Reading through The One Before reminded me a lot of Lisa Jackson's books: tight paced thriller, set in a small town, with lots of family secrets. Madison Sharpe's career has been upended by a simple mistake, and so she agrees to move back to Cooper, her fiancé's, hometown. However, Cooper cannot shake the fact that his high school girlfriend went missing after an argument, and the people of Whisper Falls are divided over his guilt or innocence. The small town setting of this book added to the atmosphere and stifling that Madison feels. Every family has its secrets, and Cooper's is no exception. I found the last third of the book to be a bit formulaic, and was a bit let down by one character's involvement in the murder of another - it would've been a bigger twist and more creative to not have him/her involved. However, I did enjoy that The One Before was a quick read, and I did find it "unputdownable" as I read it in one day. A big thank you to Bookoutre and NetGalley for the Advanced Readers' Copy of this book!

I love mysteries/ thrillers that are set in a small town. This story is filled with suspense, family secrets, drama, and small-town gossip. It is mostly told from the perspective of Madison Sharpe who has moved to Whisper Falls with her fiancé, Cooper Douglas. Cooper belongs to the town's most prominent family and has returned to take over the family business. Madison is excited about this new chapter in her life; planning their wedding and turning their house into a home. But it doesn't take her very long to realize that Cooper hasn't been entirely honest with her about his past and he and his family are hiding many secrets.

A very captivating psychological thriller. The characters and the plot held my interest until the end. Just when I thought I had put all the pieces of the puzzle together, the author drops a shocking twist about Helena's character. It was really clever and I never saw it coming. To be honest, I never saw any of the twists coming.
All in all, a very enjoyable read with a satisfying ending. I look forward to reading more books by Miranda Smith.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A very thrilling, suspense-filled novel that is worth the read! I greatly enjoyed this psychological thriller with sooo many murder mysteries... they just kept piling up!! It's a rollercoaster of a ride, and it is really <i>really</i> fun to try and pin the murder on the culprit because the focus shifts to so many people! You might think you have the whole story figured out, but then a new chapter makes you completely second-guess what you thought was happening! There are a <i>lot</i> of twists and turns in this book, and they come at a fast speed once you cross a certain percent of the book. Read carefully or you'll miss details that come back to haunt the reader as they try to piece together what's happening before the characters themselves can! The mysteries literally keep unraveling until the very last page of the book!

The pacing of this story was really good. It hooked me in at the beginning as it starts right into the day the main character moves to a different town with her fiancé and the pacing stays consistent throughout, the plot never gets boring or drags from one chapter to another. The chapters themselves are back-and-forth between multiple narrators, and the past and the present. The best thing about this novel was that it never gets confusing where the past and present timelines are concerned. The chapters titles always let the reader know what to expect, if the chapter content didn't make it obvious already.

I would recommend this book to people who love suspense, along with murder mysteries, multiple-narrator stories, young white couple romance, old-rich-privileged families, and of course, a happy and satisfying ending!

There is a queer character in this book, and a queer relationship, however, it is not focus of any major plotline and is mentioned as a minor detail a few times in the story. There's also a small amount of homophobia directed at the queer person in the limelight of the major characters so beware of that as well - but there's a safe ending for this person and their significant other, no queer person died or was physically harmed in this novel!

All in all, this was a great book and I'm glad I got to enjoy it, I read it in two days, and I rate it at 5 stars, and I highly recommend it to anyone considering it to check it out!

<i>*Thank you to the publishers; Bookouture, the author; Miranda Smith, and Netgalley for my free copy of this book in exchange of an honest review!</i>

#TheOneBefore #NetGalley
Thanks NetGalley, my favorite publisher #Bookouture and Miranda Smith for an ARC to review.
Expected publication date 4th Nov.
Told by multiple narrators, we follow Madison's attempt to settle in Whisper Falls to build her life with her fiance the town's golden boy Cooper. Most of the town seems to have a different version of the Cooper she knows and love loyally.
Did Celia his former high school girlfriend drown accidentally as he told her or is their another story where he killed her and his powerful family covered up the truth?
The book is full of flawed mostly unlikable characters, I couldn't relate to Madison and couldn't figure her out entirely. There are couple of twists that would keep you engaged till the end and I would sure seek more by #MirandaSmith.

I received this book from netgalley. great story haven't read to many of this author books. I will have to look more in to it..

A great read! Beautiful, flawed characters drive a tale of family secrets and loyalty. How far would you go to protect your loved ones? The story unfolds at a good rate leading the reader to a more than satisfying ending. A must read for fans of Little Big Lies!

Madison moved to Whisper Lake with her fiancé Cooper so he could run the family business. They’ve been together two years having met when both of them worked as journalists in Atlanta.
Upon returning to his hometown Cooper is bombarded with the rumors of his ex-girlfriends death from thirteen years ago. Celia Gray drowned in the waters of Whisper Lake the summer before he started college. Some people believe he got away with murder.
Madison is the outsider joining this small town where the Douglas family has wealth, power, and a reputation. She’s living in his world now, so she makes the best of her situation by planning the wedding. She misses her job as a journalist, it’s in her nature to investigate stories. When Beth writes a piece about her arrival Madison learns more about the rumors surrounding Celia’s death.

Overall:
A mother wanting justice for her daughter.
The Douglas family wanting to remove the rumors about their son.
A young woman who can’t shake off the accusations about her fiancé.
A man who wants to restore his family’s reputation and honor by moving back to his hometown.
A writer using her blog site to post about all local events even the return of the Golden boy.
A family hiring a private investigator to put the rumors at bay.
A town divided.

This is a character driven story with three separate points of view. There are chapters referencing the past that help piece together what transpired before Celia’s death.
This is a slow building story about a small town community divided. As with most small towns gossip is the primary element.
I had hoped since Madison was a writer that she would take this opportunity to investigate the truth.
If it wasn’t for planning a wedding I might’ve enjoyed the story more. Having the storyline based on wedding planning wasn’t particularly interesting. It was clever to an extent, but I grew tired of it. Because of this my review rating drops significantly. If I could rate this book based upon the ending it would receive a solid 5 stars. Unfortunately, the journey getting to the truth was too slow.

I don't know how to give half stars here, but I really give this 4.5!

This book is such a fast paced book, it grabs in you in immediately and continues to twist around! The author does a fantastic job creating this characters with many depths to them that you question who you can and should trust.

There are three perspectives this book is told from: the past, Madison in the present, and Helena in the present. Again, the author does a great job weaving these together to create a story that will reel you in! I definitely thought I had the ending figured out, but NOPE! The twists keep on coming!

I really enjoyed this book. I couldn’t put it down. I needed to finish to find out the ending! It was a great suspense book and fast paced, easy read. Definitely recommend this one for any suspense or mystery lover. I am looking forward to telling my friends about this one and posting on my goodreads account. I am excited to read more from this author now. Thank you.

I found this to be a middle of the road type of read. It had certain aspects I liked, like multiple points of view along with flashbacks. The story just didn't grip me as I was hoping it would, I found the flashbacks and Helena's point of view the most interesting and they seemed to always end in a cliffhanger which made me want to keep reading. Then we would hit Madison's chapters and she just seemed one-dimensional and I just couldn't get into her chapters.

With all of that said, I did enjoy the book and would certainly try some other of the author's previous titles

Thank you to Netgalley and Bookouture for my advanced copy.

The One Before slowly but surely draws you in as Madison and Cooper newly engaged move back to his hometown to get married

Small towns are full of secrets and these secrets are always whispered about it.

Can Madison trust Cooper, can she trust any of his family? She has no friends here nowhere to turn.

I was getting complacent in my mind how the book would end and then the twist of all twist hits.

Never would have predicted the twist and huge turn the book took.

Great read , kept me on my toes.

Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for an entertaining read.

Eager for a fresh start, Madison and Cooper decide to make Whisper Falls their home.
But when Madison learns that the people of Whisper Falls believe that Copper is responsible for his college girlfriend's death, the couple's love will be put under great strain.
One secret follows another, leaving Madison unsure if she can trust her fiancee. Is Cooper a murderer or not?

This was a good and entertaining read.
The story follows two perspectives; Madison's and an unknown narrator's, and I enjoyed getting the dual viewpoints.
The twist took me by surprise; I definitely didn't see it coming.
However, I was expecting the ending to deliver some more punches, and it didn't.
Overall, it was an enjoyable read, but I didn't find it standing out enough to warrant more than 3 stars.

This was a great book! The characters are weaved into the story in a great way. I read it in just a couple of days. I’ll definitely be watching out for this author!

Madison and her fiance’ Connor have just moved from Atlanta to his hometown, Whisper Falls, TN.
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Connor’s family lives in a beautiful home on the lake and are town royalty.
It’s a small town and everyone knows everyone’s business.
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Not long after moving, Madison discovers that Connor’s high school girlfriend died and that the townspeople believe it wasn’t an accident.
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Madison knows Connor is a kind, sweet man that could never hurt anyone. All he wants is to give her the life she dreams of and she loves him with all of her heart.
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She hears rumors around town. She feels unsettled. Should she ask questions and risk disrupting her new life? Should she believe the loving man that has always supported her or strangers that love to gossip?
________________________________________
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I love stories that are set in small towns. Especially ones full of secrets. I thought I had this one figured out, but I was wrong. There are definitely some curveballs and at one point I just sat there stunned for a minute. It’s a quick, entertaining read. I really enjoyed it!

"As a young woman, I turned heads. Now I'm easily overlooked in crowds because my looks have faded and I'm always alone. Practically invisible." This twisty tale by Miranda Smith is full of secrets, lies, and mystery. It kept me guessing from beginning to end! Definitely worth reading!

Thank you to NetGalley, the Publisher and Author for providing an ARC copy for me to read.

Firstly, thanks to NetGalley and Bookoutre for the opportunity to preview.

I found this to be an ok read. Cooper comes from a wealthy family and he brings his fiancée, Madison to his hometown of Whisper Falls to live. There is a mystery as to why Madison wanted to leave her job and friends in the city, but, when the secret is revealed it’s a bit of a let down. In fact, I found the whole book a tad formulaic and the writing style bland.

Each chapter is written from the perspective of a different character and that works well, as does the theme of an earlier murder mystery that Cooper is suspected of. Because of this, it was OK for me.

It’s just missing that difficult to explain ‘something’ that made it a bit of a chore to finish. The twist is ok and there is an element of surprise.

The one before is quite a slow but progressive read. Although you quickly learn of Coops previous girlfriends body being found in the lake, it takes a while to unravel the story.

Enjoyable, good characters.

What I look forward to the most in a mystery thriller is having that feeling of not being able to put the book down. "The one before" definitely achieved that since it only took me a few hours to read it.
While the premise of the book might not be the most original, I did like what the author did with it. The plot twists, especially the first one, were nicely executed and got a strong reaction from me, the reader.
I do have to point out that after the second big reveal, the book fizzles out a little bit. I still enjoyed the plot for this final part of the book but I didn't find it as strong as the rest of the novel.
When it comes to characters, my favourite was Helena because she felt the most real to me. Even if she was an unreliable narrator at some points. Madison, our main protagonist, confused me often. Though I understand it was done on purpose.
Overall, this is a very well written book. It keeps you guessing the whole time and, in my opinion, has a satisfying ending.

This was a very enjoyable read for me , full of drama with a good few twists thrown in for good measure .
When Madison moves back to her fiancé's home town of Whisper falls she quickly finds out that Cooper is still very much a person of interest in the murder of his old high school girlfriend . The small community haven't forgotten and Madison starts to wonder . As she continues to investigate she uncovers more secrets and lies . The Douglas family are rich and powerful and they will go to any lengths to protect the family . Very Good . Highly recommended

The One Before by Miranda Smith was so good! I’ve never read Gave her books before so I don’t know what to expect. I was hooked from the beginning! Madison and her fiancé Cooper are moving back to his hometown of Whisper Falls, Tennessee. His family is the wealthiest family in town and owns the local newspaper. Once they get there Madison finds out through town gossip that when Cooper was a teenager his girlfriend Celia drowned. It seems that Cooper was the town’s first choice for a suspect. It was ruled an accident but no one in town believes it. Madison doesn’t know what to believe. She doesn’t think Cooper would be capable of such a thing but why is everyone so convinced he did it? Meanwhile, someone is stalking them in the background. I don’t want to say too much more about the plot. I definitely think if you’re a thriller fan and light twist interns you should read this book. The only criticisms I have are that I felt the past of the character of Madison could have been more fully explored. Also, the ending seemed a little abrupt. Thank you to the publisher and Net Galley for the advanced copy of this book. All opinions are my own.