After having read a previous book by this author my expectation were high and I was not disappointed.

Dani meets Lucy, the mom of her son's best friend. She's intrigued by this shy woman and when they start talking, a connection is formed.

I'm gonna be honest I was expecting a slow burn so imagine my surprise I did not have to wait too long to see these two act on their feelings.

The story was well paced and I liked the interaction with the boys and the exes. Breaking up is hard and throw some kids in the mix and it becomes complicated but something you're gonna have to deal with.

An ARC was provided to me via Netgalley in return of an honest review.

Really enjoyed this book about two characters coming together to work through issues at home that are showing up in their children’s classroom. As the character navigate solving their children’s issues they learn to help each other in the biggest of ways by finding love in the process

Dani Raye is still trying to figure out her new normal after her recent divorce and co-parenting for her young son. During yet another trivial issue at her son’s school she meets fellow mum Lucy, who is struggling with her own personal life; both women find an ease with one another almost instantly and the way that they both put their children above everyone else.
I loved the way that McGeown writes how divorce or separation can affect the child within the family unit because sometimes, especially in romance, this can be left behind slightly. Personally for me the pacing wasn’t consistent throughout but by that point I was invested in the MCs, especially Lucy, and wanted to know how things would work out as both women made some big decisions. The one tiny detail I didn’t like initially was the way Dani is hypercritical and assuming things about Lucy and how she explores her sexuality but I liked the way that Lucy rounds her harsh edges that have been left after her previous breakup. Overall a sweet but gritty, sapphic romance about rebuilding yourself for the better.

Disclaimer: I received a gifted copy of this book and am leaving my review voluntarily.
I am slowly but surely working through my advanced reader's copies...
First: what I didn't like. The biphobia from both Dani and Catriona. They both assume Lucy is straight/just experimenting, and that she has been with a woman before, just because she was with a man before she was with Dani. Bisexual and pansexual women exist, and it is inherently harmful to assume that Lucy isn't a sapphic woman. It comes off as invalidating, and as a bisexual person I have experienced this. It doesn't matter if someone has never slept with the same gender before--they're still LGBTQ+. Even Lucy's ex is judgmental, immediately jumping to assuming she's a lesbian. That being said, this is the only complaint I have.
I'm a sucker for a good sapphic slow burn. Every time Dani and Lucy fought it made my heart hurt. I was rooting for them when they first met. I was worried this would be one of those books that doesn't have a happy ending. This is something I've come across a lot with sapphic books. There's nothing wrong with a sad ending, but it is something that gets old, and I'm glad I was wrong with that assumption.
This book does something I don't see often as well--it portrays how hard it is on the child when parents get a divorce. Jonah and Ryan both feel the tension in the room when their parents are fighting. I know it was really hard for me when my parents split up, and I was a year or so older than they were. It handles it eloquently, and I appreciate that even though the kids aren't main characters, their feelings are described.
I also like that the title of the book is mentioned in the story, in a Lucy chapter.
The ending of the story is tied together well, and I'm thankful for the opportunity to read this.

3 stars. Dani Raye had a messy divorce and wants nothing more than to just take car of her son. That is until she meets Lucy Matthews, a mother of Dani's son's best friend. Dani cannot seem to stay ways to Lucy and Lucy is giving off vibes that she is also into Dani. They both know they should not be entering a relationship, but cannot help b ut want to be with each other.

I enjoyed this one but it was not my favorite. I thought it was an easy read, but some of the drama near the end was not the best. I idd not like how this story ended. It was good up to a certain point, and then it got a little harder to read. If i thought the book overall was good, I would have given it a better rating. The characters until about 60% had a pretty good development and I thought this one was a lot better.

I really loved this book. I liked both characters and I liked the situation they were in - I thought it was easy to identify with and recognize real life in. I really liked the character of Catriona and thought she was written particularly well. If I had any criticism it would be that it didn’t feel long enough- the book felt over almost before it had started! I guess that’s a good thing !!

Overall an easy read and ended up liking both the MCs. Also liked how coparenting and friendship between the kids were highlighted. Plus the portrayal of infidelity and lust weren’t cringeworthy at all.

However, it did feel like the story was a bit too jumpy at the beginning. So much so that I couldn’t really grasp how the MCs seemed to have had overwhelming lust and affection towards each other already.

But I did connect w the characters by midpoint, especially as their stories and traumas were shared. If you’re looking for a story that talks about cheating, rebuilding trust and navigating life w a broken family, this is a read for that.

I received this ARC by NetGalley and Bold Strokes Books in exchange for an honest review.

Before She Was Mine is a charming little story coming from Emma L McGeown. Dani is a single divorced mother and Lucy is a mother but not single.

This was an interesting read but it was also a little bit bumpy. Character wise, both are cute mains and the author does do a good job and representing life with kids in a short space of time.

But there are some questionable things, for starters why did Lucy keep acting like her and Matt were married? I guess yeah, they’d been together for a long time so breaking up wouldn’t be the easiest thing but it just kept bothering me how she acted like they were legally married.

Dani was also a bit annoying with her assumptions showing no growth of this by the end though I wasn’t expecting anything substantial in the first place since it’s a short book.

Overall idea, the book is pretty drama heavy and forced. Characters making problems out of things that shouldn’t be problems and this would’ve been fine, if only Lucy and Dani got more breathing room. It seemed like so many of their interactions were filled with nervousness and untouched tension about the reality of their new relationship that each of these interactions felt stifled.

They did manage to be their own characters and they did have chemistry but it was just one drama to another.

I received an ARC from Netgalley in exchanged for an honest review

A wonderful new adult sapphic novel. Dani recently split from his ex-wife, with whom he has a son. Lucy is in a complicated relationship with her husband who is cheating on her, and consequently affecting life indoors for her son Ryan. Their sons are friends at school, where Lucy and Dani meet, and instantly fall in love.

I personally looove Dani and Lucy romance, but sometimes I found Dani hypocritical when she said she didn't want to be the person who cheated and in the end it kind of ended up being. Lucy's husband,even though he was the one who betrayed her first, he ends up being more mature than her. Dani's ex wife is a bitch, she is arrogant, stupid and ignorant. And I'm glad Dani ended up with Lucy .

Set in the suburbs of Northern Ireland, this ‘second chance at love’ novel follows Dani and Lucy: two mothers who have grown apart from their first love after starting a family. Dani, divorced and in her thirties. Lucy, in a complicated open-relationship in her mid-twenties.

I found both women likeable and personable in their own ways and could easily differentiate the voice behind each of them. Their experiences with each of their sons added to the story without taking away from our main characters. The story of how they found each other and how the romance between them grew was enjoyable. There were a couple important facets of the story that slowed down the read for me.

Lucy’s relationship with her son’s father was confusing and hard to follow at times, and the penultimate scene that led to the climax of the book felt forced and unnecessary from what I’d come to believe about Lucy’s relationship. I understood what McGeown was going for with the internal struggle Dani faced while being with Lucy. At times, it didn’t feel quite so seamless unfortunately.

From a literary perspective, I also felt the story dragged its feet due to extra exposition following interactions between Lucy and Dani. These sections of introspection could be helpful to understand what Dani or Lucy was thinking. However, usually the prior scene had enough context that an explanation was not necessary.

A strength of switching between two main characters is that the reader can see one woman’s point-of-view without the other and be left in the dark for a period of time. This anticipation to uncover what that character, and subsequently, the reader is missing can be compelling. Before She Was Mine capitalized on this, but often, revealed the unknown in the very next chapter instead of leaving the suspense sit for a bit. This is a minor critique, however.

I still enjoyed the read and had many smile-worthy moments. Before She Was Mine was a refreshing adult story with relatable themes and charming characters.

I received an ARC from Bold Strokes Books through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read and review this book before release.

I instantly loved this this book from chapter one.
Dani and Lucy are so loveable and I adore them together. Plus their chemistry is amazing.
Both of them feel so real. It’s rare for me to get so emotional and attached to characters but both I am to both Dani and Lucy.

This book was just perfect to me.

It’s been a very long time since I’ve loved a book so strongly and I can’t wait to dive into the rest of Emma’s books soon!

This is a story about Dani Raye who has 6year old son and is divorced from Catriona. Lucy Mathew’s has a six year old son as well and the two boys are best friends. Lucy’s boyfriend Matt wants an open relationship and is seeing another woman. Both women meet in the principals office and have instant attraction.
Dani tries to hold her self back but can’t stop thinking about Lucy.

This book was very much like real life and an easy read. I especially liked Dani’s character and but thought Lucy took advantage of her. The side characters were all very well done and brought good context to the story.

This was my first McGeown book and I will read more of her work in the future.

ARC received from Net Galley for an honest and voluntary review.

•About: Dani and Lucy- two moms going through recent separations/bad relationships. Their worlds collide when their boys (who are friends) have a scuffle at school. Upon the quick resolution of that misunderstanding, the two moms begin planning play dates just to get more time together. Between their pasts, someone is bound to bring drama and potentially ruin their chance before it even begins…

•Feelings: This is Emma McGeown’s third book and my first of hers, but I was pleased with how much I enjoyed her writing style. Rather than focus solely on the romantic love aspect, this story also showcases two mothers who would do absolutely anything to ensure their child’s happiness, even if that means jeopardizing their own. Having sons myself, the mother/son bonds touched my heart 🥹
I would have enjoyed more of Dani/Lucy dating, it seemed as though their feelings were rather rushed and they didn’t ever get much time to be alone and enjoying dating. Other than that, it was a a great story of overcoming fear of unknowns, coparenting, and going after what you want and what makes you happy. ❤️

Thank you @netgalley and @boldstrokesbooks for this digital copy!

Before She Was Mine is a cute romance that follows Lucy and Dani. Dani is a divorced mom who splits custody with her cheating ex-wife. She's finally started to move on when she meets Lucy, the mother of Dani's son's best friend. Sparks fly fast, but there's one major problem-Lucy is still in a relationship with her son's father.

This book was a quick read and fun romance. I thought it was almost a little too short at times though and that the relationships could have been expanded on. I did enjoy reading this book though.

*I received this book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.*

Thank you Emma L McGeown and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review
The main centre of this book are characters Dani and Lucy. Both of them have their own struggles they need to overcome. Dani is divorced with her son Jonah and co-parent him with her ex-wife. Lucy is having issues with her boyfriend Matt while having an open relationship. But later they both find their ways to fall in love with each other. While trying to prevent their own sons who were having troubles, Lucy's and Dani's bond starts to spark up. Their bond is beautiful yet painful.
Their characters are complex and not flat which I adored. It really showed their own problems and them trying prevent their families from getting hurt which could be frustrating for the reader but also acceptable. It highlights infidelity and co-parenting which I have not seen in lgbt+ books yet. It could be helpful for others to understand what it is like for others.
Overall, I enjoyed this book which was pretty short and quick read. I adored the side characters especially Nathan, Lucy's brother. Their bond was natural and appealing. I would definitely recommend to others to read it.
Trigger warnings: infidelity, biphobia, cancer

Really good story. The relationship between Dani and Lucy was really cute it started out as friends first, because of their sons friendship from school. I liked that this was a slow burn to romance book and that it dealt with how each character navigated their home situations. Dani is divorced and co parenting with her ex Catriona. And, Lucy has a son with her longtime boyfriend. This was a bit complicated at times, but the author made it work and I couldn't stop reading. The supporting characters were well written and helped to move this story forward. I especially liked how the kids were all in on their moms romance together, even though in real life it rarely happens this way, but we're allowed to dream. I would definitely recommend this to my friends and family and I look forward to what's next from this author

This was a very quick and easy read. It was hard to decide who to root for. Very fun adult lgbt book! Thank you netgalley

A quick and easy read, I devoured this book in 2 sittings. It highlights the realities of divorce, infidelity and co-parenting (topics I’ve never really delved into when reading before) while navigating the blossoming new romance between the main characters, Dani and Lucy. It was refreshing to read a story about two women finding love. However, it felt a bit rushed at the beginning of the book and I didn’t fully feel invested in their lust towards each other until later on. I did enjoy overall though!

There is a lot to like in this book. I enjoyed the family aspect and the inclusion of successful co-parenting after a break up. There’s a clever exploration of infidelity and the difficulties of only seeing absolutes. The children are written well too. I found the sudden shift to the other character’s voice a bit jarring, but it makes sense once you keep reading and you realise the story is going to shift between the two women. For me, Dani works better than Lucy, partly because Dani is written as a more rounded character and Lucy’s feelings about her sexuality are glossed over a bit.

Lucy and Dani meet at the school principal when their son's get into a play yard disagreement. Dani is a happily single divorcee not really looking for anything and Lucy is coming to terms with the end of her relationship. They can't seem to stop wanting to be around each other and one thing leads to the next as they do.
I have enjoyed McGeown's previous books but unfortunately this one didn't quite hit the mark for me. I liked the characters and they did have lots of chemistry together. I'd have loved to see a bit more of Lucy's parents as they seem to be amusing in the couple of scenes they are in. The characters do spend a lot of time together and their kids added some fun to the story too. There's a lot to like in this book. I really did not like Lucy's very vague relationship status and the chaos it created felt false. I don't love books that have cheating and didn't realize this one would. It felt like a character who was cheated on like Dani was would have been a bit more leery about the vague separation that Lucy was talking about. There were also a few late revelations that put everything into a jumble right at the end and their resolution felt rushed since they came so late in the book. It was an ok read but just didn't quite click for me. Check out McGeown's Aurora, that book will keep me coming back to any future books she releases.