“Shield the innocent. Kill the guilty. Defend the family.”

A story of manipulation, murder and a mother’s love, Before She Finds Me is a well crafted thriller from Heather Chavez.

After a shooting at a college campus leaves her daughter injured and her ex-husband’s new wife dead, Julia Bennett is desperate to make sense of the incident. Something about the sniper attack doesn’t seem random, and Julia, who lost her parents to senseless violence as a teen, is determined to protect her child at any cost.

Ren Petrovic is puzzled when she learns of her husband’s involvement in the college campus shooting. She and Nolan, both professional assassins, only accept assignments under strict conditions, but he’d not only taken this job without telling her, he seems to have made a fatal mistake. Heavily pregnant, Ren needs to figure out exactly what went wrong for the sake of her unborn child’s future.

The story opens with a burst of action, and the tension builds steadily as Julia and Ren attempt to find answers, unravelling the secrets and lies that threaten their family’s safety. Clever plotting provides intrigue with several red herrings and the twists enhance the momentum. The final scenes that pit the women against each other had me holding my breath.

Julia and Ren are complex, interesting characters, and their alternating viewpoints work well to tell this story. Though the women have a similar goals, they are opposing forces. Ren, as an assassin, seems likely to have an edge, but Julia’s fierce love for her daughter lends her a strength and focus that surprises even her. Both women engender sympathy for different reasons, and there’s a lot of grey so it’s not as easy as you might think to choose a side.

With its strong characterisation and original plot, Before She Finds Me is a gripping and exciting read.

You'd better strap in tight because you're in for one heck of a ride! A very unusual premise, it tells the story of a college campus attack. You'll have to read it yourself to find out more! This book was exciting and left me almost breathless. Terrific!

Before She Finds Me is my first novel by Heather Chavez but it won’t be my last. I was swept away by Julia and Ren. This is a page-turner that I think is best to be read blind. There are a lot of moving pieces to this story and Chavez unveils them with impeccable timing. As the pieces click together you will be shocked and in awe of the love and lengths both mothers are willing to go.

I highly recommend Before She Finds Me.

This was a very interesting thriller told in two perspectives Julia whose daughter Cora was about to start college and Ren an assassin who is about to be a mother herself. I liked the story, but it was a little slow for me in the beginning and it took me a while to get really into it. Once I did the story flew by and I was pleased with the twists and turns that occurred. I liked both narrators a lot. Julia is terrified when a shooting happens at her daughter’s first day at college especially since her daughter was shot, although due to Julia’s pulling her away it was only a minor injury. But the more Julia looks at it the more she realizes that it wasn’t likely random and she is terrified that her daughter may still be in danger.

Fantastic. I loved this book. Timely and intense. I read it in one sitting. Excellent and I look forward to more from this author.

While this was an interesting premise, the delivery fell short for me and I was not able to finish. The writing style did not work for me.

This book had me guessing the entire time. It started out with a bang, literally! A mother's worst fear, you are dropping your daughter off at college and there is a school shooting while you are there and your daughter has been shot. You have no idea who would do this and why. As a mother, this had me terrified, heartbroken and rooting for Julia every chapter, she was so tough! I can only hope I would do the same in that situation.

Ren and Nolan both being contracted killers and being married to each other was a very interesting plot line. I enjoyed reading about how they lived, worked and tried not to get into each other's way, it reminded me a little bit of Mr. and Mrs. Smith, it was really enjoyable. The way their lives intersect with Julia's makes this book so intriguing and heartbreaking.

This book had all kinds of twists and turns, I thought the pace in this book was great and it had me suspecting everyone! Every family has secrets and this one was no exception. Everytime I thought I knew what was going on, another character and storyline would come up, which is normally confusing and frustrating but not this time because the author did a great job of tying everything together.

This was my first book by this author and I will definitely keep her on my "favorite authors" list. Thank you NetGalley and Mulholldand Book for the ARC in exchange for an honest review

An electric, atmospheric ride with complex, intriguing female leads, Before She Finds Me is action-packed and intricately plotted. The plot is original and impossible to predict, about a husband/wife assassin team and a contract killing that goes wrong. A wild and sinister thriller that asks how far would you go to protect your family?

It's been awhile since a book kept me up late but I could not and did not want to put this one down!

I am always up for a solid feminist thriller and this checked all the boxes. The two female leads were terrific and well-written. I loved them, their parallels, their motivations and was fully rooting for them both the whole time.

The story is original and starts off with a bang (pun unintended). Although it slowed a bit in the middle, there was never a dull moment. I enjoyed all the character interactions, their pasts and learning about various poisons. There were so many explosive reveals that I didn't see coming and just as well-done were the red herrings that had me fooled!

I love that family is such a significant theme in the book (in all of the author's novels, apparently, and now I can't wait to read them). There were a few minor gripes that left me very mildly unsatisfied but they are so minor that I can no longer recall what they are, sooo.

Overall, a highly gripping and entertaining read that delivers a strong cast, plenty of surprises and which will keep you guessing until the very last page!

4.5

"Two unlikely mothers" are the main characters in this fast paced thriller. Honestly, I liked them both equally, so I was apprehensive about how this would play out!

Ren is an assassin. Taught by her father from a young age to protect the innocent, guard the family and always be certain to kill only those who deserve it, Ren is meticulous and a careful researcher. When she learns that her husband (also an assassin, natch) has taken a job and then managed to fail at that job, she begins to question whether past jobs her husband has taken have fit the family's rules.

Julia seems to be a regular divorced mom until her daughter Cora's life is at risk. At that moment, we find she has nerves of steel and faster reflexes than anyone should... but why?

Part of the story didn't quite make the leap for me, but the fact that this is set in my home town brings it to a solid 4.5 rating.

Thank you to Mulholland Books and NetGalley for an ARC of this novel in exchange for my honest review!

What a FUN, engaging thriller. It's move-in day for Cora who's off to college, and her mother is there with her. When a sudden shooting occurs, her mother saves her life, but Cora's father's new wife isn't so lucky. Told in dual POV, we quickly realize there is a LOT more going on. My favorite character is Ren, a pregnant assassin. The stories unravel and wind together. This is the sort of book I've been waiting for, and I'm so thrilled with it and with Chavez. Can't wait for her next one!

BRILLIANT!! BANGER ALERT!! Thank you NetGalley and Mulholland Books for granting me access to this book in exchange for an honest review.

What a riveting and intense action-packed thriller that kept me on the edge of my seat to the very end!! The suspense, tension, pacing, action, secrets, lies, betrayal, dual perspectives, short chapters, unique plot and the unexpected twist and turns is what makes this thriller a MASTERPIECE! I was hooked from the beginning and could not stop reading! My heart might have been racing a bit while I was gripping my kindle ever so tightly😬🫣!! You know it's an incredible book when that happens! This is my first novel by Heather Chavez and I can easily say it will not be my last! Now I need to go read her other books! Literally, everything I could possibly want in a thriller and I absolutely loved it!! ♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️

Julia has worked hard to provide a stable life for her daughter, Cora. She will do anything to protect her. While Julia is helping Cora move in to college there is a tragic shooting on campus that results in injuries and fatalities. Julia reacts quickly and gets her daughter to safety. Was the shooting random? Who did it and why?

Ren is a pregnant assassin trained killer that prefers death by poison. Nolan an expert marksman assassin and is her husband. They follow a strict set of morals and ethics which are as follows: shield the innocent, kill the guilty and defend the family. Since they only kill the corrupt it's no problem, right!?! When Nolan accepts an assignment without telling her, Ren is worried because that is not like him to go rogue on his own. They always work together as a team and now she wonders what other secrets he is keeping from here? Who hired her husband to carry out the killings?

As Ren and Julia try to figure out who ordered the killing and why, the truth will cause their lives to intersect. But can they both survive? I loved that both of them were strong female leads that will protect their families at all cost!

What a wild roller coaster ride!! I was completely captivated from start to finish! I highly recommend this book and it is one of my favorite thrillers for 2023!🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

Amazing!

Loved this female-forward thriller about a pregnant "ethical assassin" in a cat-and-mouse game with a protective mom with a past, each of them feeling the other is a threat to her family.

Great dual POV, great twists, just a really fun summer read!

It’s move-in day at a college in Southern California, and Julia is there to help her daughter, Cora, get settled. Also joining them are Cora’s father, Eric, and his new bride, Brie. Julia isn’t too happy that Brie is there on this special family day, but she doesn’t have time to think about it when she hears a popping sound.

Julia knows immediately that the sound is a rifle, and she is the first person to hit the ground and take cover, dragging her daughter with her. Once the gunshots end, everything has changed. The police are investigating, and they can’t help but notice how quickly Julia reacted to the first shot ringing out. Does she know something that nobody else did?

This book is told from Julia’s POV, and the POV of a pregnant assassin named Ren. Ren’s father was a hired assassin, and his daughter followed in his footsteps. They abide by Dexter-like rules, always protecting the innocent and getting rid of bad people - but Ren and her husband, Nolan, usually work together. Is it possible he was working alone this time?

The book goes through these two women trying to find the truth about that day, and it’s all very compelling and suspenseful. There are a lot of characters on board (but not so many that it becomes confusing) and there is a lot to sort through. In the end, who asked for this hit? Who was the campus shooter? What was the motive? Why did this have to happen?

I wouldn’t call this a page-turner because it did take longer to get through; this is a book to savor. It never wavered in intensity though, it was fresh and unique and thrilling the whole way through. I almost gave it five stars, but I wanted a little more from the ending. This is a great book though, and I definitely recommend it! 4.5 stars.

(Thank you to Mulholland Books, Heather Chavez, and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my review.)

Julia Bennett is dropping her daughter Cora off at college when gun fire erupts wounding Cora and killing others close to Julia and Cora. Julia is hyper-vigilant and saves her daughter but begins to wonder about the shooting- was it random or deliberate? Separately, Ren a mamma-to-be is a trained assassin known for her work with poisons. Ren is married to Nolan who is recognized for his expert marksmanship. Told in alternating POVs we follow Julia as she digs into the case and Ran as she questions what her husband is involved in. I'm normally not a huge fan of books with assassins but this one had a bit of a different spin. Not my favorite book but still a solid read!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Mulholland Books for gifting me a digital ARC of the new thriller by Heather Chavez - 5 stars!

Julia Bennett has worked hard to create a good life for her daughter, Cora, even after her marriage to Cora's dad, Eric, fell apart. They remain civil even though Eric remarried Brie. When they take Cora to move-in day at the college where Julia also works, there is a shooting. Only Julia's quick reactions save Cora, and she begins wondering if the attack wasn't random. Rea was raised by her father to be an assassin, but one with only good intentions - the mantra was "Shield the innocent, kill the guilty, defend the family." Rea's husband, Nolan, also works in the family business and Rea, newly pregnant, begins to think that Nolan has broken their rules and is keeping secrets. Both mothers will defend their families to the end, but at what cost?

Wow - what a thrill ride from beginning to end! This is one of those books that will have you cheering on a bad person, which kind of makes your brain hurt a little. The alternating chapters between Julia and Rea were both compelling and I raced to the end, with all its secrets, twists and turns. The perfect summer thriller!

This suspenseful mystery is a fast-paced read involving two mothers who couldn't be more different: one protecting her teen daughter after a college campus shooting, and the other a professional assassin, protecting her unborn child. Each has a vested interest in understanding what led up to the shooting and who was behind it. Told in two different points of view, the chapters were short enough to keep me engaged and moved the story along nicely. I didn't guess the ending and didn't lose interest trying! I would read more by this author. Recommended.

I just wish publishers wouldn't bestow such boring and forgettable titles to these kinds of books, because I'd like to remember them in order to offer recommendations to my book-loving friends down the road.

Thank you, NetGalley and Mulholland Books for the ARC.

I never fail to be completely entertained and blown away by Heather Chavez, and Before She Finds Me continues her streak of unputdownable thrillers. I loved the dynamic between Julia and Ren, both hyper vigilant in their different roles, but both protective and with a defined sense of right and wrong. Before She Finds Me is one of those books that, once you start, you need to clear your calendar. Because I don’t think your will be able to put it down either.

Julia is helping her daughter Cora move into her dorm when the shooting starts. Julia's hypervigilance helps her protect Cora, but in the following days she begins to wonder if the attack wasn't random. While Julia investigates the possible causes, Ren Petrovic is leading her own investigation. Ren is a trained assassin along with her husband Nolan, who was responsible for the shooting. Ren has a code of ethics when it comes to accepting jobs, and the more she learns about the campus shooting, the more she thinks something is off. As the two women come into each other's orbit during the investigation, they uncover the truth of how that day's events came to be. Overall, a gripping thriller that starts off with bold action and then moves into more philosophical territory as the story unfolds. Especially liked the puns throughout the book.

Thank you @mulhollandbooks @hbgcanada @grandcentralpub and @netgalley for the gifted arc to read and review🧡

“ In this shocking thriller, two unlikely mothers race to uncover the truth behind a horrific attack—even after it becomes clear that the truth will destroy one of their families. “

I had high hopes for this book and it delivered!

Here are the standout themes for me. If you enjoy these topics, I think you will love the book too!

✔️ strong women
✔️ the grey area between “good” & “evil”
✔️ female assassins
✔️ complex family dynamics
✔️ strong plot development & character development
✔️ awesome female characters
✔️ poison

Did I mention Before She Finds Me has great female characters 😂? Well it’s worth repeating.

Ren lives rent free in my head. I don’t want to give away spoilers, but she’s such an interesting female “villain”. Her code, her relationships, her growth, her weapon of choice … I could go on for ages. My husband was less keen about my newfound interest in poisons 😂

Chavez puts equal emphasis on clever plotting and character development. This comes together seamlessly and creates a filmesque feel to the story.

Before She Finds Me is the best kind of thriller. It’s entertaining, well-written and makes you think.