The premise of the story reminded me so much of the movie the Vow, that I inadvertently kept comparing it to that story. The storyline is sweet enough, against a lovely setting and I liked the character of Jonah and his family. For me, Lauren on the other hand was not an easy character to like or connect to. It was a good story for an afternoon in front of the fireplace.

Thank you to the Author, Publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity of reading, reviewing and giving my honest opinion of an ARC.

Charming and heartwarming. I fell in love with everything about this book. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this ARC!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read this charming and heartwarming book.
The book is centered on the love story of Lauren and Jonah. Jonah's family run a resort of cabins in New Hampshire. As Lauren is taking over the barn has a life altering fall and forgets the last several months. She remembers the resort but has very few memories of her time with Jonah, including falling in love with him or their future engagement.

The book was very similar to good old fashioned feel good Hallmark movie, including the happy ending. The resort in NH sounds wonderful and I would love to attend a wedding at the Laurens wedding venue. Overall it was a very easy feel good read, some sad parts but overall you left smiling. I do feel they could have done more with additional characters, it was nice to see her grow her relationship with her mother.

Denise Hunter is one of my favorite authors and I’m always excited when she writes a new book! That being said, I’m sad to admit that I didn’t love Before We Were Us. Something about Jonah and Lauren’s love story was off, keeping me from being invested in the storyline.
They had been enemies then were about to get engaged hours before Lauren was in an accident. All she can remember is how she and Jonah were when she first met him. He works hard to get her to fall in love with him all over again.
I appreciated this sweet, Christian happily-ever-after novel even if it wasn’t my favorite Denise Hunter book.

Lauren and Jonah have fallen in love, and Jonah is planning on taking Lauren out to dinner when there is an accident, and Lauren loses her memory. The last thing she remembers is Jonah as her surly rival/boss, and her working towards her dream job in Boston starting in January. Jonah is heartbroken, but they are on such different pages - will Lauren’s memory come back before it is too late?

What I liked is that Lauren and Jonah’s interactions didn’t take the path that I expected (I don’t want to ruin the story), it was also interesting to look back on Lauren and Jonah’s love story, and a bit interesting that we (as the reader) knew more about it than she did!

An unexpected, delightful love story.

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley; all opinions are my own.

This is a great read!
Love is much more than a feeling. It is a commitment and sometimes means we need to let go.
A freak accident, lost memory, and a love so true are intertwined in this romantic read.
The characters are well developed.
Your heart might ache while you read, but this story is well worth your time.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. My opinions are my own.

Let me first say that I have read every book Denise Hunter has ever written, and I will continue to do so. Forever. She is my go-to for a great romance that tugs the heart strings or sob quietly into my kleenex (because we don't have handkerchiefs anymore). Denise Hunter has written many novels, but I believe this one might be her best yet! What a wonderful story! An excellent romance by one of the top Christian contemporary authors, but I think anyone regardless of religion would enjoy the deep romance and well-plotted love story. Wonderful, captivating writing gives this novel the depth and ability to pull in any reader. Vivid, descriptive story-telling, with interesting characters that have depth to them, and are skillfully rendered. At the end of the book, they seemed more like friends than book characters to me. I highly recommend this author and all of her other books I have read have been nothing less than fantastic. She is definitely an auto-buy author for me, and I can't wait to own this novel in print. And yes, I had tears in my eyes several times - but good tears :)

This was slow to start but then the plot drew you in. Since Lauren’s accident, Jonah had to be patient and find ways to convince Lauren they were once in a relationship. Overall good book

Before We Were US by Denise Hunter is a heartwarming romance that I could not put down. Lauren Wentworth and Jonah Landry were in love and the future looked bright to them until Lauren had an accident and she did not remember falling in love with him. When they first met they got off to a rocky start because Jonah had been hurt by a previous relationship and Lauren reminded him of her. They quickly because friends and then fell in love. The story alternates between the time before the accident and the present day. She wakes up after the accident and all she remembers is what it was like before she fell in love with him. Jonah is patient, kind and willing to give her space. He keeps hoping that she will remember the love they shared. This book kept me engaged. Will she remember or will she fall in love with him again? I loved it that he was willing to let her go. I loved that his family was very supportive of him. I love all the characters that Denise Hunter creates.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

3.25 stars

City girl Lauren Wentworth is the temporary manager of Pinehaven Lodges, a rustic family-owned resort. She clashes with Jonah, son of the owners, and dreams of her next steps. After falling from a ladder, she can't remember the last four months, including the fact that she was in love with Jonah.

I liked this book but I didn't love it. The writing was good and the story was somewhat interesting, but I didn't really like Lauren. I think she was too harsh on Jonah and I couldn't really feel connected to her. I felt for her because of her past, but I would've liked to see the situation with her mom introduced earlier in the story. It came a bit too late, in my opinion. I did like Jonah and his family and would have liked to see more fun interactions of them with Lauren instead of drama and sadness.

Jonah and Lauren's relationship just didn't grab me, but overall this is a solid romance with some emotional depth. I would recommend it to those who like clean romance without a ton of religious references.

There's just something about Denise Hunter's writing that always touches my heart. Her characters are so relatable. Lauren and especially Jonah's heartfelt struggles evoke such strong emotions in the reader. Jonah had such a deep love for her. The story is well paced and heart warming. And I really liked the ending.
Thank you to Net Galley for allowing me to read this boo. The opinions are entirely my own.

📖📖 Book Review 📖📖 Our memories are an integral part of who we are. I remember when my mom had to have 9-hour brain surgery, she told the doctor to stop the surgery if she started to lose her long-term memory. The team interviewed her to get to know her so they could assess this as they progressed through the surgery in which she remained awake. What happens to us when they disappear into thin air?

There was so much hope for the future…what if you woke up and could not remember any of it? When Lauren falls from the ladder in the hayloft, her whole world as she knew it disappears. Before We Were Us is an exquisitely written novel that perfectly balances the whole range of emotions that make us vulnerable humans. This heartfelt tale will have you feeling all the feelings and contemplating life.

Review is posted on Goodreads and the final review will be posted on instagram ahead of the publication date.

This book was very clean, tender and toothachingly sweet. A bit too mild and cheesy for me. I was wishing for a bit more substance, angst and grit. But if you love very gooey love stories set in a gorgeous setting with a side of amnesia you may enjoy this one!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are mine alone.

This was òne of my favorite Denise Hunter books so far! It had all the healing and sweet romance that made for a perfect read. Loved both of the main characters and the location...let's just say I'd love to spend a summer there in New Hampshire with the Landry family. Highly recommended!

Denise Hunter's Before We Were Us is a beautifully written story about a woman dealing with memory loss, working through a life of memories to come to a point of healing and rebuilding her relationship. Jonah staying with her through this process is so sweet even though Lauren is not the easiest. It was a well written and emotional read.

Thank you netgalley for an arc of Before We Were Us by Denise Hunter

This was such a cozy read! I fell in love with Jonah from the very first page. This was incredibly sweet, and a well written depiction of a loved one with amnesia/concussion.
Lauren was a little rough around the edges, and it made my heart break for Jonah even more. Other than that this was a great book.

Before we Were Us is the newest release for 2024 by Denise Hunter. This explores the "lost memory" trope. But it is a little different as it isn't that the leading lady Lauren can't remember Jonah, it's that she DOES and it's NOT a good memory! On the day he plans to propose, there is a tragic accident and she survives, but has lost FOUR months of her memories. And those four months are the months that she fell in love with Jonah and also changed her career plans drastically.

The rest of the book gives us snapshots back in time to how Jonah wooed Lauren. And then at the same time it is present day as she deals with the loss of memory and her now strange relationships she has with everyone--much less Jonah. She can clearly see how BROKEN Jonah is from losing her due to her amnesia. And so she strives to try to understand why she went from strong dislike to love.

Throw in there that Lauren is a child from the foster system and struggles with relationships and abandonments. And Jonah as an orphan adopted by his aunt, struggles with is own demons about self-imposed feeling like he's on the outside of the family.

It's just a very lovely book with messages of hope. The characters pray and clearly have a relationship with the Lord. So I would definitely qualify it as a Christian Fiction.

*I received this book as an ARC from the publisher and NetGalley. I was not required to write a positive review and all opinions are 100% my own.

4 stars out of 5.

This book was a heartfelt romance book that had me hooked from the beginning. I really loved both Jonah and Lauren and thought they had undeniable chemistry through out the book. This book was written in past and present tense so we were able to see how their relationship started off then how it blossomed. The ending was spectacular and wrapped everything up perfectly. I would highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a touching romance book.

In Before We Were Us, Lauren is working at a resort in New Hampshire where she worked for Jonah and his family. The resort has been in Jonah's family for a while and it was picturesque. One day while Lauren was looking over the new barn she fell and was rushed to the hospital. Once she woke up she did not remember her whole summer, including how she feel in love with Jonah. Jonah was a stranger to her which was hard for him. Would Lauren get her memory back? Jonah sure hoped so, since he was deeply in love with her.

Thank you Netgalley and Thomas Nelson Fiction for this ARC in exchange for my honest review. I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own."

3.5/5 ⭐️ This was an incredibly sweet romcom that pulls at your heart strings. Denise Hunter does an incredible job of describing the location so much so that you feel like you can step into the pages and be there.

My only complaint has to do with the formatting of this copy. I understand that it is still being tweaked and revised, but the way this arc file was formatted made it difficult to read at times.

Thank you to Thomas Nelson Fiction and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this complimentary copy for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are solely my own

"Before We Were Us" by Denise Hunter is a touching story about love and second chances. Set in a rural New Hampshire resort, it follows Lauren and Jonah as they navigate the challenges of amnesia and rebuilding their relationship. Hunter's characters feel real and relatable, and her storytelling is heartfelt and emotional. With its vivid setting and compelling narrative, "Before We Were Us" is a captivating read that will leave a lasting impression.