BEFORE US…THERE WAS HIM by LOU STOCK

‘She was everything. My world. My heart. My soul.’

Having read Lou Stock’s collaboration with another author some years ago, we’ve been keen to read her solo work and upon reading the synopsis for Before Us… There Was Him, we knew this was the book we had to read! It sounded emotional, passionate, gut-wrenching, and angsty – exactly the sort of story we were in the mood for!

“Where were you in the moments that it counted? When I needed you to be there to put me back together?”

Lou Stock has written a heart-wrenching story that explores the complexity of first love, the intensity of second chances, the heartbreak of loss, and the closeness of friendships with the vein of a passionate young romance at its core, as told in Riley’s pov.

“I need to know all of you to love all of you.”

This is no easy journey. This author smashes our hearts and tests our wills time and again in Lucas Benson and Riley Moss’s tumultuous love story that begins with an instant attraction when Riley is only 19. Their relationship is passionate and intense. Riley, the young girl who has known loss and pain, Lucas the drifter who seems to be constantly taking risks and running from his past.

‘Two halves of myself were suddenly and painfully in a brutal battle. Past and present all tangled up together.’

Riley and Lucas take us on a road trip, and it’s where they begin to traverse one another – their past, their dreams, their feelings. It’s a journey of trials, tribulations, fun, and enlightenment between two rather different people who somehow make sense. Theirs was a love we felt and believed.

Being young and inexperienced when they met, every heartache, every wall, and every confronting part of Lucas’s past is an education for Riley, as she navigates Lucas’s emotions and moods.

‘He always became an island, burying his feeling under layers of anger and resentment because it was easier than letting the pain take over.’

So much happens in this story! If you are a lover of angst, this book is one you must pick up! If you love having your feelings tested, then you’ll love this book. Loyal friendships, growth, a fervent love story, and even a bit of Hollywood gossip and glamour! It was all there in Before Us…There Was Him.

Our only negative was that we felt it was a little long – there was a time or two it felt a little drawn out – had it not been for this, this book would have been a 5 star, because this author nailed the intricacy of the characters and their emotions, she had us on the edge of our seat and wondering if our hearts would indeed recover! The epilogue was the cherry on the top!

‘Lucas was everywhere, he was everything, and the moment I felt his tears land on my shoulder, I knew neither of us would walk away unscathed. ‘