Omg talk about a roller coaster read wow this book kept me on the edge of my seat threw out I just couldn't put it down this writer keeps you hooked and once your hooked your not letting go I found this book thrilling the characters were fantastic and well thought out and the little clues all the way threw keep you guessing until the end this book stays with you long after you close the book this book is well worth the read I promise you wont be disappointed

Before I was yours
Magically written. Sensitive, beautiful, and your pull into the plot ..you will need your tissue . Your be hooked on the story i was there with them wow the end had me tears i just love how it was written so beautiful . I recommended.to you all it a lovely read

Unfortunately, I have not been able to read and review this book.

After losing and replacing my broken Kindle and getting a new phone I was unable to download the title again for review as it was no longer available on Netgalley.

I’m really sorry about this and hope that it won’t affect you allowing me to read and review your titles in the future.

Thank you so much for giving me this opportunity.
Natalie.

This was an emotional story that deserves 5 stars!! You want to read this book when you are alone. The story deals with adoption & what you go through for a child you have wanted for so long.

I just loved Before I Was Yours.
A great insight into the struggles some families face with adoption.
A great read that was hard to put down.

As in previous books Virginia Macgregor treats a delicate subject (adoption) with sensitivity and insight.. As an adoptive mother myself I appreciated the uncertainty which surrounds the process - will the biological parent try to reclaim the child, what is the medical history within the biological family., will I bond with the child, inter-racial and cultural conflict? Even more poignantly this story touches on the very current topic of child trafficking and the ongoing stuggle agsinst poverty and disease in Africa. Happily in this story, the child and biological mother are reunited and their plight, which caused the separation, is eased by outside intervention..

Really enjoyed this book, and original story that covered very sensitive issues. Beautifully written.

I did not finish the book. I stopped reading it before 100 pages.

I like this story a lot. The story of a couple, Sam and Rosie, who have given up. They can't have children so they are going to adopt. That wasn't working so well for them either. They were positioned to have two different children which fell through both times.

Now, they have a chance with Jonah. An seven year old boy from Kenya who has a special, very different background from the rest of the children at the foster home. He was found at the airport alone and he won't tell anyone anything about where is from.

I loved Jonah in this book. I felt so sorry for him. Rosie was constantly getting on my nerves, but that was just her character. A woman who wanted a child so bad that she would overcome all obstacles including her husband.

A great read that I thoroughly enjoyed and sped right through. I had to know what happened to Jonah, Rosie & Sam. Poignant and emotional.

Thanks to Little, Brown Book Group and Net Galley for providing me with a free e-galley in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.

This is a lovely though sometimes very sad story. Rosie and Sam long to have a child and have now accepted that they need to adopt. At an adoption day they are introduced to Jonah, age 7 from Kenya. They decide to adopt Jonah and both fall in love with the adorable yet serious little boy. Jonah was brought into London by a man he calls "Mister Sir" who was a friend of his mums. Jonah doesn't talk about his life in Kenya or his mum. When a shocking discovery is made about Jonah, the little family will need all their strength to survive. Will they get the happy ending they deserve? Read on!

Before I Was Yours is a wonderful book covering the subjects of adoption and motherhood and told through the main 4 characters: Jonah – a 7 year old boy from Kenya who finds himself abandoned in London; Rosie – a married midwife whose dream to have children of her own has been crushed and is desperate to adopt, Sam – Rosie’s husband who will do anything to make Rosie happy even putting her needs before his and Trudi – the social worker responsible for Jonah and determined to find him a loving family.

Little Jonah literally melted my heart – he is the sweetest, most-polite young “True English Gentleman” and his loyalty, belief and love towards his birth mother is so moving and heartbreaking. This emotional story explains all the complications and complexities of adopting a young child and is sympathetically and believably told through all the main characters.

A beautiful, powerful and emotional story of 1 little boy and his 2 mothers. Prepare to be fully swept up in the world of Jonah and feel your heartstrings get pulled in every direction hoping for a “happy ending” for everyone involved.

[book:Before I Was Yours|31282536] is a book which deals with a number of very serious issues, including IVF, adoption, cancer and HIV. Sounds heavy listed like that but the author has a light touch and tells her character's stories in a sensitive way.
It was easy to start to care for the characters. Jonah was so lost and confused I wanted to give him a hug. Rosie and Sam took turns to be the most irritating but eventually managed to have a conversation and end up on the same page. There was a whole list of side characters too who all played their parts including a very intelligent three legged cat.
Occasionally the story wandered slightly into something less than real - just a little unbelievable - but overall this is a very readable family drama. Four stars for me:)

Loved this book! Wasn't sure at first but it really picked up and drew me right in!!! Great read!!!!

This is by far one of the best books I have read in a long time. The story of Sam and Rosie Keep and the children they've always longed for, and how far they will go in order to have and keep hold of the child they love.

This is a story that is packed full of heart-wrenching emotion, alternating between the points of view of Sam and Rosie, and seven-year old Jonah. The way the perspective alternates is really effective in putting across the strength of the emotion in this situation, for all involved. You can't have but feel completely invested in the plight of the family, and you feel yourself rooting for the happy ending. In some books you can tell exactly which way the story is going to pan out, but this one kept me guessing right until the end. A truly gripping read and written so very well. Highly recommended!

I read this novel whilst on vacation just recently. Talk about pulling at the heartstrings! I happened to be on a coach tour, which wasn't the best place to read such an emotional book.

I have a few friends that have adopted and each had a sad story to tell. One was about the same age as Jonah and things were very difficult for the first few years. Even to the point of nearly giving up. Fast forward, he is the son that would make any parent proud.

An excellent read and one of those hard to put down books. It is the first time that i have read any novels by this author and is a name that i shall be watching out for in the future. I am not going to write what happens in the story, as i do not wish to spoil for others, but i do highly recommend.

My thanks to Netgalley and the Publishers. This is my honest review.

My review can be seen on Goodreads and Amazon.

This book captured my heart, I found myself saying just one more chapter over and over again into the night I didn't want it to end. Will be thinking of this one for a while I think.

Virginia Macgregor has a deceptively simple style that draws you in. She has an uncanny way of getting into the head of young children and writing believable and heartfelt stories that make you want to give the characters a big hug. I absolutely adored the portrayal of Jonah and felt Sam and Rosie's pain in struggling to have children.

Although the story centres around Jonah, Sam and Rosie, Macgregor introduces a wide variety of characters who play their part and have their own distinct voices. From Jonah's beloved Mama to social worker Trudi and policeman Peter, I loved them all.

Another 5* gem from Virginia Macgregor with some heartfelt moments and insights into the difficult world of adopting a child with an unknown background...

Actually 4.5 stars but I have rounded up.
Having read and enjoyed What Milo Saw and The Astonishing Return of Norah Wells, also by this author, I knew what I was getting myself into when I started this one. Also a little nervous as she had already set the bar quite high. Not long through this book, I saw any concerns I might have had fly away as I immersed myself totally into the lives of the characters and the story that ensued.
We follow as Mister Sir accompanies 7 year old Jonah from his home in Africa to live with an Aunt in England. We watch as he realises that there is no Aunt and follow him as he abandons Jonah in the airport arrivals lounge.
We then meet Sam and Rosie. desperate for a child but unable to have one of their own despite trying several rounds of IVF. They have now gone down the route of adoption and, as we meet them, they are having the initial interviews and preparations that are necessary before they can start to meet children at the open days that are arranged.
Long story short and Jonah is placed with Sam and Rosie and the rest of the book deals with what happened next. A what happened next that made me laugh, made me cry, made me angry and pretty much all the other emotions available as things didn't really go according to plan (understatement!) and hard, very hard, decisions needed to be made.
Oh my goodness. When I finished this book I was emotionally spent. Very satisfied, but completely knackered as the author really did drag me through the wringer.
I found the character of Jonah to be believable and easy to connect to. Sam likewise, but I did take a while to warm to Rosie. Maybe it was because she was so desperate to have a child that this just overshadowed everything else about her. As the book went on, her true personality started to show a bit more and, despite some of her dodgy behaviour, I did eventually grow to like her.
My favourite pairing was Jonah and Alice, his friend. I found their relationship to be enchanting and so believable. Sadly, I didn't really get on with DI Taylor and found his character and some of the things he did to be unconvincing especially towards the end. I also really felt for Rosie and Sam. What they were going through both individually and as a couple. How life kept kicking them in the teeth. How certain things both divided them and made them stronger as a unit. How things changed so much for them in only a short space of time. How they just got on with things best they could as much as they could.
Ok so there was a lot towards the end that I found to be completely unbelievable logistics-wise and there was just no way that the characters could have achieved what they did but... and for me it's a big but, I was so wrapped up in the emotion of the story and what was happening, and I know I shouldn't cos this kind of thing usually really grates on me, but I can just about accept it as poetic license and, as such, I forgive the author their sins.
So, when we eventually peeled off all the layers of Jonah's heritage, when we found out why his mother did what she did and the whole truth came out, boy was it emotional. Ignoring the way it happened and just embracing what happened, I'm just glad that the tissue box was handy and that I was in the privacy of my own home when I finished the book.
All in all, reservations apart, another cracking book from an author who is now firmly cemented on my watch list. Roll on next time!

My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

This book tugged at my heartstrings from the very beginning and had me in tears before the end. Emotional and emotive read. Loved this book.

I really enjoyed this book. It was a bittersweet story of life before adoption and how life can change. .A perfect holiday read