‘For fans of Jodi Picoult and Liane Moriarty, this book is an intense page-turner… a book that you won’t be able to put down until the very last page. It’s awesome, read it!’ Our Grand LifeA new home can be a happy ending. Or a fresh start. Or a hiding place…Of all the emotions single mother Kate Jones feels as she walks into her brand new house on Parkview Road, hope is the most unexpected. … house on Parkview Road, hope is the most unexpected. She has changed her name and her daughter’s, and moved across the country to escape the single mistake that destroyed their lives.
Kate isn’t the only woman on the street starting afresh. Warm, whirlwind Gisela with her busy life and confident children, and sharp, composed Sally, with her spontaneous marriage and high-flying career, are the first new friends Kate has allowed herself in years. Whilst part of her envies their seemingly perfect lives, their friendship might help Kate to leave her guilt behind.
Until one day, everything changes. Kate is called to the scene of a devastating car accident, the consequences of which will test everything the women thought they knew about each other, and themselves.
Can Kate stop her own secrets from unravelling, or was her hope for a new life in vain?
From the bestselling author of The Silent Wife, The Woman I Was Before is a book about the things we hide from those closest to us – and the terrible consequences that keeping those secrets can have. Perfect for fans of Jodi Picoult, Liane Moriarty and Diane Chamberlain.
Readers love The Woman I Was Before:
‘It’s been a long time since I read a whole book in 24 hours but there was no way I was putting down The Woman I Was Before. No one writes complex, painful family love like Kerry Fisher. Real and raw but funny too. Loved it!’ Iona Grey, author of Letters to the Lost
‘Wow, what a corker of a novel… exactly the sort of novel that creeps into your life and you don’t want to put down… will keep you turning the pages, anxiously, excitedly and soon to reach a thrilling conclusion.’ Goodreads Reviewer, 5 stars
‘Loved it!!!! Fell in love with the characters, so real and relatable.’ Goodreads Reviewer, 5 stars
‘I was absolutely smitten with this book! I enjoyed it from the first page to the last.’ Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars
‘I loved this book – I lost my whole Sunday reading – just couldn’t put it down!’ Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars
‘Kate’s secret, when revealed, is gut-wrenching… An excellent read.’ Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars
‘A cracking character-driven story that enthralled me.’ Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars
‘5 stars! Kerry Fisher has once again nailed it with this fantastic book about how our lives may not really be as wonderful as we like to present them on social media.’ Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars
‘This is the first book I’ve read by Ms Fisher and I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it! It sucked me in from the beginning!’ Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars
‘Wives and mothers have an inexplicable need to use social media to share cozy snapshots and smart hash-tags that give the sense of a bright and shiny life. Kerry Fisher writes an endearing story about what really happens outside of the photo frame for women who are dealing with the challenges life brings. A wonderful read.’ Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars
‘There are secrets galore, some big, some bigger. Very well done!’ Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars
‘Absolutely loved this book.’ Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars
‘An excellent read.’ NetGalley Reviewer, 5 stars
‘I enjoyed every page.’ NetGalley Reviewermore
Oh my heart! SO Good!
Wonderfully Complex characters living The Life, or are they? That is the question answered in this fantastic story of social media overdrive. Loved it!
Who doesn’t like a book where the characters harbor secrets? Loved the three very different women who live on the same street and create online presences that vary greatly from their lives. This isn’t sad but it sure does make you think!
I love Kerry Fisher and the way she creates characters in her books! This was no exception. The women and the world she creates is real. Check it out!
https://notenoughtimeforbooks.blogspot.com/2019/02/the-woman-i-was-before-by-kerry-fisher.html
This book was not what I expected…I loved it! It is so relatable, especially about Facebook and it’s effects
I couldn’t put it down. I stayed up late one night to finish it because I had to see how it ended. Very realistic and a great description of the neighbors persona and what is really going on at home.
I enjoyed this book very much because it is a book about the goings on today. 3 women in the neighborhood become friends and follow the posts on social media of each other. There is sometimes jealousy because of the post because the person’s life is so much better than theirs. But as time goes on they begin to find out what you see on Facebook isn’t the reality, it is the portrayal of what each of them wants the others to believe. As reality slowly comes to light, they learn a lot about themselves and each other.
In many ways, the book is a reminder for all of us that what is posted on social media is only what someone wants to portray themselves as. Get to know the person by actually visiting each other, having coffee, drinks, barbecues, or just get together. When the facts come out, it can bring not only the characters but each of us, a bond we wouldn’t know otherwise.
I used to be on Facebook quite a bit but have used it very rarely in quite a while. I missed the face to face company, and when you sit down with someone, you can feel the emotions, the bond that you have. Social media has a place in our lives, but I think it also still needs human interaction and this book portrays the world today. I like this authors storyline and the way she tells the story. I am going to read another one of her books. She is a new author to me and I would recommend her.
It’s been a long time since I read a whole book in 24 hours but there was no way I was putting down The Woman I Was Before. No one writes complex, painful family love like Kerry Fisher. Real and raw but funny too. Loved it!
This is my first Kerry Fischer book. I had no idea what I was getting myself into! I figured it would be an easy read I could enjoy and read fairly quickly. That however was not the case. The complexities of the characters, and the way it bounces between the three very different women, kept me on my toes. The way social media portrays one thing, yet their lives are the completely opposite is a fitting description of today’s society and the way we only show people what we want them to see. They don’t dig deeper, beneath the layers of food pics, family pics and random nonsense. They assume everyone else has it together, the perfect life, the perfect children and the perfect husbands. That however slowly begins to change, when secrets are revealed, the curtain is lifted and reality shines through. One woman confides her truth, letting it free her and open her up to what her life could truly become if she steps away from the nonsense and takes what she really wants. Another continues to fake it all until the bottom drops and all she ever knew comes to an end. Can she pick up the pieces? Will the last woman find.the strength to let the world see who she truly is, to love again and finally forgive herself and be free? Definitely a five star must read for the year. Any one who loves a page turner that will leave you guessing will most certainly enjoy it!
Is the grass greener on the other side of the fence?
If you believe everything you read on Facebook posted by your ‘friends’, it is! Or so believe Kate, Gisele and Sally, three neighbors who meet in their gated community. Two post constantly, about their so-called perfect lives. The other is at the other end of the spectrum…closed, distant, keeping everyone at arms length. They build slow friendships, eventually confiding their darkest secrets in each other, and becoming the people they always were meant to be.
This is the first book I’ve read by Ms Fisher and I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it! It sucked me in from the beginning! Written in three voices, you come to know each of the women very well, but not immediately. The author unfolds their stories slowly, so we get to know them at all different points in the story and see the changes in them, their personal relationships and their friendship. All three women are relatable on some level. The trust that is developed between these three women, is beautiful and mature.
Thanks to the Ms. Fisher, Bookouture and Net Galley for this ARC. Opinions are my own!
#perfectmom #perfectlife #lie
Wives and mothers have an inexplainable need to use social media to share cozy snapshots and smart hash-tags that give the sense of a bright and shiny life. Kerry Fisher writes an endearing story about what really happens outside of the photo frame for women who are dealing with the challenges life brings.
Three households in the same neighborhood with three distinctly different women. Kate, Gisele and Sally all have one thing in common, they are constantly measuring their own success against the seeming perfection of their neighbors. As the story unfolds these three women face very different struggles. Each comes to understand that the perfect Facebook photos do not always tell the real story.
A wonderful read.
Five hundred twenty five thousand six hundred minutes… Yes, I’m blatantly stealing from RENT, because this book – featuring (roughly) a year in the life of three women who randomly move in to the same block on the same weekend brought out those vibes for me. It also harkens to fellow Amazon publishing colleague Emily Bleeker’s 2020 book What It Seems in that this is another look at how “reality” according to social media… rarely turns out to be actual reality. (Ha! Another RENT reference :D) Another strong look at the various damages secrets can wreak, though its portrayal of childless people was at times a bit extreme. Ultimately a well written story of several interweaving lives, and very much recommended.
A brilliantly written story about friendship, perceptions, burdens, resilience, love, and new beginnings. A bit slow to start but I was invested before long and then didn’t want it to end. Excellent narration!
A story of three very different women, each suddenly navigating various challenges and seasons of change that they unexpectedly find themselves in. It’s worth reading to the end. 🙂
Excellent story line. Very true to life.
The 3 women in this book all move in with their families to new houses in the same neighborhood. There are underlying problems in all their lives but eventually they become friends & learn to trust each other. Life takes twists & turns but for the most part a happily ever after.
I loved this book. It is in a contemporary setting and each woman’s life is chronicled as being perfect on her Face Book post. Their real lives, however are a completely different story. Each woman has painful secrets that are hidden but are slowly revealed as you read the book. I don’t want to give away too much of the story, but it is complex and hard to put down.
not my interest level
Another page turner by Kerry Fisher. I was hooked from the first chapter and couldn’t put it down. Reclusive single mom Kate has a dark secret she’s been running from for years. From their social media posts, neighbors Gisela and Sally both seemed to have it all. But appearances can be deceiving. As all their lives unravel in different ways, secrets are revealed and they ultimately find strength and support in their connection.
Brilliant! Absolutely lived this book.