is a slow-paced read, with no fast action at all, at certain times, I felt we were given additional information that wasn’t really needed as it didn’t build on the tension in any way, or lay the foundation for something that was coming.

If you enjoy novels of a slower pace, which have you questioning how you would act, or are a fan of pandemic novels, I highly recommend Before This Is Over.

In my view a book is supposed to grip you within the first few pages. I'm reading it on my phone and it says I'm on page 385 of 4365, my phone is small so don't get the wrong idea that this is a long book, but I'm bored already and have no desire to continue reading this.

Hannah and her family live in Sydney when Manba, a virus that manifests like a cold, begins to devestate the population around them. Hannah is prepared though and Before this is over follows her journey for self and family preservation as she strives to protect herself and those she loves most.

I’ve read reviews that talk about the stress of this book and I have to wonder, why does this storyline impact us so much? For I too felt the stress but could ultimately at the end step back and realise this as what it is, for now, a work of fiction. There are many books out there, science fiction, psychological thrillers, detective mysterys e.t.c that could quite easily slip into becoming reality. The truth is a well developed country has not yet had to fight an infection on this scale. So why do we panic when reading this?

I’ve come to the conclusion that it’s because Hickie is a master at writing us into the story. We are Hannah. We are the woman next door, the man down the street. We are Hannah’s children, her friend, her sister… We can easily slip into these roles and believe these roles because Hickie is so good at what she does. A book that makes you feel to that extent is a masterpiece.

I would love to see this become a film, but I fear that pandemic’s have been overdone and it might turn into a copycat. The book is anything but a copycat of course, but I fear that Hickie’s way with words and skill at pulling us in would not convey on the big screen when twisted at the hands of some director. Nevertheless, as a book this is amazing and nothing short of an infectious masterpiece.

A pandemic hits and in her home in Sydney mother-of-two Hannah tries to keep her family together and safe from an increasingly threatening world. A Cancer survivor she has been waiting for the other shoe to drop and when she hears about the outbreak of Manba, even before it reaches Australia, she begins feverishly planning for her family’s survival, while her husband, Sean, and others consider her to be overreacting. As the threat of the disease increases and the death toll rises Hannah and her family are marooned in their home – to step out is to risk infection and inevitable death. So they create their own little world as they live their lives solely within the boundaries of their property. But with supplies dwindling and no help coming the family are faced with a series of moral dilemmas, pushing them to consider whether to do the ‘right’ thing or protect themselves and their loved ones.
This is a really good read, with an interesting concept. The family fluctuate from horror and grief to boredom and cabin fever, and guilt when they experience even a surprise moment of joy. Hannah is desperately trying to protect her sons and her husband but in doing so has to make choices that she finds difficult to live with. The disaster scenario raises questions about what it takes for people to abandon their humanity in order to protect their own. At the same time the more mundane aspects of survival are examined – how to stretch food out enough or to ration water, what to do when the toilet paper is all gone. Before This is Over is not action packed but thought-provoking and intelligent.

I've very rarely given up on a book and never a netgalley book but this one was so awful that I struggled to get to 10%. I found the constant writing about a neurotic mother's overbearing, helicopter parenting so irritating that I was moaning out loud. I'm not going to post a public review because I only read 10% and possibly it is partly my fault for choosing this book, but the blurb seemed promising