From Barbara Delinsky, the New York Times bestselling author of Blueprints and Sweet Salt Air, a brand-new novel about a woman in hiding finding the courage to face the world again. Mackenzie Cooper took her eyes off the road for just a moment but the resulting collision was enough to rob her not only of her beloved daughter but ultimately of her marriage, family, and friends–and thanks to the … family, and friends–and thanks to the nonstop media coverage, even her privacy. Now she lives in Vermont under the name Maggie Reid, in a small house with her cats and dog. She’s thankful for the new friends she’s made–though she can’t risk telling them too much. And she takes satisfaction in working as a makeup artist at the luxurious local spa, helping clients hide the visible outward signs of their weariness, illnesses, and injuries. Covering up scars is a skill she has mastered.
Her only goal is to stay under the radar and make it through her remaining probation. But she isn’t the only one in this peaceful town with secrets. When a friend’s teenage son is thrust into the national spotlight, accused of hacking a powerful man’s Twitter account, Maggie is torn between pulling away and protecting herself–or stepping into the glare to be at their side. As the stunning truth behind their case is slowly revealed, Maggie’s own carefully constructed story begins to unravel as well. She knows all too well that what we need from each other in this difficult world is comfort. But to provide it, sometimes we need to travel far outside our comfort zones.
From a multimillion-selling master of women’s fiction, Before and Again is a story of the relationships we find ourselves in–mothers and daughters, spouses and siblings, true companions and fair-weather friends–and what kind of sacrifices we are or aren’t willing to make to sustain them through good times and bad.
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Great writer! Very inspiring!
Excellent story about how a woman who overcame tragic events in her past and began to move on and find happiness again, and forgiving herself. Story has likeable characters and a good setting, it’s very interesting.
I bought this book because it was recommended by two of my favorite authors, Nora Roberts and Susan Mallery. I was bored almost from the very beginning. Seldom do I fail to finish a book, even one that I find boring, but this is one that I just couldn’t bring myself to read any further. I got about halfway through the book, continuing to expect it to get better, but it didn’t, so I just gave up. It’s surprising, too, because Barbara Delinsky is an author I’ve read before and enjoyed her books. My advice: don’t waste your time or money!
You are driving along and just for a quick second you turn to look at the console map. Too late, you ran a stop sign, you are arrested and prosecuted but worse your daughter lost her life in the crash. This story is about loss and also about rebuilding. Maggie Reed lost not only her daughter but her husband, mother and brother in the aftermath of that crash. Now Maggie is trying to make a life for herself in Vermont, where she has changed her name and no one knows her as the mother that killed her child or the artist she used to be. Then her new life starts to crumble when her friend’s teenage son is accused of hacking and the media circus begins again. A wonderful story about true friendship, love and beginning anew.
How do you move forward after unspeakable tragedy? Maggie has moved to a new town and reinvented herself as a makeup artist when her past catches up with her. This is a story of a heart needing to mend, and the author is great at both teasing and rewarding us. I did think she wrapped it up a bit fast, from the last chapter to the epilogue could have used more winding down. But great characters, great tension, lovely descriptions, and deep emotion. A fine book.
Author makes you feel what the characters are feeling, One of her best books and I’ve read many of hers.
A little slow starting out, but picked up steam and turned out to be a page turner.this author builds believable characters and a great story line.
Really enjoyed this book & would recommend this book for everyone to read.
Great exciting book page turner
One of my favorite authors
Before and Again by Barbara Delinsky was a very emotional book to read and I’m not even a mother. I think anyone with kids that reads this book will experience a wide range of emotions and if you’ve lost a child it may hit you even harder.
Mackenzie Cooper is a woman that has lost it all – her child, her marriage, her so-called friends, and the support of her parents all in the time it took to look down at her GPS while driving. She now goes by the name Maggie Reid and works at a spa in Vermont as a makeup artist while going to a pottery studio in her spare time. When her friend Grace’s son is accused of hacking into Twitter and school records, it ends up putting Maggie in a whirlwind of media attention that threatens to bring out the past she so desperately wants to hide from the people of small town Devon.
There was so much heart to this story and I teared up more than once. Maggie is dealing with so much guilt and my heart just ached for her and what happened. The book did take me a little bit to get into but once I did I found myself fully invested in the story. This isn’t a book that has a ton of action per say, but the story was enough to keep me reading and I loved so many characters. The characterization in Before and Again was enough that I felt connected to a lot of the characters, especially Maggie, but not to the point where I thought I was reading a bunch of unnecessary words. The book is a bit of a long one at 405 pages in the hardcover, but I think the pages go fairly quickly.
Before and Again touches on a lot of things including what a mother will do to protect her child, the guilt experienced after losing a child and you can’t forgive yourself because it’s “your fault”, being estranged from family, and rekindling a relationship after the loss of a child. This book packs a powerful punch of emotions in more ways than one.
Final Thought: I don’t really want to talk too much about the book because I think it speaks for itself. I ended up reading the blurb again when I was about 100 pages in, but for the most part I think it is fine to go into this book blind as long as you know what the basic idea of the story is. Different people with different experiences may find this book more stressful to read than others will. Either way it is a beautifully crafted story that touches on a lot of emotional topics. I look forward to reading more from Delinsky!
This is a beautiful and emotional new novel by a fantastic author. This is my first book by this author in a long time and it’s time to add her to my MUST READ list.
Maggie has started a new life for herself, far away from her life with her husband and her rich lifestyle and so called friends. She is also estranged from her mother and her only sibling. She’s moved to a small town and is busy trying to make friends and start a new life while keeping her old life hidden. The thoughts of her old life mostly come out at night when she dreams of the daughter she lost in a car accident and the subsequent divorce from her husband. As things start to change in Maggie’s life and her brother and ex-husband suddenly appear, will she be able to let go of the past and find a new path into the future?
This is a wonderful story of family and love and forgiveness – not just of others but more importantly, forgiveness of yourself. I loved Maggie and was rooting for her through the entire book, I laughed with her and I cried with her. Wonderful, wonderful book!
Thanks to the publisher for a copy of this book to read and review. All opinions are my own.
Beautifully written and tugs at the heart, as with most all of this authors books. I love the attention to detail; you really feel as if you are there in the location. Loved the characters and their growth; love and forgiveness abounds.
Barbara Delinsky has given us another five-star read in “Before and Again”! Maggie has survived the unimaginable and built a new life for herself that she loves, only to have that life become something she didn’t see coming. This must-read story has it all…loss, healing, family, friendships, love, loyalty and forgiveness. I loved it right up until the ending that I was hoping for and I think you will too!
Thank you Barbara Delinsky and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC in exchange for my honest review! (less)
Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and Barbara Delinski for the opportunity to have an ARC of “Before and Again”.
Mackenzie Cooper, a sculptor, wishes she would have been anywhere but in the car that fateful night, when she ran the stop sign causing the accident that killed her 5 year old daughter, Lily.
The DA, thought there should have been an example made of, Mackenzie. Along with the media’s help, she becomes headline news leading to the demise of her marriage and her sculpting career.
For a promise of Anonymity, she moves to Devon, a small town in Vermont. With a new name she hopes for a new start. She takes a job as a make-up artist at the local spa to help others deal with their scars.
But when her friend’s son, is thrust into the media for computer hacking of a social media blogger’s account, secrets are revealed bit by bit. Can anyone truly escape the past?
This is a first for me from Barbara Delinsky and she broke me right from the very beginning. This novel hits a mom right in the heart. It was cathartic to continue to read after that prologue and see how Maggie’s story ends. Before & Again is an emotional book with a strong story. A woman loses her child and is blamed for her death. What can she do but run away? Faced with same problem, I probably would’ve left, too.
But in the end, we all know- you can’t run or hide from your past. It all eventually catches up with Maggie, whether she likes it or not. With beautiful descriptions of Vermont and character development so raw, you feel as if you’re in the story yourself, Delinsky writes an amazing story of forgiving yourself and facing life, before you miss out on it all together.
Barbara Delinsky knows how to write a touching story that runs the gamut of emotions and Before and Again continues that tradition. This novel touched close to home for me and made me feel deep emotions that had been banked for years following the loss of my daughter 20 years ago. While this story had its own tragedy, the emotions of the characters were real. This author takes the worst loss imaginable and teaches us a lesson that life, though different, does continue. Both Edward and Maggie must come to terms with their grief and guilt, in order to move forward. This book is also about acceptance, hope and learning to love yourself. Ms. Delinsky delivers another novel that shows the vulnerability and resiliency of the human heart and the hope that love offers.
Woman (Maggie) rebuilds her life after a car crash kills her 5 yo daughter (Lily).
Five years later, she’s divorced from her husband, estranged from her family, and has started a new career as a makeup artist in a small town where no one knows her past. Even though she’s reinvented herself and made new friends, she remains unable to forgive herself for being distracted by the Maps app on her phone while driving Lily to a play date.
Before and Again asks and answers the following questions: How far would you go to help a friend Is it possible to outrun your past mistakes? Is it possible to move on before confronting the mistakes made in your past? Once confronted, how do you forgive yourself and let go?
Find out in this heartwarming story of love and forgiveness! It brought tears to my eyes several times, and its length and depth was perfect for the long, lazy days of summer.
I received an advance copy of this book. All opinions are my own.
Location: Devon, Vermont
Barbara Delinsky is a longtime favorite author of mine. I have loved all of her books, and Before and Again did not disappoint. It was engrossing…emotional…entertaining…excellent… You know it’s good when you don’t want it to end. I found myself putting off finishing it, so I could draw it out as long as possible before going into my book afterglow.
This is a novel of self examination set against the backdrop of piney woods, ski slopes, and quirky characters inhabiting the small art colony of Devon, Vermont. Ms. Delinsky has the ability to breathe life into these characters with a stroke of her keyboard. She will have you crying for them, cheering for them, rejoicing with them, and feeling as though you actually know them.
Mackenzie Cooper is a very relatable, flawed fellow human being, facing hurdles that seem almost insurmountable. She, along with what seems to be the majority of her new hometown, finds a haven of solace there amongst others with pasts they would prefer to keep hidden. But, secrets have a way of coming to the surface eventually, and demanding to be addressed. Then, and only then, can the true healing begin.
Before and Again is a book that is about a love that was lost when a child died accidentally in a car accident, divorce followed. …years later they reconnect… not a whole lot of mystery involved with this book but it is a pretty solid read.