Denise Hunter has written some great Christian romances, like the fabulous Sweetbriar Cottage. Sweetbriar Cottage is a sweet (!) yet powerful exploration of the nature of unconditional love, and a great second chance romance with some deep Christian themes.

Hunter has also written some novels that have just missed the mark for me. Riverbend Gap has heroine Katie dating one brother while falling for another, while Just a Kiss hinted at the physical and mental health issues facing returned servicemen and women but didn’t deliver.

I am usually a sucker for amnesia stories, but Before We Were Us didn’t hit the right notes for me.
Jonah is about to propose to Lauren when has an accident. She wakes up having lost four months of memories, and finding the annoying guy from the rustic resort she was working at hanging around for no known reason.

Then she finds out they were dating: during the missing four months, she and Jonah moved from enemies to friends to an adoring couple planning their wedding. Oops.

I expected the story to start with Lauren’s accident (which it did), then to move forward and show her recover and falling in love with Jonah all over again (which it didn’t). Instead, it flitted back and forth between the present timeline, which started in September, and how she and Jonah fell in love the first time. Nice, but we knew they’d fallen in love a first time. What I wanted to see was Lauren falling for Jonah a second time.

Both timelines were told from both points of view, and it wasn’t always clear which timeline we were in (not helped by the fact I routinely don’t read chapter headings, which I know is a me problem). As a result, I found it hard to engage with the story and with the characters and found the story ultimately unsatisfying.

Thanks to Thomas Nelson and NetGalley for providing a free ebook for review.

This was a sweet story of love defeating all other things. Set in two different times, this is the story of a young woman who lost her memory of the past few months, thus changing her relationship with her boyfriend. This was a good story, but tended to drag, and I had some trouble following the back and forth of the different points in time. I look forward to the author’s next story.

This is a heart wrenching story. Lauren Wentworth has been on a path to getting her dream job. When the opportunity arises, she is told that if she can help this old friend get her hotel in the wild back on track over the next 9 months, she would get the job. This city girl had no idea what she was getting into. Jonah Landry is the son of the owners. He feels he should be running the place and he acts accordingly. The first meeting goes wrong. So Jonah has decided to make amends. They had a Summer of falling in love. A freak accident leaves Lauren with no memory of the past four months, Can the person you love give you another chance or will you end up letting her go? In the end, she is back in the city, working her dream job. Only little pieces of her memory keep coming to her. Where does she belong? Her dream job that she has worked towards her whole life or the life she was making with Jonah? A beautifully written book.

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

4⭐️ My favorite book written by Denise Hunter to date. She writes books with such emotional depth and heart, filled with hope, hurt, and unconditional love. It is the perfect recipe to make you feel all the feels for these characters. These characters aren't even real and they had me shedding tears along with them. But that's the thing, these characters are put through real life hard things, and I become way more invested in their story when it is realistic. Jonah and Lauren were put through it, yet I couldn't put it down. I wanted to witness their happily ever after and boy was it worth the wait.

Quick side note, I absolutely hate love triangles, but I felt like there was a missed opportunity in the story with Carson. He was basically introduced for no reason. The author made it a point to say he was single and then he didn’t show up on the page after that. Maybe she did that to misdirect us? I’m not sure. But whatever. I’m also glad there were no sparks between them. Jonah didn’t deserve that!

Jonah. Oh Jonah. He was so patient and kind and his poor heart was wrecked over and over. Lauren was the worst ha. I actually hated her for a while but then came to understand. I couldn’t imagine losing months of my memory and just pretending or trying to make things normal again. Because she wasn’t the same person.

I loved their romance and the flashbacks from before her accident. And that ending was healing that’s for sure, so I’m just satisfied with this story.

*Thank you to NetGalley, Thomas Nelson Fiction, and Denise Hunter, for the complimentary copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

One minute Lauren was on a ladder and the next she had fallen to the ground. Jonah rushes to her side and calls 911 and off they go to the hospital. Her memory is fuzzy, has a big gap from April-November that she remembers nothing? Does her memory come back? I liked this story and I loved everything about New Hampshire. The Pinehaven Resort sounded so cozy with their cozy cabins that I pictured myself being in one of them! I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

A woman falls off a ladder and can't remember months. Her boyfriend was not her boyfriend then but now he is devastated that she can't remember their relationship. Give her time, they said.

NOTE: I previously sent this same review for the audiobook. I had applied for both. I left out the part where I mention the stellar narrator in this one.

REVIEW: I’ve read many novels by this author but this is my favourite. It is her BEST work, in my opinion and it releases September 10, 2024. From the gorgeous autumn cover to the epilogue that makes your heart feel like it will stretch right out of your body, this book is a must-read.

This novel has joy and heartbreak, beauty and ugliness, tears and laughter, emptiness and fullness, strengths and weaknesses, low valleys and mountain-top moments. And she does it all with the reader feeling fully invested and immersed in the characters and community. 

They are not perfect characters with a Cinderella story. There are flaws. There are missteps. There are moments you want to scream in utter frustration, cry in despair, and cheer with jubilance. And swoon??? Oh, YES, there is heart-palpitating swoon that is so full of depth and meaning.

There are so many layers to this story and it keeps you reading as you peel them back one by one. I would love to see this become a series (hint-hint!!!) because I love the people and community of Pinehaven. I am, therefore, firmly invested in what comes next: 
- Jonah’s sister? 
- The handsome doctor returning home? 
- Lauren’s best friend visits or takes a job there? (Maybe her AND the doctor!)

Two or three more books would be juuuuust right! After all, that stunning barn venue is just waiting expectantly, in all its splendor, to be the amazingly romantic setting for endless weddings to come!

*** HUGE thanks to #NetGalley and #ThomasNelson (publisher) for an advanced copy of the audiobook. My honest review is voluntary and in my own words.  #BeforeWeWereUs

Thank you netgalley for the chance to review this!
This is such an interesting concept: Lauren has an accident on the night of her proposal to Jonah and wakes up completely forgetting their relationship. They had started as enemies only a few months before and the 'enemies to lovers' trope is completely lost with her amnesia. In alternating timelines we get to watch them fall in love the first and time while figuring out how they relate to each other in the current timeline. It's also incredibly closed door if its something you like!
I thought this had so much potential and I ended up liking it, but I wouldn't say loving it. I struggled a bit with Lauren's lack of interest in understanding the part of her life that is missing. I am also incredibly type A and a go-getter and I just see myself wanting to know so badly who I was. I also struggled a bit with how they fell back together in the current timeline: I think it relied a little to heavy on the nostalgia in the past timeline and not alot of actual action in the current timeline. Lauren fell in love with Jonah's love for her, not really him, if that makes any sense.
It was enjoyable but not something I'll reach for again.

I liked the premise of the story, I thought it would be a lovely read about finding love again. However, I had a hard time connecting with the characters. Although I could feel Jonah’s pain and heartbreak when Lauren can’t remember him or their love after her accident, I didn’t really like Lauren and how she handled everything. I felt I wanted deeper dialogue but Lauren’s character felt flat. It felt abrupt when she all of a sudden was in love with him again. Overall it was a quick, mostly enjoyable read I was just waiting for more.

i’ve been a fan of Denise for years and while this is not my favorite of her books, I do recommend it if you enjoy second chance, forced proximity, or no spice romances!! Jonah’s love for Lauren was so sweet and he did everything right towards her in a impossible situation. i loved the ending and was so happy about the resolution of a very important relationship.

i listened to the audiobook and the narrator was great, i was just confused frequently when it switched from past to present because the flashbacks were to just a few months prior in the same setting, but besides that it was a good book!!

thank you so much to the author and publisher for the e-arc & audiobook arc!!!

This book was cute and has an interesting premise just a but poorly executed.

Lauren is a city girl who moves to a small lake town for work to get some event planning experience under her belt. She falls in love with the owner’s son and the day he plans to propose she falls off a ladder in a freak accident.

She wakes up and has lost her memories from the entire Summer. Essentially going back in time to when she first met Jonah and they didn’t get along.

The story moved well as far as pacing but the dialogue was very off. It seemed very fake and not how anyone actually speaks. Also, everyone calls everyone honey all the time and it felt very disingenuous. Also, Lauren seemingly falls back in love with Jonah even though she avoids him like the plague.

This was going to be a solid 3 stars from me until the end when it took a 50 First Dates sort of turn. That was when it lost me.

Overall it was an ok read. If you like small town, clean and cozy romance this may be for you!

I loved the setting of this story. I don't usually consider the seasons much when I read, but it played an important part in this story, and I enjoyed it!

I don't think I have ever cried so much for a male character. The emotional pain he was experiencing was heartbreaking for me, too.

I love when a romance novel can incorporate more than one trope, and this one did. I love these characters and recommend this book!

I received this eARC from NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

In one day, two worlds were shattered. One has no memories and has completely forgotten the past four months of her life. The other remembers everything in vivid detail, which only causes pain now due to the loss of something so precious.

City girl Lauren Wentworth is moving to New Hampshire to be the temporary manager of Pinehaven Lodges. It is quite a shock to Lauren's system going from Boston to this small little town in New Hampshire where her designer clothes and shoes are not even given a second glance. She decides she can make it. After all it is only temporary so she can earn her big chance at her dream job back in Boston. She does not count on falling in love.

Jonah Landry is the owners' son, and he is definitely not Lauren's type of man. That's just what she thinks. They do end up in love, but everything changes overnight when Lauren falls and has a concussion. When she wakes up she remembers nothing of their relationship. The last memory she has is when she arrived in town. She only remembers Jonah as being the guy who got on her nerves when she first arrived at the lodge. Needless to say Jonah is crestfallen, but he vows to give her time.

This book was deeply emotional. Jonah was heartbroken and tried so hard to make her remember. I wanted to cry for him. Lauren was more than a little rough on him. I really wanted to pinch her, but I had to remember that losing her memory was more scary than she wanted to admit. She was also carrying around some major baggage from her past that needed to be dropped off and never picked up again. Jonah's patience and understanding with Lauren was the stuff of a fairy tale romance. This was more than a second chance romance. It was a chance to wipe the slate clean and learn from your mistakes. You may want to have a few tissues on hand. The sweet dog named Graham added another layer of charm and sweetness to this story.

The vibrant descriptions of the property and landscape where the lodge was located sounded breathtaking, which just added more to experiencing this book in full, living color. This book would make an awesome movie.

Thank you to Thomas Nelson Fiction and NetGalley for this ARC. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I'll read anything by Denise Hunter. She writes small town romances about characters who are relatable yet realistically flawed. There is always a happy ending even if the road to get there is bumpy. Add in some light=hearted faith and the result is an heartwarming, inspirational gentle read that makes you feel like you have watched a sweet Hallmark movie.

I received a copy for review purposes; all opinions are honest and mine alone.

Written in the third person with two main characters and an almost, (there’s only a few months between timelines and the use is minimal and clunky), dual timeline, BEFORE WE WERE US is a predictable love story that’s perfect for a two hour movie.

Early in the story, the female protagonist has an accident that causes her to lose her memory. She also forgets that she was a nice person. Her boyfriend, the male protagonist, is too nice; really. They live and work at or near his family’s rustic resort in New Hampshire where she was hired as general manager for the season. It’s a big deal for Lauren, a recent college graduate preparing for her dream job that’s due to start in January.

Prior to the accident, Jonah and Lauren were headed in a definite, agreed upon direction; not so much post knock on the noggin. Jonah’s family, the bulk of the secondary characters, and a weak feign at an alternative romantic interest, spend the bulk of this story trying to bolster up Jonah and make things better, in the present timeline.

In the past timeline, we do get a better look at Lauren’s BFF and her Mother. I found both of these characters far more interesting than the too nice resort family. Author, Denise Hunter, missed an opportunity to develop these strong women. Perhaps they will play a prominent role in future volumes.

Hunter is known for being a Christian Fiction writer. This story is clean with respect to language and sexual content. It’s also very light in religious content. I’d be surprised if most readers would identify that classification just by reading the story. Was that purposeful to join the crossover crowd?

Easy to read and forgettable but there is some nice fall scenery, if you’re ready for a leaf peeping moment or two📚

This gets 3 stars because I loved the MMC Jonah, and what I felt the FMC Lauren lacked in emotion and my ability to connect with her, Jonah made up for. He was super sweet and filled with so much love and emotion. I loved the idyllic New Hampshire location so much that it made me want to book a trip, and I thought the overall storyline was decent, and I really did like the epilogue; BUT the amnesia trope has just been done one too many times, which is a huge contributing factor to why I found it so hard to engage with this book, as well as the very basic writing style. It read very much like a Hallmark Movie which I normally enjoy, BUT with 10 extra scoops of sugar- so if you're into that sweet of a romance, you'll love this. This story was very one-note for me, and some parts of the plot seemed rushed or completely unnecessary.

Overall not the worst book I've read this year, but sadly not up there with the best. Definitely do give this one a look when it debuts on September 10th if you like
-enemies to friends to lovers
-small town/workplace romance
-happily ever afters
-VERY sappy sweet (and clean, no spice or language) love stories
-city girl/country boy

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for providing this ARC for me to read and review!!

I enjoyed this book. I can’t imagine how devastating it would be to be about to propose only to have your girlfriend get amnesia and forget all the good parts about your relationship. I appreciated Jonah’s wisdom and patience with the situation. I didn’t understand Lauren’s response at all. I’d be talking to people, looking at my phone, trying to figure things out, whatever it took and come what may.

I loved the setting of this book. It reminded me of working at a camp and of times when I went and stayed in a cabin somewhere. I also like event planning so that was a plus for me too even though there weren’t too many details about all that.

One thing that was missing for me was having people who love them really speak truth into their lives. They each had someone to talk to but it wasn’t really an emphasis or a help to them. They were just on their own to figure things out. Still, it was an a quick read with an usual take and I appreciated that.

Thank you to Thomas Nelson for providing me with a free e-copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

City girl, Lauren Wentworth, just took a job as temporary manager of a rustic resort on a lake in New Hampshire. It is supposed to be the springboard to her dream job in Boston. Well, she falls in love with the owner's son, Jonah, and plans change. Then she falls off a ladder and suffers a brain injury that wipes her whole memory of the summer clean. She has no memory of falling in love with Jonah. Jonah is heartbroken and hoping she remembers eventually. Will Lauren fall back in love with Jonah and give up her prestigious dream job to work out in the sticks? Thanks to @NetGalley for the ARC of this book. I enjoyed it.

Very cute and enjoyable book. It was alittle slow paced for my liking but the storyline was enjoyable to read.

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

⭐️⭐️⭐️
Before We Were Us
Author: Denise Hunter
Source: NetGalley
Pub Date:  September 10, 2024

Before We Were Us is a standard Denise Hunter romance, meaning it is a Hallmark-type love story with no detailed sex or blazing chemistry. Lauren works in hotel marketing at a New Hampshire retreat owned by Jonah’s family. This job was only supposed to be a 7-month position for Lauren, but she falls hard for Jonah, and he is preparing to ask her to marry him when she falls from a barn loft and loses her memory. Suddenly, the new concussed version of Lauren is not very nice, but our boy Jonah is up for the challenge. This is a traditional, cozy, and cute romance with all the feels and adoration. Some things are worth waiting for, and Jonah is up to the challenge. #romance #cozyromance #cozy #newhampshire #BeforeWeWereUs @thomasnelson @netgalley #concussion #memoryloss
🍁

I received a complimentary copy of this book. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own. Thank you to the publisher, Netgalley, and the author for the opportunity to read this novel.
🍁

#book #books #bookAddict #BooksOfInstagram #bookstagram #bookstagramer #bookshelf #reader #booklove #bookreader #bookreviewer #bookish