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0live_tr33's review
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Death, and Terminal illness
Moderate: Grief
Minor: Suicidal thoughts
clareasday's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Grief, Abandonment, and Cancer
Moderate: Death of parent
Minor: Sexual content and Drug abuse
amanda_reads13's review
emotional
hopeful
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Zach hires Emersyn as their maid so that he has more time to spend with his wife, Suzie, who has cancer. The two women instantly form a bond. After Suzie passes away, Zach marries Emersyn so that she will have health insurance. Things get a little complicated when they both begin developing true feelings for each other.
Be prepared to cry. Like ugly cry. The book is heartbreaking, yet healing.
Em is tough, hardworking, and incredibly strong. She has been through so much shit in her life, yet remains optimistic and hopefully of the future. She has never really felt love and kindness before. Her father abandoned her, her mother was an addict, she doesn't have any real friends, and her bf is one of convenience. That was until she met Suzie and Zach. I adored Suzie and Em's relationship. Their friendship was fun, honest, and filled with so much love.
Zach is incredibly selfless. He gives all he has to his dying wife. When she is gone, he fulfills her wish to help Em. What he does for Em is truly life changing. It allows her the freedom to follow her dreams.
Yet, his selflessness is too extreme in some ways. He and Em love each other, but he feels like he will hold her back in life. He wants nothing more than for Em to achieve her dreams, but does not realize that he is a part of that dream she has created. He must have been beyond confused about his feelings for Em (the wedding ring scene was heartbreaking). I'm sure he never imagined himself loving anyone the way he loved Suzie, but your mother shouldn't have to convince you to go after the woman you love.
The last part of this book was incredibly rushed. I think this would have been really good as a duet.
Tropes: right person/wrong time, boss x employee, marriage of convenience, age gap, friends to lovers, slow burn
Be prepared to cry. Like ugly cry. The book is heartbreaking, yet healing.
Em is tough, hardworking, and incredibly strong. She has been through so much shit in her life, yet remains optimistic and hopefully of the future. She has never really felt love and kindness before. Her father abandoned her, her mother was an addict, she doesn't have any real friends, and her bf is one of convenience. That was until she met Suzie and Zach. I adored Suzie and Em's relationship. Their friendship was fun, honest, and filled with so much love.
Zach is incredibly selfless. He gives all he has to his dying wife. When she is gone, he fulfills her wish to help Em. What he does for Em is truly life changing. It allows her the freedom to follow her dreams.
Yet, his selflessness is too extreme in some ways. He and Em love each other, but he feels like he will hold her back in life. He wants nothing more than for Em to achieve her dreams, but does not realize that he is a part of that dream she has created. He must have been beyond confused about his feelings for Em (the wedding ring scene was heartbreaking). I'm sure he never imagined himself loving anyone the way he loved Suzie, but your mother shouldn't have to convince you to go after the woman you love.
The last part of this book was incredibly rushed. I think this would have been really good as a duet.
Tropes: right person/wrong time, boss x employee, marriage of convenience, age gap, friends to lovers, slow burn
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Addiction, Cancer, Grief, and Sexual content
chelsearose's review
emotional
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief and Death
Moderate: Sexual content and Cancer
lauriereadsrom1's review
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
It's tough for me to put into words exactly how much I loved this book. It's not what I would describe as a "traditional" romance (though there is an HEA), but despite the difficult circumstances that brought them together, I was rooting for main characters Emersyn and Zach from the start. Their story broke my heart and put it back together more than once and I couldn't turn the pages fast enough.
I highly recommend "Before Us" for all fans of emotional contemporary romance and look forward to whatever this author writes next.
*Review copy provided by the author via Valentine PR. All opinions expressed are my own.
CW: Cancer/Breast Cancer; Death; Grief
I highly recommend "Before Us" for all fans of emotional contemporary romance and look forward to whatever this author writes next.
*Review copy provided by the author via Valentine PR. All opinions expressed are my own.
CW: Cancer/Breast Cancer; Death; Grief
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cancer, Death, and Grief
petit_biblio's review
emotional
sad
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Grief
Moderate: Cancer
Minor: Death of parent
fairytalefootnotes's review
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Terminal illness, Cancer, Death, Grief, and Medical content
Moderate: Sexual content
Minor: Abandonment
darknesslighttt's review
emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
5.0
π πππ ππππππ π
π§πΏπΌπ½π²π: boss x employee, marriage of convenience, age gap, friends to lovers, slow burn
π§πΏπΆπ΄π΄π²πΏπ: death of a loved one, grief, epilepsy, cancer
I have no words to describe how much I enjoyed this book. Jewel E. Ann has officially become one of my favorite authors.
This book is about losing a loved one, grief, healing and finding a new love.
Emersyn is trying to figure out her life, but because of the student debt and all the medical debt due to the epilepsy diagnosis, she lives in her car. She met Suzanne and Zach when she agreed to clean their house. But this is not the only thing that Emersyn did, she createda special bond with Suzanne.
Before Suzanne died, Zach promised her that he would do something to change someone's life. So Zach chose Emersyn and immediately they both find themselves in a marriage of convenience. I would have liked to say more, but I really can't without involving spoilers.
After this moment, Zach and Emersyn begin a not exactly easy adventure, but a very beautiful one. Zach went through a period of healing while Emersyn was fulfilling one of her dreams. At one point, the two were in a kind of long-distance relationship, but sometimes Zach took advantage of the fact that he is a pilot and made sure to have a flight to the country where Emersyn was at that moment.
Thank you Jewel E. Ann and Valentine PR for the opportunity to read this amazing book.
π§πΏπΌπ½π²π: boss x employee, marriage of convenience, age gap, friends to lovers, slow burn
π§πΏπΆπ΄π΄π²πΏπ: death of a loved one, grief, epilepsy, cancer
I have no words to describe how much I enjoyed this book. Jewel E. Ann has officially become one of my favorite authors.
This book is about losing a loved one, grief, healing and finding a new love.
Emersyn is trying to figure out her life, but because of the student debt and all the medical debt due to the epilepsy diagnosis, she lives in her car. She met Suzanne and Zach when she agreed to clean their house. But this is not the only thing that Emersyn did, she createda special bond with Suzanne.
Before Suzanne died, Zach promised her that he would do something to change someone's life. So Zach chose Emersyn and immediately they both find themselves in a marriage of convenience. I would have liked to say more, but I really can't without involving spoilers.
After this moment, Zach and Emersyn begin a not exactly easy adventure, but a very beautiful one. Zach went through a period of healing while Emersyn was fulfilling one of her dreams. At one point, the two were in a kind of long-distance relationship, but sometimes Zach took advantage of the fact that he is a pilot and made sure to have a flight to the country where Emersyn was at that moment.
Thank you Jewel E. Ann and Valentine PR for the opportunity to read this amazing book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Medical content, Grief, and Cancer
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