I liked it overall. It was a quick read, and I thought the story was good. The reason I didn't rate it higher is that it reminded me of 5 Feet Apart way too much, and it was beyond predictable. There was nothing that really set it apart from other romances except the fact that they never see each other due to the circumstances.

Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me the privilege of reading this advanced reader's copy for an honest review. #beforeisawyou #netgalley

3.5/5 stars

I wanted to really like this book, and I do overall like the concept, but there were a few execution flaws. The first, and perhaps not necessarily determinative one, is the medical aspects. Logistically, there are some parts that just didnt work with my understanding of hospital and rehab care (I have a professional familiarity) that perhaps could have been assisted either with a bit more description or with a reference read from long term care providers? I’m not sure, it just wasn’t clear how Alice and Alfie had the interactions they did without seeing each other. It affected the believability of the plot, though perhaps in the days of Greys Anatomy I’m being a stickler about this. Note—I am American and have also lived in Belgium. My commentary is based on my familiarity with American and Belgian hospitals, which may have biased this view.

The second issue slightly stems from the first but really has to do with the marketing of this book—it’s not a romance. This feels like a story about friendship, but it’s not ~romance~. I don’t care about lack of physical intimacies—indeed, a love story doesn’t need kissing or sex or marriage or still be a love story—but this didn’t feel like it crossed into the category of “romance” which requires the love story itself to be the main plot. This is a good fiction, drama, maybe even marketable as women’s fiction (not to diminish Alfie’s story though), but I don’t think it fits the romance category.

I received a complimentary ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I really enjoyed how the book put a huge emphasis on internal healing and learning to love yourself. This felt right for me at the time I’d read it. I wish the romantic storyline was a little more developed, but overall this was a good read!

In the acknowledgements section, the author, Emily Houghton, thanked some medical consultants and then said that she took some literary license with the information they gave her, for the sake of the story. While I loved the story, and am by no means a medical expert, I found some of the details to be wrong enough (or different enough from my experience) to be distracting. However, I have to admit that I can't come up with a quick different way to accomplish the story.

Alfie and Alice are both long-term patients on a rehabilitation ward in a London Hospital. They share a room with at least two other people (I never quite figured out if there were other people there other than the cast or if it was just the four of them). Alfie was in a car accident that killed his two best friends, and which cost him a leg. Alice was caught in a fire in her office building and sustained burns over 40% of her body, including half of her face. When Alice is moved to the rehab ward, it is noted that she did not speak the whole time she was in ICU. Alfie is the class clown. Their beds are next to each other, separated by curtains. Alice refuses to let anyone inside her curtain and when she is taken weekly to PT down the hall, all the other patients in the ward are required to be in their beds with the curtains closed so they don't see her (her request).

Alfie takes on the challenge of getting her to speak, but what causes her to do so is reaching out to him when he is having flashback dreams. Nevertheless, she remains hidden behind those curtains all day every day. Did she have a bedside commode in there or was she using a bedpan for weeks on end? Her bed is close enough to Alfies that they can hold hands through the curtain, but there is enough room within the curtain for her to walk back and forth? And the nurses let her just lie there for weeks on end? PT once a week on a rehab floor?

As I said, the medical details didn't work, but I loved Alfie and Alice. Alfie was a teacher who always took a special interest in the kids who had problems. On the ward, he used his humor to encourage his fellow patients, including Alice, and to hide his own pain. Alice has spent her adult life building walls between herself and others so that they can't hurt her, will she let Alfie in?

I'd like to thank the publisher for making a review copy available via NetGalley. Grade: B.

Thank you so much for the opportunity to read this book. I'll be posting my review on Goodreads and Amazon

ARC provided by Netgalley for an honest review.
I loved this book! I felt a connection with both Alfie and Alice. I loved their stubbornness, I loved their chemistry, and I loved that they fell in love with each other without ever seeing each other face to face. Through their traumas, they developed an amazing relationship and overcame their fears. I highly recommend this book. If you enjoyed Five Feet Apart and books with a more mature audience, then this book is for you.

This book can trigger strong emotions and discuses heavy topics. This is not my genre. I did not finish reading this book. Other may enjoy. Topics discussed are amputee, recoverin from a fire where body is badly burned it goes in detail.


********************I received an ARC for my honest opinion from NetGalley.*****************************

I could not put this book down. I read it from start to finish all in one day. It was a very emotional read, and I found that it took me a bit longer than it normally would to read a book of this length, but I couldn’t stop reading it. It was so different than anything I’ve ever read, and I loved it.

I enjoyed every character. Alice and Alfie were both so great, individually and together, and I loved when they opened up to each other because I could not get enough of their stories. The side characters, especially Sarah and Nurse Angles, were also so well developed. Since this story was so based on just conversations and feelings, I think having such strong characters really made this book as strong as it is.

I cried, I laughed, I cried even more, and I fell in love with this book. I read an e-arc and cannot wait to get a physical copy when it comes out. I would have loved one more chapter or an epilogue, purely for selfish reasons because I didn’t want the story to end, but it honestly did end in such a great way.

Thank you to Gallery Books & NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book!

So this was frustrating. I was truly pulled in by this book from the very beginning. At the end of this book I just felt completely robbed. A ROMANCE BOOK WITHOUT A SINGLE KISS? REALLY? This book had so much potential to be great. The storyline was such a fantastic and unique idea but there should have been more when they both see each other for the first time. There was no big romantic moment to make all the build up worth it. NOTHING. It felt like the book ended mid sentence. Overall, I wouldn't recommend this to people who enjoy physical romance in their romance books.

Let me Preface this review by saying I totally loved the concept of this book . I loved the dynamic between all the characters in the ward and how they were their own little family. But this was supposed to be a romance book and there was no romance. I loved the relationship growth between Alfie and Alice but for being a stand alone story it had no proper romance or ending.

I received an advance copy of, Before I Saw You, by Emily Houghton. This is an amazing story. Meeting someone in the hospital, both patients with their own scars and stories. Such a great story.

I adored these characters. I couldn’t help but connect to each one on a different level. I love that the author didn’t give the characters directly. Everything was worked for. The emotions were well thought out and conveyed with the writing. I can’t wait to recommend this to everyone!

I adored these two characters! I couldn't put it down! I loved it! it kept me on the edge of my seat!

I thought this was an okay read. It didn't really pull me in like I thought it would from the synopsis. I thought the book was just a little too long. I did however enjoy the development of Alfie and Alice's relationship, even if I couldn't fully connect to Alice sometimes. All in all I'd give this read 2.5-3 stars.

This reminded me a lot of "The Gargoyle", but was a bit less compelling. Two damaged people - both emotionally and physically scarred - meet through curtains at adjacent beds in a rehab ward. What follows is a lot of anguish, insecurity, and hijinks as they struggle to adapt and move beyond their temporary restraints. Though I liked the story somewhat, it isn't romantic (as advertised), and the ending is very abrupt. I adored Alfie. He was charming and kind and indefatigable. But Alice? I couldn't get behind her. She felt like if a piece of IKEA furniture was a person. Complicated but not quality. She also could be really venomous and I flinched a few times, truly. I recognized a taker in her and a giver in Alfie, and I didn't like how off-balance that was.

Regardless, I'm still deeply appreciative to NetGalley and Gallery Books for the arc!

Thanks Netgalley for allowing me to read this book. Alice and Alfie meet as patients at St Francis hospital. They have been through the worst together. I liked the different characters that were in this book. I enjoyed the friendship that developed between Alice and Alfie.

I really enjoyed this book and could not put it down. Allie and Alice have both been through trauma physically and mentally. They both handle it in their own ways and manage to help each other through their time in the hospital without ever seeing each other. At first Alices behavior and the willingness of then hospital staff to play along bothered me but I was eventually able to get past it. Obviously I would always like more story and thought this wrapped up to quickly but looking back I really liked the ending that provided cheater growth and resolution. Thanks for the copy NetGalley!

2.5 stars
I usually love slow burns, but I could not connect completely with this story.
On the one hand, I liked how they came together and got to know each other. They got to know each other on another level since they couldn’t physically see each other. There was a lot of healing involved in a more lighthearted way.
But I felt that it dragged a lot and I kept waiting for the climax of the story, and then it was done in an instant.
I definitely think it could be much deeper than a lot of contemporary romances, but the pacing was off putting and I never really saw the romance.
I get why this was called a romance, but it was missing a lot of what makes a romance great. Maybe I’m too used to steamy adult romances.

Before I Saw You is a heartbreaking story about Alice and Alfie. Both of them are in the same Hospital for different reasons. They start a friendship through the curtains of their hospital room. They don't even know what each other looks like but the more they talk the deeper they fall for each other. This story had me hooked and I just had to find out if they will ever meet up face to face.

Overall I really enjoyed this book, however the ending left a little to be desired, I felt a little cheated. It also was very long to read. Otherwise I liked the story. Thank you to netgalley for the ARC.