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oliviasuzanne's review against another edition
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
ashleysilver7's review against another edition
3.0
As other people have commented, this book was a tad too predictable and cliched. From the very beginning, I knew how this book was going to end...that said, there could have been more plot development in the meantime, but alas, there was not. And, as others have said, I was looking forward for this book to end.
Put simply, this is a romance novel/redemption story about a mother whose five-year-old daughter was killed in a car accident while she was distracted by her phone. Her marriage fell apart (understandably), and her family disowned her (awful!). As a result, this woman literally reinvents herself in the town of Devon, Vermont. Very few people know that Maggie (or Mackenzie) used to be married, had a daughter, and (the kicker!) a distracted-driving law NAMED after her!
We get it, Maggie has extreme guilt and self-loathing for what happened. Any parent would feel the same way...and their journey toward recovery would be painful and ever evolving. However, the way she was shut-out by her parents and brother? Cruel...and not well explained by the author. And the fact that her probation officer is all over her case? For what? She should NOT have been a felon in the first place, if you ask me...
Edward Cooper, her ex-husband shows up in Devon unexpectedly...did I mention this book was predictable? However, the overall writing was good, and I did enjoy the story about a mother's grief. It would have been better had their not been so many cliched and anecdotes about Maggie's sexy ex-husband. 3/5 stars
Put simply, this is a romance novel/redemption story about a mother whose five-year-old daughter was killed in a car accident while she was distracted by her phone. Her marriage fell apart (understandably), and her family disowned her (awful!). As a result, this woman literally reinvents herself in the town of Devon, Vermont. Very few people know that Maggie (or Mackenzie) used to be married, had a daughter, and (the kicker!) a distracted-driving law NAMED after her!
We get it, Maggie has extreme guilt and self-loathing for what happened. Any parent would feel the same way...and their journey toward recovery would be painful and ever evolving. However, the way she was shut-out by her parents and brother? Cruel...and not well explained by the author. And the fact that her probation officer is all over her case? For what? She should NOT have been a felon in the first place, if you ask me...
Edward Cooper, her ex-husband shows up in Devon unexpectedly...did I mention this book was predictable? However, the overall writing was good, and I did enjoy the story about a mother's grief. It would have been better had their not been so many cliched and anecdotes about Maggie's sexy ex-husband. 3/5 stars
jbarr5's review against another edition
5.0
Before and Again by Barbara Delinsky
Have enjoyed many years of this authors works and know this will be another KEEPER.
Starts out with Mackenzie Cooper and her daughter. Then we are at present time with Maggie and she's an artist and it's a small town in VT, Devon. Things advance to present day but many reflections on the past events that took others from her life.
Love hands on with the clay and other forms of art being displayed at the gallery, so very descriptive.
She's also a makeup artist that others rely on.
Her ex shows up in town and she tries to avoid him. He's moving there, he even bought a place there and she learns even more.
Complicated details as she visits with her Probation Officer as we find out why.
Super loved hearing about the chaos at the yarn store.
Love generosity she shows to burn victims with the craft she's enhanced.
Just when she's getting comfortable with her job and friends others from her past show up.
Another story within this one involves hacking into the Internet spa files.
Family medical emergency throws them all off balance...
So up to date events occur, love how the book was given a chance by just the click of a mouse and all the research that went into a lot of this book. Fascinating to read about.
Love how it all comes together and then you understand how all the other stories are linked together. Handful of characters and easy to keep track of.
I received this review book from St. Martin's Press via Net Galley and this is my honest opinion.
#BeforeAndAgain #NetGalley
Have enjoyed many years of this authors works and know this will be another KEEPER.
Starts out with Mackenzie Cooper and her daughter. Then we are at present time with Maggie and she's an artist and it's a small town in VT, Devon. Things advance to present day but many reflections on the past events that took others from her life.
Love hands on with the clay and other forms of art being displayed at the gallery, so very descriptive.
She's also a makeup artist that others rely on.
Her ex shows up in town and she tries to avoid him. He's moving there, he even bought a place there and she learns even more.
Complicated details as she visits with her Probation Officer as we find out why.
Super loved hearing about the chaos at the yarn store.
Love generosity she shows to burn victims with the craft she's enhanced.
Just when she's getting comfortable with her job and friends others from her past show up.
Another story within this one involves hacking into the Internet spa files.
Family medical emergency throws them all off balance...
So up to date events occur, love how the book was given a chance by just the click of a mouse and all the research that went into a lot of this book. Fascinating to read about.
Love how it all comes together and then you understand how all the other stories are linked together. Handful of characters and easy to keep track of.
I received this review book from St. Martin's Press via Net Galley and this is my honest opinion.
#BeforeAndAgain #NetGalley
marilynw's review against another edition
4.0
Mackenzie Cooper and her husband led a luxurious, charmed life until she took her eyes off the road, which resulted in a vehicle accident that killed both her 5 year old daughter Lily, and the speeding driver of the other vehicle. She lost her marriage, family, and friends and endured non stop media coverage and was sentenced to 5 years probation. Mack then remade herself in the small town of Devon, where she went by the name of Maggie and nobody knew her past.
Flash forward 5 years and Maggie is happy with her 2 cats, dog, little cabin, and her job as a makeup artist at a fancy Inn. Then her ex-husband makes his entrance at the same time Maggie is thrown back in the spotlight due to a hacking incident by a friend's son and serious problems of that friend. All the while, Maggie is still dealing with the guilt of the accident, the grief of losing her daughter, marriage and relationship with family, and wondering if she can ever get past her past. With her ex-husband's arrival as the new manager of the inn and Maggie is thrown into a headspin of worry, shock, and dismay, Her carefully arranged new life is falling apart. Her ex husband wants to be with Maggie again while Maggie can't even imagine such a thing, due to her ever present feelings of guilt. I enjoyed every chapter of this book despite having no question in my mind about how it was going to end.
There was never really any tension in the book, other than that imposed by Maggie's refusal to forgive herself for the accident. That refusal led Maggie to think she could never do something that would really make her happy thus she was unwillingness to consider getting back with her husband, even though it was obvious they were made for each other and should never have divorced. The problems of her friend and friend's son, really took a back seat to Maggie's relationship with her ex, other than to be a way to add media exposure to her new life and put her probation into jeopardy for consorting with a suspected felon.
Much of the drama was due to Maggie's over thinking and self flagellation which could be tedious at times, Still, I enjoyed the book, and the characters of her ex husband and mother. This book is all about forgiveness and learning to forgive oneself. Very much worth a mostly stress free (for the reader) read.
Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for this ARC.
Flash forward 5 years and Maggie is happy with her 2 cats, dog, little cabin, and her job as a makeup artist at a fancy Inn. Then her ex-husband makes his entrance at the same time Maggie is thrown back in the spotlight due to a hacking incident by a friend's son and serious problems of that friend. All the while, Maggie is still dealing with the guilt of the accident, the grief of losing her daughter, marriage and relationship with family, and wondering if she can ever get past her past. With her ex-husband's arrival as the new manager of the inn and Maggie is thrown into a headspin of worry, shock, and dismay, Her carefully arranged new life is falling apart. Her ex husband wants to be with Maggie again while Maggie can't even imagine such a thing, due to her ever present feelings of guilt. I enjoyed every chapter of this book despite having no question in my mind about how it was going to end.
There was never really any tension in the book, other than that imposed by Maggie's refusal to forgive herself for the accident. That refusal led Maggie to think she could never do something that would really make her happy thus she was unwillingness to consider getting back with her husband, even though it was obvious they were made for each other and should never have divorced. The problems of her friend and friend's son, really took a back seat to Maggie's relationship with her ex, other than to be a way to add media exposure to her new life and put her probation into jeopardy for consorting with a suspected felon.
Much of the drama was due to Maggie's over thinking and self flagellation which could be tedious at times, Still, I enjoyed the book, and the characters of her ex husband and mother. This book is all about forgiveness and learning to forgive oneself. Very much worth a mostly stress free (for the reader) read.
Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for this ARC.
miaev's review against another edition
5.0
Most women at some point in their lives wear some makeup. Many of us wear it daily. We wear it to feel better about ourselves. Others use it as a form of armor to protect themselves. Mackenzie Cooper is a master make up artist and wears make up daily as a way to hide her scar and applies make up at an upscale spa in Vermont.
Mackenzie Cooper uses her make up as a mask to hie a scar from an accident several years ago in which her young daughter was killed. She was driving her daughter to a play date and took her eyes off the road for a second. The result was a serious accident which changed Mackenzie’s life in a number of ways. She lost her daughter, her marriage and her career as an up and coming potter.
Mackenzie is now living in Vermont working at a upscale spa in Vermont as a make up artist under the name Maggie Reid. She has a new life, new friends and is trying to stay under the radar. She still throws clay but she struggles to work her art. Her heart just will not let her escape into the bliss of throwing a pot right now.
Maggie is doing a fine job of staying under the radar and hoping to stay under the radar until her probation is over. That is until her friend’s son is arrested for a serious cyber crime. He is accused of hacking a national reporter’s Twitter account. It is a federal crime and the publicity surrounding it is scaring her. But Maggie is torn between helping her friend and her son and staying under the radar if at all possible. But staying under the radar proves to be really hard for Maggie .
Maggie is also dealing with the fact that her ex-husband has shown up in her small Vermont town. He has bought the inn where the spa she works at is located in. Maggie is trying to carefully hold onto the threads of her new life. And that is just where the story starts.
Barbara Delinsky always writes about real people facing life changing issues head on. Her characters are not in their twenties with their lives ahead of them. Rather they are in their late thirties or forties and have lived a life and made choices that have either worked out or not worked out. They are deep complex characters complete with flaws and good points. Her characters are relatable in a way that is often hard to find in modern women’s fiction.
I did receive a copy of this novel from the author in exchange for a fair and unbiased review. I have long been a fan of Ms. Delinsky;s books so having the chance to read her latest one before publication was thrilling.
Mackenzie Cooper uses her make up as a mask to hie a scar from an accident several years ago in which her young daughter was killed. She was driving her daughter to a play date and took her eyes off the road for a second. The result was a serious accident which changed Mackenzie’s life in a number of ways. She lost her daughter, her marriage and her career as an up and coming potter.
Mackenzie is now living in Vermont working at a upscale spa in Vermont as a make up artist under the name Maggie Reid. She has a new life, new friends and is trying to stay under the radar. She still throws clay but she struggles to work her art. Her heart just will not let her escape into the bliss of throwing a pot right now.
Maggie is doing a fine job of staying under the radar and hoping to stay under the radar until her probation is over. That is until her friend’s son is arrested for a serious cyber crime. He is accused of hacking a national reporter’s Twitter account. It is a federal crime and the publicity surrounding it is scaring her. But Maggie is torn between helping her friend and her son and staying under the radar if at all possible. But staying under the radar proves to be really hard for Maggie .
Maggie is also dealing with the fact that her ex-husband has shown up in her small Vermont town. He has bought the inn where the spa she works at is located in. Maggie is trying to carefully hold onto the threads of her new life. And that is just where the story starts.
Barbara Delinsky always writes about real people facing life changing issues head on. Her characters are not in their twenties with their lives ahead of them. Rather they are in their late thirties or forties and have lived a life and made choices that have either worked out or not worked out. They are deep complex characters complete with flaws and good points. Her characters are relatable in a way that is often hard to find in modern women’s fiction.
I did receive a copy of this novel from the author in exchange for a fair and unbiased review. I have long been a fan of Ms. Delinsky;s books so having the chance to read her latest one before publication was thrilling.
paprika411's review against another edition
3.0
This was a slow read for me. Lots of repetition on the same themes over and over again. I did enjoy the various characters and townspeople. The author does a good job describing the town, I could picture this small town and the people based on her descriptions. I was hoping for some twists but overall the story was somewhat entertaining. Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for my advanced copy. All opinions are my own.
cate8cate's review against another edition
2.0
Honestly hate to say it but this book was just boring. I didn’t feel connection to any of the characters, none of them being super likeable. The story took forever to get into and then when it did I had no desire to keep on reading. I’ve heard Barbara Delinsky is a super talented author so maybe I need to give a different book of hers a try.
maggsy1010's review against another edition
hopeful
slow-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
3.5
jenwilder's review against another edition
3.0
3.5! I love her books and this one has everything you can come to expect from her. The only thing is that it is very long. Probably could have been condensed and some things dragged but a good relatable read!
daydreamer1983's review against another edition
5.0
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an e-ARC of Barbara Delinsky's newest novel, "Before and Again" in exchange for an honest review.
This novel pulled at my heartstrings in so many ways. Throughout Maggie's narrative I was captivated with her relationships, grief, and how she went about moving on with life after Lily. There were times when Maggie was describing what happened to Lily that I had to put the book down for a few minutes while I gathered my emotions.
I've never had a child, or lost one, but Maggie's grief felt so real. I felt her anger and pain when Edward came to town. I loved the conversations between Maggie and her mother, along with a bit of comic relief from her brother showing up.
I highly recommend this novel for anyone who loves a good redemption or overcoming grief story. Anyone who's read previous works by Delinsky would likely enjoy this. What a fantastic summer read.
This novel pulled at my heartstrings in so many ways. Throughout Maggie's narrative I was captivated with her relationships, grief, and how she went about moving on with life after Lily. There were times when Maggie was describing what happened to Lily that I had to put the book down for a few minutes while I gathered my emotions.
I've never had a child, or lost one, but Maggie's grief felt so real. I felt her anger and pain when Edward came to town. I loved the conversations between Maggie and her mother, along with a bit of comic relief from her brother showing up.
I highly recommend this novel for anyone who loves a good redemption or overcoming grief story. Anyone who's read previous works by Delinsky would likely enjoy this. What a fantastic summer read.