After Before: A chilling psychological thriller

by Sonya Bateman

They’re telling me that I murdered my sister.

That can’t be true.

I was in a horrible accident, and my memory is gone. All of it. I don’t remember my sister, my family, or anything about myself. My name. Where I live. Who I love.

Whether I killed her.

But they have evidence. And as my memories slowly return, they’re… not good.

I’m an addict. I did things that were not nice. I definitely hurt people.

I just don’t think I could’ve murdered anyone.

Or did I?

***

Fans of Freida McFadden, Jeneva Rose, Karin Slaughter, and John Marrs will love AFTER BEFORE, a chilling psychological thriller with absolutely heart-stopping twists.

225 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 16, 2025

Reviews

[Donna Mallery · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun story with a unique storyline. I really enjoyed it! My only complaint is that the timelines were confusing. The chapters that was “after” had a heading at the beginning. But then, the next chapter had no heading. It made me think that I was continuing an “after” chapter when really it was a “before” chapter. The author should have put a heading on every chapter denoting the correct timeline. This became a problem mainly in the first chapters, but I still felt this housekeeping item would have alleviated the confusion. I really like this author. She has good plots especially since I’m sick of domestic thrillers.

[Laura Felty · Rating 4 out of 5]

Charlie

This one got difficult keeping people straight. I think that was the idea. There were so many turns. Lottery money makes people do stupid stuff, no matter what.

[Jaci Kunz · Rating 5 out of 5]

First book of Sonya’s I’ve read and what a way to start with a banger! This book was amazing! Great twists!

[Kimberly White · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was soooo good!! You think you know? NOPE! Bendy, twisty - so crazy good!!

[Kristin Montez · Rating 4 out of 5]

✨ 4.5 Stars ✨

Wow… just WOW! 🤯 This book absolutely floored me. Sonya Bateman crafted such an immersive, detailed story that I felt like I was living inside the pages 📖. The writing is rich, layered, and full of atmosphere—every scene felt alive.

And then that twist! 😱 I had to stop, reread, and make sure I actually understood what I had just read. Once you hit it, you’ll go absolutely insane trying to wrap your head around it. It’s that shocking, that brilliant.

What really impressed me was how seamlessly Bateman builds tension while weaving in character depth and world-building. It’s not just about the shock—it’s the slow, careful unraveling that makes the payoff so wild. 👏

I gave it 4.5⭐️ instead of 5 because the ending felt a little rushed 🏃‍♀️—I wanted just a bit more time to breathe after such an intense build-up.

Tropes you’ll love:
🔮 Unreliable Narrator
🌀 Past vs. Present Collide
💥 Shocking Twist You’ll Never See Coming
🌑 Dark Secrets Revealed

If you’re looking for a mind-bending, twisty read that keeps you glued to the pages, After Before delivers in every way. Highly recommend! 🙌

[SeveredTherapy · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first 75% was incredible. I went to bed last night, ready for the big reveal this morning.

Then I read the ending.

The former therapist shares the name and her ex-boyfriend is the antagonist? It felt convoluted and just sort of pulled out of left field.

I know that big twist endings are all the rage. But, at the same time, there needs to be clues peppered throughout. Passing mentions of the therapist as an annoyance dont really help.

It felt very formulaic and almost like the characters could be easily interchangeable with others.

Maybe I'm just cynical about it, though.

[Lindsay Schmitt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Charlotte...

has a lot going on in her life. This is discovered when she wakes up in a hospital after being in a bad car accident, not even remembering her own name. Enter a therapist named Charlie, who has also had a wild past life, and things become even more crazy. Finally, throw in a winning lotto ticket, and the story develops more twists and turns than the scariest rollercoaster.

[Kari Corbett · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just when I was getting tired of going back and forth (between before and after) a major major twist was thrown in that grabbed my attention and wouldn't let go. I simply had to finish reading the story in the sitting. That twist made the whole book. My rating would have been very different if that twist had been omitted.

[Sharon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow!

I was definitely lost, for a while, reading this book.Charlotte and Charlie’s story going back and forth definitely confused me.. I thought I got it straight about which one did what. But then the switch was flipped. This was a good read with back and forth happenings between these two gals.

[Sharon Wingo · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was definitely lost, for a while, reading this book.Charlotte and Charlie’s story going back and forth definitely confused me.. I thought I got it straight about which one did what. But then the switch was flipped. This was a good read with back and forth happenings between these two gals.

[Russell Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

My Review

I had a difficult time putting this one down. It is a page turner. I was guessing through it all. I haven't read an ebook this good in a long time. I really enjoyed reading it. I am going to read more from this author. ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

[Christy Tardiff · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had read reviews before I read this saying how the time jumps could be confusing since it didn’t always call out when it was but since I knew that, I didn’t find it confusing.

The book took a bit to get into but once I did, I couldn’t put it down.

[Veronica · Rating 1 out of 5]

This felt a lot like Freida McFadden. 🤔 Is she writing under a pseudonym?? That’s a love/hate/hate/hate relationship for me. 🙄Thankfully this was a quick read. ..⭐️ for that.

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a twisty thriller that kept me guessing. Would definitely recommend

[Jaime Pettit · Rating 4 out of 5]

So good! I thought I predicted the ending pretty early on, but the more I read the more I wasnt sure. Loved the twists and turns!

[Kim Asbury · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another thriller with a great twist.

[Denise Shaver · Rating 4 out of 5]

Twists and turns and a possibly unreliable narrator. I could literally picture this playing out as a movie.

[Hannah · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars

[Sheryl · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kept me guessing, a bit confusing at the end. Charlie is in an accident and gets amnesia…accused of killing hdr sister.

[Bill · Rating 5 out of 5]

interesting, thriller with twists. and a couple of Charlies

[Nancy Jane · Rating 5 out of 5]

I REALLY enjoyed this book!!! Especially once you get to the twists and turns, at one point it had me questioning who was who. Highly recommend!!

[Jennifer Blake · Rating 5 out of 5]

great read

I read this in one day, couldn’t put it down. It’s a great twisty story….keeps you guessing, would definitely recommend!

[Jennifer Jacobsen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoyed, it was hard to put down but then the ending was disappointing for me. Otherwise a good read.

[Joyce Bogdon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Puzzling

I really like the book. For a while there when it Was all coming together, I was very confused. Quite the twist that I enjoy in a book

[Caroline · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great read!