4.5 stars rounded to 5 stars.
Rowan has left her abusive fiance after he nearly kills her. With nowhere to go, she stays at an old friends until she can move back to her family home. Rowan senses being watched by someone and is shocked to discover an eleven year old boy called Gabriel watching her from his basement window. The pair strike up a friendship and Gabriel confides in Rowan about the abuse he's been subjected to by his father. Rowan knows she needs to do something and takes Gabriel and runs after he's brutally beaten by his father.
The pair don't just develop a friendship but also a strong family bond and safe haven within each other. I loved the strength of Rowan and how she'd do anything to keep Gabriel safe and also loved Celia and the development of her and Rowans sisterly bond after Gabriel brings them both together. This is a beautifully told story that's handled really sensitively and well and was heartbreaking and from the heart. The only thing I didn't enjoy was the addition of Dell to the story - I couldn't warm to him at all and felt it threw the story off a little.

Before You Found Me
by Brooke Beyfuss
5 stars

Rowan just went through so much and she has finally physically escaped her ex. While she is staying at her friend's house on her way back to her hometown in Oklahoma. Rowan meets Gabriel, the boy locked in the basement that no one knows about.
As Rowan's days get closer to her leaving, she decides, she is taking Gabriel with her.
As they work through, trying to explain how they came together and nightmares. It creates a strong bond between them. Two strangers become family

I cried so hard during this book, I didn't think this was going to be my kind of book, I DNF'd it at one point and figured I better try again. I fell in love after I got over a few tough spots. The abuse they both have overcome and have learned so much along the way. Becoming a family and learning why Rowan and her sister are so estranged. I just 100% recommend it.

Before You Found Me was emotional and moving. The mental and physical abuse Gabriel faces as a child at the hands of his biological father is brutal and the safe haven Rowan (an abuse victim herself) tries to provide him is a stark contrast to that. The only thing I didn't like was Rowan and Dell's romantic storyline which began and ended abruptly and I particularly didn't like how Rowan handled the whole situation. Some may feel that the resolution to the danger Rowan and Gabriel's face from her fiancé and his father respectively was anticlimactic but I felt the quicker both these men were 'out of sight and out of mind' the better.

I received both an e-Arc and ALC of the book and ended up reading/listening to both simultaneously. more The audiobook was narrated extremely well by Jeremy Carlisle Parker .

My thanks to NetGalley, the publishers Sourcebooks Landmark/ Highbridge Audio and the author Brooke Beyfuss for providing the ARC/ALC.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐💫

Before You Found Me is a captivating book that draws you in from the very start. Rowan wakes up in the hospital after escaping her abusive partner, only to find that he isn't done with her yet. As she tries to recover in a faraway town, she uncovers the sinister next door neighbor Lee is not all that he's cracked up to be. What happens next, is so unreal but so desperately needed that you can't help but cheer them on. I loved the storyline, the characters, up to a point. The ending, well, not what was expected and definitely not necessarily my favorite, but that's my own personal view. Overall, a story of hope, resilience, and love in the face of pain and trauma. Very well done.
*I received a copy of this book from NetGalley. This review is my own opinion*

This emotional read will pull on your heartstrings. Rowan and Gabriel have both been victims of abuse but together they can support each other to a new and happy life. The characters in this have deep traumatic pasts that some may find difficult to read about but I love how delicately the author has written and created this story that I could not tear my eyes away from. Emotional, absorbing and heartfelt

An absorbing read that has a few triggers such as domestic abuse. I thought the author handled these subjects well..It is a very good story.
Many thanks to SOURCEBOOKS Landmark and to Netgalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

Book Review⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Before You Found Me
Brooke Beyfuss
Fiction
464 pages

Short Synopsis

After Rowan escapes her abusive fiance, she discovers the child next door is being abused. She knows she has to help, but what is the best way to do it?

My Thoughts

Such a good read! Would I do the same as Rowan? I doubt it. What she did made for a great story though. I was captivated right from the beginning. I love a unique storyline, and this book has it in spades.

Before You Found Me focuses on an abused child and the aftermath of his abuse. It also involves lots of love as a family tries to resolve their issues. A lot was thrown into the mix with Rowan’s family, which kept me glued to the story.

There is a great deal of tension between characters, which had me gritting my teeth at times. This was a story I couldn’t put down, even when I was irritated with certain characters’ choices. I would love to know how their lives turn out beyond the story.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for providing this ebook for me to read and review. 💕

~Check out all of my reviews at Latishaslowkeylife.com

This emotional book will pull on your heartstrings from beginning to end. The main characters have been through so much in their short lives. Rowan is a twenty-two year old woman that is trying her best to escape a extremely abusive relationship while Gabrial is eleven and has not been loved or treated well in many years. His life has been a nightmare because of the physical and emotional abuse that his father has been putting him through. Rowan doesn't know much about this new life that she is embarking on but she does know that Gabriel needs her to save him and in the process he may save her, too. So, she leaves her old life behind to help him in any way that she can.

The journey that Brooke Beyfuss takes the reader on through her amazing writing is unforgettable. The emotions that this book provoked went from sadness, to joy and to fear and many more in-between. Is the story a bit far fetched? Maybe, but it is so well-conceived and flawlessly written that you don't think how believable the scenario is while you are emerged within the story of this self-made family.

I hope you enjoy this compelling story as much as I did. Although there are many trigger warnings for this book because of the abuse that these characters endure overall this is an inspiring story about surviving.

I am extremely grateful to SOURCEBOOKS - Landmark and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this beautifully inspiring book in exchange for an honest review.

"Before You Found Me" is an emotionally charged and beautifully written novel that tugged at my heartstrings from the very first page. Brooke Beyfuss has crafted a story that explores the complexities of human connection, loss, and resilience in a way that is both touching and thought-provoking.

The characters are deeply relatable, each carrying their own burdens and secrets, and I found myself fully invested in their journeys. The author's prose is eloquent, drawing you into the world she's created and making you feel the characters' joys and sorrows.

This book is a poignant reminder that life is a delicate balance of pain and joy, and it showcases the strength of the human spirit. "Before You Found Me" is a must-read for anyone who appreciates evocative storytelling and richly developed characters.

I was not able to get to this book before it was no longer available. I am so sorry for this. I am rating it three stars since I do have to provide a rating, but providing a neutral rating seems like the best option for the book and author.

I did not finish this one, it was not for me, I couldn't relate to the characters, and just did not care for the story.

A story of an abused person rescuing another abused person, escaping and making their lives go forward together. Seems slightly far fetched as to how a few things occurred, but I enjoyed the characters and relationships between families and new friends.

This book will trigger all kinds of emotions from disbelief to anger to forgiveness and acceptance but mostly love. Family isn’t always related by blood and Rowan and Gabriel proved that. Rowan and Gabriel both ran away from horrible situations and fled to the one place Rowan never thought she would go again- back to her home state and the house left to her by her deceased parents. This is a story of survival, perseverance, and unconditional love between two people bond by similar experiences.

I wanted to give Rowan and Gabriel so many hugs throughout this book. They are truly survivors and they preserved when everything was standing in their way. Rowan saw herself in Gabriel and did everything in her power to protect him and give him unconditional love and support. Gabriel’s life would never had been what it ended up being if it weren’t for Rowan and what she did for him.


I would definitely classify this more as a generic fiction mixed with a bit of women’s fiction because of the emotional investment and sensitive subject. Check the triggers before reading and if you are okay with them definitely read this book.


Thank you @bookmarked and @netgalley for this eARC in exchange for my honest feedback.

After being released from the hospital, Rowan is broken, both physically and mentally. Taking respite in a friends home to heal, she notices the strange boy next door. The one that never goes outside, the one that’s living in the basement. When she finally gets eleven year old Gabriel to talk through the window, she is appalled by what she hears, after all his father seems like such an upstanding, likeable guy. Taking matters into her own hands, Rowan helps Gabriel escape and takes him with her to her childhood home in rural Oklahoma. A home that she inherited after the death of her parents when she was young. Rowan vows to make a better life for Gabriel, but are they prepared for all the lies they must tell and with Rowan’s fiancé out of jail and Gabriel’s dad on the warpath are they safe? When they become heroes after surviving a tornado everything is about to change, but will sheer will and determination kept them safe and together or will it take a miracle? This story, while implausible, was a sweet story of survival, of overcoming and most of all a bond of love that could not be easily broken. Thank you to Sourcebooks and NetGalley for an ARC of this book.

Before You Found Me
Author Brooke Beyfuss
Available now!

Thank you, @bookmarked & @brookebeyfuss, for my #gifted copy of this beautiful book and to @netgalley for my e- arc!

~ How far would you go to save a child that isn't yours? ~

This is such a slow burn and emotionally complex read! A little lengthy at times, but I was really intent on learning how this impossible situation was going to unfold. I went into it pretty much blind and was so drawn into Rowan's powerful story.

Scared for her life and needing to flee from her abusive fiancé, Rowan decides to hide and start over in a small town in New England. Laying low, her neighbor, Lee, pops by often and is a little too welcoming. While outside in her yard, Rowan hears a timid voice. The voice is coming from a very small eleven- year- old boy named Gabriel, Lee's son, who has been imprisoned in their basement, physically abused, and starved for three years since his mother died.

Absolutely horrified, Rowan is desperate not only to save herself but now to save Gabriel. So, she takes Gabriel (and this is no small feat) and flees to rural OK where she grew up and where her estranged sister lives. I loved their developing relationship and the role Rowan's sister played. What follows is the incredible bond that develops between the two survivors and how they manage to stay under the radar until they just can't anymore.

And emotional story of trauma and healing, found family, love, and the lengths we go to protect the ones we love. Before You Found Me is a raw story of survival, and domestic drama lovers will be drawn into Rowan's story just as I was.

The first thing to know about “Before You Found Me” by Brooke Beyfuss is that involves physical and emotional abuse. While that may be triggering, it’s at the heart of this heart-wrenching novel about love, family and survival.
Rowan McNamara, 22, is fleeing an abusive fiancé when she finds temporary refuge at friend’s vacant New England. Escape is her priority until she meets the neighbor’s son Gabriel. The 11-year-old never comes outside and only speaks to her from the basement window. The reason why soon comes frighteningly clear.
Driven by empathy and outrage, Rowan takes the boy, flees to rural Oklahoma and sets about to raise Gabriel on her own with the sometimes help of her estranged sister Celia. Together, they try to establish a family bond and a sense of normality. But how normal can life be when there’s always the threat of Gabriel’s father finding them?
Despite the dark circumstances surrounding her characters, the author doesn’t fall into cliches about domestic abuse, child abuse and trauma. She doesn’t overplay them, but instead uses them to promote trust, healing and found family. The novelist portrays complex emotions without making the narrative too heavy.
Beyfuss carefully builds a deeply emotional novel reinforced by characters that you can’t help but care about. Their bond is just as strong as blood, and they're willing to do anything to protect one another. You cheer for them, hoping they find peace and that the abusive father will finally get what he deserves.
Here’s hoping that we’ll be treated to more from this gifted writer.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced reader copy of this book. Before you found me is a moving story about about two abuse survivors who find each other and create a family. It is a heart wrenching book that shows how two people find courage in the face of extreme trauma, love, family, and healing. Great book, but trigger warning for abuse.

Excuse me while I sop up the emotional goo leaking from my pores.

Before You Found Me is a disturbing yet beautiful story of abuse and healing.

We have a young woman, badly broken both physically and psychologically, finally escaping an abusive relationship. We have a boy, lost and alone, in desperate need of rescue. And we have the woman’s estranged older sister, who has her own demons to wrestle.

This story takes us to some dark places, but we don’t wallow there. We’re given hope and enough light to see a path out. The issues our characters face are happening right now, in real life, somewhere nearby. Maybe on your street or in your family. I thought these aspects were handled with grace and respect, in a way that might make us all more aware.

Parts stretched plausibility a bit, but I was happy to make the leap because I needed the feel-good moments.

*Thanks to Sourcebooks Landmark and NetGalley for the eARC.*

I waffled between a three and four for this one. I really liked the first half of this book. The second half seem to go a tad off the rails and throw in some more plot points that I don’t know were necessary. Overall, I really enjoyed the story, but I felt like there were a lot of ideas for how to end the book that all got explored but maybe shouldn’t have and just ended 100 pages earlier instead.

3.5⭐️ - overall I enjoyed this, but it was very uneven for me, both in terms of holding my interest, and believability. I enjoyed the characters though as well as their journey.