Before I Go

By: Colleen Oakley

Narrated by: Kirby Heyborne, Rebecca Lowman

Length: 10 hrs and 28 mins

Publisher's summary

A heart-wrenching debut novel in the best-selling tradition of P.S. I Love You about a young woman with breast cancer who undertakes a mission to find a new wife for her husband before she passes away.

Twenty-seven-year-old Daisy already beat breast cancer three years ago. How can this be happening to her again?

On the eve of what was supposed to be a triumphant "Cancerversary" with her husband Jack to celebrate three years of being cancer-free, Daisy suffers a devastating blow: Her doctor tells her that the cancer is back, but this time it's an aggressive stage four diagnosis. She may have as few as four months left to live. Death is a frightening prospect - but not because she's afraid for herself. She's terrified of what will happen to her brilliant but otherwise charmingly helpless husband when she's no longer there to take care of him. It's this fear that keeps her up at night, until she stumbles on the solution: she has to find him another wife.

With a singular determination, Daisy scouts local parks and coffee shops and online dating sites looking for Jack's perfect match. But the further she gets on her quest, the more she questions the sanity of her plan. As the thought of her husband with another woman becomes all too real, Daisy's forced to decide what's more important in the short amount of time she has left: her husband's happiness - or her own?

©2015 Colleen Oakley (P)2015 Simon & Schuster

Wonderful and emotional

This was a great listen! The relationship between the characters during such a tragic time is very realistic. You laugh and cry with Daisy and Jack.

it was good

I lived the book. it kept me interested and wanting to get back to to story. I was sad at the end but can't wait to read another.

fairly predictable...

I liked this book, but found it a little predictable. good to listen to while driving.

Poignant Story

After reading the summary, I was expecting a teary downer of a story, but instead found it almost uplifting, even a bit inspirational. I liked the characters and the believable way they interacted with each other. The medical scenes weren't overbearing - enough information to get the gist of what they were dealing with, but not so much that it becomes a Medical Drama. Mostly it was about how Daisy deals with her life, and her relationship with her husband (and other characters), with this new, terrible prognosis. Rebecca Lowman excels at this type of narrative, and she performs all but the last chapter.

This Book makes you FEEL!

Would you consider the audio edition of Before I Go to be better than the print version?

Absolutely! First, I am a big fan of the narrator Rebecca Lowman. She has a way of bringing the characters to life. Second, the audio version made me weep as I'd become vested in the characters. Reading it would not have gleaned the same level of emotion!

Who was your favorite character and why?

Daisy...of course!

Sad but a really good read

The author was able to paint a clear picture there were lots of twists and turns and surprises very good book it made me cry

ANNOYED but good

Would you listen to Before I Go again? Why?

No, because once you know the ending you know the ending.

What did you like best about this story?

I liked how it gave you a real feeling perspective on a stubborn young woman with cancer.

What does Kirby Heyborne and Rebecca Lowman bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

you get more emotion from the words being able to hear them with inflection and tone.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

mostly couldn't put it down

Any additional comments?

I got very angry at the main character Daisy in the book. For a large part of the book she wouldn't speak her mind and I don't know how realistic that would be, for me id be much louder about my opinions. it actually got to the point it was frustrating and I wanted to cast forward to see if she ever spoke her mind. but the book was still a good read.

Fantastic tearjerker!

Highly recommended. I haven't read a book in a long time that had me sobbing like this.

Blown Away By The Human Heart

I have to say, this book blew me away. I listened in the car, at work when I could, and every spare moment I had.

Daisy has beaten breast cancer, and she is set at twenty-seven to live in marital bliss with her husband for the rest of her life. On a follow up appointment with her oncologist, she has been told that he's found a small lump in her breast, but not to worry. Well, the small lump turns out to be a sign that the cancer has taken over her body and, well.. she's not going to make it.

She is so in love with her husband Jack and she's worried what will happen to him when she's gone. In all of her wisdom, she decides that she wants to find the perfect candidate for his next wife to ensure she can die knowing he'll be taken care of.

She finds a candidate on an online site, but that candidate turns out to be someone who Jack already knows. Daisy begins to feel jealous and horrified that she thought she'd be able to find Jack a new wife, and Jack and the new girl spend a lot of time together..

The story is depressing, but the main character is so lovable and relative. I loved the narration- it's very empathetic and soothing.

The human element to this story is magnetic, and the prose are beautiful. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a fantastic story or humanity and true love.

Exceptional, in every sense of the word!

Where does Before I Go rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Right up there with the best of the best!

What was one of the most memorable moments of Before I Go?

The point at which Daisy has just had brain surgery, but she is sure her husband is cheating on her. She makes her mother drive her to her house where she finds an unknown car in the driveway only to then find out that her husband has been contracting the woman out to fix their house.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I felt every emotion the characters felt, however, it did not make me cry.

Any additional comments?

Before I Go is exceptional, in every sense of the word. Prepare to have your heart broken at many different points in the book, but then just when you feel you can't possibly go on because it is just too heart wrenching, Colleen Oakley mends your broken heart with the the magic that is unconditional love from both family, friends and a devoted husband.

Her writing is very comparable to Lisa Genova in the way with which she thoroughly researches her topic and writes in a way that you aren't just reading a book, you are transported to someone else's life.