Published in 2020
384 pages
Leslie Hooton is many things: a fabulous friend, a powerful speaker, a flower enthusiast, and a lover of language. You don’t want to miss her beloved novels, Before Anyone Else and The Secret of Rainy Days. Growing up in a small Alabama town, Leslie went on to earn her B.A. and M.A. from Auburn University and J.D. from Samford University. She became intrigued by people and discovered everyone has their own unique stories. She attended the Sewanee Writer’s Conference, and studied with Alice McDermott, Jill McCorkle, and Richard Bausch. Leslie resides and writes in Charlotte, North Carolina
What is this book about?
As a designer of upscale restaurants, 30-year-old Bailey Ann Edgeworth can go into an empty space and immediately see what it would take to transform it into a beautiful and memorable spot. She learns transforming her own life is another proposition entirely. It can get messy, and it doesn’t always go according to a neat blueprint. Bailey’s brother, Henry, and his best friend Griffin are stars in the restaurant field. They are known as the “Color Wheel Boys” because of their renowned Buckhead restaurants Vert, Blanc, and Noir. Bailey is determined to chart her own course; to not be forever known as Hank’s daughter, Henry’s sister, or “whatever” she is to Griffin.
Bailey’s dreams propel her to New York, where her vision garners accolades and fame. After a perceived rejection by Griffin, she rushes into an impetuous marriage with an enigmatic English chef. Their combined charisma and desire lift them to the top of the culinary world. Just when she seems on the verge of having it all, a shocking betrayal throws Bailey’s world into chaos. She begins a spectacular downfall, complete with secretive drug use, shady associates, and her career in turmoil. Just what are the secret ingredients to transforming food, a dilapidated building, and one’s own life into something extraordinary?
Before Anyone Else examines the complicated relationship between love and ambition and explores how our earliest relationships and experience shape us into who we ultimately become.
