I am a huge fan of Roisin Meaney and I was delighted to get the opportunity to read her newest book. I really enjoyed the story and read it over the course of a day as I simply couldn’t put it down! Another triumph from the author!

This was a good read. The main characters are George and Alice and this is the story of them...before they met. Throughout the story, we get a glimpse into the individuals lives of both of them and see the way they seem destined to be together in a 6 degrees of separation kind of way. A great read although I did find Alice to be a little frustrating at times.

I finished it recently and really enjoyed it.
Roisin writes with such ease.
Her characters she created, it's almost like she builds them up slowly..
We get to know them like we would friends.
I adored George. Such a wonderfully kind person. He thinks of everyone and I have no doubt he put everyone before himself.
I was delighted to see he found a friend in his housemate Jack.
Alison, I felt floundered a little at times. She didn't seem to know where she was going or what she wanted to do in her life. No plan as such and maybe that's what it was, a period where she needed to take time out to see where she would go next.
Her confidence was shattered but with the help of others, she got back on her feet.
A comfortable read that I loved getting back to any time I left it down..

Alice has left everything being her in Dublin and moved in with her aunt in her home town to find her feet after finding out her boyfriend was married.
George is a quiet single dad whose daughter comes to stay every other weekend, he lives alone in his childhood home now as his mum has just got married so decides to take in a lodger
Both are trying to move on with their lives and without realising it actually come into contact with each other several times but only actually seeing each other in person once or twice until the end of the book
A lovely feel good story

Life Before Us by Roisin Meaney
Reading this book is like catching up with an old friend. This author always seems to draw you into her stories, it’s like you know these people. This book is about people living ordinary lives in a small town. This story follows the lives of George and Alice, two people who are both looking for a chance to find some happiness.
The premise is simple enough, but the execution of it is lovely. Roisin Meaney is in my opinion a wonderful writer who always delivers a heartwarming story. For me this is a 4.5 ⭐️ Book. Many thanks to #NetGalley for my ARC of this book.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book. I have chosen to write this honest review voluntarily and it reflects my personal opinion.
This is the first book I have read by this author and I have been attracted to her books by reviewers who have likened her writing style to that of Maeve Binchy. I agree that there are similarities in the gentle, meandering progression through the storyline which allows for a full understanding of the likeable and endearing characters. The plot is completely contemporary and efforts to address inclusion such as sexual orientation seem natural and unforced. George and Alice go through a lot of challenges in their lives as they balance on a knife edge of 'will they / won't they' meet, making the story interesting.
I never quite understood why Suzi called her father by his first name rather than 'Dad' but I fully enjoyed the story and narrative style and have now signed up to follow this author. Thank you for a lovely, uplifting read!

When Alice finds out her boyfriend is a married man, it leaves her thoroughly heartbroken. She heads home to Galway where her auntie Kate has provided refuge.

In Galway, single dad, George, has finally decided to open his heart and look for love.

This is a beautifully written story where the main characters lives are gently woven together through near misses and it's not until the end of the book when they finally meet. This is unlike any book I have read before. It's truly delightful

A quick and easy read that I found myself picking up after a long day to unwind. The characters are beautifully written and I came to love them within the first few pages and was rooting for them all the way to the end. At times I wanted to stop reading because I just wanted the experience to go on for longer.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you Netgalley and Hachette Books Ireland for this arc in return for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this book. It started a little bit slow but I grew to love all the characters and became invested in their story and development. I really liked the unique way this book was a romance about two characters who have so many missed connections. I thought these were very cleverly weaved in throughout the book and I loved the intrigue of uncovering then and piecing their characters together. It was a heartwarming and lovable book that I so glad I had the opportunity to read.

Roisin Meaney’s novel is a really warm romance that was a great summer read, just before it got too hot to be outside! It was a great one to take fishing with my other half, so I read it reclining on my fold out bed with my tea being cooked over a gas stove and a couple of Marks and Sparks cocktails in a can. I felt this was a cut above the average romance novel, with real insight into how human’s behave and interact. We have two likely candidates for romance here - George and Alice. George’s daughter Suzi really is the best thing in his life, but he’s starting to think it could be time to get over Suzi’s mum and start afresh. He doesn’t meet anyone so decides that online dating might be worth a try. Alice has just found out that her boyfriend has been lying to her, so she’s returning to her home town. So she’s back where she started, but with no job and nowhere to live. Despite her experience there is a little bit of Alice that still believes in love. Could these two be what each other has been looking for?

Alice has been working as a dental nurse in Dublin, but her aunt who lives in a small town in the west of Ireland contacts her just at the right time. Her aunt is the only family she has in Ireland since mum and dad moved to Italy. They suggest she comes out to join them and frankly I’d have jumped at the chance, but Alice has a feeling she’s not done with Ireland just yet. With her aunt’s generosity she has a little time to think about what she’d like to do next, but Alice is annoyingly dithery about it. She doesn’t really know what would make her happy and her home town has moved on a bit since she left and she feels like she doesn’t know it anymore. She has ideas, but never seems to grab hold of one and go for it. I had a bit more sympathy with George as a character, perhaps because being a parent gives him some direction. He has to support himself and Suzi. He works as a teacher in primary school and has sadly become a ‘weekend Dad’ since his split from his wife. I had a lot of empathy for George’s situation because my partner has been through this. The weekends when he has Suzi are great, but the weekends on his own are lonely. He still clearly has love for his ex-wife, but she’s moving on and getting married. Neither character is aware of the coincidences and circumstances stacking up to create something new for both of them.

Of course this was going to be predictable. We want these characters to find each other. Maybe I chimed with it particularly, because I lost my husband when I was 34. So I’ve had to negotiate this strange post-love world. You never feel single, even after six years of being alone. I had bags of empathy with George. I liked that within such an uplifting book there were times of deep sadness, because that was more true to my experience and made more sense of George’s emotions. A very charming, uplifting romance with some real emotional sincerity.

A wonderful story of hope, second chances and romance that will warm your heart. Roisin Meaney has a brilliant style of writing, a simple way that allows the reader to really get to know each character, their life and become their friend for a little while. I thoroughly enjoyed Life Before Us, where we meet Alice, who is heartbroken to discover that her boyfriend is really a married man. Feeling desolate she leaves Dublin and heads back to her home city of Galway to her aunt Kate where she can stay in her apartment and work in her family restaurant until she sorts herself out. Alice needs a second chance. George is raising his daughter Suzi since breaking up with her mother and he is also looking for a second chance at happiness. I loved how their paths and lives entwined but yet they didn't meet. The will they won't they leaves you in suspense. A brilliant warm book that will have you rooting for the main characters, another great book by Roisin Meaney.

This was a cute story but it was a bit slow to start although once you get into the swing of it it's quite a fast read. It's a sweet story about failed romances, heart break, a cat, and in the end they all get a happy ending which is what we want. This book was great in that it can be read by anyone.

'Life Before Us' is a truly glorious read that is full of love, laughter and heartbreak. All the characters felt like a real community and it was not long before I had taken them into my hearts and viewed them as friends. Without giving anything away, I adore how Meaney weaves all the different plot threads together, it made for magical reading and I loved getting each different section "right".
This is brimming with emotion both positive and negative but I loved my time reading this.
Thank you to NetGalley and Hachette Books Ireland for an advance copy.

George and Alice have yet to meet. Lots of near misses, but will they eventually find each other. A great read. I like how it is told from both points of view.

This is my first read from this author but the cover and title attracted me.

It was a nice light hearted read, but I personally found it didn’t really catch my full attention. I found I skim read a chunk as it just didn’t grip me. Again just personal opinion.

Out of all the romances I’ve read it hasn’t been a favourite but I was definitely happy when they finally met. I didn’t really fall for the characters although they were very sweet.

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this title.

In a Nutshell: A really sweet story that is predictable in some ways and yet novel in many others. Memorable characters, a great underlying moral, perfect ending. Not a romance; please don’t pick it up if you are looking for a typical boy-meets-girl story.

Story:
After Alice finds out that her steady boyfriend of the last few months is married, she finds herself heartbroken. When her aunt Kate offers her a fresh start back in her hometown, Alice grabs at the opportunity. But with no job, no place to live, and no life companion, Alice knows that she needs to get her life back on track soon.
George has been single ever since his wife Claire left him eleven years ago with their newborn. Content with his daughter Suzi and with his job as a teacher at the local school, George is accustomed to his routine. But with Claire now engaged, is it time to move on and try to find someone new?
The story comes to us in the alternating third person limited perspectives of Alice and George.

When you read the blurb, you will come to the same conclusion I did: George and Alice are meant to be together. You aren’t exactly wrong. They are MEANT to be together. But take a quick look at the title. Go on! What do you see? “Life Before US”. Realise what that means? This is not the story of George and Alice. This is the story of George, and the story of Alice, BEFORE they become US. The cover might give you vibes of romance but understand clearly that this is contemporary drama, not romance.

Where the book worked for me:
😍 Just because George and Alice don’t meet for most of the story doesn’t mean that there’s no romance in the book. Au contraire! There are plenty of romantic connections (all clean, no steam - yay!) and each relationship falls in a distinct category of love. There are also plenty of friendships. I loved the diversity of the human connections in this narrative.
😍 The author is the admin of the “Random Acts of Kindness Limerick” page on FB. This concept of ‘random acts of kindness’ is strongly present throughout the story. This creates such a feel-good vibe while reading.
😍 Can we please have a standing ovation for the realistic appearance and personality of the leading characters? George is shy, almost a pushover. He’s a happy teacher, not an investment banker or rich businessman. He is not handsome but average-looking. Alice is shorter than average, and wears glasses. It feels so refreshing to have such regular characters in a story, a welcome escape from all the hot bods that litter this genre.
😍 Many novels of this genre tend to have impactful females characters and one good leading male character. The other males are usually jerks. While there are a couple of jerks in this book too, there are many well-rounded male characters as well.
😍 The book makes great use of the small town aspect with there being multiple connections between many of the characters. Of course, Alice and George keep missing each other despite this proximity, but the author handles this quite convincingly.
😍 Just five days back, I had completed another book where a man and a woman who keep missing each other and don’t meet until the end. This should have created a strong sense of déjà vu and boredom. But not once did I feel that the two plots were similar and this book still enraptured me from start to almost the end. That’s a massive plus in favour of the story as well as the storytelling

Where the book could have worked better for me:
😑 There are too many characters to keep track of. Things becomes easier after a while, but it is still a struggle at times to remember who was who.
😑 Suzi is supposed to be twelve but her thinking is more like that of a 9-10 year old. She was adorable but I think her age and her behaviour didn’t blend well.
😑 There’s no clarification on why Suzi called George ‘George’ and not ‘Dad’, though she calls Claire ‘Mum’.
😑 Until the 80% mark, the book was a strong 4.5 stars for me. I don't know how I feel about the last 20%. It all rings true, it's fairly realistic, but it feels like the writing is trying too hard to fit in some twists before the predictable finale. The ending is good but I am not very happy with some of the events in this final section.

Overall though, my complaints are teeny and my feelings are highly positive. This is meant to be a sweet and happy book, and it works for this purpose aptly. It doesn’t go deep, but sometimes, simple stories are the most impactful. My first Roisin Meaney book, and now I am wondering why I haven’t ever read her before!

4.25 stars.

My thanks to Hachette Books Ireland and NetGalley for the DRC of “Life Before Us”. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.

This was my first Roisin Meaney read - heavily influenced by other Irish bookstagram fans of hers! I can safely say I am also a fan after reading this book. It’s just a great read- compelling characters I genuinely cared about and a pace that kept me interested from start to finish. I laughed and I cried - which is pretty much almost all I want from a book! I’ll definitely be picking up more of her books from now on and will be recommending this one to friends and family alike.

Alice and George are perfect for each other. Life and the universe have it that they’ve never met.

Alice was taken in by the ‘too good to be true’ Chris, her supposed boyfriend. When a single phone call shatters that happy and romantic illusion. Turns out Chris is married, the scoundrel. When driving back to her home town or running away from Chris and her problems some might say. She goes to live with her aunt, she needs to make a new life for herself. With no work and no home of her own, should she have stuck it out in Dublin?

George is Dad to Suzi. Although he doesn’t see her half as much as he wants to. She lives mostly with her Mam and the new boyfriend. This stings for George, it wasn’t his decision to break up their relationship. When his mother leaves him in the family home alone, he decides to advertise for a lodger. Is Jack the answer to all of George’s problems? Even the ones George doesn’t know he has!

Told from the alternating perspectives of Annie and George. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and devoured it from cover to cover. I loved the premise however as an impatient reader, I found myself shouting at the characters at times for how close they came to meeting each other. So close, yet so far! (That’s the whole point of the book, I know it’s a flaw of mine! 🤣)

At the start of the book in the media comments, somebody (insert news outlet here) called it a cracking yarn. I have to agree and I loved that analogy. A must read to fully immerse yourself in the world of Annie and George.

I’ve yet to read one of Meaney’s books that I haven’t loved. Life Before Us is no exception. A truly wonderful story that I loved.

Anyone who knows me well knows how much I love Roisin Meaney's books. I've read and loved them all and this one is most definately my favourite so far (I say so far because I have no doubt there are more on the way)

I absolutely ADORED this book, full of endearing characters who developed with the story. It was beautifully plotted with so much attention to detail. Suspense was built by alternating each chapter's focus between George and Alice. It was alot of fun to read how their lives intertwined without them actually meeting. It really made me think about fate......and wonder if I have perhaps met my husband before I met him (does that make sense?? If not, read this book)

Although there was some sorrow along the way, including a very unexpected event that brought a tear to my eye, the book was full of so much joy, hope, warmth and kindness.

Overall this book is a joyous uplifting treat. It reminds us to celebrate the little moments in every day, they're just as important as the big ones. Also that magical things come from being kind. So grab yourself a cuppa, curl up and enjoy this gorgeous story, I promise you, you'll have a spring in your step when you're finished.

Thanks to @netgalley and @hachetteireland for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review. And congratulations to @roisin.meaney on publication day. My own preordered copy will arrive in the post today and I'll be treasuring it, this is one i'll be rereading for years to come 💕

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an early review copy.

Rosin’s books are beautifully written.

I loved reading this book, the story picked up speed as the characters developed.

Each character was lovely, and one’s you could be friends with. Both Alice and George, they communicated so many times with each other, without physically meeting, that is until the story was nearing the end. George realised that he and Claire weren’t going to be together, as well as how she used him to get things done her war, and decides to speak up about spending more time with Suzi.

Alice, after a relationship ended, still kept communication open for Chris, even after knowing what he’d done was wrong, still wanting it to be untrue.

It’s a story of hope and what being kind can do.

Highly recommend this book.