Everyone has some secrets but Kate, Gisela and Sally, well they REALLY have secrets. How can you keep your past hidden in the age of social media? Kate does her best- she has reason to. Told from alternating perspectives of these three women who live on the same street, this story is about what we hide from others and what happens when the curtain is drawn back. Gisela and Sally both like to show that they have perfect, if very different marriages so their posts reflect their lives, or do they? Of course when something happens to burst the bubble, someone will be hurt- but who? No spoilers so you too can find out why Kate's dropped away from the world and what the catalyst is. Thanks to net galley for the ARC. A page turner.

I loved this book. It was like looking through a window and seeing the perfect family, but if you look a little closer you realise that not all is as it at first seems.

Kate is a single mum who has just moved onto a brand-new housing estate, Parkview Road, with her daughter Daisy. Kate is always on the move, she does not form friendships in case someone recognises her and finds out the terrible dark secret she is hiding.

Gisella likes nothing better than being busy and entertaining her friends and neighbours.
She is married to Jack, a successful business man. They have two children, Ollie and Hannah, the perfect family.

Sally lives with her husband of 10 years Chris, they both have high flying careers and take exotic holidays but have no children.

Both Gisella and Sally love nothing better than posting photos of their wonderful lives on social media, while Kate looks on in envy.

However, when Kate is called to the scene of an horrendous car accident, the aftermath will send shock waves through the lives of the women and the cracks begin to show.

Kerry has written a very heartfelt and moving story of the friendship between these three women and the firm bond they form. It also highlights how Kate’s perception of her friends changes as she begins to comprehend that nothing is as wonderful as it looks on social media.

My second book by this author. After reading the first one I was utterly charmed and a big fan. Now however ... I am even a bigger fan. :)

Moving can be the result of different things. One family might simple be looking for a bigger house, another might want to leave memories behind, a third one might have an other reason. It's fun and difficult at the same time. You have to say goodbye to a previous life but you can look forward to meeting new people.

Social media are perfect for keeping in touch but it's sure can't be true that everybody is always happy and cheerful, can it? It's very often a smokescreen you can hide behind and be what you would like to be and do what you would like to do. Often it's not even close to the truth. But when you live in the same street, friendships can be formed and when reality surfaces, you are happy to be able to lean on them.I

loved the story. It's fluently written and very believable. I think when you would dive deeper into the life some people seem to have according to their social media, you would be in for a surprise. 

Anyway, true love and friendship conquer all, no matter what life throws at you.  5 stars.

Thank you, Kerry Fisher, Bookouture and Netgalley.

This book shows the power of social media and that not everybody's life is as perfect as they say. The story is a really good read and kept me gripped the whole way through.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

The Woman I Was Before is the second book I’ve read by Kerry Fisher and can say that this was unputdownable.
Three women, three very different lives but all with secrets. I loved the writing style of this novel it really made me love each character and want the best for them.
Kate lives with her daughter and her past is the last to be revealed but is so heartbreaking.
Gisela has the perfect life with the perfect family but does she really?
Sally just wants a baby to complete her great life with her husband.
All the characters were believable and I wanted all of them to have a happy ever after and because I needed to find out everything this book was read in a day.
This book also highlights why I do not do Facebook as it shows that we all try to show we have perfect lives on it and it grates at the rest of us but we all do it but reality is that none of us have the perfect life!
A great read and can’t wait for your next.
I would like to thank Netgalley and Bookouture for this Arc I received in exchange for an honest review.

I have read some of the author’s previous books which I have really enjoyed, so was pleased to be able to read this one. This is the story of three families who all move to new houses on the same street. It does predominantly focus on the three women of the houses – Gisela, Sally and Kate – and each chapter is alternately given from these women’s perspectives. The beginning of each chapter also features a little snippet of what may possibly be put on their social media accounts – a picture on Facebook or a tweet about what they were doing at the time. This gives you the big clue that social media does play a big part in this story and teaches you the lesson that not everything you see or read on social media is the complete truth!

There were a lot of characters to get my head around initially. We were introduced to each family in turn, and there wasn’t only the women to remember but also their husbands, partners and children! It did takes a few chapters before I was comfortable enough to remember who was who without having to check back a few pages! I love these kind of books where you have neighbours or friends who all appear to have perfect lives but if you look close enough you can see the cracks appearing on the surface. I also love it when everyone seems to be hiding a secret, and whilst they don’t want to broadcast it, they also need to keep up the pretence that their lives are perfect!

For me, all of these women had something which you just couldn’t help but like. I also felt so sorry for these women at times and really connected with them. It felt like you knew them all already, but the writing was so realistic that you probably already do know them and see them every morning standing at the school gates or going into work! As the story moves on, secrets begin to be shared and I just couldn’t wait for each reveal, particularly for Kate and Daisy’s story.

This was a wonderfully modern book featuring all the trials and tribulations of social media. It was also scarily realistic at times and as I was reading I got the feeling that a lot of what happens in this book already does actually happen every day! The story was fabulously written and you could relate to each of the characters in turn. It was a book full of secrets, lies and mistrust. The motto of this story – don’t believe everything you read on social media! Would definitely recommend this book!

This is my first book by this author and it won't be my last. The very timely topic of social media and it's effect on all of us. What we see posted, what we post, and the real truths that we don't include. This is a very good domestic drama that kept me interested in Kate Jones and her daughter and what they are running away from. New house, new life, new neighbors. Interesting neighbors all with their own secrets. The author creates characters that I really cared about. Thank you to the author, the publisher and Net Galley for the opportunity to read the advance copy/

Photo: Me reading this book.
Caption: Sometimes a book is good even if it isn't at all what you expect from the summary.
#womensfiction #notverysuspenseful #Sundayafternoonread #yesthistropewasusedthroughoutthebook

This is the story of three women who become friends after moving to the same street in a new neighborhood. Each of them is hiding their own secrets behind the perfect picture they present to the world. Based on the title and summary, I expected that the story would focus mostly on Kate Jones and her mysterious past. That was not the case. Instead it focused on all three women pretty evenly. It was interesting to see how their assumptions regarding each other's perfect life came into play. I loved how Ms. Fisher didn't come right out and slam social media but provided a good reminder that it only shows the picture being presented. The whole story was enjoyable but more a story of growing friendships than of intrigue and mystery.

How well do we really know our neighbors? Physically - they are closest to us. We may even see them more regularly than some of our closest friends or family. But do we really know them? Or just the parts they choose to share with us?

Gisela, Sally and Kate have each just moved into houses in a new development with their families and they become friendly. But as we get to know each woman - we see both what is really going on in her life and the parts that she chooses on social media and to her neighbors.

It turns out they each have something going on under the surface that is not being shown - one is hiding from something in her past and the others are hiding secret struggles in their present.

For everyone who has scrolled through social media and felt that everyone else seems to have it more together - this is a great story of what may really be happening behind those perfect staged photos.

Thank you to Netgalley and Bookouture for the advance reading copy in exchange for my honest review.

Book Review⁣
The Woman I Was Before⁣
Kerry Fisher⁣
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫⁣
Available 3/22/19⁣
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What a surprising read! I picked this up expecting another “just okay” domestic suspense book but this was something different. And I was here for it!⁣
•⁣
This book explores the lives of 3 women, told from each of their perspectives. The catch: we see how their lives actually are vs. what they post on social media. I was expecting it to be a bit far-fetched but it was actually pretty true to life. I’m always happiest with a novel when I close the book and think, “wow, that all really could have happened”.⁣
•⁣
The book also encouraged me to re-evaluate what I’m putting out there and how that may affect others. Social media can be an amazing platform but it can also ruin lives if not used in a positive way. ⁣
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I was invested in each storyline and thought the characters were well developed. If you are looking for a book that’s not heavy but packs a punch, this is it! ⁣
•⁣
I received a copy of this book from ⁣Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

On the surface Gisela and Sally have it all, their lives look picture perfect on their Facebook feeds. Their new neighbour Kate has a secret to hide but ‘The Woman I Was Before,’ shows us that beneath the surface all three women are struggling. I have now read several books by Kerry Fisher and would highly recommend them to fans of Diane Chamberlain and Liane Moriarty.

This is the story of three women who live on a new gated community, Kate who has changed her name and is running away from her past with her daughter Daisy, Sally who is married to Chris and desperately wants a child but he doesn't, and Giselle who had two grown up children. The three women know each other superficiality, Kate thinks the other two have the perfect lives going by all of the social media posts, but after an accident they start to get to know each other better. What is really going on in all of their lives?

Another great story by this author, plenty of twists to keep you guessing and I think a very relevant topic of the social media impact. The story works well being told by their different points of view so that you get the full picture and get to know each of the characters. Definitely recommended.

Loved the book!! Became a huge fan of Kerry Fisher's books after reading After the Lie. This book definitely proves the point that nothing is picture perfect and all those happy, perfect posts are deceiving. Loved how the book alternated between Kate, Gisela and Sally. I wanted to find out the reason for Kate moving and changing her name. All I knew is it involved her best friend Becky and must have been horrible. When Kate's secret was finally revealed, I really wasn't expecting that and felt horrible. I was kind of expecting what happened to Sally. When she found the truth out about Chris, it wasn't much of a shock. Gisela handled her situation better than most people. She truly loved her husband. I loved getting to know Gisela, Kate and Sally.

I loved the story, characters and writing style. No matter what Sally and Gisela were going through, they always posted a happy picture on Facebook. Their friends and neighbors never knew what was really happening. All those hashtags drove me crazy. #ThisWasAGreatBook #wonderfulread #definitelyrecommend

Definitely recommend the book. Looking forward to reading more!!

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Bookouture through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Kate Jones is running away.. She left her old life behind. She's changed her own name and her daughters. Starting afresh on Parkview Road, a brand new street full,of newly built houses. Her new neighbours seem to have it all: Gisela with her busy life, Sally with her spontaneous marriage. The pictures her new friends post online confirm their seemingly perfect existence, while Kate hides from the world at all costs. Until one day, everything changes.

The story is told from the three women's point of view, Kate, Gisela and Sally. As the story unfolds, we learn more of their backgrounds. You can't help but feel empathy for the women. The characters in this book are true to life and I'm sure most of us will know somebody that is similar to at least one of them. I couldn't wait to find out what Kate and her daughter Daisy's secret was. I kept guessing, but I never got it right. Once you pick this book up you won't want to put it back down.i do recommend this book.

I would like to thank NetGalley, Bookouture and the author Kerry Fisher for my ARC in exchange for an honest review

This is my first Kerry Fischer book. I had no idea what I was getting myself into! I figured it would be an easy read I could enjoy and read fairly quickly. That however was not the case. The complexities of the characters, and the way it bounces between the three very different women, kept me on my toes. The way social media portrays one thing, yet their lives are the completely opposite is a fitting description of today's society and the way we only show people what we want them to see. They don't dig deeper, beneath the layers of food pics, family pics and random nonsense. They assume everyone else has it together, the perfect life, the perfect children and the perfect husbands. That however slowly begins to change, when secrets are revealed, the curtain is lifted and reality shines through. One woman confides her truth, letting it free her and open her up to what her life could truly become if she steps away from the nonsense and takes what she really wants. Another continues to fake it all until the bottom drops and all she ever knew comes to an end. Can she pick up the pieces? Will the last woman find.the strength to let the world see who she truly is, to love again and finally forgive herself and be free? Definitely a five star must read for the year. Any one who loves a page turner that will leave you guessing will most certainly enjoy it!

I have read this author previously, but it was a totally different plot line/story (The Secret Child). I enjoyed that book immensely and was happy to get a copy of this book. This book was AMAZING! I simply could not put it down. I loved the premise: three women living on the same street in a city in the UK, all of them think the others "have it all" because of their FB/Insta posts, but thanks to hearing from their 3 perspectives we soon realize their lives are far from perfect, some in rather shocking ways.

This story touches on a lot of modern issues today and I feel this book is timely. FB, Instagram, and the like give us a snapshot of someone's life, but it truly does not tell us the entire picture. Sometimes we see something on there and get wistful that it isn't us, isn't our life. This book will show you that all that glitters is not gold and that social media is just a brief look at one's life; no one posts one's failings on it.

There were some twists and some shocking revelations throughout. The story was fast-paced and kept me on the edge of my seat. The ending was tied together nicely without being too cookie-cuttery. My take from this book: don't take social media too seriously and enjoy your life off of it.

Thank you to Netgalley/the publishers for my copy and an honest review.

This story revolves around Sally, Gisela and Kate and their families who all live in a new housing subdivision. . What goes on in the privacy of their homes and what they portray on social media....and, what is actually happening. Exploring what really is going on, takes you on a fantastic, intriguing journey.
This book is a wonderful story about family, friendship and life.
Thank you to NetGallery, the publisher and author, Kerry Fisher, for the opportunity to read and review “The Woman I Was Before” in exchange for my honest opinion.

This is my first book by this author. I was pleasantly surprised with her brilliant writing. This is a story of three women with life's struggles and finding their way in life! This book was a true delight! I almost finished in one day! I love that each character is so relatable! A great story and refreshing read!! I definitely can't wait to read more from this author!! Thank you to Net Galley for an ARC of this book for my honest review!

The Woman I Was Before is the first book I read by Kerry Fisher and I enjoyed it a lot. Each page was engrossing and interesting. The story follows three women: Kate, Gisela, and Sally who move into a new gated community in Parkview. Kate is a single mother of Daisy and she carries a secret from her past. Sally desperately wants a child, but her self-absorbed husband Chris is against it. Gisela is married to Jack and they are the parents of two young adults, 18-year-old Hannah, and 21-year-old Ollie. Kate envies the other women who pretend to have perfect lives with all their Facebook posts pretending all is well in their world. Until the accident….after the accident, their friendship with each other evolves and secrets get shed.

Each chapter is written from the POV of one of the women which helps the reader get to know each of them well. I liked these women, especially Gisela who I felt more of kinship to. Overall this was an excellent read.

Thank you to Bookouture and Netgalley for providing me with an advanced copy.

The Woman I Was Before examines the disparity in the lives of three neighbors between what they post on social media and what actually is occurring. Publicly they are living perfect lives with adoring families. Privately, however, is a very different story. Read this excellent story to see what happens when the three women begin to see that the real lives of those they have been envious of begin to be revealed. You will have a hard time closing the book for any reason...it is that good! It is well written and easy for the American audience to understand, even though the punctuation and a lot of references are British. I voluntarily reviewed an advance copy of this book. Most highly recommend.