Sixteen-year-old Rae's life is a disaster. Her mom is a recovering alcoholic, her best friend is a real-life Hollywood mean-girl, and her dad recently ditched her for his thirtysomething girlfriend. Is it any surprise she's perpetually one crisis away from an anxiety attack? Everything changes when Rae's grandma reveals a shocking family secret and sends Rae to Taos, New Mexico, to find an extraordinary family heirloom. With the help of Iggy and Rhody-a pair of quirky misfits with a passion for eighties music and bad behavior-the rich history of the area springs to life along with secrets so painful, Rae is tempted to do the one thing she promised her grandma she would not do . . . Will Rae's incredible journey help her confront the dysfunction in her life? Or could her obsession with fixing the past destroy the world as we know it? Imbued with the wild magic of New Mexico, Before Now Was Now is an exhilarating romp across the decades, a moving exploration of the struggle for belonging and identity, the often painful bonds of family, and the consequences of choices that trickle down through generations.