Matt and Grace met in college. Grace helped Matt move into his dorm and ended up being his next door neighbor. They started a great friendship that turned into a relationship. They had a great relationship until Matt left for a trip and everything fell apart. Until 15 years later when they see each other on a subway.

Matt and Grace's story was so addicting from page 1. I was hooked and wanted to know what happened to cause these two perfect for each other couple to not see each other for 15 years. I really loved the way the story was told (run in at subway, 15 years before how they met, then currently again). The storyline hooked me in and kept me wanting more. Even though I want to scream at these two for being stupid at times, I loved the book so much.

Before we were strangers is my second Renee Carlino book. My first was Nowhere but here and I LOVED IT. I knew she was special just from one book. I adore her fluidic writing style. Her stories are so enchanting, they imprison not only your mind, but your heart as well. This lady knows how to write pure romance and infinite love. She writes about seemingly real people with realistic plots. No fluff, no bull!

Before we were strangers was shear perfection! It is a timeless and epic love story. I have a great affection for this storyline and it's characters. Matt & Grace will always hold place in my heart. They will have you giddy, emotional and falling in love, over and over. Matt had me from hello. He is everything you could ask for in a book boyfriend. This book comes in three exquisite parts... Present, past and then back to present. I am a huge fan of books that volley this way. If they are done right, they give you a 360 degree view of the story. This one was done faultlessly. I especially loved the past, when they were in college. The innocents and wonder of falling in love was done magically. Their adventures had me cracking up and transported me back to my own college years. So much fun! In the present, it's a whole new ballgame... my heart literally ached for them. You could feel their longing for each other. This book keeps you engrossed with it's unpredictability. I found the dialogue amongst all the characters outstanding and witty.

The icing on the cake for me was the book is based in my city. Being a lifelong New Yorker, I found Renee's depiction of NYC spot on. She captured the essence of the city. She was so detailed in her description, even if you have never been to New York you will feel like you are there.

This book has it all. I wish I could experience it all over again. DO NOT MISS THIS ONE! Fabulous job Renee. You are one of the great ones! Keep going.....

One of my favorite and first reads by Renee. In fact after finishing and sobbing through the last 10% of the book I have went on a HUGE binge of buying out other books by her.

It was such a beautiful tale of second chance at love. Seeing the characters grow from College aged mini-adults who think they know everything to their serendipitous meeting as adults was something of epic proportions.

The story moved along with a steady pace, while developing the characters and unveiling their true selves.

I have since remained a huge Renee Carlino Fan.

I don't read much of adult literature but I really wanted to try this one out. It took a little bit of getting used to in the beginning, especially with the voices (I wasn't used to it right away) but as the story progressed, I found myself enjoying it more and more. BEFORE WE WERE STRANGERS is a complicated, yet not, sort of novel and I highly recommend it!