Which a cute story. I loved the characters and story line. They followed through with the struggles and gave a good conclusion. Quick read but still a story with depth.

Contains an audiobook review.

I have read only a handful of Denise Hunter books, and I don't usually read book blurbs. Somehow I happened to see this one and glanced at the synopsis. I was immediately hooked when I got the impression that amnesia was featured in this story. For some reason, I love books that have amnesia as an element. I am so glad I found this book.

I thought that the amnesia element was very well done and the story flowed well. The flashbacks that were included helped show how the relationship between all of the characters had progressed. The story was well written and kept my attention from beginning to end.

The audiobook is narrated by a female narrator. I have only heard her read romcoms before but thought she did an excellent job in this contemporary story. I wasn't distracted by having her read other books, and she was able to get me immersed in this one.

Sincere thanks to Thomas Nelson, Zondervan Fiction Audio and Netgalley for the opportunity to listen to an advanced audio copy of this book. I'm happily and voluntarily leaving an honest review and look forward to recommending it to friends.

Before We Were US is an emotionally beautiful novel set against the backdrop of gorgeous New Hampshire in the white mountains. The allure of big city Boston and draw of the beauty and peace of the natural landscape not far away is easy to feel. The premise of the story intrigued me. As the reader, you start off so excited for these two characters and them crushed for them, especially Jonah, not long after. The story alternates between the past, what Lauren forgot, and the present as they move through the challenges and heartbreak they are both experiencing separately. I could not stop listening to this story. I found myself trying to understand what it would be like to be in Lauren's shoes - something very difficult to wrap your mind around when you haven't experienced it personally. This story is a closed door, tender romance that focuses on overcoming childhood trauma, forgiveness, discovering love, letting go, and redemption. I could easily see this becoming a Made for TV movie. This one is especially recommended for bookclubs, there is plenty of discussion points in the storyline.

Loved everything about this book! Right from the beginning I was hooked. This is such a sweet, heartwarming story about Lauren and Jonah before and after Lauren's accident. Before Lauren wasn't very fond of Jonah but he quickly won her over and they fell in love. After her accident she only remembers the part about disliking Jonah, she's essentially lost the entire summer and can't fathom how they would've fallen in love. Through working together at his parent's resort they gradually start spending time together and I found myself rooting for them to get back together. Thanks NetGalley for the ARC audiobook,, narration was 5/5.

What a lovely, beautiful, complex story this is! Lauren and Jonah are a young couple very much in love, teetering on the edge of forever, when a freak accident wipes away months of Lauren’s memories. While largely unharmed, Lauren finds herself confronted by a stranger who insists that they’re a couple, but she’s not having it at all. Slowly they begin to become reacquainted, reconnect, and find some common ground. Told partly as time marches on and partly during the events of the summer that grew their love, readers get to peek behind the curtain and see what brought them together in the first place may be the very things that they can rely on to help build a way forward. I enjoyed every step of this journey, which builds progressively to a wholly satisfying ending. The audio wasn’t quite as warm as the book made me feel, but it was well done and very enjoyable. I received an advanced copy of this book from the audiobook publisher via NetGalley and was under no obligation to provide a positive review.

Before We Were Us was a great listen. I highly enjoyed it and recommend it to women’s fiction lovers.

This is very sweet story that reads like a Hallmark movie. If you like enemies to lovers, found family & amnesia tropes, this is your book.

Our main characters fall in love quickly and life changes when Lauren has an accident and loses her memory. Jonah, her boss and love of her life, is devastated as she doesn’t remember their love story.

It is very sweet with closed door romance. Would recommend this book for those who love this style of romance book.

The audio reader did a wonderful job.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to listen to this sweet and heartwarming book. I really enjoyed the two main characters Jonah and Lauren throughout the whole book, although at times I did not like Lauren. It was really refreshing listening to their story without sex and violence that are in so many recently released books. The narrator did a fantastic job of holding my attention and keeping me engaged and entertained that I couldn't stop listening and finished it in a weekend. I would recommend this to anyone looking for a clean believable romance story.

Simple cozy read. City girl moves to country resort town in order to secure her big city job in six months. Enemies to lovers story line only the girl gets amnesia and doesn’t remember falling in love. Narrator did a good job keeping you engaged and feeling for the characters. The characters kept you rooting for them in different ways throughout the story. Only thing that bugged me was as she was trying to remember her kept referring to her as “sweetie” Just didn’t sit with me. Other than that very enjoyable story. Thank you Net Galley and publisher for the advance copy of the audiobook.

Absolutely LOVE Denise Hunter books! This was the second audiobook that I've listened to, and it was so good!!

Lauren temporarily moves to rural New Hampshire for a management role at Pinehaven Lodges, a family-owned resort. The role was intended to be a stepping stone , but she falls for Jonah, the owners son.
Lauren has an accident and when she regains consciousness in the hospital she only recalls the initial months at the resort. She remembers her rocky relationship with Jonah and her crush on Dr. Carson, the small-town physician. According to those around her, she’s now in love with Jonah and has sacrificed her dream job in Boston. Jonah is devastated by her memory loss and is determined to help Lauren rediscover the connection they share.

I highly recommend this sweet, heartwarming book!
Publication date- September 1,2024

I couldn’t stop listening to this book. The author captures you from the first sentence and doesn’t let you go until the end. FMC has an accident and can’t remember falling in love with the MMC. You get flashbacks of how they fell in love. So good. So sweet.

The narrator was fantastic!

I received an arc from netgalley and the publisher.

This book reminded me of a Hallmark movie, complete with lakeside cabins. I enjoyed the dual perspectives and multiple timelines, past and present. I felt bad for Jonah as he found himself in such a devastating situation. The ending was super cute and I loved the aha moment.
I listened to this as an Audiobook and liked the narrator. Clear, easy to understand and felt like the voices fit the characters. Thank you to NetGalley, the author and publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Before We Were Us

Y’all are going to love this one. This is the sweetest, most charming, heartwarming small town romance. This is the perfect cozy fall read!

This follows the story of Jonah and his beloved Lauren. Right before Jonah asks Lauren a very important question, she had an accident and loses her memory of their love story.

This story has the sweetest characters and I have no doubt that you will fall in love with them like I did.

I am sincerely thankful to author, Denise Hunter, HarperCollins Christian Publishing, and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This book was a nice easy listen. I could have used more substance and depth in the main character Lauren. We saw so much of her through Jonah'd eyes and maybe that was done on purpose but, I would have liked more of her character to come through in her portion of the story.
Knowing this author's books have been turned into Hallmark movies, I could definitely see this one going the same route.

There's nothing inherently wrong with it, I would have just liked a little more depth to the characters.

This was a charming and sweet contemporary romance story. I enjoyed all of the characters and the plot line.

This was such a sweet story, though it surprised and took a sadder turn early on in the book— I was shocked lol— but still overall a great story that is heartwarming. The writing was easy to read, the audio was great, the narrator did a great job bringing the story to life.

I could def see this book being made into a movie even with a Christmas twist that could be on Hallmark.

I this audiobook was a sweet listen.

The narrator really brought the characters to life with a skillful performance, and the idyllic setting added a nice touch to the story. I found the story itself to be quite charming and endearing. However, despite these positive aspects, the book did feel a bit lengthy considering how little actually transpired plot-wise. The predictability of the narrative was a significant drawback for me, and I found the female main character (FMC) to be quite frustrating at times. Her actions and decisions often seemed to lack depth, which made it hard for me to fully connect with her or the story.

The audiobook is a solid choice for those who enjoy closed-door romances and amnesia tropes, as it adheres to these genres quite well. If you’re a fan of these elements, you might find it more appealing. For me, though, the predictability and the FMC’s behavior overshadowed the overall enjoyment. The book has its merits, particularly in its narration and setting, but it didn’t fully engage me in the way I had hoped. Overall, while it was an enjoyable read with some nice elements, it didn’t stand out as anything exceptional, leading me to rate it 3 stars.

I always love Denise Hunter and her writing, but this might be my favorite one!! It was just SO beautiful! I loved the characters and the sweet journey they went on. So good! Highly recommend.

The narrator did a lovely job bringing these characters to life. The story was cute and the setting was idyllic. It felt a bit long for what little happened but was still enjoyable. I only rated this book a 3 because of the predictability combined with how frustrating I found the FMC. If you enjoy closed door romance and the amnesia trope this one is for you.

Such a sweet read

I am thankful to have gotten the Audio ALC for free from Netgalley and Harper Collins Christian Publishing so I can leave my voluntary review.

I was in the mood for something wholesome after reading a string of heavier material and this was exactly what I needed.
While it is published in Harper Collins Christian division, it is not religious at all. I don’t mean that it’s anti religious or anything but rather it doesn’t focus on any type of theology. It’s just a clean romance.

Now it’s fairly predictable but not in a negative way. You get to experience the journey that Lauren must take after an accident. I loved listening to a character who is not a toxic male and is a role model for how someone in a relationship should act towards their partner.

The narrator Kim Churchill did a great job with the recitation. I did speed it up a bit but it could be easy left at its recorded speed and be thoroughly enjoyable.

This title comes out on September 10th 2024 so get it on your TBR!

My rating system since GoodReads doesn’t have partial stars and I rarely round up.

⭐️ Hated it
⭐️⭐️ Had a lot of trouble, prose issues, really not my cup of tea (potentially DNF’d or thought about it)
⭐️⭐️⭐️ Meh, it was an ok read but nothing special
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Really enjoyed it! Would recommend to others
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Outstanding! Will circle back and read again