Book Review: Before You Were Anne by Emiko Jean (Chelsey Calhoun #2)
Key Book Info
Genre: Mystery, Fiction
Publication Date: September 1, 2026
Page Count: 320
Listening Time: TBA
Print Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Audio Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
Before You Were Anne by Emiko Jean (Chelsey Calhoun #2)
Book Review and Rating
Emiko Jean has become such a reliable author for me and Before You Were Anne was no exception. I first discovered this author through her contemporary fiction novel Mika in Real Life, and it remains my favorite of her novels. I ventured into her YA series Tokyo Ever After and loved those. I checked out her romance novel, Love Me Tomorrow, and it was great writing with an okay plot. When she dropped a thriller, The Return of Ellie Black, I knew I was going to love it. My favorite genre with an author I had grown to love; yes please. Unsurprisingly, this was five stars for me. And now, the sequel to that thriller is about to publish and I was gifted an advanced copy… pinch me.
Before You Were Anne is the sequel to The Return of Ellie Black and the second in the detective Chelsey Calhoun series. The book centers on the detective’s determination to solve the murder of a woman and her missing teenage daughter. As she unfolds the case we get to see the story from three perspectives, giving voice to the main women in the novel. I absolutely loved the way the narratives wove together and slowly built their way towards answers for the reader. There are just enough subtle misleads in the trail to keep you guessing, and a realistic conclusion to help feel like the mystery was solved.
I would classify this as a mystery with disturbing (to me) undertones, but nothing too graphic in the detective work. The feeling I had most was sadness for the women and affection for the detective. I did see the “twist” coming, but I don’t think it was obvious and it didn’t detract from the plot at all. If you haven’t tried Emiko Jean books, this series is an excellent one to try.
My rating: 5.0 / 5.0
Thank you to Simon & Schuster for the advanced copy in exchange for my review. I consumed this so fast and am sending you virtual hugs for this wonderful gift.
Before You Were Anne by Emiko Jean
Click here to purchase from:
Libro.fm (audiobooks)
This site contains affiliate links. We may receive a commission if you make a purchase after clicking on one of these links, at no additional cost to you.