10 stars!! 
 I delayed doing this review because I couldn't and still can't put into words how much I love this book. 
 Before we were strangers, is a novel that will capture you from the first page to the last sentence in the book. This was my first read from Renee Carlino, and I promise it won't be the last. Renee Carlino knows just how to break your heart and mend it at the same time but want you to reread it even if it means you'll have a heart attack. Till now I'm surprised I didn't have a heart attack while reading this book because I was supposed to have about a few but I would have died happy. 
 Once there was a you and me 
 We were lovers 
 We were friends 
 Before life changed 
 Before we were strangers 
 Do you still think of me? 
 The story starts off from Matt's POV, and it's 15 years after he's met his Grace. We are informed that Grace and Matt first meet as seniors in college. They start off as friends but later turn into lovers. What I loved about this 'friends turned to lovers' book was that I could relate to their relationship more than the rest of 'friends turned to lovers' books I've read. Out of every book that I have read, I felt the most emotionally connected to Grace and Matt just because they just felt real and genuine. What they went through was realistic considering everyone goes through miscommunication while in a relationship and sometimes that's the downfall of a relationship. 
 "I felt it for Grace before I even had a name for it. I might have said the word a million times, but it sounded different now that I meant it. When I thought about what we had, it didn't matter that it was just friendship. I loved her." 
 Like I said, the story starts off from Matt's POV 15 years after everything that happened between Grace and his relationship (don't worry it goes back and forth between the years of Grace and Matt but not in an annoying way) and him seeing Grace for the first time after everything. The story leads you to question/think,"does this mean a second chance for "the one that got away "or just a long overdue closure?", like Aj the Ravenous Reader said in her review. Feels OVERLOAD throughout this novel. 
 "Just as the train doors closed, she turned around. Our eyes locked. 
 I blinked. Holy shit. 
 "Grace?" 
 She pressed her hand to the glass and mouthed, 'Matt?' but the train was pulling away. 
 Without thinking about it, I ran. I ran like crazy person to the end of the platform, my hand outstretched, willing the train to stop, my eyes leaving hers. And when I ran out of platform, I watched the train fly into the darkness until she was gone." 
 Matt and Grace did get me mad with some decisions, but they did them with good intentions, but I got frustrated just because I loved them so much and didn't want either of them going through pain (told you I got emotionally attached). BUT THEY NEED TO WORK ON THEIR BAD TIMING BECAUSE MY HEART COULDN'T HANDLE IT! Anyhow, what I loved about Matt was how talented he was with his photography, adventurous, caring and loving he was as well. Grace was selfless, innocent, and just a free spirited. They meshed completely, utterly and beautifully together to the point where I believe that no love story could top theirs. What they had was beautiful, raw and real. 
 Before We Were Strangers, was a book I picked up because of the cover and the blurb (I know don't judge a book by its cover, but I'm glad I did this time around), but I had no idea that this novel would break me in half when it ended. Book series > standalone. I say that because standalone books are like a breakup, you love them and then when it comes to the end, that's it. DO. NOT. JUDGE. ME. (ok, you can if you want) But when I finished Before We Were Strangers, I was a complete mess. I laid in my bed crying like I lost my puppy... exaggerating? Not even the slightest. 
 "You can't re-create the first time you promise to love someone or the first time you feel loved by another. You cannot relive the sensation of fear, admiration, self-consciousness, passion, and desire all mixed into one because it never happens twice. You chase it like the first high for the rest of your life." 
 When I finished the book: 
 When It actually hit me: 
 When I calmed down: 
 Side Note: I hate you, Elizabeth. 
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