4.5 stars that I'm rounding up to 5 because wow, just wow. 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. Rowan is finally leaving a horribly abusive relationship. She crosses paths with a young boy, also being abused, and does what she feels she needs to do. This is their journey and a beautiful glimpse of hope. This left my heart full!!

This was just heartbreakingly AMAZING. I loved every part of this, from the description I wasn't sure if this would be for me and I couldn't have been more wrong, I read this in one sitting, I couldn't put it down. The found family premise of two abuse survivors who slowly learn to expand their circle of trust and make a safe happy home for themselves is just the perfect tear-jerker.

I loved Rowan and Gabriel, their relationship dynamic was so interesting and unlike anything I've ever read before, I was desperate for them to have a happy ending and this book made me go on such a rollercoaster of emotions. I also really enjoyed seeing Celia's character arc and the healing that happened between her and Rowan. Overall the writing was beautiful and made me want to cry many times. I am definitely going to read all of Brooke Beyfuss' other works.

“Even if they could erase every blemish and every scar, she would never be the same again.” Before You Found Me has an interesting premise: what can two abuse survivors create for each other in terms of healing and constructing “the best life ever”. It’s the story of a woman who has experienced domestic and family violence, Rowan, and a boy she meets when she is running from her abuser after a particularly violent incident. Gabriel is also an abuse survivor. They go on the run, and try to create a life together with fear a constant backdrop. It’s a bit of a glancing look at what living with complex trauma is like, and some of the characters—like Flip who never speaks—feel undercooked.

“Ethan liked getting inside her head as much as he liked tossing her across the room, and it would take a lot more than eight hundred miles to stop him.” I found the writing functional rather artistic. Author Brooke Beyfuss tells you what the characters are thinking more often than she shows you: “She stared straight through the scars she’d wear for the rest of her life while her mind tucked away every bad memory, as though hiding them were enough to make them disappear.” Facts about domestic and family violence, like much of it being seen by the justice system as isolated incidents of violence, rather than a pattern, are integrated well in the book's storyline: “I’m saying he had a clean record, and this was a single instance of domestic violence.” I also liked the way both characters had different ways of making sense of the trauma in their lives, and only one of those including confronting the abuser. All in all, a sweet but glancing story that focuses on what comes after the violence written without flourishes in an fast-to-devour way.

I love love LOVED this book what a heart wrenching yet heart warming tale I thought about this book even when I was not reading it and couldn't wait to get back home to it! This book will stay will me me for a long while!
I highly recommend it!

Much thanks to #netgalley and #SourceBooksLandmark for allowing me to read and review this ARC
All thoughts and opinions are my own

I really loved this book! It was a PAGE TURNER! 4.5 stars

Rowan is a young woman who has just escaped a physically abusive fiancé. She meets Gabriel, a young boy, who has been imprisoned in the basement of his house and abused by his father. Rowan makes the decision to help Gabriel escape. The rest of the novel follows their journey healing and facing the realities of living on the run.

I wasn’t sure what to expect from this book, but was pleasantly surprised. Despite being 400+ pages, the plot is fast moving and covers the events of several years. The author writes with sensitivity to domestic violence and child abuse without sugarcoating the reality of the characters’ situations. There were some sections of the plot that seemed slightly unrealistic (eg. A child being able to fly across the country by themself) but they did not seriously detract from the storytelling. The characters were complex and evolving. I could not put the book down because I wanted to know what happened next.

Although this book covers some heavy topics, it also covers themes of family, healing and friendship. It was a truly moving and beautiful read. I hope lots of readers pick it up when it is available in August 2023.

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for the ARC.

I simply could not put this down. It was just THAT good.
The story of Rowan, a battered wife and Gabriel, a battered child, unfolds from page one and just gets more compelling and all consuming as each page, metaphorically, turns. They are two beaten souls who find each other in a world that seems to have turned a blind eye to each of them. When she escapes into the night with Gabe beside her, their lives change forever.
The characters are all wonderfully defined and even those that make you roll your eyes will also make you smile, hugely, from time to time. The author has a way of reaching down deep inside you with words that are achingly painful yet also, at the same time, achingly moving, in equal measures.
Wonderful story, & wonderful characters.
Not much left to say except ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Oh, one extra you say? Why, you ask?
Just because.

I loved this book. I can't remember a book that made me feel the things this book made me feel. Brooke is talented beyond measure and I'm desperately hoping that her two novels are no reflection of her lived experiences.

This book is an honest accounting of surviving the atrocities Rowan and Gabriel faced - it was raw and painful without being exploitative and gratuitous.

Throughout this book, especially during the happy times, I felt the deep pit of anxiety I imagine these characters felt waiting for the dangerous and scary shoe to drop. Up until the very end I wondered "oh god, what is he going to do to them?"

There were, however, a few moments where the setting or point of view changed before I realized it. Specifically, I was confused by the scene change from the porch to the courthouse for Gabe's adoption. I had to reread a few pages to orient myself in the story, but eventually got there.

The ONLY things that took me out of the story were a few questions I had of some backstory.
1) How was Rowan able to afford establishing a whole life for a child and a sizeable allowance that allowed him to travel independently? I don't remember if she had a job or inheritance from earlier in the story.

2) How was Gabriel able to buy a plane ticket and board a flight as an unaccompanied minor? And presumably without valid ID? Perhaps there is an expectation of suspension of disbelief, and I'm okay to meet that expectation.

I devoured this book. I loved it and will be recommending it with enthusiasm. I CANNOT wait for her next novel.

Thank you for the privilege of allowing me to read and review before August!

“ Before You Found Me explores the unlikely bond that develops between two abuse survivors and takes a deep dive into personal sacrifice, morality, and the healing powers of family—both blood and found——from the author of After We Were Stolen.”

This perfectly explains the unexpected bond between these two. This book was an amazing read & out of my normal reads!!! You will not be disappointed

Thanks so much to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for an advance read in exchange for this review.

Rowan is escaping her abusive fiancé to go to a house near her sister that she inherited when their parents died. She first stops to stay with a friend and meets the friendly neighbor, Lee. She then realizes that there is a little boy locked in the basement. Rowan takes the boy and they flee together to the house in Oklahoma.

This book is a lot, and it is also beautifully written. I agree with another reviewer who said they would read the phone book if this author wrote it. The story is touching and is about fighting - fighting for yourself and fighting for others. It's about saving your own life and also helping other people save theirs. It's about creating your own family and figuring out how to get that happiness that you very much deserved. I was definitely touched by Rowan's story and her fight. Gabe's story is terribly heartbreaking too, and Rowan is doing everything she can to make sure he doesn't end up dead. The family that Rowan creates is wonderful, and there are so many sweet pieces to the puzzle. I am not sure that I would have been able to survive what Rowan survived or do what she did. All in all, this is a story that tugs on the heart strings and you can't help but root for Rowan and Gabe.

4.5 stars

Thank you to Netgalley and Sourcebooks for allowing me to read this book in return for a fair an honest review. Brooke is an undeniably talented writer. Her first book, After We Were Stolen, was beautiful, heartbreaking, and uplifting all in one. So, when she said that she was releasing her next book, I was beyond excited to tackle it. The first part of Before You Found Me was beautifully written. There were certain paragraphs that made me physically recoil from the kindle and clutch my imaginary pearls as if I was in the room with the characters watching it unfold in real time. I was invested. I wanted them to get out and be happy. I couldn't wait to sit with them as they processed their heavy trauma and faced the emotions that came with it.

The gripping and descriptive way in which the first chunk of this book was written confirms that Brooke is a talented writer that needs to keep putting her work out, but to my disappointment, the rest of the story didn't do it for me. I feel as if there are pieces of the story missing. Crucial pieces that showed how the two of them managed to survive as much as they did and were still able to function like normal people without a drop of therapy to help them cope. They both went through SO much, but never took the time to really process any of it. Just shoved it down until the next traumatic moment fell on top of it.

I was a little thrown off by how the points of view would switch seemingly in the middle of the page, but I was able to overlook that after a while. Some of the dialogue could have been a bit stronger and more descript. There were a few times, in the middle of the book mostly, that it took a second to realize more than one person was talking. The way things ended with the father bugged me as well, because it was hard to believe that after everything he had put Gabriel through, he would just concede so easily.

Overall, the book was written well in some spots. I do feel as if certain aspects could have been a little stronger. I'm still a fan and I still believe Brooke' has a raw talent that should absolutely be shared with the world, but this book isn't the best example of that talent

My biggest regret is that I read this book in the first few days of January, and no other 2023 book will live up to it.

The writing style of Brooke Beyfuss is raw, real, and unmatched by anyone else I have ever read.

The book starts with a very well written author's note about the trigger warnings. It deeply explores the concepts of both domestic abuse, and child abuse. At times, it is incredibly graphic and gut wrenching. As a criminal law attorney, I can say that these topics were thoroughly researched, and portrayed with heartbreaking accuracy. As heavy as these topics are, the book is really about love, strength, healing, and what it means to be family.

Twenty-two-year-old Rowen escapes a 2 yearlong abusive relationship, which culminates in a brutal assault that lands her in the hospital with a blood transfusion and lifelong scars covering most of her body. It starts with the system failing Rowen. As with most abuse victims, she had kept the previous assaults to herself. This meant that her abuser had no criminal record and was only sentenced to serve 3 years in prison, followed by 5 years of probation. Rowen hides out in an empty home in New England, belonging to a friend. This is where she meets Gabriel, the 11-year-old boy next door, who had been kept locked away in the basement, and beaten by his father every day for the past 3 years. No one else knew of Gabriel's existence. Being a child victim of the foster care system herself, Rowen does not want to call the police, and subject Gabriel to that life. After a particularly brutal attack from his father, which almost killed Gabriel, Rowen does the only thing that makes sense to her. She kidnaps Gabriel. The two flee to Rowen's family home in Oklahoma in an attempt to start a new life.

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.

This book will be released in August, and I highly recommend it, so long as you are comfortable with such sensitive topic.

This is the second book I have read by this author. They are awesome. I would probably read the phone book if they wrote it. There are triggers such as dv and child abuse. But it is well written and a wonderful read.