Thank you Hachette Audio for the ALC and @NovelSuspects & Mulholland Books, #partner, for the advanced copy of Before She Finds Me in exchange for my honest review.
Publisher: Mulholland Books / Hachette Audio
Published: June 27, 2023
Summary:
In this shocking thriller, two unlikely mothers race to uncover the truth behind a horrific attack—even after it becomes clear that the truth will destroy one of their families.
Julia Bennett has worked hard to create a stable life for her daughter, Cora, in Southern California. So when Cora leaves for college, the worst thing Julia expects on move-in day is an argument with her ex-husband and his new wife. But a sudden attack leaves the campus stunned—and only Julia’s quick actions save Cora’s life. Shaken in the aftermath, and haunted by a dark secret, Julia starts to wonder: What if the attack wasn’t as random as everyone believes?
Newly pregnant Ren Petrovic has an unusual career—she’s a trained assassin, operating under a strict moral code. Ren wasn’t on campus that day, but she knows who was: her husband, Nolan. What she doesn’t know is why Nolan has broken their rules by not telling her about the job in advance. The more Ren looks into the attack, the more she begins to question: Who really hired Nolan? And why did one woman in the crowd respond so differently from all the rest?
Julia and Ren each want answers, but their searches quickly pit them against each other. One woman is a hired killer, but the other is a determined survivor. And both mothers will defend their families to the bitter end.
My thoughts:
This was another intense, twisty thriller from Heather Chavez. I had read her debut thriller, somehow missed her second book but definitely wasn’t missing an opportunity to read this third book. And you better believe I’ll be reading that second book asap!
I loved the uniqueness of this story. With so many great thrillers out there today, it’s hard to stand apart, but this one definitely does. I’m always a fan of thrillers with female main characters, and this time around we have two, and they are both such strong characters. Who would have thought I could love a trained assassin? I loved being in both Ren and Julia’s worlds, seeing how far they would each go to protect their loved ones. I might not always agree with their actions or decisions, but that’s part of the fun of reading these types of books – living vicariously through these characters and getting to see just what someone might possibly do in these types of situations.
This book is fast-paced and I found myself hooked from the beginning. It’s a layered, complex story where questions keep coming up that just make you not want to put the book down until you get to the bottom of things. The twists were expertly placed and I loved how things played out – I definitely didn’t see that coming!
If you haven’t picked this one up yet, I highly recommend doing so!
Audio thoughts:
The narration for this one is fantastic! The narrator, Megan Tusing, does an amazing job bringing the story to life and it’s quite easy to get lost in this story and end up listening to it in one go – I sure did!
