Rated of 5
by Jan B. (Tetonia, ID) Before Ever After
WOW! I sure like the concept of the story and how the author was developing it. I did find that the characters and the dialogue were not developed enough to make it truly captivating for me. It seemed like a very quick, fast forward sketched out trip. The historical stops were intriguing but becoming tiresome. I hope the author keeps writing more books as I Iove that she has such a wonderful way of viewing a story.
Rated of 5
by Jean T. (Paducah, KY) Before Ever After Nevermore
I really wanted to like this book; even going so far as to start over again from the beginning after eighty pages in an attempt to find what I had “missed” the first time. I never found what I needed to bring it all together in a coherent whole which would have supported the author’s premise. The author shows promise with some beautiful prose and interesting insights, but much of the dialogue seemed awkward. I tried, but ultimately was never able to suspend my disbelief and just sink into the spell of the story which is what I always hope for with a good novel.
Rated of 5
by Marta M. (Santa Ana, CA) Promising new author
I liked the story and the premise of the book but I wasn't drawn into the story as much as I wanted to be drawn in. I hated when the story left the present and went to the historical. I know that others liked the historical but all of the historical stories were sad and tragic. I wanted the fantasy, the romance, and the stories of the people on the tour. I loved the characters of Shelly and Max. I think I would have fallen in love with Max also. Shelly was strong but weak enough to fall in love with. It is a good summer read and I hope many people will read this because it is a fun little book.
Rated of 5
by Cathy R. (Scottsdale, AZ) Before Ever After
Not sure if I loved the book or just liked it. All the elements were there--love story, time travel, historical novel--but the sexual innuendos and chicken themes were distracting. It is a light read with deeper undertones that had they been developed would certainly have warranted a higher rating for the book.
Rated of 5
by Susan K. (dartmouth, MA) Before Ever After
Whew! Feel like I need to catch my breath after this one. So many things going on - all the time. I really wanted to like this book, and I did, from time to time, but it was too scattered. I feel like every time the author had a new idea she just had to include it. I think the book has a very interesting premise, but some good, hard editing would make it so much more readable.
Rated of 5
by Elly M. (Roswell, NM) Definite Thumbs Up!
On several occasions, I have found debut novels to be great reads and certainly "Before Ever After" is no exception. Well, except, perhaps, it goes beyond simply being a "great read".
I was immediately drawn into the story by Sotto's excellent writing skills, finding myself willingly carried off on a thought-provoking adventure. Her characters were so well portrayed that I felt a comfortable kinship to them and enjoyed being in their company. Having traveled to two of the locations in the novel might have some bearing on my feelings of "being there", but the author painted all locales with a sense of familiarity.
I would strongly recommend this book to reading groups as the subject matter guarantees much discussion.
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by Jan B. (Tetonia, ID) 
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by Jean T. (Paducah, KY) 
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by Cathy R. (Scottsdale, AZ) 
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by Elly M. (Roswell, NM) 
