This was a surprising win for me; a beautiful story about finding oneself, loving oneself, and learning how to let others in. A coming-of-age new adult romance that is realistic, relatable, and really good! ha, I had to keep the R's up.

Finley is dependable, even as a model with all the opportunity to be the wild, fun girl, she just isn't. She loves what she loves and if that makes her cute, that's her. She's there for her friends, her siblings, and her dad at any time. A one-night stand to shake things up is all it is, but then she gets to know Eddie and discovers that her life has room for one more. Eddie is stubborn, mysterious, and handsome as all get out. Somehow, cute Finley gets to him and she opens a world of possibility for him. He doesn't have to be the rich screw up, he can be more, and its more he wants. Together they explore who they are as individuals and who they could potentially be together.

I don't know what I was expecting, but it wasn't that. I thought it would be superficial fun, but You Before Anyone Else was incredibly deep and thought-provoking, while still maintaining a balance of fun and, well, sexiness.

The story surrounds Eddie and Fin, two 18-year-old models in NYC. Fin is trying to ditch her good girl image, while Eddie is just trying to ditch his life. After meeting at a party, Fin takes Eddie back to her place to experience what a one night stand is like. And here's where I thought it would be a simple love story where she pushes him away to maintain that idea, but he's all cocky and charming and works his way into her life through sheer sexual chemistry. NOPE. While she does try to stay away from them, their connection is so much deeper, and while there is definitely sexual chemistry, the relationship itself is a much more organic slow burn that had me pining and not just fanning my face. Also, I don't want to ruin anything, but PLOT TWISTS ABOUND.

I'm going to start with my only negative before I get to the good bits. I think the one thing I was a little disappointed with was the book's identity crisis. At the time of reading this, I have just kicked off New Adult August, and the first week has been all about defining New Adult. Personally, I would You Before Anyone Else in the NA range, as it deals with two characters who have left high school and are discovering who they want to be and what they want to do now that they're out in the real world. They're 18, they've moved out, they have jobs. That's NA to me, but the book has been shoehorned into YA for marketability. Not only does that frustrate me because it holds NA back from being recognised as a legitimate category, but it also means...fade to black.

Which brings me to the chemistry. YES WOW ALL THE AMAZE. These two were so adorable and sweet and funny and sexy and supportive and PERFECT. It killed me that we got all the teasing and tearing off of each other's clothing, and then it skipped ahead to the after. UGH. Also, hey, that whole scene where Eddie describes the body parts he loves? Swoon. ALSO CONSENT AND FEMALE EMPOWERMENT AND NO SLUT-SHAMING!!!!!!!!

Backing up, can I just say how much I love these characters as people? Eddie was thoughtful and charming, but also so clearly young and scared. My heart swelled for him over and over. Fin was crazy relatable. She liked to knit and watch movie marathons, thereby making her my kind of girl. She also struggled with wanting to be close to her family while also maybe just possibly pursuing a passion that had been put on hold after a tragedy.

And it doesn't end with Fin and Eddie. I loved the other characters as well, from Fin's cool, supportive dad to RJ to Eve. Even Summer surprised me. They could all be real people that I know.

Finally, I want to dedicate a paragraph to something I've already touched on here and there: growing up and figuring out what's best for you. This book brought up a lot of serious issues and dilemmas that I won't detail for risk of spoiling, but it did it in such a way as to show that there are always choices but not alway one right choice. What's best for one person won't necessarily be what another person wants, and that's OK. What matters is that you figure out what you want, not what your parents want or your friends want or those random strangers who think they have the right to tell you what to do want. You Before Anyone Else lives up to its name, telling the reader to examine their dreams and needs before trying to fit into other people's expectations. And boy does that mean so much to me right now.

All in all, I loved this book so much, and I think you should definitely put it on your TBR as an incredible YA/NA crossover contemporary.

I received this ARC through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review!

Ive posted a full review on Goodreads, I'm looking forward to reading more from this author

I received this free eARC novel from NetGalley. This is my honest review.

This has been on my TBR pile for so long, and I'm glad I finally got around to it. I really enjoyed the storyline and seeing the characters change throughout the story was a great character development. The plot was great and kept my attention. I'm glad I got the chance to read this and will be on the lookout for more in the future!

Definitely in the YA category. Short, sweet and to the point book. It was a quick, enjoyable read about the model and the opposite personality boy.

Julie Cross works are amazing. I love how she writes her books. I liked her other books too. I think she's one of the authors that's gonna be my auto-read

Sadly this book just didn't click with me. I tried to read it but something made me feel like I was just disconnected. I'm not sure what it was but it just wasn't for me. Many of my friends did love it so it is definitely a book that is me, not you.

Finley, a model, trying to shed her good girl rep meets Edie, her one night stand, which turns into more. Its a YA novel, which I always like when they are bit older and not the 14 year old romances. It was okay. Nothing compelling. Not sure I bought the love story 100%.

Unfortunately this book has gone in my DNF pile. It just wasn't engaging me like it would have years ago when I first requested it. My reading tastes have changed a lot over the years as I've gotten older and unfortunately some of the books requested years ago have been affected by my reading tastes and the fact that a lot of books for younger audiences haven't been grasping my attention as of late. I thank you for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Sadly this book was archived before I could download to read it. It has been added to my TBR and I’ll keep an eye out for it again in the future or at my local library.

I always love a good Julie cross book and this was didn’t disappoint. A cute soft YA romance I’d recommend

** spoiler alert ** Julie Cross is an expert at creating storylines that are unlike any other I've read. The story ties in romance, a bit of comedy and some serious issues all in one and does a great job with it. Mark's background in modeling really helps the authenticity of the story shine through as well.

Most of the time when I cry while reading a book, it's because of an illness or a death or a super cute moment between characters. But this was different. There were tears when Eddie was making tough decisions at the end and when Finley finally decided what to do about dance and when Eddie held his little boy for the first time. And this is coming from someone who's never been estate company about kids.

Overall, it was a great read and definitely one you should pick up when it comes out! Finley and Eddie and thrown together but find a way to m are it work. And no matter the circumstances or hardships, always find a way back home.

Thanks for the opportunity to read and review You Before Anyone Else. I've struggled to get into it so far, so I won't be reviewing at this time. If I do get to it in the future, I will review at that time.

I remember reading this but never got around to finishing it; but as I open my copy, I was surprised to see that I've actually finished it?
Bottom line is, I did not find this book memorable (although I do remember loving the characters)

I could not connect with these characters and did not care for either of them, though I know that many of my teen patrons will love this book.

3.5Stars

It's cute, yet deep. I love Eddie!! I enjoyed the romance, the huge issues and the writing- but it felt a bit long wound at time. Still beautiful unique story.

WHAT CAN I SAY? I JUST LOVE EVERY SINGLE THING ABOUT THE BOOK. HELLO, MY NEW AUTO-READ AUTHORS! Full review will be posted in my blog!

Hello people of the internet!!! On today’s ‘Monday Memos’ we will be reviewing the book ‘You Before Anyone Else` by Julie Cross and Mark Perini. I was fortunate enough to receive an ARC of this amazing book earlier this year and am super excited to share this book with you! If you`re looking for a story with drama, heartbreak, love, and so much more, than this is the book for you. Are you already super excited? Yeah you are (just so you know, this will be a spoiler free review because y’all NEED this book in you life…like seriously you do)! Ok let’s jump into the review. Ready? Ok, lets go!!!

‘You Before Anyone Else’ is a YA romance which centers around teens Eddie and Finley as they navigate the difficult world of modeling in New York City. One night they meet at a party and thus begins an intense journey that will teach them both about love, sacrifice, and what it truly means to find happiness. On the surface `You Before Anyone Else’ seems like a very basic and predictable YA romance novel. Finley, the good girl who knits in her spare time and helps her disabled father care for her younger brothers decides to shed her image by hooking up with “edgy, bad boy” Eddie and then moving on with her life. However, life has a way of wrecking plans, and once you begin to learn more about these characters you see that they both have deep, personal scars that cause them to always make decisions that are in the best interest of those around them, instead of figuring out what they actually want. ‘You Before Anyone Else’ is told in alternating points of view so we get a chance to see the story from both character`s perspective. This can be a very difficult storytelling devise however Cross and Perini pull this off perfectly. Honestly this story will make you laugh, cry, and instantly take you on a beautiful journey that you never want to end. I would definitely give this book a 4 out of 5 smiley faces and suggest that you pick up your copy now…as in this very second…the links are below, honestly what are you waiting for?

I unfortunately was not able to read this book before the archive date. Someday I hope to read and review it for my blog. I will give a 5 star review on here so that I don't mess with it's rating.

This was a great reprieve from my usual genres. I enjoyed the lightheartedness of this sweet YA novel. What an amazinf love story!