ARC and ALC Review :

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️


On the night Jonah is about to propose, his girlfriend Lauren takes an unexpected fall. Upon arriving at the hospital he learns that the injury she sustained is not physical, but mental. She is diagnosed with a concussion/ traumatic brain injury that resulted in memory loss. She has no recollection of the last four months or her relationship with Jonah. Will Lauren ever regain her memories, or will her love for Jonah disappear for good?

Denise Hunter’s Before We Were Us is a five star read perfect for fall!!! This contemporary novel is set at the rustic resort, Pinehaven Lodge. With the cozy New Hampshire backdrop readers are transported to small town living, with a delightful cast of side characters.

While I am not one who usually enjoys the amnesia trope, Hunter won me over. Utilizing flashbacks, she perfectly paints the picture of Lauren and Jonah’s relationship before the accident and after. It was wonderful to see the parallels between the first and second time they fell in love.

This book also features:
-found family
-opposites attract (city girl/ small town boy)
-enemies to more
- sprinkles of Christianity/ faith

I highly recommend reading or listening to this book. I had the pleasure of enjoying both formats and see the advantage of both. Kim Churchill does a fantastic job narrating the book and making the story come to life.

Special thanks to Thomas Nelson Fiction, Harper Collins Christian Publishing, Netgalley, and Denise Hunter for allowing me to read/ listen to this book in exchange for my honest review.

This is a cute little New England love story between Lauren and Jonah.

Jonah is the small town boy that is taking over his family’s resort and Lauren is the big town (Boston) girl that needs to have real life experience at a resort before she takes the corporate job in Boston. Lauren is expected to be at the resort from May - December but she falls in love.

What happens when she falls off a ladder and looses the past three months of her life and her love story with Jonah? You’ll have to read it to find out.

Overall this was a cute book. The ending felt rushed and it didn’t feel like we fully closed the loop which was the only disappointing part.

Wow. Easiest 5 star rating ever! I loved this book. I fell in love with all the characters. The beautifully described landscape of the Landry property has me wanting to schedule a vacation! This book covers all the bases including love, loss, found family, resilience, faith, triumph, second chances. The epilog could not have been a more perfect way to end this book and the story of Jonah and Lauren.
Thank you netgalley for the advanced readers copy of this book. My reading was all my own and in no way reflected by receiving this book as a gift.

"Before We Were Us" by Denise Hunter is a heartfelt romantic novel that explores themes of love, forgiveness, and second chances. The story follows two characters, childhood sweethearts who are reunited after years apart, as they navigate their complicated past and unresolved feelings. Hunter's writing is warm and engaging, bringing the characters' emotions to life. With a blend of romance and personal growth, this book offers a touching reflection on the importance of embracing the present while coming to terms with the past. It's an enjoyable read for fans of contemporary romance.

We have ourselves a book of the year contender....

Drum roll please...

Before We Were Us

Im sure you can see from my reading history, I don't typically read contemporary romance but the book gods had aligned and this stunning cover ended up in front of me and well, I just couldn't say no and Im so happy I didn't!

I absolutely loved every bit of Jonah, ugh, if its a book boyfriend, it's not cheating right ?

Before We Were Us, is the PERFECT book club pic, I promise, you will have so much to talk about!

Both Jonah and Lauren feel SO real that when you conclude you will just want a life update, like, hey, how's it going?

I want to be their friends!!!

I can't sing enough praise, Denise Hunter, slayed and I can't wait to see what is next

Check out this teaser :

She can’t remember. He can’t forget.

When Lauren Wentworth wakes up in the hospital after falling from a ladder, she has more questions than answers. Way more. She knows where she is—the wilds of New Hampshire. But she’s apparently lost the last four months of her life. Is she really contemplating forfeiting her big-city dream job for a position at a rustic resort? And how did her number one nemesis become her adoring boyfriend?

Jonah Landry is crushed to learn Lauren has forgotten their entire summer together. Terrified of losing her for good, he determines to help her remember their deep connection as she finishes her obligation to the resort. But soon it becomes apparent Lauren doesn’t want to remember falling in love with him or rethinking the entire course of her career. She wants to pretend the summer never happened and move on with her life. Without him.

As Lauren falls back into the steady routines of resort work with Jonah, she’s relieved her memories haven’t returned and remains resolute about her big-city future. But as autumn leads into winter, she begins to see glimpses of the Jonah she’s forgotten. Will she be able to resist the steady love of this patient man? Or is her heart destined for its own freefall?

I love a good romance, but this one fell short for me. I wish I’d had more of the characters’ backstory, I didn’t like that it was glossed over in the beginning.

4.5 Stars!

This was a heartwarming and tender love story! I have read many books by Denise Hunter and I believe this is my favorite of hers.

The setting is at an idyllic family resort that was giving me all cozy vibes. Roadtrip to New Hampshire anyone?! The book was heart wrenching in the best was possible ( if that's a thing). I could feel Lauren's confusion and fear and the deep sadness and heartbreak of Jonah. Jonah is such a champ! His dedication to Lauren was SO sweet. Ugh I loved seeing their love bloom again.

Read if you like:
- the movie While You Were Sleeping or The Vow
- feel good stories that touch your heart
- cozy New England vibes
- the best dog sidekick ever
- characters that you want to be friends with
- a story of tender love
- found family
- pure thoughtfulness that will make you tear up (just wait to you get to the "Heelys" part.

I was provided a complimentary copy of the book from Thomas Nelson via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Interesting premise, and not the ending you would expect, but a fun HEA that really leaves you wondering. I felt there was a lot of character growth, both individually and together. I'm glad in the end, she didn't worry about labels as much.

Before We Were Us, by Denise Hunter, is a well plotted story relating the repercussions to one’s life after experiencing a traumatic brain injury. Lauren Wentworth is working as manager of the family owned lakeside Pinehaven Resort in Pinehaven, New Hampshire. Having had dreams of working for the elite corporate event planning company in Boston, Glitter, when Lauren is offered a paid internship by the company owner working at the resort to get management experience after owner Tom Landry suffers a heart attack.

Lauren quickly takes the opportunity given her expecting a fancy resort. When Lauren arrives at the resort, however, she finds more of a family fishing camp. She tries to make the most of it with Glitter in her sights at the end of the year. While Tom and Tammy are lovely, and their daughter Meg is delightful, their son Jonah is an enigma that rather brings out the hate at first sight reaction until it doesn’t.

On the day Jonah plans to propose at a fancy dinner, they first go to the old barn on the property that they are renovating as an event space. Taking in the view below the old loft affords, Lauren and Jonah are already making future plans. That is until a misstep on the loft ladder finds Lauren crumpled on the barn floor unresponsive. With a quick 911 call it still seems like forever before emergency services arrives and transports Lauren, accompanied by Jonah, to the hospital. However, when Lauren finally awakes it is determined that she has lost the last several months of memory and remembers nothing of her relationship with Jonah and is still in the time before they were together. From there, the story evolves to tell what happens as Lauren returns to the resort as well as how she plans to leave at the beginning of the year.

This is another well written and heartfelt story by Denise Hunter. With wonderful characters, a lovely, well described setting, and a focus on the seriousness of head injuries, this is one more must read from this author. I very much enjoyed this book and I do recommend it!

This book gives major The Vow vibes.

Before We Were Us by Denise Hunter shares the premise of the female protagonist losing her memory in an accident and forgetting about falling in love with the male protagonist. So the question then becomes, “Will she get her memories back? Can he make her fall in love with him again?”

The story is very cute, as are the couple. It is told in third person POV, flip flopping between the FMC and MMC. It’s a slow burn, closed door romance (which I really appreciate).

The writing sometimes could be a little trite, especially when it comes to some character descriptions, but thankfully the main characters develop more layers as you near the 50% mark.

Set against the backdrop of a resort in New Hampshire, this story is a nice, quick fall read!

Special thanks to NetGalley and Thomas Nelson Fiction for this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Before We Were Us is available now wherever books are sold.

Lauren and Jonah have had an unexpected romance when she moved to rural New Hampshire to get job experience working at Jonah’s family’s resort. Starting out as hostile co-workers, the two slowly let each other in and fall in love. But things take an even more unexpected turn when Lauren gets in a freak accident causing her to loose her memory of the last few months and she completely forgets that she is in love with Jonah. She only remembers the hostility she felt toward him when she first arrived. The story gives current day and flashbacks to the past as you get a detailed look at their relationship. This story is filled with heartwarming moments, a good amount of emotional depth, lovable characters, and a rich setting that will leave you wanting to research a trip to New Hampshire.

I’ve been a fan of Denise Hunter for quite a few years now, but I think this may take the cake as my favorite book by her. If you are looking for a clean, fall romance with a rich setting and engaging story, then I would give this book a try! I know this book will be a huge hit at our library this fall as many of our patrons have fallen in love with her books over the last year.

The story was very engaging and I really appreciated her adding in a few more faith elements than her last few books- would love to see more of this! I also loved the different timelines and emotional depth to this story. I found myself getting really connected and invested into the story to where I didn’t want to put the book down (this is not a normal occurrence for me).

Content Notes: themes of abandonment/foster care/adoption, moderate panic attacks/anxiety representation, clean/kisses only

This is a heartwarming and romantic tale that will captivate readers who adore stories of second chances, self-discovery, and the transformative power of love, making it a perfect fit for fans of uplifting and emotional romance novels.

This was a beautifully written story. It had a great balance of heart, emotion and faith. I genuinely enjoyed the journey through all the ups and downs and appreciated how it all came together.

Before We Were Us, by Denise Hunter, is a heartwarming story that is very enjoyable to read. The story has wonderful characters. Lauren took the position as the Landry resort as a stepping stone toward her dream job, but something changed her mind. After a terrifying accident, she has no memory of changing her mind. As Jonah works to help her regain her memory, hurts for her and what could have been.

This is an enjoyable story to read. I loved the characters and felt so sorry for Lauren and especially Jonah as he sat along the sidelines and watched her struggle to regain her memory. I found his mother to be a fun character as she forces them to spent time together and hopes for the relationship to return. This is such a sad yet heartwarming story to read. I especially found the changed Lauren made to the resort and how the family accepted them interesting.

I voluntarily received a complimentary copy of this story, this is my honest review.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this ARC publication for an honest review.

Can you imagine losing parts of your memory? Not just any memories but specifically a timeframe with significant importance, like the person you are in love with...

Jonah is ready to propose to Lauren when a fall erases the whirlwind romance and love she feels. She only remembers the early days of their relationship which got off to a volatile start. And the memory that her current job at the lodge is temporary before she returns to the big city and her dream job.

While the heartbreak was palpable, it was softened with the rekindling of feelings and the love that was below the surface. Jonah was so patient and kind, loving Lauren enough to let her go follow her dream.

Kind of predictable, buy still enjoyable!

3.5 stars

Oh I loved this story! Such a unique story line for amnesia. It held my attention all the way through the book. I listened to the audiobook as well and the narrator was easy to listen to for hours. Such a good book! I am so glad I was allowed to read it.

Denise Hunter is a go-to author for me when I'm looking for a book that will tug on my heart. Before We Were Us is just such a book, and it tugged hard!

Lauren Wentworth put herself through college and earned a hospitality degree. She took that degree to the Landry family's Pinehaven Lodge in rural New Hampshire for the summer before starting her job in big-city Boston. The job meant to prove herself to her dream job became so much more when she fell in love with Jonah Landry, his family, and the possibilities she sees in the job she is doing. When she falls from a ladder suffering a head injury, she loses four months of her memory. In those four months she and Jonah went from adversaries to friends to in love, and she pulled her name from contention at Glitter, her dream job. All she remembers when she wakes up in the ER is that Jonah doesn't like her much, and she got the job at Glitter. As the "end" of her job at Pinehaven approaches, will she ever recover the memories of the love she and Jonah shared?

Jonah Landry didn't see much to like in Lauren when she first arrived at Pinehaven. She was a know-it-all, snooty, and on-her-way-up to a glamorous job in Boston when she came to them, but she had no idea what Pinehaven needed to survive. As they work side-by-side, he begins to see glimpses of a different Lauren, one who isn't quite as self-assured, and what he sees, he likes. She's willing to tackle any job they give her and she admits her mistakes when she makes them. When they're stranded together in a storm, they begin to see each other differently. Lauren's fall happens just as Jonah is gearing up to propose to her and suddenly, she thinks she only has a month to go before she heads to the city. Can he convince her that their love is real, and she voluntarily gave up the city to stay with him?

I listened to this one on my NetGalley Shelf app, and, while I enjoyed the story (which I read along with, partly to see how closely the narration matched what I was reading) it felt like the narration "flattened" out some of the emotion I was reading in the actual text. Generally, I love listening to books because I can usually do something else while I'm "reading." I still loved the book, but I felt the narration knocked it down a star for me. As always, though, I can highly recommend the book itself. I felt like that had all the emotion I expect from a Denise Hunter book.

Before We Were Us is a wholesome and lighthearted read. I loved the setting of a woodsy resort in New Hampshire and would love to be whisked away there in real life. I have been a fan of Denise Hunter for a while and have always enjoyed her books. They are a nice feel-good hallmark story.

The book description lead me to believe there would be a little more conflict or turmoil given Lauren's "crush" on Dr. Carson. Given the way the book is described I thought it would be a much larger plot in the story. However, this is basically non-existent and no more than a fleeting thought.

There was a hint at character depth but not deeply explored. Complex issues and triggers are therefore not strong themes within the book. It may make those topics more palatable for those looking to read as an escape. Jonah's previous relationship was heartbreaking and messy and then he jumps into a "relationship" with someone fairly similar. Lauren has a lot of resentment for her mother that is addressed but doesn't necessarily go into grave detail.

Lovely romance based in an idyllic summer resort in New Hampshire. I loved the sense of place given by all the details. I would have loved to get to know the characters personalities and quirks a little more, especially secondary characters like Meg and Tammy.

Before We Were Us
by Denise Hunter
5/5 stars

Lauren Wentworth, is a city girl who takes a job managing a cozy resort in New Hampshire while waiting for her dream career in Boston. She quickly bonds with Jonah, the owners' son, and dreams of transforming a barn into a wedding venue.

But when an accident causes her to lose memories of the past four months, including her relationship with Jonah, things get complicated. With only texts and photos to help her remember, the emotional stakes rise for both of them.

Denise’s writing captures the romance and charm of the resort beautifully. This is my second book by her, and I'm definitely going to read more!