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Before We Fall
147 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 2, 2026
About the author
Tina Cyr
33 books90 followersTina, a Canadian author, draws inspiration from her travels, revisiting places she’s been to in her novels and integrating places she dreams of visiting, sparking a sense of adventure and curiosity in her readers.
She loves Happily Ever After stories with all the fluff but aims to write stories and characters with a sense of realism.
She loves Happily Ever After stories with all the fluff but aims to write stories and characters with a sense of realism.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
Review of advance copy received from Author
2⭐️ no spice, non-descriptive kisses only, small town, novella/prequel, workplace romance, dual POV
I received an advanced reader copy of this story. All my opinions are my own. Thank you, Tina for the opportunity.
Nathalie and Julien are (perhaps) from the same small town of Madawaska Falls. Nathalie seems to have stayed in town & works for the town as a community event planner/coordinator. Julien is a traveling photographer, presumably successful and the town seems to look down on him for pursuing his career of choice because he comes back to town from time to time to check in on his aging mother but doesn’t stick around long (…because his job is literally traveling).
Nathalie is in charge of planning a fall tourism festival for the Madawaska Falls and somehow an ad campaign gets launched before it was ready so she is tasked with redoing the ads by getting new photos, written copy to go with the photos, showcasing the sponsors of the event, promoting the actual town and not a fake town with stock images. Nathalie finds out that Julien just so happens to be in town that day (to visit his mother) and asks him for help. 70% of the book takes place during that one day. Nathalie and Julien drive around town, take pictures, say a few short and incomplete sentences to each other and catch feelings.
Julien leaves for an assignment the next morning and Nathalie struggles with feelings of abandonment even though Julien told her he plans to return to town. They hadn’t been in contact prior to his visit and they only spent one day together…barely talking.
There is some sort of history with Nathalie and Julien but we don’t know what it is, only that maybe Nathalie had feelings for him or thought she did and then he left town for a job and didn’t tell her he was leaving. But it didn’t seem like they were actually in a relationship where he ghosted her, so I cannot fathom why she would have trust issues with whether Julien decided to stay this time or not. I was so confused as to why anyone would care whether Julien stays or goes, especially Frank: a side character that was thrown in as a disapproving and opinionated man and no clue for the reader as to why Frank’s opinion should matter.
Our MCs are supposedly in their mid to late 40s (according to a post from the author on Facebook and a big reason why I was very interested in reading this story) but there is zero mention of the characters’ age or stage of life in the book. They read like 20-somethings with no real history to speak of. No history of previous marriages, kids or why they are both single in their late 40s. I get that this is a novella - but even a little history or backstory is necessary to understand the characters. I was bummed there wasn’t any.
Aside from the lack of depth, development and confusing history, the style of writing was very frustrating to read. There are no paragraphs in this book. It is SO CHOPPY. The conversations. Two or three words. Every. Time. They. Talk.
It. Is.
Very.
Short.
Brief.
Awkward.
Unbelievable.
Unnatural.
I paid attention. It was rare to see anymore than two sentences strung together in a paragraph. One was usually short. The other could be a bit longer. Or occasionally. There was. One or two. Words. And then another sentence that was a little longer.
No one converses how this was written. Certainly not for every single interaction. Short sentences are typically used for emphasis but you negate any emphasis when the entire story is written the same way. It doesn’t flow naturally and it breaks what should be an easy to read rhythm.
I think the potential of the story is there but it needs some backstory, more natural flow to the conversations and sentence structure and more character development. It could be done in a short story, but pages (or just paragraphs) would need to be dedicated to depth instead of repeating information about Julien leaving all the time or how much Nathalie likes her clipboards and spreadsheets.
I received an advanced reader copy of this story. All my opinions are my own. Thank you, Tina for the opportunity.
Nathalie and Julien are (perhaps) from the same small town of Madawaska Falls. Nathalie seems to have stayed in town & works for the town as a community event planner/coordinator. Julien is a traveling photographer, presumably successful and the town seems to look down on him for pursuing his career of choice because he comes back to town from time to time to check in on his aging mother but doesn’t stick around long (…because his job is literally traveling).
Nathalie is in charge of planning a fall tourism festival for the Madawaska Falls and somehow an ad campaign gets launched before it was ready so she is tasked with redoing the ads by getting new photos, written copy to go with the photos, showcasing the sponsors of the event, promoting the actual town and not a fake town with stock images. Nathalie finds out that Julien just so happens to be in town that day (to visit his mother) and asks him for help. 70% of the book takes place during that one day. Nathalie and Julien drive around town, take pictures, say a few short and incomplete sentences to each other and catch feelings.
Julien leaves for an assignment the next morning and Nathalie struggles with feelings of abandonment even though Julien told her he plans to return to town. They hadn’t been in contact prior to his visit and they only spent one day together…barely talking.
There is some sort of history with Nathalie and Julien but we don’t know what it is, only that maybe Nathalie had feelings for him or thought she did and then he left town for a job and didn’t tell her he was leaving. But it didn’t seem like they were actually in a relationship where he ghosted her, so I cannot fathom why she would have trust issues with whether Julien decided to stay this time or not. I was so confused as to why anyone would care whether Julien stays or goes, especially Frank: a side character that was thrown in as a disapproving and opinionated man and no clue for the reader as to why Frank’s opinion should matter.
Our MCs are supposedly in their mid to late 40s (according to a post from the author on Facebook and a big reason why I was very interested in reading this story) but there is zero mention of the characters’ age or stage of life in the book. They read like 20-somethings with no real history to speak of. No history of previous marriages, kids or why they are both single in their late 40s. I get that this is a novella - but even a little history or backstory is necessary to understand the characters. I was bummed there wasn’t any.
Aside from the lack of depth, development and confusing history, the style of writing was very frustrating to read. There are no paragraphs in this book. It is SO CHOPPY. The conversations. Two or three words. Every. Time. They. Talk.
It. Is.
Very.
Short.
Brief.
Awkward.
Unbelievable.
Unnatural.
I paid attention. It was rare to see anymore than two sentences strung together in a paragraph. One was usually short. The other could be a bit longer. Or occasionally. There was. One or two. Words. And then another sentence that was a little longer.
No one converses how this was written. Certainly not for every single interaction. Short sentences are typically used for emphasis but you negate any emphasis when the entire story is written the same way. It doesn’t flow naturally and it breaks what should be an easy to read rhythm.
I think the potential of the story is there but it needs some backstory, more natural flow to the conversations and sentence structure and more character development. It could be done in a short story, but pages (or just paragraphs) would need to be dedicated to depth instead of repeating information about Julien leaving all the time or how much Nathalie likes her clipboards and spreadsheets.
September 3, 2026
After reading this, I’m excited to see where the rest of the series goes. This novella introduces us to Madawaska Falls in a way that immediately makes you want to move there and become part of the magic of this small town.
But what I loved most was the way this story focuses on something I think is often overlooked, both in romance novels and in real life: the power of simply feeling seen.
For someone like Nathalie, that moment carries so much weight. She is clearly the person everyone depends on—the one who carries the responsibilities, takes care of everyone else, and keeps everything moving. So having someone recognize how much she carries and see her as more than what she can provide for other people is incredibly moving.
I also loved that Tina allowed the connection between the main characters to be exactly what it needed to be: a spark and a possibility. She didn’t force them to suddenly become different people overnight or rush them toward declarations of love just to give the novella a tidy romantic ending. Instead, it feels like the promise of something more—two people realizing there may be something worth exploring and deciding they’re willing to take the risk, lower their walls, and let someone else in.
For such a short story, it leaves you with a surprising amount to feel—and definitely makes me want to spend more time in Madawaska Falls.
But what I loved most was the way this story focuses on something I think is often overlooked, both in romance novels and in real life: the power of simply feeling seen.
For someone like Nathalie, that moment carries so much weight. She is clearly the person everyone depends on—the one who carries the responsibilities, takes care of everyone else, and keeps everything moving. So having someone recognize how much she carries and see her as more than what she can provide for other people is incredibly moving.
I also loved that Tina allowed the connection between the main characters to be exactly what it needed to be: a spark and a possibility. She didn’t force them to suddenly become different people overnight or rush them toward declarations of love just to give the novella a tidy romantic ending. Instead, it feels like the promise of something more—two people realizing there may be something worth exploring and deciding they’re willing to take the risk, lower their walls, and let someone else in.
For such a short story, it leaves you with a surprising amount to feel—and definitely makes me want to spend more time in Madawaska Falls.
Review of advance copy received from Author
This is the novella that starts the Madawaska Falls series.
Sometimes novellas are great because they get right to the story. Since this is the start of the series, I know that we are going to get more of Nathalie and Julien.
The majority of this book takes place in one day. Julien is back in town and Nathalie is hesitant to ask for his help, but she is desperate. While they have a history, one thing that Julien is know for is leaving. He is a photographer and his job takes him all over the place. But this time, while helping Nathalie, Julien is starting to wonder how it would be to stay.
One thing about novellas is that they don't provide a lot of a backstory - which I would have liked in this book. We know that they have a history, we know that Julien left without an explanation, but we don't really know what the history is and what feelings Nathalie truly has for him. I also felt that this book was a little choppy and it took me a hot minute to get used to the style of writing.
I received an advance copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Quotes:
"Maybe keeping every thread means no one can prove they'll catch one."
"Harder thing is knowing what's worth staying for."
"...I am tired of pretending things do not hurt."
Sometimes novellas are great because they get right to the story. Since this is the start of the series, I know that we are going to get more of Nathalie and Julien.
The majority of this book takes place in one day. Julien is back in town and Nathalie is hesitant to ask for his help, but she is desperate. While they have a history, one thing that Julien is know for is leaving. He is a photographer and his job takes him all over the place. But this time, while helping Nathalie, Julien is starting to wonder how it would be to stay.
One thing about novellas is that they don't provide a lot of a backstory - which I would have liked in this book. We know that they have a history, we know that Julien left without an explanation, but we don't really know what the history is and what feelings Nathalie truly has for him. I also felt that this book was a little choppy and it took me a hot minute to get used to the style of writing.
I received an advance copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Quotes:
"Maybe keeping every thread means no one can prove they'll catch one."
"Harder thing is knowing what's worth staying for."
"...I am tired of pretending things do not hurt."
September 16, 2026
i absolutely loved this book! if i could give it a 10 star, i would. it was that good. i love how they both stayed professional together. and i really loved how he waited for her to see if she would close the gap. it was adorable. i really highly recommend this book, i loved ARC reading this. and i would love ARC reading more someday. this is one of my favorite books. does he get the girl? do they get together? does she close the gap? make sure to read to find out. go show this book and author some love!
October 10, 2026
I picked up this Novella to get a feel for the series Madawaska Falls. I like getting to know the characters and a feel for what this series will be about. Unfortunately It didn’t really resonate with me. The characters were kind of flat. The plot was not that interesting and we will see when I start the first book if it really sets the tone for the series, I’m hoping for more entertainment, connection, and fun. This is a short read so it’s something others might enjoy. It just didn’t do it for me. On to book one.
September 3, 2026
Small town celebration planned and a snafu with advertising brings the city PR person forced to save the day. Fortunately, a photographer she know is in town for a quick visit. After she talks him into the unexpected and urgent project, readers are treated to a montage of the community through his photography. A sweet, slow trust and friendship develops. A delightfully different small town approach to festival success.
Review of advance copy
Nathalie and Julien are good together. Sometimes it just takes growing up to see what was always there, or to at least finally acknowledge it. The banter between these two is what makes a relationship stick.
I love this quick look into a new series from Cyr. I can't wait to see what's in store for the town.
I love this quick look into a new series from Cyr. I can't wait to see what's in store for the town.
Review of advance copy received from Author
Wow! This is a cool story! The characters, their emotions, the banter, the world-building, and the meddling townspeople are brilliantly designed to form a brilliant story. It is a great start to the new series!
September 9, 2026
fun prequel
I enjoyed reading this sweet romance. Nathalie is very organized and when something goes wrong with the flyers, wrong town and pictures she gets Julien, a photographer to help. It takes time for trust to come, but it does and a sweet story finds a HEA.
I enjoyed reading this sweet romance. Nathalie is very organized and when something goes wrong with the flyers, wrong town and pictures she gets Julien, a photographer to help. It takes time for trust to come, but it does and a sweet story finds a HEA.
September 12, 2026
Canadian indie author Tina Cyr welcomes readers to Madawaska Falls with the prequel Novella Before We Fall.
Before We Fall is a beautiful introduction to this charming, river-side town, its businesses and residents.
Each book in this new series features at least one member of the high school graduating class of '96, now, almost thirty years later, finding love a little later in life.
Before We Fall features Class of '96 graduate Nathalie and her older brother's friend Julien. As they spend the day capturing the beauty and realness of Madawaska Falls for the regional tourism campaign, they allow us to see Madawaska Falls (with no creative spelling) how the town sees it.
• Town hall
• Café La Feuille Rouge and Chantal who remembers coffee orders after one visit
• Les Brasseurs - the brewery with the bilingual greetings and chalkboard
• The old bench near the river
• The river path
• The railing school kids decorate with ribbons
• The lookout
• The old mill
• Residents who wave before they can see who's driving
• The volunteers
• The fall colours
And between it all, they allow something to build between them.
"Because Julien Martin with a camera is one problem, and Julien Martin looking at me like he remembers who I was before I became the woman with the clipboard is another one entirely."
Fans of Cyr's Bluewater Cove series will be happy to have another small, Canadian town to escape to. I am enjoying the French-Canadian, northern New Brunswick and autumn feels.
Welcome to Madawaska Falls.
Before We Fall is a beautiful introduction to this charming, river-side town, its businesses and residents.
Each book in this new series features at least one member of the high school graduating class of '96, now, almost thirty years later, finding love a little later in life.
Before We Fall features Class of '96 graduate Nathalie and her older brother's friend Julien. As they spend the day capturing the beauty and realness of Madawaska Falls for the regional tourism campaign, they allow us to see Madawaska Falls (with no creative spelling) how the town sees it.
• Town hall
• Café La Feuille Rouge and Chantal who remembers coffee orders after one visit
• Les Brasseurs - the brewery with the bilingual greetings and chalkboard
• The old bench near the river
• The river path
• The railing school kids decorate with ribbons
• The lookout
• The old mill
• Residents who wave before they can see who's driving
• The volunteers
• The fall colours
And between it all, they allow something to build between them.
"Because Julien Martin with a camera is one problem, and Julien Martin looking at me like he remembers who I was before I became the woman with the clipboard is another one entirely."
Fans of Cyr's Bluewater Cove series will be happy to have another small, Canadian town to escape to. I am enjoying the French-Canadian, northern New Brunswick and autumn feels.
Welcome to Madawaska Falls.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews