Imagine meeting the love of your life. Now imagine only having a few months with him due to terminal illness. Autumn & Bowie have an instant connection. When Autumn learns of his illness she wants to spend every minute with him. She picks up her life and moves to another country with him and his large family. This is a story of love, grief and learning to live after such a profound loss.
I think the author did a good job balancing resilience and heartache. We learned all the reasons life had jaded Autumn but she still remained optimistic.
Before You Say Goodbye explores relationships and the challenges faced. How easily we can take those around us for granted and hurt the ones we love most.
Thanks you NetGalley for the opportunity to review and provide my honest opinion.

Oh this book just melted my heart on all levels!! It was fabulous! I loved the characters and the storyline. Such a great read

I truly did try to get through this book. Unfortunately for me, very quickly I discovered it’s extremely feminist throughout. To the point where it’s radical views takeover the storyline and project upon the reader. I am not trying to yuck anyone’s yum but it was not my type of read.

TLDR: truly truly truly insufferable

These characters are the most annoying people. So woke it hurts to read. It feels like Sarah wrote a book for the sole purpose of making sure everyone knows she’s radically left. I feel like even if I agreed with the opinions of these characters I’d still be annoyed, because the WHOLE FIRST CHAPTER is these women going back and forth about feminism, veganism, sexism, immigration, and sex over and over and over. Not in a fun way to read but in a “let me beat you over the head with this” way. They have a conversation about how they “have to end friendships” because they disagree on something political… literally grow up. If someone disagreeing with you hurts you so bad you need to end a friendship maybe don’t have friends. Maybe go to therapy. Maybe look at yourself and think am I as accepting of others as I preach. Maybe understand that people are more than the opinions they hold. It’s giving elementary schooler who was never told no throws a tantrum. Plus the amount of times this book said “privilege” in this first chapter alone. Killing me. Because everyone else has privilege but me. But I got my coffee for free, and am able to manipulate men, but that’s unrelated. Anyway, It is not how I’d start a book if I wanted people to keep reading. Chapter 4 at 16% is where I finally give up after another (probably 4th or fifth at this point) conversation about the woes of men wanting monogamy, weaponized femininity, and holier than thou veganism. If you have a political point you want to make, maybe try nuance and poise in prose rather than beating a dead horse over and over with the same baseless conversation between characters. I don’t regret dnfing this book and I don’t regret the negative review, even if it limits the books I receive as arcs. If you want to not allow me the opportunity to read your arc because of this review, I implore you to try and read this book yourself. Much love, thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read this arc and for allowing me the freedom of an honest review.

This was insufferable. I spent the entire time cringing. Too woke.

So this book starts out with a self proclaimed feminist attempting to trick a man into buying her coffee because she doesn’t have any money to pay for it herself, assuming he’s a straight man and will therefore give in to her, but then two seconds later judges him for a gender-based microaggression 🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️

The commentary is just awful, the characters talk like they are robots. I also can’t stand when female authors write about casual sex knowing how detrimental it is to women’s mental health, not to mention STDs. But literally every character in this book is a vegan and we all know that vegans don’t care about their health.

If I could give this zero stars then I would.

Before You Say Goodbye by Sarah Gate is a diatribe on femininism, veganism and so much more. There is so much potential here, but the characters are unlikeable because they're constantly lecturing each other on everything. So much repetition that the novel gets bogged down. I struggled through to the end just to see I what I thought would happen do, and because it was so obvious what the conclusion would be, I wasn't surprised. Read if you want to be beaten over the head with feminism and veganism among other things. Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for an ARC of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

No. Just no. The synopsis showed such promise but this is so far left/woke/radical feminist that I just couldn't do it. Ending relationships due to differing political views is ridiculously immature and I wholeheartedly wish that wasn't a thing in today's world. The characters in this book did just that to an extreme level. The first chapter alone killed me with shoving certain views down the reader's throat. Just avoid this book.

The start didn’t appeal to me. I did keep trying but didn’t find the characters believable or the prose engaging. So I couldn’t continue. Sorry this one was really not for me. It wouldn’t be fair to say more as I didn’t finish it.

I'm not sure how to review honestly. It just wasn't for me. I had a hard time with it. It was hard to get through. It's very feminist, far left agenda. I can't provide anything more.

Did not enjoy the storyline or the pacing and I think due the writing that the trope really did not work for me and wasn't my cup of tea.

What an incredible story I was instantly drawn into it and couldn’t stop reading it. I loved the characters and how Bowie’s family just took Autumn in giving her what she needed without even knowing it. You get to see what an incredible bond twins have and how hard it is when one passes. Though you also see the gears turning as Bowie puts together this last act of death. I cried several times while reading this book and I don’t really cry over books so well done Sarah. This book was exactly what I needed to read at this time and I look forward to reading more from this author.

A Heartbreaking story about family, friendship, losing someone and going on with life again. Autumn never thought than meeting a perfect stranger in a coffee shop one morning will changer her life forever. Bluebell eventually became her best friend and rope her into her family. She wasn’t ready to open her heart to love fiercely even knowing the pain associated. But ultimately, she found a family, a man to love and a future she never dreamed of.

I just could not get into this book at all.
I wasn't keen on the characters either or the story.
Sorry just not for me.
Thanks Netgallery

A Heartfelt Journey of Love and Loss

Sarah Gate’s Before You Say Goodbye is an emotional masterpiece that beautifully explores the complexities of love, grief, and healing. The story follows characters who are deeply intertwined by tragedy, their lives irrevocably changed. Gate’s prose is both delicate and powerful, drawing readers into a world of raw emotion and profound connection.

What sets this novel apart is its ability to capture the nuances of grief and the enduring power of human spirit. The characters are complex and relatable, their journeys of heartbreak and hope resonating deeply. Gate's exploration of the complexities of relationships and the choices we make is thought-provoking and poignant.

Before You Say Goodbye is a testament to the human capacity for love and resilience. It’s a book that stays with you long after the final page, leaving a lasting impression on your heart and mind.

I tried, I really tried, I wanted a story of loss, loss, grief, and found family but unfortunately, that good plot got bogged down in a lot of commentary. I'm always up for a discussion of veganism and feminism but this became tiresome quickly. Thanks for the ARC. I'm sure others will enjoy it.

This is a novel about finding love, yet also ultimately about loss and grief. We meet Autumn who has discovered her soulmate, the brother of her dear friend. Autumn is a solitary soul, a writer. She encounters a reserved musician named Bowie while in New York. Unlike her common practice of love them and leave them, Autumn and Bowie fall quickly and fiercely in love. However, not everyone is blessed with a fairy tale ending. Bowie disappears, only to return with the news that he has a terminal illness, with only six months to live.

In an instant, Autumn's life is turned upside down. Does Autumn continue the relationship? Does she choose to leave New York for England (the place she has vowed never to return to) in order to spend Bowie's remaining days with her and with his unconventional family? Throughout the summer, the choices Autumn make, will aid her in moving forward despite experiencing heartbreak and loss.

This story was not quite what I expected, however it was lovely. Yes, there was a focus of some conversations about feminism and vegan lifestyles, but that was definitely not the premise of the story. These were topics that brought Autumn to connect with Bluebell, Bowie's sister, and ultimately the family as a whole. In fact, a lot of sensitive topics were dealt with including assisted suicide, sexual assault, abandonment issues, grief and loneliness. among others I definitely felt a connection to the characters. Sarah created imperfect people who grow together over the course of the book. As a reader, I don't have to agree with the choices made along the way, but I appreciate the learning, development, and life changes that ultimately tells the purpose of the story.. I loved how fiercely this family loved, even if it was at times toxic, and how they treated Autumn like one of their own. I loved how Autumn grew as a person and as a member of a family unit. This book was cerebral as well as emotionally heavy, but I feel better for having read it. Thank you to NetGalley and Joffe Books for an advanced reader copy.

I do enjoy a good romance book. I wish I liked Before You Say Goodbye more, but it just didn’t do it for me. It wasn’t horrible, but it definitely wasn’t the best book I’ve ever ever read. This would be one that you could skip.

I wish the author had written an epic love story *just* between Autumn & Bowie. And left it at that. Because there was great potential there.

I've read 'love triangle' trope books regarding 2 brothers before and i usually love the angst and emotional drama this brings, but as I was reading (and could see where this was going) I spent the whole time hoping it wouldn't!

I do want to say though, that I thought the author did a great job of showing the devastation that is to loose someone you love. Grief is a very personal journey and I can absolutely see where the author was going with this. The execution just wasn't great for me.

Sarah's book presents a narrative that heavily emphasizes a radical left perspective, making it difficult to enjoy for readers of varying viewpoints. The characters are portrayed as exceedingly annoying, with the dialogue feeling more like an incessant lecture than a narrative flow. From the opening chapter, the focus is overwhelmingly on topics like feminism, veganism, sexism, immigration, and sex, but the discussion is executed in a relentless and repetitious manner. It feels as though the author is intent on hammering these ideas into the reader, rather than allowing the story to unfold naturally. This approach detracts from the reading experience, making it less enjoyable and more of a chore to get through.

Furthermore, the characters' extreme reactions to political disagreements, such as ending friendships over differing opinions, come off as immature and lacking in perspective. This portrayal suggests an unrealistic level of intolerance and fails to acknowledge the complexity of human relationships. It would have been more impactful to explore these themes with nuance and depth, showing that people are multifaceted beyond their political views. A more balanced approach could have made the book more accessible and engaging, allowing readers to reflect on the issues presented without feeling overwhelmed or alienated.