Before You Say Anything (Unforgettable Love Stories #3) by Sarah Gate

ABOUT THE BOOK

Bluebell doesn’t believe in coincidence. She believes in fate. So when a man in black velvet finds her hiding in the darkest corner of a Carnival ball, she knows the universe sent him. She calls him Phantom. He calls her Cinderella. Before he leaves, he asks her to meet him on the Rialto Bridge at noon the next day.

She swears she won’t go. She goes anyway.

But he’s no stranger. Phantom is her friend, Jesse. In their twenties they almost kissed on a New York street. Then he told her he didn’t do ‘no-strings’ and she didn’t do anything more.

Now he lives next door to her little pink house on Burano. But Bluebell’s time is running out. Without a visa she only gets ninety days in Venice.

Jesse has an Italian passport and a solution. Marry him. But as friends and on paper only.

Is this fate? Or a chance at love they should have taken years ago?

MY REVIEW

This is book three in the Unforgettable Love Stories series and my first Sarah Gate novel. When a world-traveler meets an old friend at a masquerade, their anonymity and attraction change the relationship dynamic.

Bluebell is an acquired taste. She’s bold, outspoken, and loyal to her family and friends. She also believes in fate, unless it comes to her love life. She runs a blog, travels everywhere on her parents’ dime, is close to forty, and dares to tell Jesse to grow up. Seriously? But I believe Bluebell’s carefree life has caught up with her, and she’s found a city where she wants to settle down and lifelong friends to hang out with. The problem is that she is panicking about her feelings for Jesse and trying to curb her usual urge to flee an overwhelming situation.

Jesse is sweet, kind, and a great catch! His life is tragic when he quits his job as a journalist and comes home to care for his parents on a barista’s salary. He is an old friend of Bluebell’s who hides his real feelings from her to stay in her life—even going as far as a marriage of convenience to help her get her visa to stay in Italy. I love his gentleness and compassion, and I actually hoped he would move on from Bluebell and her chaos because I felt he deserved better.

The supporting characters, including Jesse’s dads and Bluebell’s friends and family, are a great addition. Plus, Bluebell’s family sounds wonderful, and they are extremely close.

Ms. Gate draws out her characters with purpose, truth, and vulnerability. Her book is told through Bluebell’s voice, which gives Jesse’s feelings a mysterious air. I enjoyed immersing myself in Venice and seeing Bluebell grow and see her worth in the universe. I found the writing a bit dense at times and would have liked fewer words and more conciseness, and to get to the point sooner, but I was delighted by the descriptions of the location and the food. In fact, Venice and Italy as a whole have been places I would love to visit someday.

Though I wasn’t a big fan of the main character, I found her journey captivating and genuine, especially when she finally saw the treasure she had in Jesse. If you’re in the mood for a friends-to-lovers romance with a little Italian flair, give this book a try.

Thank you to Ms. Gate for giving me the opportunity to read this book with no expectation of a positive review.

Unforgettable Love Stories Series

1. Before You Say Goodbye (2024)
2. Before You Say I Love You (2025)
3. Before You Say Anything (2026)

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Sarah is a feminist activist and vegan from the North East of England, where she currently lives with her boyfriend, rescue dogs, guinea pig, and teeny tiny hamsters.

When she’s not at home writing books, she’s travelling to and from Morocco rehoming dogs and cats, or creating TikTok content for her channel @feministforeveryone.

Sarah’s varied career has fed her writing. She graduated from Leeds Trinity and All Saints College in Leeds in 2009, and has since worked as a journalist, a humanitarian aid worker, and a Google Ads strategist. The people she’s met, the places she’s been, and the conversations she’s had inspire everything she writes.

Sarah has only ever won one award, but it wasn’t for writing. In 2015, she won ‘Best Principal Boy’ in the Wharfedale festival of Theatre Awards for her role in the pantomime Aladdin.