Before You Found Me

I just finished Before you found me by Brooke Beyfuss and here are my thoughts!!

Rowan McNarama is a survivor. She survived her fiance trying to kill her. She survived without her parents growing up. She decides it's time to go home but on the way, she stops at a friend's house.

There is something odd with the man next door. He doesn't seem to be a bad guy, overly helpful but something is not sitting well with Rowan.

Then she discovers what it is that isn't right, Gabriel is 11 smothered in bruises and only ever in the basement. His father doesn't even acknowledge he has a son. Rowan can't let it go and soon she discovers that Gabriel has been living in the basement for 3 years. No school, not allowed out of the house and beaten on a regular basis. Having been through abuse herself, Rowan breaks Gabriel out and they go on the run together to her childhood home deciding to raise him as her own.

Together they help each other through their darkest days and they become a family, a bond so strong no one can separate them.

This book was so amazing. I am a huge fan of Jodi Picoult and I was getting serious picoult vibes from this book. I loved how amazing Rowen was to Gabriel. It literally takes an abuse survivor to be able to truly understand what it is like to live with nightmares.


Rowen is only at Laines home for a short time and yet Gabriel never showed himself to Laine but yet he did to Rowen so even right there Gabriel must have sensed he was safe to do so with Rowen. It was beautifully poetic.


I don't normally trigger warnings in the books I read but there is some pretty triggering abuse of a woman and a child so please be mindful if these are triggers for you.


I loved the way the book was set out. When Rowen returns to her childhood home she doesn't remember to raise a child that is not hers. Literary gold in my book! It was pretty steady with its pace but I think it was paced the way it should have been for a domestic fiction.

The writing was quite beautiful and I felt deeply connected with all the characters. Even Rowen's estranged sister grew on me and it just shows you that family comes in all shapes.

5 stars. I definitely sobbed a little reading this book but it was massively inspiring and reminded me that we can overcome anything when we have people we live standing by our sides.

Thank you @sourcebooks for my gifted copy