"Mr. Kilburn is a master at writing character development!" 
3 stars!

"Before” is a coming-of-age story that follows several teenagers as they try to navigate their topsy-turvy lives in a small town. Bruce, a young man who plays hockey for a local college known as the Academy, finds himself entranced by a high school beauty named Brittany. Their lives become entangled, as well as the life of Tabitha, another young woman attending the same school as Brittany. These three, plus many other important characters, set out on several wild and crazy adventures as they navigate the murky waters and world of growing from adolescence to adulthood.   

Mr. Kilburn is a master at writing character development! 

Each and every one of the characters he creates in this story are well thought out, with an abundance of history provided. However, this makes the story too long, and at times it is difficult to plow through.

There are some uncomfortable scenes throughout the book that may trigger some readers and disgust others including sexually explicit scenes between young minors (14 and 16), in a lesbian relationship, underage pregnancy, childbirth, and substance abuse. There are also scenes of slut-shaming and swearing throughout the entirety of this book.

“Before” is a drama filled story that seems to branch off into separate backstories for each character.  Mr. Kilburn deftly creates characters who are easy to understand as he delves into the intricacies of how their minds work. The relationships they have with one another are very well mapped out. This makes the story great for those who are interested in plotlines that focusses on relationship building, and encompasses teen drama, and adventures that young people experience from years in high school and into their college years.

- Jennifer Shepherd  InD'tale Magazine April 2022 Issue 

"A gripping coming-of-age tale entwined with small town complications.... The tension is thick.... With a slow but tantalizing pace, this coming-of-age story is going to be tough to put down for fans of character-driven fiction."

A gripping coming-of-age tale entwined with small town complications... Kilburn weaves this teenage story with threads of secrets. Before’s slow pace engages readers on an engrossing journey through adulthood.

This novel revolves around three teenagers: Bruce, Brittany, and Tabitha. Bruce moves from Canada to a small town in New England for his university experience. In that small town lives sixteen-year-old Brittany, who wants to moves to her grandmother’s farm- house and to start living an independent life. There she meets Tabitha, a new friend who reveals feelings for her and who inspires her to explore her sexuality. Brittany and Tabitha’s complicated relationship gets much more tangled when Bruce encounters Brittany. Brittany develops feelings for both, and the tension is thick. It leads to heartbreaks, wrong decisions, and fistfights. As she explores her newfound freedom, she must confront the entanglement head on, as she has never learned to lose. Beneath all their everyday problems simmers something much more grave. Someone sets their eye on Bruce. Bruce becomes a candidate or a pawn for something much more sinister than these kids ever imagined.

This first book in a series does an exceptional job of introducing the characters and their intermingling lives. And the characters are exceptionally well written. The teenagers feel like real teenagers: their mannerisms, thoughts, fears, heartbreaks, and anger. Each character has authenticity. Even the side characters have their own distinct characteristics. The relationships portrayed here are excellent. There’s an acute portrayal of parental abuse and how it shapes children; the love of a grandma who gives proper advice but gives enough space to make one’s own decision; and the struggle of a parent with a growing child. Most of all, I love the sex positivity some parents have in this book. It’s refreshing to read. The conversations are natural too. Before nails the depiction of a small town with its gossip and rumors. The novel’s writing style, characters, and events are enough to keep you hooked. The story does stumble a bit with distracting capitalization words and a need to know Bruce more. There isn't much of a crime bent in the book either, despite a promise in the description, but as it is the first book, I’d expect there’s more to come in this department.

Before will transport you to the complicated lives of small town teenagers. With a slow but tantalizing pace, this coming-of-age story is going to be tough to put down for fans of character-driven fiction.
 -  Manik Chaturmutha for Independent Book Review, 04/07/22

Synopsis:
With the publication of "Before: A Novel", author J. Kilburn brings readers a light-hearted and whimsical coming of age story that follows the adventures and misadventures of Just Regular Kids as they grow up in a pastoral and peaceful New England college town.

But all may not be as it seems! Events in a far-away criminal underworld lurk in the background as these teenagers take their first steps into adulthood. Readers will discover that two Sweet Sixteens have a lot more in common with hardened criminals than you (or they) might realize and surprises are in store for everyone!

Critique:
"Before: A Novel" both celebrates and indicts the sweet and sordid to be found in small-town, everyday life. A deftly crafted blending of Crime Fiction and Coming-of-Age, "Before: A Novel" is a unique, inherently entertaining, and impressively memorable literary experience. While especially and unreservedly recommended for community library General Fiction collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "Before: A Novel" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $2.49).

 -  Julie Summers in Midwest Book Review's "Reviewer's Bookwatch" Volume 22, Number 5 May 2022 

"Kilburn breathes life into [the characters] with some hilariously awkward scenes.... the dialogue is worth the wait given that it is  probably among the top 1% in its sarcasm and authenticity..."  - Five Stars!

Before by J. Kilburn is a coming-of-age satire that pieces together the lives of a tribe of kids, and is part of the author's Heaven's Door series. There are many moving pieces in this novel and various point of view characters. The narrative weaves between third-person and omniscient, but all stress the generational divide between teenagers who are doing their best to have nothing to do with, or be nothing like their parents, and parents who think their daughter is just getting fat when she is actually pregnant. And not a lesbian, most of the time. Somewhere between banana-seat bicycles, GEDs, hockey practice, and cigarette-perfect joints between ruby-red lips, the young group provides insight in this prequel and a fly-on-the-wall perspective of what transpires Before Heaven's Door. 

First of all, I'd like to start by getting it out there that I read this book first. Yes, I read Before prior to anything else and I do hope the book that follows is as good. I love a good coming-of-age story, particularly when paired with mischievous, everyday kids who turn out to be anything but. J. Kilburn breathes life into them with some hilariously awkward scenes some of us will be able to relate to, and others that probably nobody will be able to relate to at all. Or at least I seriously hope nobody will. The writing is clean and tight even if it is sometimes a bit loquacious between dialogues, but the dialogue is worth the wait given that it is probably among the top 1% in its sarcasm and authenticity. Nell Zink and the novel Nicotine come to mind, and I have no doubt others who read this novel will find themselves both amused and bewildered in the best possible way. 
-  Jamie Michele for Readers' Favorite, 01/26/22