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.

This is an emotional roller coaster. Lauren and Jonah seem to have everything worked out until Lauren falls from a ladder and loses months of memories.
It was difficult to listen to what happened after. Lauren was so harsh with Jonah in the months that followed before she returns to Boston.
As it’s a romance, you can expect a happy ending. This is a second chance romance. Involves an element of forced proximity, and it’s a Christian, low spice romance although there are plenty of kisses.
I like the narrator. There are transitions between present and the prior months as the story progresses. I felt like those were clear even listening to the audiobook.
This was my first book by Denise Hunter. I’m a bit in the fence about trying others. The conflict felt rather harsh. There is real evidence of forgiveness and the supposed love conquers all response at the end. It wasn’t something that felt completely real to me.
Thanks to Netgalley and HarperCollins Christian Publishing for the opportunity to read this book.

When Jonah's girlfriend, Lauren, suffers a fall from a ladder and awakens with a case of amnesia, Jonah is faced with the heart-wrenching challenge of rekindling their relationship. This poignant story explores Jonah's unwavering devotion to Lauren, capturing the depth of his love and the emotional rollercoaster of their situation. The narrative alternates between the memories of their life together before the accident and their struggle to reconnect in the aftermath, offering readers a dual perspective. Set against the backdrop of a charming small town, this novel intertwines themes of love, loss, and hope, making for a moving read.

4.5 stars ⭐️ rounded up!

Oh my gosh, I loved this one! A cozy fall rom com with second chances and found family. I devoured it in less than 24 hours. I loved flipping back in time to prior to the accident to see how they fell in love the first time while you see their relationship progress in the present time as well.

Thank you to HarperCollins and NetGalley for a copy of this audiobook!

I wanted to enjoy this book as the synopsis was intriguing but the writing made it extremely to stay interested in the story,

This was a nice, light fall read. The story goes much how you would expect it to and the romance is charming and easy to digest. It feels like a predictable Hallmark movie, but Lauren's backstory added a little bit of edge. Overall, I enjoyed it as a quaint, less challenging story and I'm interested in more by this author.

When Lauren first comes to work at the New Hampshire resort in the spring, she intends to only stay for the year. Then she's set to take her dream job in Boston. Her first encounters with Jonah, the son of the owners, are not pleasant. But, as the story begins, it's near the end of summer and it seems Jonah is about to propose to Lauren. But then, Lauren falls from a ladder and loses all memory of the past several months. She refuses to believe that Jonah is her boyfriend! The rejection hits Jonah hard, and Lauren can't wait to finish her job and move back to Boston. Is this how it will end? Well, you have to read the book to find out! But, I will say that I enjoyed this book--there is great insight into how each of them deals with this big change. The narration was also helpful in making the characters seem real. A big thumbs-up to this book!

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collins Christian Publishing for providing an advance review copy of this audiobook. My opinions are my own.

Grab a sweater, a cup of coffee and a pair of cozy socks to prepare for your first "Fall Read" of 2024! The cover immediately got my hook line and sinker that I was going to come off my summer high of Beach Reads and enter into this sweet love story.
What I love most about Denise Hunter books is you are offered a love story that is clean and sweet. It is always refreshing to read a book that you can see the chemistry between the couple yet they hold a high moral value. It makes me respect the characters and cheer for the couple even more. Seeing couples and love stories unfold how they are suppose to is what I want to read. I love seeing the male lead actually be a strong masculine character that respects the woman. I love seeing the woman value the man and want to be treasured. All that is left to do is read and fall in love with the couple.

Some do not enjoy the "amnesia" troupe as it has been done ad naseum at this point, however I don't hate it. I thought Hunter took the usual troupe and built a delightful story around Lauren and Jonah. The night Jonah plans to propose to Lauren she has an accident and her memory is knocked out from the previous 7 months to the time when she and Jonah were enemies. Watching Jonah''s heartbreak as she returned to the "city-go get em girl boss" Lauren was before the Landry family softened her heart.
The only critisism I had was I would have enjoyed seeing more of the softer side of Lauren because to be honest post accident she was quite the pill and I had a hard time actually liking her.
But despite her cold shoulder behavior by the end of the book you will not only see ALL the sparks from the fire you have burning but feel the hug from your sweater and comfort from your coffee. I promise once you turn the first page you won't want to put it down

Thank you Denise Hunter, Thomas Nelson Publishing and Net Galley for allowing me to read this advanced copy read of Before We Were Us. I was not influenced or paid in exchange for this review. All thoughts are my own :)

Thank you NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book!! Memory loss trope is a tough one but I loved this book and the ending just melted me. It’s definitely worth the frustration just to see how it ends.

This was a cute book - it gave cozier vibes while following a more traumatic / emotional plot line.

I don’t know why but i really enjoy the amnesia plot line. It’s really enjoyable in a sense that when they give you amnesia and a daul plot line it gives you basically two love stories all wrapped in one.

There wasn’t anything groundbreaking in this, but i had a good time and would recommend it.

The narration in the audiobook was well done and lent positively to the overall enjoyment of the book!

Just finished listening to the book, Before We Were Us. This book is about to be released on September 10th. This is about a woman who was working when she fell and lost her last 4 months of memories, which included the summer she started dating her boyfriend. Now the last memories she can remember are of her not being able to stand him, while he is now totally heartbroken and afraid his girlfriend might not get her memories back. He's afraid she won't remember all the time they spent together, their connection, and how happy they were together. So he tries to help her remember, until she decides she doesn't want to remember anymore and would rather just move on with her life. This was a book full of so many emotions, it was a beautiful story about how patient and kind true love is and how true love stands the test of time. I wasn't expecting the ending this story had, it tugged at my heartstrings. This was such a beautiful story. ❤️📚

Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher for this audio ARC of Before We Were Us, in exchange for an honest review.

Before We Were Us was fine. In the 21st century meaning of the word, not the 19th. My overall sense at the end was meh, which saddened me since I normally like a good amnesia story. I found the main female character to be rather unlikeable (self-centered and whiny), while the main male character was a bit too saintly to be real. And yes, while a fall and head injury might truly have made Lauren forget her romance with Jonah, was it really probable that she wouldn't have gone back and checked out their old texts? The author successfully made me feel like I'd spent time in the north woods, which was lovely, but I'm not going to race to track down future titles by the author.

A 3.5 but I’m rounding up because overall I enjoyed this closed-door romance/contemporary fiction story. Switching between current and the past, readers follow along as Lauren falls in love with Jonah the first and second time. The story is full of detail, allowing readers to imagine being at the cottages in New Hampshire, to feel Jonah’s heartbreak, and to understand Lauren’s choices, even if they don’t agree with them.

In addition to the book itself, I also liked the audiobook. The narrator did a great job, mixing intonation and tone to allow listeners to know when there are shifts within a chapter.

My biggest issue with the story: I found it hard to like Lauren. For example, she spends the first third of the book not wanting to remember nor showing much compassion towards Jonah. I can understand her being set on returning to Boston at the end of the year but she takes it a step too far (e.g., not looking at photos, not asking questions about the missing time, etc). Even as the book progresses, I struggle with how she treats Jonah (e.g., accusing him of tricking her to stay).

I also felt like the final 20% of the story felt rushed, creating some plot points left unaddressed and things felt too convenient (e.g., the letter).

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.