“The present is our own. The right-this-second, the here-and-now, this moment before the next, is ours for the taking.”
If you fell in love with Before We Were Strangers by Renée Carlino – the emotional pull, the slow burn, the ache of lost love being rekindled – you’re not the only one. This second-chance romance struck a chord with readers who adore tales of past lovers being reunited and the bittersweet beauty of missed connections. Whether it was the nostalgic college flashbacks or the raw emotional depth, fans of Before We Were Strangers often find themselves agonising: what should I read next? Thankfully, we here at What We Reading have curated the best books like Before We Were Strangers. These novels deliver all the feels – emotional romance, deep character connections, and the heart-tugging sense of “what if?” If you’re looking for more second-chance romance book recommendations or modern love stories filled with longing and hope, you’ll find the perfect next read here.
Before We Were Strangers Summary
Before We Were Strangers is a heartfelt second-chance romance that follows Matt and Grace, two former college sweethearts whose love was once undeniable but faded when life pulled them in different directions. They met at NYU – he, a passionate photography student; she, a gifted cellist – and soon became inseparable. Their connection was deep, creative, and full of promise. But, as graduation approached, miscommunication and missed timing caused them to drift apart, leaving them both with just their memories.
Fifteen years on, Matt spots Grace in a fleeting subway encounter. It’s just a glimpse, but it’s enough to stir everything he thought he’d forgotten about. Determined not to let her slip away again, he posts a “missed connection” ad, hoping that fate will give them another chance. What follows is a moving story about love lost and rediscovered, as they confront their shared past and what might have been. Told in alternating timelines, Before We Were Strangers explores the power of timing, the beauty of young love, and the rare gift of second chances.
Love And Other Words – Christina Lauren
Kicking off our list of books like Before We Were Strangers is Christina Lauren’s bestseller, Love and Other Words. Macy Sorenson is settling into an ambition, if emotionally tepid, routine: work hard as a new paediatrics resident, plan her wedding to an older but financially secure man, and keep her head down and heart tucked away. Yet, when she runs into Elliot Petropoulos – the first and only love of her life – her careful bubble threatens to dissolve.
Delivered in alternating timelines between Then and Now, teenage Macy and Elliot grow from friends to much more. As adults, they have become strangers to one another until their chance reunion. Although their memories are obscured by the agony of what happened that night, many years ago, Elliot will soon come to understand the truth behind Macy’s decade-long silence and will have to overcome both the past and himself to restore her faith in the possibility of an all-consuming love.
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Out On A Limb (Out #1) – Hannah Bonam-Young
Winnifred “Win” McNulty has always been fiercely independent. Not one to be coddled for her limb difference, Win has spent the bulk of her life trying to prove to others that she can do it all on her own. And, with a few minor adjustments, she’s done just fine. That is, until she has a one-night stand with the incredibly charming Bo, a perfect stranger. And that one night together soon changes everything.
While Bo is surprisingly elated to step up to the plate, Win finds herself unsure of whether she can handle this new challenge on her own or if she’ll need a helping hand. Bo and Win agree to get to know each other strictly as friends and nothing more. But, as they both should know by now, life rarely follows the plan. Hannah Bonam-Young’s Out on a Limb is a tender and fresh friends-to-lovers romance read, perfect for anyone who loved Before We Were Strangers.
Every Summer After – Carley Fortune
Carley Fortune’s Every Summer After is a stunning debut that’s perfect for fans of Before We Were Strangers and emotional second-chance romance stories. Set over the span of six summers and one transformative weekend, it orbits around Percy and Sam, childhood friends whose deep bond blossomed into a powerful young love – until one devastating mistake ripped them apart.
Years on, Percy returns to the lakeside town where it all began, pulled back by tragedy and unfinished business. Reuniting with Sam stirs up all the memories, longing, and regret they’ve both done all they can to keep buried. As they confront the past, they’re forced to reckon with whether the love lost can ever be found again. Similar to Before We Were Strangers, Every Summer After is told in alternating timelines between the past and present, offering a nostalgic and heartfelt story about missed chances, first love, and the hope of starting anew.
The Last Letter From Your Lover – Jojo Moyes
It is 1960. When she wakes up in the hospital, Jennifer Stirling finds herself unable to recall anything: not the car accident that put her there, not her husband, not even herself. She feels like a stranger in her own life until she happens upon an impassioned letter, signed simply “B”, asking her to leave her husband.
In 2003, a journalist named Ellie discovered the same enigmatic letter in a file in her newspaper’s archives. She becomes obsessed with the story and is hopeful that it can resurrect her faltering career. Perhaps if these lovers had a happy ending, she would discover one for her own complicated love life. Ellie’s search will soon rewrite history and help her see the truth about her own modern romance. If you love emotional, reflective and bittersweet second chance books like Before We Were Strangers, Jojo Moyes’ spellbinding tale, needs to be on your TBR pile!
First-Time Caller (Heartstrings #1) – B.K. Borison
Aiden Valentine has a secret; he’s fallen out of love with love. And as the host of Baltimore’s romance hotline, that’s a slight issue. But when a young girl calls in asking for dating advice for her mother, the interview goes viral, thrusting Aiden and his Heartstrings into the spotlight.
Lucie Stone thought she was doing just fine. She has a good job, an incredible family, and a smart, slightly devious child. But when all of Baltimore is suddenly scrutinising her love life, or, more accurately, lack thereof, she begins questioning if she’s as happy as she believed. Perhaps a bit more romance wouldn’t be a bad thing. Everyone wants Lucie to be happy, even the handsome, temperamental man calling the shots. But when sparks begin to fly behind the scenes, Lucie must make the final call between the radio-sponsored happily ever after or the man in the headphones next to her.
The Infinity Between Us – N.S. Perkins
Another one of the best books like Before We Were Strangers, N.S. Perkins’ The Infinity Between Us follows the story of Violet Mitchell and Will Seaberg. Eighteen years of summers spent in a beach house in Ogunquit, Maine, have brought the pair together. For two perfect, beach-filled months every year, they spent every waking moment together. First, as friends, until one summer when everything changed. Yet, before the pair had the chance to claim the love they’d spent their lives creating, disaster struck, tearing the two lovers – and their families – apart.
Heartbroken and still haunted by that fateful summer, Violet struggles to move on from the past. Still, she promises herself never to reach out to Will again. But, five years later, when Violet arrives to finalise the sale of the property, she finds him exactly as she left him. While she might not want anything to do with him, to begin with, Violet soon realises that the past she was running away from might actually hold the key to the love and the happiness she believed had been stolen from her all those years ago.
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Part-time reader, part-time rambler, and full-time Horror enthusiast, James has been writing for What We Reading since 2022. His earliest reading memories involved Historical Fiction, Fantasy and Horror tales, which he has continued to take with him to this day. James’ favourite books include The Last (Hanna Jameson), The Troop (Nick Cutter) and Chasing The Boogeyman (Richard Chizmar).
