If you had to start all over, with no memory of what came before, would you still fall in love with the same person?
That’s the question posed in Denise Hunter’s latest novel. With its engaging characters, a beautiful setting, the heartbreak of unrequited love, and the hope that somehow, some way love just might win the day . . . again, this book is the perfect, curl-up-and-read book for fall—or any time of year.
*Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas Nelson Fiction for the complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I am a Denise Hunter fan and have probably read the majority of her books. If you're looking for a feel-good, often poignant and wholesome story, she's a good one to turn to.

I enjoyed this story (as I was sure I would), but maybe not as much as I had thought to? And to be honest I'm not sure why that is. Maybe it was the premise which felt a little too "out there" in terms of reality. Or maybe it was the heroine, Lauren. For some reason I didn't relate well or even overly sympathize much with her situation as I felt she did not handle it well or those around her (who were also dealing with it) with as much compassion and patience as I had hoped.

I did love Jonah as he was the epitome of a vulnerable but selfless man who was dealing with a difficult situation with love and empathy.

So, while I did enjoy the book, I don't feel that it was one of Hunter's best.

My thanks to NetGalley and Thomas Nelson Fiction for providing the free early arc of Before We Were Us for review. The opinions are strictly my own.

I’m always excited when I see that Denise Hunter has a new book, so I had to read Before We Were Us! It was wonderful! It’s a sweet, clean romance with an amnesia trope.

I loved Lauren and Jonah so much! Lauren was a strong character whose dreadful childhood made her into the young woman she was now. She had trouble trusting people, but Jonah slowly made her fall in love with him despite their promise to not fall in love with each other!

Then she fell and forgot falling in love. Forgot that Jonah was her world. Forgot her dream. Jonah had so much strength and patience after Lauren forgot their love. Of course, he was devastated, but he tried so hard to hide it from Lauren.

This dual-timeline novel flips back and forth from before her fall and after her fall. I loved watching them fall in love and felt so much pain for Jonah after. I know the pain of loss, but having the person still alive and standing in front of you not remembering the love you shared? Horrible. Yet Jonah never changed. His character and strength begin showing Lauren the man she fell in love with.

The supporting characters like Jonah’s sister and parents made this novel even better. It’s crazy when you get to the age where you identify more with the parents than the heroine of the story, but I totally could identify with Jonah’s mom! You hurt when your kids hurt!

I loved the New Hampshire setting. I’ve never been there, but Hunter’s beautifully descriptive writing allowed me to picture its beauty.

I couldn't put this novel down. Seriously, I read almost the entire thing in a day. I highly recommend Before We Were Us for its gorgeous setting, amnesia trope, sweet love story, and well-written characters.

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book. All views expressed are only my honest opinion.

After a difficult childhood, Lauren's dream job is within her grasp - she just has to put in nine months in a country town managing a rustic resort. Unfortunately, she doesn't hit it off with her boss, Jonah, at least at first. But over the next four months, spending time together sparks a relationship, to the point where Jonah's ready to propose. Then, a fall results in the loss of all Lauren's memories since the early days, when they were still enemies. When she wakes, she can't understand what he's doing in her hospital room - and he can't comprehend how a love such as theirs can be forgotten. She has three months left at Pinehaven before returning to Boston, but she's got her walls back up, stronger than ever. Will her memories come back before she leaves - or if not, can he make her fall for him a second time?

A deeply touching story of a most unusual type of loss - loss when the loved one is still there, hale and hearty, but has forgotten the shared love. At the start I was wondering whether there was an earlier book I hadn't read, but it soon became clear that no, we're just jumping into the middle of the story and will get earlier parts later, intertwined with the ongoing story. It's beautifully done and really does work much better than telling the story in order would. I felt a lot of sympathy for both of them in their plight, but loved watching them find their way back together, however much Lauren fought it! And the thread with her mother was a lovely touch. The result of it all is a beautiful story of love regained, including the need to let the loved one go at times. Throw in a very satisfying ending, and you've got the perfect read - though if you don't like crying around others, you might want to read parts it in private! Highly recommended.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Lauren goes to work at a rustic resort in New Hampshire to get the experience she needs to land her dream job. There, she meets Jonah, the son of the resort's owners. We learn early that they fall in love, but then Lauren falls and loses all memory of their relationship. This is a fairly mindless but enjoyable love story straight out of a Hallmark movie.

I really enjoyed reading this book. It was well written, and the characters were engaging throughout.

"Home" isn't always where we think it is, and "family" isn't always who we're born to. This story does a good job of exploring that, on both accounts.

Lauren & Jonah are both such endearing people. I think I feel a little in love with them both.

I would recommend this book!

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Such a touching story! I was looking for a sweet and heartwarming romance, and this did not disappoint. One day after a fall, Lauren loses her memories, and those included falling in love with Jonah, Jonah shows a great amount of patience and understanding as Lauren navigates her memory loss. I found myself engaged throughout the whole story, and the setting is just perfect for the autumn/cozy feels. Thank you NetGalley and Thomas Nelson Fiction for an advanced copy. All opinions are my own.

A good romance story of two people who are complete opposites fall in love one fateful summer , then an accident occurs tearing them apart . with memory loss Lauren has to find her way back , if she wants to that is (this is where I kind of disengaged with the character ). Second chances , what if moments , all around a good story .

I wasn't expecting to cry, but here i'am. This was a cute, uplifting and emotional story that was beautifully written, the dual timelines definitely makes the story. The characters were lovable. Overall I really enjoyed this book.

What a great book! Imagine waking up in the hospital and despising the man that everyone says was your perfect match. All you can remember of him is animosity. That is the story of Jonah and Lauren. After a fall, she wakes up and has lost months of memories--memories that were supposedly good ones with Jonah. All she can go by is her feelings how and her plans to move on after her stint at his parents' resort is up. Jonah is helpless and he's not used to that. What can he do but let her go?

This book has all the feels written into an emotionally charged story. It was wonderful!

Thanks to Thomas Nelson Fiction and NetGalley for the copy. All thoughts are my own.

Loved this book! The story was so sweet. I loved the dual timeline as the stories came to the accident. The way it came together in the end was so good. I couldn’t hold back the tears! Great read!

This is a sweet story about a woman who has lost the memory of the last five months of her life and the man she fell in love with during those months. Both come from less than ideal backgrounds which shape how they view life and relationships, especially her.

I enjoyed this book. The author patiently lets the characters find their own ways through very trying circumstances, allowing them to grow and change while keeping them true to themselves. The setting is fantastic - a New Hampshire resort in the summer and fall.

This is Christian fiction, mostly a clean romance with the occasional whispered prayer for help and mention of church.

Family friendly.

This was a sweet and heartwarming book. At times, I was frustrated about the situation, but overall it was a sweet romance. There wasn’t very much drama, so it was quite a simple plot.

This moving, heartfelt novel explores love, friendship and the complexities of relationships. Lauren struggles emotionally to navigate her amnesia and her forgotten love/relationship with Jonah. The narrative delves into their emotional struggles as they confront both their current personal challenges as well as their relationship prior to the accident. I smiled and cried simultaneously many times throughout this story. An incredible novel and a must read.
Thank you to the publisher for the opportunity to read this advanced copy. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC copy of this book. Before We Were Us was a fun rom-com story. I was drawn into the story & toatally invested in how & when Lauren's memories would return. It was a quick, fun read that was completed over the weekend. I would of loved to see more happen with her attraction to the doctor character. It would have been fun to add a little extra tension & see where that would go. I was left yearning to visit a cute resort as described in the book & experience the fall foliage of New Hampshire.

Denise Hunter writes no spice romance, always with an issue that needs to be resolved in the plot. Her works are also christian fiction, but its gentle in the book and easy to read.

This story takes us on a journey with Lauren and Jonah, who are enemies to 'lovers', but just when they are really starting a true relationship, Lauren has a very dangerous fall and gets amnesia. She has no idea that Jonah is her boyfriend. The love and patience that Jonah had for Lauren throughout her recovery was amazing and actually carried the story in my opinion. Jonah and Lauren work together at his family's cabin vacation resort, so it's also a bit of a forced proximity relationship story.

I do with there was a bit more of the character Carson in the story. I kept waiting for him to pop up to be a love triangle of some sort. ;-)

Thank you Denise Hunter for another gentle romance to add to my collection.

Thank you to NetGalley, Thomas Nelson Publishing and Denise Hunter for allowing me this copy of the book in exchange for a review. This review is all my own opinions.

Denise Hunter has written some great Christian romances, like the fabulous Sweetbriar Cottage. Sweetbriar Cottage is a sweet (!) yet powerful exploration of the nature of unconditional love, and a great second chance romance with some deep Christian themes.

Hunter has also written some novels that have just missed the mark for me. Riverbend Gap has heroine Katie dating one brother while falling for another, while Just a Kiss hinted at the physical and mental health issues facing returned servicemen and women but didn’t deliver.

I am usually a sucker for amnesia stories, but Before We Were Us didn’t hit the right notes for me.
Jonah is about to propose to Lauren when has an accident. She wakes up having lost four months of memories, and finding the annoying guy from the rustic resort she was working at hanging around for no known reason.

Then she finds out they were dating: during the missing four months, she and Jonah moved from enemies to friends to an adoring couple planning their wedding. Oops.

I expected the story to start with Lauren’s accident (which it did), then to move forward and show her recover and falling in love with Jonah all over again (which it didn’t). Instead, it flitted back and forth between the present timeline, which started in September, and how she and Jonah fell in love the first time. Nice, but we knew they’d fallen in love a first time. What I wanted to see was Lauren falling for Jonah a second time.

Both timelines were told from both points of view, and it wasn’t always clear which timeline we were in (not helped by the fact I routinely don’t read chapter headings, which I know is a me problem). As a result, I found it hard to engage with the story and with the characters and found the story ultimately unsatisfying.

Thanks to Thomas Nelson and NetGalley for providing a free ebook for review.

This was a sweet story of love defeating all other things. Set in two different times, this is the story of a young woman who lost her memory of the past few months, thus changing her relationship with her boyfriend. This was a good story, but tended to drag, and I had some trouble following the back and forth of the different points in time. I look forward to the author’s next story.

This is a heart wrenching story. Lauren Wentworth has been on a path to getting her dream job. When the opportunity arises, she is told that if she can help this old friend get her hotel in the wild back on track over the next 9 months, she would get the job. This city girl had no idea what she was getting into. Jonah Landry is the son of the owners. He feels he should be running the place and he acts accordingly. The first meeting goes wrong. So Jonah has decided to make amends. They had a Summer of falling in love. A freak accident leaves Lauren with no memory of the past four months, Can the person you love give you another chance or will you end up letting her go? In the end, she is back in the city, working her dream job. Only little pieces of her memory keep coming to her. Where does she belong? Her dream job that she has worked towards her whole life or the life she was making with Jonah? A beautifully written book.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
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4⭐️ My favorite book written by Denise Hunter to date. She writes books with such emotional depth and heart, filled with hope, hurt, and unconditional love. It is the perfect recipe to make you feel all the feels for these characters. These characters aren't even real and they had me shedding tears along with them. But that's the thing, these characters are put through real life hard things, and I become way more invested in their story when it is realistic. Jonah and Lauren were put through it, yet I couldn't put it down. I wanted to witness their happily ever after and boy was it worth the wait.

Quick side note, I absolutely hate love triangles, but I felt like there was a missed opportunity in the story with Carson. He was basically introduced for no reason. The author made it a point to say he was single and then he didn’t show up on the page after that. Maybe she did that to misdirect us? I’m not sure. But whatever. I’m also glad there were no sparks between them. Jonah didn’t deserve that!

Jonah. Oh Jonah. He was so patient and kind and his poor heart was wrecked over and over. Lauren was the worst ha. I actually hated her for a while but then came to understand. I couldn’t imagine losing months of my memory and just pretending or trying to make things normal again. Because she wasn’t the same person.

I loved their romance and the flashbacks from before her accident. And that ending was healing that’s for sure, so I’m just satisfied with this story.

*Thank you to NetGalley, Thomas Nelson Fiction, and Denise Hunter, for the complimentary copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.