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A review by parklandmom
Before We Were Us by Denise Hunter
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Book #84 of 2024
Completed: Aug. 31st
I’ve read many novels by this author but this is my favourite. It is her BEST work, in my opinion. 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. I listened to the audiobook and the narrator, Kim Churchill, is fantastic! I had never heard her before but I wouldn’t hesitate to buy an audiobook with her name attached to it.
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
Completed: Aug. 31st
I’ve read many novels by this author but this is my favourite. It is her BEST work, in my opinion. 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. I listened to the audiobook and the narrator, Kim Churchill, is fantastic! I had never heard her before but I wouldn’t hesitate to buy an audiobook with her name attached to it.
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