I am sharing my review today as part of the Virtual Book Tour hosted by Zooloo’s Book Tours which runs 1 to 7 October.
Please follow along, with the Book Tour Schedule to see what other readers have enjoyed about this book.
Thank you to Sarah Gate, Choclit / Joffe Books, NetGalley and Zooloo’s Book Tours for including me on this tour and for providing a digital edition to read and review. As always, this review reflects my honest thoughts.
About the book
Grief taught her how to survive.
Love could teach her how to live again.
Maddie Whittle’s life has been shaped by loss. In an attempt to move past her grief, she’s dedicating herself to transforming her family’s estate into a wellness retreat.
The work is hard, and Maddie has no time for distractions.
Until a runaway piglet from the local farm leads her straight into the path of James Byron — an infuriating blast from her past.
Maddie needs help. James needs a job. What neither of them want is the slow-burning tension that could turn their bickering partnership into something far more dangerous: hope.
As winter sets in and renovations bring them closer, Maddie must confront the one thing she’s avoided for years. The possibility of a future defined not by loss, but by love.Before You Say I Love You by Sarah Gate
Published on 1 October 2025 by ChocLit / Joffe Books
Find the book on Amazon, Goodreads and Storygraph
The Author – Sarah Gate
I was born in Hartlepool in 1988, right by the sea. I grew up on the beach, and that love of the ocean inspired me to spend some time living in Venice, Italy, and Essaouira, Morocco, for periods of my life. Both stints inspired my writing in different ways.
My time in Morocco also strengthened my love of dogs. I happen to think they’re the greatest thing in the entire world, and I spend a lot of my life trying to rescue them from the streets and rehome them.
I didn’t realise how important the North East was to me until I grew up, so I moved home several years ago. When I’m not writing in front of my log burner, I’m trudging through the countryside with my doggies, enjoying this glorious and underrated part of England.
I’ve spent most of my life marketing charities. As part of that work, I was given the chance to visit Pakistan, Haiti, and Jordan, where I worked with Syrian refugees. I’ve witnessed first hand how natural disaster and war impacts communities, specifically women and children. Raising awareness of this is important to me, and something I try to do in my writing.
Writing novels is part of my feminist activism. I also use writing to promote veganism and animal rights. You’ll find both themes scattered throughout my stories, and I hope you’ll be open minded as you read them. Please don’t let that put you off! My ultimate goal is to write compelling characters and stories you can’t stop thinking about.
My Review
Sarah Gate has said her ultimate goal is to create compelling characters and stories that linger in your mind — and with Before You Say I Love You, she doesn’t just achieve that, she exceeds it. This story stole my heart, stayed in my head, and touched me in ways I wasn’t expecting.
This is the second book in her Unforgettable Love Stories series, and it absolutely works as a standalone. I didn’t even realise at first there was another book — but the moment I turned the final page, I knew I needed more.
From the very start, I was swept into Maddie Whittle’s world. The scene setting is so vivid that I could picture the estate and countryside as though I was standing there myself. But more than that, it was Maddie herself who captured me. She isn’t a perfect heroine — far from it — and that’s exactly why she felt so real. Some of her faults and flaws echoed my own, and that made her journey hit all the harder. Watching her wrestle with grief, stubbornness, and the fear of opening herself to love again felt like looking in a mirror at times.
Then along comes James Byron — and with him, the delicious mix of old wounds, slow-burn tension, and the kind of spark that makes you grin and ache at the same time. Their partnership, with all its bickering, humour, and unexpected tenderness, was just irresistible. And yes, even the piglet brought exactly the light touch the story needed.
I adored how the estate’s renovations became a reflection of Maddie’s own healing — room by room, step by step, daring to build something stronger and more hopeful than before. The pacing was perfect, and by the end I didn’t want to let these characters go.
This book is more than a romance. It’s about grief, resilience, second chances, and the courage to believe in love again. I laughed, I teared up, I saw pieces of myself in Maddie — and I finished the final chapter with my heart full. This is a definite five-star read for me, and one that will stay with me.
This review may also appear on my social media and selected book platforms. All links are correct at the time of posting.
📚 Reader’s reflections…
After reading the digital edition ahead of publication for this review, I loved this book so much that I immediately bought both the digital and audio editions on publication day. The narrator, Freya Parker, brings so much warmth and nuance to the story that, even knowing what was coming, I couldn’t stop listening — and yes, more tears fell as I listened right through to the end. Of course, I also picked up Before You Say Goodbye (book one) in both digital and audio — because once you’ve fallen this deeply into Sarah Gate’s writing, how could you not want more? I can’t wait to dive back into the Whittle family’s world soon.
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