I couldn’t resist requesting Before I Saw You after reading that it was being marketed to fans of Me Before You, a memorable 5 star read for me.
In Before I Saw You, Alfie and Alice are patients on the same coed rehabilitation ward - she’s recovering from horrific burns and he from an accident in which his leg was amputated. As the book begins, there’s a larger cast of characters, of medical staff and other patients. The concept of a coed ward took a little getting used to, but it provided an easy way to introduce Mr. Peterson, Sharon, and Jackie, who are all fellow patients.
The characters are all interesting, although there were somewhat predictable personal revelations about halfway through the book. The book was slow in parts and I had a lot of questions while reading it, but in the end...let the magic of the story carry me along. Good debut effort!
Thanks to Netgalley and Simon and Schuster for the opportunity to read Before I Saw You in exchange for an honest review.

One of the most heart-warming and come back from the depths of no point of return, I have read in a real long time.

When I read the blurb for this book, I immediately wanted to read it. It is very different from what I usually read, which makes it a more enjoyable read.

First you have Alice, she wakes up in the hospital after being caught in a fire at her office. When she realizes the extent of her injuries. She refuses to speak for several weeks. Probably due to shock, or maybe giving up on life. Her life before the fire, was neat and tidy. A workaholic, single, no family to really speak off.

Then you have Alfie, he's a patient at the rehabilitation ward at the same hospital. He's Mr. Personality. He has lost a leg due to a tragic accident, but he tries to hide his real pain, with laughter and being a nosy body around his area of the ward.

Little did both Alice and Alfie know they would be the most unlikeliest to make a connection. When Alice comes for rehab to Alfie's section, he was given strict instructions to let her be, but Alfie being resilient and stubborn, he let Alice be until, he finally got her to talk.

This book will make you feel for both of Alice and Alfie besides the physical scars, they endure the emotional ones as well. And although Alfie never saw Alice but behind the curtain, and vice versa, they somehow fell in love.

Lots of emotional turmoil for sure. Can Alfie after being discharge really live his life after being in the hospital for so many months? Can Alice really truly feel whole with the new her?

I know many not understand how the author wrote her last chapter, but I totally understood. The backstory of Alice and Alfie and their present tides the story and that was okay with me.

*An ARC was provided via Net Galley for an honest review.

Before I Saw You tells the tale of two people stuck in the long-term ward of a London hospital. Alice starts off so traumatized rom being burned, she feels so disfigured that she refuses to speak or let other people see her. On the other hand, Alfie was in a car accident where he lost his leg. However, Alfie copes by trying to cheer everyone up and always looking on the positive side. When Alice moves in to the bed next to Alfie's, he begins to pull her out of her shell. As time passes, the two support each other as they face their demons and learn how to adjust to life after their accidents.

This book was the perfect combination of angst and levity. When I first read the blurb, I was scared that the book would be sooo dark, but Alfie brings in a beautiful vivacity. There were moments in the book where I was laughing at the fun dialogue to moments where I was left sobbing. The sad moments are woven so artfully into the book, I can definitely see this book being turned into a movie.

In terms of characters, Alice doesn't start out very likeable-- she's rude, pessimistic, and rarely cares about others-- but I think it's understandable given the extremely traumatizing accident she experienced. This book does a great job of showing her journey of acceptance as she realizes she wants more things out of life than succeeding at her job -- although it does drag a bit at the end. Alfie on the other hand, is written almost as the perfect sunshine guy. He is so full of life and empathetic, he brings the most beautiful side out of everyone he interacts with. I absolutely loved him as a character, and the interactions between Alfie and Alice were soooo beautiful (I think this is one of the most beautiful love confessions I've ever read 😫😫).

Before I Saw You is a really moving and poignant book, and a great read for someone wanting to read a book full of hope while shedding a few tears.

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Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!!

Alice and Alfie are two patients who fall in love as they recover from traumatic injuries in the same hospital. Alice is a burn victim from a fire in her office building and Alfie has a leg amputated from a car crash. This book is slow but I think that’s to be expected given the plot. Alice’s refusal to talk, and refusal to look at herself, along with refusal to let others see her slowly changes as Alfie is persistent and slowly but surely gets her to open up. It’s a story of two people finding within themselves the path of recovery and life after, outside the confines of a hospital.

This is not a book where I focused on the romance. It’s a focus of a journey of self love first. To be able to love yourself after such tragedies before you can love another. Some say that love is blind and I feel like this is fitting given the plot and the character focus. This is a great whole hearted read!

I am very impressed with this author's debut novel. The story was beautifully written, it has all the emotions, very caring moments, heartbreaking and heartwarming moments. I loved both Alfie and Alice, they both had survived horrible accidents and found each other while recuperating in the hospital. This was a great read and I loved every minute of it. I look forward to reading more from this author.

Engaging and immersive, this tale of a step down ward for severely ill patients is filled with memorable characters and their struggles to heal. BEFORE I SAW YOU gently describes some horrific situations that tax even the most optimistic while leveling those whose outlooks are more grim. Author Emily Houghton builds a believable world and brings readers into the daily grind of the impaired patients. From this mix, relationships blossom and truths are shared. The book is a quick yet very wonderful read; it’s only problem is an ending that fails to deliver and is over too quickly. It’s a shame the story didn’t offer readers a more satisfying and developed ending. I received my copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

First and foremost I would like to thank NetGalley for this eARC.

I want to start off by saying how much i loved this books and the characters, there was such raw emotions and it was jampacked with a lot of feels. I teared up on multiple accounts, I fell in love with Alfie and Alice the moment they started interacting. The way he pushed and reminded her he was there for her no matter what happened, how he imagined such a strong and wonderful person without seeing her. It added a nice depth to falling in love.

The major setback for me was the ending, all of everything they went through and not a single kiss our hug, now i understand everything Alice went through and maybe kissing just want in the cards in that single moment for her which i get but it was kind of a big let down? they did have their beautiful moments and the hand holding they did to support one another, it was just beautiful. I just expected more from the ending.

All of the characters were beautiful and it gives you a deeper look into recovery wards, i think this book was beautifully written and heart wrenching, just the ending was such a major letdown for him.

Thank you so much Net Galley for an ARC of The beautiful novel Before I Saw You by Emily Houghton. This was beyond words for me. So inspirational and beautifully human. Broke my heart and pieces it back together. Thank you!

I found this novel to be a touching story of how a friendship develops between people and a couple in particular as they weather the storms of recovery from horrific accidents. The descriptions of the gamut f emotions they go through are realistic and will mark your heart.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I wish to thank NetGalley and the Publishers Simon & Schuster for allowing me to read an advanced copy of this book. I have voluntarily read and reviewed it. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I am now a real fan of Emily Houghton. I was thrilled when NetGalley gave me a chance to read this ARC. She is a master storyteller and hooks you in on page one. She holds your interest long after you close the book for the last time. I loved the book “Me Before You” and this book reminds me of it so much.. .Honestly, I loved this one more
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This is the story of two terribly wounded patients who we find in a hospital ward trying to recover from unbelievable injuries. Alfie was in an automobile accident in which his two best friends died and he lost a leg. Alice was in a terrible house fire. They interact from their separate cubicles in the ward but have never seen each other. The other patients in the ward are beautifully described and they became the reader’s best friends in the process. The emotions of those injured are explained with tenderness and grace and sympathy. Alice is afraid for anyone to see her injuries. Alfie is a people person who entertains the entire ward and when he knows a little about Alice he tries to get her to talk to him which finally happens.

This is a book of healing and hope but you do not get there easily. It is a love story which is really hard when they only talk or hold hands through the curtain separating them. I highly recommend this book for readers and book clubs. Emily, please do a follow-up of this one. I want to know what happens next.

This book is incredible! I wasn't sure what to expect, but the switching POVs and unique set up for love was heartfelt and also highly emotional. I really appreciated how the author handled trauma and mental health.

Before I Saw you was sort of a mixed bag for me in many ways. While it had a lot of moments that I genuinely appreciated, relationships I thought were cute and fluffy, and even a moment that made me cry (a lot), there were some things that just didn’t hang together as well for me.

Let’s start off positive. I liked that the book took its time to allow the characters to fall in love, especially since they’re both in recovery from major accidents and have so much ish to work through. I also liked that it took a bit of time to show their adjustment to life outside the hospital and that it was not all bright and breezy after discharge. As I mentioned there were lots of cute moments that I really appreciated and there is a hopefulness to the ending.

For the less positive. There were some issues with continuity in the writing, they were usually little things, but just enough to make me go “wait...?” Although the timeline of both of Alfie and Alice being in the hospital and how long they knew each other on the ward was somewhat vague at times and confused me more than once while reading. The largest thing though had to do with a slightly odd treatment of a character’s mental health. A character struggles with a very specific, intense disorder for the vast majority of the book and when they do eventually get help... it’s explicitly for a problem that develops later but not for the initial problem that was still active as far as the reader knows. It just made it feel like the first issue was just a plot point to add drama to the book or maybe it was just forgotten about but because it was given so much significance in the story, that not being part of the character’s resolution was just???? I don’t know, just the continuity problems made it a lot harder to enjoy the book for me.

Overall, I still think it was a decent story and a quick read. I’m not sure I’d overly recommend it, but if the premise sounds interesting to you, I think you will probably have a decent time. At the very least you’ll get some good, solid friendship moments and maybe a bit of a cry near the middle. Other than that, I don’t have much else to say.

Alfie is the friendly, happy patient in the rehab ward who becomes bed neighbors with Alice. Separated by a curtain, they develop a friendship and more as they work through their respective demons resulting from their injuries and life beforehand. Each chapter provides an alternating viewpoint, which provides a balanced perspective. The ending is quite abrupt and while it may not work for some, it worked for me.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc.

Before I Saw You by Emily Houghton features Alfie and Alice, who are both receiving care for critical injuries in a long-term recovery unit at a local hospital, learning to navigate their new physical boundaries, opening up new emotional states and forming a true friendship without seeing each other (thus the name of the title).

(CW: traumatic flashbacks, car crash, amputation, burn victim, surgeries, general hospital environment)

It’s a sweet and emotional story, but it’s kinda like a Hallmark movie — enjoyable while it’s happening but really, it’s in one ear and out the other. It was a laidback Friday night read, and I was able to finish it in less than 24 hours, so it is somewhat compelling and keeps you hooked to find out what will happen next, as most hospital dramas do.

I liked the alternating points of view, since each chapter explores different scenes from different perspectives, and I think it does give a huge credence to the fact that physical and mental health are intertwined, which becomes a huge plot point especially for Alfie. Also, if you’re looking for a non-steamy romance adjacent book, this could be for you, since they quite literally have no physical contact other than some hand-holding!

However, I don’t think this is a book that will stick with me or that I will reread. I just wish there had been a bit more actual romance at the end. This one is out in May — let me know what you think if you’ve read it!

Alice and Allie have both suffered major traumas. They are in a convalescent ward for long-term patients when they meet. Sort of. Alice refuses to speak or let anyone see her. Allie, her cubicle neighbor, manages to break through her silence and the two develop a friendship. Emily Houghton created characters so fully realized that I found myself caring what happens to them. Ultimately, Before I Saw You is a story of the resiliency of the human spirit. Well worth reading, especially during a pandemic when we can all use some hope.

4.5/5⭐️

Such a feel-good book, I loved it.

Taking place in modern day London, Alfie and Alice are two strangers who have both suffered life-altering injuries. In their rehab ward, they end up as next-door neighbors with only a curtain separating the two...a curtain that Alice won’t allow to be opened.

This is a story about facing life’s challenges/curves, finding solace through connection, and becoming even stronger on the other side of despair. Wonderful cast of characters and Alfie and Alice are simply inspiring. Great humor too.

Recommend.

Many thanks to #NetGalley and #GalleryBooks for providing me the early ARC. The opinions are strictly my own.

Our scars are simply the marks of our stories!!

I relate to this as I have many scars that I attempt to hide. I try to hide my flaws.
This story showed light on this and made me feel differently.

Good read!

I felt like this book had a lot of potential, I just did not find everything realistic. I did not think it is realistic that men and women would be in the same hospital ward only separated by curtains. I did not understand why the old man was on the ward since it seemed like it was for people in physical therapy. I did not feel the close connection was realistic between Alice and Alfie.

Before I Saw You is a story of loss, love, heartbreak, and coming to terms with reality. It's filled with laughter and tenderness. This is a book that you will not be able to put down.

Alice has been in a terrible accident involving a fire. Nearly half of her body is covered in burns and she's staying in the hospital slowly recovering. She is devastated and she wants no one to see her. She refuses to talk and can't fathom going back into the real world, let alone acknowledge herself in a mirror.

Alfie has also been in an accident, but it was a car accident and his two best friends were killed. He also lost his leg. He too is staying in the hospital to recover.

Alfie and Alice are place side by side in the recovery ward, but Alice refuses to let anyone see her except her doctors and nurses. Alfie sees everyone and is the most talkative person ever. Can Alfie bring Alice out of her shell and help her come to terms with what happened?

This is such a heartfelt story. Seeing both Alice and Alfie's perspectives was the perfect way to write this novel. I loved watching Alfie fall for Alice and Alice fall for Alfie. Both characters are well-written and as a reader, you fall in love with both and are always cheering for them.

I loved this book from start to finish and I couldn't put it down. The romantic build-up, the stubbornness of both characters, and the realization that love is more than physical attraction makes this book the perfect romantic read.

This story slowly tells a heartfelt wonderful story about hope and healing.
I really enjoyed this book! Really the only thing I didn't care for was the slowness of it!
But other than that it was great! Characters were amazing. The writing was fabulous! Great quick book!