Before You Knew My Name used a cliche-the story told from beyond the grave. Unfortunately, it told it in a long and repetitive manner that had me skimming pages just to move on. In the end, there was no payoff. Just a senseless crime and depressing story.

Thank you NetGalley and Jacqueline Bublitz for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed the way this book was written so differently compared to your typical mysteries. This book had two storylines from the start but both of them were told by the eyes of one character. Ruby and Alice both moved to New York the same day, both hoping for a new start, hoping to find themselves in the big wonderous city. They both went through horrible drama both out and inside of New York. I don't think I have read a book that was written quite like this before. You get pulled into the lives of Ruby and Alice and then you are pulled back again, like you are the ghost of Alice watching everything happen. It was enticing, yet also irritating at times.

So while I do like the writing style, I did find it slightly irritating. I only say this because it would skip over timeframes or jump from one random person to another that it makes it harder to keep where the train of thought is actually from which character. I do think there should have been a part in there where the ghost gets mad enough to actually knock something over or make a sound so the living can hear her (like in the movies). But there was a section in the book where she kept mentioning that Franklin (the dog) could see her and kept looking at her. That I was happy with because I do believe that animals can see what we can't.

Overall this book was so twisted up but yet such a good read. I felt so bad for both women and totally understood why they would want a fresh start in the big City filled with hopes and dreams. The ending was quite a surprise too... I didn't expect him to have a wife and family... I recommend this book to readers who enjoy a good mystery. I would even go so far as to say a "reality mystery" because this is so real and does happen so often.. I could see this book being a movie as long as the narration from the ghost stays. I think it would benefit more than just being a book.

A Jogger Haunted by Finding a Dead Girl

People run away to New York City to find new lives, and sometimes it ends in tragedy. Alice Lee left her home in Wisconsin with $600 and her camera hoping to find a find a new life. Ruby Jones left Australia after a bad romance also hoping to remake her life. When jogging along the Hudson River, she finds a dead girl who turns out to be Alice. The girl is one of the anonymous people who are tagged Jane Doe, but Ruby finds she cares and wants to know who the girl was.

Alice has not yet crossed over. She connects with Ruby and tells her side of the story from the grave. Ruby is obsessed with the girl and finds she can’t stop thinking about death until she finds a group of friends she can talk to.

This is a murder mystery, but the mystery takes a backseat to the emotions of the characters. The story focuses on loneliness, loss, and connection. The women are very strong characters. The author pulls you into their lives and you find it hard to break away. The book starts slowly, but when you connect with the women, it’s hard to put down.

The background on New York City is accurate and well done. Set against this background, it makes what happened to these women very believable. I highly recommend it if you love mysteries that are more than police procedurals.

I received this book from Atria Marketing for this review.

Before You Knew My Name by Jacqueline Bublitz is far more than a murder mystery thriller type book. This is a well written, moving story that will bring about many emotions while you are reading it.. This is a thought provoking story that will keep you enthralled and you will not be able to put it down. It is told in dual perspectives, one that is told from the grave. Ms. Bublitz does not just write about the murders, but those left behind who have to live with what happened. The characters are well developed and the storyline is captivating. I found this one hard to write about so I highly recommend you pick this intriguing book up, you will not be disappointed.

Thank you NetGalley, Atria Books and Jacqueline Bublitz for an advanced copy of this beautiful book in exchange for my honest opinion.
#netgalley #attiabooks. #beforeyouknewmyname
#jacquelinebublitz #arc

This is my first book by this author and it won't be my last!!!!!!! Loved this book so much I couldn't put it down.

Wow! I loved Before You Knew my Name! Told by the perspective of Alice, this is such a clever and well written story about the life of Alice, 18, alone, running off to NYC and Ruby, running away from her own issues in Australia, and how their lives unexpectedly intersect. It’s sooo good!!!

4.5 stars

I love when you begin a book told from two perspectives that are so different and you have no idea how their experiences are going to interweave to shape the story as a whole. In this case, there is only one narrator: Alice Lee. She arrives in NYC looking for a fresh start, only to end up dead a month later. But even in death, her story has only just begun.

Ruby Jones has traveled halfway around the world on a journey of self discovery, and the last thing she expects is to find a body on the shores of the Hudson River. She’s now developed an attachment to this Jane Doe and won’t rest until she uncovers her true identity and what really happened to her. Alice, who is narrating Ruby’s POV, is convinced Ruby is the key to solving her murder and giving her the closure she deserves, but it doesn’t come without risks.

I really enjoyed reading this, and thought both Alice and Ruby were wonderful, dynamic characters. A truly moving story and at times painful to read, but a mystery that deserved to be solved. It showed the lengths a complete stranger and fellow woman would go to in order to give a Jane Doe the justice and memorialization she deserved.

Highly recommend!

*Thank you to NetGalley and Atria/Emily Bestler Books for providing a copy of this book to review.*

Alice Lee escapes from Wisconsin to New York city at hoping top start a new life. Ruby Jones arrives from Australia trying to escape Ash.

Ruby goes jogging one morning and discovers a dead body. She feels connected to the person and wants to find out who it was and how it happened.

Alice is the ghost sticking by Ruby's side until she discovers the truth about Alice. They both have a lot to learn about New York City and how to be safe.

I didn't like the beginning as I felt bad that Mr Jackson was taking advantage of Alice and got away with it. Wish there was some punishment for him.

Thank you so much for a copy for this book in exchange for an honest review.

The writing is beautiful and I can tell it's going to be a heartbreaking and beautiful story. Unfortunately, I am having a very hard time getting into it.

I know that the majority will love this book, it just doesn't seem to be for me. :)

This was a slow-burn murder mystery read, well worth your time, It was a very touching story about two women, Alice who is 18, and Ruby who is 36, whose lives become entangled when, as we know from the outset, Alice is murdered. Both women’s lives have been shaped by men who have set the path of their lives but both women are trying to break free and take back control.

The story is told from both Alice’s and Ruby’s points of view - Alice narrates in the first person, while Ruby’s story unfolds in the third person. This works very well - Alice is a great narrator. The lives of both women, particularly Alice’s, is sad, filled with struggle and heartbreak but there remains a core of hope in her. I enjoyed both of these characters and the story was engaging. A satisfying, hopeful ending nicely wrapped this novel up. A great slow-burn read with interesting, likable characters and a compelling plot. So good!

Thanks to Atria Books and Netgalley for this ARC. All opinions are my own.

I will post this review on my book IG account, on Twitter, on Goodreads and also on Amazon (once the novel releases on November 1).

This is a great slow-burn suspense, with a very unique narrative as the story is told through the POV of an 18 year-old girl who was murdered a few weeks after moving to NYC. Through her eyes you learn about her past that lead her to New York and her weeks discovering it. Just like an episode of Law & Order, a jogger discovers her body, and she becomes deeply attached to this dead young woman and is intent on helping solve the mystery of her murder on her behalf. I stayed up way past my bedtime finishing this and couldn't wait to find out what happened. But who did it or why is actually a small part of the story, the real story is about the victim and the jogger and how they become intertwined.⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

This book didn’t work for me. The best thing I liked about it was the New York City setting.
I couldn’t get invested I either Ruby or Alice Lee.
It was a miss for me.

Alice and Ruby have come to New York for similar reasons and from very different places. They are destined to meet, but not until one has lost her life. Alice's spirit tells us how each came to be here and follows Ruby as she tries first to cope with Alice's death, and then trying to help solve a murder. The strength of the book is the depth of the characters. It's a powerful portrayal of two women on their own, rebounding from problematic relationships., and the power that men try to hold over them.
The narration is strong, and often powerful, however is sometimes repetitive and can slow down the plot.
I recommend this book, and know that I'll keep thinking about it for some time to come.

If a book about a murdered 18 year old girl can be "lovely"... this is that book.

On one day, two women arrive in New York City, each trying to escape the past and create a new life for herself. One short month later, Alice will be murdered, and Ruby will discover her body. Known to the world as "Jane Doe", Alice narrates the story of her life and death as well as Ruby's own battle to find meaning in the face of this senseless violence.

This book is beautiful, not only in the way the author/narrator turns words, but also in the way that it centers and prioritizes a young, nameless girl- Her story and her potential and her passion, rather than those of her murderer. Though it's obvious from the first sentence that our narrator has been killed, patterns of friendship, curiosity, and perseverance carry this story to its lovely conclusion.

Thanks to the author, publisher, and #NetGalley for the chance to read and review. Recommend.
#BeforeYouKnewMyName

How would I describe this debut novel from Jacqueline Bublitz? It’s a sobering, yet illuminating emotional gut punch with hope glimmering around its edges. It’s tragic and beautiful, and it’s raw in a way that may get under your skin and surface all kinds of difficult feelings - especially if you’re female. If you’re looking for escapist fiction - this isn’t it. What it is, though, is a refreshingly unvarnished and thoughtful look at what it feels like to navigate and survive in this world as a woman.

Two women experiencing loneliness and aimlessness in their lives make the decision to abandon their current lives and move to NYC. Alice Lee has just turned eighteen and been rejected by her high school teacher who groomed her into an underage affair. Basically My Dark Vanessa vibes. When Alice answers an ad for a room in the NYC home of a benevolent older gentleman named Noah, she sees the chance to start over. Unfortunately, these new beginnings become her ending soon after.

Ruby Jones is a 36-year-old single Aussie who’s been strung along in an affair with a soon-to-be-married co-worker. She sees NYC as a chance to escape all her married friends and her own hopeless relationship. When she discovers Alice’s body while out jogging one day, she’s immediately drawn into this Jane Doe’s story, determined to find out who she is and what led to her murder. In her effort to find answers, she befriends Lennie, Sue and Josh, who are well-acquainted with death and have formed Death Club to process their ideas about it. It sounds dark, but this was one of my favorite parts of the book and brought some welcome levity.

There’s nothing flashy about this book. Unlike many books in the genre, it’s not out to be clever or shock you with unseen twists. It’s a solid mystery, with Alice narrating her own story from before her death and both hers and Ruby’s stories from the omniscient “beyond”. As the blurb says, the focus is intentionally less on “whodunnit” and more on “who was SHE?” It’s quiet and often somber in tone, but it’s also beautifully written and gives the reader insight, through Alice and Ruby, into the conscious and unconscious ways women speak and behave as they move through their lives. I loved both of these characters and how their stories intertwined.

Is this inherently feminist in its leanings? Yes. What I appreciated is that it doesn’t resort to blatant misandry to make its point. These issues would be and are equally true of ANY relationship in which there’s a power imbalance, regardless of gender.

It wasn’t a fun read, in the traditional sense, but it was a good read, and one whose ideas will stick with me. I’ll definitely be watching for more from this author!

★★★★

Thanks to Atria/Emily Bestler Books, NetGalley and author Jacqueline Bublitz for this digital ARC in exchange for my honest thoughts. It’s due to be published November 1st, 2022.

Wow. This book was intense.

At first I wasn’t sure I was going to finish it. It’s kinda like a more grown up version of The Lovely Bones, and how eerily similar they were got on my nerves.

But I really loved and rooted for Ruby, so that helped me push through until the end. And I’m glad I did. Seeing Alice get a story tied up with a neat little bow was really satisfying.

I also enjoyed how Bublitz used the story as a spotlight for the bigger issues at play: violence against women and the racial disparity between white women and women of color. It’s firmly mentioned, but almost in a passing way. The kind of way that sticks with you without preaching to you.

Overall I ended up really enjoying this book.

Before You Knew My Name by Jacqueline Bublitz is a recommended murder mystery.

Alice Lee arrived in NYC with nothing but $600 and a stolen camera and ended up dead a month later. Ruby Jones leaves Australia and arrives in NYC at the same time. Ruby is the one to find Alice's body by the Hudson River. While Alice is a Jane Doe, Ruby becomes consumed with finding out her identity and what happened to her. Alice follows Ruby and silently encourages her to find out the answer to her murder as well as learn to set boundaries in her life.

Alice narrates her part of the novel from the grave, and her spirit tells her story and her encouragement of Ruby's search for the truth. Both are running away from bad relationships, although the kind of bad relationship is quite different. Alice was definitely being used/abused. She had a tragic background and made a poor choice encouraged by an adult who should be held responsible. Ruby was a knowing participant in her problematic relationship with a man already in a relationship.

The focus of the novel is the tragedy of Alice's life being cut short, and Ruby suffering from the trauma of finding Alice's body while caring about the identity of the young woman. The guilty party is evident right after being introduced. While examining loneliness, loss, love, interpersonal connections, and the ability of humans to survive and recover, the novel moves at a slow pace in the beginning and it is a slog to get through to the point where the narrative picks up some speed. Additionally, these two characters are not intriguing individuals and the narration from beyond the grave felt gimmicky rather than groundbreaking.

Before You Knew My Name is an okay novel with potential that was unrealized. It is an interesting murder mystery that is easily forgettable. I'm unable to fathom the rave reviews and having a problematic time looking at this as a groundbreaking novel. There have been other novels that cover the pertinent topics much better. The quality of the writing will certainly have me reading another novel by Bublitz.

The description of NYC as the real world and the dismissal of the star spangled flags from small town America at the beginning of the novel was an immediate turn-off. After many visits to the Big Apple, I'm always happy and grateful to leave. Always. Especially now. It is hardly the real world. Great place to visit and then leave.

Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of Atria/Emily Bestler Books via NetGalley
The review will be published on Barnes & Noble, Google Books, Edelweiss, and Amazon.

This book was heavy. I don’t normally gravitate to these sort of books but this one seemed interesting. The book was well written and I loved the unique bond these two women formed. I also liked how it focused more on the two women instead of the murderers. It was a unique take on a murder mystery.

Alice came to New York with big dreams and next to nothing. At 18, she only had a few possessions including some clothes and a stolen camera. She ends up being murdered.

Ruby came to New York with her own set of problems. Her love life is complicated and she begins to think about her choices. Unfortunately, she discovers Alice’s body. Ruby can’t stop thinking about Alice and just wants her story told.

Before You Knew My Name is available November 1,2022.

Thank you to @netgalley and @atriabooks for this arc in exchange for my honest review.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️5/5

YOU GUYS-definitely pick this one up! It is up there with one of my top reads of the year. This is such a powerful & heartbreaking book! I had never heard of it before, but was offered to read it by the publisher, and am so glad that I did. Talk about emotions, and beautiful originality from the author. I am in awe, and am still in shock that this is Bublitz’s debut and that I have not seen/heard more about it on bookstagram. Do yourself a favor and DO NOT pass this one up!

👍🏻What I Liked:
-That the author made me had such a strong emotional connection to the characters
-The characters themselves, I cared about Alice and Ruby
-The message within the story that the author did a fabulous job at portraying
-Thought provoking
-Mind blowing debut book
-The impact that this book had on me
-Originality of the story
-Beautifully written story
-Important & heavy themes throughout the book



👍🏻What I Disliked:
-This started off SLOW—TOO slow, but it eventually picked up pace, and when it did it was definitely worth it at the conclusion of the story.

What a story. A heartbreaking story. I’ve never read a book told in the perspective of the dead girl or the jogger who found her. You really got to know the girl & feel sorry for her & the future she won’t get. There was great mystery & great storytelling.