Before We Were Us

I enjoyed reading Before We Were Us, set in a small town in New Hampshire. Lauren’s mother abandoned her when she was young, which led to Lauren growing up in different families in the foster care system and not feeling like she belonged anywhere. Her childhood experiences made her fiercely independent and slow to trust.

Jonah’s family own the lakeside cabins and resort where Lauren is working while she waits for her dream job to start at a corporate events management company in Boston.

The story opens with Jonah and Lauren madly in love and planning their future life together. Lauren’s accident steals her memories of her relationship with Jonah and she’s confused when he behaves like he’s her doting boyfriend.

I love how the amnesia trope plays out in the story. We experience the depth of emotions and angst as Lauren deals with the consequences of her head injury and Jonah struggles with being rejected by the woman he loves. The story isn’t predictable and I kept turning the page all the way through to the satisfying and romantic story ending.

I recommend Before We Were Us to contemporary romance readers who like second chances amnesia stories with a twist on the enemies to love trope and a light faith element in the story.

Many thanks to Thomas Nelson and NetGalley for the advanced reader copy.