BEFORE YOU FOUND ME
Brook Beyfuss
Sourcebooks Landmark
August 1, 2023
464 pages
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To start off: this book has a lot of disturbing things happen near the beginning. There is heavy domestic violence and child abuse (not sexual). But that only sets the stage for the story, it is mentioned a few times throughout, but the story is about the relationship between Gabriel, an 11 year old boy and Rowan, the young woman who “saves” him.
This story shows that FAMILY is not who you share a bloodline with but rather it’s who you share love, trust, faith and bonds with. The road that Rowan and Gabriel travel is not all rainbows and unicorns. It has lots of detours, hills and valleys and even a tornado.
This is both character driven and plot driven. Besides Rowan and Gabriel, there is an interesting relationship between Rowan and her sister, which evolves. And there are interesting secondary characters, all well developed.
It is a book that drew me in quickly in the beginning. The narrative is relatively simple and easy to follow. The reader is kept wondering what will happen but it is not really suspenseful. Hard to explain. It is a compelling read and a page turner. It’s heart wrenching at times. The journey of Rowan and Gabriel is unique and well told. And, a satisfying ending.
I loved the interview with the author at the end. She explained her writing process and how the story developed. The interview wrapped everything up nicely.
I think this book would appeal to those who liked Catherine Ryan Hyde’s Just a Regular Boy. Similar but different. Both are heartwarming and heart wrenching.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the Advance Readers Copy.
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