College freshman Tess is ready to start over three thousand miles away from a life not worth remembering.
Author(s): Katie Karambelas
316 Pages
Fiction, Romance
Description
About the Book
Told in multi-POV, Before We Break tells the story of three college-age adults navigating friendship, love, and reality when one of them is diagnosed with a serious illness, shifting their world on its axis.
Book Synopsis
College freshman Tess is ready to start over three thousand miles away from a life not worth remembering. She's keeping her head down and definitely not going to frat parties. Well, except for the one where the hottest guy on campus spills his beer all over her. Jake is obnoxiously gorgeous and a bit too chatty for her liking. And even though Tess tries to avoid him, his charisma sucks her in.
That is, until they cross a boundary neither of them is ready for.
Now, Tess is dating Brayden, Jake's best friend. Brayden's calming energy is impossible not to fall for and Tess finds herself feeling comfortable and safe for the first time in her life.
When Brayden falls ill, Tess and Jake find themselves leaning on each other. The potential problem? The all-consuming connection with Jake that Tess can't ignore, despite how much she loves Brayden.
As the cracks in their relationships start to show, Tess, Brayden, and Jake will be forced to face the truth about how they each feel about each other. Will their hearts survive the wreckage?
Review Quotes
"I LOVED this book. I devoured it in less than 2 days. No spoilers but I love how this book changes point of view so you get inside the head of all 3 main characters. This is the perfect read and left me emotional a few times. I could really relate to the characters and couldn't put it down because I wanted to know what was going to happen in the story. Great job Katie." -Goodreads review
"Oh my gosh! I wasn't sure what to think going in but that was one of the most beautiful love story. I laughed and I cried. I experienced some of those things and it was healing to read about it. Thank you." -Goodreads review
"To begin with, I started this book at 11pm with plans to read a couple chapters just to get going. I stayed up until after 3am reading this book, and would have kept on reading if I could have stayed awake. I woke up early and finished it the very next morning. This is a fast paced read, with easy to follow dialogue and content.
This book absolutely crushed my heart. There is love, and there is a happy ending, but this is NOT a feel good romance novel. This is a journey of self discovery, pain, loss, and healing.
Katie Karambelas does a fantastic job keeping the characters in this story true to their age. These are 18-20 year old college students. They mess up, they make bad choices that hurt themselves and others, they're insecure and unsure of themselves. They also still hold that buoyancy in life that young adults tend to have. I appreciate that we didn't get a book where the young adults have the wisdom of a life they haven't lived yet." -Goodreads Review
Dimensions (Overall): 8.0 Inches (H) x 5.0 Inches (W) x .71 Inches (D)
Weight: .69 Pounds
Suggested Age: 22 Years and Up
Number of Pages: 316
Genre: Fiction
Sub-Genre: Romance
Publisher: Katie Karambelas
Theme: New Adult
Format: Paperback
Author: Katie Karambelas
Language: English
Street Date: August 5, 2025
TCIN: 1007323198
UPC: 9798998654305
Item Number (DPCI): 247-51-9838
Origin: Made in the USA or Imported
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Shipping details
Estimated ship dimensions: 0.71 inches length x 5 inches width x 8 inches height
Estimated ship weight: 0.69 pounds
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