The premise of this one sounded really interesting, and since it was marketed for fans of Me Before You I was sure I'd enjoy it. However, it ended up being so slow and the style was a bit more juvenile than I was expecting, After trying several times to get past the first few chapters of this book I sadly accepted that this would be a DNF for me. I would definitely still encourage others to give it a shot! I can definitely see it being a huge hit among readers that I know. I'm bummed that it wasn't for me, but I'm glad to have given it a shot! Thank you NetGalley and Gallery Books for the opportunity to read this arc in exchange for an honest review.

Before I Saw You was a very different type of contemporary romance novel, set in a rehab unit of a hospital in Europe. Our two MC's are recovering from traumatic accidents and help each other along the way as they share a room. Alfie loses a leg in a horrible car accident, but doesn't let it dim his positivity and outlook on life. Alice is the opposite, she is severely burned while at work in her office and doesn't speak for weeks after being admitted to the hospital. Alfie recognizes the pain and suffering in Alice, and works to make her feel comfortable in the unit.

If I had to sum up this book in a word it would be "heartwarming". Before I Saw You is a tale of grief and suffering, but also trust and redemption and finding love in the most unexpected places. Alfie and Alice's journey together was incredible to watch as they both dealt with their traumas and helped each other through it all. I loved the side characters and the serious notes. This is a not a light and fluffy rom com, it tackles intense emotions and topics while keeping a bit of humor.

I would have loved to see more of the romance aspect between Alfie and Alice, which would be my only critique. But that comes from someone who is just super romance minded and loves to read that! If you're looking for a fantastic contemporary read, light on romance, this will be right up your alley. I've always enjoyed TV shows set in hospitals but this is the first book I've read with that setting and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

**Thanks to Gallery Books and Netgalley for an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review**

I wanted to like this one. I was so excited about the premise...it was just so slow and hard to get into. After reading 30%, I threw in the towel and did not finish. I would still encourage others to try for themself. I can certainly see how some would fall in love with this book...just wasn’t my cup of tea. Thank you NetGalley for the arc in exchange for my review!

The story of Alice and Alfie was an endearing one. While they are both very different from one another they connected on a deeper level with shared pain and fear of the future. I really liked the uniqueness of this book and the unlikely romance.

Having said all that there were parts I didn’t love. I wished their relationship had developed more in the beginning. They had a few meaningful connections and that sealed their love? I feel like more daily, deeper, interactions from the beginning would have made it more believable and had the reader more invested. I also had a problem with some holes in the story towards the end. I can’t reveal specifics because it would give away story details. Still with all the negatives I was prepared to give it 4 ⭐️ until the very end. Ugh! It just ended. After all the build up and the waiting then it just ended. I need an epilogue right this second. Please?! The ending brought my review down to 3.5 ⭐️.

Thank you Gallery books for the ARC!

Before I Saw You is the story of Alfie and Alice who met at the rehabilitation ward in a hospital. The story is told through the eyes of Alice, suffering severe burns after an office fire, who cannot even bear to look at herself in the mirror, doesn't speak to anyone for days after the operations; and Alfie, a recent amputee after a car accident. They are dealing with their situations very differently. While Alfie is using humor and he is speaking non-stop trying to keep his own and his roommates spirits high. Alice is wallowing in self-pity. Alice insists the curtains around her to remain closed all the time. After Alfie's persistent tries to get Alice talking, a friendship starts to bloom then it turns into something more.

"Can you fall in love with someone you've never seen?" is the question we were asked in the blurb. I would say yes to that question but not in Alfie and Alice's case. I found the romantic relationship here not believable, We were led to believe their late night conversations led them to fall for each other but I think the very conversations lacked depth. They talked about their respective accidents and childhood traumas, things they don't talk about with anyone else but why would those conversations triggered romantic feelings, I just didn't get it. Another complaint I have is the ending. After such a slow burning story, it ended so abruptly. An epilogue would have been nice.

Even though the story deals with tough subjects like trauma, grief and depression, the author managed to keep the story somehow lighthearted. This is due to a great cast of characters. The overall atmosphere of the ward wasn't what I expected from a place where people recuperate after big medical procedures. If I didn't expect a better, more convincing romance from this book I'd have enjoyed it more. I choose to look at this book as a story that shows the true value of human connections with a side of romance.

This book begins with a sucker punch to the gut, and then continues to deliver the emotional blows throughout. Alice and Alfie are two patients, thrust together following their own tragic accident. What follows is an emotional journey through pain, laughter and recovery. I loved the unpredictability, the heart wrenching insights, and the unconventional love story. An absolutely amazing book.

Immediately after reading this book, I told my friends that they had to read this book. It was one that I won't soon forget reading, as it left a lasting impression on mind and spirit. And body, really, because I stayed up quite late into the night to finish. Seeing it compared to Me Before You, I was extremely nervous. While I never read the book, I watched the movie, and the ending made me want to pick up my television and throw it across the room (which I could do at the time, as it was a glorified computer monitor). I like my romance with a happy ending. Doesn't have to be a HEA, but at least a HFN (happy for now) would suffice after so much heartache. But we didn't get that with Me Before You, and I wasn't about to put myself through that again. However, I took a chance on this book, because I adore the "love is blind" concept. I have often wished that I could be "blind" when looking for love, because our eyes often deceive our hearts. Emily Houghton understands that concept, and she gives us a romance that is worth writing home about. In fact, it's worth telling the world about.

Alice Gunnersley and Alfie Mack would probably never have met, if it weren't for their chance meeting while patients at St. Francis's Hospital. Alice was a director at financial consulting firm, while Alfie taught physical education at a high school. Alice kept contact with people at a minimum and was estranged from her mother, while Alfie made friends easily and ate dinner with his family every Sunday. The two led totally different lives, until tragic accidents of fate brought them together. As neighbors in hospital beds side by side, they developed a relationship, never having seen each other face to face. With Alice's injuries, she was sheltered from the outside world, but Alfie didn't let that get in the way of becoming friends. And then friendship turned into something more. Eventually they would heal, return home, and go their separate ways. But as that day came closer, they each realized that they may not want to let each other go after all.

The way this book was written is a stunning piece of art. The reader is treated to two distinct points of view, but you don't really feel like it. Instead, you literally become the two characters. It was so easy to immerse myself in their heads, and I never felt any sort of awkward transition when switching between the two characters. Alice was hardened by life, and she saw no need to make friends, especially once she realized that people would see her damaged body when they looked at her. The last person she wished for was Alfie, but in her heart, that's exactly who she needed. Alfie was a friendly, respectful man who loved others almost unconditionally. Honestly, if anyone were to be nominated for sainthood, it would be sweet Alfie Mack. The lovable man who, despite having witnessed the horrific deaths of his two friends and losing his own leg, still looked at the world with a smile on his face. He saw Alice's gruff exterior for what it was - a shield. And he wanted to convince her that she didn't need it anymore. This story was, by no means, without its ups and downs. Sometimes I wanted to shake Alice, and other times I wanted to give her a hug. Sometimes I wanted Alfie to be less idealistic, and others times I wished he could spread that positivity to the world. They were both such amazingly well-written characters, and the only nitpick I have with this entire story is the ending. It was so abrupt. Yes, it was a HFN ending, but I am really hoping we have another book to look forward to. I need more Alfie and Alice. We all do.

This book is a must-read for 2021. After the last year we've all had, we deserve this book.

**I received a free copy from the publisher and this is my honest review.**

The description said "for fans of Close Enough to Touch and Me Before You" but I'd add in Five Feet Apart. It totally had a Five Feet Apart vibe but on a more mature level. The main characters, Alice and Alfie are both in their 30s, which gave the story more depth and maturity. I just adored Alfie! He was fun and a good time but also struggled with his own demons. I thought it was a fantastic read and a great pick!

This was an emotional AF book because it dealt with two different people recovering from life changing accidents that would effect the course of their futures. I loved the dual POVs between Aflie and Alice and learning about their pasts and why they were in a long term rehab facility and how their injuries came to be and what they each lost. Somehow in the process Alfie was able to get Alice out of her silence and to open and they both came to care for each other WITHOUT seeing each other. Their decisions throughout the changed their relationship. I liked the ending it left open to a Book 2.

Highly recommended even if most of the book was a downer. Thanks to Netgalley, Emily Houghton and Gallery Books for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Available: 5/4/21

I really, really liked this book! I loved all the side characters and the nuances of behaviours that made them human. I also really appreciated how it showed the unique way people build relationships when they are in intense, intimate settings. Both Alice and Alfie were very likeable, and one of the parts of this book that was really well done was the contrast between their two points of view; Alfie's optimism paired with Alice's difficult trauma reaction really kept me engaged. I loved getting to know the hospital staff, and the rest of the patients in the ward!

4/5 stars - I would recommend to anyone who likes a somewhat cheesy story of recovery and love!

A fabulous debut novel. I can't wait for Emily Houghton's next novel. I enjoyed the alternating perspectives.

Interesting Premise. Perfect Execution. Apparently I'm a bit different than the smattering of the current 300+ Goodreads reviews I've read of this book so far (just over a month prior to publication, so kudos to the Gallery Books/ Simon and Schuster marketing team - which is where I got my own copy from).

Why?

Because I thought this was a challenging premise for *any* author to work from, much less a debut author... and yet Houghton *nails* it, to my thinking.

The entire central conceit here is that you've got two people who are badly broken and trying to heal, who happen to randomly find themselves forced to be next to each other in a rehabilitation ward for weeks on end, and somehow fall in love - despite one of them insisting on keeping their curtain closed, thus precluding both from ever seeing the other's face.

This was a great tale that had light and heart where it needed to, forced the tears to come pouring out of your eyes in others, told convincing tales of the disparate injuries and recoveries, and wrapped all of this up in a standard Hallmarkie type finish. (Yes, this *is* billed as a romance, so noting that the couple does end up together is no spoiler here. :D)

If this is what we can expect from Houghton, this reader for one is very much looking forward to seeing what else she has. Very much recommended.

Inspiring feelings similar to Me Before You and The Flatshare, Houghton's debut novel is built on the premise of can you develop feelings for someone you've never seen? Alfie and Alice are both patients in a recovery ward of an English hospital - Alfie has already been there for quite a while due to a lost leg in a car accident when Alice arrives, the victim of burns in a building fire. Fiercely private, the hospital staff accommodates Alice's demand to not let anyone see her, but Alfie is in the next bed over and eventually the two get to talking.

Like others who have read the book, I found it to be an enjoyable one time read. The pacing felt a bit slow at times, especially in relation to the abrupt conclusion. Other patients on the ward were colorfully built up, but then abandoned as the relationship came into focus. Also for a book that is very much taking place in the real world, I had a hard time suspending the belief that a hospital could truly do what this one did to accommodate Alice and force other patients into hiding whenever she needed to use the bathroom or go to physical therapy, especially since she was there for months. An optional buy for libraries where this genre is popular.

Before I Saw You is the debut novel by Emily Houghton. This is a work of fiction and it is full of extremely perceptive emotions between a cast of endearing characters that makes this debut novel so special.

The majority of the novel is set in the Moira Gladstone rehabilitation ward at St Francis Hospital in the UK. The author’s descriptions of the hospital and the ward, and the outside grounds, as well as, the main characters apartments later on are very well done. You can easily picture the settings and the detail of each area.

That being said, this is very much a character-driven story. There are no action sequences. The story is about the mental and physical recovery of two patients side by side in their beds each unseen by the other. Each main character has had a traumatic physical disfigurement caused by accidents.

The journey of these two characters is heart wrenching, uplifting, hopeful, sad and humorous. The push and pull of these characters is wonderfully done. One is an upbeat, “cheeky” and charming young man. The other is a lonely isolated young woman who doesn’t have a life. Her job has been her substitute for friends, family and love. The young man is more on the road to his mental and physical recovery. He also has the more positive attitude of the two. In addition to the two main protagonists, the ward is populated by some interesting and colorful characters.

I would easily give this story 4.5 stars. I was so very impressed by the talent of Ms. Houghton. The emotional depth of the story is cavernous. The accuracy of each of the traumatic events suffered by the protagonists and how they create how they cope and ultimately move on is superb. This was a very engaging story and pulled me in from the very beginning. I am so looking forward to see what what Ms. Houghton has in store for us next! Well done.

I would like to thank the author, Gallery Books and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

So different, and so enjoyable. It is very hard to place yourself there but the author does a great job of bringing you in. Got sad thinking which way it might end...happy with it after all!

With thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a digital arc of this book, all opinions expressed here are my own.
Before I Saw You by Emily Houghton is a heartwarming debut novel from an author I look forward to reading more from. This may have been one of the sweetest love stories I've read in quite some time. At times this book is heart warming and heart breaking however the story will stay with you long after you finish. I really enjoyed this book and the way she developed the characters. I absolutely would recommend this to anyone looking for a great read.

Before I Saw You by Emily Houghton was not what I was expecting...it was far better! In my head I was expecting another novel about two people who were going to be torn apart by cancer, with a sad, horrible ending. As it was, we meet Alfie, a schoolteacher who has lost his leg in an accident, along with his two best friends. He is in the long term recovery ward at St. Francis Hospital when Alice is brought in. Alice doesn't speak and hasn't since she was badly burned in a fire in her office. However, Alfie's mom gets her to say her first words and Alfie pulls her out of her shell. They lay in their beds, side by side and speak through the curtains that hide Alice's bed from the rest of the ward as she can't abide the thought of anyone seeing her, even herself.

I absolutely loved everything about this novel. The relationship that flourishes and then crashes, the struggles they go through with their recoveries and the cast of characters on the ward all contribute to a rich, satisfying read. Thank you to the author, Gallery Books and NetGalley for an ARC of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

I really loved the premise and setup of "Before I Saw You;" however, it was a little slow and lacking in the romance department. I really enjoyed the deep, insightful conversations between Alice and Alfie, I just wanted to see more development and at a faster pace. I started to loss interest about halfway through.

I love still recommend this to romance readers, but to those who prefer a slow-building, rather than a faster-paced love story.

Thank you, Emily Houghton, NetGalley, and Galley Books for the ARC.

Before I Saw You by Emily Houghton is a book about people coming together under challenging circumstances. Alice Gunnersley and Alfie Mack meet in the hospital after each experience traumatic accidents. They come to know one another deeply without seeing each other.

It's a book about love, but it's also a book about the individual's healing process. While some of the connection between character's fell a little flat, it's hard not to love them each.

Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for sharing this book with me. All thoughts are my own.

This was the most amazing book I have read in some time! It takes a great deal of talent to create characters like Alice , Alfie and Alfie’s Mum, Jane. They were real, warm and full of humour. Alice and Alfie were both in hospital, but never saw each other although they talked. Alice had been badly burned in a fire and did not allow anyone to see her, apart from nurses. Alfie is a positive character, always wanting to please people and usually managing to do that. Alice was a workaholic, no social life, but had a best friend who lived in Australia. Alfie’s mum, Jane, is a typical British Mum, looking after her family, cooking superb meals and baking like crazy for all the nurses where Alfie is. Simply a wonderful warm-hearted story.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.