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The Man I Loved Before: An unforgettable love story about starting over
Some people go their whole lives without finding the one, but Jenny and Joe always knew they were meant to be. Until they weren't. A freak accident is all it takes to tear them apart.
But Jenny has a secret. Joe never left. He's spent the past five months visiting her whenever she's alone, seemingly just as real - if a little less solid - as ever.
Desperate to spend every waking minute with him, Jenny increasingly isolates herself from her friends and family. But everything starts to change when she meets Luca, the guy now living in her and Joe's old flat.
It's certainly not love at first sight - in fact, they can't stand to be in the same room as each other - but as circumstances throw them together time and time again, Jenny is forced to rejoin the world, and it's not long before she finds herself having fun - something she hasn't been able to do for a very long time.
And then the realisation the more time she spends with Luca, the less Joe appears.
Jenny knows she has a choice to make.
But how will she ever let go of the man she loved before?
But Jenny has a secret. Joe never left. He's spent the past five months visiting her whenever she's alone, seemingly just as real - if a little less solid - as ever.
Desperate to spend every waking minute with him, Jenny increasingly isolates herself from her friends and family. But everything starts to change when she meets Luca, the guy now living in her and Joe's old flat.
It's certainly not love at first sight - in fact, they can't stand to be in the same room as each other - but as circumstances throw them together time and time again, Jenny is forced to rejoin the world, and it's not long before she finds herself having fun - something she hasn't been able to do for a very long time.
And then the realisation the more time she spends with Luca, the less Joe appears.
Jenny knows she has a choice to make.
But how will she ever let go of the man she loved before?
287 pages, Kindle Edition
Published August 7, 2025
3 people are currently reading
14 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
November 7, 2025
If I’m with my BF for 16 years and he decides to move on after a year yeah best believe I’m haunting him too, totally valid.
I personally don’t think she was ready to move on and if you look at ‘booktok couple’ who you don’t think will last put these on the top of the list.
I personally don’t think she was ready to move on and if you look at ‘booktok couple’ who you don’t think will last put these on the top of the list.
January 10, 2026
"If you let the past define your present, you quickly lose any hope of a future." - The Man I Loved Before by Georgina Cutler
This is a moving story of grief, hope and moving on. Jenny and Joe were meant to be, and Jenny is excited to spend the rest of her life with her beloved fiancee. Alas, a traffic accident took Joe's life, and Jenny is left alone, seemingly wallowing in her grief.
Except, Joe had never left. Jenny still sees him, talks to him and isolates herself from everyone around her as she lives a life where she finds solace in her visions of Joe. Until the day she meets Luca, the man who has moved into Jenny and Joe's old flat. And while they seem to irritate each other at first, meeting and interacting time and again suddenly leads to something more...and Jenny is starting to see Joe less and less.
I was drawn to the plot of the novel from the start, and I am always a fan of stories about dealing with grief and moving on. I love how Jenny is fumbling, stumbling and struggling to get through her days with feist and wit, yet she is also someone who does not know how to move on to a life without the person she loved most.
The book is filled with equal parts heartbreaking and hilarious, and it is also a delight to see that Jenny has a strong support system. The book does get a little outrageous in its humour, but it does work as we get to know more about Jenny's personality. I loved the supporting characters, and how much they cared for Jenny, and the book is truly charming in how it portrays Luca and Jenny's relationship. This is truly a book that stays with you for a while after it ends.
This is a moving story of grief, hope and moving on. Jenny and Joe were meant to be, and Jenny is excited to spend the rest of her life with her beloved fiancee. Alas, a traffic accident took Joe's life, and Jenny is left alone, seemingly wallowing in her grief.
Except, Joe had never left. Jenny still sees him, talks to him and isolates herself from everyone around her as she lives a life where she finds solace in her visions of Joe. Until the day she meets Luca, the man who has moved into Jenny and Joe's old flat. And while they seem to irritate each other at first, meeting and interacting time and again suddenly leads to something more...and Jenny is starting to see Joe less and less.
I was drawn to the plot of the novel from the start, and I am always a fan of stories about dealing with grief and moving on. I love how Jenny is fumbling, stumbling and struggling to get through her days with feist and wit, yet she is also someone who does not know how to move on to a life without the person she loved most.
The book is filled with equal parts heartbreaking and hilarious, and it is also a delight to see that Jenny has a strong support system. The book does get a little outrageous in its humour, but it does work as we get to know more about Jenny's personality. I loved the supporting characters, and how much they cared for Jenny, and the book is truly charming in how it portrays Luca and Jenny's relationship. This is truly a book that stays with you for a while after it ends.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews