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Before Ever After by Samantha Sotto

Before Ever After

A Novel

by Samantha Sotto

  • Critics' Consensus (3):
  • Published:
  • Aug 2011, 304 pages
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for Before Ever After
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  • 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.
  • 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.
  • Betty B. (Irving, TX)
    Before Ever After
    I was a little disappointed with this book. I found the story quite interesting, expecially the historic periods. Unfortunately I felt the writing was weak, particularly the dialogue of the characters. The story intrigued me enough that I kept reading to see how it would all be resolved. I think it is an ok book which could have been a great book with better writing.
  • Dianne S. (Green Valley, AZ)
    Back & forth in time
    I chose this book to review because I am a lover of time travel. This book, I discovered, was not about time travel, but about a man, an Immortal man, who has lived through time.

    I enjoyed this book to a point. The story of Max and Shelley meeting was entertaining. I loved the bravery of the characters that signed up for Max's adventurous tour. What I didn't really enjoy about the book was the way it jumps into different time periods constantly. It was forever piling more & more characters and locations to the point that when I put the book down for a time, I would continuously have to regroup and figure out where I left off. This perhaps is not the fault of the book but of my own.

    I applaud the author for what I think is a very original story. I believe that fantasy & romance readers will enjoy this book.
  • Laurel (CA)
    Sands of Time
    Before Ever After by Samantha Sotto is full of interesting historical vignettes while telling the story of a romance. Although the idea of the book is quite interesting, I liked the story better than the writing. It is a quick read.
  • 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.
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