Before We Were Us is a charming and heartfelt small town romance.

Told in flashbacks and present day, the story explores the impact of Lauren’s memory loss on her relationship with Jonah. I thought it was a beautiful commentary on the way relationships can shape our hopes and dreams for the future.

The story was well paced, and the narration captured Lauren and Jonah’s emotional experiences and growth, seamlessly moving between past and present.

Thank you Harper Collin’s Christian Publishing and NetGalley for this book. Opinions expressed are my own.

Before We Were Us is a sweet Christian romance! Lauren and Jonah have spent a summer falling in love. Things are about to turn serious in their relationship when Lauren suffers an accident leaving her with partial amnesia! She forgets the last couple of months and her romance with Jonah. The book flashes back to their past as they fell in love while in the present they are both dealing with the fallout of her memory loss. The romance was adorable and the plot was really intriguing! I would highly recommend this book as I enjoyed it very much! This was my first Denise Hunter read and I can’t wait to try more! I received a digital copy of this book from NetGalley in trade for my honest opinion. My thoughts are my own.

Lauren’s life changed after her accidental fall from a ladder and the lost of the memories for the last four months. Jonah, her boss at the lodge she works as a manager, claims he is his boyfriend but the only she remembers is their animosity. In three months she is due to ga back to Boston and her dream job. But the more she interacts with Jonah the more her heart yearns for him. But her insecurities and her past keeps her from really falling in love again and give up the future she thinks she wants. Can Lauren fall in love twice for the same man? Kim Churchill makes an excellent job narrating all the emotions and feelings in the story with her beautiful voice.

Before We Were Us is a Hallmark Movie in novel form. If you’re in the mood for an easy read and predictable story line you’ll likely enjoy this book. Unfortunately I was not. Centered on the amnesia trope, I found the book to be boring and tedious. The prose is unimaginative with so many cliche descriptions and analogies I was rolling my eyes by the end of it. It’s not even funny but it is sweet and there’s certainly a market for that as I’ve read many positive reviews for this book. I thought the narrator did a good job although I listened on 1.75 speed to get through it as I was not enjoying the story or writing.

City girl Lauren finds herself working at a rural resort and falling in love with the owners son Jonah until one day Lauren falls from the ladder of a hay loft and forgets all her memories from the beginning of the summer. What does she remember? The early days on the resort where everything Jonah did got under her skin, but we all know there is a thin line between hate and love. Now Jonah is tasked with letting Lauren go or making her fall in love with him all over again.

My favorite message in this book? One should not underestimate the power of an apology.

I rated this book 3.5 out of 5 stars. Thank you NetGalley for my ALC.

The story of "Before We Were Us" is heartbreaking. I had a tough time with how much this couple had and lost in an instant. The story is told by alternating chapters, one set in the present and then one set in the past telling the story of how they came to be a couple and fall deeply in love. My total sympathy was with Jonah and his fight for the woman he loves above all else. I was not a fan of Lauren who didn't want her memory to return at all because it might impact her cast in concrete decision to leave Pinehaven and Jonah to take her "Dream Job" in Boston when her contract with Pinehaven is up. The narrator for this book, Kim Churchill, was wonderful navigating the stoic Jonah and the prickly Lauren. She brought their story to life. The moral of this story: Let Go and Let God, came through loud and clear.

Lauren Wentworth has been driven her whole life to be successful. As a product of the foster care system, she only had herself to rely on and she is determined to keep it that way. At an early age she settled on the hospitality industry and decided to be the best and work with the best. She took a position at Pinehaven Lodge to put management experience on her resume, not to fall in love and be derailed from her pursuit of her dream job. But falling in love has a way of making future plans go up in a smoke and Lauren changed in the months she was at Pinehaven and she wasn't the driven Lauren when she took a tumble from the hayloft only to awake with months missing from her memory.

For Jonah Landry and Lauren Wentworth, it wasn't exactly "Love at First Sight". Jonah resented that his parents thought they needed a city girl with a brand spanking new hospitality degree to run the family lodge. He also resented his attraction to her after getting burned badly by another woman who was just using him as a waystation on her way to something bigger and better. He tried to stay out of Lauren's way but came to admire her work ethic and then fall in love with her.

When Lauren wakes up with no memory of their love and that she had given up her dream job Jonah has his work cut out for him to make her fall in love with him again. This is going to be a tough hill to climb as Lauren wants nothing to do with him, the resort or any plans they may have made. But, Love Will Find a Way. 3 1/2-Stars

My thanks to the Publisher and the Author for providing a complimentary digital Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) of this novel via NetGalley. This is my fair, honest and personal review. All opinions are mine alone and were not biased in any way.

I absolutely loved this audio book! I listened while on my morning walks and it felt like spending time with a close friend. Perfect for summer & fall mood readers. Just when I felt like I was predicting the plot it went for another twist. LOVED THE ENDING!!!

The night that Jonah is going to propose Lauren falls off a ladder, hits her head, and wakes up not remembering the last few months. What she does remember is that she HATES Jonah and finds him obnoxious. Jonah is heartbroken but gives Lauren the space and time she needs hoping her memories will return.

This is a beautifully told story of the complexities of love and perseverance. It's an emotional journey with two timelines (the "missing" months and now). As Jonah tries to help Lauren to remember their relationship. Lauren wants nothing more than to NOT remember.

The narrator of this audiobook does a fantastic job and I will be adding Denise Hunter's books to my TBR list.

This book is perfect for someone who loves romance books without the spice. I thoroughly enjoyed listening to Jonah and Lauren's love story.

Thank you to Netgalley, HarperCollins Christian Publishing, and Denise Hunter for this ARC audio copy.

Thank you Netgalley for this advanced audio edition of Before We Were Us by Denise Hunter.

This is what I can say for sure about this book. It's a very clean romance. So if that's your jam, there you go. It's got no sex, no swears, it's fairly God-centric. It's incredibly sweet, so go nuts.

For me, maybe a bit too sweet, I was left with a toothache. Lauren, despite being raised without actual parents, is essentially perfect, her only flaw being that she works too hard. She loses her short term memory and can't remember the man that she's apparently in love with him. Except she does remember him, and that guy's a jerk! Now Jonah is terrified that he's not going to get her back, and even more terrified about what Lauren will do when she learns more about the last few months.

This is another example of how there would be no story if two people could just have a conversation, even if it's uncomfortable. Where on earth were all of the people in her corner who loved her? I don't know. I didn't necessarily dislike this book, I would happily live at the resort where it's primarily plotted, but there was too much about it that didn't land, at least not for me.

Lauren and Jonah work at Jonah's family resort of cabins in rural New Hampshire. Jonah is ready to pop the question when Lauren a fall that leads her to forgetting the last several months. Unfortunately, in losing her memories of the last several months she loses the good memories she's made and only remembers the rocky start she had with Jonah. Can he make her fall in love again? Or will she forget everything and go back to her original plan to return to the city and her dream job? The descriptions of the resort made me long for a fall in New Hampshire!

There were points in the book that I got super frustrated with Lauren but I guess that's part of it. This was excellent on audio thanks to the narrators!

Thank you Netgalley & Thomas Nelson and Zondervan Fiction Audio for this audio ARC.

Happy Publishing Day! Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of the audio.

Basic premise of the story is the FMC suffers a TBI and loses her memory. She doesn’t remember her boyfriend nor how she nice she was prior. It’s very Hallmark-ish. A good palate cleanser after reading a heavy novel. Easy to read. Charming and heartwarming. Definitely a sweet and relaxing book to read.

3 stars!! ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you NetGalley, HaperCollins Christian Publishing and Denise Hunter for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I was lucky enough to get the ebook and audio book. I read the first 25%, listened to about 50% and read the rest.

The narrator did a good job and was pleasant to listen to.

Lauren has overcome a lot and is extremely focused on her career and securing her dream job. She just needs to get through a 9 month temporary position at a small family run rustic resort.

Jonah has had his heart broken by someone leaving him for a job in the city. He and Lauren get off on the wrong foot and he keeps pushing her buttons. It takes months to get beyond their contentious relationship.

Fast forward to them being happy and Lauren loses her memories from the last several months in an accident. She has no idea why Jonah is “suddenly” being nice to her. Johan is devastated that the woman he loves not only doesn’t remember their love but essentially wants nothing to do with him.

I enjoyed this book and was so glad it didn’t go down the love triangle road I thought it was going down. It had me in my feelings but also had some humor. I generally prefer at least a little spice but it wasn’t that noticeable that there wasn’t any.

What a fun story! Imagine the evening you are planning to propose to the love of your life she falls and hits her head. At the hospital you realize she remembers you but has lost the memory of the entire span of your relationship and before your relationship started you were far from friends.

This felt like it took place right after the end of a small-town whirlwind romance novel. Genuinely when I first started reading I said wait is this a sequel? Haha that being said despite feeling like it was at the end of a romance novel and what could happen after the happily ever after in a book it felt real and emotional. To imagine yourself and your loved one not remembering each other or your relationship and asking yourself how do I replicate this amazing thing that already is so rare was amazing. At first I was wishing I knew what made them fall in love and the moments that really impacted them so they could replicate them but then I realized it felt like we were experiencing it like the female main character who lost her memory. So it made it special that they just wanted to fall in love again naturally verse trying to recreate moments.

Despite the wrap that many romances get these characters had depth and I found myself really understanding the thought process of the characters. They talk about abandonment issues, traumatic upbringings and family dynamics that made a lot of decisions the character makes make sense. Sometimes it doesn't seem realistic when they make certain decisions but it was very clear with more reading.

I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a contemporary romance with depth and heartwarming characters. Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read this story.

I thoroughly enjoyed this offering by Hunter...I haven't read one of hers for quite some time, but I will definitely be revisiting her library. I really enjoyed this sweet, but not sappy, story of Jonah and Lauren. They had only known each other a short time when an accident threatens to upend everything they had already encountered and built together. I thought the dual timeline of past and present detailing both their lives really enhanced the storyline without making it confusing or jumbled. The many emotions were really captured well by the author.
I thought the narrator was enjoyable to listen to and did a good job with all voices.
Thanks to NetGalley and Thomas Nelson for this ARL. All opinions are mine.

Lauren Wentworth is working a summer job at a small family-run resort while waiting for her 'real' dream job as an event planner in the big city to begin. She wasn't overly thrilled about the summer job, especially the resort owner's son, Jonah Landry. She wakes up one morning in the hospital, having fallen off a ladder and discovers she can't remember the past few months of her life. She believes it's early spring, not fall in New Hampshire. And somehow, Jonah is her loving boyfriend? Her best friend\ might be able to help figure out the past few months, but she is away in Florida at a family wedding.

Lauren recovers her health but not her memory and goes back to work, keeping her distance from Jonah, much to his dismay. She becomes furious when she learns she turned down her dream job to stay in New Hampshire. Jonah works hard to win her back, but she just can't remember. Jonah, though devastated, continues to wait patiently for her as she gets a second chance at her dream job. It seems too late for him to be able to ever give her the ring he's had since before her fall. Especially since she has moved away.

Will Lauren remember the love of her life? Or will Jonah's heartbreak continue?

Versatile narrator Kim Churchill makes the characters believable.

Recommended for romance fans and fans of Denise Hunter. Romantic teen readers will appreciate this one as well.

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 .

Loved this book and the pace. This was the perfect fall romance book set in New Hampshire. The entire time I was reading this story it reminded me of a Hallmark movie or Gilmore Girls. Lauren is a fiery and type A go getter while Jonah is the rugged ranch type whose family owns the rustic resort. The pace of this book was great, the characters were well written, and I am glad that it ended with a happily ever after.

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! I listened to the audiobook and enjoyed it!

This was such a great book and was full of emotion. It was a HEA, but it didn’t appear as if things were headed that way. I was pretty aggravated with the FMC and I’d like to imagine things would have moved a bit smoother if this were a true story. But it was not and drama is way more interesting in fiction. Having said that, I highly recommend this cute romance/second-chance romance.

3.5 Stars. I thoroughly enjoyed this heartwarming love story, and the narrator did an excellent job. My only criticism is that the author used the words “honey” and “snorted” way too often. Will look for more books by this author!

Thak you to NetGalley and HarperCollins Christian Publishing | Thomas Nelson Fiction for my advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest feedback.