This book will trigger all kinds of emotions from disbelief to anger to forgiveness and acceptance but mostly love. Family isn’t always related by blood and Rowan and Gabriel proved that. Rowan and Gabriel both ran away from horrible situations and fled to the one place Rowan never thought she would go again- back to her home state and the house left to her by her deceased parents. This is a story of survival, perseverance, and unconditional love between two people bond by similar experiences.

I wanted to give Rowan and Gabriel so many hugs throughout this book. They are truly survivors and they preserved when everything was standing in their way. Rowan saw herself in Gabriel and did everything in her power to protect him and give him unconditional love and support. Gabriel’s life would never had been what it ended up being if it weren’t for Rowan and what she did for him.


I would definitely classify this more as a generic fiction mixed with a bit of women’s fiction because of the emotional investment and sensitive subject. Check the triggers before reading and if you are okay with them definitely read this book.


Thank you @bookmarked and @netgalley for this eARC in exchange for my honest feedback.

After being released from the hospital, Rowan is broken, both physically and mentally. Taking respite in a friends home to heal, she notices the strange boy next door. The one that never goes outside, the one that’s living in the basement. When she finally gets eleven year old Gabriel to talk through the window, she is appalled by what she hears, after all his father seems like such an upstanding, likeable guy. Taking matters into her own hands, Rowan helps Gabriel escape and takes him with her to her childhood home in rural Oklahoma. A home that she inherited after the death of her parents when she was young. Rowan vows to make a better life for Gabriel, but are they prepared for all the lies they must tell and with Rowan’s fiancé out of jail and Gabriel’s dad on the warpath are they safe? When they become heroes after surviving a tornado everything is about to change, but will sheer will and determination kept them safe and together or will it take a miracle? This story, while implausible, was a sweet story of survival, of overcoming and most of all a bond of love that could not be easily broken. Thank you to Sourcebooks and NetGalley for an ARC of this book.

Before You Found Me
Author Brooke Beyfuss
Available now!

Thank you, @bookmarked & @brookebeyfuss, for my #gifted copy of this beautiful book and to @netgalley for my e- arc!

~ How far would you go to save a child that isn't yours? ~

This is such a slow burn and emotionally complex read! A little lengthy at times, but I was really intent on learning how this impossible situation was going to unfold. I went into it pretty much blind and was so drawn into Rowan's powerful story.

Scared for her life and needing to flee from her abusive fiancé, Rowan decides to hide and start over in a small town in New England. Laying low, her neighbor, Lee, pops by often and is a little too welcoming. While outside in her yard, Rowan hears a timid voice. The voice is coming from a very small eleven- year- old boy named Gabriel, Lee's son, who has been imprisoned in their basement, physically abused, and starved for three years since his mother died.

Absolutely horrified, Rowan is desperate not only to save herself but now to save Gabriel. So, she takes Gabriel (and this is no small feat) and flees to rural OK where she grew up and where her estranged sister lives. I loved their developing relationship and the role Rowan's sister played. What follows is the incredible bond that develops between the two survivors and how they manage to stay under the radar until they just can't anymore.

And emotional story of trauma and healing, found family, love, and the lengths we go to protect the ones we love. Before You Found Me is a raw story of survival, and domestic drama lovers will be drawn into Rowan's story just as I was.

The first thing to know about “Before You Found Me” by Brooke Beyfuss is that involves physical and emotional abuse. While that may be triggering, it’s at the heart of this heart-wrenching novel about love, family and survival.
Rowan McNamara, 22, is fleeing an abusive fiancé when she finds temporary refuge at friend’s vacant New England. Escape is her priority until she meets the neighbor’s son Gabriel. The 11-year-old never comes outside and only speaks to her from the basement window. The reason why soon comes frighteningly clear.
Driven by empathy and outrage, Rowan takes the boy, flees to rural Oklahoma and sets about to raise Gabriel on her own with the sometimes help of her estranged sister Celia. Together, they try to establish a family bond and a sense of normality. But how normal can life be when there’s always the threat of Gabriel’s father finding them?
Despite the dark circumstances surrounding her characters, the author doesn’t fall into cliches about domestic abuse, child abuse and trauma. She doesn’t overplay them, but instead uses them to promote trust, healing and found family. The novelist portrays complex emotions without making the narrative too heavy.
Beyfuss carefully builds a deeply emotional novel reinforced by characters that you can’t help but care about. Their bond is just as strong as blood, and they're willing to do anything to protect one another. You cheer for them, hoping they find peace and that the abusive father will finally get what he deserves.
Here’s hoping that we’ll be treated to more from this gifted writer.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced reader copy of this book. Before you found me is a moving story about about two abuse survivors who find each other and create a family. It is a heart wrenching book that shows how two people find courage in the face of extreme trauma, love, family, and healing. Great book, but trigger warning for abuse.

Excuse me while I sop up the emotional goo leaking from my pores.

Before You Found Me is a disturbing yet beautiful story of abuse and healing.

We have a young woman, badly broken both physically and psychologically, finally escaping an abusive relationship. We have a boy, lost and alone, in desperate need of rescue. And we have the woman’s estranged older sister, who has her own demons to wrestle.

This story takes us to some dark places, but we don’t wallow there. We’re given hope and enough light to see a path out. The issues our characters face are happening right now, in real life, somewhere nearby. Maybe on your street or in your family. I thought these aspects were handled with grace and respect, in a way that might make us all more aware.

Parts stretched plausibility a bit, but I was happy to make the leap because I needed the feel-good moments.

*Thanks to Sourcebooks Landmark and NetGalley for the eARC.*

I waffled between a three and four for this one. I really liked the first half of this book. The second half seem to go a tad off the rails and throw in some more plot points that I don’t know were necessary. Overall, I really enjoyed the story, but I felt like there were a lot of ideas for how to end the book that all got explored but maybe shouldn’t have and just ended 100 pages earlier instead.

3.5⭐️ - overall I enjoyed this, but it was very uneven for me, both in terms of holding my interest, and believability. I enjoyed the characters though as well as their journey.

I really enjoyed this book. It was very emotional and the character development was so realistic and beautiful.
The book kept taking directions that I didn't see coming, but overall, because I liked the characters and the dialogues so much, I was invested and enjoyed it till the very end.

From the very first pages, this book ensnared my literary heart and refused to let go. Its pacing? A masterpiece of avoiding those slow-slog moments and instead, a seductive dance of engagement. Unraveling its pages is like opening a treasure chest – inside, a trove of themes awaits. Sacrifice and pain intermingle with healing and audacious decisions, all while the notion of family is unraveled and rewoven. Oh, and don't even get me started on souls recognizing souls – it's like a celestial meet-and-greet.

Rowan, our protagonist, is running from an abusive relationship. And just when you think that's enough backbone for one story, she stumbles upon a mistreated young boy and decides to do some heroic meddling. Thus unfolds their shared journey, a symphony of courage and a brushstroke of hope. My heart? Let's just say it's brimming, bubbling, and positively bursting after this read. If there were a way to give a book a standing ovation, this one would deserve an encore.

This book right here kicks you in all the feels as it dives into the stories of 2 trauma ridden, broken individuals and how they come out the other side just this beautiful little family. I really enjoyed this book, it gave me such Jodi Picoult vibes!! It does have some very sensitive issues, so please check trigger warnings before diving into this one! The author really handled them well though!! Thank you so much to @bookmarked & @brookebeyfuss for sharing this remarkable book with me!

I give Before you found me by Brooke Beyfuss ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

"Before You Found Me" is an excellent novel about courage in the face of extreme trauma, love, family, and healing. Author Brooke Beyfuss tells us a great story.

Rowen meets Gabriel when she borrows her best friend’s house to hide from her very abusive fiancé. Gabriel is living in the basement of the house next door and she discovers the father is mortally abusive to the young boy. Rowen decides to run away with the boy 10 years younger than her and go to somewhere no one can find them. She knows this is wrong but also knows his father will kill him if she leaves him behind. The entire story is an emotional rollercoaster as the main characters bond to form a family. When I started reading this book I did not expect it to be so powerful but I found I could not wait to get back to reading it and find out where it was going. This will be a marvelous read for any bookclub and the discussions will be amazing. I did not love the topic but I loved, loved the book and highly recommend it.

I look forward to her next book. Brooke is an amazing author.

Rowan and Gabriel are both abused. These two make a life for themselves together. Each one of them has to overcome the abuse.
Thanks to Sourcebooks Landmark and NetGalley for the ARC.

Rowan, twenty-two, has left her abusive fiancé after having nearly died at his hands. Her best friend in Massachusetts is allowing her to stay in her rental house as she is flying to Japan to visit her parents. This will give Rowan the time she needs before moving to Oklahoma where her deceased parents have left her and her older sister their home. Hopefully it will be far enough away that Ethan can no longer find her.

One day, as she's puttering around the yard, she see's a face in the basement window of the neighboring house. A child. When she approaches they disappear. The next day she tries again and here she begins a friendship with 11 year old Gabriel. Rowan can see something of herself in this little boy. The fearful glances and darting eyes. The bruising on his face and body. Gabriel finally admits that his father locked him the basement three years ago and he has never left since. His father blames him for the death of his wife and Gabriel's mother.

Rowan can not believe that this sweet little boy is being held captive and abused so she hatches a plan to abduct Gabriel when she leaves for Oklahoma. Will they succeed in their plan to escape? You'll have to read this to find out.

That's all I'm willing to say. Brook Beyfuss to me on an emotional roller-coaster ride and my chin was quivering nearly the entire time I was reading this book. Oh, how my heart hurt for these two. As the story rolls along we are introduced to other characters and all of them were wonderful. Celia, Rowan's straight laced sister, worked well against Rowan's more impulsive nature, showing us how truly different they are to one another. Watching their journey was almost as rewarding as watching Gabriel's. I truly came to love this family. While this story is dark and disturbing Beyfuss infuses glimpses of hope, love, and even laughter. Is this the most realistic story? No, not really, but I didn't care in the least bit. I was far too invested with these characters and their outcome that all rational thought no longer mattered to me. According to other reviewers her debut was just as great, some claimed even better than this, so you know I'll be getting my hands on that one soon. Simply outstanding! 4 stars!

Thank you to NetGalley and SOURCEBOOKS Landmark for my complimentary copy.

This book is well written and I was really immersed in it. Rowan is a well-defined character but some of her responses and actions irked me. She could be downright nasty and hurtful at times and doesn't hesitate to stand up for Gabriel no matter what. Their relationship is a little weird and bordered on obsessive if you ask me. They could probably both benefit from some counselling but this story doesn't go there. In her Author's Notes, the author makes mention of the fact that she read a lot about emotional incest while she was writing the book which helps to explain why I felt uncomfortable at times. As another reviewer mentioned, there were jumps in conversations and in the timeline that interfered slightly with my enjoyment of the book and hopefully the published version differentiates somehow that we're in another conversation or that we've travelled forward many months. Again, the author explains that the book was originally 2-1/2 times longer than it ended up so that could account for the jumps. In spite of these minor quibbles I recommend the book but be sure to read the author's trigger warnings at the beginning. Love that cover! 4.5 stars rounded down.

I hope to get my hands on a copy of After We Were Stolen by this author and will also be on the watch for whatever comes next.

Thank you to Sourcebooks Landmark via Netgalley for making it possible for me to read an ARC of this novel. All opinions expressed are my own.
Publication Date: August 1, 2023

Author Brooke Beyfuss's sophomore novel BEFORE YOU FOUND ME is the highly emotional follow-up to her astounding debut AFTER WE WERE STOLEN and destined to be just as popular with readers. A heartfelt domestic suspense novel, this story is brilliantly crafted and delivered. While the story is dark and heavy, a message of light and hope shines through.

Rowan McNamara flees a physical and mentally abusive relationship with her boyfriend after his latest assault lands her in the hospital. While determined to press charges this time, she escapes to a friend's vacant home in a small New England town for safe harbor until she can make her way to her estranged sister's home in Oklahoma. Orphaned at an early age, Rowan was separated from her sister and grew up in the foster system leaving her no one else to turn to for help. While recovering at her friend's house, Rowan meets next door neighbor Lee who appears friendly albeit wary. Not long after, she meets Lee's eleven-year-old, battered and bruised son Gabriel - an obvious victim of child abuse who's been locked in their basement ever since his mother's death three years prior. Rowan and Gabriel communicate through a basement window when his father is not home forming a friendship based on mutual need. When Rowan finds Gabriel bloody and in extreme pain from yet another brutal beating, she's outraged and quickly forms a plan to disappear with Gabriel to Oklahoma. The story that ensues follows Rowan and Gabriel as they begin settling into a new life while learning to live, love and trust again. With one eye on a brighter future and another on the danger they know is coming from their past, they deal with the repercussions of their trauma while living with the ever-present fear of being hunted down by their abusers. It's soon crystal clear their battle for freedom has only just begun.

BEFORE YOU FOUND ME is an intense, gut-wrenching and heartfelt story about two wounded souls, both victims of traumatic abuse, who become survivors and allies in a fight for the future they richly deserve. Beyfuss has a gift for creating characters that speak directly to readers' hearts by earning their empathy and respect - the kind of characters that linger long after the final page has been read. While this story isn't always easy to read, it delivers a powerful message about the ability of humans to survive and flourish in the aftermath of pain, confusion and fear that comes from being horribly betrayed by someone in a position of power and trust. The author sets an escalating pace that rises as the danger and threat of being tracked down escalates. I enjoyed the secondary story of the broken, strained relationship between Rowan and her sister as they work to mend burned bridges between them, eventually coming to an understanding. The importance and meaning of family, whether chosen or by blood, is emphasized as are the implications and long-term effects of domestic violence and child abuse on survivors as the author explores these themes with grace and respect. As one might imagine, BEFORE YOU FOUND ME is a dark, disturbing read; however, through it all the author focuses on the light at the end of the tunnel - the hope, love and kindness that comes with healing and daring to trust again.

BEFORE YOU FOUND ME is a beautifully rendered, highly engaging and compelling story about the bond formed between two survivors of abuse who are charged with learning and accepting the true meaning of compassion, love and family as they reveal just how far they'll go to protect those they love. While this book is dark, the author does a fantastic job of balancing the darkness with the light that comes with hope. Fans of domestic suspense novels and stories that tug at the heartstrings are going to enjoy this story.

While not as great as her debut novel, I still really enjoyed this book by Beyfuss. I did have to suspend my belief quite a bit, but overall enjoyed the relationship between Rowan and Gabe.

When Rowan McNamara’s abusive fiance Ethan throws her through a plate glass window, it’s the impetus she needs to finally leave him. Though he’s arrested for this latest act of battery, she knows that physical distance is key for her recovery, both physically and emotionally. This is no small task, as he’s not the kind of person who’ll relinquish his control over her that easily.

As she waits for her estranged older sister Celia to ready their childhood home for her to move into all the way out in Oklahoma, she drives hours away from where she’d previously lived on the East Coast to take refuge in the New England home of Laine Mae, her oldest, and perhaps her only, friend. Ethan had made sure to isolate Rowan from any form of support system as soon as he could, so in addition to having no friends, the twenty-two year-old has no job and no education beyond her high school diploma. Laine, at least, has done her best to stay in touch. When she learns that Rowan needs help, she readily offers her house, sitting vacant while she visits her grandparents overseas.

At first, Laine’s place is everything Rowan could ask for: a quiet, secure refuge where Ethan won’t be able to find her. But when she makes the acquaintance of the child “grounded” in the basement next door, a new set of complications arise:

QUOTE
Gabriel had pulled back from the window, partially shrouded in darkness. But there was enough light to see something was off; he was fidgety, constantly moving, like he didn’t want her to get a good look at him. His face was just as smudged as it had been a few days ago, but now it didn’t look like dirt. Her mind kept clicking, flashing memories of her own face, her old face, welts and bruises, one after another, until the picture was whole, and she realized exactly what was in front of her.
END QUOTE

Rowan has no intention of letting the abused eleven year-old continue to live in the same house as his deranged father, but she’s reluctant to call in the authorities. Gabriel’s experience with them has been disappointing at best. Rowan herself knows firsthand that growing up in the foster system is incredibly difficult. So she decides to take the extreme measure of orchestrating his escape and taking him with her to Oklahoma. In the strict legal definition of the word, she kidnaps him.

Their first few months together are fraught, not because of any friction between the two but because of their constant fear of being found out. Rowan is forced to throw herself on Celia’s mercy, but the nurse practitioner rises to the occasion, if not with the greatest grace. Alas that not everyone else recognizes or understands the bond between the two. When Dell, an emergency medical technician, enters their lives following a horrific disaster, Gabriel develops a hatred for him based on Dell’s refusal to let him see Rowan when she was injured. As Gabriel explains to Rowan, who’s started dating Dell:

QUOTE
“I mean I’m nothing to you. [...] Maybe if I said I was your brother or your kid or someone important, he would have let me see you.”

“Who cares what Dell or anyone else thinks we are? <i>We</i> know. And no matter what happens, he will never be as important to me as you are. Never.”

“What good is that if we can’t tell anyone? You’re not my mom, and I’m not your kid–we’re nothing. It’ll always be like that. You barely know Dell, but you can already call him something people will understand.” Gabriel wiped his face with the hem of his shirt. “I hate him for that.”
END QUOTE

Society’s refusal to take found families seriously is only one of the thoughtful topics broached in Brooke Beyfuss’ sophomore published novel. As always, she tackles the difficult subjects of abuse and emotional recovery with sensitivity, creating sympathetic characters whose motivations you can always understand. I loved, too, how in her afterword she explains how she was very careful to ensure that Rowan never treated Gabriel as an adult: after all he’d gone through, it was important to Rowan that Gabriel got to be a kid.

Never has a criminal act and the subsequent evasion of authority been depicted as so justified and necessary as this. Both moving and thought-provoking, this tear-jerker of a novel will resonate with anyone who has even an ounce of empathy and compassion, and who understands that love isn’t just about giving indiscriminately. As Before You Found Me masterfully shows, love requires an active, on-going partnership of communication and care, even against all odds.

𝐁𝐞𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐅𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝐌𝐞
𝐁𝐲 𝐁𝐫𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐞 𝐁𝐞𝐲𝐟𝐮𝐬𝐬
𝐏𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐫: 𝐒𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐜𝐞𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐬 𝐋𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐤
𝐏𝐮𝐛 𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐞: 𝟖.𝟖.𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟑 𝒪𝓊𝓉 𝒩𝑜𝓌!

Thank you @bookmarked for the gifted book.

Whew! I will warn you this one may make you uncomfortable, it may make you mad, you may cry, but you won’t forget Rowan and Gabriel anytime soon.

Rowan, only in her early twenties, is trying to deal with her own trauma and scars from childhood and horrible abuse from her ex-husband. When she stumbles across her neighbor boy, Gabriel who has been locked in the basement, full of bruises for over three years by his cruel father, she knows she can’t just do nothing.

Rowan makes a decision that will change the course of their lives. She tells Gabriel, that they are leaving and never coming back. Is it kidnapping? Legally yes, but she will do anything to save Gabriel.

Now they run to her childhood home, left to her, hoping that Gabriel’s father and Rowan’s soon-to-be released-from-prison ex don’t hunt them down.

I was so afraid for Rowan and Gabriel. Every time Rowan would meet someone, I was sure they’d turn them in - it was nerve-racking. I loved the relationship that formed between Rowan and Gabe. Although they were close in age, they still developed a mother-and-son relationship. I also loved how Rowan’s relationship with her sister Celia developed and healed as the story progressed.

The narrative quietly asks the tough question - was Rowan wrong in kidnapping Gabriel? But the power of healing, forgiveness, and love shines strong. A suspenseful, but beautiful story of what family truly is.

Pub date: 8/1/23
Genre: contemporary fiction, family drama
Quick summary: Rowan flees to a small town to escape her abusive fiance, but she finds more trouble - a boy being kept in her neighbor's basement. She rescues him and they head to Oklahoma - will she always be looking over her shoulder, or can they become a family?

I loved Beyfuss' first novel, so I had to pick this one up. I had read the description, but I wasn't quite prepared for how dark this one would be. The violence and abuse at the beginning of the book felt very shocking to me. I also don't know how plausible the abduction storyline would be in real life.

That being said, I really liked Rowan's character and how she gained Gabriel's trust and worked to rebuild both their lives. I also enjoyed seeing Rowan and Celia open up to each other to repair their relationship. If you like stories of hardship and redemption, this is a great pick! The ending gave me all the feels.

Thank you to Sourcebooks Landmark for providing an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.