This story dragged on for me but after putting it aside for a while I finally finished it. Maggie struggled so much with moving on that it affected my interest.

I received an Advanced Reader Copy. I am voluntarily leaving a review. This was an emotionally wrenching read. Maggie Reid has created a new life in the small town of Devon VT after a tragic car accident. Her life is turned upside down after two events occur: the hacking of a social media account and the sudden appearance of her ex-husband, who she left behind in Boston five years earlier. Will she survive these events? Will she be able to move forward? If this book doesn't mark your soul, I do not know what will. I would have given it a five, but the author spent an inordinate amount of time on her descriptions of things; so much so I had to flip through pages to get back into the story. Strong 4.5 stars

Barbara Delinsky is a mainstay in women’s fiction and with good reason. Tackling complex issues while exploring family dynamics and relationships, Delinsky can weave a story that captures the mind as well as the heart. Before and Again is no exception.

Maggie’s life changed in an instant. After losing all that she loved most in a horrible accident, she has rebuilt a quiet existence in another town. She craves anonymity and has shared her past with no one, save for one trusted friend. When supporting a friend in need means being thrust back into the spotlight, and the risk of her past becoming known is all too real, Maggie must decide what she is willing to risk in order to do what she knows is right.

Maggie was a character that was still mired in grief and guilt. Outwardly, she gave the impression of having moved on, but in reality she was still stuck in a spiral of self-blame and recrimination. When her friend’s son is accused of hacking into the Twitter account of a high profile journalist, the national media descends. Maggie is terrified of being recognized and having her own past brought into the spotlight but she also cannot turn her back on her friend. At the same time, a face from Maggie’s past has reappeared and she’s reeling from the implications.

There were a lot of threads running through Maggie’s story: her job and her pottery, the scandal with her friend’s son, her estrangement from her family, her ex-husband, and Maggie’s overwhelming heartache. While at times the pacing did seem to lag, I was still invested in Maggie’s story. And despite the hacking scandal, which often seemed to take a backseat, the story felt more character-driven than the synopsis suggests. Along with its commentary on the role of the media (about which Delinsky seemingly has nothing but disdain), Before and Again also tackles issues of friendship, forgiveness, loss and second chances. Sometimes a bit slow, but ultimately a hopeful story of overcoming tragedy, second chances, and finding happiness.

What happens when every part of your life is shattered in a single moment? What if you are the one to blame?
MacKenzie Cooper's life is shaped now by just such a moment. In an unimaginable set of circumstances, she takes her eyes off the road for one second to glance at her GPS and in that instant, her daughter is killed in a collision with another vehicle. After her marriage falls apart, she is found guilty of vehicular manslaughter.

But this was years ago and MacKenzie, now Maggie, has started a new life in a new town where no one but her probation officer knows of her past. She isn't whole, but she is healing, though so much of who she once was she no longer acknowledges. Until one day, the inn where she works is purchased by someone from her past and her best friend is associated with a federal hacking incident. Forced to deal with facing her past and standing by her friend or disappearing again into the safety of anonymity in a new location, Maggie must decide if she will face the grief and shame she has run from for so long, or will she continue to live a half life, pretending to be someone she isn't?

Delinsky's novel is a well written exploration of the ways small decisions have the power to change everything, and who we choose to be in the face of those moments. It's a story of relationships and the power of love to transcend and transform us despite our most tragic losses.

I'll admit I thought I would get overwhelmed by this chucker of a book but once you get started I couldn't stop. This story starts off as a sad and tragic story but by the end, you feel like life comes full circle for Mackenzie. This novel was raw with emotions but shows us the power of forgiveness. This is one read that is so inspirational that I feel like is a must read!

Before and Again is the story of how one split second can change your life in unimaginable ways, but it also the story of healing, acceptance, starting over and coming home. Mackenzie Cooper takes her eyes off the road for one moment, and that moment alters her life to be unrecognizable. Five years later, she has recreated a life for herself as Maggie Reid in Devon, Vermont. She likes the existence she has created and is beginning to like the person she is becoming when she is thrust back into the media spotlight and drawn into a scandal involving her best friend's son. To make matters more complicated, both her estranged brother and ex-husband have arrived in Devon and Maggie feels that her past might be coming full circle into the new life she has created.

I did enjoy this story but, for me, felt at times it was somewhat drug out. There was also a little too much romance for me, however I typically don't read many romance novels. I appreciated the way the author dealt with Mackenzie/Maggie coming to terms with her grief and the journey that the character took. I also felt the subplot of the hacking scandal was interesting and compelling. I feel this book would probably be a five star read for many, but for my personal reading tastes, it was closer to a 3.75 stars.

I received this book courtesy of St. Martin's Press through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

It took me awhile to get into this book but it started coming together about 1/4 of the way through. It is a great story of how to move on after a tragedy. I enjoyed the characters and setting. It was a little long for my liking but overall, I would recommend this book to friends!

Barbara Delinsky has written a multi-layered and emotional story of the lives affected when a mother takes her eyes off the road for a second to check the GPS and her 5-year old daughter and the driver of the second vehicle are killed. How she rebuilds her life and relationships and finds forgiveness make up a story filled with strong character development, both in the primary and secondary characters. The appealing Vermont setting is also a plus. Recommended for women's fiction readers.

I wasn't expecting to feel so mentally exhausted after reading this! Before and Again is a heartwarming story about accepting that which you can't change, letting go of the past and not just surviving in your current place but flourishing. The writing and pace are perfect, and the characters aren't. They're flawed because they need to be. They're flawed because without those flaws they couldn't be supportive, lovable, relatable, or real. The plot is highly emotional but engaging filled with grief, loss, pain, friendship, loyalty, love and a bit of romance!

It's every woman's nightmare to lose a child. One second, one glimpse, and your child is gone forever. The aftermath is like an out of body experience, the weight of their death on your shoulders. Not to mention the media attention and the trial while you are grieving, attempting to keep it all together. It's unfathomable. You looked away for a split second and didn't see the stop sign. It wasn't like you were texting! You were looking at your GPS, trying to find a house on a heavily wooded street, headed to a playdate, and suddenly the nightmare that you never dared to dream has become a reality. In an instant you've lost everything in your life that matters.

It's been five years since that fateful day, the day that she lost her five-year-old daughter Lily, and Mackenzie Cooper has pieced together a life that looks nothing like the life she had before. The only reminders are her mugshot, which she keeps taped to the medicine cabinet in her bathroom, and the faded red scar on her forehead that she constantly keeps covered on her forehead. She is a makeup artist at The Devon Inn and Spa in Devon, Vermont, which isn't far off from her previous career as a well-known sculptor. Devon is the perfect place for Mackenzie, who now goes by Maggie Reid, to start a new life with no questions asked. It is a quiet life she leads, just her and her animals, no husband, and no children; a place where she can keep it together and control her environment. Or so she thought.

Grace Emory works as a masseuse at the spa with Maggie. Grace's son Chris is arrested for hacking Twitter accounts of some of the biggest names in New York and the FBI has been trying to crack the case for awhile. Internet crime is a federal offense and these "big names" are looking for justice. In an instant, Mackenzie is once again thrust into the spotlight, standing by her friend, as the media storm opens secret pasts and relationships that no one expects.

All in all, I enjoyed Before and Again. The first chapter has you immediately hooked as you first wonder what happened to Lily and, once you find out the truth, wondering how a mother and father deals with such an incredible tragedy. The book is very well written, with little twists and turns, and secrets here and there, which keep the reader interested. The ending was a little predictable but I really love how the writer left us with hope for these characters. The character development is wonderful and by the end you feel like you are reading about one of your friends, longing to see that happy ending.

I had few complaints with this novel. One was the cursing, which was unnecessary in many of the places in my opinion, and really took a lot away from the story itself for me personally. I also thought there were spots that were too drawn out but when you look at it in the scheme of a grieving mother it makes a lot of sense, and in that respect more forgivable.

Other than that Before and Again is a tale that once you finish will have you hugging your children tighter, feeling thankful for your family, and never taking even the slightest moment for granted.

I was engrossed in the book within the first few pages and then it seemed to go downhill for quite a while. I loved getting to know Maggie after a tragic accident takes the life of her daughter. This book is definitely an emotional read and takes the reader through the grief process. As a mother, I just can’t fathom this kind of loss.

I almost wish we had more time with Maggie and her daughter. Maybe even a week leading up to the play date? I feel like the beginning was too quick and left more to be desired in my opinion. My other complaint is the wordy aspect of the book and the need to go into great detail about things that didn’t seem to matter or change the story in any way. Again, my opinion but the wordy aspect left me skipping a few pages here and there.

St. Martin's Press and NetGalley provided me with an electronic copy of Before and Again. I was under no obligation to review this book and my opinion is freely given.

Before and Again is the story of true love and loss, redemption and heartache. Barbara Delinsky once again breathes life into her characters, coupling them with an idyllic setting far removed from the hectic pace of city life.

Picturesque Vermont is home to Maggie Reid after a horrific tragedy rips her away from the life she loved. After five years of starting over, will a senseless act bring unwanted attention and pop the bubble of Maggie's new life? Will unexpected visitors from her past have the power to destroy Maggie, or will she be released from her self-made prison?

Author Barbara Delinsky uses her well developed characters to draw readers into the story, allowing them to become part of their lives for a few moments. I would suggest allowing a good block of time for this book, as once readers begin, they might find it hard to extract themselves from Maggie's world. Overall, I was drawn to Maggie because her grief and anxiety seem very realistic. I found myself rooting for her to thrive despite the tragedy that took everything that Maggie held dear. I would highly recommend Before and Again to readers and I look forward to reading more by Barbara Delinsky in the future.

Before and Again by Barbara Delinsky was a very emotional book to read and I'm not even a mother. I think anyone with kids that reads this book will experience a wide range of emotions and if you've lost a child it may hit you even harder.

Mackenzie Cooper is a woman that has lost it all - her child, her marriage, her so-called friends, and the support of her parents all in the time it took to look down at her GPS while driving. She now goes by the name Maggie Reid and works at a spa in Vermont as a makeup artist while going to a pottery studio in her spare time. When her friend Grace's son is accused of hacking into Twitter and school records, it ends up putting Maggie in a whirlwind of media attention that threatens to bring out the past she so desperately wants to hide from the people of small town Devon.

There was so much heart to this story and I teared up more than once. Maggie is dealing with so much guilt and my heart just ached for her and what happened. The book did take me a little bit to get into but once I did I found myself fully invested in the story. This isn't a book that has a ton of action per say, but the story was enough to keep me reading and I loved so many characters. The characterization in Before and Again was enough that I felt connected to a lot of the characters, especially Maggie, but not to the point where I thought I was reading a bunch of unnecessary words. The book is a bit of a long one at 405 pages in the hardcover, but I think the pages go fairly quickly.

Before and Again touches on a lot of things including what a mother will do to protect her child, the guilt experienced after losing a child and you can't forgive yourself because it's "your fault", being estranged from family, and rekindling a relationship after the loss of a child. This book packs a powerful punch of emotions in more ways than one.

Final Thought: I don't really want to talk too much about the book because I think it speaks for itself. I ended up reading the blurb again when I was about 100 pages in, but for the most part I think it is fine to go into this book blind as long as you know what the basic idea of the story is. Different people with different experiences may find this book more stressful to read than others will. Either way it is a beautifully crafted story that touches on a lot of emotional topics. I look forward to reading more from Delinsky!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ / 5

This is a beautiful and emotional new novel by a fantastic author. This is my first book by this author in a long time and it's time to add her to my MUST READ list.

Maggie has started a new life for herself, far away from her life with her husband and her rich lifestyle and so called friends. She is also estranged from her mother and her only sibling. She's moved to a small town and is busy trying to make friends and start a new life while keeping her old life hidden. The thoughts of her old life mostly come out at night when she dreams of the daughter she lost in a car accident and the subsequent divorce from her husband. As things start to change in Maggie's life and her brother and ex-husband suddenly appear, will she be able to let go of the past and find a new path into the future?

This is a wonderful story of family and love and forgiveness - not just of others but more importantly, forgiveness of yourself. I loved Maggie and was rooting for her through the entire book, I laughed with her and I cried with her. Wonderful, wonderful book!

Thanks to the publisher for a copy of this book to read and review. All opinions are my own.

I received an advanced digital copy of "Before & Again" months ago, yet was not sure how I felt about reading the story where a child had died. Last week I decided to try it & am glad I did. Barbara Delinsky does a great job pulling the reader in from the get-go & weaving a story. Without giving the story away, it does not go into the accident in great detail (thank goodness) & the familes/friends tie together in an easy manner. I would recommend this book, yet caution that there are plenty of "issues" that come up that may bother some. Thank you to NetGalley & St. Martin's press for the chance to read & review

In this day and age where everyone uses GPS and texting on phones. MacKenzie Cooper and her daughter get into a car accident because she looks at her GPS and her daughter dies. she moves away so that everyone does not know everything about her life. Mackenzie has to learn how to get on with her everyday life even though she has a probation officer involved.

I've been a fan of Barbara Delinsky for years. I have enjoyed many of her books. Before and Again has a great storyline and characters I did grow to care about, but I felt like I knew the ending for some characters long before I should have and there was far too much description and repetition for me to really enjoy this book.

This is a story about tragedy and love and fresh starts. And what happens when the past interrupts a fresh start.
In this novel the main character has completely started over. New town, new name, new job. There is drama in her new town that has her worried about being recognized in the news.
Once her ex husband shows up, she has to come to terms with how her new life meshes with her old one.
This story is relatable and engaging. I found it to be a quick easy read.
Although this wasn't a deep literary work, I found myself wanting more more more. Delinsky's writing style was just what I needed.

This is my first novel by Barbara Delinsky, but it won't be my last.

I knew this book would hit me hard as a parent (ugy tears galore at the green velvet box scene) and it took me a while after getting the arc to read it. I knew I would have to be in the right frame of mind to be able to read about Maggie (Mackenzie) and Ned's (Edward's) pain.

Maggie is an artist in a small town in Vermont. She has friends, a career, 3 pets and a house. What almost no one knows is that Maggie was starting over after the death of her 5 yr old daughter in a car accident, where she was the driver. What she didn't expect is hat after 4 years her ex husband and brother would move to her town to take over the local Inn and restaurant.

Their coming to town, as well as dealing with a friends son's scandal, brings all her memories back. Memories she's put in a box and hasn't dealt with.

This was an emotional and heartfelt book. I loved seeing Maggie and Ned reconnect, acknowledge their love for each other and their baby girl.

Thanks to Netgalley for the pleasure of reading this arc. This was also posted on iBooks, Barnes and Noble and Amazon

Before and Again touches on the heart wrenching topic of what can happen while driving distracted. We all think that we are expert drivers, that nothing could possibly ever happen to YOU...but what happens when it does?!