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Dorothy Koomson
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The Woman He Loved Before Kindle Edition

by Dorothy Koomson (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.4 out of 5 stars 1,212 ratings
From international bestselling author Dorothy Koomson, a gripping, thought-provoking novel that will appeal to fans of Jodi Picoult and Emma Donoghue, about a woman hellbent on uncovering the truth about her husband's last marriage and its tragic conclusion.

Libby has a nice life with a great job, a gorgeous husband and a big home by the sea. But she's becoming more unsure of Jack's feelings for her - and if he is over the mysterious death of Eve, his first wife.

When fate intervenes in their relationship, Libby decides to find out all she can about the man she hastily married and the seemingly perfect Eve.

Eventually Libby stumbles across some startling truths about Eve. As she begins to unearth more and more devastating secrets, Libby becomes frightened that she too will end up like the first woman Jack loved. . .
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  1. Print length
    431 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Grand Central Publishing
  4. Publication date
    April 24, 2012
  5. File size
    3.8 MB
  6. Page Flip
    Enabled
  7. Word Wise
    Enabled
  8. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
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Editorial Reviews

Review

Social conflict, deception, the nature of marriage itself are all themes in this multi-tiered and satisfying mystery story―Daily Express

Gripping and compelling―Closer

Forget everything except devouring this wonderfully crafted thriller that twist and turns with gut-wrenching intrigue from the first chapter until the last.―Daily Record

It has us all gripped from start to finish―Woman

Another masterpiece from Dorothy Koomson... A must- read that will have you gripped *****―Heat

About the Author

Dorothy Koomson is the award-winning author of 14 novels including the Sunday Times bestsellers My Best Friend's Girl, The Ice Cream Girls and Goodnight, Beautiful. Dorothy's novels have been translated into over 30 languages, and a TV adaptation based on The Ice Cream Girls was shown on ITV1 in 2013. After briefly living in Australia, Dorothy now lives in Brighton. The Brighton Mermaid is her most recent novel.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0092XNE68
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Grand Central Publishing (April 24, 2012)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ April 24, 2012
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 3.8 MB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 431 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.4 out of 5 stars 1,212 ratings

About the author

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Dorothy Koomson

Dorothy Koomson

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Dorothy Koomson is the award-winning author of 15 novels and has been making up stories since she was 13 when she used to share her stories with her convent school friends. Her published titles include: Every Smile You Fake, My Other Husband, Tell Me Your Secret, The Brighton Mermaid, The Woman He Loved Before, Goodnight, Beautiful and The Chocolate Run.

Dorothy’s first novel, The Cupid Effect, was published in 2003 (when she was quite a bit older than 13). Her third book, My Best Friend’s Girl, was selected for the Richard & Judy Summer Reads of 2006 and went on to sell over 500,000 copies. While her fourth novel, Marshmallows For Breakfast, has sold in excess of 250,000 copies. Dorothy’s books, The Ice Cream Girls and The Rose Petal Beach were both shortlisted for the popular fiction category of the British Book Awards in 2010 and 2013, respectively.

Dorothy’s novels have been translated into over 30 languages, and a TV adaptation loosely based on The Ice Cream Girls was shown on ITV1 in 2013. After briefly living in Australia, Dorothy now lives in Brighton.

In 2019 Dorothy was awarded the Image Award by The Black British Business Awards to celebrate and honour her achievements.

Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
1,212 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers praise the book's writing style and character development, noting how the characters are brought to life.

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9 customers mention "Writing style"9 positive0 negative

Customers praise the writing style of the book.

"...She had me hanging on to her every beautifully written word sometimes desiring to skip to the end to see how the mystery would eventually unfold..." Read more

"...Ms. Koomson has written a very good book with strong caracters and although I could understand them very well I do not agree altogether with the..." Read more

"Loved this book even though it was a bit different that Dorothy Koomson's usual style (the happier Cupid Effect or Chocolate Run)...." Read more

"This book was a very good read. You were left at the end of every chapter wanting to go on to see what was going to happen next...." Read more

4 customers mention "Character development"4 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the character development in the book, with several noting how the characters were brought to life.

"...disgust, anger, curiosity, fear, regret or sadness, she’s able to write the character so the reader can empathize and when she wants, detest...." Read more

"...Ms. Koomson has written a very good book with strong caracters and although I could understand them very well I do not agree altogether with the..." Read more

"Loved the characters; I felt the story dragged a bit in the final 1/3 of the book however it was enjoyable." Read more

"Such an unusual book with characters really brought to life...." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • Araba
    5.0 out of 5 stars Ms. Koomson Does It Again!
    Reviewed in the United States on February 12, 2014
    Verified Purchase
    I love (repeat it at least seventy times) Dorothy Koomson’s writing. Her style is distinct, flows, and is descriptive without being overbearing. This book is no different with her writing style, yet completely set apart from her other works. The issues of prostitution, personal history, survival, and trauma drove this book from an insider’s perspective.

    Ms. Koomson knows how to evoke emotion from a reader. Whether it is disgust, anger, curiosity, fear, regret or sadness, she’s able to write the character so the reader can empathize and when she wants, detest. She had me hanging on to her every beautifully written word sometimes desiring to skip to the end to see how the mystery would eventually unfold before continuing on, but I refrained.

    The romances in the book were gorgeous yet heartbreaking. The passionate intense love between Jack and Eve was so different between that of Libby and Jack, that I wanted both to have survived.
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  • A. Jonsdottir
    4.0 out of 5 stars Very good and interesting
    Reviewed in the United States on June 16, 2012
    Verified Purchase
    I found this book very good and interesting. The subject in it self is interesting - Libby the second wife of Jack is constantly thinking about if her husband Jack loves her as much as he loved his wife, Eve, who passed away in a "accident".
    Yes, how can you live up to a belowed wife that is passed away. Must be tough for most people in normal life. Ms. Koomson has written a very good book with strong caracters and although I could understand them very well I do not agree altogether with the way they choose to live their lives. At least I hope most of us have more options.
    The plot works fine all through the book to the very end and I reccomend this book to readers who like books about love with twist and turns. You will get to know some caracters in this book with very dark sides who are plain eavil but that adds to the story. I will not give more away about the book which I enjoyed reading.
    One person found this helpful
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  • anastasia40
    5.0 out of 5 stars fantastic read
    Reviewed in the United States on March 23, 2011
    Verified Purchase
    this is a page turner... ms. koomson has outdone herself. if u thought 'goodnight beautiful' was good then ur in for a wonderful surprise. this a story of a woman who finds herself standing in the shadows of a woman that no longer exists. she finds herself being symphathetic towards a woman she never met all the while feeling envious. there is mystery drama and suspense all rolled into one. enjoy another dorothy koomson creation, you will not be sorry.
    One person found this helpful
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  • ClaireD
    5.0 out of 5 stars A bit darker than the usual Dorothy Koomson books
    Reviewed in the United States on February 8, 2011
    Verified Purchase
    Loved this book even though it was a bit different that Dorothy Koomson's usual style (the happier Cupid Effect or Chocolate Run). It explores the lives of two women who had a relationship with the same man. It mainly focuses on the life of Jack's first wife Eve and all the terrible things that happened in her life.

    Overall it's a great book and I'd recommend it to anyone who is a fan of Dorothy Koomson.
    2 people found this helpful
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  • zipporah
    3.0 out of 5 stars Not terribly impressed
    Reviewed in the United States on May 12, 2015
    Verified Purchase
    This was the novel chosen by a book club for the month, or I probably wouldn't have purchased it (I tried to get a copy from the library, but no such luck). There might be some people who disagree with me that the book contains only some violence (others might think it is graphic violence), but compared to other things I've read, I thought this was relatively tame. There are insinuations of worse actions, but nothing explicitly written on the page.

    I personally am not a fan of alternating person narration and this novel is split between the two main characters in the central relationship (Libby and Jack) as well as diary entries from Jack's first wife (Eve) and a final bit from Jack's mother (Harriet). I find this style a bit disruptive to the flow of the novel. I also didn't think that the book was edited particularly well since I was distracted by a number of grammatical errors. Some of these are forgivable since they were in the diary entries, but others were just sloppy workmanship.

    All that aside, I enjoyed the novel more than I expected with regards to the story itself. I imagine many readers will be surprised by some of the plot developments, but I found most of them quite obvious. Overall, I'm assigning this a somewhat generous 3/5 stars. I won't be reading it again, nor will I go looking for more by this author.
    2 people found this helpful
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  • Kindle Customer
    5.0 out of 5 stars Yes!
    Reviewed in the United States on June 3, 2019
    Verified Purchase
    She's his second wife, the first one died...but was it an accident? She thought he loved her, until a car accident, and his first wife's diary make her question everything.
    Angst, a mystery, with a twist and a voice from the grave. It makes you realize you can't judge others, by what we see on the outside. Enjoy!
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  • Julianne Mallonee
    4.0 out of 5 stars Very good writing
    Reviewed in the United States on December 29, 2017
    Verified Purchase
    Loved the characters; I felt the story dragged a bit in the final 1/3 of the book however it was enjoyable.
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  • paddygirl
    5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant.
    Reviewed in the United States on February 5, 2014
    Verified Purchase
    Such an unusual book with characters really brought to life. At times heartbreaking and you feel so sad for how life can be so cruel, and at times heartwarming when you see how resilient people can be in the face of adversity.
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Top reviews from other countries

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  • lalto
    5.0 out of 5 stars Up all Night Reading
    Reviewed in Canada on September 16, 2013
    Verified Purchase
    I've loved all of Dorothy Koomson's books. I find she has a completely original and distinctive voice. This one involves a second wife who starts to wonder if her husband killed his first wife. This sounds "Rebecca-ish" but it isn't. The wife winds up in bed recovering from an accident and everything starts to seem sinister. All sorts of interesting twists and revelations. One of my favourite books that captivated me on a Parisian vacation.
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  • BCB & More
    5.0 out of 5 stars A joy to read!
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 11, 2011
    Verified Purchase
    As always with Dorothy Koomson, I am unsure that she falls into the Chick Lit genre as her books always have an element of drama about them. Her books always seem to radiate true emotion and I always finish one of her books feeling sad that I have to wait for another. This book was no different and as I write my review I can't help but be annoyed that I will again have to wait what seems like forever for another one of her books.

    This particular story seems at first glance to be a straight cut story about Jack's wife who died Eve. However, things are far from straightforward and as soon as you pick up the book and start to read you are drawn into the current life of Libby who is struggling with things, as well as Eve's past life and the secrets she holds.

    The story is told cleverly and although towards the latter part of the book I thought I had it all figured out, I was shocked to realise I was wrong. Libby is a lovely character who has her own insecurities about her husband Jack and the things he hides. Although it's clear that Jack has a troubled past you can't help but warm to him as a reader. He may not be perfect but you can't help but feel that his heart truly belongs to Libby.

    Dorothy Koomson has again written a book that is not only powerful but one that is quite heart wrenching. When the past of Jack and Eve begin to come out you begin to realise that things are quite as black and white as they seem. I found myself desperately wanting everything to be okay.

    I loved the fact that story had two very separate threads, one in the past and one in the current, but the two stories would intertwine magically. I also loved the setting being mainly in Brighton as well as London. The main topics that are dealt with in the book are always the easiest for an author to deal with well but this book truly relays the situations in a great way. That may sound slightly strange as I haven't revealed the topics but to do so would be a real plot spoiler.

    As ever DK has produced an outstanding book that I literally couldn't (or wouldn't as my husband kindly pointed out) put down. I cannot recommend this book, or for that matter this author highly enough. I have yet to find fault with her writing or any of her books. An absolute joy to read and one I suggest that you put on your list to read!
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  • Lina
    5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent
    Reviewed in France on August 12, 2015
    Verified Purchase
    J adore cette ecrivaine; le livre est plein de twists inatendus. J ai meme eu peur parfois tellement que j etais stressee !!!
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  • ROHINI VELAGA
    2.0 out of 5 stars Can skip
    Reviewed in India on January 26, 2022
    Verified Purchase
    Book came in good condition. Reasonable for 121.

    Content not great though. It is not gripping like it's been mentioned as.
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  • The Only Blackpearl
    5.0 out of 5 stars The Woman He Loved Before
    Reviewed in Canada on December 24, 2012
    Verified Purchase
    I appreciate the fact that this book held my attention from beginning to end. Dorothy Koomson is a terrific writer and draws you into her characters quickly and emotionally at the same time
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