Before and Again

It's every woman's nightmare to lose a child.  One second, one glimpse, and your child is gone forever.  The aftermath is like an out of body experience, the weight of their death on your shoulders.  Not to mention the media attention and the trial while you are grieving, attempting to keep it all together.  It's unfathomable.  You looked away for a split second and didn't see the stop sign.  It wasn't like you were texting!  You were looking at your GPS, trying to find a house on a heavily wooded street, headed to a playdate, and suddenly the nightmare that you never dared to dream has become a reality.  In an instant you've lost everything in your life that matters.

It's been five years since that fateful day, the day that she lost her five-year-old daughter Lily, and Mackenzie Cooper has pieced together a life that looks nothing like the life she had before.  The only reminders are her mugshot, which she keeps taped to the medicine cabinet in her bathroom, and the faded red scar on her forehead that she constantly keeps covered on her forehead.  She is a makeup artist at The Devon Inn and Spa in Devon, Vermont, which isn't far off from her previous career as a well-known sculptor.  Devon is the perfect place for Mackenzie, who now goes by Maggie Reid, to start a new life with no questions asked.  It is a quiet life she leads, just her and her animals, no husband, and no children; a place where she can keep it together and control her environment.  Or so she thought.

Grace Emory works as a masseuse at the spa with Maggie.  Grace's son Chris is arrested for hacking Twitter accounts of some of the biggest names in New York and the FBI has been trying to crack the case for awhile.  Internet crime is a federal offense and these "big names" are looking for justice.  In an instant, Mackenzie is once again thrust into the spotlight, standing by her friend, as the media storm opens secret pasts and relationships that no one expects.

All in all, I enjoyed Before and Again.  The first chapter has you immediately hooked as you first wonder what happened to Lily and, once you find out the truth, wondering how a mother and father deals with such an incredible tragedy.  The book is very well written, with little twists and turns, and secrets here and there, which keep the reader interested.  The ending was a little predictable but I really love how the writer left us with hope for these characters.  The character development is wonderful and by the end you feel like you are reading about one of your friends, longing to see that happy ending.

I had few complaints with this novel.  One was the cursing, which was unnecessary in many of the places in my opinion, and really took a lot away from the story itself for me personally.  I also thought there were spots that were too drawn out but when you look at it in the scheme of a grieving mother it makes a lot of sense, and in that respect more forgivable.

Other than that Before and Again is a tale that once you finish will have you hugging your children tighter, feeling thankful for your family, and never taking even the slightest moment for granted.

*I received a complimentary copy of this book from St. Martin's Press and NetGalley in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.  All opinions are my own.