Before I Saw You

by Ashley Elizabeth

We all know the rhyme.
Sticks and stones may break my bones,
but words will never hurt me.
Except that’s a lie.
Because his words didn’t just hurt me,
they broke my heart.
A heart that has only ever beat for him.
Shattering me.
But after one moment stuck in an elevator together,
his walls come down and buried feelings crawl to the surface to play.
And play, we do.
So I forgive him.
It’s hard not to when he’s been the only man I’ve ever loved.
The only man able to give me what I need.
But the question is,
will he forgive me?

Genres: Sports Romance, Romance, Contemporary Romance, College, Mental Health, Sports, Friends To Lovers

416 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 14, 2023

About the author

Ashley Elizabeth is an author of steamy contemporary romance. Her books will always tell a love story with just the right amount of spice, and most importantly, end with a happily ever after. When she’s not reading a romance novel or overthinking everything, you can find her at Starbucks, keeping them in business, or watching Jurassic Park for the thousandth time with her fur baby, Bailey.

Reviews

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.75✨ 3🌶

Happy Release Day to, Before I Saw You 💙

Ashley is a brand-new author for me, let me just say that I will buy whatever she writes, I haven't stopped thinking about this book since I finished reading because it was just that incredible. 

We follow Jason and Vanessa, and they are an exceptionally magical couple. They are undoubtedly soulmates who have been friends since they were little. Years ago, they made a deal to simply be friends, mostly because Jason happens to be her best friend's brother. 

However, fate had other plans; following an occurrence that entirely changed all their lives and made Jason hate Vanessa. But, as they end up attending the same college, they rekindle their friendship. Soon enough they agree to be friends with benefits, as they both help each other pick up pieces of their lives while they navigate through the bedroom together. However, when the truth is revealed, they both understand that what they share is something far greater.  

Vanessa is a fashion design student who is severely struggling with body and mental health issues, all while the world is on her shoulders. I've never wanted to reach into a book so badly, be friends with a character, and just say, I get you, I'm a fashion girl and grew up curvy, so she hit close to home for me. But I'm really awed by Vanessa's growth in terms of her voice, her dedication, and progress. Jason, oh ladies! This man! Where do I start, think Nathan Hawkins, but in the football version, Jason is that man who is a pillar. I was not expecting to uncover his soul.

I just want to empathize with the mental health rep because this was one of the best I've read. Having said that it also broke me, but Ashley wrote this as a love letter. This went so beyond romance around college football.. But the story friendships and support systems were just as significant as they are that perfect for both Vanessa and Jason. I have to go back and read Natalie's book; it's an absolute priority for next month. If you want a book that will stand out from the crowd. You must read this one.

PLEASE CHECK TW💙

Forever grateful, @ashleyelizabethauthor and @greyspromo, for the ARC.

[Sarah (The Kindred Reader) · Rating 4 out of 5]

***ARC REVIEW***
Before I Saw You releases 11/14/2023.

[4 Stars😊] I'm a huge fan of the show One Tree Hill. During my teenage years, I connected to the way characters my age tackle heavy subject matter while navigating that liminal period between adolescence and adulthood. I loved the drama, the romance, the heartbreak, the angst and the insecurity shown through the lenses of self-discovery, self-worth, friendship, and fighting for what and who you love. It resonated with me on a soul-deep level and is still one of my all-time favorite shows.

Ashley Elizabeth's Before I Saw You delivered everything I love about One Tree Hill in the form of a book. Vanessa's self-acceptance journey was emotional and moving, and Jason's emotional development was honest and raw. I was completely sucked into their angsty, perfectly imperfect, realistically messy (in a good way) love story, and I know you will be too!

Before I Saw You is a beautifully written, impactful, and heartbreaking yet hopeful love story that will stay with me for a very long time, and I cannot wait to read more of Ashley Elizabeth's works! I highly recommend if you're a fan of shows like One Tree Hill or Dawson's Creek (I'm a millennial and I don't know any newer shows, ok?)!

***A HUGE thank you to Ashley Elizabeth and Grey's Promotions for the ARC of Before I Saw You! All thoughts in this review are my own.***
____________________________________
Details:
💘Contemporary romance
👀Dual, first-person POV
🌦Darker themes and elements
🧠Mental health representation
📚School/academic setting
⚾Sports romance
🥀3rd Act breakup
🚩Check TWs and CWs before reading
🙌Would re-read

Tropes:
🪢Family ties
🏈Football romance
📍Forced proximity
👩‍❤️‍👨(childhood) Friends-to-lovers
💙He falls first
💝"It's always been you"
🤐Secrets
🔪"Touch her and die"

Spice:
🔥Explicit sex (hot)
____________________________________
Emoji Ranking System:
🤩Fantastic (4.75-5.00)
😍Great (4.25-4.75)
😊Good, but not great (3.50-4.25)
😒Just OK (2.75-3.50)
😑It's A No (1.00-2.75)
🚫DNF

[Bailey (Myveinsbleedink) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've been waiting so long for this book. If you haven't read Before I Tell You, the first in this series, stop right now and get on it, it just makes everything flow that much better!
I knew this book was going to cut me open and slowly sew me back up by the end....and it did just that. I'm almost sad i'm done it as I know I now have to wait awhile for the next one.
Vanessa and Jason's story is really quite beautiful. At first I thought I was going to hate Jason and it was going to be a book of mass frustration for me but it was not like that at all. Jason is perfection. He is everything a woman should have in their life. Someone to love and build them up. To cherish and respect them. To be just...everything. Vanessa is heartbreaking but inspiring. She is every girl growing up seeing unrealistic image expectations blasted across magazines and social media pages. She is real. Speaking from experience growing up despising your body is devastating. It's life altering, it's exhausting. Vanessa's story is definitely hard to read, and thank god for Jason. This man knows how to build a woman up! But ultimately one has to love themselves on their own but having a HOT quarterback loving your body in the meantime is pretty great too.
This is a beautiful story and I thank Ashley for sharing it with us. I knew it was gonna require a box of Kleenex when I read the dedication so I was ultimately prepared. Ashley's writing style flows and grabs your attention from the onset and doesn't let go. One of my fav authors, can't wait for the next one!

[Chelsey · Rating 5 out of 5]

I need to start this by saying Before I Tell You is the best book I’ve read that has a mental health topics as the main plot. Ashley was able to take a very sensitive topic & write about it in such a beautiful way. Vanessa deals with extreme body dysmorphia. Since a child she has had it imbedded into her brain that she is not enough by the people who are meant to love you the most.

Her & Jason were childhood best friends until she heard him say something to shake up her world. Which turns them from friends to enemies. Vanessa thinks he’s another person who’s embarrassed of her.. & while he might try and hate her, it turns out to be impossible.

Ashley gave us a love story that gives off so many emotions. While there were sensitive topics brought up she also gave the right amount of spice, character building & just the plot of an amazing love story.

This is easily being added into my of top reads for 2023.

[Morgan Springsteen (morereadingmo) · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was somehow a tight hug and a punch in the gut. I was not prepared for the range of emotions @ashleyelizabethauthor would take me through with Vanessa and Jason's story.

I was excited to read this book because of the tropes and I love a good sports romance. I was pleasantly surprised by really good mental health representation, sensitive depictions of the aftermath of trauma, strong character development and really genuine friendships. This was such a smooth read for me while also tackling some heavy content which can be really hard to do both things well but Ashley did a fantastic job.

There was no shortage of spice, banter, chemistry and realistic conflict. I love found family and when friendships are healthy and highlighted well. This book was a bit longer than some of the romances I've read lately but I flew through it!

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

[Chronic Chihuahua · Rating 3 out of 5]

Resolved Way Too Fast

Genuinely do not understand why this woman forgave him for treating her so horribly for so long.

One minute its literal hate in action, Neglectful Narcissism and full on Covert Narcissism to Nate, all he has to do is buy a coat.

Nice.

Nate really gets let off easy.

And the orgasm plotline, holy shit, what are you, fifteen?

She wants to design clothes for overweight people while impressed by labels like Dior, who literally othered her on purpose.

This is too much, the depth is not there.

[Cassandra Louise · Rating 2 out of 5]

This bored the pants off me. She is a bumbling mess and they both act like they are 15 years old. Have a friggin conversation for once. Dnf

[Melissa (BWM) Lynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun Fact: Ashley write PHENOMENAL emotionally impactful romances that make you still feel warm and fuzzy throughout the whole book! If I loved Before I Tell You, then I ADORED Before I Saw You!

**While this is a standalone, its definitely recommended to read this AFTER reading Before I Tell You! WARNING! This review will have some spoilers to BITY!

ARC Book Review: 5⭐, 3🌶️

"She's beautiful. No, that word doesn't feel strong enough for her. It's like calling a star pretty when a star is more than that. A star shines, and that's exactly what she is doing now."

"He's my moon. When I look up at the night sky, the only thing I see is the moon, shining bright amongst a sea of stars. And with Jason, when he's in a room full of people, he's the only one I see. The only one I've ever seen."

Vanessa and Jason are just *chef's kiss* wonderful! They both have struggles throughout the book and gave me more stress than ideally wanted, it kept me GRIPPED! Jason gets challenged as a protective younger brother and its just a very realistic wonderful book about being in a friendship/ relationship where someone else's actions impact you. The trauma is written with so much respect and sensitivity that I just want to hug this book, its such a work of art!

"I know me telling you how beautiful I think you are won't magically make you see yourself through my eyes, but we'll work on it. Everyday. Okay? I'll do whatever you need me to do. I will never let you shatter, Vanessa. And if for some reason you do shatter, I will be there on my hands and knees, picking up every damn piece until I've put you back together again."

Vanessa is one of the STONGEST FMC's I've read in a minute - she goes through so much not just in this book, but throughout her life, and there's so much to relate and sympathize with. Her having to process the loss of her brother after learning what he did to her best friend, and then to add on the purely emotional abuse she experiences from her parents just had me wanting to hug her! She has so much resilience and kindness in her heart that you just can't not love her!

Tropes:
💙Childhood Friends
💙Best Friend's Brother
💙Friends with Benefits
💙Mental Health Representation
⚠️Check Content Warnings!

Thank you Ashley Elizabeth & Grey's Promotions for an eARC of Before I Saw You! This is my honest and free review!

[Skylar Hatch · Rating 5 out of 5]

Every. Single. Star. I absolutely LOVED Before I Tell You, so I was over the moon excited to jump into Before I Saw You, and let me tell you, MAN DID THIS EATTTTT!!!! I am obsessed. I don’t think my thoughts will truly do this book justice, but here we go…

Jason our MMC is a football star, super protective “big” brother (he’s bigger but younger) of Natalie (FMC in book 1). Due to an absolutely tragic incident, which you learn about in book 1, he absolutely hates Vanessa our FMC and Natalie’s best friend. Vanessa is a fashionista extraordinaire, supportive, loving person.

Vanessa and Jason eventually work out their differences after remembering how special their friendship was, which Jason decides to add some pizzazz into the mix by proposing they be FWB. You can tell immediately that Vanessa and Jason are endgame. They are soul mates, meant to be, however you want to say it.

Ashley did such an amazing job with articulating Vanessa’s self hate and the journey we take, with her and Jason to help her mend it, really hit home. I felt like I was reading my thoughts, my fears, everything. It was so emotional, but utter perfection. She has such a big heart with so much love to give, all she wants is a family, and the found family within the Spencer’s absolutely broke me in the best way, Vanessa deserves all the love they give her.

Both main characters had such growth both individually, and with each other throughout this, it was so beautiful to experience. I laughed, I blushed, I BAWLED like a baby, all the feels. It was so beautifully written, I will never shut up about it. I will 10000% be rereading this whole series.

What to expect:
💙 Contemporary Romance
🪡 Dual POV
🏈 Forced Proximity (they’re neighbors)
💙 Childhood Friends to Hate to FWB to Lovers
🪡 It’s Always Been You
🏈 Touch Her and 💀
💙 Found Family
🪡 Spicy

[romancevibeswithbritt · Rating 5 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

The first book in this series was amazing I really didn’t think that this one could be better but it really was! I was even more obsessed with Vanessa and Jason. They are both struggling with Vanessa’s connection to Brian(she’s his sister) after what he does to Natalie( Jason’s sister)

These two were so perfect, and perfect for eachother. Even though these two start out as friends with benefits the love they have for each other was so obvious. Jason is hella protective of Vanessa and needs to take care of her. He shows his love to her constantly.

Vanessa, this girl. I love her so much, throughout the book I just wanted to give her the biggest hug. Her family sucks so badly, she just needed more people in her corner building her up. I loved when you see Jason build up her confidence, the mirror scene 😍

I’m so in love with this series and I can’t wait to read Paul’s and Sarah’s book 😍

💛Best friend’s brother
💛College
💛Mental health rep
💛Protective MMC
💛Found family
💛Childhood friends

“Someday, you’re going to realize how beautiful you are. How every curve on this body deserves to be worshiped.”

“Sometimes I feel like a piece of glass. Like any moment, I’m going to hit my breaking point and shatter into a million pieces.”

“I don’t want to be your friend anymore. I can’t fucking be just your friend, Vee. I need more. I need all of you. I need you.”

“If you think she deserves better, then be better. It’s really that simple.”

[Mia Angelica · Rating 4 out of 5]

ARC REVIEW.

This was the sweetest and perfect way to write a childhood friends to enemies to lovers story. PERIOD. I knew after reading Before I Tell You, that I was going to need more of Jason and Vanessa and I definitely got what I wanted! The tension was there but the rekindling of a love that was always there was even better. I felt all the butterflies reading this story, but also felt all the heartache for the main characters as well. Each character had their own struggles, but they had each other to comfort and uplift one another. The flashbacks we get from their childhood only made me swoon for these two more. If you thought Nate and Natalie were a power couple, I think Vanessa and Jason might be really close behind. I also appreciate that Miss Ashley Elizabeth wrote another romance novel with mental health awareness and a curvy FMC. I honestly love everything Vanessa represented in this book. By the end, I knew that there were hints she was dropping about another couple we've met and yes, I am ready for the next story!!

Thank you so much for this ARC! It's been an honor being apart of your journey and I hope everyone loves and appreciates Vanessa's story as much as I do.

[Ashley Arsenault · Rating 5 out of 5]

“𝘉𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘐 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘨𝘪𝘳𝘭 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘰𝘯 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘴.
𝘐𝘯𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘺 .
𝘌𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘯𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺.
𝘌𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘯𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘧𝘭𝘦𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘦. “

Book 2 in the Before series by Ashley Elizabeth.
LOVED this book. Did not want to put it down, but also did not want it to end.

I absolutely ADORE Jason and Vanessa.

Jason is the MMC and Vanessa’s best friend Natalie’s ( from book 1) brother 😏.

After a rough year for them all, they all end up a Linrey University. Where friends enjoy benefits, where internal growth happens, and old friendships reignite and new ones form.

I just could not get enough of them. One of my fav tropes was used in this book. “It’s always been you” 😍

I love how Ashley incorporates real life issues into her books. Sad, frustrating and devastating as they can be.

I’m excited to soon dive into book 3 before I loved you. Where we will get Paul and Sarah’s story.

“ 𝘕𝘰 𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘴𝘰𝘤𝘪𝘦𝘵𝘺 𝘴𝘢𝘺𝘴, 𝘸𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘪𝘧𝘶𝘭, 𝘸𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘣𝘳𝘢𝘷𝘦, 𝘸𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘦𝘳𝘤𝘦, 𝘸𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘴𝘮𝘢𝘳𝘵, 𝘸𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘢𝘨𝘦𝘰𝘶𝘴, 𝘸𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘧𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘵, 𝘸𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘣𝘳𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘯.”

[Dominique · Rating 5 out of 5]

Before I Saw You

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

Tropes:

~Touch Her and Die
~HEA
~Best Friend’s Brother
~Childhood Friends
~Forced Proximity
~Friends With Benefits
~Sports
~Spicy
~Mental Health Representation
~It’ s Always Been You

Review:

This is my first book by Ashley Elizabeth, and it certainly will not be my last.

Man, was this one emotional. I needed tissues. Vanessa, the FMC, is so strong, but she is also relatable.

Vanessa and Jason grow together, and they grow separately. They are exactly what the other needs.

Check out Trigger Warnings, as this discusses sensitive topics.

*I received this as an ARC, and I am leaving an honest and voluntary review*

[Jackie Roberts · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jason
Vanessa
Brady: friend Vanessa makes in her fashion class
Rob: Vanessa’s boss at Winners

The prologue is Vanessa’s memory of the night Jason told Nate he hates her. The man she’s loved her whole life, hates her.
We find out Jason had had an offer for his dream school in California but he felt like he had to come to Boston to protect Natalie.
It starts with Vanessa and Natalie are outside sunbathing and Jason brings her out sunscreen. She had undone her top to prevent lines and so she doesn’t take the sunscreen from Jason so he just starts putting it on her. And then he remembers his friends are coming over for his birthday and she thinks he doesn’t want to be seen with her, because she is self concious of herself and her weight. Flash forward, Vanessa has switched to Natalie’s school. The guys help her move in. Jason is staying in Natalie’s old room and Natalie and Vanessa have a room down the hall. The girls get the guys pizza and Sarah and Paul meet. And we sense either history or chemistry between them so I’m thinking they might be the next book!!! Vanessa makes a friend in her fashion class and finds out she’s going to be working at his brothers bar. Jason and his friends show up and he seems upset that she’s there because they wear scandalous outfits. When he leaves, there is $500 in tips on the table. She rushes back to Jason not wanting his pity money and he said he made Zach leave the tip for his nasty comments but he’ll still be paying for it on the field. He’s a freshmen and at this school he’s a bench warmer versus his dream school he would have had a starting position. He comes home after the game and goes over to Natalie’s where they’re all watching tv and Vanessa is asleep. When it’s time for bed he Carrie’s her to her room and tucks her in. Vanessa is running late and decides to take the elevator even though she’s claustrophobic and then of course Jason is in there and then the elevator errors and she has a panic attack and has him rip her favorite coat off of her. He soothes her through her panic attack and it turns into her grinding against his hard cock and then the elevator door opens and she leaves and goes to her room. We get a flashback of 10 years ago Jason, he was crying on the swings because kids had bullied his stammer. Vanessa asked if he wanted to give her a nickname so he didn’t stammer her name and that’s when he started calling her Vee. She goes out drinking with Natalie so the next day she pushes herself to run before anyone gets there. Jason finds her and she had ran 12 miles on an empty stomach. He’s upset with her and forces her to eat a protein bar and a sports drink and then walks her home. She goes fabric shopping with Brady and tells him everything. How her brother almost sexually assaulted her best friend so her best friend quit talking to her for a year. Brian, her brother, is now in jail and her parents won’t pay for her apartment or schooling because she took Natalie’s side over Brian’s side. So that’s why she has to work at that place to be able to afford her place and school. And she tells him about Jason and Brady is convinced they are in love with each other. We find out Jason has a friendship bracelet he holds for good luck and we know he’s obsessed with Vanessa because he gets upset if anyone calls her hot or talks about her. We find out through Vanessa’s pov that they were each others first kisses. Jason asks Natalie how she forgave Vanessa and she said there was nothing to forgive her for. And he realizes that he messed up. He goes and gets her a new red coat like the one that he had ripped off of her in the elevator and brings it to her. She tells him it’s too much but they agree to be friends again. They all go out for drinks and when he walks over he hears Natalie squeal how Vanessa has never orgasmed for a guy so he decides his next way to make up to her being an ass for the past year. They end up grinding on the dance floor and in the car he fingers her til she cums and says they’re friends with benefits now. She comes over and they discuss their terms. She’s not allowed to see Brian, she has to eat when she’s around him, they won’t be seeing other people. So after her shift and one of his games she’s invited to the football house and he told her not to wear underwear. When she sees a skinny blonde sit on his lap and kiss him she gets pissed off and finds someone to grind on. He drags her upstairs and has her close to orgasm but she won’t admit to being jealous so he won’t let her finish til she admits it. She comes to his room that night and admits to being jealous. They end up having sex for the first time. And she asks if it’s always that wow. And he thinks back to 2 years ago when she was crying in the hallway and he had snuck into her room that night. She is upset because Natalie isn’t talking to her and she doesn’t know why. And she gave her virginity to a guy who didn’t even make her finish and then she saw him with someone new and that’s why she was upset in the hallway. She asks him to hold her so he had laid beside her: and after they had sex she confesses she always wanted her virginity to be with him which is what he had always wanted to. The cookies she made were for Brian for his birthday and she goes to see him on Thanksgiving. Knowing she promised Jason she wouldn’t talk to or see Brian. Vanessa has testified against Brian. She had seen the blood and the shredded dress in Brian’s room. She is part of the reason he’s behind bars. He blames her and says her lawyer said if it wasn’t for her he would have been free and clear. Vanessa’s mother asks her to come home and help go through some things in her old room and Jason goes with her. Her mother seems excited to see Jason. When Vanessa goes upstairs she sees her mother turned her room into a gym and everything of hers is in boxes. She feels replaced and especially when she sees that Brian’s room is untouched. And her mom says she can stay in a guest room when she comes home. So she realizes she won’t be staying here tonight. Her mother continues to make comments about her weight and appearance until Jason can’t take it anymore and snaps and they leave and go to his parents. His mom is so welcoming and excited to see Vanessa and she realizes this is what a home is supposed to feel like. Vanessa goes to bed after dinner from being exhausted and Jason has a heart to heart with his mom. She then pulls out his college acceptance letter. He tells her he decided he couldn’t go because he couldn’t be away from Natalie. They are sad he gave up his dream school but are so proud of their son. And tell him just to make sure he’s choosing happy and he says being near his family makes him happy and he wouldn’t have gotten this chance with Vanessa if he went away. That night he goes to bed and doesn’t disturb Vanessa but then he hears his door open and her sneak in. They end up having sex without a condom and she cries after and tells him she’s just so happy. And he realizes he went from loving Vanessa his whole life to now being in love with her. And they had agreed if this turned to more than just sex they were supposed to end it. But he had feelings from the start, he came into this agreement lying. Oh oh also. The girls went out a few times and Sarah only drinks water and talks about needing money, I think she’s pregnant. And I don’t think Paul is the father but I think he has involvement. Vanessa doesn’t tell Jason or Natalie that her parents are going on a cruise for Christmas and that she will be staying in the apartment alone. So the day before Christmas when their mom hears from Vanessa’s mom that they’re going on a trip, his mom pushes for Jason to go get her. He had just broken her heart and knows this is his chance. He had taken her to the football banquet and after she told him she couldn’t do this anymore that she caught feelings and he let her leave. So on his way to get her he grabs a gift. He shows up and tells her he has feelings too and he’s taking her home but they have a stop first. At one point they stop along the road and dance and he records it on his phone. And then he takes her to meet his grandpa who has Alzheimer’s. We know how important he is in Jason’s life but he had a really bad episode the last time Jason saw him. We find out Jason’s grandmother died of a heart attack 8 months ago but he thinks she died of heartbreak. Heart break that her husband didn’t know who she was anymore and it wasn’t safe for her to sleep beside him anymore. They have a really good visit and when he starts to have an episode at the end, Vanessa stops it. She’s incredible with him. When they get to Jason’s parents they agree to wait til after Christmas to tell Natalie, in case she’s upset, it doesn’t ruin Christmas. Nate catches them and agrees to keep their secret till the day after Christmas. That night Vanessa and Jason exchange their gifts. She got him a jersey for her to wear because he said he’s never fucked a girl in his Jersey before. And he got her a keychain with stars on it and the key to his apartment so she always has a home. We also know he Carrie’s a friendship bracelet with stars on it from her and she loves the stars and when she lost that bracelet. She got it tattooed on her. So stars are important. They have an amazing Christmas. But then she goes to say goodbye to Brian at the prison. She gives him a picture frame of when they were kids at the beach. She realizes she was holding onto that version of them but she can’t love the monster he became; even if it was partially the drugs fault. And when she walks outside, Jason is there. He’s pissed at her for lying to him. That she wouldn’t see Brian anymore and asks for his apartment key back. He won’t let her explain so she gives him the red coat back. She’s devastated. She got the call that she won the design competition. And she was so excited. So she drops the dresses off and she agrees to go with Natalie to a New Year’s Eve party even though she doesn’t want to go. But Jason won’t be there because he’ll be playing at the rose bowl. Nate finds Vanessa crying and she tells him everything. When he leaves he yells at Jason and explains that she chose Jason and was saying goodbye to Brian. He realizes he messed up. He goes to appologize to her but she’s not home and he has to leave for his flight. His flight keeps getting delayed and he’s still at the airport when he gets a call from Nate that Vanessa is hurt. There’s a blizzard so there’s no Uber so he runs in a blizzard for 3 miles to get to the hospital to be there for her and giving up his spot playing at the rose bowl. From Vanessa pov we know she went to go to the bathroom at the party and a man who had groped her at work before and her boss had kicked out permanently, is at the party and he shoves her down the stairs. And then everything goes dark. Shelby wakes up and Jason is there and at first she doesn’t remember anything but when he mentions the skull tattoo, she remembers. She tells him it’s the man who had grabbed her ass at work. When she falls asleep again, him, Nate, and Paul, pay this man a visit. Turns out his name is Roger. Jason broke his nose and his hand and beat him pretty good. He goes back and Nate is holding Natalie and he’s holding Vanessa. When he had gotten to the hospital he told Natalie he loves Vanessa, and she thought about time. She’s happy for them. Nothing but happy for them. She’s so glad they finally connected. Vanessa wakes up to find Natalie, Nate, Jason, Natalie and Jason’s parents, Paul, and Sarah all there for her. She’s never felt so loved. So when the doctor asks how she is she tells him never better. Nate had shown her, her star bracelet. She thought she had lost it but he told her he kept it as a memory of the best night of his life. When they had their first kiss. When they get home he gives her his journal where he had tabbed all the entries, that include her. She’s crying about the details. How he’s wrote down everything because he doesn’t want to forget like how his grandpa has. And then he tells her that she actually took his virginity. She thought that he had experience or had slept with his girlfriend before, Grace. But he told her that she wasn’t her, so it never happened. They confess their love. Paul and Sarah come over and announce being 5 months pregnant so I am so excited for their book. And the epilogue is her going to the Met gala. She won with her dresses. And she gives an incredible speech about wanting to create a line that helps women feel beautiful in their own skin. This was such a good book. I loved how much of Nate and Natalie we got. But then Paul and Sarah, EEEEK. Vanessa was such a relatable character with her body dysthornia, and how awful her mom treated her. And Jason was the perfect green flag man. He loved her the way she was and made sure she knew it and helped her learn to love herself. So Vanessa had personal growth of being able to love herself. He tells her he’ll never let her shatter which I think is a cute little connection because the cover is of a mirror, and she hates looking at herself, he’ll never let her shatter. And the before I saw you title. He basically told her, once he saw her, he wanted her to be all of his firsts but he knows now what is most important is they are each others lasts. Absolutely loved Jason and Vanessa and absolutely can not wait for Sarah and Paul. Oh also at her met gala all her friends were there for her and it was so cute and sweet, including Brady and Gabe.

[booksbyjaimee · Rating 5 out of 5]

✨ ARC Review ✨

A friend of mine recommend Ashley to me and I fell in love with Nat & Nat during the first book. Even then Jason was such a sweetheart and I wanted to learn more about his story… queue Before I Saw You 🖤

All I can say is wow. First thing I want to say is I feel very seen. Like extremely seen. The majority of the thoughts, feelings and struggles Vanessa has (especially with her body dysmorphia) were very much ‘oh I go through that too moments’. The inner turmoil she faces as well over doing something she knows it’s right and correlating it to the person now rather than the person who was also struck a cord. Vanessa’s character was so extremely well written and relatable.
And then we have Jason. Honestly that man is exactly what that girl needs. He helps her grow in her confidence, helping her become a stronger woman while also helping her to realise that she is unfair perfect the way she is and the words of others do not define her. I love that he just wants her to see what he sees, encouraging her to view herself differently.
Going from friends to enemies to friends with benefits. It felt like a disaster waiting to happen for them. Especially knowing that they’ve both been in love with each other for as long as they can remember. But the friends with benefits arrangement… it has to stop once one of them develop feelings for the sake of their friendship. The problem? Their love becomes stronger and Vee is keeping a secret and breaking a promise that may or may not be unrepairable.
‘The moon needs his star to shine. To breathe. To exist. And if I am her moon, she is my star, and everyone knows that the two can’t live without each other. And I can’t live another fucking day without her.’

Also, special shout out to Nate who looks after Vee like a big brother. That was such a cute relationship! 🖤🖤

Tropes:
✨Forced Proximity
🧡First Love
✨friends to enemies to lovers
🧡sports romance

[Trine ||| danereadingromance · Rating 5 out of 5]

“We only get one life to live. So, will you live for today with me?”
“For you, I would do anything.”

Immediate thoughts:
All the feels... I am not well!
So gut-wrenching, emotional, angsty, but so beautiful and a wonderful HEA.

Tropes:
College, sports romance, best friend’s brother, friend’s with benefits, childhood friends, mental health rep, “It’s always been you”, touch her and die, forced proximity.

ARC review:
Ugh, the feels of this one! I was left empty while reading this, totally emotionally drained, but in the end my heart was put back together again with love; love for Jason & Vanessa, love for the will to live and overcoming struggles, love for Ashley Elizabeth and her incredible writing.

I felt with Vanessa so much with the struggles she had, even if it was frustrating at times, I get how it is not easy to love yourself, and with her body and mental health issues, it was just so relatable and real, and also very tough to read. The way Jason cared for her was wonderful, and just perfect for her - it is clear all the way through that they are soulmates and they belong together. But their journey towards a happily ever after was not a straightforward road, but filled with ups and downs.

Vanessa and Jason have been friends since childhood, and have always shared a deep connection, but since Jason is Vanessa’s best friend’s brother, they have never been more than friends. After something terrible happens their friendship is destroyed. That is until they are both at the same college, and they decide to resume their friendship - with the addition of some spicy benefits. It should be all good after that, but there are secrets, struggles with mental health, and the ‘normal’ college issues, so they are really having to work for it.

It is a very angsty and tension-filled story at times, heartbreaking and frustrating at times, but also uplifting and a story about so much more than just college romance. There is a very good mental health representation, and I was drawn into this story completely. The characters are flawed, but determined and loves with their whole hearts, once they let their walls down. Just have some tissues ready, and you might want to check the content warnings before reading. However, I loved this so so much, and will definitely recommend this if you like angsty stories.

[Sarah Guzak · Rating 5 out of 5]

🪞ARC REVIEW🪞

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I found Ashley’s first book, Before I Tell You, at an author signing event. I picked up the book 1) because the cover was gorgeous, 2) because I love supporting indie authors, and 3) because a book friend of mine suggest we buddy read it!
I quickly fell in love with Ashley’s writing in Before I Tell You, so I felt so honored and excited to receive an ARC of Before I Saw You.

Before I Tell You is incredibly relatable as a woman in today’s society - one in which we are constantly critiqued, especially for our appearances. Our FMC, Vanessa, struggles heavily with body dysmorphia, thanks in a large part to her mother’s constant comments on her looks. Amidst dealing with feeling self conscious, she is also coming to terms with the fact that she testified against her brother, the man who tried to rape her best friend. Feeling guilty for putting her brother behind bars, Vanessa feels more alone than ever now that her family has ostracized her. Not to mention, she’s lost her best friend, the only man she’s ever loved.
Enter Jason - Vanessa’s childhood friend and the brother of her best friend, Nathalie. After everything his sister (Nathalie) has gone through, he does not know how to be friends with Vanessa. How could he still be around the woman related to his sister’s assailant? Vanessa was once the woman of his dreams, now he doesn’t know how to separate her from the monster that is her brother. But what happens when life constantly throws them together? Their bond once seemed unbreakable, but are all of their secrets enough to make them shatter?

Read if you like:
⭐️best friends brother
🪞college romance
⭐️touch her and die vibes
🪞mental health/body dysmorphia rep
⭐️found family
🪞childhood friends to lovers
⭐️spice

Thank you so so much to Grey’s Promotion and Ashley for this gorgeous ARC! ❣️ I cannot wait for Paul and Sarah’s story already 💜

[Madison Drumm · Rating 5 out of 5]

Don’t mind me over here lightheaded from all the swooning I did throughout this book! I am obsessed with Ashley’s debut novel, Before I Tell You, so I had no doubt I would love Before I Saw You. One of my favorite things about Ashley’s books is how they focus on mental health. Obviously, you have a great plot and steamy smut, but they bring awareness. And it’s done in a beautiful way. The characters in her books are so relatable it’s scary.

Vanessa was selfless. She wanted nothing more than to make sure Natalie was happy and okay. She was always concerned about the people she loved and making sure they felt good. Because of that, she didn’t put the same effort into herself. She blamed herself for things out of her control and allowed people to treat her like she was nothing. Vanessa has dealt with body dysmorphia her whole life. Seeing her struggle was heartbreaking and the entire time I wanted to scream at her there was nothing wrong with her body. I wanted to hug her and shake some sense into her. Luckily, she had Jason who was willing to do whatever it took to make her see herself the way he did.

Jason was willing to sacrifice anything to make sure the people he loved were happy and taken care of. Let me tell you, they were huge sacrifices that not many people would make. And the fact that he never regrets it or resents anyone for it, UGH. The way he took care of Vanessa when she needed him had my heart swelling. Did I mention he LOVES to praise? He was funny, protective and everything you could want in a golden retriever mc!

The spice isn’t anything crazy, but it still stirred up things in my lady bits. I would love to give Jason red wings, that’s for damn sure. And the car after the bar? I was sweating. Before I Saw You was emotional, cheesy (in a good way), and spicy. What more could you ask for in a contemporary romance?

[Alyssa GSell · Rating 5 out of 5]

🖤ʙᴇғᴏʀᴇ ɪ sᴀᴡ ʏᴏᴜ ᴀʀᴄ ʀᴇᴠɪᴇᴡ💙

Drops November 14th

5/5⭐️

Jason and Vanessa are EVERYTHING‼️

I absolutely loved this book.

Get ready for a rollercoaster ride of emotions.

I felt everything in this book again just like the first book.

Jason and Vanessa have known each other basically their whole lives.

They have always been super close and had a special relationship.

Vanessa's brother made a horrible decision that impacted everyone.

Jason was expressing his feelings one night to Nate and Vanessa overheard him say three words that completely rock her world....

Over the past year they have not been close at all.....

She misses him more than anything but after what he said, she doesn't think he cares about her at all.

Their journey is definitely that, a journey.

They reconnect, he apologizes multiple times and ways.

I love how sweet he is to Vanessa.
I love that it has always been her.
I love that he stands up for her always but definitely to her mom.
I love that his parents love her so much.
I love that she took all of her bad experiences with her mom and made a beautiful creation out of it.
I love that they were each other's first kiss.
I love that she was his first.
I love that she is his world.
I love his dirty mouth.
I love the mirror parts🥵
I love that he loves every part of her and wishes that she could see herself through his eyes.
I love their history.
I love his nickname for her and the story behind it.
I love that he also calls her sweetheart.

“𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭 𝘴𝘰 𝘥𝘢𝘮𝘯 𝘨𝘰𝘰𝘥.” 𝘑𝘢𝘴𝘰𝘯’𝘴 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘳𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘮𝘺 𝘩𝘢𝘪𝘳, 𝘨𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘪𝘮 𝘢𝘤𝘤𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘺 𝘯𝘦𝘤𝘬, 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘴 𝘯𝘪𝘣𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘶𝘤𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢 𝘱𝘢𝘵𝘩 𝘥𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘮𝘺 𝘴𝘬𝘪𝘯. “𝘓𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘮𝘢𝘥𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘮𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘮𝘦.”

I love them together so much.

Oh, her parents are a real piece of work…. Especially her mom😒🤬

[Sassy Southern Book Blog · Rating 5 out of 5]

Before I Saw You is the first book I have read by Ashley Elizabeth. Holy cow, this book was emotional and heartbreaking from the beginning. I thought the author did a beautiful job writing about certain topics that are hard to articulate. There is drama, angst, spice, and mystery throughout this book. It kept me turning the pages to see what would happen next. This book is a sports romance with a sister's best friend and a second chance romance. I loved her writing style; she was vividly descriptive, I felt all the characters' emotions through her words, and the storyline was captivating and original. The characters were complex and had heartbreaking backstories. My heart broke, and my stomach dropped while reading this book. I laughed, I cried, I wanted to scream and throw my e-reader a few times.

Vanessa was creative, loyal, and determined. I loved her passion and commitment to what she loved doing. I loved her growth through this book. To me, she started a little withdrawn and hurting on the inside, and with the help of her friends, she started to shine and have more confidence. Jason was protective, possessive, and a total Alpha towards Vanessa. I thought their chemistry was off the charts, and I loved the push and pull and the angst they had throughout this book. I was excited and intrigued by their growing feelings for each other and how they tried not to blur the lines between their friendship. But those lines blurred when Jason decided to help Vanessa accomplish something she never done before. This book was a beautifully written romance of two people trying to do what they thought was right. Get your tissues ready and have some chocolate to make is all better. 4.5 stars- Brooke

[Marni Ortiz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Before I Saw You by Ashley Elizabeth ) Tropes 💜Sports / Football romance 💜College Romance 💜Second Chance 💜soulmates 💜best friends to lovers 💜best friends brother 💜friends with benefits.
Ashley is actually a fairly new author to me . So when I first sat down and started reading i really was not so sure what to expect. Well let me just say I was blown away in all the best ways . From the moment I met both Jason and Vanessa I knew there was no way I would be getting much sleep . Something pulled me to these two like a magnet something I can’t even put into words . Jason and Vanessa have known each other since they were kids . There’s also been an undeniable and unspeakable attraction between them but Jason is her best friends brother . A deal is agreed upon to never speak of the attraction between them , to only remain friends . Not so hard right ? Well fate has other plans in mind . Years later something changes their life forever . Jason and. Vanessa end up at the same college and a friendship is formed again . Only it doesn’t stop there . The more time they spend together (romantic feelings arise . But this is not your typical hearts and flowers and second chance romance. It’s so beautifully written and extremely emotional. It’s like being on the wildest ride at the amusement park and not knowing which way is up and which way is down It plays on all your emotions in ways you won’t even be expecting. You’ll experience everything from being utterly speechless, to yelling outta pure frustration. Your heart will feel like it’s beating so fast and then bam belong crushed the next , you’ll be glued to the edge of your seat anticipating what will happen from one second to the next . And you’ll find yourself rooting so freaking hard.




t

[AnnaMeansFun · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have mixed feelings.

On one hand - it’s a beautiful story so many girls could relate to. Feeling insecure about one’s body, constantly counting calories and struggling with feeling attractive. And then meeting a guy who sees the girl as beautiful and supports her through dealing with her body issues.

It’s hard not to fall in love with Jason and Vanessa’s love, because they’re freaking adorable and thoughtful and honestly perfect for each other. AND I loved the reverse v-card bit. It’s a refreshing reprieve from all those college guys sleeping around with anybody willing, while the girls are denied those experiences, having to wait for that one perfect guy. Hate that dichotomy with passion, which made me love the twist in here.

On the other hand though - it felt like the only thing keeping the plot together were secrets, which lead to my least favorite trope ever, i.e. the miscommunication one.

And most of those secrets made no sense. There’s no logical reason for them being FWB instead of actually dating. There was no reason for her lying about spending Christmas alone or for not telling the guy about her plan to say goodbye to the jerk previously known as her brother.

The book could easily be half the size it was if only those characters didn’t lie to each other. So - easily solvable problems, which is simply frustrating, when you’re just waiting for it to blow up, as it inevitably does. Every. Single. Time.

I’d rather have a shorter book, but with characters who are honest with each other and who have a real intriguing drama they have to navigate and work through together… instead of just making them lie to each other in lieu of sensible obstacles.

[VicReads · Rating 5 out of 5]

🩵 𝙱𝚎𝚏𝚘𝚛𝚎 𝙸 𝚂𝚊𝚠 𝚈𝚘𝚞 𝚋𝚢 @ashleyelizabethauthor

🇦​​🇷​​🇨​ ​🇷​​🇪​​🇻​​🇮​​🇪​​🇼

ℝ𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕟𝕘- 5/5 ⭐️
𝕊𝕡𝕚𝕔𝕖- .5/5 🌶️

🩵 Make sure to grab 𝙱𝚎𝚏𝚘𝚛𝚎 𝙸 𝚂𝚊𝚠 𝚈𝚘𝚞 when it releases on November 14th!! 🩵

↓↓
Oh god the emotions while reading this book. As someone with body image issues I could relate to Vanessa a lot. I think a lot of people will while reading this book. And the mirrors 🥵🫠🥵 that’s definitely one way to help heal

My heart broke for Vanessa for what she had to go through because of her brother. The pressure she felt with everything. And her parents ugh 😑🤬

Jason has always loved Vanessa but he couldn’t get over what her brother did to his sister. When Jason finally came to his senses, I was happy. She should have made Jason grovel more though lol like A LOT more!

They had a tough and difficult journey to get to their HEA but they truly deserved it 🩵

𝘉𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘐 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘨𝘪𝘳𝘭 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘰𝘯 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘴. 𝘐𝘯𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘺.
𝘌𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘯𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺.
𝘌𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘯𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘧𝘭𝘦𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘦.

𝕋𝕣𝕠𝕡𝕖𝕤 / 𝕎𝕙𝕒𝕥 𝕥𝕠 𝔼𝕩𝕡𝕖𝕔𝕥
🩵 Touch Her and 💀
🩵 Mental Health Rep
🩵 Best Friend’s Brother
🩵 Childhood Friends
🩵 Found Family
🩵 Sports Romance
🩵 It’s Always Been You
🩵 Forced Proximity
🩵 Friends with Benefits

✨edit is mine…pics are not ✨

🏷️
#beforeisawyou #ashleyelizabeth #CategoryRomance #ContemporaryRomance #NewAdultRomance #SportsRomance #ForcedProximity #BestFriendsSibling #Friendstolovers #FirstLove #smutlovers #spicybookstagram #smutbooks #arcreaders #spicyromance #igreads #romancebooks #spicyromancebooks #ReadNow #momswhoread

[kazmere Vanderhoof · Rating 5 out of 5]

✨REVIEW✨
🪞Before I Saw You 🪞
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🔥🔥🔥🔥

I read Before I Tell You and fell in love with Ashley’s writing ! Then I got to read Before I saw you and I loved Jason and Vee.

I am not a duel timeline girlie but I loveeeee how she did so in this book ! It was done amazing 🫶🏽

We did see the whole gang Natalie and Nate, Paul, Sara. And more of Vee the best friend of Natalie in book 1.

Jason is Natalie’s younger “big” brother. He is the QB of the college he goes to with her. He has his own set of secrets himself. One thing is for sure tho he HATES Vee’s brother and wants nothing more than see him rot in prison. I love how fiercely protective he is of who he loves. But don’t cross him.

✨ “Your body would make a priest fall to his knees, begging God’s forgiveness for what he wants to do to you.”✨

Vanessa is such a sweetheart who tries to please everyone. He mom, brother, Jason, Natalie. Everyone in her life she feels like she’s less than, but she is amazing on her own. She learns to put herself first and love herself. Her parents are ugh, but the people who matter will show up and show out for her.

Jason and Vanessa together is great. They both have secrets, can those secrets tear them apart or will it bring them closer together?

🪞 This book has a swoony MMC.
🪞 Friends who love/protect them.
🪞 Growth
🪞 Best friends brother
🪞 Body positivity
🪞 But check the triggers for your mental health 🩵

@ashleyelizabethauthor you did it again with this book! Jason and Vanessa are definitely end game and I cannot wait to see them again in book 3 for our big teddy bear!

[Sapana · Rating 5 out of 5]

OMG, I’m like totally obsessed with this book! 📚💖 I was so excited to read this after falling in love with the first book. It was everything I hoped for and more! Let me just say, it devoured me!

Alright, let’s talk about Jason, our super dreamy football star and the fiercely protective “big” brother of Natalie from book 1. He’s got this heartbreaking history with Vanessa, our fierce fashionista and Natalie’s BFF. But, their journey from enemies to friends to... 😉😉 friends with benefits.

Ashley totally nailed it with Vanessa’s struggles and her path to self-love, with Jason by her side. I swear, I felt every emotion like it was my own! And let’s not even get started on the found family vibes with the Spencers—it melted my heart! I also loved how protective Nate was of Vanessa, the big brother vibes he gave throughout the book and then when he exploded at Jason because of... it was just ahhh perfect!! Vanessa truly deserves ALL the love and hugs, and seeing her grow alongside Jason was just perfect.

Seriously, the character development? Flawless! I laughed, I blushed, I cried, I was a whole bucket of emotions! Ashley’s writing? Absolutely perfect. I CAN’T WAIT FOR PAUL AND SARAH’S BOOK! Paul was such a big teddy bear, he helped Natalie and then was by Vanessa’s side. Ugh I already love him.

I’m already planning my next re-read of this series because, let’s be real, I won’t be able to stop talking about it! 10/10 would recommend, and I’ll definitely be living in their fictional world for a while longer! 💕✨

[tiffany · Rating 4 out of 5]

4️⃣.3️⃣⭐️
🏈 Best Friend's Brother
🏈Friends with Benefits
🏈 Football
🏈 Childhood Friends
🏈 Touch Her and Die
🏈College Romance

Before I saw you is such a hearty story! A story of healing and building confidence in your body learning to appreciate yourself and thats a Journey that Vanessa the Fmc really went through beautifully from the beginning of this book till the end.

Jason the Mmc has a really special place in my heart. So protective, possessive, and a total Alpha towards Vanessa. The way he made her feel about herself always being there for her really had me wanting him for her. Their relationship starts as a friends with benefit thingy but honestly their chemistry was so well written and the development of their relationahip was so good.

Vanessa so creative I absolutely adore her for letting ho and allowing Jason to be there for her deapite their complicated past. Her growth through this book from being so afraid of her own body into being the unstoppable and such a strong woman towards the end of the book thanks to Jason and her friends really warmed my heart.

I’d honestly read this again and I’d definitely recommend it. And also i might get physical copies just for keeps cauz the covers are so breathtakingly beautiful. This book’s out today. If the above tropes are something you like feel freee to check it out. Also thank you @greyspromo for this beautiful ARC and @ashleyelizabethauthor for writing such a captivating, warm and inspiring story🤍

[Kayla Hot.Bookmance · Rating 4 out of 5]

A cute body positive romance

I love the portrayal of a girl struggling to be comfortable in her own body finally getting the boy she has always loved. Vanessa has never had a supportive family; absent father, mother who constantly criticizes her body and a brother who betrayed her in the worst way possible. But she has always had a best friend that is like a sister to her and that best friends brother who she has always been in love with but was never willing to cross that line and risk him not being in her life. But when that same boy (now an extremely sexy athletic man) presents her with an opportunity to explore her sexuality with no strings, she would be crazy to no agree. Little does she know that same boy has had a crush on her since the time they were young and he is willing to do anything to make her his and help her overcome her issues. But it all has to be a secret so her best friend does not find out because she cannot lose both of them and be completely alone.

This book has such a good story line, with secret friends with benefits, overcoming trauma, always you trope, and so much more. I felt this was not just your basic friends to lovers book, but had so much more depth because of their past and her body dysmorphia issues. Overall had a lot of not often seen issues and was well written. Plus I cannot wait to see what happens with the next couple!!

-Kayla/Hot.Bookmance

[Cassie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I remember dm'ing Ashley the moment after I finished the first book, and telling her I needed Jason's book immediately. She delivered and more. I definitely shed some tears for Vanessa for Jason for Natalie. This hit me with all of the emotions.

Jason is the charming cocky athlete with a protective side who will always be there for the people he loves. Vanessa is reserved, quiet, and so so talented. Vanessa's story just went and broke my entire heart. I feel like a lot of her character's struggles will resonate with so many of us.

Jason and Vanessa together were adorable. I could not have rooted for them more. I loved their story from beginning to end. AND OH THE SPICE. The connection between these two was hot and insatiable. And I was here for it 👏🏻

Ugh I love Brady! He was so funny, and such an amazing friend to Vanessa when she needed someone to talk to. Now I cannot wait for Paul's story!!! He's like a big teddy bear, and I am soo pumped for it.

Did I mention I cried? Oh, I definitely did multiple times. This is an emotional one, but the ending will patch up your heart. The epilogue will have you kicking and screaming (in a good way).

Read if you like
🏈 Best Friend's Brother
🏈 Forced Proximity
🏈 Football
🏈 Childhood Friends
🏈 Touch Her and Die
🏈 Friends with Benefits

[Regan Decker · Rating 3 out of 5]

“Because I love this girl like the moon loves the stars. Infinity. Eternally.”
•
Book: Before I Saw you eARC
Author: Ashely Elizabeth
Stars:⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️.5
•
Childhood best friends to adolescent crushes, Venessa and Jason are in new territory again when they find themselves living in the same building at the college they are both attending. But with an increasingly complicated past and family dynamics having a major impact, these two truly don’t know if they will ever be able to move past being friends and let their true feelings show through.
•
Vee and Jason had me wrapped around their fingers this whole book! This story was so emotional and touched on some very heavy subjects, but it was done in such a way that was incredibly touching and well done. I empathized with both of them throughout the entire story about all the different struggles they supported each other through. I thought for being a younger college romance, these characters handled their struggles very maturely and did so in a way that was enlightening to read.
There was a good amount of spice and it definitely won’t disappoint for the girlies with a praise kìnk🙏🏼🥵 I will say, this book is thick! I did feel at times that it did get to be too long but I also think, if you stick with it, you won’t be disappointed!
•
Thank you so much to Ashley and her team for the opportunity to read this eARC! It was an absolute pleasure to read and I can’t wait to see what else you have planned! 🤍

If you like:
-Friends to Lovers
-Forced Proximity
-Found Family
-Body Positivity

TW🚫: abuse, Alzheimer’s disease, eating disorders, panic attacks, sexual assault, and violence

Reviewed by: Regan💛

This review was written by members of the Sporty Spice Book Club (sporty.spice.book.club on both Instagram and TikTok).

[Shani (Bttrflymama88) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Before I Saw You by Ashley Elizabeth

Vanessa & Jason

Ashley is a new to me author! But one I would def read again. She made me feel all the feels! And then some! Those are my type of books! Through in the Mental health rep! This book was amazing!

They were once upon a time childhood friends. Then she became a person he looked at with hate and he became the boy who broke her heart.

The tension in this book! Good Lord! It gave me anxiety! But not in a bad way if that make sense! These two had me on pins and needles!

Childhood friends to enemies. To friends with benefits to so much more! But he's also her best friends younger brother.

This book was a rollercoaster! Vanessa's strength is something so special. She has not had it easy. From her brother doing what he did, finding herself with no support from her family, to her mother's down right nastiness! This girl is a warrior. She's resilient and kind. And an amazing friend. And I love her for all of it! Jason is the little big brother. While he is younger than his sister he is bigger and took on that overprotective brother roll, giving up some of his choices to be by his sisters side. He's loyal, admirable and when he could stop and put his anger aside he is a pretty amazing guy.

These two are clearly soulmates and I loved watching their love story unfold!
Seriously such an amazing book!