Sloane believes her father killed her mother years ago and that is why she left home as soon as she could. She's back now ten years later to discover the truth for once and for all. Ten years ago she left her boyfriend Micah without a word and hasn't contacted him since. He moved on but never forgot her. I really enjoyed this suspenseful story of lost love, treachery, murder, and second chances!

I'm sorry but I felt that this book was similar to many other drama/romance type books. Girl has a traumatic past, girl has to go back to her hometown, she has a broken relationship with her family, etc. I read the first few pages and then skipped to the last few just to get it done.

What happened to Sloane's mom? Did her father murder her mother or did she just leave after an argument with him? Loved Sloane and Micah! This was a great mystery ! Lots of suspense. Recommend for anyone wanting a fast paced thrilling book!

This was my very first Brenda Novak book, and it's won't be my last. A promising premise, that slow burns into an intriguing story, full of twists and turns and it kept me guessing to the very end, and I love books like that. Some parts were a little predictable but I still enjoyed it.

Another great mystery by Brenda Novak. I started this book and could not put it down, I read it in one day. Another book with lots of twist and turns. This is one of those books where you say he did it ,then, no he didn't do it, And then you think he did it. again. I love a book where you are kept guessing until the end

I will be honest... this was a sloppy read by me. I read the first 1/3 of the book and then the last 1/3. The dialogue was very poorly written, the characters were very stereotypical and one dimensional and the "mystery" wasn't even started by the time I skipped ahead, so I'll venture a guess it was solved way too easily and without much actual investigation. I found this book incredibly frustrating. It was paced so slowly and characters that I didn't even like.

Another fabulous book by Brenda Novak. Sloane McBride is just 5 years old when she wakes up to hear her parents arguing. There is a loud thump and then nothing. She never sees or hears from her mother again. When she is 18 she leaves home in Millcreek and becomes a successful model in New York. She has never forgotten her mother and longs to find out what happened to her. When she left, Sloane also left behind the love of her life Micah, who after she left, married her best friend. Sloane returns to Millcreek 10 years later after the death of her mentor and friend. Despite threats from her father and brother, she persists in her quest to find out what happened to her mother. A wonderful story with a good ending. Thanks to NetGalley, Harlequin-Mira and the Author for allowing me to read and review this book.

This book was was engaging from start to finish. I loved that Sloane decided to go back home and get answers to what haunts her the most. The Author did an excellent job of making me feel as if i was a part of the story. A must read.

What stunningly intriguing thriller! I was completely enthralled by this emotionally complicated twisted story about a woman searching for the truth about her mothers disappearance. Absolutely great story by this author and I will be looking into more of her work! * I received a copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review*

4.5 Stars!!

Brenda Novak has wow’ed once again! Before We Were Strangers grabbed my attention from page one and kept me glued to my kindle the entire way through! The pacing of this book was spot on- so many well timed twists and turns! Just when you think you have everything figured out, another twist squashes your theory -love that! Ms. Novak does an incredible job of combining the romance and suspense genres to create an addictive storyline. Before We Were Strangers is a 4.5 star novel that is a must read! If you haven’t read Brenda Novak before you are definitely missing out!

Before We Were Strangers carries a promising premise, a small town girl makes it big and decides she can finally face the truth about her mother's disappearance. The story takes a little while to warm up to. When she first comes home, Sloan gets sucked into a love triangle that I felt was unnecessary. Most of the characters in this book got on my last nerve, Sloane and Micah grew on me by the end. Paige is the character you love to hate. The last quarter of this book makes up for any ambiguous feeling I had in the beginning as the action picks up and plot really begins to move forward. I found some elements of the story to be highly predictable but still enjoyable never the less. Brenda Novak is still one of my favorite authors even when the book isn't. My voluntary, unbiased review is based upon a review copy from Netgalley.

Another great book by Brenda Novak! Once I started, I couldn't put it down. I was so completely invested in the characters and their story - I had to know how the story ended.

Another great book by this author. The start of the book was a bit slow but as it got deeper into the story, it picked up the pace. Strong, relatable characters that you will either love or hate. Extremely well written.

I read this book on net galley,the story line and plot were good but I felt as if the author was drawing out the story which in some places became boring after a while,as the reader was going over the same description many times.
I think the book would have been a lit better if there were not so much repetition througout the story could have got straight to the point a lot sooner and therefor made it more interesting to follow.
A bit drawn out,also I found some of the characters difficult to believe in,needed more polishing up.
All in all a pleasant read nothing to stretch the imagination of the reader and this is ehere it falls short.

When she was just five years old, Sloane McBride was awoken by the sound of her parent’s arguing. The sounds got violet and the next morning, her mother had disappeared. Her father insisted that his wife had simply left, but Sloane has always felt there was more to the story. Years later, unable to cope with the mess her own life has become, Sloane decides to find out what really happened to her mother all those years ago, even if it destroys the little family she has left

Thank you to Harlequin Mira and NetGalley for the opportunity to read a copy in advanced in exchange for this review.

Something happened to Sloan's mom when she was 5. She woke up one morning to find her gone. Sloane moves out of her Texas small town when she is 18. A new loss means that she is returning. What will be in store for her as she seeks answers?

There was so much potential here for a great read! A childhood mystery, so called "friends", and questions surrounding a father...

However, I found myself rolling my eyes quite a few times during the story. There's a lot of excessive detail that makes you go "yeah, right". The first time I rolled my eyes was with Sloane's modeling career and the loss that causes her to return to Texas. Immediately, something just didn't feel right, especially as she ends up at an old friend's house. I rolled my eyes again when the friend's ex-husband, who also happens to be Sloane's ex-boyfriend (are you still with me?) arrives at the house where Sloane is staying, and she's in nothing but a towel. His reaction is immediately to question why she left in the first place....ten years ago. Maybe you should have moved on? Somehow, I powered through the rest of the book, and it's amazing that my eyes did not get stuck in my head from rolling. I think the book could have been better without some of the eye rolling details and getting straight to the point.