I was completely blown away by this book. I never would have thought that I'd be left so in love with this one when I picked it. I've never heard of the author, I didn't know what it was about, there just something about the cover and the title that intrigued me. I waited so long to review this book because I needed time to find the words for it. I could never do it justice with my words, compared to how beautiful a writer Jacqueline Bublitz is. Her characters and word choices were simply beautiful. Right away I was captivated by two women and their stories. On their journey's, I got to know them intimately. Another character in this story that deserves a mention is the city of New York. The setting took on a character of its own and that made everything so much more poignant and real. I fell in love with NYC! I also can't help but admire how this author chose to shine a light on female victims of violence and who they were before they were killed. That is something that is not talked about nearly enough. They really do get forgotten after the dust has settled on their cases. I don't know if this was a personal story for the writer but as the reader, I came out being impacted by these two women and the journey they went on. If you're a woman, this book is incredibly heartbreaking, relatable, and hopeful. I wish I could give this book 10 stars!

Thank you to NetGalley, Atria, and the author for sharing this ARC with me in exchange for my honest feedback!

Alice Lee and Ruby Jones are two strangers that have fled their hometowns and arrived in New York City on the same day. Two young women with their whole lives ahead of them, eager for a fresh start in the Big Apple. Only one of the women, Alice, doesn't get that chance because her life was taken from her.

We see it in the news all the time when murders are reported - "their body was found by a jogger on their morning run..." but what happens to that person who stumbles across the dead body? Unfortunately for Ruby, she is that jogger, and her life is completely thrown off course. Fear and worry turn quickly into obsession as Ruby searches for answers and justice for New York City's newest Jane Doe.

Before You Knew My Name is such a stand-out novel because Jacqueline Bublitz focuses on the woman Alice was before people knew her as the murder victim. This book is definitely in the Mystery/Thriller genre, but it's so much more than just a "Who Dunnit".

This book will resonate with all women who:
- have been guilt-tripped by a man after turning them down
- lock their car doors right after getting into them
- are afraid to accept drinks from strangers at the bar
- have been told to smile by a man walking down the street
- are scared to take a walk at night with their earbuds in
- who have been judged by what they wore and how much they were drinking
and ESPECIALLY those who have encountered harassment/assault/violence from a man.

Alice's story is unfortunately like so many others, but this author is taking a feminist approach in this story, and reiterating that it doesn't HAVE to be that way. If we held men to a higher standard and didn't blame victims for what happened to them, the world would be a completely different place. The news media should follow this author's example and focus on the innocent victims, and not the average (usually white) men that take them from the world.

I highly recommend this incredibly well-written and poignant debut novel to everyone. This story will stay with me for a long time. Thanks again to NetGalley, Atria Books, and Jacqueline Bublitz for sharing it with me.

Thank you to #netgalley for allowing me to give an honest review on this ARC. I liked this book, did not love it because I figured it out long before the ending.

I started this one and wasn't immediately grabbed... I thought the premise sounded fantastic but this one just started a bit too slow for me.

Before You Knew My Name takes the point of view of the murdered victim and that of the jogger who found her. In so many of these thrillers, it's about the solving of the murder or the lives of the loved ones that were left behind. But who tells the story of the life lost, especially when it's a Jane Doe case, or the life of the person who stumbled across the body. Until this book, I never really let myself think about the trauma someone finding a dead body would have to deal with. I know it could happen to anymore but have you really thought about the long term effects that could have?
I enjoyed how this book merged the two together. They became the most unlikeliest of companions.

This had a unique premise and a tense atmosphere, it was also surprisingly emotional for a thriller. Plus, the New York City setting was one I always enjoy. The winner of Crime Debut and Readers' Choice Awards, this is called a "brave and timely novel" by Clare Mackintosh, whose books I've loved, and I agree with her sentiment. Give this a try if you love complex thrillers with emotional depth and a great setting.

This is a truly haunting story, which I finished within a matter of a few days. An Australian woman is haunted by the dead body she finds in the park. Thinking she has PTSD, she goes to a support group, where she meets a new friend who introduces her to the Death Club. Along the way, she discovers she's not alone as the ghost of the dead girl guides her to both find the killer and for the woman to find herself and where she belongs in this new scary world of New York City. I was reminded quite a bit of the Lovely Bones story and there is an underlying feeling of melancholy but joy once everything falls into place. I found the book a little predictable, yet enjoyable. What a highly satisfying read!

This was a slow burn that picked up. It was very sad and I was very invested to see what happened to these characters. The descriptions are vivid and the writing very smooth for a first novel!

Went in with high hopes but something about this just didn't hook me. Could very much have been a me, not the book, issue, so not NOT recommending. Just didn't finish it.

Alice and Ruby are two women who have completely different lifestyles but somehow ended up connected to each other. Alice is young at the age of 18 and has less than $1,000 in her pocked when she leaves her small Wisconsin town to move to the Big Apple. She has big dreams and wants to create a promising future for herself away from her home town like many other young people. Unfortunately after being in New York for a month she is brutally raped and eventually murdered and since no one knows her she becomes the newest Jane Doe. Ruby on the other hand is around twenty years older than Alice and is Australian. She escapes to New York City for a big change and she wants to be away from work and life responsibilities. She also deals with loneliness and has hard time in life but her way to cope is to run. One day while in the city she is doing her run and she is the one who discovers Alices body. Ruby becomes sad about Ruby and knowing no one has reported her missing becomes a tough reality. But Alice's spirit hasn't "crossed over" and starts to attach to Ruby. Ruby decides to embrace it and does all she can to help find answers for Alice and find what actually happened.

This was more about relationships and knowing who a person is more than a mystery. There is a mystery aspect because we want to know what caused Alice's demise but it is not the primary focus. This book is very well written and it does a great job of character development. You really start to feel what the characters are feeling and you start to relate to them. In this process of discovery there is a reveal of why Alice left for New York City in the first place and there is an element of despair and sadness to it. You can feel Ruby's loneliness in her story as well and why she is who she is. I really enjoyed the book and thought it was thought provoking. It is very moving and also delves in the dangers of living everyday as a women, trauma, and resilience.

When she arrived in New York on her eighteenth birthday carrying nothing but $600 cash and a stolen camera, Alice Lee was looking for a fresh start. Now, just one month later, she is the city’s latest Jane Doe. She may be dead but that doesn’t mean her story is over.

Meanwhile, Ruby Jones is also trying to reinvent herself. After travelling halfway around the world, she’s lonelier than ever in the Big Apple. Until she stumbles upon a woman’s body by the Hudson River, and suddenly finds herself unbreakably tied to the unknown dead woman.

Alice is sure Ruby is the key to solving the mystery of her short life and tragic death. Ruby just wants to forget what she saw…but she can’t seem to stop thinking about the young woman she found. If she keeps looking, can she give this unidentified Jane Doe the ending and closure she deserves?

I cared so much about these characters, which made the story even more heart breaking. Alice pre-death POV gave me so much insight to who she was and it just hurt knowing that she wouldn't have future. Ruby was such a powerful character as well, I am so glad we got to follow along with her.

Thank you #netgalley for an early read of #beforeyouknewmyname

Two young women arrive in NYC on the same day, each wanting to start a new life. Ruby is traumatized when she discovers the body of a murdered girl and becomes obsessed with finding out who this girl was. And who killed her. Told from the points of view of both women, it is a fascinating, heartbreaking yet hauntingly thought provoking story. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc.

The story of Alice Lee was heartbreaking and the way it was told was suspenseful and intriguing. It felt poetic at times without losing the story. The characters had depth and the author beautifully and realistically brought them to life. The Death Club gave a sense of reality and mortality that many people don't acknowledge. I thought this book was a great story about death and what comes after.

Still catching my breath. Memorizing is the best word I can use to describe the book. Be prepared with tissues because this will absolutely pull your heartstrings and leave a trail of tears. Part mystery, part wonderful story telling, you’ll be thinking about these women long after you close the last page.

This is a twisty edge of your seat read. Trying to solve a murder mystery after bring drawn together through a twist of fate. She is digging into areas where she is finding more and more that doesn't make sense. The big question is she able to solve the mystery?

I will be reviewing a physical copy of this book on my social media platforms but thank you agin to Atria for the digital arc

Unique, engaging, hard to put down, and highly recommend!!!
An astute study that this male took many things from. The perspectives are deftly shown and leaves a deep impression.

The very first chapter gripped my attention; the rest of the book captured my heart.

I cannot believe I let it sit on my shelf as long as it did.

Alice Lee is 18 years old. Hoping for a better future, she moves to New York with very little cash. After just a short month there, she turns up as a Jane Doe. Dreams shattered.

Ruby Jones also moves to New York temporarily as an escape from life as she knows it, looking for a change of pace. She is out for a jog when she discovers this poor girl's body.

There haven't been too many books I've read from the point of view of a ghost so I enjoyed that aspect of it. There were so many emotions that you can only grasp by reading for yourself. Just a phenomenal story. Available now as of November 1st 2022- I highly recommend this book! Thank you to NetGalley, Ms. Bublitz and the publishers for the ARC in exchange for my honest review. I could not have loved this book more. What a

This is a debut novel and I really hope there are many, many more novels by Jacqueline Bublitz to follow!

This was a good book, though it is not your typical murder/mystery where someone investigates the murder and clues are revealed. Most of the story deals with how person who found the body deals with the emotional trauma she experiences after. Alice Lee is just 18 and has left a small town to go to the big city, New York. She's getting away from a relationship with an older man, who was her teacher at one point. Ruby Jones is also freshly arrived in New York from Australia, she too is escaping a relationship (more like an affair) with a man who is engaged to be married in a few months. After she realizes that she'll always be the side piece and never the main squeeze, she takes a leave from work. Ruby lives in a small apartment and goes out for a run on most days, Alice lives with an older man who treats her more like a daughter than a renter. While on a run one day Ruby discovers Alice's body at the edge of the water. Detectives are called, investigations are done, but nobody comes forward to identify Alice. Ruby keeps in touch with the detectives, she joins a group that discuss death and do some mild investigation into Alice's death. There is a bit of supernatural element, Alice hangs around Ruby, trying to help her solve her murder. This was a very good book, and I would recommend. Thanks to #Netgalley and #Atria/Emily Bestler Books for the ARC.

This story wasn't easy to read, but not because of the writing style. It's just very heavy on emotions and regrets. 

We have one narrator, Alice, who has been killed and found by Ruby, so she starts following Ruby and observes how her life was and how it changes after the discovery, meanwhile we hear how Alice got to the end of her life. It's heartbreaking.

The question of who's done it is ever present but it takes some time for it to become more obvious—after all, we first need to figure out how Alice died and how they'll even know the body found is Alice's. The story leads us like we're in a stupor, slowly coming back to ourselves, to the rage for what has happened. It's a nice effect. 

It's a book that will grip you tight, if you're in need of one of there. I fell in love with the narrative, with Alice's voice narrating, with all the climate set. However, it does lose steam as the ends get together, and I confess I expected more of the conclusion, although it was a satisfying answer—it was all just so emotional, I thought there would be more to it.

Still, a very recommended dramatic thriller, I won't forget this one so soon.


Honest review based on an ARC provided by Netgalley. Many thanks to the publisher for this opportunity.