A great story about how sometimes you have to let go of your preconceptions in order to heal. Great story and great characters.

Award-winning photojournalist Scott Rowe is struggling with the physical injuries and emotional scars caused by the terrorist attack that killed his interpreter, Omran Saleh. A long succession of doctors and surgeons have put his body back together, but to Scott, his mind seems beyond repair. Panic attacks ambush his days, and nightmares haunt his fitful sleep. He can’t bring himself to touch his broken camera, let alone consider returning to work. His only sanctuary is the darkroom, where he can escape the secret he carries surrounding Omran’s death.

Dr Jason Andrews is determined to bring Scott back from the brink. His alternative healing methods are like nothing Scott has ever seen, and at first, Scott feels foolish lying on Jason’s table with hot rocks in his hands or acupuncture needles in his skin. But one thing keeps Scott coming back: the detailed visions that appear like movies in his mind, of himself in other times, cultures, and continents, and Jason himself, whose relentless hope steers them through the storms of Scott’s recovery.

As his health improves, Scott begins to wonder what his visions mean. Are they vivid daydreams, figments of his exhausted mind? And why does he only have these visions when he is with Jason?

Scott hopes the answers will give him a reason to make peace with Omran’s death and begin to truly live again, instead of merely surviving. But what if they also give him a reason to love.

Wonderful story and fully recommend you-read ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I absolutely loved this MM romance.

Such a great book with a solid storyline and great characters.

I eagerly look forward to reading more from this author.

A definite recommend!

DNF

This was definitely a me problem, I had a hard time connecting to the story and characters and found the pacing to be a bit off.

This is probably because I've been in a horrible book slump and have been awfully busy so please don't take my opinions to heart and definitely check out some other proper reviews!

Thank you to Netgalley and NineStar Press for an eARC in exchange for my honest review.

I received an ARC of this book and I am writing a review without prejudice and voluntarily. I am sorry to say that I did not connect with the characters in this book. You might, so please do not take my opinion as anything other than a reader who did not make a connection.

Did it all Before is a heartwarming LGBTQ romance about finding yourself and love after recovering from trauma. This book handles PTSD really well and it explores recovery and mental health with gentle care and poise. I loved everything about this book and I wish I could read it for the first time again.

This book explores some pretty hard hitting stuff like loss, trauma and PTSD but the tone isn't dark. Our main character Scott is quite stubborn and resistant to help or moving on from the traumatic experience which left him seriously injured and his friend dead. He goes to a new doctor for treatment and starts having visions that he can't explain. I think the pacing was quite slow with a lot of descriptions of the treatment but the plot was engaging and intriguing. The exploration of the relationship developed naturally and overall I enjoyed it.

Did It All Before was a bit of a mixed bag for me. This is my first book from Cynthia Hamill and I would definitely explore more of their work in the future.

This book is about a man named Scott. He was a photographer and is dealing with the aftermath of a terrible event. He was injured seriously by a terrorist bombing while working and his friend and interpreter was killed. Scott not only has serious physical injuries to recover from, but he struggles with PTSD, guilt, and other life-changing thoughts and feelings.

Scott is referred to Dr. Jason Andrews. He embarks upon a more holistic approach to providing relief to Scott, attempting to create a space for Scott to process his grief and learn to accept himself... find a reason to continue his life rather than staying in a holding pattern.

I found I had a love/hate relationship with the pacing of this story. I can appreciate the methodical style of the author as she relays the first forays into therapy. Hamill's writing is precise and descriptive and I definitely got a good sense of the therapy that Scott was undergoing. At times though, I did feel as though I wanted the plot to progress a little faster.

As Scott goes deeper into his treatments, he begins to see visions that appear to be from the past. Soon there are multiple plot lines drifting through the book... much like I feel it would be to experience a past life regression. The storylines all have a being of similarity - the bond between two people.

I enjoyed the way that the relationship between the two main characters progressed and the tools the author used to explore it. A large portion of the novel is from Scott's POV but in addition to this, there are emails, texts, and phone conversations that give the relationship a very real-time feel. The relationship certainly doesn't feel rushed or too fast, it feels quite organic and natural.