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Before You Go

James Preller

3.29 · Rating details · 702 ratings · 121 reviews

The summer before his senior year, Jude (yes, he's named after the Beatles song) gets his first job, falls in love for the first time, and starts to break away from his parents. Jude's house is kept dark, and no one talks much—it's been that way since his little sister drowned in a swimming pool seven years ago when Jude was supposed to be watching her.

Now, Jude is finally ...more

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Hardcover, 199 pages

Published July 17th 2012 by Feiwel & Friends

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· 702 ratings · 121 reviews

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Jun 30, 2012 Catie rated it did not like it

Shelves: ya, for-review, read-in-2012

This is one of the worst books I’ve ever read, but I say that with a bit of affection. I finished this in one evening, because it was just…riveting. I couldn’t look away! It was like this crazy mixture of horrible writing, cardboard characters, dialogue from another planet, consistency problems, and semi-poetic gibberish that all somehow combined into a slurry of pure magic. I think this phenomenon is best described by the source material itself:

“For Jude, it was like watching and enjoying a ter ...more

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Jul 26, 2020 Kimberly rated it did not like it

Shelves: young-adult, fiction, worst-book-ever

This was a rather short book, less than two hundred pages, and yet it took me forever to finish it. It is bogged down with pop culture references, awkwardly written slang and a draggy, cliche plot that felt like it went no where. The characters felt like cardboard cut outs and I never connected to any of them which made it difficult to feel any type of emotion towards a plot that was meant to be rather tragic. However the biggest tragedy of all was the ending, if you can call it that. Was there ...more

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Dec 06, 2011 Giselle rated it liked it

Shelves: arc, own

With under 200 pages, Before You Go is a relatively short novel that is a breeze to get through - even moreso because of its short chapters. This is what I'm giving credit for the 3 stars. It's not a contemporary that impressed me per say as it lacks depth, characterization, and the writing is awkward. Since it's such a quick read, however, I didn't get the chance to grow tired of it, nor can I say I downright disliked it.

In a few short words, this novel is about nothing. Jude still blames hims With under 200 pages, Before You Go is a relatively short novel that is a breeze to get through - even moreso because of its short chapters. This is what I'm giving credit for the 3 stars. It's not a contemporary that impressed me per say as it lacks depth, characterization, and the writing is awkward. Since it's such a quick read, however, I didn't get the chance to grow tired of it, nor can I say I downright disliked it.

In a few short words, this novel is about nothing. Jude still blames himself for his sister's death, he's simply living one day at a time, then he meets a girl. The book begins on an incredibly intriguing note with its somber prologue. I found it actually sets the wrong tone for the book. It gives the wrong impression of what type of vibe we'll be getting from the story. What we get after this grim, suspenseful prologue is Jude's normal, every day life. He goes to work, meets a few people, falls in love; a very mundane teenage summer. When we finally get to the climax built from the prologue, I won't say it was emotionless as I felt a few pangs of sadness from the ordeal, but the passion was missing. The consequences are over very quickly; I didn't get to experience Jude's distress, nor did I peer at the mental ramifications of it all. A lot of emotions are simply missing from this novel. I'm not sure if it's the characterization that didn't click with me, or the writing that caused it.

The writing style may be lyrical, but it wasn't my cup of tea. With innumerable pop culture reference, bizarre jokes, and awkward, sometimes puzzling, analogies, I had a very hard time really getting into this book with any sort of emotional attachment. Plus, I wasn't ever sure what the plot was really about; the whole point of the story is still lost on me. Jude is in a rough patch in his life where he's just dealing with everything that's been building up over the years. This is clear within the first few pages, but where does it go from here? Does he have an epiphany that changes his way of thinking? Does he stumble upon a self-realization that finally opens him up, lets him deal with his closed up emotions, and move on? Both of which I expected, neither happened. I was really left confused at the end by the non-existent plot.

Jude is a very average character. He's likeable and genuine, though I can't say I was especially enamored with him, nor did I get a feel of his inner demons. I guess you could say I felt distant from him. This could be due to the methodical telling. For example, the constant use of "Jude" instead of "Him, or he" kept pulling me out of the story. OR, and this is probably more likely, it may be because of its omniscient point of view. I don't find I have a preference over first or third person, both have been used very effectively, but the all-knowing style in Before You Go kept me at arms length. The secondary characters in the book, though stereotypical and not especially developed, are surprisingly fun characters with charming personalities that I really enjoyed. The romance is sweet and rough - very typical angst-ridden teen romance.

Even though I didn't love it, it's not a write off either as it kept my intrigued attention. A fairly short novel written in a male perspective that, if only you're able to get a deeper connection with, I'm sure you will find it involves an array of raw emotions that may make this a memorable read.

--
For more of my reviews, visit my blog at Xpresso Reads

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Jan 05, 2014 Jen • Just One More Page rated it it was ok

Shelves: realistic-fiction, young-adult, romance, literal-garbage, stand-alones, contemporary, death

This review is also posted on my blog.

(view spoiler) ...more

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Jan 10, 2012 Rabiah rated it liked it

Originally posted at: http://iliveforreading.blogspot.sg/20...

Before You Go is a story written in two parts: Before and After. From the moment I saw the words "Before" I KNEW something big was going to happen in the middle of the story, just like John Green's Looking for Alaska. And of course, I was right.
I found this story a little too slow for my liking. If it wasn't for my intense curiosity of what could cause this book to have a before and after, I wouldn't have finished it. It really does t ...more

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Jul 30, 2013 Sally Kruger added it

It's been seven years since Jude's little sister Lily drowned in the backyard pool. His mother spends most of her time behind closed curtains self-medicating to get through her days. His father goes to work and comes home and then jogs to try to outrun his memories. Jude has the biggest guilt to deal with since he believes that he is to blame for his sister's death.

Junior year is almost over and Jude thinks maybe a summer job would help keep him busy. Living near the boardwalk means there should ...more

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Feb 22, 2012 Valentina rated it liked it

This book begins and ends with powerful prose. It strikes the reader from the first few lines that it will be a beautiful one to read. And, although it doesn’t always deliver plot-wise in my opinion, the beauty of it does not disappoint.
Jude, the protagonist, is quite interesting. There is a darkness, a brooding quality, that adds a bit of mystery to what could have been just another dull teen character. He is full of contradictions. Once in a while, this can become a bit frustrating to the read ...more

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Apr 15, 2018 Kevin Mattis rated it it was amazing

The main character has a profound sense of humanity. The love and the guilt that he felt for his sister was a common thread throughout this character's life. ...more

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Jun 02, 2020 P.M. added it

This was awful. I was taking a break from my pandemics which was a bad choice. I have nothing more to say and have already wasted too many keystrokes on it.

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Nov 26, 2011 Sarah {Literary Meanderings} rated it liked it

Shelves: singles-fic, x-read-in-2012

♥ Find my reviews on Blogger ~ Reviews by Bookish Sarah

- - -

Seven years ago, Jude's younger sister drowned in a swimming pool while he was supposed to be watching her. Life hasn't been the same since. His mother spends most of her time holed up in her bedroom. His father seems indifferent and oblivious. The house is kept dark and lonely.

The book opens up to Jude going in for his first day on a summer job. He lives in a beach town, so this job is at a concession stand right on the beach. He'll b ...more

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Mar 03, 2012 Kimberly rated it it was ok

Shelves: netgalley, 2012-bookshelf

Generally I don't read realistic YA fiction written by male authors (I'm not sexist) it just seems as though it is a predominately female written genre.

This book was told in two parts. There was the Before and then there was the After Part and the novel itself was written in the third person which isn't my favourite way to read a book because I don't feel the usual connection to the characters.

We have our main protagonist Jude. He's you're average teenager. Awkward in the eyes of his crush but Generally I don't read realistic YA fiction written by male authors (I'm not sexist) it just seems as though it is a predominately female written genre.

This book was told in two parts. There was the Before and then there was the After Part and the novel itself was written in the third person which isn't my favourite way to read a book because I don't feel the usual connection to the characters.

We have our main protagonist Jude. He's you're average teenager. Awkward in the eyes of his crush but acting like the man whilst he's around his little crew of friends. I wasn't overly fond of Jude because I just found him to be a little over dramatic especially when it came to the girl he liked.

Anyway, the novel follows Jude as he experiences a lot of firsts. He gets his first summer job, gets his first girl friend, has his first kiss and loses yet another person he cares about. This is the second tragic death that Jude has experienced. The first was the death of his little sister seven years before. I found Jude to be quite the melancholy character. I do not know if it was the author's intention to make him this way or if that is just how I see him. All I know is that to me he could be right out pompous and depressing so that made the reading of the novel less enjoyable. In fact I had a hard time liking any of the characters.

However, despite my dislike or plain old "meh" attitude about Jude and his not so merry cast of characters I did find that the actual plot of the novel was well thought out. There was something about it that made me want to keep reading it. Perhaps it's because it wasn't until near the end of the novel that the "After" section started thus leaving the reader with 130+ pages of wondering when the "Big Thing" would happen and start having the book start come together.

Once the "After" section happened I really thought the book picked up the pace and I believe it was that section that made the book for me. If you read it you might think that that's a little weird that it takes the death of one of the characters to make the book seem worth it to me. I was left wanting more from the characters and the writing emotionally but this novel fell short of my expectations. It was as though that part of the book got a whole new lease on life though it was still too little too late for me to give this YA novel more than a moderate rating.

The book was entertaining and it kept me interested on the afternoon that I read it long enough to finish it but it was overall quite forgettable. I can see the appeal for a book like this though and I think that people who enjoy YA novels especially teens will enjoy this book. This was just a case of it not being the novel for me. I will however be giving the authors other books a try to see if they are more to my liking.

* I received a free copy of this book from the published via NetGalley in exchange for my free and honest review. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own and I was not compensated in any way. ...more

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Jun 15, 2012 Laura rated it really liked it

Shelves: read-2012

After letting your sister drown in the family pool, your life can only go up, right? Not quite. Jude is a typical rising senior in high school with a craptastic summer job & a quirky, yet endearing best friend (Corey). Also, he's quite smitten with a certain cashierette (Becka) at his job. While his family never properly dealt with the death of his sister (his mother withdrew into the house & his father focuses on anything but human emotion), Jude has found solace in Corey. From a conservative, After letting your sister drown in the family pool, your life can only go up, right? Not quite. Jude is a typical rising senior in high school with a craptastic summer job & a quirky, yet endearing best friend (Corey). Also, he's quite smitten with a certain cashierette (Becka) at his job. While his family never properly dealt with the death of his sister (his mother withdrew into the house & his father focuses on anything but human emotion), Jude has found solace in Corey. From a conservative, religious home, Corey is spunky, vivacious & unique. As total geeks the boys discuss everything from movies & music, to the video games they're kicking butt in.

Naturally Jude wants to bring together the two most important people in his life. Jude is certain that all of them hanging out together is what is necessary for his budding relationship with Becka to take the next step. But Jude just can't seem to catch a real break. A freak accident causes him to lose something so precious, there's no telling if he'll be able to get it back.

Before You Go is a subtle book. A slow building story that follows the rather cumbersome life of teenage nobody Jude. While years have passed since the drowning of his younger sister, the reader still gets the sense that the family has never moved on from the tragedy, partially because it seems the community doesn't want them to forget. Yet Jude is determined to continue his life to the best of his ability.

Enter best friend & wild card Corey as well as Jude's summer job. The reader gets the sense that Jude just wants to be a normal teenager, but continues to find himself in awkward situations where he's not entirely sure what is expected of him. Naturally there is also a girl, causing even more anxiety & confusion for this poor guy. The best part about all this gawkiness are the interactions between characters. They are so real & on point that I really felt like I knew what the characters were thinking & feeling. The writing, while a little obvious that the author is new to writing specifically for teens, still lends itself to being friendly & engaging.

What I didn't expect at all was the twist. We're not talking M. Night Shyamalan twist, but a big enough wrench that I wasn't exactly sure where the book could go from that point on. I was pleasantly surprised to find myself more impatient to continue reading after the twist. The book became so much more than I expected when I first picked it up.

While not a heavy read, this one merits some thoughtful consideration. Ladies & gents give it up for James Preller! I'd be happy to read his next piece. ...more

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Dec 13, 2011 Jennifer Ellision rated it it was ok

Shelves: young-adult, contemporary, 2012contemp, arc-from-publisher, reviewed, read-in-2012

Posted to Almost Grown-up:

The first scene of Before You Go by James Preller packs a punch. It’s rich in imagery and sensory detail and there’s an urgency to the scene. Add that to how excited I was for the novel, and I was fully sucked in. I expected that would be the case for then entirely novel, but then I realized it was a flash-forward-style prologue. These work in some (RARE) cases, but in many, as was the case in Before You Go, it irritated me as a reader. I felt like I’d been promised hig Posted to Almost Grown-up:

The first scene of Before You Go by James Preller packs a punch. It’s rich in imagery and sensory detail and there’s an urgency to the scene. Add that to how excited I was for the novel, and I was fully sucked in. I expected that would be the case for then entirely novel, but then I realized it was a flash-forward-style prologue. These work in some (RARE) cases, but in many, as was the case in Before You Go, it irritated me as a reader. I felt like I’d been promised high stakes from the get-go and they weren’t nearly delivered.

Unfortunately, things didn’t get much better. I kept waiting for characters to feel like real people instead of caricatures of actual teenagers. The dialogue feels forced, awkward, and inauthentic, peppered with obscure book and movie references that would have been effective once or twice, but not as much as they were used.

The plot could have done with some tightening; it felt like there was a lot of information or scenes that didn’t serve a purpose. I can think of at least two characters who seemed simply like devices to draw out the story as they didn’t further the plot at all.

The main character Jude still feels grief and guilt over the death of his sister Lily and feels disconnected from his parents. He starts a new job and is maybe even figuring out his first love. Plus, as noted in the plot synopsis, something occurs that throws Jude’s life into upheaval once again.

Obviously, the events involved in Before You Go all involved some extremely heightened emotions and I’d anticipated feeling some major pathos for Jude. But, there was nothing. Not a twinge.

I think a lot of that was down to the fact that Before You Go is written in a third person omniscient point of view, which distanced me from all involved. I was never really close enough to Jude to feel for him.

Overall rating: 2/5. I simply didn’t connect with Before You Go. Still love the premise and the way that the prologue is written, though. ...more

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Mar 17, 2012 Isamlq rated it it was ok

Shelves: arc-galley

It’s got a really good intro- very atmospheric, a little like Shatter Me with the visuals without trying too hard; the rest of it though… not so much.

There’s a little on love a lot on life and death and even some on faith, Jude just didn’t make that much of a compelling narrator. So far, his life’s been sad. Tragedy marks his everyday…and he feels this disconnect. As a consequence, I never felt a connection to him, or that special something that would have me with a lump in my throat for what h ...more

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Jun 13, 2016 Akay Valdez rated it it was amazing

“If God is for us, who is against us?” God was not cruel, but loving. God was not indifferent, but compassionate, our savior and our strength.”

“If you leave your heart open, God will find you.”

“Does it make you feel insignificant?” he asked.
“Not at all,” Becka said, her voice soft, mellow. “I feel like I’m blessed, part of some unknowable mystery.”

“The days’ events tumbled like laundry in a drying machine, a jumble of impressions and memory, mingled with bleached-out reality like faded photograp ...more

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Sep 16, 2012 Julia rated it liked it

Shelves: appropriate-for-high-school, families, friendship-school, death-grief

A sad, but worthwhile read about a boy who's already lost a younger sister & faces greater loss to come. I recommend it for high school because of the partying with alcohol that happens several times in the book - ironically not the cause of any of the suffering in this tale. As an adult reader, part of me wanted to see consequences for the casual drinking. On the other hand, I think the story had a stronger impact with it's "stuff happens" cause of trauma. Because in real life, sometimes stuff ...more

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Aug 14, 2014 Ari rated it it was ok

Shelves: arc-galley-or-author

First the cover - it is lovely, though it doesn't really fit if I think about it, but I do like it anyways.
Then the story - it is not bad actually but it din't grab my attention either.

In terms of length it is quite a short book, I finished it in no time, but I wasn't invested during that time. A I see it, much happens but feels unimportant, there's a lot of dialog but not enough meaning behind it. I actually didn't get attached to the characters, maybe because the book is really short. I don't ...more

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Oct 11, 2015 Alicia rated it it was ok

Shelves: female, male, family, romance

So typical. Boy has tragedy befall his family for which he blames himself. Another tragedy occurs. There's a girl. There are feelings, feelings get hurt. It didn't feel like the characters were their ages and the situation, while important to discuss including the dangers of teen driving, was not riveting, unique, or well-written enough for me to read it all the way through. ...more

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May 04, 2015 Sammy rated it really liked it

I am not entirely sure how I feel about this book. It is a rollercoaster. a bit slow in the beginning, some exciting hills, sad loops, interesting spirals then done. Back at the station. I enjoyed the story and the feels but felt the story lacked sustenance.

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Mar 29, 2013 A. rated it it was ok

Shelves: did-not-finish

I mostly didn't finish because I was just underwhelmed and didn't have time. You can't read everything, so they tell me. ...more

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Feb 20, 2016 Alyssa rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: read-and-owned

This book follows Jude and his friends and family before and after a car crash that affects all of their lives. They all seem to be getting their lives together, living pretty happily until the accident completely changes their world. Will they be able to get their lives back on track after losing someone close to them?

This book was so boring. We learned about the car crash on the first couple of pages, were then dragged through a long “Before the Crash” section where seemingly nothing happens e This book follows Jude and his friends and family before and after a car crash that affects all of their lives. They all seem to be getting their lives together, living pretty happily until the accident completely changes their world. Will they be able to get their lives back on track after losing someone close to them?

This book was so boring. We learned about the car crash on the first couple of pages, were then dragged through a long “Before the Crash” section where seemingly nothing happens except for background knowledge on our characters, and then finished with a very quick “After the Accident” section. I’m just not exactly sure what I was supposed to get out of this novel as I originally thought it would be a great set-up to discuss drunk driving, but the story did not do so.

Aside from the fact that this story was boring, there was zero character development, a horribly written insta love, and a cast of characters that I was not attached to. Jude was an extremely boring main character and the big accident that happened to his family years ago seemed to be in the story for the sole purpose of having something to talk about in the Before part of this novel. It was kind of strange that I felt such a disconnect from the characters in this novel since really the only thing that happens in the Before part is a background section that is supposed to help in getting to know them and their lives for over one hundred pages. If I were being honest, I think that this novel was not enjoyable for me largely because of the third person narrative. I wanted to feel and understand Jude’s feelings and anger throughout the story about all of the things that were going on in his life; the third person narrative and looking at him from the outside was not the way to do it. In my personal opinion, this book could have been a bigger success for me as a reader if it was told from Jude’s point of view in the first person so that I could grieve with him on multiple accounts. Another aspect of this story that I really did not like was the insta love. All I need to put here as my explanation is this quote from about five pages after we meet the girl Jude likes and at the end of his first conversation with her: “After all, he was already in love with her.” Like he literally had one conversation with her and had just figured out her name like that day. Just no. I also feel like I could have gotten more from this story hearing from the perspective of the driver in the accident because we got very little information about what they did or how they were feeling after the car crash. Another small side note, religion was randomly talked about throughout the story and it felt like if the author wanted to make it a theme it should have had a bigger part in the story overall instead of awkwardly being introduced towards the end.

There were two things that I liked in this novel. I liked Corey and Jude’s friendship and I wish that the author had built more on that friendship from the beginning. I also liked the suspense of the story; every time they got in a car I was wondering if that was going to be the time the accident took place.

Overall, this story was really boring for me and it felt like nothing really happened outside of the accident. I wish the characters had been more developed as I did really like the before/after concept of the novel and I wish that I had been able to connect to the grief and some message the story was trying to put across. ...more

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Mar 20, 2021 Jennifer rated it did not like it

Shelves: grief

Maybe I’m being influenced because I had just read an article in the local paper about being SICK of shows starting with an action scene that lasts three minutes then cutting to a screen that says “Four Days Earlier.” Flashbacks are getting old as narration vehicles. And this book started that way: a description of a car accident then flashback to the start of Jude’s summer working at the boardwalk in New York. The flashback shows Jude trying to move on with his life even as he is still having d ...more

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Oct 27, 2019 Adriana Sanchez rated it liked it

A teen-adult grows out of his haunting past and learns to love but later a tragic event happens. “How are you Jude, everything okay?”Jude has trouble with his emotional health and really questions himself but that seems to change over the course of time. Jude gets his first job, he ends up falling in love now he is relieved from his grieving of his little sister’s death. He learns to forgive himself now thriving and feeling alive again. Even though his parents haven't learned to let go he goes o ...more

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Sep 12, 2021 Keira Sweeting rated it liked it

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Jun 22, 2017 Chenoa Smeds rated it did not like it

Shelves: own

This book upset me so much, because I was immediately gripped in the prologue, and then the first chapter started. In my opinion, this is the most boring book I have ever read. The only reason I finished it, is because I can not leave a book unfinished.
Jude is a depressed teenager, with parents who aren't so present. A tragedy had occurred in his family several years earlier, and none of the, really ever got over it. It has the capacity to be a wonderful novel, except for the complete lack of i ...more

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Jul 18, 2021 Leysii rated it did not like it

I stopped reading the book on page 112 because the characters were so incredibly unsympathetic.
Nobody was special, just boring and irritating. I wanted something gripping.
Jude's way of thinking annoyed me and that he was immediately "in love" with Becka, although the two hardly knew each other, and he knew almost nothing about her.
Also, how the boys talked about women was just disgusting.
The cover really appealed to me and also the first few chapters, but after that everything was just weird, ...more

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Sep 14, 2017 Sarah rated it did not like it · review of another edition

I really wanted to like this book but I couldn't. Having been in two life-threatening situations in my life has changed me but I honestly couldn't connect with this story. Maybe I'm better at handling things but I though that the man character was super whiny and so "holier than thou" that the whole story fell flat. ...more

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May 25, 2017 Suzanne rated it liked it

A car crash, someone dies, then we live through "before". Not a page turner by any means but interesting enough to hold my attention. ...more

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Nov 03, 2017 CoriA rated it liked it

It was pretty good, not my favorite, and it got a little confusing.

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Aug 01, 2018 Tammy rated it liked it

This was a quick read! Less than 200 pages. Jude is dealing with the death of his sister years before and tragedy strikes again when he thinks things are getting back to normal.

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About James Preller

James Preller

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James Preller (born 1961) is the children's book author of the Jigsaw Jones Mysteries, which are published by Scholastic Corporation. He grew up in Wantagh, New York and went to college in Oneonta, New York. After graduating from college in 1983, James Preller was employed as a waiter for one year before being hired as a copywriter by Scholastic Corporation, where he was introduced (through their ...more