This was a good read. There are multiple story lines that are enjoyable, but also thought provoking. It's definitely one that can make you think about how you would react if you found yourself in a circumstance that you never intended or had little control over or how you pick up the pieces when life throws you something that isn't fair. The feelings and resolution of the story line with the main character's ex-husband was not fully fleshed out and seemed rushed, but overall, this book was enjoyable.

Thanks to the publisher and netgalley for the ARC.

This could be a true story about love, loss, fear and friendship.  The characters in the book are totally believable, as they are in all of Barbara Delinsky's stories.  There is a lot to be learned in our own lives by reading this book - how other people deal with all of these emotions and if you would react in a similar fashion.  I definitely recommend this book.

4.5*
In order to survive after the death of her five year old daughter in a tragic road traffic accident, Mackenzie Cooper, now known as Maggie Reid, lives a quiet life in the rural town of Devon, Vermont. The trial, her arrest, time in the media spotlight and the breakdown of her marriage left Maggie feeling increasing stress over the lack of privacy and the intense anguish and guilt that never leaves her. All she wants is to live in obscurity and get through the remainder of her probationary period. Devon seems to attract people who, for one reason or another, have a past they need to move on from. 

Maggie enjoys working as a make up artist at the local spa, helping to make her clients feel good about themselves, hiding their perceived flaws. She has made some good friends, loves her small cabin and her pets and has settled into Devon life. 

Maggie’s close friend, Grace Emory, is a massage therapist at the spa and has been in Devon for the past twelve years. The two of them never speak about their pasts, just accept each other and their friendship for what it is in the present. When Grace’s teenage son Chris, is arrested for hacking the Twitter account of a well known and powerful journalist, it signals the beginning of the end of their peaceful lives.

Maggie is torn between staying anonymous and not violating her parole by associating with someone facing a felony charge, or standing by her friend as the case against Chris escalates, with the FBI becoming involved. Then to complicate matters further, Maggie’s ex-husband, Edward, and her estranged brother turn up in Devon.

I’ve enjoyed several of Barbara Delinsky’s books and this was no exception. Maggie is a sympathetic character from the start. How such a trauma could impact on both parents is dealt with sensitively and realistically. Maggie’s and Edward’s characters develop throughout the story, showing how they work though the healing process, each in their own way. Grace was harder to like initially, seeming quite self-absorbed even when Chris finds himself in trouble, but as her story develops it becomes more apparent why she gives that impression.

There’s a powerful theme of forgiveness and trust running through the character driven narrative – self forgiveness is at the forefront, but also forgiveness for those who perhaps didn’t handle the fallout from their own distressing experiences in the best (although understandable) way. A tale of loss, acceptance and new beginnings.

Before and Again by Barbara Delinsky, St. Martin's Press, Pub date 06/26/18
 Author Barbara Delinsky has written a story about a women that has a vehicle accident and her daughter is killed.  That is every mothers worst nightmare...to lose a child. She loses her marriage and her family.  So Maggie starts over.  She moves to a small town, changes her name, makes friends and starts a new career. This story is about sadness, loss, love and survival.
I found the book to be too long and repetitive.  But, it is entertaining. 
Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review, Before and Again.

The novel starts out with every parents worst nightmare; losing a child. To make matters worse; it is the mothers fault. Maggie carries the guilt of her childs death and ultimately it destroys her marriage. The novel is centers on the rebuilding of her life, love and coping with the loss.
She changes her name; moves to a small town and attempts to move on with her life.
Was a good read; pulls on the heart strings. This is the first novel I've read of Barbara Delinsky; will definitely look to read more of her.  

**Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for this arc in exchange for an honest review

Enjoyable from start to finish.  A writer that I always look forward to reading.

This book was such a heart wrenching story.   This is a story about a devastating loss of a child and then the consequences of human pain of that loss.  The story skips five years from the accident to the place where the main character, Maggie, is.  The story picks up with the consequences that take place after the fall out from the accident.  Maggie has a line in the book that says, "Five years ago I chose to take my eyes off the road.  Then I chose to divorce Edward.  Then I chose to reinvent myself as a makeup artist.  I chose to move to Devon."   This story is about the choices and results of them.  It's about loss, regret, what ifs, running away only to have what you ran from catch up with you, loyalty, friendship, forgiveness and most important....unconditional love.  
The characters in this book became my friends as I read the book.  Maggie had so much to work through and I wanted to be there for her.  Edward has such a big heart and he never gave up in his love for Maggie. She struggled with forgiving herself for what happened.  Sometimes the hardest person to forgive is yourself.  I was pulling for Maggie and Edward.  I hurt when they did. I felt the urgency and fire between them.   The people who supported them are all relatable and fit the story so well.  I felt involved in the story.   To me that makes a great story when I feel a part of it.  
I hadn't read any books by Barbara Delinski before but I am most certainly going to read more.  I want to thank her team for the awesome privilege of reading the ARC copy of the book.  I would give it more than 5 stars if it were possible.

Mackenzie Cooper is now Maggie Reid. She has tried and been very successful in remaking her life after a disastrous accident took away the life of her child whilst she was driving. The grief following this accident destroyed her marriage and she and Edward are now divorced. Maggie lives a very structured life, alone but settled well into this small community where she is liked with a few friends who have no inkling of her previous life.

Edward buying a Inn and moving into this small town will definitely upset Maggie. On top of it all, she feels her brother has turned traitor when she discovers he is the new chef at the Inn joining her ex husband in this new endeavour. However what really turns Maggie's world upside down is when her colleague's son Chris just fifteen years old is caught hacking into the computers of not just the Inn but of customers of the Inn and now faces federal prison. The ensuing publicity, media frenzy that descends on this town fills Maggie with foreboding as she knows it is only a matter of time when people start connecting the dots and discovering who she is. Someone with a past and a record.

The story though it is about Maggie and Edward mainly also chronicles the life of Grace and Chris - the boy at the middle of the hacking saga, with a lot of secrets that Grace wants kept hidden. How the two stories interact though totally disconnected from each other and how it evolves is very well done.

Friendship, small town support (and gossip) all keep the story going and the love story binding Maggie and Edward is a plus.

Goodreads review posted on 19/4/2018. . Amazon is not permitting reviews right now. Review on my blog early June 2018

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC ecopy for my Kindle.
I have read several of Barbara Delinsky's books. Most, like this one, are "chic lit" and easy to read. 
In "Before and Again," suffering a tragic loss of a child leads to divorce and separation from family members for the main couple in this book. The ending was what I expected, but not until other people and situations were involved. Even though this was not one of my favorite books by Ms. Delinsky, I liked the story.

Barbara Delinsky’s Before and Again is a dramatic story of regrets, sorrow, hopelessness that gives way to new starts, quiet happiness and most of all hope. It is a dramatic story that follows Mackenzie Cooper as she struggles to survive devastating events from the past. New events happen that bring all of that to light again as well bring others into the spot light too though the manipulation of the media.

I found this to be a gripping book that completely caught and held my attention when I began to read it. I feel almost bad for saying that since it seems rather morbid to read of all that Mackenzie had lost and stood to lose again. But after reading the prologue that was no way to even think about stopping. So very glad I did, since I give a thumbs-up to the way all worked out in the end, especially the romance

I’m not one for soap opera shows or books but if all were this compelling I would be. Before and Again is certainly worth reading. I will never think of the press in the same way now, instead wondering how much stage-managing is being done.

Thank you so much Net Galley for the opportunity to read this book.

Mackenzie Cooper is a wife and mother and a happy woman.  Her world comes to a crashing halt when she is travelling an unknown road in a deep fog and misses a stop sign, we’ve all done it.  Doesn’t turn out so well for Mackenzie, her five year old child is killed in the accident and Mackenzie is charged and convicted.  The press coverage is brutal.  Mackenzie sadly loses her husband, her friends and life as she knows it.  Not only is she grieving for her daughter but her life.

With no other choices, Mackenzie renames herself Maggie and begins again in Devon, answerable only to a parole officer. The injuries from the accident have healed, at least the physical ones, she bears a huge hole in her heart for her husband Edward and their daughter Lily.  While in the hospital she begins a new profession, it sounds odd, but she devises makeup for those who have had facial injuries or been born disfigured.  It’s joyful and rewarding work that she does at the Spa.    

Maggie has rebuilt her life.  While she’s still on probation, this is not known to her new friends who also have no idea of her past.  When Maggie’s best friend Grace asks for her help, without a second thought, Maggie is there to the rescue.  Grace’s son has been charged with hacking into the spa’s private customers.  Maggie accompanies Grace to the police station where their arrival is covered in the local press.  Maggie’s probation officer see’s the picture is in the paper and there’s a question that she’s not following the terms of her probation by associating with an accused felon.  What’s a girl to do?  After all, Grace is her best friend and Grace has no one else.  

A principled story, engaging and totally interesting.

A terrible tragedy turned Mackenzie Cooper's life upside down.  Once she got out of prison she took a new name and a new persona.  She has made a life for herself in Vermont as a makeup artist for a local spa.  She owns a home she loves, she has made friends, and she has 2 cats and a dog that she rescued from the local shelter.  Just when she is least expects it, her past comes speeding back to her.
I read almost this entire book in one sitting.  I am not a fan of pure romance novels, but her novels are more captivating storyline and less romance, so they make great reading for pretty much everyone.

One of Delinsky's best yet! Definitely pulls at the heartstrings right from the beginning as Mackenzie is driving her daughter and accidentally drives through a stop sign which results in the death of her daughter. Mackenzie is beyond devastated. The Attorney General wants to make an example of her by charging her criminally and naming a law after her. As time goes by, Mackenzie watches her marriage crumble. Her family pulls away and the friends in her affluent neighborhood do not appear to be real friends after all. She divorces and moves to a new town to begin a new, quiet life. She changes her first name, goes back to her maiden name, and lives very simply. It seems that her main goal is to live quietly and never be happy again. This works for awhile. However, when her ex-husband comes into town, things begin to change.
I thought this book was beautifully written. I adored the main characters!

Before and Again is a beautiful story. The main character is Maggie Reid, who at point, lost everything. She moved to a quiet hamlet in Vermont and began again. Only to have two blasts from the past selfishly encroach upon her space. She is too forgiving, I think, toward her mother for the shabby treatment, but In the end finds peace and silences the demons. A great story.

It only takes one second of losing concentration and your whole life can change. This book shows both sides of this equation. Can you hide from the past or do it define us? Very good book, loved the plot and characters. Worth reading.

This women’s fiction novel starts with a tragic accident in which Mackenzie Cooper is fiddling with her GPS and misses a stop sign. The truck that runs into them kills her five-year-old daughter. The DA wants to make an example out of Mackenzie, so as if losing her only child wasn’t enough, her face is splashed over national news. The grief and stress of the spotlight leads to divorce and renders her unable to sculpt with clay.

Mackenzie starts going by a derivative of her first name, Maggie, and her maiden name and hides out in a small town in Devon, Vermont, where the only person who knows her secret is another artist who has a secret himself. Maggie now makes things like teapots out of clay in the morning and does people’s makeup at a spa in the afternoon. Sometimes she’s helping brides feel beautiful on their wedding day, sometimes she’s helping burn victims cover their scars.

When her best friend’s son is thrust into the spotlight for computer hacking a famous journalist’s social media account, Maggie’s secret and other people’s secrets are uncovered bit by bit. For a character-driven novel, this book had a nice amount of twists and turns you don’t see coming. 

Thanks so much to NetGalley and St Martin's Press for the opportunity to review this book.

I have read a lot of Barbara’s books but this one is incredible! I could not put this down for the last 150 pages! The story of loss,hurt and and renewal was amazing! These characters will stay with me for a long time, Highly recommend

Ms. Delinsky has written a very heartfelt book. While many of us have not experienced the kind of fateful accident that Mackenzie has, who of us has not had something gone wrong in our lives and had to overcome it. Ms. Delinsky does a marvelous job of writing how difficult it is to moved past a grave error and how it affects not just the person but all who surround that person. It was interesting to see how the Edward and Mackenzie drift apart due to the tragedy and yet find their way back to each other. I also like the way she addressed mother/daughter relationships as well as sibling relationships. It was the kind of story that you want to curl up with in front of the fire with a cup of tea on a rainy/snowy day and just delve into.

In typical Delinsky fashion, a young heroine is presented along with a killer love interest at odds in her usual contextual kind of way. A serious and seemingly insurmountable problem is presented and overcome with a neat and tidy ending. It is not representative of any but a small minority and one that doesn’t really need any representation at all. This is her formula in a nutshell. Nothing new here, nothing at all. Reading a Delinsky novel won’t enrich your life or make you a better person but I will say that it is a good piece of head clearing fluff. If this is your thing, enjoy it.

Maggie/Mackenzie Cooper Reid is hiding out in rural boutique Vermont along with her new posse of friends. She is hiding from her past and harbors a secret that no one must know about. When a close friend’s (who is also hiding an even bigger secret than Maggie) son is arrested for computer hacking, Maggies’s secret is threatened.  Whatever will she do?

Maggie’s husband also shows up to take up residence in Maggie’s town and soon Maggie’s carefully constructed world threatens to blow apart.

Not really much else to say about this book. It’s largely about love and loss, mistakes and second chances and ultimately learning to survive life and whatever it throws your way and to go on living. These themes are all important ones and Delinsky fans may love it but with all the good books out there why bother with this one.

BRB Rating: Skip It.