I have enjoyed this author's books in the past. I had not realized this was part of a series, so I felt like there were pieces missing for me while reading/listening.

I finished Before We Say Goodbye feeling more disappointed than moved. The book has moments that sparkle: the rural setting in Red Mountain is painted with heart, and Otis and Rebecca are likeable enough in their early years so you want things to go well for them. But what should have been a powerful prequel feels too padded and derivative. I kept waiting for something unexpected, something strikingly new, but so much of it leaned on familiar tropes—love-from-Woodstock, vineyard dreams, inner conflict—that the emotional beats felt predictable.

The pacing hurts it most. The middle slogs through long chapters about minutiae of winemaking, family struggles, and regrets without enough tension to pull me forward. Sometimes it feels like the story is trying to cover everything: the dreams, the failures, the grief, the love, then the darker turns, but the transitions aren’t tight and some moments land less because I stopped caring about how each subplot would resolve. By the time the “darkness” comes I was more tired than invested.

Overall I think this book works better if you already love Walker’s style or are invested in the Red Mountain world. But for me it didn’t rise above being good-enough. I wanted more surprise, more risk, more things that unsettled or broke apart the comfort, instead I got warmth and earnest emotion that just didn’t sustain.

This is one for fans of family sagas and, well, wine. Otis and Rebecca meet and fall in love in 1969. This is their journey. It's the prequel to a series I have not read so it felt like a fine standalone to me. Know that there's a bit of time shifting and that it's a slow burn of a read.

This was such an entertaining that I finished in a few hours.
A well written story that kept me hooked from the very beginning.
The characters draw you in and keeps you flipping the pages.
They are realistic and very well developed.
I really enjoyed the writing style. I found myself hooked, turning the pages.

When I chose to read this book, I did not realize that it was the prequel to a trilogy. But I don't think that affected my enjoyment or the flow of the story. I don't normally read a series, but after this book, I may have to.

Otis and Rebecca meet as teenagers, on a purple bus that is going to Woodstock in 1969. There was instant connection between the two, causing Otis to abandon his life plan of university and becoming a writer. Instead, he develops a lifetime obsession with Rebecca and with becoming a vintner.

We follow the relationship of Otis and Rebecca through the years. Because each one of them is flawed, I found the characterization of their life together very realistic. The wine-producing process is very informative and interesting. The relationship has its problems as does the business.

Yes, this book is about wine and relationships. I learned more about wine than I’ll ever remember. The descriptions of the tastes of different wines made my mouth water. The overtones and undertones. I enjoy wine, but I wish my palate was sophisticated enough to appreciate all the different nuances. It was so well described.

This is not a book for someone looking for fast-paced action. This is a slow burn narrative, it is descriptive and it is character character-building novel. And the tale of a family. It’s a story to be savoured. And, the author is so good at creating these stories.

There were a few surprises towards the end. And, there were definitely a few tears shed.

I'm off to nurse my book hangover!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the Advance Readers Copy.

Omg, I have read several of Boo Walkers priors but not the Red Mountain chronicles. When I saw this, I knew I had to read the prequel 1st. I have no words for this amazing story. Boo has managed to compress Otis and Rebecca's journey from meeting as teenagers on the the way to Woodstock and their amazing journey thru life. Marriage, learning wine making,opening and running a winery,raising two boys and dealing with family strife. Boo has an amazing talent and you feel as you are there in the minds of the characters. Now I must go read The ,Red Mountain chronicles. I highly recommend this book!
thank you to the author, publishers and netgalley for allowing me to read this ARC.

I am a fan of Boo Walker and have read all of his recent works. However, I have not read the Red Mountain Chronicles. This work is a prequel to the Red Mountain novels, so I thought I would jump in early. I am glad I did and am now looking forward to going back to the future with the Red Mountain Chronicles.
This book covers an entire lifetime. It is about love, ambition and passion. Otis finds the love of his life on a bus trip to Woodstock in 1969. He and his wife Rebecca move to California where he finds the passion of his life: cultivating a vineyard and creating great wine. The book deals with how our ambition and passion to succeed in life can conflict with our love and passion for our family. The book moves back and forth from the end of Otis' life, looking back on all that he has lost, and his younger life driven to succeed. The narrator changes from third person to first person, both from Otis' perspective and Rebecca's perspective. It is a well crafted novel that would make a good subject of study.
An interesting side note is the emphasis on wine and wine making. I knew nothing about vineyards or wine before reading the book, but now have a basic knowledge of the craft. It is worth reading for that alone.
This is Boo Walker's best work. I highly recommend it.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC for my honest review. This is my first book by this author and I hope it’s not my last. This book was so good that I just don’t know where to start. It’s so well written and so emotional. Otis and Rebecca met on a purple bus on their way to Woodstock. Before they left, Otis had fallen head over hills for Rebecca and so he proposed and as you will see…..the rest is history. They both are quite opposites Otis is very strait laced and Rebecca is a Hippie. But as you will find out……opposites do attract That’s not to say they don’t have struggles in life with lots of ups and downs. But it’s all about sticking through it all. The story is centered around the wine country and what it takes to be a successful wiinemaker. Otis certainly shows drive and ambition in building their winery but the journey certainly isn’t an easy road. I really edthis book which has romance, loss, hope, ambition and oh so much more. I highly recommend this book.

This is a love story revolving around wine.
I don’t think it’s my favorite book of this author. Maybe if I had read the Red Mountain series before I might have been more into the book. I do think it’s a well written book.

This was definitely my favorite of the Red Mountain series. To see the meeting, growth, and lives of Otis and Rebecca was bittersweet, but so rich in depth.

Wow! This was my first book to read by this author but definitely not my last! This book will leave you wanting for more and the characters and storyline stick with you long after you finish it. Do yourself a favor and pick up this page-turner!

Quite Possibly Walker's Best Yet. I've been reading Walker's books for several years now, finding him with An Unfinished Journey, which was apparently his next book after the Red Mountain saga. Because of my own reading schedule - 90% of which, including Unfinished Journey and every other book from Walker I've read, including this one, is Advance Review Copy based - I haven't had a chance to go back and read that saga yet.

With this book... I *really* need to. Not because I needed it in order to understand this book, quite the opposite. This book is *so* compelling and *so* well told that it really makes you feel for Mr. Otis Till and all that he has gone through - stuff that apparently is largely history by the beginning of the Red Mountain books, as this is his "origin" story and apparently he is a key player in the rest of the saga.

Told in a dual timeline manner with a touch of the supernatural/ magical realism, this is one of those books that uses those components well enough that even people who claim to not like any book that uses them - and yes, I've seen some of those types of readers over the years - shouldn't have any difficulty with this book and indeed, I would even go so far as to say that if you allow yourself to miss this book because of your own hangups on those types of issues, you're doing yourself a great disservice and missing out on a truly terrific book.

This is one of those tales that so very many men can relate to - the same type of story that made The Greatest Showman so truly spectacular. A man struggling to attain his life's desires, finding it... and finding what really matters after all. Many of us have either been there or are somewhere along that path and can identify all too well with these desires, and Walker captures that struggle across the decades *perfectly*.

And yet there is more than enough here for female readers as well, as we see how Till first meets the love of his life and how she shapes the life they lead together across all the years they have left together... and then some.

Those looking for ghost pepper level spice won't find that here, but also those looking for no more spice than a warm glass of milk may get quite red in the cheeks at times, or perhaps even get the vapors. There is nothing here that I would hesitate at all to put in front of a mid-teen or so, though it is likely a bit much for those younger than that. (To be fair, it is also one that those younger than that won't be able to relate to as much either, but most any adult should be able to relate all too well to.)

Truly quite likely Walker at his absolute best to date, this is one that both makes me want to go back and read the Red Mountain Saga... and hope that there are more books in this particular series forthcoming.

Very much recommended.

This was a beautiful love story and a story about survival and going after your dreams! I loved reading the character's love story and the simplicity in their devotion to each other. I loved the overall feeling of "keep going" that the main character had all his life, even in desperate grief.

I really had a difficult time reading this book and gave up halfway through. It was slow moving and I had a hard time following the storyline. Thanks for accepting my honest review.

Loved it! Dove into this story of Otis, Rebecca, and their boys set in several beautiful wine country locations. Heartbreaking drama with all they encountered in their lives but enjoyed the 60s recollections, the wine industry history, and the viticulture knowledge.

Didn’t realize the book was part of a series until I read the author’s notes so it definitely is strong as a standalone.

Thanks to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for the opportunity to read this ARC.

i have read this author in the past and enjoyed him. I especially liked A Spanish Sunrise. I struggled to get into this book though. Maybe because I had not read the series this was a prequel to. I know a lot of people liked the series, so they will probably appreciate this more than I did. Thanks to Netgalley for allowing me to read the ARC!

Otis Till has long been a favorite character throughout the Red Mountain Series. In Before We Say Goodbye, you vacillate between the early years of Otis Pennington Till and 2011, learning tidbits of his childhood, meeting the love of his life - his hippie princess, and how he became the man known as the Grapefather. The author's gift for storytelling shines throughout this prequel with hard topics - death, grief, failures, living up to others expectations, frustrations, depression, financial threats - each treated with love, dignity, and just the right amount of humor.

Otis is a deeply emotional and passionate man, the type few authors pull off successfully in my opinion, but in the Red Mountain series and especially this book you see Otis at his most vulnerable moments. Each of those moments is treated with respect and love from the author to his character.

I absolutely adore Otis and his many sides: emotional, loving, passionate, curmudgeon, hard-headed/goal oriented, and one of my favorites - mentor. Enjoy!

Before We Say Goodbye by Boo Walker is a prequel to the Red Mountain Chronicles. The story begins in 1969, when two California teenagers, Otis and Rebecca, fall in love in a bus on its way to Woodstock. And their whole lives open up.

This is a long and very enjoyable book to read. Otis discovers wine country and makes wine his passion. He (and the readers of this book) learn everything about winemaking. Winemaking is like a religion. Readers will “savor” the vast varieties of wine.

Rebecca, a free spirit, keeps Otis and their children anchored as best she can. She finds peace in creating good food and peaceful home.

I found it to be a fascinating read. Over the 40 years of this saga, we see Otis and Rebecca grow from teenagers to older adults. They face many ups and downs together, but stay connected through the terroir of life.

I am looking forward to reading “The Red Mountain Chronicles”.

Thanks to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for an advance digital review copy. This is my honest review.

I have never been so moved by a book. It hit every emotion and left me empty but full.
Boo is an amazing writer and I look forward to all of his books, but I particularly love Otis from the Red Mtn series and this was amazing. I love him more.
You hit another home run Boo. And I thank you for this book.

Otis and Rebecca met on a bus that was taking them to Woodstock in 1969, Their attraction was instant, and Rebecca was a free spirit, while, Otis thought he had his life planned out. When Woodstock was over, Otis went to Sonoma, California with Rebecca, which is where her family lived. Like all journey's there are ups and down, but when Otis saw the vineyards, he knew this was his passion, and this is where he changed his course in life.
This was the start of their wine business, with struggles, ups and downs, so much to learn, but determined to ride out their life to see where it led them. Reading the story, as it unfolded, many times, I thought those two were meant to be together they balanced each other out. The day came where they decided they had to let go of the vineyard, and move somewhere else, it was what was best for their family. They hadn't a clue, they just traveled around until they went to Washington State, and saw Red Mountain, and they all knew this is where they were meant to live now.
I enjoyed this book, because it tugged at my heart strings, the feelings I got when they were so determined to make things work, no matter how hard they had to work, to their successes, disappointments, to their grieving, it just has so much heart and soul. I don't find many books with the heart and soul of this one.
I received an ARC from Lake Union Publishing through NetGallery.