Before We Were Us is the first book I have read written by Denise Hunter. It was an easy read and really pulled me in. It was truly hallmark in a book.

The character development was an interesting dynamic in this story. Lauren goes through head trauma and ends up losing her memory of the summer. It is completely gone. So, in her mind Jonah has not changed, he is still the jerk, the person she is trying to avoid. Though Jonah was about to propose to Lauren the night of her accident. So, Jonah knows Lauren on a deeper level. The character development was really fun to read. With the flash backs and memory loss. I really enjoyed it. Though sometimes I was frustrated at Lauren.

The storyline and setting were truly straight out of a hallmark movie. This would be the perfect fall read. I enjoyed the setting a lot.

The relationship between Lauren and Jonah was good. There was a lot of kisses and talk of their romance. Overall it was clean and nothing spicy.

I found the faith aspect lacking in this book. I personally like a lot more faith element in my Christian fiction. I feel like a non-Christian could easily read this and not even notice.

*I received a complimentary copy from the author and voluntarily chose to review it. All opinions are my own.

First, I want to thank NetGalley for an advance copy of the audio book. My review is based on the audiobook version of this book!

I thought this was a nice light read. The story was beautiful in that the characters have a lot of love for each other and it was lovely to read that. This takes place in a dual timeline (past and present). However, I found that the pacing in the present story line was rushed. My favorite scenes were watching them fall in love in the past, it is a wholesome beautiful story. However, I felt the audio book was a little unclear of when we were in the past and when we were in the present. I would still recommend to anyone looking for a nice wholesome read.

I really enjoyed this book, despite the tears that fell often. An enemy to lovers, but throw in a fall that causes an entire summer to be erased from memory. Lauren is sent to the country to help revitalize a family-run resort. There she meets Jonah, the owner's son, who she truly can't stand. Until she really gets to know him. When she falls from a ladder, she can't remember anything from her time at the resort, except her dislike of Jonah. Jonah, however, is heartbroken, trying to slowly show Lauren how amazing their relationship was. Told in alternating timelines, we get a peak at the days prior to the fall, and the days after (months). The heartache is real, the frustration can be felt through the pages and the chemistry between Lauren and Jonah is realistic and well written. Just a truly well done read.
Thank you Netgalley for my advanced reader copy.

Really enjoyed this book. Lauren takes a manager position running a lodge and falls in love with her boss, but after a fall she has no recollection of the last few months of her falling in love with him. This story travels back in time and in the present to let readers follow their relationship.

Thank you so much to Thomas Nelson for the gifted audiobook!

4.5 Stars

Title: Before We Were Us
Author: Denise Hunter
Pub date: September 10, 2024
Audiobook Length: 9hrs, 9min
Audiobook Narrator: Kim Churchill

I really enjoyed this romance and flew through the audiobook in less than a day!

Even though Denise Hunter has written over 40 novels and had 3 turned into Hallmark movies, this was my first time reading her work! It definitely won't be my last!

Jonah and Lauren are totally in love and ready to start the rest of their lives together when Lauren has a fall that causes her to lose total memory of their time spent together. All she can remember of him are the times BEFORE they were in love and he's left devastated at the thought that she'll never remember her love for him or be able to fall in love with him all over again.

As Katherine Center would say, it shouldn't be a spoiler to say that a couple in a romance novel will fall in love, and I knew they would, but watching them get there in this story was truly heartfelt and adorable. The romance in this one felt real and believable which is super important to me when reading romance.

I thought the story flowed well and I never wanted to put it down. I listened to the whole thing almost without stopping!

I'd definitely recommend picking this one up, especially on audio!

Spice level: kissing only

I really enjoyed this book. The narrator did a fantastic job and the writing was seamless. I look forward to more from this author.

This book was cute, a good palette cleanser. It was a good read. The story wasn't too far fetched and I loved the setting.

This was my first time reading a book by this author and I have a new favorite. It's always a pleasure to get to know another closed-door romance author who writes clean romances with all the feels.
I listened to the audio for this book and I loved the narrator, she did all tones pretty well.
I am giving the story 4 stars, because I felt the ending needed more. I wasn't convinced she had fallen in love with him enough to accept that wedding proposal. I feel the proposal should have waited a bit more. But I loved how the story rolled out.

What a beautiful heartwarming book ❤️
Lauren and Jonah are happily in love and seem ready for a future together but when a bad fall causes Lauren to forget the last few months (and their whole relationship), everything is left up in the air.
This story depicts love, patience, faith and heartbreak.
I would definitely read more of her books.

I listened to the audio along with the book and it was great. The narrator did a splendid job.

I don't usually read Christian fiction or contemporary romance. This was also a first one for me by this author.

I enjoyed the book. It didn't wow me but it was good. Good enough to warrant a five star rating. I could not put less as I found nothing wrong with the book except that it was one I could put down and come back to multiple times. It's well written and all of the characters are likable. It did give me feelings and that is always a plus. I had sad and happy tears with this book. Sad when things went bad and so happy with the way it all worked out. This is a sweet story. A love story. A story with hope. Also amnesia...

Lauren and Jonah have a beautiful story and how he presents that to her later was the best. They are so in love but only after a rocky start. Of course there is the rocky start. But when an accident befalls Lauren and she forgets things then it's not so great. She can't remember ever liking Jonah much less being in love with him.

Can Jonah win Lauren's love back? Will she leave and stay gone? What is to happen between these two? It's a love story with a few ups and downs. Big moves and returns. Finding a lost soul along the way and maybe having a relationship with said lost person. I can't say more than that. I won't give anything away. That is where forgiveness comes in though.

Thank you #NetGalley, #ThomasNelsonFiction for this arc.

Five stars.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC of Before We Were Us

I enjoyed this so much. It was sweet, small town vibes, with grumpy MC and a pretty nosey family. I got hooked right away. Reminded me a lot of the movie The Vow, but with small town vibes. I'm happy we got to see the FMC work on the hardships of her childhood and that things just naturally fell into place with the romance. I would definitely recommend this!

3.5 stars.

This was a simple and sweet romance about Lauren, a Bostonian who moves to rural New England to take a job at a seasonal resort and falls for the owner's son, Jonah. Just as they are about to get engaged, however, Lauren falls off a ladder and experiences retrograde amnesia, being unable to recall the past several months, including her love for Jonah. Can he make her fall in love again before she is set to return to the city and exit his life permanently?

Recommend if you're in the mood for:
*Idyllic New Hampshire lake region setting
*Clean romance
*Opposites attract
*Mother issues
*Adoption/foster care arcs

My criticism as a neuropsychologist that retrograde amnesia is not the norm after a concussion, so I did not find that aspect of the book, upon which the entire novel hinged, believable. Also, I'm not big on Christian romance, but this was not over-the-top in that regard. I enjoyed the audiobook narrator.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, HarperCollins Christian Publishing, and Thomas Nelson Fiction for advanced copies to review in exchange for my opinion.

This book was a little difficult for me to like mainly because of the protagonist Lauren who loses her memory and clings on to what she remembers. She literally makes no effort to talk to people around her who care about her, look at texts or photos. Poor Jonah, He is pretty nice guy, yes he started off treating Lauren badly due his insecurities, but he was the one who reached out with an Olive branch. His romancing of Lauren is so sweet.

I listened to the audiobook, which was well done. I did not have any issues following the dual timelines.

#netgalley #BeforeWeWereUs

This book, the storyline and the narrator are all a 10/10.
Lauren and Jonah are headed for a happily ever after until a freak accident takes away Lauren's memory, and with it their chance at happiness?
Set in New Hampshire at a peaceful family resort, Jonah is working toward his dream of running the family business. It's been his dream for as long as he can remember but that plan comes to an abrupt halt when his parents hire a temporary manager while Jonah completes business school.
In walks Lauren. She is the exact the type of woman he is trying to avoid and what makes it worse, she's really good at her job.
This second chance romance isn't your typical romance as we see Lauren and Jonah's love be suddenly taken away with a freak accident. Denise has the reader hoping right along with Jonah as we wait to see if Lauren will regain her memories of the love they once shared before she needs to make a decision about her future.

Before we were us is a sweet Christian romance that weaves the faith of the characters delicately throughout their experience.
Thank you to Denise Hunter, Thomas Nelson and Zondervan Fiction Audio for the chance to listen to this early. I've loved getting to meet Jonah, Lauren and Graham. All thoughts and reflections are my own.

This story follows couple Lauren and Jonah who work at Jonah's family resort of cabins in New Hampshire. Lauren has a fall and forgets the last several months. She still thinks its within the 1st weeks of arriving for the new job and her and Jonah are still at odds. She doesn't remember them falling in love. And is in no hurry to remember it cause how could she fall for this guy? The book goes back and forth from before the accident and the summer of falling in love to current time line.

I felt bad for Jonah often because it felt like Lauren was WAY too harsh on him. No matter what he did or tried she wouldn't give a inch. When she finally did she would take 3 steps back. I felt the middle could of been shorten and he end flushed out a little more.

I description of the town and the cabins was wonderfully written felt like I could picture it.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this audio arc in exchange for my honest review.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with this advanced reader copy. In this book we meet a young woman who’s just starting out on a career in hospitality management. She manages to get a job with a prestigious firm in Boston, but it won’t start for nine months. In the meantime she’s offered a temporary management post at a New Hampshire lake resort. She begins a relationship with the resort owners’ son and the adventures begin. This is truly a “grandmother/teenage girl” rated book. It’s sweet.

4.5 stars! Serving as the temporary manager of the family-owned Pinehaven Lodge, Lauren’s big city demeanor and aspirations rub Jonah Landry, the owners’ son, the wrong way. As a result, he spends his time making her time there a living nightmare—until he realizes that there are sparks between them. Too bad Lauren doesn’t see them—until she does.

Against all odds, Lauren and Jonah Landry fell for each other over that beautiful New Hampshire summer. But when Lauren has an accident that leaves her devoid of several months of memories—the very months during which they fell in love—can Jonah win her trust and love again?

This was such a great story! It’s my first book with memory loss in the story line and it was done so well. I was invested in Lauren and Jonah’s stories—both as a couple and their separate backstories. I love that this was an untraditional dual-timeline. We got to go back to the beginning of the summer and moved through the timeline while seeing how Jonah and Lauren worked through things present-day. And it was such a layered story! I really enjoyed it and would highly recommend adding it to your fall list!

Thanks to Thomas Nelson for providing me with an advanced listener copy via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

A refreshingly sweet ride — I rooted hard for Lauren and Jonah through this book. While the plot itself isn’t anything groundbreaking, the characters and their relationship as they try to come back from an accident felt so real that I couldn’t help but keep going in order to see things get better. They’re flawed, and for that, I loved them. For fans of romantic films of the early 2000s, this book might just be up your alley. While this book isn’t my favourite of all time, I thoroughly enjoyed it and found I couldn’t put it down — and when I did have to, I couldn’t wait to keep going. I am knocking a few points off, only because I found the dual timelines confusing to keep track of in a few points, and because I would have liked to spend more time in the flashbacks watching their relationship develop the first time around.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the early copy of this book — I really did enjoy this quick, sweet story!

4.25 stars! A beautiful and heartwarming story of love gained, lost and then found. Jonah made Lauren fall in love with him twice. I mean…how sweet is that? The patience and the dedication he has is out of this world. I also absolutely loved the imagery and the setting of a small resort in the upper east-impeccably well done by the author. The single female narrator did a great job, although I do think that I would have had an even more enjoyable experience had it been dual male/female narration, as the story is told in a dual, third person point-of-view.

I really enjoyed listening to this book. My heart broke for Jonah but I admired how he let Lauren do things she wanted and respected her current headspace. I couldn’t have imagined being in Lauren’s position and trying to piece my life back together. My only complaint was the constant back and forth in the timeline. Because I was listening I would miss the present day/past announcement and be like “wait, what?!” But I enjoyed it overall

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collins Christian Publishing for the ALC!