Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martins Press in exchange for a honest review.

This was the first Barbara Delinsky novel I’ve read and while I did enjoy it the book was not one I would normally choose. Her books are very similar to Nicholas Sparks novels (romance plus tragedy) so it’s not really the type of novel that will throw you for a loop with a plot twist but it was a comfortable read. Honestly, I won’t say I’ll never read another Delinsky book again but i probably won’t reach for another of her books anytime soon.

This is the first book that I have read by this author. It was a heartbreaking, thought provoking, hopeful, and romantic read. I have read about real life people who have had the children die in accidents. I have heard about how many marriages and families are broken up after that happens. This story starts off with the accident, and then jumps ahead five years to show the aftermath, offer insight, and ask what if after time passes they get a second chance.

Margaret Cooper is now Maggie Reid (her maiden name), divorced, remaking herself in a small town, where no one knows her past. She meets other people also drawn to Devon to remake themselves, while keeping their secrets hidden. No questions asked, until a hacker is identified and a trial about to begin that will shake up the town and Maggie's secrets.

Maggie can only sculpt teapots and other knickknacks now, but has become a makeup artist involved with her clients, and a friend to Grace, the massage therapist. Grace is fearful since her son was identified as the hacker and a trial is underway. But as the story continues, Maggie's secrets are threatening to come to the surface as are Grace's. Their worst nightmares might be their chances to finally be free after years of hiding.

This was a story of resilience, of being willing to change, of learning to forgive, of romance, and of second chances. I appreciated that her loss was faced finally and not swept aside or minimalized in this story. Mothers and daughters. Mother and son. Broken families.

When past relationships resurface, it added another dimension to the story. The relationships have been tempered by time, the initial grief has worn off, and new perspective has been gained. The lack of communication that stifled her marriage, strained her relationships with her mother and brother, now get a chance to be looked at. Her guilt and remorse for her role in her daughter's accident is her cross to bear as is the scar from it. At some point she has to decide whether she is stuck in the past, or if she is willing to create a future that includes her daughter's memory and allows her to live and love in the present.

The title fits perfectly. There is the before and now there is the again. With an 80% divorce rate for couples after a child dies, Maggie and Ned have to figure out whether they will remain part of the stats and finally move one, or find a way to grieve and move forward together. I enjoyed her brother, Liam, showing up the way he did. But the secondary character that offered the most insight for me was her mother.

This had a lot of depth, gave me a lot to think about, had me in tears at times, and left me satisfied at the end that a terrible thing can happen, but it is up to you whether it ruins your life or you choose to find a way to save it.

Note: I received an advance reading copy from NetGalley. This is my honest review. I would like to read more from this author.

I really didn’t know what to expect when I started reading this, I thought ok, this is a story of a devastating loss of a child and how the main character overcomes her grief.’ But, what I got was so much more.
Maggie lost everything and started her new life in a new place just to exist not expecting anything from anyone. After a few years, she gains the respect of people who know nothing of her past and due to a massive media frenzy which surrounds a new friend, her past comes to the forefront. This is how she survives her unimaginable loss and at the same time shares her ability of understanding other people’s feelings and acceptance of who she is now and gradually letting family, her ex and friends from the past back into her life. A thought provoking, emotional journey of loss and forgiveness.
One negative; I found in the beginning, the descriptions were too long winded and at times repetitive and I kept losing interest, but I’m so glad I stuck with it. I look forward to reading more of this author’s work.

Great read by a great author. A mystery of sorts, a heartbreaking loss,a shattered marriage and picking up the pieces. A new life, an old love, loyal friends and a family coming together. This story offered a bit of all these things and so much more. This book was hard to put down.

Enjoyed the book. What happens when you start over after losing what was most precious to you ? A new name and look are not always able to keep the past from catching up. Roller coaster emotions take over when reconciling the past with future happiness. Are you able to forgive and accept not only others, but most importantly yourself? Highly recommend the book.

Themes of loss and the threads that tie communities together are woven into an emotional story that I really enjoyed.

BEFORE AND AGAIN by Barbara Delinsky is touching story of love, family, loss, guilt and forgiveness. After a devastating tragedy results in the death of her five-year-old daughter, Mackenzie Cooper loses everything she treasures in her life, her child, her marriage and her family. In an effort to cope with her grief and guilt, she reinvents her life in the small town of Devon, Vermont where she can hide in plain sight among others who do not ask questions about each other’s pasts. She changes her name to Maggie Reid and keeps a low profile while building a network of new friends that know nothing of her former life. When her ex-husband and brother unexpectedly appear in Devon, her comfortable new life begins to unravel and she must confront her feelings about her lost daughter and the love she still feels deep down for her ex-husband and her estranged family. The story is beautifully written and filled with life lessons throughout. The characters were well-developed and believable. I enjoyed this emotional and thought-provoking story of love and hope and I look forward to reading more of Barbara Delinsky’s books. I am grateful to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the advanced reader copy of the book.

My review will be posted on my blog https://abookwithreview.blogspot.com/

Before and Again is the story of Mackenzie Cooper whose daughter was killed in a tragic car accident. Her father dies from a heart attack, her husband divorces her and her brother and mother stop talking to her. She moves to Devon, VT, to reinvent herself as Maggie Reid. Maggie's friend Grace also has a secret past. When Grace's son is accused of computer hacking and Maggie's ex-husband and brother arrive in town, both women realize they must face their past. This book has mystery, guilt, grief, forgiveness and love. This is my first book by Barbara Delinsky and will not be my last. Thank you to the author, publisher, and netgalley for an ARC of this book and this is my honest review.

This was my first Barbara Delinsky novel, and although it's not my usual type of book, I thoroughly enjoyed it. Maggie Reid has to put her life back together after the death of her daughter, subsequent divorce, and alienation from her mother following the death of her father. A few years later, her ex-husband becomes her new boss, and her new life threatens to fall apart. While most of the events in this story are fairly predictable, the writing is so wonderful that I just couldn't stop reading. The power of family, love and loyalty is vividly brought to life. Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the e-arc. Great story, very tender and moving.

This is an excellently executed, moving novel which unfolds the story of Maggie Reid and of how her recent past infuses itself into her unsettled present.
Maggie suffered a horrible car accident that took two lives: her five year old daughter’s and the driver of the other car when a moment of distraction changed her life. Resettled, divorced and changing her name, livelihood, and life, Maggie lives in Devon, VT. She has an entire set of friends and acquaintances that know nothing of her past-until real life intervenes and it can no longer be hidden.
This is a stirring novel in which a struggling woman is forces to face the past in order to truly live a future.

This book had a great plot. I could really relate with the characters. Sometimes we all just want to hide from our past.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own

Great story! Just when you think your past is in the past, boom. I loved the characters, plot, and dialogue here. Very much recommend this one.

"Before and Again" is the story of Mackenzie Cooper who is trying to rebuild her life after the tragic death of her daughter followed by a divorce. She fled her past and has escaped to Devon, VT and now goes by the name Maggie Reid. Maggie slowly and painfully grieves and heals while building a new quiet life for herself. In Devon she finds welcoming friends, new pets, a fulfilling job and new a home. Just as she was starting to settle in and heal, chaos interrupts her new life. It starts when she finds herself in the middle of her local friend and coworker, Grace's legal problems. Apparently running from the past and escaping to Devon hadn't just been Maggie's plan, but also Grace's. This is followed shortly by the unexpected arrival of her ex-husband and estranged brother throwing her for another loop. These events put Maggie's strength and perseverance to the test, forcing her to face the past and welcome it into her new life. She learns that in order to move on with her life, she must make a place there for what she's lost in her past. This is a story of forgiveness, grieving, love, family and friendship.

I am a huge fan of Delinsky. This is 16th book I've read by her. Many of her novels I have loved, only a few not so much. "Before and Again" falls somewhere in between. I didn't love it, but I did enjoy it. While Delinsky's descriptions are superb, the two stories (Maggie's and Grace's) held within this novel just didn't flow well to me. I think if she would've written it as two separate but intertwining stories of the two women escaping from their pasts and finding themselves and each other in Devon, VT, it would've flowed more smoothly. However, all in all, a solid read full of great writing, descriptions and life lessons. Recommend!

I received an ARC of "Before and Again" via Netgalley and St. Martin's Press in exchange for an honest review.

***Thanks to NetGalley for providing me a complimentary copy of BEFORE AND AGAIN in exchange for my honest review.***

A moment of distraction costs Mackenzie her daughter, husband, parents and the life she knew. Now she’s Maggie, living in anonymity in Devon, Vermont finishing her five years on parole. Nobody knows she was once the infamous Mackenzie Cooper, poster child for distracted driving. When her best friend’s son is charged with hacking, Maggie’s secret life begins to unravel as past and present collide in unexpected ways.

Barbara Delinsky knows how to create compelling, complex characters who are easy to embrace. I didn’t always understand Maggie, but I respected whom she had become. No parent can “get over” the loss of a child, especially if she accidentally contributed to that death. Nobody judges Maggie harsher than she judged herself, and everybody in her former life judged her harshly.

BEFORE AND AGAIN started slow for me, but 25% in, I was hooked on Maggie and her story and rooted for almost all of the characters. I found a few parts of the plot uncomfortable. I didn’t like that Maggie’s potential love interest pressured her, because I don’t find pursuit after NO to be romantic. It feels controlling and stalkerish. The probation officer seemed to cross professional lines, and I thought that should have been handled better. I also thought the end was a little unrealistic. I still enjoyed the book very much.

Women’s fiction readers will devour BEFORE AND AGAIN.

I usually enjoy Barbara Delinsky's work immensely. She reminds me a lot of Jodi Picoult with out all the legal parts; great stories about women that are deep and thought provoking. Before and Again wasn't quite up to par with the others I have read.
Maggie is living a quit life in Vermont after the death of her daughter in a car accident. Riddled with guilt and have been drug through the legal and media ringer, Maggie enjoys her simple life as a make-up artist at a local spa biding her time that her parole is over. But her life gets complicated: her friend's son is indicated in a crime and her ex-husband shows up. Maggie has no idea how to traverse her life now.
The book starts after Maggie has picked up her life, and only deals slightly with her regret and guilt over her daughter's death. The book is more rote: just telling that she went through that and that's what behind her. This leaves a less emotional impact as she connects with a family who left her behind. Her reunions with her family seems too easy and reads just like the million other chick lit without any true depth.
My biggest problem is that the most interesting part (what happen to her friend and the son) is listed out in a page. Things are too easily fixed and magically glued together loosing any semblance of reality.
I was routinely bored and I had trouble keeping interest in the novel. I look forward to other books that truly get at the emotional depths that Delinksy is so good at.

Barbara Delinsky knows how to spin a heartwarming tale. This is truly one of her best. Please, pick this book up. You won't be able to put it down!

Maggie Reid moves to Devon to leave her past behind her. The death of her child and divorce from her husband has left her wounded and guilty. But everyone in Devon seems to have a past they want to leave behind and when Maggie's friend finds herself in legal trouble, Maggie has some hard choices to make. And to make things even more challenging, her ex-husband shows up in Devon which threatens to expose the past Maggie has tried so hard to forget. Good women's fiction about friendship and forgiveness,

This book will take you deep into the world of what ifs If you have ever struggled through a life changing what if, this is a great book to remind you of all the good ways to work through it all. Though it is a fiction book I found so much more than entertainment from it. You just never know what could be hiding in someone's past.

Thank you for the arc copy. Barbara Delinsky captures a story of loss, insecurity and finding your way back to who should be after an unimaginable tragedy. The characters are ones you would love to know and in a setting you hope to visit.