I really liked the narrators for this audiobook, they both had distinctive voices that if I forgot who was speaking I could easily pick it up. I enjoyed the main characters of this book but everyone else was slightly less developed. Also although I enjoyed the author's choice to remove homophobia from this historical time, but why not just also remove racism. Over all a fast read but there were moments that were pretty sad with the constant abuse.

Shaun David Hutchinson's books will always have a special place in my heart. I found them in the library as a young teen and instantly fell in love. Though I struggled slightly to feel as immersed in this story as I did with the author's previous books, this could certainly be due to my own expectations I had going in. Overall, Before We Disappear is a good romance with nice touches of magic, though I would recommend viewing the content warnings before reading.

Thanks to NetGalley for this audio-ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

The synthetic voice made this rough for me to enjoy. I had to DNF and I wait to get the audiobook with a narrator. I am not sure that helped.

The diverse representation in a book set in the early 1900s was amazing.

I thought this would be a slam dunk for me. I mean, a magical queer fantasy is usually my jam, but I was not expecting that abuse and trauma in a YA. Things seemed slow and drawn out without actual information.

Overall the book was ok but not something I would re-read.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC! I liked how engaging this book is and the premise. I love the setting. I love the characters, but I wish there was more time/development with their relationship - it felt a bit instalove-ish. It wasn't bad, I just would have liked to spend more time with their interactions. Overall, I look forward to picking up a finished copy of the book.

I think this is the only time where the automated reader voice actually took away from the experience for me. When I've listened to other autogenerated voices, they didn't bother me as much. For some reason, with this one, it did. I think that's why I didn't enjoy it as much as I COULD HAVE.

However, I do still think that it was a great story and had some really important themes in it. Especially discussing abuse and worth and queer identity. I thought all of those were really important. I enjoyed it, but know that I would have enjoyed this more (I mean, it's about magic! And the World's Fair!) if it was an actual narrator.

Before We Disappear, while the story provided points of strength, did not draw me in to the world. When reading something fantastical, I love feeling immersed in the world and the magic system, and while the magic system was interesting, the world building fell a little flat in my opinion. Every part of the plot seemed to just kind of . . . happen. I sometimes was not sure why something was really happening, and what led to the decisions of the characters, particularly when it came to the romance. I understand that this is a young adult novel, but I didn't really feel any spark between the two characters. However, I still enjoyed the read and continued the novel to the end. While this was not my perfect match, I would certainly read other works by this author.

Let me start by saying I’m generally a fan of Hutchinson’s books, and while this should have been a slam dunk for me given the themes, I just wasn’t feeling it. I have a hard time pinpointing how I felt about this book. It was more than just okay, but less than great. Most of it was good enough to keep me reading, despite not much sticking out as particularly memorable.

Jack Nevin works for the enchantress who is one of the most well known stage magicians. When they arrive at Seattle's World Fair Exposition, Jack meets Wilhelm who works for another stage magician, Laszlo. Wilhelm can perform real magic and Laszlo uses it to his advantage. Jack and Wilhelm had great chemistry, which was in my opinion the highlight of the story. Wil’s sweetness paired with Jack’s tendency to be reckless was amazing; their interactions definitely made up for the lackluster plot. There were a few side characters I appreciated, Ruth is a Black Lesbian Dancer. Lucia is another orphan that The Enchantress takes in, who dreams of being a Magician herself. Lucia creates all of her acts, but is unappreciated.

Overall, the book was decent and could have been cut back quite a bit and still made sense.

Fun queer fantasy, definitely looking forward to more from this author. Will be purchasing a paper copy for our collection (sadly no audio for us anymore)

A really cute romance. I loved the setting. I loved that it was about a con artist magician meeting a real one. Trying to rescue the real magician. I guessed a lot of the "twists" but it was super cute. I liked the side characters. The imagery was great. It kind of felt like a gay Night Circus.

Super fun YA novel. Shaun David Hutchinson knows how to pull a reader in to this wonderfully magical inclusive historical novel. The characters were alive, they jumped off of the page. I would love a continuation of this book, I was left wanting more.

Jack and Wilhelm are both magician's assistants. But once the two become closer, real magic and tragedy come to light.

I loved this story, although it did take a few chapters for me to become invested. The first few chapters are background information, and due to this being a voice galley made with a synthetic voice, sometimes the inflections were nonexistent. But once I got to the heart of the story, I couldn't stop listening.

We are introduced to a multitude of characters that are all equally fleshed out. Laszlo is a slime ball magician with a devious history, The Enchantress (aka Evangeline) uses her womanly wiles to steal money from men, and more.

The budding romance between Jack and Wilhelm is sweet and hopeful, yet also causes readers to worry about what will happen once Laszlo finds out. But the innocence this romance brings to the story is adorable, even for a slow burn.

I will admit that I would've loved to have one more chapter as an epilogue to the story. I felt the end was just a touch anticlimactic with all that went down.

Great representation. Okay plot. This is a heavily character-driven story and I am here for it. The backgrounds of our main characters were traumatic and a reflection of how those in the LGBT are exploited. Jack and Wilhelm's interactions kept me going. I was a fan of the rivals-to-lovers and the two of them had great chemistry. The plot itself was lackluster, less magical than I was expecting, and didn't hold my attention, so I focused on the romance and had a good time. I wish I had more to say, but this unfortunately did not stick with me and was forgettable.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a review copy(e-audiobook) in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this book! Although it's set during the Alaska - Yukon - Pacific Exposition (1909) the rivalry between the illusionists gave me circus / carnival vibes. The author takes hefty historical liberties to bring this fantasy to life, but I didn't even mind.

If you want a fast-paced read that contains fantasy, heists, con artists, and a gay love story: Look not further!

This was a fun and interesting audiobook.
The two voices of the different POVs felt like 2 separate people, and the POV switches are done expertly. The setting was an interesting one I'd never seen used before- a 1909 World Fair. Street magicians and actual magic and found family and romance! What more could you ask for?

Much thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an E-ARC.

This was an adorably magical and enjoyable story! I felt truly connected to the main characters and enjoyed to whimsical, magical elements immensely. I can't wait to read more from Shaun David Hutchinson in the future!

Magic, drama, found family, and queer? Yes, please!

Taking place at Seattle's World's Fair in 1909, Jack and Will, both magician's assistants, become entangled with tons of secrets, and bonding.

Jack, an orphan, is there to help his caretaker, the great magician, but gets sidetracked when he meets Will on the street. Will has a magical power that nobody knows about, and uses it to assist his kidnapper perform illusions that no one can explain. Bewildered by the slight of hand, Jack must find out more about Will.
Upon following them home, Jack learns of Will's entrapment, and vows to help him at all costs. As time goes by, Will cannot keep his magical gift a secret from Jack, endangering him with the knowledge.
With the help of friends and found family, plans are made to make an escape, and move on for good. A finale of a magic trick performed leaves you baffled and wondering how it was done.

I absolutely enjoyed this audiobook and look forward to more from this author.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me an early audio release.

I enjoy the setting. The world's fair gives a unique cross-section of humanity, thrown together at the same place for a couple of months and experiencing new parts of culture. I like, too, the combination of stage magic and real magic and the examination of different forms of abusive relationships. While some aspects go too far and the ending is a bit too optimistic, it was a solid listen.

While I have grown out of my YA reading days, something about Before We Disappear intrigued me. From it's stunning cover to it's captivating title, I knew I had to get my hand on this book.

Before We Disappear is a wildly entertaining novel about two assistants for opposing magicians find themselves falling in love amidst their advisories rivalry. It's a sweet story about first love and magic, yes, but it doesn't shy away from addressing serious topics such as abuse and racism.

Shaun David Hutchinson's newest book is a breath of fresh air to the YA genre. With content constantly being pushed into our faces, it's nice to find a book that stands out from all the rest.

The audio copy of this book was a voice galley and not the final product so I cannot comment on the narrator.

However, I can say that I loved this story! Jack & Wilhelm are fantastic, I loved the alternating POV. This historical, fantasy novel was just what I needed. I looked forward to every drive to work so I could listen to the story.

Looking forward to "reading" more books from Shaun David Hutchinson.

I really tried to like this book more than I did. Although I did like it, I didn't love it. The story was a bit long and rambled here and there. Maybe it was just the audio, or maybe it could have been two or three books. Anyway, it was a good story otherwise.