When I found myself crying and reading at 3am I knew this going to end up one of my favourite 2020 reads. Alfie and Alice were wonderfully crafted, complicated, messy, funny, broken and human characters. Loved, loved, loved them both so much as well as their separate and joint journeys through their respective traumas. The author does an incredible job weaving a love story between two people who have not laid eyes on each other. The connection and the affection that grew between Alice and Alfie was real, engaging and very beautiful.

Such a great setting in the hospital ward and a wonderful mix of supporting characters including Mother A, and Mr Peterson. Sarah was a joy of a best friend and her friendship and love for Alice was a delight. Funny, emotional, heart breaking, well written read and I really hope to see more from this author.

Thank you to Netgalley, Random House UK and Emily Houghton for giving me this book in exchange for an honest review.

I'll start off by saying that I finished this book in a matter of hours, it's a very easy read, but that doesn't mean that it's bad. It's a lovely book full of found families, friendships and love. Houghton deals with some hard topics as the main characters are all patients on a rehabilitation ward (one amputee and one burn victim). It's a classic falling in love without seeing each other story, but it's incredibly heartwarming, a real feelgood read. I'd recommend this if you're in the mood to feel good. The characters are great and they're complex too, with more than meets the eye. The writing really makes you feel for the characters and puts you in their shoes.

I think the only fault I find is that I wanted another chapter!

God this book chewed me up and spat me back out again.

I expected this to be an emotional story. What I didn't expect was to laugh and cry in equal measure. All of the characters in this book are so amazing, so lovable and they jump right off the page. I found myself agreeing with Alfie and with Alice at the same time - even when they didn't agree with each other!

I can't believe how perfectly written, how raw, this book is and how well the emotion and connection between the two is.
Absolutely amazing and a must read!

5 stars!

Rating: 4.5/5
Recommend: This is the kind of book that you finish in a single read. When you're feeling at your worst, like nothing in life is going according to plan, it's the kind of book that will show you how little your problems are compared to others. Emily Houghton's novel will then teach you how to stand up again. A beautiful read.

Alice has had an accident. Due to a mishap at work, she is now the recovering survivor of a raging fire - but, at a steep cost. Alfie was in an accident too - but, after months spent recovering, he is finally close to being released from the hospital's rehabilitation ward. When Alice is shifted to the bed next to Alfie, the pair strike a bizarre friendship... but, can you be friends with someone you have never even seen? How much does appearance matter really?

I loved the dynamic between Alice and Alfie! As the interactions between them grew, and they each slowly began to open up about the grief and loss in their lives, it almost felt like fate. Even though this is a work of fiction, it was endearing to see both the protagonists overcome their respective traumas and grow. (And did I mention that throughout the entire time they never even see each other's face? Not even once.)

Alice's journey from the vulnerable woman in the hospital to someone finally coming to terms with her situation was inspiring to read. Through her steady interactions with Alfie, we slowly get to see who Alice used to be before the accident, the events that her made that way, and the person she is slowly becoming as she opens up. It's almost like the accident was something that really needed to happen in Alice's life - the event made her realize that she needed help.

Another fantastic thing about this book was Emily Houghton's flowing writing style. Her words will literally make you hear the thoughts inside both characters' heads until you slowly begin to understand why they behave the way they do. It was because of this easy writing style that I was able to blitz through this book in the span of a day.

Some books just come to you at exactly the right moment in time - like a twist of fate, believe it or not. This is what Before I Saw You was to me. A huge shout out to Random House UK, Transworld Publishers for lending me a copy of this ARC. It was a beautiful read.

Emily Houghton's fantastic new novel will be out in February 2021!

This was a light hearted romance that had me smiling throughout. It's full of emotion and friendship. It was a great, quick read and I really enjoyed it.

Thank you to the publisher for providing me with a copy of this E-book to review via Netgalley.

3. 5 stars

This book is predominantly set in a recovery ward of a hospital. Alice is healing from severe burns after being in a fire and Alfred (Alfie) has had his leg amputated after a car accident. They find themselves in beds next to each other and form a strong friendship and connection. There is a whole lot of characters in the large room and due to Alice's scars she isn't comfortable with anyone (esp. Alfie) seeing her.

For the most part, the themes are dark and depressing with the main characters battling demons from the past and present. There was still a lot of warmth in this story, mostly in highlighting human kindness, and I really felt myself taking to it after about 25%. Alfie was really, REALLY great and he brought out a gorgeous side to Alice.

'Do you think you will go back to what you were doing before?'
'What, being a happy-go-lucky, loveable yet incredibly infuriating human being I was? I'm sure I can still manage that with one leg.'

The writing was good, but in my opinion it needs some work. It was a bit long winded at times and her strengths weren't explored enough. Okay, the romance, where do I begin. This was deep and sweet and Alfie wrote these love letters to Alice (I'm a sucker for a love letter) and I thought maybe Houghton would really bring this home and I'd be singing this books praises, but this wasn't ADULT ROMANCE, no you cannot claim this genre. It is womens fiction / chick-lit. I don't was to spoil what was and wasn't in this book, but had I known there would be absolutely ZERO pay off I'm not sure I'd have read it. It is a very sad read and without the exploration of a happy ending, I'm left pretty lost and not sure WHY I just went through that, but I guess, final answer: NO I wouldn't take this one back. One more chapter is 100000% required though.

'Our scars are simply the marks of our stories. They show we've lived our life, and most of all that we have survived it.'

(ARC kindly provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review, quotes are subject to change before publication).

Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I was so surprised by this book! I loved the quick read it was. It is beautifully written, the characters are so realistic and take on dark deep themes.
I usually don’t appreciate the jumping between POV but I really enjoyed it in this book.
I honestly feel like I was on this journey along side them and lived every moment with them.
I look forward to see what this author will come up with next!

This is a fantastic book and I think it will become one of the must-reads of 2021! It is beautifully written with characters that have such great depth. This story will stay with me for a long time.

I really enjoyed this book - it was a lovely romance novel showing people in some of their darkest moments. I couldn't put it down once I started, leading to a very long night! I look forward to reading more books from Emily Houghton.

I have tried to get into this book twice and both times I found Alice’ distress (she is a severe burns victim) too difficult to read about. I have no life experience in this area, it’s just so distressing and unpleasant to read. Not for me. I will not be finishing reading this book and do not recommend it.

What a beautifully written book! My heart was full of emotion. The characters were so believable and I was completely absorbed in the plot. Never did I think I would love a book about two people in a rehab ward of a hospital. A totally different type of love story that is so worth reading.

The story of Alice and Alfie. They meet in hospital, but never face to face. Both are struggling with what has happened to them and trying to deal with it in their own ways.
An emotional read.

I would have like an epilogue and to find out what happened next.

Alfie and Alice meet under the most exceptional circumstances, but never come face to face. The pair sleep next to one another every night in a recovery unit of a hospital / treatment centre. Alfie, the boisterous personality on the ward, aims to befriend Alice who is silent and spends her time behind her bed curtains refusing to be seen. There are disagreements, heartfelt moments and support shared between the two despite the barriers between them.

This book is compassionate and really delves into the emotional and physical aspects of recovery, but also looks at the feelings of grief, longing and acceptance. There is a menagerie of eclectic people surrounding the protagonists, and I enjoyed that the story switched between the perspective of the two main characters to really give you a look into how they were both thinking and feeling.

I do feel as though the ending was a little abrupt, and predictable, and I would’ve liked to see an epilogue just to round things up a little more.

Before I Saw You is a really intense and original romance, that is so well crafted and paced that it leaves you yearning for more. The characters by the end of the book feel like your friends, and because of Emily Hougton's talent as writer you feel like you know the characters and really care for them.

This was a lovely surprise of a book! I usually don't pick up books within this genre, but I read the summary of this one and it intrigued me right away. The plot of the book was set at a good pace with certain scenes leaving me desperate for more information. I found myself unable to put this book down and finishing it all in a day. The characters were loveable, especially the two main characters. Their disagreements, flaws and moments of love were all wonderfully worded and created a complex but real relationship. The way the author was able to handle difficult and deep topics is admirable, nothing felt overdone or made a mockery of. Overall, this was a lovely book with a heartwarming story.

I have just seen a previous reviewer liken this to Beach Read by Emily Henry and I completely agree - full of dark, deep topics that really hit harder than you expect. Set almost entirely in a hospital ward, I loved meeting all the different characters that came in and out. Although the language it is written in is pretty simplistic, it was still a pretty good read. I only wish there was one more Alfie chapter at the end! It was missing just two extra pages or so and I didn't realise I was even on the last page until I finished it. A quick read, 3.5 stars.

In the same vain as beach read. This book looks like a light and fluffy rom com but instead deals with some intense topics. As someone that has had an extended stay in hospital, I really liked it. The story was sweet and not too unrealistic. Well worth reading.