Before We Were Us

By Denise Hunter

Book Overview

She can't remember. He can't forget. How did Lauren's number one nemesis, Jonah, become her adoring boyfriend? Can Jonah convince Lauren to remember why she wanted to stay? Love is complicated in this cozy and wholesome, small-town amnesia romance with a big-city girl and her resort co-worker.

When Lauren Wentworth wakes up in the hospital after falling from a ladder, she has more questions than answers. Way more. She knows where she is--the wilds of New Hampshire. But she's apparently lost the last four months of her life. Is she really contemplating forfeiting her big-city dream job for a position at a rustic resort? And how did her number one nemesis become her adoring boyfriend?

Jonah Landry is crushed to learn Lauren has forgotten their entire summer together. Terrified of losing her for good, he determines to help her remember their deep connection as she finishes her obligation to the resort. But soon it becomes apparent Lauren doesn't want to remember falling in love with him or rethinking the entire course of her career. She wants to pretend the summer never happened and move on with her life. Without him.

As Lauren falls back into the steady routines of resort work with Jonah, she's relieved her memories haven't returned and remains resolute about her big-city future. But as autumn leads into winter, she begins to see glimpses of the Jonah she's forgotten. Will she be able to resist the steady love of this patient man? Or is her heart destined for its own freefall?

Charming contemporary clean romanceBook length: approximately 83,000 wordsStand-alone novelIncludes discussion questions for book clubs

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0840716680
• ISBN13: 9780840716682
• Release Date: September 2024
• Publisher: Thomas Nelson
• Length: 304 Pages
• Weight: 0.62 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.5" x 8.4"

Customer Reviews

lovely

Denise Hunter never disappoints. She had written another novel about temporary traumatic amnesia a while ago but this book definitely has a different feel to it. I loved Jonah and his steadfast, unwavering, sacrificial love for Lauren. Lauren was quite prickly for most of the book but, given her ugly past and her unrelenting climb out of helplessness, this was to be expected. Just like Jonah, I admired Lauren's determination, grit, drive, work ethic, and incredible creativity. I fell in love with Pinehaven resort and the beauty of New Hampshire, as well as Jonah's lovely parents and younger sister. The story had chapters of flashback to give the readers a detailed backstory of how Jonah and Lauren started as enemies and fell in love. Their friendship and subsequent romance were sweet, tender, thoughtful, and delightful. I received a complimentary copy courtesy of Thomas Nelson via NetGalley and was under no obligation to post a positive comment. All opinions are my own.

A Story of Finding Where You Belong.

If you’re a Denise Hunter fan like me, you may be thinking that Hunter has had a heroine with amnesia before. It’s true, but this story is quite different from her previous amnesia story. My favorite character was Jonah. He’s gentle with Lauren because he loves her and wants her to be happy even if it means he loses her forever. Thankfully, Hunter gives readers a glimpse of their lives before the accident; otherwise, I’m not sure how people would feel about Lauren. But it is a romance, so those of us who read that genre know in the end all will turn out well. The Landry family are great supporting characters that model what a good family should be. Ultimately, this book is about finding where we belong. I don’t think anyone can question that Hunter is a great storyteller. Thanks to Thomas Nelson, I was able to read the novel in advance, but as with all Hunter books, I pre-ordered the paperback as soon as it was available.