Before I Go, Colleen Oakley
Before I Go, Colleen Oakley
3 Rating(s)
List: $25.99 | Sale: $18.20
Club: $12.99

Before I Go

Author: Colleen Oakley

Narrator: Kirby Heyborne, Rebecca Lowman

Unabridged: 10 hr 28 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 01/06/2015


Synopsis

“An immensely entertaining [and] moving” (Atlanta Journal-Constitution) work of women’s fiction, this emotionally rich debut novel follows a young woman with terminal breast cancer who embarks on an extraordinary—and heartbreakingly human—mission to secure her husband’s future after she’s gone.

At twenty-seven, Daisy thought she had beaten breast cancer for good. On the eve of celebrating four years cancer-free with her husband, Jack, she receives devastating news: the cancer is back, and this time it’s aggressive stage four. With only months left to live, Daisy is forced to confront her mortality—but her greatest fear isn’t dying. It’s leaving behind the man she loves, a brilliant but endearingly helpless husband who has always relied on her.

Unable to rest until she knows Jack will be okay, Daisy decides she must do the unthinkable: find him another wife. With determination, humor, and aching vulnerability, she searches coffee shops, parks, and online dating sites for the woman who might one day take her place. But as Daisy’s plan grows more real, so does the emotional cost, forcing her to question whether ensuring her husband’s happiness means sacrificing her own.

Tender, funny, and profoundly heartfelt, this novel explores love, marriage, mortality, and the impossible choices we make when time runs out. It’s a powerful meditation on what it means to love selflessly—and when to finally choose yourself.

About Colleen Oakley

Colleen Oakley is an Atlanta-based writer and author of several novels including Before I Go, Close Enough to TouchThe Mostly True Story of Tanner & Louise, and Jane and Dan at the End of the World. Her articles, essays, and interviews have been featured in The New York Times, Marie Claire, Redbook, ParadeMartha Stewart Weddings, and more. Find out more at ColleenOakley.com.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Suz on April 04, 2016

I'm glad I'm easy pleased with nice contemporary simple stories. This made me feel good, sad, anxious, upset and hopeful. My eyes welled up at the end and my heart beat a little faster. What a great debut for an author, the writing was good, the story set out from month to month, and a lovely last c......more

Goodreads review by Jennifer on April 17, 2015

Before I Go is a standalone, women's fiction novel written by author Colleen Oakley. The book synopsis is surprisingly thorough and that surprised me. I mean, why include so many spoilers for readers? Well, after finishing the book, I figure it's because Before I Go is more about the emotions than i......more

Goodreads review by Linda on October 11, 2016

I had zero expectations regarding this pretty paperback copy of "before i go." It was merely easy to grab off my shelf as I left for the airport. I think it's a disservice to any book to read a few pages, whenever you find time, but so it was, until I returned home and could settle into it. Colleen O......more

Goodreads review by Karen on March 21, 2025

Well...I satisfied something I have not done before. I read all an author’s books. This was her debut novel. It was described as heart-wrenching, and I would say they were right. But...It is how it is written that makes it touching. And...As a reader you have to be willing to take the plunge to read......more

Goodreads review by Maxine on September 27, 2017

I dived into the pages of this book with so much excitement and glee, I had been wanting to read it for a while after snagging it from NetGalley and was gearing myself up for heart lurching moments, tears even and a few sniffles. Sometimes what you expect to get is nowhere near it and you feel a bit......more