He's proposing really soon.

What's in her past?

That escalated quickly.

At least she remembers everybody...

Wow, seven years in college.

That was not her day.

She really hated Jonah, didn't she.

Huh. I don't know if it is the right thing to do, the Boston job is giving her a sense of normalcy that no longer exists.

Ohh...Now their connection is starting to make sense.

Haha, he was cute in the awkward phase of their relationship.

He is still technically family, though.

Yep, a "fun" romance. Clearly that worked out.

I feel bad for the other candidate when she gets her memory back.

Everyone is so concerned about her job and her feelings, but he was willing to sacrifice his own dreams. That should be mentioned.

I'm glad for her and her mother.

Can she just leave like that?

Aw, that's a nice gift.

The amnesia after a brain injury! Similar story lines always get me! A second chance, and enemies to lovers story. Centered around Lauren and Jonah, they fell in love and Denise suffers a terrible accident that leaves her with a TBI and unable to remember, above all else, their love story. Lauren had to come the small town to prove her worth to the company she worked for and this is where she met Jonah. They needed to find their way back to each other and the perseverance from Jonah was so heartwarming and heart wrenching at the same time.
Thank you for the ARC

What would you do if you fell in love but don't remember?

Theirs was an enemies to lovers story and only Jonah knows that. After a terrible fall Lauren is left with a traumatic brain injury and it's unknown how long it will be before she can recover the memories that Jonah assures her are true. I'm not sure many people would have Jonah's resolve to persevere and help Lauren regain her memory.

Denise Hunter's story - a topic I've not read before in the romance genre - kept me engaged and invested in the outcome. It's a story of discovering what's truly important.  

There was another second chance storyline near the end of the novel that drove home the point that everyone deserves another chance.

Recommended to fans of the author and a sweet romantic story.

What a sweet story!

Lauren and Jonah are happily in love and planning a big restoration of a barn for a venue. Lauren falls from the ladder and when she wakes up, she has no memory of the summer. No memory of falling in love with Jonah.

The story centers around this event with Jonah hoping Lauren recovers her memory and Lauren hoping she doesn’t. She has a dream job waiting for her back home — she doesn’t need the distraction of love!

Told with some flashbacks, you get to see how they fell in love in the first place as well as witness the aftermath of Lauren’s accident.

Well written and both Lauren and Jonah are super relatable.

A sweet love story of strength and recovery that draws you in and keeps you engaged until the very end. Bring your Kleenex because you will need it!

Before We Were Us was well written and definitely not one of those smarmy, sappy, unbelievable stories. This is really good and I have discovered that I like Denise Hunter and her writing.

I received an advanced reader’s copy from Thomas Nelson and Netgalley. Opinions are my own.

DNF

Writing and plot felt too simplistic and straightforward. Approachable but wanted a bit more.

I’m not usually a fan of memory loss love stories, however, I am a fan of Denise Hunter. Her writing style makes me love this story regardless. I particularly loved the ending. The wedding gift. The infusion of memories they had made to bring them to who they were. The concept was done well and beautifully.

First novel by Denise Hunter and I was glad I had the chance to read this one. Romantic novel that pulls at your heart. I am glad to say that I will look for more books by Denise Hunter.

Heartwarming read. Lauren is an ambitious young woman striving to over come her past. Goal oriented to achieve her dream job she is sidelined working at a small cabin living resort for 9 months to prove she is worthy for the premier job. Friction with the handsome son of the family owned business leads to sparks. Trauma brings kinks to the story. Fantastic read. Recommend. I was given an advanced reader copy of this well written book by NetGalley and I am freely sharing my review.

This was such a great literary fiction read! I loved this book from the very first page to the very last page.

This book made me ache but in the best way. I was feeling Lauren's confusion and discomfort and Jonah's pain right along with the story. Both of their characters were very sympathetically done so you felt the push and pull of both sides of their stories. The story worked, but Denise Hunter's always do. I enjoyed reading it despite the somewhat unpleasant topic. It was different from a lot of the romance books out there, which was a welcome surprise. I also liked how the ending was done and that it was kind of unexpected in how it was done.

This story warms my heart and such beatiful love story of Lauren and Jonah. My favorite part was the background on Lauren and Jonah of " their before". I love that Jonah was so patient and compassion toward Lauren after the accident . I understand Lauren 's viewpoint on life because many children's terrible childhood as her can effect every part of your life. I glad that Lauren comes to her senses with loving support. They madly love with each other, and they can't live out each other. I thank you Netgalley and Thomas Nelson publishing allow me to review this book . #Before We Were US #Netgally

I have enjoyed Denise Hunter's books for a long time, and this one is no exception. I'll be honest, when I heard the premise involving memory loss I was simultaneously intrigued and concerned. It takes a talented author to make an amnesia storyline work and not feel forced. However, Denise Hunter managed to do this pretty well. The back and forth timeline disappointed me at first because I preferred to stay in the present-day timeline, but for the story it does make sense to show what happened over the previous four months and it makes for a very satisfying conclusion. Lauren and Jonah are not my favorite of Hunter's characters because they seem a little bit one dimensional. (The characters in her Bluebell Inn series are my favorites because of their psychological depth.) Nonetheless BEFORE WE WERE US is a solid romance with inspirational elements and it did turn out to be a satisfying read. I especially enjoyed the heartwarming ending.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance e-galley; all opinions in this review are 100% my own.

This is a tender and moving story. My heart was entirely involved from start to finish. The love story definitely has its high and low points.

The setting of Pinehaven Resort is idyllic and serene with its trees, cozy cabins, and the lake. It's a place where families made memories.

The characters are wonderful! They are so easy to relate to. Lauren has had a goal for her future and was aspiring to attain it. A temporary job at Pinehaven has her questioning her "dream" job. Jonah is ready to run the resort and focus solely on making it profitable. When these two met, sparks started to sizzle(not in a good way). Then the sparks turned into a flame of love! Their love is tested and even put on the back burner for a while.

The ending was perfection! When Jonah hands Lauren her gift, my eyes shed tears of joy!

I was provided a complimentary copy of the book from Thomas Nelson via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

As soon as I read the first chapter I knew tears would be shed. Jonah's sadness broke my heart but his resolve warmed my heart. Despite Lauren's injury, I'd call her a lucky woman to have the unyielding love of a good man. Thank goodness I had confidence the author would weave a trail to an HEA.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC for my honest review. I've never read a book by this author. I just finished Before We Were Us and read on her Goodreads profile her books have been made into Hallmark movies. Which tracks. I probably should have done a little research before requested the ARC. I did not enjoy this book at all. The two MCs felt very flat, and even the amnesia plot felt hollow. I have no problem with closed door romance, but give a girl some swoon please. The MMC calls the FMC both "honey" and "sweetheart" and ick. I don't think 20 somethings talk that way.

Before We Were Us is a heartfelt story.

Lauren and Jonah find their way back to love after Lauren has a fall and suffers from a concussion where she loses her memory. She isn't sure she wants to remember because she can't stand the man she is told is her boyfriend. Jonah is struggling living with the way things were before Lauren's accident, which has totally changed everything. Lauren is not the women he knows, being rude and cold towards him.

The story is in dual time. Before Lauren's fall and concussion and four months after. The book was a slow start but is a nice clean read.

I received a complimentary ebook copy from the publisher, through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

f you need a warm hug in the form of a book, then this is the book for you! The way Blair’s struggle with depression is portrayed was really touching and emotional. Graham is just a big cinnamon roll who has taken on the role of running his family’s lodge. He’s got a lot on his plate but he’s just so sweet to Blair and becomes such a safe place for her to open up about her struggles. The setting of this book was beautiful, an island on a lake in Northern MN. One of my favorite places. Everything was described and portrayed so perfectly, I didn’t want to leave! Loved this book, and know it will be one I’ll reread in the future when I want to escape to MN

I could not put this down including sitting in my car for an hour to finish before going into the gym 😂I loved the characters and the setting sm. The dual pov and the two timelines were perf. I think this memory loss plot can be overdone but it was done well and the ending was so good.