Before She Was Mine by Amelia Wilde

CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE

Publication date: 02/18/2018
Kindle Unlimited: Yes
Cliffhanger: Yes

There was some stuff here that really worked for me, and some stuff that REALLY didn’t. I’ll start with the good:

• I love a good second-chance romance. And overall, this one worked.
• The writing was good and the story kept up a nice pace, even with some flashback scenes. (Note: I normally despise flashback scenes, but these were short and sweet and actually helped move the story along.)​

• There was a gritty realism to the story that I enjoyed. The PTSD, the struggles with getting a prosthetic that fit right, finding work after being injured during war time...it all felt very genuine. Nothing was really glossed over, and I appreciated the “truthiness” of the story.

Here’s what didn’t work for me:

• Summer is just too damn perfect for my liking. Even when her own life (and the life of her unborn child) is threatened, she’s more concerned with helping others than she is with saving herself. I would’ve liked to see her go all momma bear on the “bad guy” like I imagine any pregnant lady in real life would have. I mean, if anyone had held a gun on me when I was nine months pregnant, they’d still be searching for pieces of that unfortunate asshat YEARS later.   
• I personally don’t mind the fact that Dayton was a hot mess when he reunited with Summer. A lot of shit happened to him, and it was OK that he wasn’t 100% whole. (And I don’t mean the missing leg. I mean emotionally whole) What wasn’t OK with me was the emotional distance and secrets he kept from Summer. If he would have spilled his guts early on about what was going on with him, I would’ve loved him as a hero. But because he kept secrets--secrets that could’ve endangered Summer--I found myself wanting to kick his ass from time to time.   
• The climax of the story was just too unrealistic for my liking. I won’t give anything away, but I seriously doubt things would’ve gone down like THAT in real life.
• This is what I call a “stuffed” book. That means that the real story ends at about 25% on your Kindle, and the rest of the book is filler. You’ve got an extra book in there, and some snippets and other stuff that I didn’t buy the book for. I can’t speak for authors, of course, but it’s my opinion that authors in Kindle “stuff” their books because they get paid for pages read. (The more “stuff” in your book, the more people read, the more you get paid.) I don’t blame the author for this, but as a reader, it annoys the crap out of me. If I wanted your other books, I’d buy them! This to me is just further evidence that the KU system is broken and in need of adjustments ASAP.

But, minor gripes notwithstanding, this was a decent second chance romance. Fans of the whole “best friend’s sister” trope would probably really enjoy this one.

Does this book contribute to or help crush the romance stigma?
It’s clean and sober. It’s just not 100% my cuppa.   

Other reading suggestions
This was well-written enough that I’d check out the author’s backlist. ​

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