Highly emotional read about a very difficult subject. Yes, there were some too convenient coincidences...but the journey was worth it.

“Who We Were Before” by Leah Mercer

There are events in our life that make us jaded or believe that good can come from almost everything. There are events that make us optimistic or pessimistic. There are people we love so much, yet one issue, for example communication, can hinder that love and slowly disintegrate it to pieces.

Our lives can change in the blink of a second. We can say something wrong, we can take a wrong turn, we can misinterpret an action, we can trust when we shouldn’t, a car appears out of nowhere, our hands slip from another’s. All may or may not have an effect on a situation.

Zoe and Edward seem to have found their life long match in the other. Except there are things Zoe doesn’t believe in like “forever.” She questions that word, it’s true meaning, and how one can truly promise anything forever. Edward doesn’t understand why that one word affects Zoe so much, even to the degree where they can be together and have a family but “forever” just can’t be part of all that. To many that word is just that: a word. No one can guarantee forever. So eventually they agree on making their own “happy ending.” Until their happy ending suddenly comes more like a nightmare that affects each of them so differently. It is representative of their personalities of how each one reacts an adjusts. An it takes almost 2 years for them to come out of their own shells. But is it too late for them to continue to create their own “happy ending,” or has there been too much trauma in their individual lives and together that they will have to find it in their own and no longer together.

“Who We Were Before,” is a gripping read about marriage, friendship, autonomy, effects of trauma, parenthood, relationships, death, and moving forward. Wonderfully written and relatable characters. A storyline the reader gets lost in. A psychologically thrilling read.

Rating: 4.6
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️


** I read and reviewed an advanced copy of this novel. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Zoe and Edward’s young son, Milo, died in a tragic accident. Zoe blames herself, and their marriage continues to suffer two years later. Heading to Paris for their anniversary, the pair get separated at the train station. Zoe’s wallet and phone are stolen and she can’t remember the name of their hotel. Will they find their way back to one another – both in Paris and in their relationship too?
This is a clever story, as circumstances keep the couple apart over the weekend. Their back story is weaved into the narrative, allowing us to see how they met, what life was like before their son’s death and the manifestations of grief.

Loved this book
Didn't want it to end
Highly recommended

This was a very uncomfortable book for me to read... I kept on thinking, what if this happened to me?? I kept on reading.to appreciate a very well written book. Recommended.

Zoe and Edward are heading for divorce. Their life was destroyed when their toddler was killed two years previously. They are in Paris for a short break but neither of them want to be there or with each other. Arriving at the station, they get split up and cannot find each other. Both assume the other one has dumped the other in a cruel way.

And so we get both sides of what they are doing in Paris and both sides of how they met, fell in love and had a child together. This is a weaving story of love and loss.

This is not the happiest of stories, but is well written and very enjoyable.

This book was tough: a very sensitive subject with a couple that has become so lost in many ways. Many times I found myself saying, "What are you doing?!" but I had to remind myself of how this couple got to this place.

An easy Sunday read that I'll rate 4 out of 5 stars. My only criticism would be how coincidental (nearly improbable) everything seemed to be, including the couple's courtship, but that's why I read :)

Thanks to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for a copy of this book to review!

From the moment I pick this book up I was hooked. It was penned beautifully.

This book deals with the aftermath of the death of a child. Zoe and Edward have been dealing with the grief of losing their only child for over a year and it is driving them apart instead of bringing them together. Zoe's parents gift them with a weekend trip to Paris, hoping that it will help bring them together. I felt this story moved too slowly at times and became frustrated with Zoe and Edward for some of their decisions. In the end, I wanted to read on to discover if this couple could survive this tragedy and find their way back to each other. Where there is love, is there hope? Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this book! Zoe and Edward are struggling. Milo their perfect two year old boy who made them complete tragically died. Edward blamed Zoe for not holding tightly on to him. Zoe blames herself. This story is how losing a child can tear even the strongest couple apart. Zoe has gone inside herself and won't let anyone in, let alone her husband. How can she when she knows he blames her? Edward is lonely, he can't get through to his wife who no longer seems to notice him. If she does she doesn't seem to care. Zoe's parents give them a weekend in Paris where they hope they can start to heal. At the station they lose each other and Zoe loses her phone and purse so she can't get hold of her husband. The book is all about them finding their way back to each other in more ways than one. A beautifully written sad story that makes you glad to have not experienced anything like that yourself.

Nice read and easy to follow story line. Look forward to reading more from this author

Book Review: Who We Were Before by Leah Mercer
Publisher: Lake Union Publishing

Zoe and Edward’s marriage is hanging by a thread. Their son Milo was killed in an accident that Zoe can’t stop blaming herself for. She wanders through life, numb to everything. She and Edward don’t touch, don’t talk, and don’t even seem to like each other let alone love each other anymore. In an attempt to help them reconcile her parent’s treat them to a weekend in Paris.

Once there, Edward wanders off to text the woman he is emotionally cheating with. In her dazed state Zoe has her wallet and phone stolen. They are split apart and after an initial burst of anger they both decide that neither is going to look for the other. This struck me as two children saying “Fine then, be that way.”

Zoe wanders Paris and Edward prepares to take his cheating to the next level. The book is set in a series of flashbacks between their past and present which seems to be jarring at times. While I like reading about things from both their points of view I feel like it should have been split into “before” and “after” instead of a jumping of back and forth on the timeline.

While I felt empathy for Zoe, I just felt anger for Edward. Then at times I just wanted to yell at them for to stop being so stupid. The constantly “missing” each other when they finally realize they want to fix their marriage was annoying and almost made me stop reading.

It’s a quick read and touches on grief and survivor’s guilt in a real and honest way. I can appreciate that. It wasn’t a bad book but the formatting left a lot to be desired. It might be that it’s just not to my taste. The ending came rather abruptly and left me feeling like the book was a bit unfinished.

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley.com in exchange for an honest review.

You can find this review and more at:
http://shiningstarreviews.blogspot.com/

I was unable to read this book as I lost my phone and was unable to retrieve the book file that was sent to me. This title has since been archived.

Mercer is a very good storyteller- this will sweep you into the plot and next thing you know you've finished it. Edward and Zoe are on a journey of grief and reconciliation. While some of this is predictable, the language and the well drawn characters carry the day. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. This is "domestic" fiction at its best. You will pull for these two.