I gave this a 4 star rating on good reads. I am going to be honest I had a very hard time getting into this book. I pushed to keep reading it and I’m glad I did. I really enjoyed the book over all found it to be very relatable. I think young adult readers will enjoy the story.

Thank you Netgalley and Owl Hollow Press for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

"Before & After You & Me" by Dallas Woodburn is an absolutely heartwarming and sometimes heart-wrenching coming-of-age novel that focuses on the themes of grief, guilt, and love. The story follows Emma, a young artist attending a prestigious arts high school, whose life takes a tragic turn when her ex-boyfriend, Hunter, is paralyzed in an accident. Woodburn's narrative structure, alternating between "before" and "after" chapters, creates a layered exploration of Emma's emotional journey and the impact of the accident on her life.

It took me a second to adjust to the unique format of the novel, which not only presents scenes before and after the accident, but the past timeline starts just before the accident and rewinds to when Emma first meets Hunter. After I got used to the differing timelines, I really enjoyed how Dallas set up the plot as we got to see the aftereffects of the relationship and see how it both fell apart and started. I think this really helps the readers see the progression of the relationship as well as the “red flags” that Emma/Hunter weren’t able to realize. The timelines also allow for a deeper exploration of Emma's character progression and the complexities of her other relationships.

The writing had such heartfelt authenticity with the emotional depth and resonance of Emma's story. The alternating chapters offer a collage of emotions and poignant moments, contributing to the novel's overall impact. I really enjoyed the progression of Emma’s relationship with her classmate as she begins to figure out who she is after Hunter, as both an artist and as a person. She has a bit of imposter syndrome throughout the “after” part of the book, and I really liked the genuine approach the author took to developing Emma’s identity as an artist, especially with the little details like painting windmills and painting a mural. Emma’s character growth is definitely the highlight of the book.

Overall, "Before & After You & Me" is a gut-wrenching yet ultimately hopeful story that captures the intricacies of human experience, especially when dealing with grief. With its relatable portrayal of inner struggles, this book is sure to resonate with readers seeking a deeply affecting story of love, loss, and resilience. I highly recommend this book for those who appreciate emotionally rich and thought-provoking narratives as well as those who may have struggled with imposter syndrome as an artist.

Thank you Netgalley, the author and publisher for this gifted e-arc in exchange for a review.

So this is my first Netgalley read of the year and it's getting off to a great start. I really enjoyed the lightheartedness of this book but also strong themes of staying true to yourself and always be honest about your feelings.
I do feel the protagonist was a bit too "in her head" and overthinking about everything like all of us like to do. I loved how artistic she was , made me wish I could paint but I can't even draw so it was nice to read about their artistic process. I also liked the whole before and after's to show us how she got to where she is and i like that she healed herself in the end.

The book was well written but my editing brain couldn't switch off so i did find a few grammatical errors so I hope it went through a final edit but other than that, it was really good and I'm glad she found her way in the end.

BEFORE & AFTER YOU & ME
Dallas Woodburn
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
finished 02/04/24

My first ARC! Thank you to @netgalley & @owlhollowpress for the opportunity to read this great story!

This is YA, but felt so much more grown up at times. It may have been the boarding school aspect that made it seem more like college and new adult-ish. I really loved the dual timelines moving in opposite directions of The Accident - especially how little tidbits would be teased, then revealed as you continued to read.

Emma struggles with guilt - about The Accident that paralyzed her high school boyfriend, persuing her art and being away from home, growing into and out of friendships - all while growing into the person she is becoming. The writing made Emma and her struggles feel so real and I was fully invested in what she was going through.

Would definitely recommend this book!

'Before and After You and Me' was on my 2023 TBR, so I was really excited to get ahead start with this. This book is told in a dual timeline, following Emma, after her ex-boyfriend had just been paralyzed in an accident that she feels guilty for. In the "after' we follow Emma after the accident as she moves for college and to get a fresh start but is having a hard time moving on because of the guilt of the accident; she was the first one to jump into the pool. In the "before" section, we follow Emma Hunter and how the end of their relationship leads to the accident.

A book that forms a pit straight to your heart from the very beginning, Thank you net galley for giving me this beauty to fill my day in exchange for an honest review

First of all, Wow, this book was conveyed in the most enticing way, it takes you through a journey of doubt, guilt, growth, courage, friendship, love and most of all acceptance
i don't even know if my review could express my love for this one but it's a solid 5/5 stars from my side

Synopsis
It's a story of Emma, a California girl with artistic talent who gets an opportunity to study at Wabash academy,
a thousand miles away from home,
a thousand miles away from friends and
a thousand miles away from her boyfriend, Hunter

Life changes and doubts creep in but all is good until she goes home for Winter break
The plot really starts when an unfortunate accident happens to Hunter and Emma carries intense blame for it

The story is beautifully written from Emma's POV with short chapters that goes back and forth between before and after the accident which makes the story more raw, real and allows you to grasp all the emotions it entails

it's a journey that captures the emotions of guilt but it's also a path to friendship, love, life, self discovery and most of self acceptance

it's my first 5 star of the year so of course, I'd recommend this to anyone and everyone i see but if you are a fan of deeply emotional books then this is definitely for you.
Hope you'll enjoy this one as much as i did and i can't wait to read more from Dallas Woodburn

A beautifully, intelligently crafted story, with genuine, relatable, lovable characters, “Before & After You & Me”, by Dallas Woodburn, is about loss, pain, guilt, young love and friendship and art.
The young heroine, Emma, is such a compelling character. I felt her struggles were realistic and believable and loved watching her gain confidence throughout the narrative.
Emma is unassuming, humble, insecure; and how this contrasts with her talent, bravery and heart is amazing.
I loved how slowly and gradually we, readers, are shown the several layers of the story, the tragedy, and the characters.
The way the story and the love interests turn out was really awesome, showing the idiosyncrasies and changes of young love.
It was also very interesting how the author handled the creative/artistic process.

Thank you to NetGalley and Owl Hollow Press for providing me with an ARC of this book to enjoy and provide my honest review.

Before and After You and Me is a delightful romance with relatable characters, snappy dialogue, and just enough exposition to set the scenes. I was excited to read this book once I saw that the chapters were split into 'Before' and 'After' The Big Event. This format makes the story so much more engaging and had me turning pages wondering what would happen next.

The novel is set for Young Adults and the characters emotions and choices reflect this age range. There's big feelings, emotional meltdowns, and some questionable actions that will have you rooting for the characters despite perhaps disagreeing with what they've chosen.

The book is character-driven and given how likeable the characters were it served the story well. I wasn't completely blown away by the narrative or the story itself but it was enjoyable the entire time and didn't lack in originality.

I was excited to read this book as soon as I saw the table of contents and realized that it had a very unusual format: this book started with a life-altering event, and then took turns describing scenes before and after, going further into the past and future with each chapter, like ripples expanding outward from a pebble thrown in the water.

This is a classic YA novel in that it deals with the real, and often messy, emotions of teens on the brink of adulthood. I appreciate that as you learn more about Emma and Hunter's relationship, it's not as picture-perfect as you might have first thought. And, despite the plot of the book revolving around The Accident, the focus is on Emma and her character progression, not a book about Hunter's recovery.

There is an underlying question of serendipity vs random, unfortunate events. Are there lucky accidents which lead to a better outcome? Or are there just painful events, and somehow we persevere through them? The question is raised and debated by several of the characters a couple of times in the book, and it is never definitively answered, leaving the reader to draw their own conclusions and have space for their own philosophical musings.

This was a well-crafted, well-written story. It's very introspective and character-driven and - in a way - comforting to read.