Joana Marcús’s Before December brilliantly captures the messy realities of young love and self-discovery. Jenna Brown’s first year of college is a rollercoaster — she’s entering an open, long-distance relationship with her boyfriend Monty, who often treats her poorly. What makes this story so strikingly relatable is how Jenna struggles with accepting less than she deserves, a situation many readers will recognize: holding on to someone who doesn’t value you because you doubt you can do better.

Then there’s Jack Ross, the edgy and intriguing best friend of Jenna’s roommate’s boyfriend, who slowly becomes her unexpected anchor. Their connection is electric, complicated, and beautifully imperfect, mirroring the confusion and excitement of new love when your heart is still healing.

Joana’s writing hits every emotional note — from vulnerability and heartbreak to hope and passion. The characters feel real, flawed, and deeply human, which makes Jenna’s journey toward self-worth and love incredibly compelling.

And that ending? WOW. What a cliffhanger! It left me desperate for the sequel. Seriously, After December needs to be in my hands ASAP because the way this story stops will haunt you — in the best way possible.

If you’ve ever questioned your worth in a relationship or felt torn between the comfort of the familiar and the risk of something new, Before December is the perfect, heartfelt read for you.

This book was not for me. I liked the idea of some of the story, but I was taken back by the domestic abuse and there were no trigger warnings in the ARC about it. I hope the author considers putting one in the release copy. I could not connect with Jenna at all and found her off putting. Ross I found to be too good for her. I was wasn't a fan of the ending.


*Thank you Sourcebooks Casablanca and Joana Marcus for an ARC in exchange for my honest review*

The reading was engaging and flowed naturally… Before December is a book about growing up, overcoming obstacles, and love.
If you enjoy young adult novels with an emphasis on personal growth, complex emotional dilemmas, and self-discovery scenarios, this book is for you.

thank you netgalley for giving me an early copy of this book.

I really did enjoy this book as a college romance but also with some hard times in it also and all the complicated feelings alongside it.

Firstly monty is the biggest ass.

My poor ross i feel for him i really do but i also get why she did what she did.

But i really need to read the second one now for my HEA thank youuu

I really wanted to love this because I’m a sucker for a good love triangle, but it just didn’t work for me. Jenna and her boyfriend start an open relationship for college, and things get very mess. The pacing felt a bit slow, and I was really frustrated at the ending. I usually love an emotional, angsty romance but this one just didn't hit the spot.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Joana Marcús for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I’m broken. I have no words. I have broke my phone after reading this.
THAT FUCKING ENDING. YOU CANT FUCKING DO THAT TO ME YOU SELFISH BITCH THEY WERE SO GOOD TOGETHER.
The only reason it’s a four is because it was so slow.
THAT FUCKING ENDING THO.
I WANT TO DIE.
I THREW MY FUCKING PHONE ACROSS THE ROOM
URG

I WILL BE READING BOOK 2

Thankyou so much netgalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion!!!!!

ARC Read, Thank you NetGallery for this opportunity to read this.

I'm not sure what to say about this book. I didn't hate it but there are alot of unanswered questions, some things that happened made no sense like your left hanging no follow up.

The ending was horrible and made no sense at all, like who would do that to someone???

Thank you to sourcebooks Casablanca and NetGalley for this arc.

I wanted to like this one, I really did! It has potential but i had a very hard time staying connected and wanting to pick this one up. I ending up DNFing at 20%

A super sexy story about a relationship that faces issues when college temptations and distance separate the couple: I love books set on college campuses and all that comes with it. Marcus's book was enjoyable, but not something I will remember for a long time to come. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

Unfortunately this book just wasn’t it for me, but I appreciate the opportunity to read it before it releases.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this arc.

I did not like this. I DNF at 20% just not for me.

I really wanted to love this because I love a good love triangle. But it just felt off to me. Jenna and her boyfriend decide to be "open" during college. Then Jenna's roommate's boyfriend's BFF (that's a mouthful) decides he wants to get to know Jenna and the two begin to hang out and, as expected, feelings become involved. The book was a lot slower than I would have expected and I absolutely HATED the ending. So while it wasn't for me, I'm sure there is a target audience out there for it.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this arc.

I did not like this. I DNF at 10% just not for me.

Loved the found family but hated the last decision of the FM at the end 🫠🫠🫠🫠 She could just have talked to him or have a normal breakup and told him to wait for him, probably? But NO! She went the worst one, of all the things😤 she said is in love with her ex🙄🙄agh 😭

DNF @ 10%. Unfortunately I found it very difficult to connect to anything or anyone. The characters are very juvenile and lack any real depth. I didn’t enjoy the writing and found it very lacking.

This is one of those messy, emotional reads that pulls you in because you know it’s not going to go smoothly—and that’s the whole point. Jenna starts college trying to balance the freedom of an open relationship with the comfort of what’s waiting back home. Enter Jack Ross, the type of guy who sees straight through the walls she’s trying to keep up. The chemistry between them is undeniable, but what really drives the story is how it handles the emotional weight of Jenna figuring out what she actually wants—not just what she agreed to when she left home.

The dynamic between Jenna and Jack is the highlight here: sexy, frustrating, and believable in all the ways new adult romance should be. It captures that in-between space of early adulthood where choices feel both exciting and terrifying. If you’re looking for a steamy, angsty romance that isn’t afraid to get a little complicated, this one will definitely scratch that itch. Just be ready for some feelings along the way.

2.75 stars, rounded to 3.
I had a rough time with this book's friends.
I had a hard time connecting, so that could just be me.
We have a young woman, Jenna, who is headed off to her first year of college. She will be on her own for the first time. She goes into the fact that she is being cut off from friends and family (I still struggle to understand the necessity of this, but who am I?).
Her boyfriend (insert eye roll) made it clear to Jenna that he wants a long-distance and open relationship. He wants his cake and to eat it too, as my Grandmother used to say. At the end of the year, however, they will just come back together after doing what they want in their first year.
Jenna's roommate is dating a guy. His best friend, Jack, is into Jenna. He wants to spend time with her, and she wants to spend time with him.
Feelings end up happening, and relationships are complicated.
Without giving away the end, the big question and struggle is, will she be able to have things go back to normal with her boyfriend, or have things changed too much?
The structure of the plot was okay. The pace was a bit slow for my taste.
I just had trouble with actions, and the characters were frustrating.
The characters needed more development.
Again, it could be that I just didn't connect with this book, so definitely give it a shot if this sounds like something you might like; it just wasn't for me.
Thank you to Sourcebooks Casablanca, Bloom, the author, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.
Happy Reading!