Before and Again is a wonderfully written tragedy. Captivating and a treasure for any bookshelf.

Classic Barbara Delinsky....this book is full of love, loss, emotions and real life.  Five Stars.

This is a book about forgiveness and family.  It is very good and touches on a lot of emotions.  Maggie is so incredibly hard on herself and I truly felt for her. I really liked it and I was sad when it was done. I am going to have to try more books by this author because now I am hooked!

Before and Again by Barbara Delinsky

St Martin’s Press
Women’s fiction, digital ARC
June 2018

Thank you to St Martin’s Press/NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this digital ARC.

Sometimes life leads in directions that can’t be predicted. This was certainly true for Mackenzie Cooper, a dedicated mother, wife and sculptor. When she is held responsible for a fatal car accident which kills her young daughter, Mackenzie’s life is forever. The accident destroyed her self esteem, her career, her marriage and relationships with family and friends. changed. Unable to forgive herself and the the aftermath that follows, she moves to Vermont to reinvent herself.

In Vermont, Maggie Reid is able to live a simple life in Devon where the residents all seem to have their own reasons for moving to this quaint town. Trying to maintain a low profile until her probation is complete is a mandatory requirement. Michael Shanahan, her probation officer, makes frequent visits to ensure she maintains compliance. She manages to keep her past a secret working as a makeup artist at an upscale spa. The spa becomes a refuge for the broken hearted who work through their grieve working at the spa. Maggie forms many close relationships which don’t require reliving the past. 

Maggie befriends Grace who has moved there as a massage therapist with her teenage son, Chris who is eventually accused of a major hacking incident. This brings a media spotlight that slowly unravels a town which values their privacy. It seems Maggie is not the only resident with a past she’d rather forget. Risking her own probation, Maggie continues to support her friend while trying to avoid the media attention. 

This novel explores how it’s possible to find redemption and reconciliation with the past. Before one can truly move forward it is important to reconcile with the past, again. This necessary experience can allow healing and resolution of guilt which ultimately prevents living one’s best life. 

Another brilliant novel by a beloved author with complex characters and rich storyline.

I struggled to relate to Before and Again. Mackenzie Cooper makes a dire mistake while driving her little girl, which results in both the ending of her daughter's life and the end of her marriage. In response, Mackenzie moves out of state, changes her name, and seeks out a new life under a new identity. I find it difficult to believe the authenticity of the emotion in this novel. I hoped to see more wrestling with what had occurred in Mackenzie's life. It seemed rather easy for her to lose everything and start again. This book was not bad, I just do not believe it was for me.

I was provided a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is a must read. Great story with relatable characters. I was completely engrossed in this story full of both heartbreak and hope. Highly recommend Before and Again. I can’t wait to read more by this author!

What an outstanding portrayal of the stages of grief we experience!  Even though the first half of “Before and Again” was somewhat slow and tedious, it’s obvious by the second half that Delinsky was showing us how our protagonist, Maggie, dealt with the depths of despair she was experiencing.  After having tried all the avenues the moderns would advise (without success), she found that the only way to move on in life was to hide, isolate herself and build emotional barriers to protect her fragile re-invented self.  And yes, she was successful with that.

But in her self-absorption, she failed to see how others near and dear to her were also desperate to work through their grief and to find answers to how to recover and live their own lives.

And of course, this was reinforced in the sub-plot of Grace and Chris.

The story, itself, was good but entirely predictable.  In this case, that was not a negative.  For anyone who has experienced the depths of despair from loss or guilt or rejection, this beautiful confirmation of feelings is a message of hope.

There was excellent characterization and excellent plotting.  I highly recommend this book.

My thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for this complimentary book. All opinions expressed are my own.

Maggie was in a car accident 5 years ago which left her daughter dead and her marriage in shambles.

% years later she h=is living in a small town with a new identity. Suddenly her past is coming back to haunt her: her ex husband shows up as the new owner/manager of the inn where she works  and her best friend's teenage son is accused of hacking.

With the media/press descending upon the small town her support of her best friend puts her new life in jeopardy.  The fear of her identity being exposed has her torn between helping her friend and considering fleeing.
As it turns out her best friend's past is revealed and Maggie is conflicted because the terms of her bail make supporting her friend in jeopardy.   

Maggie is conflicted about whether her new friends will  support her if they learn about her past.

A very good book, the story progresses at a fast clip and the hacking scandal brings it in today's headlines/news..

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley and although not a fan of the author, I did read it and must admit I truly loved this book.  Not what I was expecting - it kept me turning pages to see where the story was going.  Imagine driving along the road with your five year old daughter in the back, taking your eyes off the road for one second - passing a stop sign and crashing with another vehicle.

Not only does your daughter die, but you are brought up on charges....the nightmare begins.  MacKenzie cannot see her life getting any better, but alas she does move away (after her husband divorces her) and begins a new life in Devon, where no one knows of her past.

But there is something about the past that just creeps up on you again, this time mixed with some drama happening in Devon.....each chapter only gets better and better as you feel the love, hate, sorrow and healing of the family.  Put this one on your TBR list - due to be available on June 26, 2018.

MacKenzie was involved in an accident that left her daughter dead. Unable to cope with the aftermath, MacKenzie divorced her husband, left town, and changed her name. She has built a new life in a small town and has made friends, unfortunately one of those friends has become involved in a criminal case at the same time that MacKenzie's husband shows up in town as the new owner of the Inn where she is employed. Mackenzie doesn't want to face her past but now she has no choice. I thought this was a very engaging story and heartwarming. My only complaint is that it is a very wordy story and dragged on a lot in the middle, still it was worth the read.

Thank you Net Valley for the free ARC. 
This book did not have enough depth for me. I was hoping to read how a mother adjusted to the death of her daughter which was caused by her accidentally. i felt this woman was pretty callous in her  life after the accident and had little sympathy for her.

Thanks to St Martins Press, “Before and After” is my first Barbara Delinski novel hence I don’t know if this particular book represent her normal style but it simply is not a book I would normaly pick up.
More than a Woman’s fiction the books reads more like a Chick Lit and is one page away from being a Romance Lit.

We are following the tribulations of Maggie who tragically lost her daughter Lily in a car accident five years prior and is now trying to reconstruct herself in a quiet Vermont town.
Within a three weeks time span, Maggie reconcile with her now ex-husband, reconciled with her estranged brother, reconciled with her estranged mother all the while getting sucked into her new best friend legal problems. And yes, all gets sorted out before the end of the three weeks.
It really seems too easy, too fast, too perfect and without the emotional depth one would expect in real life. 

The story has multiple themes ( tragedy, mourning, emotions, regrets, guilt, love, family, friendship, legal battle, money, the Press, relocation…) and it really is too much for one book.
In parts,  the story drags on, in parts it is very repetitive  ( how many times can one read that ‘his’ eyes were silver-blue or that ‘he was tall and dark’ or that ‘she killed her daughter’ i mean … we got it the first time ). 

The only lesson from this book is that succeeding in moving forward after a tragedy can only be achieved with the support of one’s family and at one’s own speed. 

It simply was not my cup of tea.
Thank you to St. Martins Press for this ARC in exchange for a honest review.

If you're a fan of Barbara Delinsky's small-town world-building, this novel offers a really wonderful one in the town of Devon, Vermont. If you're a fan of Delinsky's more psychological thriller-type novels, you'll be disappointed. This is a small town romance through and through. Interesting though somewhat idealized characters populate this mostly well-paced novel.

I received this book through Netgalley. I enjoyed the book and the main character, who shows a great deal of strength to move on from a tragedy. I don't usually read this type of book, it seemed more like a soap opera type of novel and I felt that, unlike life, everything was tied up in a neat bow at the conclusion.

Beautifully written novel of forgiveness and redemption.  Maggie's heartbreaking loss and her lack of ability to forgive herself caused her to run from her past.  When her past comes to find her, Maggie struggles with acceptance.  

Great ending.

My first Barbara Delinsky book was “Coast Road”; after that I was hooked and I have read most of her books through the years.
Many of her books are about women who have overcome extremely difficult circumstances to have a good life. “Before and After” is no exception.
Maggie has rebuilt her life after a tragic accident in which her only daughter died. After the accident, her mother disowned her, her father died of a heart attack, her brother doesn’t communicate with her and she and her husband divorced. She had a reputation as a sculptress but abandoned her career and changed her name after the accident. She moved to a small town in Vermont and became a makeup artist at a spa.
Suddenly her best friend’s son is arrested for hacking and Maggie’s ex-husband appears in the town as the owner of the Inn and Spa where Maggie works. Slowly her relationships with family members begins to revive and Maggie’s life blooms again.
I read the book in one day but was so touched by it that I was unable to write the review immediately. I just re-read it today and was teary eyed again even though I knew the ending.

Aptly titled, Before and Again takes us into the life of Maggie Reid, formerly known and MacKenzie Cooper  before moving to this small town of Devon in Vermont She now works at a resort spa doing make-up, whereas she used to be a sculptor. It is a tale of starting over after tragedy has altered one's life so that life is intolerable being who you were. It's also a tale of forgiveness, of one's self, and of others. I loved it. Maggie's ex-husband Edward is every woman's dream. Their marriage failed after the death of their 5 yr old daughter. It is a tear jerker, admittedly, but well written in true Delinsky style. A dual plot line involves her best friend who also moved to Devon and has secrets of her own. Almost everyone has a past here, but they all come together to support each other. 

My only complaint is that it was repetitive at times, and a bit too long. It did keep me vested in the outcome and was a very worthwhile read for me. I don't think Delinsky fans will be disappointed. Watch for it in June, 2018.

I really enjoyed Maggie, watching her evolve was well done. Her inability to forgive herself, her shutting down, reinventing herself, her pain all while attempting to begin life while simultaneously wrestling with Mackenzie and her heartbreaking past. Devon is depicted as a upscale quiet hamlet where people start anew and find the sleepy secluded town somewhat of a haven for privacy and rebirth which is easily visualized. The chemistry between Maggie and Edward is explosive, loved this couple. Two people having lost so much yet discovering, accepting and forgiving after an incredible loss, together swimming through murky waters of great change together and separately. 

I learned much about make up and its application, a bit more than I cared for. At times I found the writing overly detailed and drawn out. The press being blamed was one sided and repetitive but point well taken. 

Super fast read encompassing love, loss, forgiveness and acceptance not to mention the fine art of moving forward when your world has been turned upside down.

Before and Again is a well written, intriguing story about having what you think is all, losing it, and then finding a better version.  The lead character, Maggie Reid, is complex, you love her, want to shake her to wake up, all while feeling sorry.  The book is about family, how is falls apart, how strangers become family, and the reconnection of the broken family.  I love Barbara Delinsky’s book, and this one did not disappoint.
I was given an ARC in return for a fair an unbiased review

I loved this book!! I think it's my first book by this author and I will definitely be checking out some of her others. Although a tragedy is what kicks off the book, I think the focus was on living after the tragedy and hope for the future. I fell in love with the characters and enjoyed every minute of this book. Wonderful read!!