Before I Saw You By Emily Houghton

‘Before I Saw You’ is the latest book by Emily Houghton.

Alfie Mack has been in hospital for months recovering from an accident. A new face on the ward is about as exciting as life gets for him right now, so when someone moves into the bed next to him he’s eager to make friends. But it quickly becomes clear that seeing his neighbour’s face won’t happen any time soon. Alice Gunnersley has been badly burned and can’t even look at herself yet, let alone allow anyone else to see her. She keeps the curtain around her bed firmly closed, but it doesn’t stop Alfie trying to get to know her. And gradually, as he slowly brings Alice out of her shell, might there even be potential for more?

If you enjoyed the hit Netflix series, ‘Love Is Blind’ then you’ll love Emily’s debut novel, as it’s a similar premise. Although, love is through a hospital curtain and not a wall.

The story is seen through the narrative of Alice and Alfie, who are placed on the same ward after both being seriously injured in separate accidents. Once a successful and confident business woman, Alice can no longer look at herself after burning herself in a fire, which left her with 40% scarring, whilst Alfie lost his leg from a car accident. Both are having to adapt to these life changing circumstances and try to start afresh.

Alice deals with this drastic change by remaining silent and hidden away from the other patients on the ward, which only sparks their curiosity more, particularly Alfie who’a drawn to the silent stranger beside him. Gradually over time and with sheer determination, Alfie manages to get Alice to speak by involving her in puzzles and constantly looking for help with crosswords and it makes for fun and warmhearted reading as the pair embark on this new friendship, which initially was quite stilted has turned into a genuine partnership where they can talk openly and freely behind the curtain, baring their souls with judgement.

I loved the characters in this story, Alfie was a genuine sweetheart, who’s cheeky with a kind side and always looking out for others, particularly Alice helping her to overcome her fears and talk freely about her childhood, which has made her into the independent woman that she has become relying on no one. Other supporting characters added some charm to the tale was Mr Peterson, the elderly patient on the ward who was eternal grumpy as well as Nurse Angles, the caring nurse on the ward who was always offering kind words of encouragement.

A stunning debut about new beginnings, ‘Before I Met You’ is a beautifully written story with relatable characters and situations that made for warmhearted reading and will brighten anyone’s day.

You can pre-order ‘Before I Saw You’ from Amazon and will be available from good bookshops from 4th February 2021.