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readwkatie's review against another edition
4.0
Colby is not only trying to cope with the death of her long time friend, Joe, but also the suicide of her mentally ill husband, Mark. Colby is in the process of opening a restaurant when her brother orchestrates for Joe's brother, Alec, to be the head chef. When Colby and Alec reconnect, she starts to see the possibility of a happy future, one she never expected to experience after Mark. Through struggles and secrets, will Alec and Colby be able to make their happy ending a reality?
Working my way through Jamie Beck's catalogue. This one wasn't my favorite to date, but it was a decent read. I thought that Colby and Alec made things harder than necessary and found that to be a bit frustrating. I found myself interested in some of the background characters more than I was investing in Colby and Alec. Overall, it was a decent read and I'm excited to start book 2!
Working my way through Jamie Beck's catalogue. This one wasn't my favorite to date, but it was a decent read. I thought that Colby and Alec made things harder than necessary and found that to be a bit frustrating. I found myself interested in some of the background characters more than I was investing in Colby and Alec. Overall, it was a decent read and I'm excited to start book 2!
beckyrendon's review against another edition
4.0
Talk about a struggle, grief and guilt weigh down more than one of the characters in this book. Trying to rebuild their lives based on half truths and never opening up...
I can't imagine the agony and defeat. But what a love story! Silver linings and all that good stuff. Before I Knew is a second chance at everything. Life, living, and love were are defunct until he stepped back into her life.
I can't imagine the agony and defeat. But what a love story! Silver linings and all that good stuff. Before I Knew is a second chance at everything. Life, living, and love were are defunct until he stepped back into her life.
bchristian541's review against another edition
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Colby's life is filled with tragedy. She lost her best friend and neighbor, Joe, to a tragedy, a tragedy that his family blames her husband, Mark for. Bi-polar Mark succumbs to his disease and Colby is struck with another tragic loss. Between losing the two people she loved the most, Joe's father not even looking at her anymore, a toxic stepmother, and a somewhat narcissistic mother, Colby's life is looking bleak. That is, until her brother, Hunter, and their dad help her to open up a restaurant called A CertainTea. Hunter, unknowingly to Colby, hires Joe's older brother Alec to be the lead chef. Alec has been reeling ever since the loss of his little brother, the loss of his restaurant, and Mark's death. Both deaths he partly blames himself for. Before I Knew follows Colby and Alec's journey to heal. Do they manage to find peace? Does Alec ever come clean about some secrets he's been hiding? Does Colby share the love for him like he does for her? Find out in Before I Knew.
ameserole's review against another edition
4.0
I have some mixed reviews for Before I knew. It's like 50/50 for me. Some parts I just so hooked and others I just wanted to skim because it was so boring.
Before I Knew, is about Colby Cabot-Baxter and Alec Morgan. Alec is best friends with Colby's older brother Hunter and Colby was best friends with Alec's younger brother Joe. They all used to hang out, whether Hunter wanted to or not, when they were are little kids but everyone and everything changes when they grow up.
Spoiler
Okay, so you start off the book with Colby reacting to the second anniversary of her husband's suicide. Now the book does go into more detail about why he committed suicide but since I've hidden this spoiler I'm just gonna come out and say it. He killed himself because he couldn't handle being the reason for Joe's death. It was an accident. A stupid accident because Joe died on a dare. A really stupid dare.
Mark, who is Colby's dead husband, was also dealing with bipolar disease which this book goes into a great amount of detail explain it. I really liked that because not a lot of people understand certain diseases (mental, health, etc.) and I love with authors write a book with a character dealing with one. Now Colby feels very guilty because she even though she knew about him being bipolar she doesn't believe she saw the signs of him spiraling out of control. She believes she could have saved him.
So, Colby, who is desperately trying to move on in her life in a more positive way, sets out to build a restaurant (aka A CertainTea). She hires Alec Morgan as her new executive chef. They haven't been friends for a long time (since the day her husbands foolish dare took his younger brothers life) so they often disagree on things.
They are both easily distracted by their own guilt. Alec believes if he accepted Marks apology and forgave him then he wouldn't have jumped off his balcony. Alec doesn't know what Colby has gone through with that marriage or how she hid that he was bipolar from everyone. Alec also doesn't have a good relationship with his dad---because his dad is a straight a douchebag.
I hated his dad so much. I hated how he treated everyone. I don't even care that he started to be a decent human in the end...I just hated the man.
Anyways... I really sort of liked the book.
So I guess I don't have mixed reviews at all?!?
Sorry, not sorry?
The ending was really cute because Alec stopped being an idiot.
Colby and Alec are easily lovable (when Alec isn't being dumb af).
I'm kind of excited for the next book...but I'm also worried that it might not be as good.
onlyadream223's review against another edition
2.0
Before I knew is the first book in the Cabot Family Series. This was my first book by this author and maybe my last. I have a difficult time giving poor reviews but this was one heck of a story.
Plagued by the suicide of a mentally unstable husband and the tragic death of a dear friend, Colby doesn't know how to move on; She's quit her job of an attorney to run her own restaurant only to be forced to work with her late friend's brother, Alec.
Honestly, I read about 10 pages and already thought "what am I reading," but since this was marketed as a romance, I figured this was just an introduction of sorts, WRONG! The entire novel was about insecurities and mistrust, lack of judgement and/or unsuccessful fertilization... every single character in this book had some sort of issue and to top it off, two of the characters with a heavy presence were dead- one committed suicide and the other jumped off a cliff on a dare. If you're expected a light-hearted novel, move along. This badboy will catapult you into a giant cloud of doom with the excess emotional drama. Definitely do not recommend.
Plagued by the suicide of a mentally unstable husband and the tragic death of a dear friend, Colby doesn't know how to move on; She's quit her job of an attorney to run her own restaurant only to be forced to work with her late friend's brother, Alec.
Honestly, I read about 10 pages and already thought "what am I reading," but since this was marketed as a romance, I figured this was just an introduction of sorts, WRONG! The entire novel was about insecurities and mistrust, lack of judgement and/or unsuccessful fertilization... every single character in this book had some sort of issue and to top it off, two of the characters with a heavy presence were dead- one committed suicide and the other jumped off a cliff on a dare. If you're expected a light-hearted novel, move along. This badboy will catapult you into a giant cloud of doom with the excess emotional drama. Definitely do not recommend.
kdurham2's review against another edition
4.0
Check out the full review at Kritters Ramblings
Colby Cabot-Baxter has had a trying few years and she is making some personal changes to hopefully turn her life in a new direction and change. She is opening a restaurant and with that she needs a chef and in walks someone from her past and is a part of those trying years and the past will return, but hopefully there is a future.
What a great book! The reader is easily told the events of the past, but the story doesn't sit there long and quickly and easily moves into the future and I loved that. I loved how the author gave us all the details, but it didn't slow down the pace of the story.
Colby Cabot-Baxter has had a trying few years and she is making some personal changes to hopefully turn her life in a new direction and change. She is opening a restaurant and with that she needs a chef and in walks someone from her past and is a part of those trying years and the past will return, but hopefully there is a future.
What a great book! The reader is easily told the events of the past, but the story doesn't sit there long and quickly and easily moves into the future and I loved that. I loved how the author gave us all the details, but it didn't slow down the pace of the story.
susanthebookbag's review against another edition
4.0
I enjoyed this book immensely and I was immediately swept up in the lives of Colby and Alec. They both have a lot of baggage and secrets that impede both their working relationship and their friendship. I was never sure how everything was going to turn out.
This is a story with some great characters and the author writes the story in a way that kept me interested in their lives. This is only book #1 in this wonderful series and I'm really going to have to read more so I can find out how everyone is doing.
This is a story with some great characters and the author writes the story in a way that kept me interested in their lives. This is only book #1 in this wonderful series and I'm really going to have to read more so I can find out how everyone is doing.
smit1286's review against another edition
1.0
It appears I'm in the minority, but this book was not for me. I found it to be a repetitive diatribe of guilt-ridden characters droning on and on about how much they suck and how they are to blame for other people's bad choices and mental health disorders.
kwc1016's review against another edition
1.0
DNF. I wanted to like this but I’m giving up at 70%. I’m bored and the secrets are stupid.