Before You Found Me - by Brooke Beyfuss (Paperback)

About the Book

"How far would you go to save a child who isn't even yours? Before You Found Me explores the unlikely bond that develops between two abuse survivors and takes a deep dive into personal sacrifice, morality, and the healing powers of family--both blood and found--from the author of After We Were Stolen. Rowan McNamara doesn't open the door to her new life--she's thrown through it. Following an explosive argument with her abusive fiancâe, Rowan runs. With no family except for her estranged sister, Celia, Rowan takes refuge in an idyllic New England town. There, she meets Gabriel, the eleven-year-old son of her neighbor, Lee. Lee is welcoming, friendly, and a little too helpful. But Gabriel is a mystery: withdrawn, often bruised, and only willing to speak to Rowan through his basement window. When she discovers that Lee has kept Gabriel imprisoned for the past three years, Rowan is desperate to save him. Fueled by outrage and empathy, she abducts Gabriel and flees to her childhood home in rural Oklahoma, determined to raise him as her own. Together they battle nightmares, curious stares, and Celia's constant disapproval. But when Lee begins haunting more than their dreams, Rowan and Gabriel realize they stopped pretending to be a family a long time ago. Their bond is just as strong as blood, and they're willing to do anything to protect one another. From Brooke Beyfuss comes a tender, deeply emotional novel exploring trauma and healing, love and family, and the impossible lengths we'll go to protect the ones we love, even at the expese of ourselves"--

Book Synopsis

Is it ever alright to kidnap a child? With breath-taking suspense, Before You Found Me emotionally explores the fine line between right and wrong in an enduring story of found family and tender love amidst harsh circumstances.

Rowan McNamara doesn't open the door to her new life--she's thrown through it. Following an explosive argument with her abusive fiancé, Rowan runs. With no family except for her estranged sister, Celia, Rowan takes refuge in an idyllic New England town.

There, she meets Gabriel, the eleven-year-old son of her neighbor, Lee. Lee is welcoming, friendly, and a little too helpful. But Gabriel is a mystery: withdrawn, often bruised, and only willing to speak to Rowan through his basement window. When she discovers that Lee has kept Gabriel imprisoned for the past three years, Rowan is desperate to save him. Fueled by outrage and empathy, she abducts Gabriel and flees to her childhood home in rural Oklahoma, determined to raise him as her own.

Together they battle nightmares, curious stares, and Celia's constant disapproval. But when Lee begins haunting more than their dreams, Rowan and Gabriel realize they stopped pretending to be a family a long time ago. Their bond is just as strong as blood, and they're willing to do anything to protect one another.

Review Quotes

"With its strong characters, tender relationships, and smooth writing style, this page-turner . . . [has] plenty to discuss.
" -- Booklist

"Before You Found Me is a heartrending story of empathy and courage. Brooke Beyfuss does a brilliant job taking the reader on a harrowing journey of two strangers, both traumatized by abuse, who risk everything to help the other. Beautifully crafted, it was impossible not to be carried along as Rowan and Gabriel raced to stay ahead of the danger that was chasing them, opening their hearts, healing, and becoming a remarkable family along the way. An emotional page-turner I couldn't put down." -- Suzanne Redfearn, #1 Amazon bestselling author of In an Instant


"A powerhouse of a novel, a literary masterpiece shaped out of heartbreaking prose, a moving examination of trauma, sacrifice, and the true definition of family. Before You Found Me grips readers from page one and delivers on every front." -- Terah Shelton Harris, author of One Summer in Savannah

"Beyfuss has created a richly imagined story celebrating the healing power of love as young Rowan McNamara--herself an abuse survivor--fights to protect a young boy trapped in a similar circumstance. Before You Found Me is sure to appeal to book clubs and readers of standout family drama." -- Christine Nolfi, bestselling author of A Brighter Flame

"Brooke Beyfuss has written a raw, real, poignant, and powerful story about healing and forgiveness, recovery and hope. I was immediately invested in Rowan's story, and how she created a family for herself and the young boy Gabriel whom she meets. Brooke's writing is deeply heartfelt without being sentimental; this is a beautiful, touching and hard-hitting story that is ultimately, wonderfully redemptive." -- Kate Hewitt, USA Today bestselling author of The Secrets We Keep

"Can there ever be sympathy for a kidnapper--no matter how forceful her case? Don't decide until you read Before You Found Me, Brooke Beyfuss's complex, compelling new novel that dissects the tangled psychology of right and righteousness in a story of true love between two people estranged only by an accident of genetics." -- Jacquelyn Mitchard, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Deep End of the Ocean

"I cried both happy and heartbroken tears through this story of love found in the strangest place and family bonds created out of tragedy. Before You Found Me by Brooke Beyfuss is utterly unique and moving, terrifying, funny, relatable, and life-affirming. An epic roller coaster, filled with unexpected twists and jaw-dropping cliff hangers, it will leave readers on an emotional high." -- Annie Ward, author of Beautiful Bad and The Lying Club