Rowan McNamara is in an abusive relationship. After a life-threatening injury from her fiancé, she decides to leave him and moves to New England.

There she meets Gabriel, the eleven year old boy next door. However, Gabriel only talks to her at night and only from the basement window. Rowan discovers that Gabriel is being abused by his father and decides to take him and run.

From there they go to Rowan’s family home in Oklahoma for a new start.

Overall, I liked this book. It was intriguing from the start and kept my attention. There was enough drama to keep it interesting, but I did feel it was a little long. It spans multiple years and there are some time jumps but there was also a lot of detailing what they did every single day for some years.

I also was a little uncomfortable with the kidnapping aspect.
*SPOILERS*
It felt like it glorified kidnapping to an extent. Like, “oh here’s an abused child. I think I’ll take him and we can live happily ever after.” She didn’t get any law enforcement or child services involved and she got off scot-free.seemed a little strange to me.

Before You Found Me is an emotional, heartbreaking, hopeful novel. I would rate it 4.5 stars. Rowan is the victim of domestic abuse and Gabriel is a victim of child abuse. Rowan tries to save Gabriel from his abusive father. She also tries to come to terms with her own abuse.

This would have been a 5 start read if not for some issues. I believe some of the things that happen in the book could not have happened. It is nice that the situations worked out but at the expense of an authentic story. It is still an exceptional read and I would recommend the book.

Thank you to #NetGalley, #BrookBeyfuss and #SourcebooksLandmark for a copy of this book.
#BeforeYouFoundMe

Before You Found Me is a book that is both heavy and light, dark and bright, heartbreaking and joyous. It is all of these things and more.

I thought this book had a unique concept and plotline, and that is what initially caught my interest. Even though there were heavy topics throughout, the book felt easy to read and hard to put down. I found myself really invested in the characters and their stories, and as someone who has been in a reading slump for the past few months, it was great to finally have a book that I wanted to constantly be reading.

Rowan and Gabriel and both characters that you want to root for. They are both flawed, but I think those flaws make them real. At one point, I was frustrated with Rowan and her treatment of a specific character; but in looking back, that just makes her more real. Because in real life, we don't always treat everyone as they should be treated. Or there might be people in our lives that we don't have the patience for, and that comes out in how we respond to them. So I think Rowan's interactions with this character actually made her even more real to me.

Both Rowan and Gabriel have been through serious hardships in their lives and I love that they are able to work through those hardships and lean on each other. I really loved the way their relationship grew and changed over time. I thought both of these characters matured over the course of the book and I thoroughly appreciated and enjoyed their character arcs.

I also really enjoyed the supporting characters. In some books, those characters can be sort of throwaway, but each of the supporting characters in this book played an important role and had their own interesting and unique stories. I think that made the book more enjoyable, as I was invested all the way through (as opposed to some books where you are distinctly more interested in one storyline over the others).

I will say that this book does require some suspension of disbelief, at least in my opinion. The fact that Rowan is wildly wealthy definitely made things easier. There are also things that I don't think would have worked out so smoothly in real life, whether it be actual plot points, legalities, or just how the characters responded to certain situations. But as the author mentioned in her author's note, she had to drastically cut this book down from what it was; so I suspect that some of those points where characters might've taken a lot longer to emotionally heal or get from point A to point B were the things that had to be cut to make the book a reasonable length.

If the synopsis of this book appeals to you, I think you will really enjoy it. It's well written, engaging, and you cannot help but root for the main characters. This was my experience with Brooke Beyfuss' work, but it won't be my last.

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for the e-arc of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Happy pub week to the talented @brookebeyfuss 🎉 And a huge thanks to #partner @bookmarked for my #gifted ARCs & finished copy.

𝗕𝗲𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗙𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱 𝗠𝗲
𝗕𝗿𝗼𝗼𝗸𝗲 𝗕𝗲𝘆𝗳𝘂𝘀𝘀
𝟴/𝟭/𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟯 - 𝗢𝘂𝘁 𝗻𝗼𝘄!

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

📖 Two abuse survivors form an unlikely friendship as they outrun their abusers in this emotional, suspenseful, heartrending novel of resilience and found family.

💭 I really enjoyed Beyfuss's debut 𝘼𝙛𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙒𝙚 𝙒𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙎𝙩𝙤𝙡𝙚𝙣 last year, so I jumped at the chance to read her sophomore novel! Y'all, I loved this one even more! It's a genre-bending mash-up of drama, contemporary fiction, and suspense. There's even some light romance. But at its core, it's a non-romantic love story between a child and the woman who saves him. Beyfuss's character development is phenomenal, and her writing is gorgeous and fluid. She just brings the reader right into the lives of the characters, ripping their heart out and putting it back together again. This one had me in its grips from the first page to the last.

I read this along with the audiobook, narrated by the talented Jeremy Carlisle Parker. Parker does a wonderful job and I equally enjoyed this format.☺️

Highly recommend!

⚠️ Please check TWs!!!
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When the going gets tough, Rowan McNamara gets tougher. A foster child who survived the system, she’s seen her fair share of heartache. When the story opens, Rowan is starting over again, fleeing an abusive relationship. So she hides out in her old friends house as she figures out her next course of action.

It’s there that she meets the suspiciously helpful Lee and his young son, Gabriel. Only Rowan quickly realizes she never sees the two of them together. Knowing how to look for the signs, Rowan presses until Gabriel reveals the unthinkable- his father has kept him in the basement after his mother passed tragically a few years prior. Her passing is also something Gabriel’s father has never come to terms with and is still punishing his son for.

Knowing she has to move on, but unable to leave Gabriel in his current situation, Rowan devises a plan. Together the two will leave and start over, far away from the men who hurt them so much. But as they navigate their new day to day in a faraway place, they see many of their old hardships have been replaced with new ones. The difference this time though is they have each other to hold onto.

Before You Found Me is a moving story about the family you make. With references to abuse, both physical and verbal, it’s not an easy read, but a powerful one if don’t find the story to be triggering. It’s my first book by author @brookebeyfuss, so I was shocked to see she’s not only from home state, but that we know at least one person in common. This reminded me how connections sometimes can come from the most unlikely places, just like the underlying message of this brilliant novel.

A hard subject to read about but the writing handled it delicately. It pains me that such suffering happens in the world. It gives me courage to read how the abused come out of the pain stronger and compassionate. I found this novel a great read.

Wow, what a powerful, incredible and emotional book. Despite the often dark nature and difficult topics of the book, it is also uplifting and positive. The characters and their relationships are real, dysfunctional and filled with love. Their struggles and challenges are heartbreaking. My only reason for not giving five stars is that I found that the lack of professional help, both for mental and physical health, is often unrealistic. I wish that the portion of the book discussion trauma and recovery was more of a focus and not overlooked. The book contains a lot of abuse and often goes into detail of what happened to the main characters.

Rowan escapes to a New England town after she almost dies at the hands of her ex-fiance. When she discovers that her eleven year old neighbor, Gabriel, has been imprisoned and abused for 3 years by his father, she abducts him and runs away to her childhood home in Oklahoma. How will they survive the trauma they experienced? And can Rowan keep them safe from the monsters that hurt them?

Thank you Netgalley for my advanced reader copy.

The summary of this story was so unique that I just had to request it and I am so glad that I did. Although she had an older sister, Rowan McNamara was placed in foster homes after their parents were killed. She is not close to her sister, but that will change when she seeks her sister’s help. While staying at a friend’s house, Rowan notices something strange next door. A young boy, Gabriel, spends his time in the basement, never coming outside. When she notices that he is injured, his story slowly unfolds and Rowan knows that she must do something. She is going to kidnap him from his abusive father! Arriving with Gabriel in Oklahoma, she disagrees with those who tell her that she must go to the police, must turn him in. Rowan suffered from an abusive fiancé before he was sentenced to prison and she vows that she will always put Gabe’s welfare first! Those in Rowan’s life will have to come together to ensure the safety of both she and Gabe. A different story for sure, but I enjoyed everything about Rowan and Gabe’s fight for the life they both deserved. I received an advance review copy at no cost and without obligation for an honest review. (paytonpuppy)

After We Were Stolen was one of my top books last year, so when Brooke Beyfuss announced she was releasing another book, I knew I had to read it! I figured there was no way Before You Found Me could be as good, but she proved me wrong! I don’t even know how to categorize her books! They’re dark, break you, make you mad and sad and then bring you hope, but they aren’t the perfect happy endings that you predict! Or maybe that’s just me! Either way, both of the books come with trigger warnings that need to be checked out before hand! This one deals with domestic violence, child abuse, child abandonment, traumatic injury, traumatic death, and emotional distress that may be difficult to read. Thank you to Brooke for including these in the beginning of your books! This story is filled with courage and love at its core and I think a lot of people will enjoy it! I want to shout Thank You to sourcebooks for sending me this finishing copy along with a reading group guide. I am so grateful I was able to get an early copy to review and share with you! The main character, Rowan loved to bake and it was something that connected Rowan and Gabriel in the beginning, so I love that they included some of the recipes and I cannot wait to try them! I will add one for her Chocolate Chip Cookies here! Let me know if you try them!!

When Rowan McNamara lands in the hospital after being thrown through a glass door by her abusive fiancé, she finally runs. She first stops at her best friends home, who is out at the time. There, she meets Gabriel, an eleven year old boy who is the son of her neighbor Lee. Lee is very friendly and helpful to Rowan, but Gabriel is a mystery. He is obviously scared of his father, always in the basement and has bruises all over. When Rowan realizes Gabriel has been kept captive in his basement for three years by his father, she decides kidnapping him in the only way. She takes him one night and returns home to her estranged sister, Celia in Oklahoma. Celia is very disapproving of the whole thing, but as a physician, does what she can to help. Rowan and Gabriel are both running from people who have harmed them in ways unimaginable, constantly looking over their shoulder waiting to be caught, and this has brought them closer than family. They would do anything to protect each other.

💭Thoughts:
I loved Beyfuss’ first book, After We Were Stolen. So, when I found out she was coming out with a second book, I jumped at the opportunity to read it. I hate to say it, but this book was a slog to get through. I had no motivation to pick it up and keep reading.

I don’t want to go into to much detail because I think it’ll give a lot of the plot away, but I will say parts of the events leading up to ending are so unbelievable. All the loose ends got tied up way too nicely.

I’m glad so many readers are connecting with this book because I do think Beyfuss is a great author. This just wasn’t the book for me. I do hope to read more from her in the future.

Lastly, I did really enjoy reading the conversation at the end of the book with the author. It was interesting to learn more about her writing journey.

4.5* "How far would you go to save a child who isn't even yours?"

This is a dark, disturbing story about the abuse cycle and how sometimes the ones you find as family are not blood related. Defining family is more about the ones who protect and love you. Rowan has suffered more than her share of abuse. Her boyfriend brutally injured her. When she moved to her friend's house in New England, she was able to escape Ethan. She meets an 11 year old boy, Gabriel, from his basement window. He has been locked away for three years since his mother died of an accident. His father blames him for her death and abuses him.

Rowan abducts him and moves him to Oklahoma for shelter and safety against her sister Celia's wishes. She makes a personal sacrifice to keep him safe knowing it's wrong, but right all in the same breath. They suffer so much from the traumatic abuse they have endured, but find healing, love and the true meaning of family. There is so much to take in as you try to fathom what some people go through.
Thank you NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Rating 4.5⭐

Battered and bruised twenty-two-year-old Rowan McNamara is fleeing an abusive relationship with her boyfriend Ethan whose recent act of domestic violence resulted in Rowan’s hospitalization. Rowan is pressing charges this time and is on her way to her inherited family home in Oklahoma to distance herself from Ethan. Rowan is an orphan, having lost her parents when she was a child, who grew up in foster care. She has an older sister Celia with whom she is somewhat estranged. En route to her family home, Rowan spends some time in her old friend Laine’s home in the New England town of Ellisburg where she meets eleven-year-old Gabriel Emerson son of Laine’s neighbor Lee who keeps him locked in a basement. Gabriel is the victim of child abuse and hasn’t stepped out of his house in three years ever since the death of his mother in an accident for which Lee blames his son.

Rowan decides to escape with Gabriel and manages to take him and run, after a particularly vicious episode that leaves Gabriel seriously injured. The narrative follows Rowan and Gabriel as they settle down into a new life in Rowan’s home in Oklahoma, navigate the trauma they have each experienced, face the constant fear of being found by their abusers, and attempt to create a new life for themselves surrounded by people who care about them and are willing to lend a helping hand when their newfound sense of security is threatened by Lee.

This is my second time reading Brooke Beyfuss’ work. As in her first novel After We Were Stolen, the Author’s Note before the beginning of the story discusses possible triggers. I also found the Interview with the Author at the end of the book where she discusses her writing process, the research involved and her motivation to write this story very interesting. Though Before You Found Me by Brooke Beyfuss deals with heavy topics such as domestic abuse, child abuse, and trauma, the author, rather than craft a dark and disturbing narrative centered around abuse (few descriptions are upsetting), focusses on the path to healing, trust, second chances, sacrifice and found family. Rowan acts on an impulse borne out of her own experiences of abuse and her knowledge of the foster care system, well aware of the legal implications of her actions. We might question some of her choices but it is evident that her heart is in the right place. My heart broke for Gabriel and I thought the author depicted his pain and confusion, feelings of insecurity, attachment to Rowan and innocence with much sensitivity. I also like how the author chose to explore the strained relationship between Rowan and Celia and how they gradually begin to understand one another. The author does an incredible job of portraying complex emotions without making the narrative too heavy. Rowan’s and Gabriel’s journey is a difficult one - beginning with trauma – both physical and emotional, fear and moments of despair but also shows the role love, empathy and kindness play in the path to healing. Overall, this is a heart-wrenching story that will stay with you.

Many thanks to Sourcebooks Landmark and NetGalley for the digital review copy of this novel. All opinions expressed in this review are my own. This novel is due to be released on August 1, 2023.

Rowan has finally found the courage to escape her abusive fiancé. When she travels to stay at a friend's house, she meets Gabriel, a young boy, who has been abused and locked away for three years.
When Rowan leaves for her family home, she decides to take Gabriel away from his abuser. As they start rebuilding their lives, each must find the strength to face past traumas and realize they are worthy of love and a better future.
#BeforeYouFoundMe #NetGalley

Brook Beyfuss and the way she can write about extremely painful topics without making you want to put the book down. I had tears streaming down my face many times as I devoured this book. It will haunt your soul, tear your heart to shreds, and make you finally feel the joy that these phenomenal characters deserve. This book captured my soul, and the characters will be engrained in my mind. Much like her first book After We Were Stolen. This is a story about family. Not family in the traditional sense, not always blood related. Going out of your way to save someone who is in such desperate need that you will always put them first. The sacrifice and sheer will power is astonishing. It left me speechless and wondering what I would do if I was put in that same situation.

Rowan wakes up in the hospital after the last violent episode with her fiancé, which almost left her dead. She is on the run from Ethan, he will not leave her alone, constantly calling and texting. She heads for her friends to hide out for a bit. The neighbor is a huge, bubbly man, who seems a bit too helpful, and always around. His son Gabriel talks to her from their basement window. He always has a new bruise and seems a bit small for his age. Why is he always in the basement? He finally confides in Rowan that his father has kept him locked up for the past three years, since his mother passed. Rowan having grown up in the foster care system knows she needs to do something to get him out. To save him and herself before it is too late.

This is a hard read, that will make your mind spin, your heart ache, and your stomach clench. You feel the anxiety that both characters are feeling. The constant need to always be on the lookout, to always be on your toes, to never take anything for granted. Rowan's sister Celia is also in the picture. Older, wiser, and left Rowan in the care of others when she went to school. There are some incredible hurdles these two need to overcome to become a true family. Love, loss, heartbreak, laughter, and finally a rainbow. Thank you to Brooke Beyfuss and Sourcebooks Landmark for this incredible read.

Thank you to Sourcebooks Landmark and Netgalley for the ARC of this book, which will be out next week on 8/1!

What I Liked -

This is the second book by Beyfuss I’ve read and I genuinely enjoy her writing style. I like how she writes characters and does dialogue quite a bit, and how real each person and their interactions which each other feel. I also thought this was a great exploration of the dynamics of domestic violence. While it definitely focused more on the extreme end of things, I thought the different types of relationships and the characters’ reactions to what was happening were portrayed very realistically.

What Missed (For Me) A Bit -

Overall the story kind of dragged. That might be partially because I went in expecting more of a thriller than a character study, but I thought a lot of things could have been trimmed to keep the reader more engaged the whole time. Plus major events seemed downplayed or weren’t really the focus of the story as much as the relationships, and I thought that could have been balanced better for pacing.

I recommend that, if you’re interested in check this book out, you go in expecting a slower paced, character driven book, and, if you do, I think you’ll really enjoy it!

You might find yourself asking who saved who in this emotional novel about two people who bond over recovering from horrible abuse by the people who were meant to love them. Rowan's fiance threw her through a glass door. Newly released from the hospital, she's fled to her friend Laine's home in Massachusetts where's she's healing. And then she spies Gabriel. The 11 year old has been locked in a basement and beaten by his father since his mother died when he was eight. Rowan rescues him and heads with him to Oklahoma, where the home she inherited from her deceased parents and her pretty estranged sister Celia live. The three of them are doing ok and then there's a tornado that upends their lives. Can Rowan keep Gabriel hidden from his father? Luckily, they are a tight trio and there are other good people as well. I'll admit I was a little concerned about one of the men in Rowan's life. If I have a quibble it's that Rowan, who is meant to be 22 conveys as much older. Celia is terrific and Charlie, well, Beyfuss has captured the adolescent boy. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. There are trigger warnings in advance of this (it's less challenging than her first novel) and there's a valuable afterword. Most of all, it's page turner thanks to good storytelling and characters you'll care about.

There is a lot of darkness in the beginning of this novel. There's discussion of domestic violence and child abuse/neglect. While not as graphic, this continues throughout the novel, so if that's not for you, don't pick this one up.

I'm also going to make the disclaimer that kidnapping a child is NOT the way to save them from an abusive situation. If you or someone you know is experiencing abuse of any kind, please look up resources in your area.

That being said, now we can get back into the review.

There is a so much to unwrap in these pages. It is a story of sacrifice, pain, healing, doing the right thing even if it seems crazy, the true meaning of what makes a family, and souls recognizing souls. It's an emotional read and I couldn't put it down. It has some suspense, but not as much as one would see in a thriller.

The book is about the trauma, coping, and healing of both Rowen and Gabriel, as they attempt to navigate a new and confusing life, deal with the repercussions of their actions, and figure out exactly what they are to one another. It portrays the fear they live in every single day. Initially, they live in perpetual fear of being caught by the police, by Rowen's abuser, and by Gabriel's father. As the story progresses, so do the main characters, and you get a stunningly accurate inside look at the strength and healing of two survivors who discover what it really means to be family.

Thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for an e-ARC of this novel. Review will be posted on Instagram by or before publication date (@ellie.reads.a.lot)

Coming into the book, I expected it to be heavy and at the beginning it definitely was! There are themes of domestic violence, assault and child abuse so please do read the trigger warnings in case these will effect you.

As someone who works alongside those who work in foster care and sees how broken both the system and the people can be, I completely understand Rowan's decision to save Gabriel from his bad home life and the prospect of bouncing around foster homes. It's a huge leap, but this story shows that the bond of family is far more than the blood running through our veins. I thoroughly enjoyed the book and will recommend it!

3.5 stars rounded up to 4. Before You Found Me is Brooke Beyfuss’s second published novel but was actually written first, as she explains in the afterword. Before the novel starts, the author details the various trigger warnings but also lets the reader know that it is also a story of hope.

Rowan is a young woman who needed to escape after being physically attacked by her fiancé. She is staying at a friend’s house when a child, who is being kept in the basement by his father, reaches out to her. Instead of calling the police, knowing that Gabriel will end up in the same foster care system that she endured, Rowan essentially abducts him and moves across the country.

This is a fast-paced, quick read that kept my interest but I thought there were just too many unlikely scenarios and relationships. And I didn’t understand how she came from money and had a much older sister but still ended up in foster care. Yes, it was explained but it didn’t seem plausible. Even so, it was an enjoyable read and I will definitely read her future novels.

Thanks to the author, NetGalley and Sourcebooks for the opportunity to read this digital ARC.

4.5 stars. Before You Found Me is a remarkable story of two young people’s journey to recover from their abusive pasts and the love, understanding, and connections they experience along the way. The premise of this book is simply beautiful!

I did feel the fast paced start that was full of suspense withered to very little suspense in the latter half of the book. I would have liked the suspense to continue throughout the book. However, it must not have been the author’s intent for her story to be a thriller. (It is classified as women’s fiction.)

This fabulous story is one you will not soon forget! It will leave you thinking about it long after you have finished reading!

Thank you, NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark, for the digital ARC in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions expressed above are my own.