This was a heartbreaking, but beautiful read. Rowan and Gabriel both come from such sad lives, find each other and are trying to navigate a new to them world. I would highly recommend this to anyone.

2.5 stars Is it morally right to kidnap a child if you know they are being severely abused? Rowan faces this dilemma after escaping her own abusive relationship and then accidentally meeting an eleven year old boy Gabriel being held captive in his father’s basement. Rowan learns that he has been locked up for years and physically abused since the death of his mother. Rowan knows what it’s like to grow up in foster care and doesn’t want this boy to have to endure that either. Instead, she takes matters into her own hands by helping the boy escape and kidnapping him to start anew with her.

The premise for this plot was intriguing and I was instantly curious to know how their plight would turn out. I was drawn into their unusual and somewhat risky circumstances. However, despite what could’ve been an heart wrenching emotional journey, this story was surprisingly benign. It focused on difficult and potentially triggering subject matter but yet was strangely one note. Rowan’s character lacked depth and her struggles felt as though they had been painted with a broad brush stroke. “Nothing to see here, everything is fine…”

This book read like a Hallmark movie so I think readers looking for a glossed over account of the impact of domestic violence, kidnapping and child abuse will enjoy this much more than I did. There was no grittiness and the descriptions were on the PG side.

As for the MC, I wish she had been more deeply developed with warts and all. I wanted the author to really go there. I wanted more struggle, more emotional pain, a bitter sweet ending. However, this book was more about controlled flaws and a tidy ending.

The audio performance wasn’t my favourite. I find the excessive use of character dramatization to be grating and to lose its impact over time. People don’t typically speak with exclamation points so I find that when overused it has the opposite effect of making the character emotionally one note rather than dynamic.

There are higher reviews from others who connected with this story better than I did. I would encourage readers to check those out too as this was an instance in which although this book didn’t work for me, it may be perfectly written for someone else. Thank you to HighBridge Audio and Netgalley for an audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

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: ⭐⭐⭐⭐💫

4.5 stars!

This book has me on such an emotional roller coaster! Rowan has left an abusive relationship and her best friend offers to let her stay at her home in Massachusetts where she befriends a child named Gabriel.

I really enjoyed the audiobook narration and it pulled even more at my heartstrings.

*many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the gifted copy for review

Rowan McNamara left her old life behind with many scars, but a strength and determination to move forward. Taking refuge at her oldest and dearest friend's house, Rowan discovers a secret in the home just next door. Does Rowan have the courage to make right an egregious wrong? Will she be able to make peace with her sister Celia?

Before You Found Me is a well narrated audiobook, especially for a novel that touches upon very tough subjects. Two people find each other under less than ideal circumstances. The decisions that they make are tough ones and, though extreme, are very realistic. That being said, there are side plots here that are just not necessary and take away from the main story. The character development is good, but they really do not have depth. The backstories for Rowan, Gabriel, and Celia are weak and seem to serve only a purpose of giving them reasons for what happens in the present. Before You Found Me is an average read and one I am hesitant to recommend to other readers.

Disclaimer: I was given an Advanced Audio Copy of Before You Found Me by NetGalley and the publisher. The decision to review this book was entirely my own.

The beginning had me hooked- Rowan is just released from the hospital after weeks due to her fiancé throwing her through a window. She retreats to her childhood friend's house, as it is empty while Lane is abroad. While there, she notices movement in her neighbor's basement- and discovers a child being held captive. Gabriel is eleven years old and has been locked in the basement for three years.
His father rarely feeds him and frequently beats him. Rowan herself had a difficult life- her parents died when she was three and she was in and out of foster care after that. She decides to escape with Gabriel- as she does not want him to end up in the foster care system. They try to build a new life- but it isn't easy. They are always worried his father will find them.

As I said, the beginning had me enraptured. But it kind of dropped off after a great beginning. It slowed way down with unnecessary plot lines. I felt an emotional connection in the beginning, but lost it along the way. I still really enjoyed the book, I just didn't love it as much as I anticipated after the first few chapters.

Jeremy Carlisle Parker narrates the audiobook.

I really wish it had a better cover. It deserves it.

I received an audio copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced reader copy of this book. Before you found me is a moving story 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.

In a Nutshell: Decent enough, but I was expecting it to be more impactful. Some triggering content, but nothing on page except for the aftermath. Good for women’s fiction readers.

Story Synopsis:
After an argument with her abusive fiancé Ethan, twenty-two-year-old Rowan runs away. Having no family escape for her estranged sister Celia, Rowan takes shelter in an old friend’s empty house in a small New England town. Here she meets eleven-year-old Gabriel, the son of her new neighbour Lee. While Lee is friendly and welcoming, Gabriel is more of a mystery, appearing to Rowan only from the basement of his house, often withdrawn and bruised.
When Rowan discovers that Gabriel has been imprisoned in the basement by his own father for almost three years, she makes a daring plan: she will abduct Gabriel and flee to her childhood home in rural Oklahoma. Will their bond be enough to protect them?
The story comes to us in a limited third-person narration.

On paper, the book has plenty to recommend it. As the story of the bond between two abuse survivors and their journey towards safety, the book covers rock-solid themes such as coming-of-age, found family, blood relationships, domestic abuse (parental and partner), foster care, and morality in grey situations. Had the book focussed on these with a more literary approach, it would have been a sureshot winner for me. But it swayed more towards a commercial style and ended up diluting the overall impact.

The initial chunk of the book had me invested on every word. From the time Rowan escaped Ethan to how she landed up in her friend’s house, interacted with Lee and Gabriel, discovered the truth about Gabriel’s situation, and escaped with him, this entire section was written in an intense and impactful way, letting me see the trauma of both the victims first-hand without having any abuse directly on page. (That is to say, the beating scenes aren’t written directly, but the aftermath was depicted through severe injuries. Even this was traumatic and not for the sensitive of heart.)

Once Rowan and Gabriel settled into the Oklahoma home and two more characters – Rowan’s sister Celia and a local named Dell – were added to the regular cast, things went downhill for me.

🚩 The plot, which was anyway highly reliant on coincidences, became too exaggerated, with several issues glossed over. While drama was necessary in this storyline, the book seemed to use drama in all the wrong places. Plot points which were relatively minor were overdramatic, and the actual dramatic confrontation that ought to have been the highlight of the finale, turned out to be a damp squib.

🚩 Both Rowan and Gabriel had escaped intense physical abuse, but there were barely any remnants of the trauma they have left behind. Both of them almost instantaneously settled into their new routine, without ever visiting a therapist.

🚩 Celia was depicted as a typical dogmatic negative character whose only role is to be against Rowan, but the fact is that Celia was very helpful to the two victims, and many of her suggestions were pragmatic. She was unfairly utilised by both Rowan and the plot, and it didn’t seem fair to have her character depicted in grey shades.

🚩 I found it tough to connect to Rowan from the Oklahoma scenes onwards because she acted as if she was the only one who knew what was right for Gabriel. Her decisions were more impulsive than rational, and she seemed to view things only in terms of how they impacted her or Gabriel, and that too with a short-term focus.

🚩 Foreshadowing doesn't work well in this book. While I like foreshadowing as a writing device, in this book, it felt more shoved into the story.

🚩 There are several time jumps in between, with months and years passing by within a blink.

🚩 There are three romantic pairings in the book, and all of them seem abrupt. While the main “relationship” was atypical in its progression (by virtue of being somewhat one-sided) and I did like how it ultimately panned out, I still found it forced into the plotline. The other two pairings weren’t even needed, tbh.

🚩 The biggest issue for me was the lacklustre resolution of the two potential dangers – Rowan’s ex Ethan and Gabriel’s dad Lee, both of whom had been left in the lurch by the escape. The confrontation sequences and the resolution of the two threats are unbelievably quick and smooth. The “resolution” with one character doesn’t even happen on page, being settled instead through a phone call with the lawyer. The other resolution at least takes place before us, but the character in concern capitulates with hardly any hesitation, leaving the whole scene feel anticlimactic. I expected far more from a book that began with such potential and threat.


🎧 The Audiobook Experience:
The audiobook, clocking at 12 hrs 37 min, is narrated by Jeremy Carlisle Parker. Her narration was okay for me. I wasn’t a fan of her character voices, especially the voice she used for Gabriel that made him sound like a middle-aged man than an eleven-year-old.

All in all, this book works better as a women's fiction than as a suspense drama about abuse survivors living under a past threat. It needs a lot of suspension of disbelief, something that I always struggle with.
Still recommended, as long as you keep the above in mind and adjust your expectations accordingly.

2.75 stars.

My thanks to HighBridge Audio and NetGalley for the ALC of “Before You Found Me”. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the audiobook.

WOW!! This is a dark, disturbing story about the abuse cycle and how sometimes the ones you find as family are not blood related. This is the first book I have read of Brooke Beyfuss but I will read whatever she writes. This book grabbed me from the beginning and had me hooked until the end. Rowan and Gabriel's story was well told. I really enjoyed Jeremy Carlisle Parker as the narrator. I Highly recommend this book. It can be a hard read because of the abuse for some people but it will also bring you joy too.

Thank you NetGalley and HighBridge Audio for allowing em to listen to this ARC for my honest opinion.

Thank you Brooke Beyfuss, HighBridge Audio, and NetGalley for this advanced listening copy in exchange for my honest review!

I loved this book. It was beautifully written and made me feel a kaleidoscope of emotions. Rowan's strength and her love for Gabriel was everything. Their bond truly tugs at your heartstrings from the start. While there are a lot of happy moments in Before You Found Me, there are several dark moments in the book too. Rowan and Gabriel both go through the unimaginable on their journey to finally be able to live in peace. This book covers some very heavy topics (check trigger warnings) and also explorers themes of love, survival, and family (biological and found). Before You Found Me is categorized as Contemporary Fiction and while I can definitely see that, I would also say that it has a significant amount of suspense in it as well. The audio for Before You Found Me was great. I really enjoyed listening to this narrator. It was easy to follow along with and did a great job of portraying the emotions of the story and its characters. If you're looking for an emotional read that is beautifully written, you should definitely grab this book.

*Trigger Warning: This book discusses topics of DV and child abuse. There are instances where these topics are only mentioned and others where it is discussed in detail.

Rating: 5 stars

When I start out reading a story one thing I struggle with suspension of belief unless it's magical realism, sci-fi, dystopian.etc. Before You Found Me by Brooke Beyfuss requires a lot of belief suspension. If you can get past that, it's a bit contemporary fiction meets coming of age.

I enjoyed the character of Gabriel but often struggled with liking Rowan. She was someone I wanted to root for, but felt got in her own way so much it was difficult to root for her.

Overall this wasn't a book I loved, but it also wasn't a book I hated. The narrator did a stellar job narrating.

I loved this book ! It's an interesting mix of coming-of-age, drama, contemporary fiction, and domestic suspense - even some light romance. After suffering a traumatic attack by her fiancé Rowan leaves the hospital hiding at her friend’s house where she finds out that the nice seeming neighbors kid is being physically abused and forced to live in the basement. Rowan who has had a hard childhood of her own is confronted with Gabriel’s intense need for a defender and protector and needs to figure out whether she can be tut person for someone else when she could barely protect herself. The book spans eight years in total and the character development is so well done and the writing is beautiful.
Brooke Beifuss had me rooting for her characters and their survival and thriving. What I loved about this book was that there was no linear easy fix - there were jolts and hiccups in this relationship by chance and I loved the end and the fact that parts were still a little tangled but in a good way no rosy ever after for these characters but an end that takes them as the people they were portrayed as.
I read this along with the audiobook, narrated by the talented Jeremy Carlisle Parker. I loved my listening as much as my reading - this was so good.
As far as my 19yo goes: she enjoyed her reading, liked the book and rushed through in just two days but found it a little trauma heavy for her reading taste.

I didn't fall in love with this one like I did Beyfuss's previous novel, but I still really enjoyed it. I enjoyed the relationship between Gabriel and Rowan. The one thing I will say is that I had to suspend a LOT of belief reading this which isn't necessarily my favorite.

Driven by a nearly fatal volatile beating, fear, and anger; desperate to save a little boy in a similar situation; two hearts grow to become one family beyond incredible feats of courage.
Rowan McNamara is a young lady who fell for the wrong kind of man and ended up nearly getting killed. Her estranged sister, Celia seems to have her priorities mixed up thereby inflaming the lifelong battle between her and Rowan. That is until she meets Gabriel, a little boy locked away to die. Together they ran for their lives. Rowan’s ex-fiance wants to seal the deal by hunting her down while Lee, Gabriel’s abusive father, seeks to get back what he has lost.
The narrator, Jeremy Carlisle Parker was phenomenal. The flow, timing, and character distinction were so “on point”, you felt like you were there. Very enjoyable!
I loved the book. There were points when I cried, laughed, cuddled in my blanket in terror as the book moved through the difficult and changing lives of these two main characters. I’m not sure the impression they left will ever totally leave me. I was so moved.
I recommend this book to adult fiction readers. Triggers: extreme abuse, child endangerment, stalking, trauma. But there is also love, courage, healing, protection, and happiness.
I loved this book!
Thank you to NetGalley, Highbrogh Audio and Brook Beyfuss for allowing me to listen to and review this book. My opinions are my own.

"Before You Found Me" is an excellent novel about courage in the face of extreme trauma, love, family, and healing. Author Brooke Beyfuss tells us a great story.

Rowen meets Gabriel when she borrows her best friend’s house to hide from her very abusive fiancé. Gabriel is living in the basement of the house next door and she discovers the father is mortally abusive to the young boy. Rowen decides to run away with the boy 10 years younger than her and go to somewhere no one can find them. She knows this is wrong but also knows his father will kill him if she leaves him behind. The entire story is an emotional rollercoaster as the main characters bond to form a family. When I started reading this book I did not expect it to be so powerful but I found I could not wait to get back to reading it and find out where it was going. This will be a marvelous read for any bookclub and the discussions will be amazing. I did not love the topic but I loved, loved the book and highly recommend it.

I look forward to her next book. Brooke is an amazing author.

4.5⭐️

Before You Found Me is a beautiful and moving story about found family and healing from abuse and trauma.

Rowan has just fled her abusive fiancé and finds herself living next door to an overly friendly man named Lee and his son, Gabriel- the latter of whom she meets when he speaks to her through his basement window.

As things unfold, Rowan realizes that Gabriel didn’t just happen to be in the basement, he LIVES there- and in fact, has been secretly locked there for years by Lee, his abusive father. None of the neighbors even know Gabriel exists.

Rowan and Gabriel develop a bond and realize that contacting authorities isn’t a safe option, given how beloved the outwardly charming Lee is in the community. So, they flee together, to somewhere far away, hopefully safe at last from both their pasts.

It’s never quite that simple, and this book follows that long journey to safety, healing, and becoming a family. It’s an emotional read but in the end absolutely lovely watching them bloom after all their struggles.

Thank you Brooke Beyfuss, HighBridge Audio, and NetGalley for providing this ALC for review consideration. All opinions expressed are my own.

How far would you go to save a child that isn't yours? A story rooted in defining family by those who love and care for you, even if that means they aren't related. Rowan is picking up the pieces of her life after escaping the abuse of her partner when the discovery of a hidden and abused child next door leads to their escape to Oklahoma.

Dark, disturbing, and emotional Before You Found Me navigates the relationship between two abused people healing together. Overall, the premise is insane that Rowan abducts Gabriel but it also toes that line that sometimes doing the right thing can still lead to injustice so you take matters into your own hands. The personal growth throughout for both characters was quite the journey and I loved the connection Rowan and Gabriel had. What is so incredibly comforting in this read is that instead of being focused on the dirty details of trauma, Brooke Beyfuss makes the artistic decision to pour the energy into how healing from trauma and helping another person through it can be both messy and profoundly selfless.

Rowan really grew up throughout the story and I fell even more in love with her as time went on. In the beginning I really struggled with some of her decisions, however it really was the beauty in watching her stumble through life trying to heal and be the best person she could be. There is so much packed into this and yet it didn't feel overbearing. I was almost expecting a bit of a domestic thriller vibe at times but that might have been more of a me reading into the content too hard and expecting the shock value to be thrown in.

Brooke Beyfuss returns following her debut After We Were Stolen with BEFORE YOU FOUND ME —a beautifully written, compelling, and heart-stirring tale of hope, fear, survival, trauma, courage, healing, forgiveness, unconditional love, redemption, and the true meaning of family.

An unlikely bond between two abuse survivors as they create a family of love they made —unlike any they have known. I LOVED this book. Top Books of 2023!

GRIPPING, HIGHLY EMOTIONAL, COMPELLING, SUSPENSEFUL!

Rowan McNamara, age 24, has not had an easy life with the death of her parents. She and her sister are separated from one group and foster home to another. She blames her sister Celia for continuing her education to be a nurse and leaving her.

Rowan runs after yet another round with her abusive and controlling fiancé, Ethan. She takes nothing, hospitalized days earlier with glass embedded in her back, on the receiving end of horrific physical and mental abuse over the past two years. He would kill her if she left. The scars on her back will remain with her for the rest of her life. She would never be the same from the trauma.

Rowan escapes to her friend Lelia's house while she is away in New England until her parent's home that she and her sister inherited is vacant back in Oklahoma. Rowan was fierce and protective, and Laine was gentle and calming. They had not seen one another in a few years since Ethan had severed all her relationships.

Behind its weathered picket fence, this house would be her temporary home, a haven until she could escape to Oklahoma. Little did she know how her life would change.

Next door to Liane's house lives a man named Lee Emerson. He seems friendly enough, offering to help her out. But behind closed doors, he is a monster. She knows about sociopaths, and they are not easy to trick.

She discovers the boy, Gabriel, age eleven, who has been beaten, tortured, and held captive in the basement. It has been three years since they moved into the home, and he has not been allowed to leave the confines of the dark, damp, cold basement with little food and beaten.

Lee, the father, hates him because years ago, his mother was killed in an accident while she walked her son to the bus stop, and the dad blames him for her death because he asked her to go along. Of course, it was not his fault. He was only a child, but his father has punished him daily since.

How will he ever escape?

He is afraid, and Roman wants to help him and brings him food through the window. She wants to go to the authorities to report this, but then she knows he will be placed in foster homes like she experienced, and that is not what she wants for him.

She visits him daily while his father is away. Her heart goes out to this little boy. She wants to protect him from evil. She knows she will leave soon and cannot leave this boy here. She devises a plan. She will kidnap him and worry about the rest later. The important thing is to get him to safety.

But they cannot leave at the same time. So she plans to leave so Lee will think she is gone, and then a few days later, she will come for him. She takes photos and videos for evidence and interviews Gabe so she will have documentation she did not have with her abusive situation.

However, when she returns, she is shocked. He has been beaten so badly that she has to carry him out and quickly grabs the things he needs, wrapping the blood-filled barbeque fork in plastic with the dad's fingerprints.

She is afraid to take him to a hospital, and they escape spending nights on the road in motels while she takes care of him. Finally, back home in Oklahoma, she has to confide in Celia since she is a nurse and hopes she will not turn them in.

From here on out, it is heart-pounding INTENSE suspense (the tornado was spine-chilling). Highly emotional, these two bond and are very protective of one another. In the process, Gabe brings Celia and Rowan closer together. Rowan and Gabe work together to overcome their trauma while worrying about the monsters who want to destroy them and facing them.

The author keeps you on the edge of your seat to see how this nightmare will unfold.

BEFORE YOU FOUND ME is a beautifully conceived and masterfully executed domestic suspense about good people doing their best to survive with an essential takeaway message. I loved Rowan and Gabe! A mix of coming-of-age, women's domestic, rural and small-town, literary, and a psychological suspense thriller.

The author is a master at uncovering the emotional depths of her characters and bringing them out the other side. These characters will linger long after the book ends.

These well-developed characters have suffered significant loss and fear on the road to happiness, and you will root for a satisfying conclusion. Thanks to the author who persevered and brought this story to life! I also appreciated her taking the time to give us a happy ending and unrushed. As the author mentions in her Author's Note, BEFORE YOU FOUND ME is, at its core, a love story.

An ideal book club selection and prime for the big or small screen.

AUDIOBOOK: I listened to the audiobook and the e-book, and the narrator, Jeremy Carlisle Parker delivered an outstanding performance and an engaging listening experience for all voices.

Triggers: Domestic violence, child abuse, abandonment, traumatic injury, death, grief, and emotional distress; however, they are balanced out with positives.

For fans of authors Catherine Ryan Hyde Just a Regular Boy (among others by this author), Heather Gudenkauf, Fredrik Backman, and Elizabeth Berg (my favs). Highly recommend and cannot wait to see what comes next from this multi-talented author! She has been added to my favorite author list.

Thanks to Sourcebooks Landmark and Highbridge Audio for a gifted ARC and ALC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest opinion.

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Pub Date: Aug 1, 2023
My Rating: 5 Stars +
Aug 2023 Must-Read Books

Not the easiest storyline as there are some difficult subjects and yet I very much enjoyed this audiobook. Domestic abuse both physical and emotional, child abuse, kidnapping, loss, the foster care system and other deep subjects aren’t light subjects don’t make for light easy reading or listening. The editorial description sounded interesting so I thought I’d give it a try. The author had me drawn in within the first few sentences. It was a beautiful yet painful story that was at times (okay, often) disturbing, sad, scary, about deep deep love, protective instinct, what one will to to not only save themselves, but someone else all written in such a beautiful heartwarming love filled way. Rowan barely escapes after so much horrible abuse and she knows her abuser will never stop looking for her and has promised to kill her. She hides out at a friends and discovers a little boy next door who is living in terror also being abused in the most heinous of ways. So she plans an escape and after he is also beaten within an inch of his life they run across the country and start a new life together. Together they learn to trust each other, take baby steps into the world, develop a relationship with Rowans incredibly judgmental and clenched sister and find their way on the world. A tough listen at times, but worth every moment. The writing is beautiful and the narration is perfection.