This is an interesting take on the "body of a young woman found murdered" mystery genre, and even though how it shakes out feels almost a bit coincidental, I was definitely invested enough before then. I also appreciated that our second protagonist has her reasons for pursuing an answer, and that pursuit does not focus much on teaming up with the NYPD, and it is more circumspect when it comes to "true crime" as a hobby. Her reasons aren't a hobby, but I also wish she had not pursued romance in the end. I get that it demonstrates she's pursuing something healthier, but I maybe would have preferred that, with the help of seeing her new friends, she was more committed to finding out who she was outside of men and the terrible things that they do.

A heavy read that was equally intriguing and unsettling lol A unique and gripping story. I would definitely recommend!

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! No spoilers. Beyond amazing I enjoyed this book so very much. The characters and storyline were fantastic. The ending I did not see coming Could not put down nor did I want to. Truly Amazing and appreciated the whole story. This is going to be a must read for many many readers. Maybe even a book club pick. I just reviewed Before You Knew My Name by Jacqueline Bublitz. Our library purchased and our patrons have been checking out and and enjoying the book. I see it is a popular book club choice as well we hope to have more oppurtinies to support authors like Jacqueline Bublitz

I finally read this underrated gem from Bublitz, a beautiful tale of two strangers united in the saddest of ways. I loved having both women's stories uncovered in such a unique approach, and felt very connected to the characters. Would absolutely recommend.

Just finished this in the wee hours of the night. Oh, this book! To say it is heartbreaking is an understatement. Heart wrenching is more like it. Two women and their stories of bad people and good people. Terrible relationships and lovely relationships. The point of this to me is how the female gender is many times at the mercy of monsters posing as normal which they are not even close to. I want more from the Death Club! That should be a continuing series! We who have experienced trauma can relate to so much in this book.

😵🏃🏻‍♀️Book Review:
Title: Before You Knew My Name
Author: Jacqueline Bublitz
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️/3 stars

It took me a while to finally make myself read this one! I loved the cover, and the summary looked really good. But my ARC expired, and then I borrowed it from my local library twice before I finally made myself read it! There are too many books to read!

Ruby Jones stumbles upon the body of 18 year old, Alice Lee while out on her daily run. Alice was a very young lady who just wanted to do something with her life, so with only $600, she left her hometown in Wisconsin to move to New York City. Unfortunately, one month later, she is found dead. The police are unable to identify her. Ruby just can't seem to allow her to remain unidentified, so she becomes haunted by who she they've named "Jane Doe." Alice's spirit is attached to Ruby. This story is actually pretty sad as a young life was cut short.

Published: November 1st, 2022

Thank you, @netgalley, and @atriabooks for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This took on some very serious and heartbreaking topics. When someone is murdered, who is left to care about her? The character development was well done. It was sad at times but overall very good.

This was a very different kind of mystery murder- crime than I’m used to. The entire story was told from the murdered person POV and for me that was difficult to follow. I felt like putting it down but pushed myself to finish. When the crime finally happened I thought good, now we’re getting somewhere. Nope. The two MC were for me hard to like and Ruby never peaked my interest. I guess I couldn’t handle her choices. I did finish this and I didn’t care for it.
Thanks Atria Books via NetGalley.

This is not a typical story about the murder of a woman. The omniscient first-person account told by the victim herself breathes new life into this trope. Ruby and Alice are two women who are escaping their past and loneliness, hoping to have a new start in New York. The story progresses toward their eventual meeting, and the setup is clever, suspenseful, and completely unpredictable.

The writing is descriptive and evocative, without being too wordy or flowery. Learning about each woman's back story provides fascinating context as to how their paths eventually cross. Their lives have been dictated by selfish men, and their attempt to start anew does not always go as planned.

The omniscient first-person POV from Alice and the focus on young female victims reminded me of I Have Some Questions for You, although the plot of this book was much more tightly woven. I do wish the ending was more unexpected, but the story was gripping throughout.

Thank you Netgalley, Atria Books/ Atria/Emily Bestler Books and Jacqueline Bublitz for free e-ARC in return of my honest review.

Before You Knew My Name, written by Jacqueline Bublitz, is a gripping and emotionally charged novel that explores the lives of two women brought together by a tragic event. However, it seems that this particular book did not resonate with my personal taste.

The story follows Alice Lee, a young woman who arrives in New York seeking a fresh start but tragically becomes the city's latest Jane Doe. Simultaneously, Ruby Jones, another woman trying to reinvent herself, stumbles upon Alice's lifeless body and becomes entangled in the mystery surrounding her death. As Alice's spirit seeks closure, Ruby grapples with her own connection to the unknown woman.

While the premise of the novel promises intrigue and a deep exploration of identity and loss, it appears that the book did not meet my expectations. It is important to note that personal preferences in literature can vary greatly, and what may not resonate with one reader can captivate another.

It is unfortunate that Before You Knew My Name did not appeal to me. However, it is worth mentioning that other readers have found this novel to be a heartbreaking and beautiful exploration of the human experience. The author, Jacqueline Bublitz, has been praised for her ability to delve into complex emotions and create a compelling narrative.

Holy wow, did I love this book. It was so dark, yet emotional. It's hard to believe it is Jacqueline's debut novel! The story of Alice was so sad, yet I felt deeply satisfied when Ruby is able to help solve her death and also help herself change and grow. While reading this book, I just kept thinking about how these things happen to women and girls every day, while they are minding their own business and want to be left alone. How Alice's teacher takes advantage of her, but also how her guardian neglected her and left her no choice but to go somewhere to try and make a life. And Noah...what a wonderful person he was. This book really took me on an emotional roller coaster!

A unique story set in NYC that follows two women: Alice, who ends up dead, and Ruby, who finds her body and is driven to find out what happens. The writing was lyrical and the story was captivating. I loved it.

The paths of two strangers, Alice and Ruby, cross when Ruby discovers Alice’s body by the Hudson River and gets sucked into the mystery of her life and death.

I am an avid consumer of true crime content, especially podcasts, though what I enjoy them about them I am not quite sure I know. The shocking and sometimes absurd human drama? The reassuring fear that some people watch horror movies for? The emergence of heroes and the satisfaction of the perpetrators ultimately being put away?

But one thing I always look for in my true crime choices is respect for the victim, who can become overshadowed in the chaos that unfurls after they exit the scene. The reason why this suspense novel intrigued me, therefore, was how Alice Lee was placed front and center, a compelling character with a whole life she had already led and the potential of the brilliant life she could have led in the future. I also enjoyed the lush writing, the fluid dreaminess of the worlds that the characters inhabit.

However, while I liked Ruby well enough, I found her half of the story less compelling. I liked the way the author depicted the aftermath of discovering the victim of a murder, but at the point we met the Death Club I thought things in this storyline became a little too twee for my taste, with the characters unrealistically becoming immediately enmeshed in an intense friendship. At this point, the author’s tone tripped over from wise to overwrought, and the book never really regained its footing after that.

What a heart wrenching story that ripping your heart out, making you feel sad face of the true depression, loneliness and ugly face of abuse, hurt, violence!

Two different women who are running from their tragic lives to make a fresh start choses the exact same day to arrive to Big Apple!One of them is 18 years old Alice Lee, not carrying so much with her, just $60 cash and Leica camera to change her entire life perspective. Other woman is Ruby Jones, in her thirties, leaving her life in Melbourne, Australia behind to start a new life.

Their fates are intercepted at the day when Ruby finds Alice’s corpse during her morning jogging. Nobody knows that girl. She’s another Jane Doe, left in the mortuary stretcher, without past with stolen future.

Throughout your reading adventure, Alice’s spirit accompanies you to tell her own story. Ruby also feels her existence deep in her bones and she’s adamant to find the true identity of this girl. Her investigation takes her to the different places, meeting with new people to form intimate relationships.

This book is definitely intense, emotional, thought provoking, moving! It’s more than a mystery and thriller. Some parts of two women’s stories are truly hard to digest. The violence of men and their mistreatments to the women couldn’t be told so effectively.

This is well written, highly poignant, strong story I highly recommend you not to miss!

Special thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for sharing this amazing digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest thoughts.

Hands down the best book I’ve read in 2023.

This book is a mystery, but also a feminist read. If you’re familiar with true crime in any capacity, you will love this book. There are discussions about what it means to be a woman, rape, missing white woman syndrome, NAMUS, and so much more. Not just outdated, untrue stereotypes, but real information. But far from being a boring study of true crime, the story of Alice and Ruby is haunting, poignant, beautiful, and at times terrifying.

I can’t wait to recommend this book and get it in my library.

Before You Knew My Name – Jacqueline Bublitz

“I think you generally experience memories from the outside in, like your old life is a movie you once starred in…” ~

As I start this review, my absolute only regret is that I did not get to this book sooner….

Alice Lee & Ruby Jones are two women, one from Wisconsin – the other from Australia - who arrive to New York City on the same chilly March day. Alice, a budding teen-aged artist from Wisconsin, is running from an exploitative relationship, while Ruby is looking to forget the past and re-invent her life after being the ‘other woman’, watching her lover prepare for his wedding to someone else. From the start, the women are connected spiritually somehow, as Alice will explain, but they have never met – not until Ruby finds Alice’s discarded, injured body by the river one morning…

It's a stormy morning when Ruby, fresh off a fitful night of anger and decides to brave the weather for a run. As she takes a detour by the river, she catches a glimpse of purple, and then yellow by the rocks, being buffeted by waves at the river’s edge. Traumatized by her discovery, a nameless girl left to die, Ruby finds herself irrevocably tied to Jane Doe and is obsessed with discovering all she can about the young victim.

Told from the perspective of Alice after her death - who desperately wants to be remembered - the reader slowly unravels the stories of both women, the traumas that lead them to New York, the inexplicable ties to one another they both have, and the eventual discovery of Jane Doe’s true identity, and how she came to be found by the river….

This book was absolutely incredible and is by far the best book I’ve read this year…. And it will resonate with me for a long time to come… The prose is…almost lyrical…it is so beautifully written, with dozens of lines giving pause as they are thought provoking standalone quotes, with my favorite being the header to this review. A heartbreakingly sad, yet amazing read that you cannot miss…

I received this book as an Advance Reader Copy from Netgalley & Atria Books in exchange for an objective review. Do you love to read?? Visit netgalley.com and start reviewing books today!!

Predictable. Did not like it. Sorry.

Cannot recommend.

Thanks to Netgaley, Jacqueline Bublitz and Atria Books for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Available now!

I thought the story was very unique. While I wanted to know whodunit, I wasn't fully invested in the story. I'm looking forward to seeing what else this author comes up with!

This was such a well written and evocative read that captured my attention and never let it go. Definitely recommended for fans of character driven literary feeling mysteries.

A unique murder mystery set in New York. Two women have fled to the city to get away from toxic relationships. They never meet but the novel tells their stories in a unique way that is unputdownable. A must read!