Five-year-old Sloane McBride couldn’t sleep that night. Her parents were arguing again, their harsh words heating the cool autumn air. And then there was that other sound—the ominous thump before all went quiet.

In the morning, her mother was gone.

The official story was that she left. Her loving, devoted mother! That hadn’t sat any better at the time than it did when Sloane moved out at eighteen, anxious to leave her small Texas hometown in search of anywhere else. But not even a fresh start working as a model in New York could keep the nightmares at bay. Or her fears that the domineering father she grew up with wasn’t just difficult—he was deadly.

A darkly thrilling story of a girl who should have left well alone.

An interesting read that keeps you on your toes. The author did a great job of weaving together the story; I look forward to reading her other novels.

It’s been a long time since I have read a book by Brenda Novak.
Before We Were Strangers reminded me of why I love her so much.
This story is about so much more than family, old/new relationships and friendships.
There is so much heartache and pain that it reminds you of what is really important in life.
You don’t want to miss this one.
Pick it up and read it now!

3.5

Sloane McBride returns to her hometown with much trepidation. The only reason she is going back is because she believes her Dad killed her Mom back when she was a five year old. Now that she is older, she feels it is her job to try and prove just that. To complicate matters, her childhood best friend Paige married her former boyfriend Micah. They are divorced now but stay connected because the have a son. Paige still loves Micah but those feelings are not reciprocated. Micah still loves Sloane. Sloane is caught in the middle.

Ms. Novak has presented us with a very enjoyable story. There is a lot going on here. Sloane's Dad is the mayor of Millcreek and wields great control over everything that goes on in town. He knows why Sloane has returned and is going to do everything in his power to stop her. Paige tries to sell herself as a best friend, but she is very jealous of the relationship between Sloane and Micah. Micah wants to be with Sloane, but is concerned Paige will decide to not let him see his son Lucas.

And so this tale weaves in, out and around all these different story lines. The author did a great job making everything flow. This was an interesting mystery with a bit of romance. And just when you think everything is all wrapped up, there's a nice little twist. Well done!

My thanks to Harlequin - Mira and Netgalley.

was a gripping thriller that took you to every aspect of trying to figure out what was really going on and what was going to happen next! This was such an amazing book and I can’t wait to see what else is released from this author!

I am really peeved with NetGalley right now! I really reviewed most of these books already and want to know why it's not recorded! FYI This book was amazing!!!!

Sloane McBride is an accomplished model who decides to return home after a 10 year absence. She left without saying so much as a goodbye. It was easier to run then to deal with her mother's disappearance. Was her mother so callous that she could walk away without ever looking back at the children she left behind? Was she murdered? On that fateful night 23 years ago Sloane heard her parents quarreling. She recalls a physical altercation but isn't sure if her mother fell or if her father hurt her. Her heart is conflicted over her father's potential guilt. He is the only parent she knows. In the meantime, her father has gone from being the richest man in town to being the most powerful and politically connected. No one wants to come against him nor rehash a 23 year old case on the word of a 5 year old. After all, can Sloane's memory be trusted after so many years? Despite her misgivings and clear indications that she is not wanted back, Sloane presses on in her search for the truth.

<b>Before We Were Strangers</b> was a quick read for me. I read this a mystery romance in just about 1 day. I would definitely recommend this book to mystery lovers despite the 3 star rating. Although it was engaging I came across a few similarities with other books that I was reading at the time. In the future I will give Brenda Novak another go. I will just make sure to switch up my genres so I am not reading so many mysteries so close together.
<i>Special thanks to NetGalley, Mira Books and Benda Novak for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.</i>

Novak's latest romantic suspense has a strong and promising premise but falls flat with cliched dialogue, clunky pacing, and oddly constructed characters who would have been right at home in an 80s soap opera.

Was this a mystery or a second chance romance. This could be the real question as this story had both happening at the same time.

Sloane McBride’s mother, Clara, disappeared 23 years ago following a violent argument with her father, Ed. Sloane was only five-years old at the time but vividly recalls the details of what she saw and heard that night. She left town suddenly and without warning when she was eighteen to escape her father’s domination and emotional cruelty, leaving behind her boyfriend, Micah, and best friend, Paige. Now she’s returned home to Texas after having gained fame and success as a model to finally investigate and solve the mystery of her mother’s disappearance. At the top of her suspect list? Her father.

The story begins with the death of Sloane’s beloved agent, mentor and benefactor who had encouraged her to go back home and reconnect with her family and friends. I really felt how alone Sloane was with no real meaningful relationships to anchor her anywhere. Even her return home was met with suspicion and hostility. Every relationship was complicated, including her best friend and ex-boyfriend who had married each other, share a son and are now divorced. The reactions to her return felt real, even if some were harsh and unfair, consistent with small town dynamics.

The mystery was gnarly, taking twisty and uncertain paths, especially with unreliable witnesses who were swayed by Sloane’s influential father, the town mayor. I found Sloane pretty naive and too trusting at times, especially where it concerned Paige. The romantic element was subtle, providing some relief to the tension. I enjoyed this story for its unpredictability and mystery, thinking I had this thing figured out until a major curve ball was thrown. There are a host of characters you won’t like and everyone has their share of flaws. That just made everything more interesting.

I’m all about stories that bring a person back to their old town to confront their past, and Before We Were Strangers by Brenda Novak promised to do just this. There was something that also drew me to the cover and the feel of the book before I opened it, however that feeling kind of petered out as the story went on.

On the surface, I liked what this was, but when I look a little closer, a lot of details seem really convenient or dramatic for the sake of causing drama in the story or for the sake of moving things along. There were a few moments that just seemed a little too much and caused me to roll my eyes, which kind of pulled me away from the story, back to the surface, keeping this more of a superficial read than anything that delved too deep.

I also had a hard time believing that Sloane and her ex-boyfriend Micah were still so caught up on each other after a fleeting high school romance and 10 years with no contact. It’s romantic and plausible, but I needed more history to support it as opposed to just being told that was the case. I wanted to see those roots run deep, but they didn’t. The further I read, the more apparent it became that this was a romance novel hiding behind a thinly veiled mystery story, with big holes in the mystery where the romance just kept oozing out.

I just didn’t warm to the book or the characters as things progressed. I was curious enough about the missing woman, but I felt like there were a lot of inconsistencies and that it was a little sloppy overall. Full transparency, I read the first 1/3, then skipped to the last 1/3 and the story was in exactly the same spot. I have no shame in skipping the bulk, as I really don’t feel it impacted the book as a whole for me. There are a lot of good reviews for this, but it just wasn’t my kind of book.

Coming back to her hometown after ten years has Sloane very agitated. She must build up her courage to finally face what happened to her mother all those years ago. Her father is either a monster and guilty of killing her or an innocent arrogant man.

When she left all those years ago, she left behind the love of her life - Micah. Now, as she returns, she finds that he not only married her best friend Paige but also has a son by her. He did not wait very long after she left before moving on and getting Paige pregnant and married. All the old feelings have her in a turmoil as she is determined to move on and seek the answer to her mother's disappearance.

With her father being the mayor and a very influential member of the community, all doors keep closing in her face. Will she be able to solve this mystery?

This is one of Brenda Novak's most intriguing and suspenseful stories!

I am voluntarily reviewing this book. Thanks to the publisher for sharing a copy with me.

Brenda Novak is one of my go-to authors for suspense and she didn’t disappoint with her latest book, Before We Were Strangers. In this book small town dynamics reign and all is not what it seems. Sloane McBride left her small Texas hometown when she turned eighteen planning never to return. However, the long ago disappearance of her mother haunts her life and she vows to find out what happened once and for all.

Sloane’s battle for the truth hits a roadblock with her father. As mayor, he wields the most power in the town but Sloane and her ex-boyfriend are willing to work against him to find the truth. Sloane’s investigation takes a surprising turn when she discovers her mother was having an affair. Did Sloane’s mother simply run away from her life like everyone thinks or was foul-play involved?

All in all, I really enjoyed this book. Novak inserted a twists here and there allowing me to be surprised.

I didn't enjoy Before We Were Strangers as much as I thought I would. In a way, I was happy to be away from Alaska and the psychopaths in the prison there, only to find that in the south, and not in prison, there were other psychopaths lurking.
I enjoyed Sloane going back home after 10 years away, however, I am not sure her choices when she arrived were good choices for her. Staying with her ex best friend, who had newly divorced Sloane's high school boyfriend just seemed like a recipe for disaster to me.
I was expecting more of a sweet story like the Whiskey Creek novels, and I got something much darker and more twisted than that.

Sloane was 5 when she heard her parents having a terrible argument. The next morning her loving Mother is gone. She supposedly left town. Sloane has always had her doubts. She leaves town when she is 18, but 10 years later comes back to try and find out what happened to her Mother.

This book was told from 2 points of view, which was distracting for me. It was full of lies, deceits and some very complicated relationships. It held my interest enough for me to want to get to the end. Thank you to net galley for an advanced readers copy.

This is the first time a Brenda Novak book has been on my TBR list because I assumed she wrote mostly romance novels, which is not one of my favorite genres. However, Before We Were Strangers has been a most pleasant surprise: it is a contemporary mystery thriller that captures the reader's attention from the first page. Sloane McBride, at age 5, overheard her parents having a violent argument. The next morning, her mother had disappeared, never to be seen again. This abandonment stayed with the child into adulthood. She left her hometown in Texas as soon as she was 18, leaving behind her best friend and her boyfriend Micah. She returned 10 years later because she was convinced that her rich and powerful father was responsible for whatever happened to her mother. With Micah's help, they proceed to dig up the past in order to solve her mother's probable murder, in spite of her father's and brother's obstruction of their investigation. This is a whodunit that will stay with the reader, long after the last page. I look forward to more novels by Brenda Novak. Thank you to Mira Books and NetGalley for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC of Before We Were Strangers by Brenda Novak that I read and reviewed.
I can honestly say this was one of the best books by Brenda Novak that I have read in a long time. I could not put my Kindle down when I started reading this book. I fell in love with Sloane's quest to find out what happened to her mother no matter what it was going to cost her. I also loved the relationship between her and Micah. That added so much more to the book.
I don't want to give anything away but Before We Were Strangers is a book that has romance, suspense, family drama, friendship drama and of course a murder to solve. Needless to say it is the whole package and the characters are ones that one minute you love then you hate and then at the end you say wow I did not see that coming. Novak outdid herself this time.
I am giving this book five out of five stars.

Before We Were Strangers is the fast-paced story of one woman's attempt to uncover the truth about a long-buried family secret and the deep, abiding love she reclaims along the way.

When Sloane McBride was just five years old, her mother disappeared without a trace. Her father, a powerful man with political aspirations, told everyone she walked out on them, but even as a child, Sloane knew that simply couldn't be true. After all, she was there on that terrible night, and its memories have never faded from her mind.

It's been twenty-three years since Sloane last saw her mother and ten years since she last set foot in the tiny Texas town where she grew up. Sloane has been living in New York City where she works as a fashion model, but while most people would say she's living a charmed life, she knows she'll never be truly happy unless she can finally learn what really happened to her mother, and so, she takes time off from her job and heads back to Texas.

Unfortunately for Sloane, there are people who are desperate to keep the past hidden forever who begin trying to run her out of town not long after her arrival, and if that's not bad enough, Micah, Sloane's high school sweetheart, still hasn't forgiven her for leaving him all those years ago. He's reeling from a nasty divorce from Paige, Sloane's former best friend who can't seem to accept the fact that Micah has never truly gotten over Sloane.

Sloane never expected to be welcomed back to town with open arms, but she does find the level of hostility that's being directed at her hard to take, and she naturally begins to question the wisdom of returning to Mill Creek. Maybe it would be better to let go of the past and return to New York, but Sloane knows she can't give up without a fight. Not only does the truth about her mother's disappearance haunt her, but she's also desperate to make amends with Micah, the only man she's ever truly loved.

Before We Were Strangers contains the perfect balance of romance and mystery; Ms. Novak definitely knows how to hook her readers in and refuse to let them go. I read late into the night so I could see how things turned out for Sloane and Micah, and I enjoyed every minute of the experience. The suspense is chilling and the romance is full of the best kind of sizzling sexual tension.

Surprisingly enough, one of the best things about this book is the skill with which Ms. Novak creates her villains, who are fully-drawn people with complex motivations rather than your garden-variety bad guys. I freely admit to being fascinated by the sections of the story told from their points of view.

Both Sloane and Micah are easy to like. They're far from perfect, but their flaws serve to make them all the more sympathetic. I've run out of patience for cookie-cutter characters who always do the right things, so it's super refreshing to come across people who are doing the best they can in the face of difficult circumstances. These characters mess up a time or two, but they learn and grow from their mistakes, which is something I really appreciate.

Parts of the big reveal felt a little bit obvious, but I think that may have something to do  with the huge numbers of mysteries and thrillers I've been reading lately. After a while, it's pretty easy to figure out where things are likely to go, but this didn't detract from my overall enjoyment of the story. Instead, I took a great deal of pleasure in watching Sloane and Micah put aside their differences in order to uncover the truth and reclaim their love for one another.

This was the first Brenda Novak book I'd read in quite some time, but it has inspired me to catch up with her backlist. She's written a lot of great stuff over the years, and I fully intend to immerse myself in her unique brand of emotive storytelling again very soon.

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Did Ed murder Sloan's mom? He was a rotten husband and a rotten father but is he also a murderer? And if he didn't, what did happen? Sloan's back in town after many years away and she's determined to find the truth. Unfortunately, she also stirs up a lot of trouble for her friends Micah and Paige. Micah was her first love but get over it- he's married and a dad now. This has some really awkward spots (there are some very unfortunate sex scenes) but if you go with it, it's worth the time invested to get the twists and turns. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. No spoilers!

Before We Were Strangers by Brenda Novak. A roller-coaster of a read. It grabbed me from the beginning with it's characters and had me going back wondering what was going to happen next. I look forward to reading more books by Brenda Novak.