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Before We Were Innocent
A summer in Greece for three best friends ends in the unthinkable when only two return home in this new novel from Ella Berman. . . .
Ten years ago, after a sun-soaked summer spent in Greece, best friends Bess and Joni were cleared of having any involvement in their friend Evangeline’s death. But that didn’t stop the media from ripping apart their teenage lives like vultures.
While the girls were never convicted, Joni, ever the opportunist, capitalized on her newfound infamy to become a motivational speaker. Bess, on the other hand, resolved to make her life as small and controlled as possible so she wouldn’t risk losing everything all over again. And it almost worked. . . .
Except now Joni is tangled up in a crime eerily similar to that one fateful night in Greece. And when she asks Bess to come back to LA to support her, Bess has a decision to make.
Is it finally time to face up to what happened that night, exposing herself as the young woman she once was and maybe still is? And what happens if she doesn’t like what she finds?
Ten years ago, after a sun-soaked summer spent in Greece, best friends Bess and Joni were cleared of having any involvement in their friend Evangeline’s death. But that didn’t stop the media from ripping apart their teenage lives like vultures.
While the girls were never convicted, Joni, ever the opportunist, capitalized on her newfound infamy to become a motivational speaker. Bess, on the other hand, resolved to make her life as small and controlled as possible so she wouldn’t risk losing everything all over again. And it almost worked. . . .
Except now Joni is tangled up in a crime eerily similar to that one fateful night in Greece. And when she asks Bess to come back to LA to support her, Bess has a decision to make.
Is it finally time to face up to what happened that night, exposing herself as the young woman she once was and maybe still is? And what happens if she doesn’t like what she finds?
384 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 4, 2023
About the author
Ella Berman
6 books804 followersElla Berman grew up in both London and Los Angeles and worked at Sony Music before starting the clothing brand London Loves LA. She lives in London with her husband, James, and their dog, Rocky. The Comeback is her first novel, coming August 11, 2020.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 4,843 reviews
December 6, 2023
**Many thanks to Shelf Awareness, NetGalley, Berkley, and Ella Berman for an ARC of this book! Now available as of 4.4!!**
"Make as many friends as you can, but don't build your life on them alone. It's an unstable foundation." -Sean Covey
Elizabeth 'Bess', Joni, and Evangeline: three vastly different girls who would forge a watertight bond...until a fateful night in Greece, where one of them is lost forever. At 19 years old, the girls have a lot to learn...and when rich girl Evangeline offers to bring her two friends to Mykonos, they jump at the opportunity. There is plenty of fun in the sun and an escape from some of the drama from back home...and even a possible romance blooming between Bess and a certain dreamy brother who just happens to be on the island too. But when Evangeline finds out after a night of drinking and debauchery with her besties, a fight breaks out...and within an hour Evangeline is at the bottom of a cliff...dead.
Bess and Joni struggle to clear their names, but over time, they manage to sweep their scandalous teenage exploits under the carpet and start fresh. Joni is a motivational speaker now, with a book on the way, and Bess is simply trying to lead a quiet life and leave her past firmly in the past. But when Joni makes a passionate plea to Bess to provide an alibi for her after Joni's lover, Willa, disappears, it feels a little bit TOO much like déjà vu and Bess starts to question just how much she can trust her friend...or trust her own heart. Could the past simply be repeating itself...or has something even MORE devastating happened to Willa? Or is her mysterious disappearance as FAR from a mystery as could be?
Ella Berman's The Comeback dealt with some heavy and timely topics (namely the #MeToo movement) and although I was underwhelmed by the book itself, I felt that with some time and growth, I might enjoy her next novel. The premise of this book is intriguing enough, even without too much originality, and I figured this would read as a sort of coming-of-age suspense novel, with a heady dose of nostalgia to top it off. What I got instead was a long, meandering look at territory that probably could have been covered in far fewer pages...and could have benefited heavily from some TRUE emotional depth, since it was sorely lacking in thrills.
This is certainly a novel full of rich girls doing bad things, a trope that has sort of been overused in the genre as of late, and what I hoped would set this novel apart (the push and pull of a toxic friendship, the wistful longing for the past) got lost in the overly verbose (and at times repetitive feeling) prose. There are two timelines, but in some ways, I think focusing the story ONLY on the present timeline with FLASHES of the past would have been far more effective. Instead of feeling like I knew these characters inside and out with all of the sordid details of their past, I just felt bored.
I think the length of this book might have been its weakest attribute. I can't even count the number of times I glanced down at my Kindle, feeling like I must have read more than I actually did. Although it took me just under a week to complete, it felt more like a month. I got so irked after a while by the LONG sentences that I actually took the time to count the words in a couple of them...and when I hit 70+, it started to feel like maybe it wasn't just me. It feels like Berman was trying to make this a literary fiction tale, but the plot didn't lend itself well to this idea, and Bess' romance plot line in particular was far more cringe worthy than it was compelling.
Though there were relatable moments of both teenage silliness and heartache buried amidst lengthy descriptions of Greece and 'should or shouldn't I trust my best friend' soul searching, much like a toxic friendship itself, the most important thing about it is to know exactly when to just cut it off.
3 stars, rounded up from 2.5
Now in paperback, and now a Reese’s Book Club Pick!
"Make as many friends as you can, but don't build your life on them alone. It's an unstable foundation." -Sean Covey
Elizabeth 'Bess', Joni, and Evangeline: three vastly different girls who would forge a watertight bond...until a fateful night in Greece, where one of them is lost forever. At 19 years old, the girls have a lot to learn...and when rich girl Evangeline offers to bring her two friends to Mykonos, they jump at the opportunity. There is plenty of fun in the sun and an escape from some of the drama from back home...and even a possible romance blooming between Bess and a certain dreamy brother who just happens to be on the island too. But when Evangeline finds out after a night of drinking and debauchery with her besties, a fight breaks out...and within an hour Evangeline is at the bottom of a cliff...dead.
Bess and Joni struggle to clear their names, but over time, they manage to sweep their scandalous teenage exploits under the carpet and start fresh. Joni is a motivational speaker now, with a book on the way, and Bess is simply trying to lead a quiet life and leave her past firmly in the past. But when Joni makes a passionate plea to Bess to provide an alibi for her after Joni's lover, Willa, disappears, it feels a little bit TOO much like déjà vu and Bess starts to question just how much she can trust her friend...or trust her own heart. Could the past simply be repeating itself...or has something even MORE devastating happened to Willa? Or is her mysterious disappearance as FAR from a mystery as could be?
Ella Berman's The Comeback dealt with some heavy and timely topics (namely the #MeToo movement) and although I was underwhelmed by the book itself, I felt that with some time and growth, I might enjoy her next novel. The premise of this book is intriguing enough, even without too much originality, and I figured this would read as a sort of coming-of-age suspense novel, with a heady dose of nostalgia to top it off. What I got instead was a long, meandering look at territory that probably could have been covered in far fewer pages...and could have benefited heavily from some TRUE emotional depth, since it was sorely lacking in thrills.
This is certainly a novel full of rich girls doing bad things, a trope that has sort of been overused in the genre as of late, and what I hoped would set this novel apart (the push and pull of a toxic friendship, the wistful longing for the past) got lost in the overly verbose (and at times repetitive feeling) prose. There are two timelines, but in some ways, I think focusing the story ONLY on the present timeline with FLASHES of the past would have been far more effective. Instead of feeling like I knew these characters inside and out with all of the sordid details of their past, I just felt bored.
I think the length of this book might have been its weakest attribute. I can't even count the number of times I glanced down at my Kindle, feeling like I must have read more than I actually did. Although it took me just under a week to complete, it felt more like a month. I got so irked after a while by the LONG sentences that I actually took the time to count the words in a couple of them...and when I hit 70+, it started to feel like maybe it wasn't just me. It feels like Berman was trying to make this a literary fiction tale, but the plot didn't lend itself well to this idea, and Bess' romance plot line in particular was far more cringe worthy than it was compelling.
Though there were relatable moments of both teenage silliness and heartache buried amidst lengthy descriptions of Greece and 'should or shouldn't I trust my best friend' soul searching, much like a toxic friendship itself, the most important thing about it is to know exactly when to just cut it off.
3 stars, rounded up from 2.5
Now in paperback, and now a Reese’s Book Club Pick!
Shelved as 'did-not-finish'
April 15, 2023Unfortunately this book isn't holding my attention. It's taken a week to read a third of it, so it's time to abandon ship. I think I was expecting a psychological thriller, or at least suspense, but instead the book is a slow-moving study of the rather unhealthy friendship between a group of rich, entitled girls. Not enough has happened in the first 35% to entice me to keep reading. There is a mystery element in the background — how did Evangeline die all those years ago? — but it will remain a mystery to me. Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read a digital ARC of this book.
May 1, 2023
high three stars
oh, to be 18 and think you have the world at your fingertips…
think again.
less of a thriller and more of a case study on toxic female relationships. this was everything i wanted.
oh, to be 18 and think you have the world at your fingertips…
think again.
less of a thriller and more of a case study on toxic female relationships. this was everything i wanted.
October 2, 2023
BORING!!!!!!
This book took forever to get where it needed to be and once it did…. SO anticlimactic!
It’s been a long time since I mindlessly consumed a book just wanting it to be over
This book took forever to get where it needed to be and once it did…. SO anticlimactic!
It’s been a long time since I mindlessly consumed a book just wanting it to be over
May 14, 2024
Well, this was better than I expected. I chose this book (or rather it was chosen for me), because I was supposed to have read this for a book club that took place last week. Suffice to say, I unfortunately never finished the book in time for book club 😕, but I did finish it for my own reading pleasure. I was very hesitant about this book as it was a Reese Witherspoon Book Club pick for December, 2023- and as you guys know, her books are hit or miss for me (with the majority being a bit way overhyped). However, I loved the writing in this book and I’m glad to say that Reese picked a winner!!
I want to start off by saying that if you are looking for a mystery or a thriller, this book is not it. This book is a character study on three women and their friendship. This story also shows how one reacts to loss, lies, betrayal, manipulation, grief, and trauma. The author’s writing was absolutely flawless, and because of it I want to read more of Ella Berman.
In this story we have three best friends- Evangeline (Ev), Bess, and Joni. These three friends travel to Greece for ten weeks after high school, only to realize they are not as close as they once thought they were. After a tragic accident happens to Evangeline, Bess and Joni are never the same when they return home to the States. Bess becomes a shell of herself and lives almost as a recluse, while Joni seems to be making a huge living off the death of their best friend.
This story flipped back and forth between 2008- the summer in Greece, and 2018- which was present day. In the 2018 chapters, Bess and Joni reconnect after almost ten years. Why does Bess still feel like she owes Joni? Does she feel sorry for her? Or is there more going on between these two that even Bess herself hasn’t figured out?
All I know is that I am so glad that I own a physical copy of this book, because I underlined so many passages that resonated with me. This wasn’t the fast-paced thriller that I’m used to reading, but something about this book was just so relatable. This author understands people, and wrote about them perfectly! If you like character driven stories, then I highly recommend reading this book!
“Sometimes your entire f*cking life catches on fire for no reason other than to remind you how fragile it all is. How little control we have over any of it.”
I want to start off by saying that if you are looking for a mystery or a thriller, this book is not it. This book is a character study on three women and their friendship. This story also shows how one reacts to loss, lies, betrayal, manipulation, grief, and trauma. The author’s writing was absolutely flawless, and because of it I want to read more of Ella Berman.
In this story we have three best friends- Evangeline (Ev), Bess, and Joni. These three friends travel to Greece for ten weeks after high school, only to realize they are not as close as they once thought they were. After a tragic accident happens to Evangeline, Bess and Joni are never the same when they return home to the States. Bess becomes a shell of herself and lives almost as a recluse, while Joni seems to be making a huge living off the death of their best friend.
This story flipped back and forth between 2008- the summer in Greece, and 2018- which was present day. In the 2018 chapters, Bess and Joni reconnect after almost ten years. Why does Bess still feel like she owes Joni? Does she feel sorry for her? Or is there more going on between these two that even Bess herself hasn’t figured out?
All I know is that I am so glad that I own a physical copy of this book, because I underlined so many passages that resonated with me. This wasn’t the fast-paced thriller that I’m used to reading, but something about this book was just so relatable. This author understands people, and wrote about them perfectly! If you like character driven stories, then I highly recommend reading this book!
“Sometimes your entire f*cking life catches on fire for no reason other than to remind you how fragile it all is. How little control we have over any of it.”
April 13, 2023
Before We Were Innocent by Ella Berman is a suspenseful drama novel with a mystery to be solved from the past and one in the current time. This of course means that the story in Before We Were Innocent happens in both timelines.
Ten years ago Bess, Joni and Evangeline had been the best of friends and after high school had chosen to spend the summer abroad. The trio spent the summer in Greece but by the end of the trip only Bess and Joni returned home.
Over the past ten years Joni has lived her life as a motivational speaker while Bess is just the opposite hiding away from the spotlight. Bess never expected after all these years to find Joni on her doorstep caught up in another disappearance and needing an alibi.
Picking up Before We Were Innocent by Ella Berman I wasn’t quite sure what to expect thinking this one may be more of a thriller than it was. The story that I found though was an interesting one with the slow build of what had happened in the past all the while the mystery of just what was happening now. If the pacing had been a bit faster from the start I would have a solid four stars for this one but the slower start left it at three and a half for me with the thought I’d definitely try something from the author again.
I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.
For more reviews please visit https://carriesbookreviews.com/
Ten years ago Bess, Joni and Evangeline had been the best of friends and after high school had chosen to spend the summer abroad. The trio spent the summer in Greece but by the end of the trip only Bess and Joni returned home.
Over the past ten years Joni has lived her life as a motivational speaker while Bess is just the opposite hiding away from the spotlight. Bess never expected after all these years to find Joni on her doorstep caught up in another disappearance and needing an alibi.
Picking up Before We Were Innocent by Ella Berman I wasn’t quite sure what to expect thinking this one may be more of a thriller than it was. The story that I found though was an interesting one with the slow build of what had happened in the past all the while the mystery of just what was happening now. If the pacing had been a bit faster from the start I would have a solid four stars for this one but the slower start left it at three and a half for me with the thought I’d definitely try something from the author again.
I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.
For more reviews please visit https://carriesbookreviews.com/
April 3, 2023
While I had initially expected this to be a thriller, I realized about half way in that it is in fact a literary mystery, much more character driven than plotdriven. This is a coming of age story, but one deeply impacted by close female friendships.
As a character driven study on toxic friendships and the life long impacts of such, I think this was a really interesting story. I enjoyed the various mysteries and the ambiguity the author left us with. The pacing was good and consistent and fitting for this genre. If you are looking for a plot heavy, twisty story, this book may not be for you. However, I think this was a solid sophomore novel and one I continue to think about weeks later.
Read if you like:
•coming of age
•literary mysteries
•stories about toxic friendships
•character driven stories
•dual timeline
Thank you Berkley Publishing and PRH Audio for the advanced copies in exchange for my honest review.
As a character driven study on toxic friendships and the life long impacts of such, I think this was a really interesting story. I enjoyed the various mysteries and the ambiguity the author left us with. The pacing was good and consistent and fitting for this genre. If you are looking for a plot heavy, twisty story, this book may not be for you. However, I think this was a solid sophomore novel and one I continue to think about weeks later.
Read if you like:
•coming of age
•literary mysteries
•stories about toxic friendships
•character driven stories
•dual timeline
Thank you Berkley Publishing and PRH Audio for the advanced copies in exchange for my honest review.
August 16, 2023
First, I’ll start by saying this is not a thriller. This book appeared to have been mis-marketed as it feels more like a contemporary fiction that includes some “thrilling moments” as opposed to a thriller. Had I went into this book knowing this, I might have had a different reading experience.
What I enjoyed: the shorter chapters, dual timelines, and the overall real true crime feel of the story. It felt like the Amanda Knox case but with a few more girls.
What I didn’t care for: the ending was open ended. While in some book this can work, in this book it just didn’t do much for me. Also the pacing was a bit off. The first half of the book felt more well put together leaving me wanting more, while the last half felt kind of slow and boring.
Overall, I enjoyed this book. I found it easy to read and perfect for lovers of contemporary fiction. However do not go into it expecting lots of twist and turns or feeling like you’re sitting on the edge of your seat. This is less of that and more of just 3 young girls doing what 3 young girls do and we’re just along for the ride.
Thank you Berkeley publishing for my finished copy of this book. All ideas are my own.
What I enjoyed: the shorter chapters, dual timelines, and the overall real true crime feel of the story. It felt like the Amanda Knox case but with a few more girls.
What I didn’t care for: the ending was open ended. While in some book this can work, in this book it just didn’t do much for me. Also the pacing was a bit off. The first half of the book felt more well put together leaving me wanting more, while the last half felt kind of slow and boring.
Overall, I enjoyed this book. I found it easy to read and perfect for lovers of contemporary fiction. However do not go into it expecting lots of twist and turns or feeling like you’re sitting on the edge of your seat. This is less of that and more of just 3 young girls doing what 3 young girls do and we’re just along for the ride.
Thank you Berkeley publishing for my finished copy of this book. All ideas are my own.
July 4, 2023
2.5 stars rounded down — this one just dragged for me, in ways I can't really pin down. I did make it to the end but didn't feel particularly satisfied by it.
Shelved as 'wishlist'
September 28, 2022OH MY GOD this literally sounds like a checklist of all my favorite tropes
April 27, 2023
if the ending had been stronger it could’ve been 4/5
August 21, 2024
Dear Kelly, just because Reese Witherspoon picks it, doesn’t mean you have to read it . . .
I know I know I know I have said this many times before and yet I perpetually am always on hold for one of her selections from the library. But I think I finally figured it out! I do not like her “mystery/thriller” choices. Again, if you are familiar with me my apologies for being repetitive, but if I painted Reese’s Book Club with one big brush and completely IGNORED her offerings, I would have missed out on sooooo many good books (The Paper Palace, Yellow Face, The Most Fun We Ever Had, Tom Lake, etc., etc.). Now maybe I know to avoid the whodunnits, but probably not because I’m an idiot.
Alright, let’s get to the book a little bit. The premise here is three girls spend the summer after high school graduation together in Greece – but only two are alive by the end of the getaway. The two who survived have remained suspects for the 10 years since that fateful vacay and now one’s fiancé is missing.
The problem here is there’s not much story. There isn’t really much of a mystery to solve, the girls had petty generic snipes and gripes but no real drama and if you tell me we’re taking a fictional trip to Greece I actually want to SEE some things – not just spend the entire time in some dilapidated old house.
Meh.
I know I know I know I have said this many times before and yet I perpetually am always on hold for one of her selections from the library. But I think I finally figured it out! I do not like her “mystery/thriller” choices. Again, if you are familiar with me my apologies for being repetitive, but if I painted Reese’s Book Club with one big brush and completely IGNORED her offerings, I would have missed out on sooooo many good books (The Paper Palace, Yellow Face, The Most Fun We Ever Had, Tom Lake, etc., etc.). Now maybe I know to avoid the whodunnits, but probably not because I’m an idiot.
Alright, let’s get to the book a little bit. The premise here is three girls spend the summer after high school graduation together in Greece – but only two are alive by the end of the getaway. The two who survived have remained suspects for the 10 years since that fateful vacay and now one’s fiancé is missing.
The problem here is there’s not much story. There isn’t really much of a mystery to solve, the girls had petty generic snipes and gripes but no real drama and if you tell me we’re taking a fictional trip to Greece I actually want to SEE some things – not just spend the entire time in some dilapidated old house.
Meh.
June 5, 2023
Just not enough here, as thriller, as Greek travel porn, as accused-girls-on-vacation-drama, or as a study in toxic relationships. Also taking it off the “thriller-suspense” and “summery” shelves, because despite the blurb, it is neither.
Audio narrator is…okay. With multiple female characters to voice, she overemphasizes a lot of sentences for dramatic effect to differentiate, which sounds harder/harsher than it needs to.
Audio narrator is…okay. With multiple female characters to voice, she overemphasizes a lot of sentences for dramatic effect to differentiate, which sounds harder/harsher than it needs to.
March 8, 2024
Great book I kept falling asleep to. It was very interesting and was a great read. It was often diving into teenage years and leaning to grow up and trust your heart. It was about 3 girls who take off and go to the islands of Greece to escape and find themselves, but one of them gets murdered and the two left behind are gasping to make their lives right again.
Some great lines: “It’s about being fucking terrified and still showing up. “Love that line! “I wondered whether this version of herself was a mask or the other way around!” “ a sense of hope ! Of infinite possibilities of something being better than Tomorrow!”
Some great lines: “It’s about being fucking terrified and still showing up. “Love that line! “I wondered whether this version of herself was a mask or the other way around!” “ a sense of hope ! Of infinite possibilities of something being better than Tomorrow!”
May 24, 2023
Ok, this is going to be a hard review to do. 4.5 stars but EXTREMELY outlier as I am giving it the 5th star for superb written prose beyond the deep psychology knowledge of 18 year old girls.
Women of 18-30 have more dreck fiction written about them that any other category of human, IMHO. And this book is NOT one of them. This is much closer to how they be. Not only in the present era either. Girlfriend bonds' books are also in major, major minority in numbers. So once again, this book is not "general" in either this genre or this period AT ALL.
It reminded me of something written in 1965, despite the hook ups and other major 2008 plus posits and ploys. (The Group, but not.) And let me tell you, it wasn't the "norm" girl anywhere that joined the beat or the hippy lifestyle choices either, back in the day. Not even 5% by some stats. So don't believe all the history hype you have trotted out to you- post 2000 crowd.
This is a trio of girls of 18 who have been best friends for going on 6 years and the tale of their summer in 2008 and then 10 years afterwards. I will tell you little more. Go in knowing the least you can. Please, do NOT read book synopsis of this AT ALL. Too many reviews here give entire scenarios too much input.
IMHO, this is the only book that has come close to real life human for me (MY OWN READ) in many a moon. For this age group most absolutely- and I read a lot. And 18-23 was the group I worked with most in my past real life decades, as well. So I know of what I post.
Also know that for most of you this will absolutely NOT be 5 stars. It's long and deeply wordy. You need patience. Most will give it 3 or 4. And it will not be quite an easy read either. Furthermore, it is truly not in the thriller or suspense category that the trailer appropriates either. It's much better than that fare. This also approaches Literary with the big L literary. That's how good- the dialogue, prose and time period postings are superb.
I almost wanted to give it 4 stars just so that the next one she writes gets better. It's hard to believe this is her second- and the first one under Covid without much of sales. I'm sure Berman did NOT have to work summers or have 3 jobs at a time for schooling either. She has had some high flying location experiences, as well. But can she write, so some of that time had to be in doing it!
These are VERY rich people from classes I have viewed close up in my life through business and/or work associations- but in which I have never belonged for a second. So be advised to take this review seriously if you want real psychological witness or testimony for motives without any class warfare bs on the side. And/or you ever wondered about the various "mean girls" bunches that exist nearly everywhere too. (No more so than in high school or college dorms.) Because this really takes a bite out of that nugget entity. Multi-sided look under a microscope too.
Can you believe I gave 5 stars to a novel about rich, immature, and basically appalling for morals or kindness millionaires times 20 daughters? I can't believe it. Even with all the labels recognitions and other status dumb stuff, this one hit the target. Manipulation for their new powers- girls at 18!
And the prettier or most verbal are also some of the worst. Drama= good. It isn't boring. But these 3 are closer to 14 years of age equivalent in my own epoch period. Or about 16 years equivalent in my kids' eras of the 1990's. Very different onus on responsibilities and initiatives plus the cultural crutches have made growing up twice as long as it used to take. Not in a good way either.
Women of 18-30 have more dreck fiction written about them that any other category of human, IMHO. And this book is NOT one of them. This is much closer to how they be. Not only in the present era either. Girlfriend bonds' books are also in major, major minority in numbers. So once again, this book is not "general" in either this genre or this period AT ALL.
It reminded me of something written in 1965, despite the hook ups and other major 2008 plus posits and ploys. (The Group, but not.) And let me tell you, it wasn't the "norm" girl anywhere that joined the beat or the hippy lifestyle choices either, back in the day. Not even 5% by some stats. So don't believe all the history hype you have trotted out to you- post 2000 crowd.
This is a trio of girls of 18 who have been best friends for going on 6 years and the tale of their summer in 2008 and then 10 years afterwards. I will tell you little more. Go in knowing the least you can. Please, do NOT read book synopsis of this AT ALL. Too many reviews here give entire scenarios too much input.
IMHO, this is the only book that has come close to real life human for me (MY OWN READ) in many a moon. For this age group most absolutely- and I read a lot. And 18-23 was the group I worked with most in my past real life decades, as well. So I know of what I post.
Also know that for most of you this will absolutely NOT be 5 stars. It's long and deeply wordy. You need patience. Most will give it 3 or 4. And it will not be quite an easy read either. Furthermore, it is truly not in the thriller or suspense category that the trailer appropriates either. It's much better than that fare. This also approaches Literary with the big L literary. That's how good- the dialogue, prose and time period postings are superb.
I almost wanted to give it 4 stars just so that the next one she writes gets better. It's hard to believe this is her second- and the first one under Covid without much of sales. I'm sure Berman did NOT have to work summers or have 3 jobs at a time for schooling either. She has had some high flying location experiences, as well. But can she write, so some of that time had to be in doing it!
These are VERY rich people from classes I have viewed close up in my life through business and/or work associations- but in which I have never belonged for a second. So be advised to take this review seriously if you want real psychological witness or testimony for motives without any class warfare bs on the side. And/or you ever wondered about the various "mean girls" bunches that exist nearly everywhere too. (No more so than in high school or college dorms.) Because this really takes a bite out of that nugget entity. Multi-sided look under a microscope too.
Can you believe I gave 5 stars to a novel about rich, immature, and basically appalling for morals or kindness millionaires times 20 daughters? I can't believe it. Even with all the labels recognitions and other status dumb stuff, this one hit the target. Manipulation for their new powers- girls at 18!
And the prettier or most verbal are also some of the worst. Drama= good. It isn't boring. But these 3 are closer to 14 years of age equivalent in my own epoch period. Or about 16 years equivalent in my kids' eras of the 1990's. Very different onus on responsibilities and initiatives plus the cultural crutches have made growing up twice as long as it used to take. Not in a good way either.
May 13, 2023
Was so close to being a DNF. I could tell about a third of the way through that this was not going to give me what I wanted. I was expecting a mystery/thriller and this was neither of those things. Slow burn, boring plot, and I hated the characters.
December 15, 2023
This title kept me guessing for every minute. The audio was great, it enabled me to devour it, to get closer to the answer at the end, as I was compelled to do. It didn’t take long and I read it very quickly. I was not at all expecting the ending, which was a good surprise.
This is not just a story of a girl dying at the cusp of womanhood, which I do tend to read a lot of lately, additionally it is the friendships of girls not yet women and how they are realised during heady emotional times, but more effectively in hindsight, how the women left behind assess their lives as they were then.
The cover is beautiful, and I have DeJa’Vu of myself listening to this on a 40-degree Celsius day watering my dying and crispy grass (sadly as far as one can be from Greece as possible), in my own bikini, listening to a story that cannot but make the reader think of their own adolescent days, and what their memories of these angst-ridden days were like for themselves.
Evangeline and Joni were best friends for years when Bess joined causing a threesome. Always feeling an outsider, I felt the most pull from Bess, as in the strength of her story. Joni was too opportunistic and much less likable. Evangeline is wealthy and has paid for her two friends to join them in Greece to stay in the family crumbling estate to share their last summer before college.
The holiday is long, personalities are different, and tempers fray. Evangeline is the most sensitive, controlling. Joni loud, outspoken. Bossy; violent. Bess is more bendy, will fit where she needs to. Evangeline dies on this holiday and crux of this story is the two remaining girls moving on with their lives in very different ways.
I wanted to urge Bess to be more forthright and for bending so much, and ring Joni’s neck for being vindictive. I enjoyed this thoughtful story of girls not quite women venturing into murky waters where lives will irrevocably be changed, and how ties from the past will forever effect those left behind, and the power such events hold over individuals for entire lifetimes.
Sensitive and effecting, I am very glad to have listened to this quality book and will seek out more from this author.
I listened to this via the Libby app and my public library.
This is not just a story of a girl dying at the cusp of womanhood, which I do tend to read a lot of lately, additionally it is the friendships of girls not yet women and how they are realised during heady emotional times, but more effectively in hindsight, how the women left behind assess their lives as they were then.
The cover is beautiful, and I have DeJa’Vu of myself listening to this on a 40-degree Celsius day watering my dying and crispy grass (sadly as far as one can be from Greece as possible), in my own bikini, listening to a story that cannot but make the reader think of their own adolescent days, and what their memories of these angst-ridden days were like for themselves.
Evangeline and Joni were best friends for years when Bess joined causing a threesome. Always feeling an outsider, I felt the most pull from Bess, as in the strength of her story. Joni was too opportunistic and much less likable. Evangeline is wealthy and has paid for her two friends to join them in Greece to stay in the family crumbling estate to share their last summer before college.
The holiday is long, personalities are different, and tempers fray. Evangeline is the most sensitive, controlling. Joni loud, outspoken. Bossy; violent. Bess is more bendy, will fit where she needs to. Evangeline dies on this holiday and crux of this story is the two remaining girls moving on with their lives in very different ways.
I wanted to urge Bess to be more forthright and for bending so much, and ring Joni’s neck for being vindictive. I enjoyed this thoughtful story of girls not quite women venturing into murky waters where lives will irrevocably be changed, and how ties from the past will forever effect those left behind, and the power such events hold over individuals for entire lifetimes.
Sensitive and effecting, I am very glad to have listened to this quality book and will seek out more from this author.
I listened to this via the Libby app and my public library.
August 2, 2023
Take this off of your thriller shelf and put it on the “books about toxic relationships” shelf.
April 18, 2023
3.75 rounded up
Before We Were Innocent
⭐️⭐️⭐️(3.75/5, mystery/coming of age)
A quick and twisty read mystery that delves into the nuances of female friendships in late adolescence.
10 years ago, best friends Bess, Joni, and Evangeline capped off their high school senior year with a sun-soaked summer in Greece at Evangeline’s family’s historic estate. Excited about the future ahead of them, they’ve decided to treat this summer as the last hurrah, but pretty quickly it’s apparent that this summer is going to be drastically different than the girls expected. As the trip comes to an end, Evangeline dies in a sudden and bizarre accident. Bess and Joni have been cleared of any involvement, but that doesn’t stop the devastating loss from defining them for the next 10 years. While Joni used that summer to propel her career forward, Bess becomes a recluse and hasn’t spoken to Joni in years; that is, until Joni is tangled up in a crime eerily similar to that one fateful night in Greece. And when she asks Bess to come back to LA to support her, Bess has a decision to make…
This story is alternates between two timelines: the summer the girls spent in Greece and 10 years later. While the story was well-told and engrossing, I couldn’t shake the feeling that I had read this book before! This story is less thriller/creepy and more coming of age/character-driven.
Overall, if the premise sounds intriguing to you, I’d recommend it for a quick read. I didn’t find myself obsessed with the story or surprised by any of the twists and turns, but that just may be because I’ve read too many similar stories!
This one is best paired with a Greek’s native aperitif, Ouzo (@themediterreneandish has a fabulous recipe for an Ouzo Drink With Lemon And Mint). Cheers!!
Before We Were Innocent
⭐️⭐️⭐️(3.75/5, mystery/coming of age)
A quick and twisty read mystery that delves into the nuances of female friendships in late adolescence.
10 years ago, best friends Bess, Joni, and Evangeline capped off their high school senior year with a sun-soaked summer in Greece at Evangeline’s family’s historic estate. Excited about the future ahead of them, they’ve decided to treat this summer as the last hurrah, but pretty quickly it’s apparent that this summer is going to be drastically different than the girls expected. As the trip comes to an end, Evangeline dies in a sudden and bizarre accident. Bess and Joni have been cleared of any involvement, but that doesn’t stop the devastating loss from defining them for the next 10 years. While Joni used that summer to propel her career forward, Bess becomes a recluse and hasn’t spoken to Joni in years; that is, until Joni is tangled up in a crime eerily similar to that one fateful night in Greece. And when she asks Bess to come back to LA to support her, Bess has a decision to make…
This story is alternates between two timelines: the summer the girls spent in Greece and 10 years later. While the story was well-told and engrossing, I couldn’t shake the feeling that I had read this book before! This story is less thriller/creepy and more coming of age/character-driven.
Overall, if the premise sounds intriguing to you, I’d recommend it for a quick read. I didn’t find myself obsessed with the story or surprised by any of the twists and turns, but that just may be because I’ve read too many similar stories!
This one is best paired with a Greek’s native aperitif, Ouzo (@themediterreneandish has a fabulous recipe for an Ouzo Drink With Lemon And Mint). Cheers!!
September 13, 2023
I was captivated by The Comeback, so I could not wait for Before We Were Innocent. I was disappointed to see it's falling rating, but still wanted to read it enough that I bought it.
Eh, it's well deserving of it's 3.4 rating. I did not feel engaged with the characters or the story. It was really slow and started to feel like a chore to read. I still cared enough about what happened to finish it, but overall it was just OK.
Eh, it's well deserving of it's 3.4 rating. I did not feel engaged with the characters or the story. It was really slow and started to feel like a chore to read. I still cared enough about what happened to finish it, but overall it was just OK.
April 11, 2023
This was too much of a slow burn for me. It dragged on. The characters weren’t all that interesting too. Some of the drama just made me roll my eyes. I kept going hoping it would get better. In the end, I was disappointed.
September 20, 2023
Ok snooze
July 14, 2024
(3.5) When her family move from England to California, Bess transfers into an upper-middle-class private school where she becomes the third wheel to a couple of established best friends, Joni and Evangeline. While Joni is a garden-variety teenage rebel, Evangeline stands out for being both particularly wealthy and unusually guileless. When they’re all 18, a summer in Greece ends in Evangeline’s death; there’s a media witch-hunt against the other two girls, although they are ultimately cleared of any wrongdoing. Ten years later, Bess is a virtual recluse, while Joni has built a career as a self-help influencer. They have little contact until, one night, Joni turns up on Bess’s doorstep. Her girlfriend is missing – and she wants Bess to lie for her...
I liked Before We Were Innocent, though it doesn’t reinvent the wheel with its tale of a haunted narrator forced to revisit That Fateful Summer. The story unfolds partially through flashbacks as we slowly learn exactly what happened in 2008. This is always a tricky device to manage, as it requires the characters to hold back their own memories in a way people rarely do in reality, but it works fairly well here, partly because we know about Evangeline’s death right from the start. The details ring true – the risqué messages and posed photos seized upon by the media, used to portray the girls as as sex-crazed and sinister. Also, I liked Bess’s constant reassessment of her own and others’ personalities, which gives us more of a window into who she is than anything else.
Overall, it’s a solid summer read, a bit longer than it really should be; you just don’t need 400 pages to tell a story like this. It’s the kind of book that’s a lot more fun to read than a review will make it sound, because certain elements fall apart when you start analysing them. It inevitably reminded me of Cartwheel by Jennifer duBois, which has a lot of the same themes (and clearly similar inspirations) but is a stronger, more literary treatment of the idea.
I liked Before We Were Innocent, though it doesn’t reinvent the wheel with its tale of a haunted narrator forced to revisit That Fateful Summer. The story unfolds partially through flashbacks as we slowly learn exactly what happened in 2008. This is always a tricky device to manage, as it requires the characters to hold back their own memories in a way people rarely do in reality, but it works fairly well here, partly because we know about Evangeline’s death right from the start. The details ring true – the risqué messages and posed photos seized upon by the media, used to portray the girls as as sex-crazed and sinister. Also, I liked Bess’s constant reassessment of her own and others’ personalities, which gives us more of a window into who she is than anything else.
Overall, it’s a solid summer read, a bit longer than it really should be; you just don’t need 400 pages to tell a story like this. It’s the kind of book that’s a lot more fun to read than a review will make it sound, because certain elements fall apart when you start analysing them. It inevitably reminded me of Cartwheel by Jennifer duBois, which has a lot of the same themes (and clearly similar inspirations) but is a stronger, more literary treatment of the idea.
July 6, 2023
[3.5 Stars]
3 best friends head to Greece for a summer of a lifetime, only two return home.
Dual timelines - one in the past (2008) and the 10 week sprint in the Grecian islands and the other 10 years later (2018), struggling to reconcile the events from the past while history seems to be repeating itself. Who can you trust when you can't even trust yourself?
Ev, Joni and Bess are the three best friends. They are 16 and just on the cusp of starting their lives, together or apart as only high school BFFs can. One of them doesn't come back and the other two are held responsible and all that comes from the wrath of the media. I figured the timelines would converge at the end, but they didn't. One resolved earlier than I assumed, making the last quarter of the book read a little bloated and long. I was immediately caught up in this story and how it would resolve. I was invested in the characters even though they weren't likable. The end just took forever to arrive and while I did find myself surprised with the ending, there were too many loose ends that I found unnecessary to the overarching story.
I found myself intrigued by the media's fascination and stalker nature once someone's name gets dragged through the media with something bad. This whole book reminded me of Amanda Knox and her story. The modern day part time cyber sleuths and what a crime really does not only to those involved, but also their families. I felt like the author spent some time talking the reader through the Grecian legal system, but then skipped over the prison system. Personally, I would've liked more weight and time spent throughout the story, not just certain parts. There were a few points that the leaps were hard to make and I'm not sure I would have grasped everything this author was trying to do without telling me. Overall, a solid story that made me reminisce about my high school days and thankful that social media wasn't around back then. I will definitely pick up more books by this author.
3 best friends head to Greece for a summer of a lifetime, only two return home.
Dual timelines - one in the past (2008) and the 10 week sprint in the Grecian islands and the other 10 years later (2018), struggling to reconcile the events from the past while history seems to be repeating itself. Who can you trust when you can't even trust yourself?
Ev, Joni and Bess are the three best friends. They are 16 and just on the cusp of starting their lives, together or apart as only high school BFFs can. One of them doesn't come back and the other two are held responsible and all that comes from the wrath of the media. I figured the timelines would converge at the end, but they didn't. One resolved earlier than I assumed, making the last quarter of the book read a little bloated and long. I was immediately caught up in this story and how it would resolve. I was invested in the characters even though they weren't likable. The end just took forever to arrive and while I did find myself surprised with the ending, there were too many loose ends that I found unnecessary to the overarching story.
I found myself intrigued by the media's fascination and stalker nature once someone's name gets dragged through the media with something bad. This whole book reminded me of Amanda Knox and her story. The modern day part time cyber sleuths and what a crime really does not only to those involved, but also their families. I felt like the author spent some time talking the reader through the Grecian legal system, but then skipped over the prison system. Personally, I would've liked more weight and time spent throughout the story, not just certain parts. There were a few points that the leaps were hard to make and I'm not sure I would have grasped everything this author was trying to do without telling me. Overall, a solid story that made me reminisce about my high school days and thankful that social media wasn't around back then. I will definitely pick up more books by this author.
June 27, 2023
OMG what our teenage children get up to that often we are unaware of till consequences sideline their lives and ours. Once more after reading this book I thanked my lucky stars that my own son made it through his teenage years unscathed. The two girls in this story are not so fortunate.
This is a coming of age story told through two timelines, the present day of 2018 and ten years previous when the event happened that changed the lives of three 18 year old girls from a rich enclave in Southern California. The reader is kept in a little bit of suspense about exactly what happened in the early pages of the story, so I won't go into it. Enough to say it is a life changing event for one and all. Most of the story is taken up with the repercussions and how different personalities grow and change as a result.
I found it more of a mystery story than a thriller and the unanswered questions caused this reader to speculate long on what really happened and who is the true villain. The story is told from the viewpoint of one young girl and her relaying of the facts and her memory of them is shaded by her own involvement and judgements.
I found the story, while a little over long and repetitive at times, still a good one that I had a hard time turning off. The audio narration by Jennifer Jill Araya was very good. Her voice was well suited for the young girls though I did find that I could not always tell from voice inflections exactly which young girl was speaking. The pace of the story, the setting in Greece and the events made this a most believable tale.
Highly recommend for an engaging story, realistic representation of the minds and voices of teenage girls and a most believable, interesting plot. I'm most interested in reading more Berman soon.
P.S. I grew up in a similar place in Southern California though at a much earlier time, yet the events in this story could have easily happened even then so I found it totally relatable and may have influenced my 4 star rating.
This is a coming of age story told through two timelines, the present day of 2018 and ten years previous when the event happened that changed the lives of three 18 year old girls from a rich enclave in Southern California. The reader is kept in a little bit of suspense about exactly what happened in the early pages of the story, so I won't go into it. Enough to say it is a life changing event for one and all. Most of the story is taken up with the repercussions and how different personalities grow and change as a result.
I found it more of a mystery story than a thriller and the unanswered questions caused this reader to speculate long on what really happened and who is the true villain. The story is told from the viewpoint of one young girl and her relaying of the facts and her memory of them is shaded by her own involvement and judgements.
I found the story, while a little over long and repetitive at times, still a good one that I had a hard time turning off. The audio narration by Jennifer Jill Araya was very good. Her voice was well suited for the young girls though I did find that I could not always tell from voice inflections exactly which young girl was speaking. The pace of the story, the setting in Greece and the events made this a most believable tale.
Highly recommend for an engaging story, realistic representation of the minds and voices of teenage girls and a most believable, interesting plot. I'm most interested in reading more Berman soon.
P.S. I grew up in a similar place in Southern California though at a much earlier time, yet the events in this story could have easily happened even then so I found it totally relatable and may have influenced my 4 star rating.
September 24, 2022
Friendship is a weird thing, it can be passionate, full of life and make you feel like you are on top of the world or it can be destructive, shattering and break you in half.
Let me introduce you to Joni, Bess and Ev. These three best friends could not be more different but have found refuge in one another’s embrace. They are 19 and tremble on a fine line of youth and the first steps into adulthood. After graduating they embark on a trip of a lifetime to Greece for one last summer together without responsibilities. Unfortunately, one fateful night will change two of their lives forever, and end anothers.
I’m extremely emotional after concluding Before We Were Innocent. The nostalgia that plagued me while reading had me reflecting on both old and new friendships.
How far would you go to protect your love ones yet selfishly doing it for your own reasons as well?
Take a dive into Before We Were Innocent
Teaser :
Ten years ago, after a sun-soaked summer spent in Greece, best friends Bess and Joni were cleared of having any involvement in their friend Evangeline’s death. But that didn’t stop the media from ripping apart their teenage lives like vultures.
While the girls were never convicted, Joni, ever the opportunist, capitalized on her newfound infamy to become a motivational speaker. Bess, on the other hand, resolved to make her life as small and controlled as possible so she wouldn’t risk losing everything all over again. And it almost worked. . . .
Except now Joni is tangled up in a crime eerily similar to that one fateful night in Greece. And when she asks Bess to come back to LA to support her, Bess has a decision to make.
Is it finally time to face up to what happened that night, exposing herself as the young woman she once was and maybe still is? And what happens if she doesn’t like what she finds?
Let me introduce you to Joni, Bess and Ev. These three best friends could not be more different but have found refuge in one another’s embrace. They are 19 and tremble on a fine line of youth and the first steps into adulthood. After graduating they embark on a trip of a lifetime to Greece for one last summer together without responsibilities. Unfortunately, one fateful night will change two of their lives forever, and end anothers.
I’m extremely emotional after concluding Before We Were Innocent. The nostalgia that plagued me while reading had me reflecting on both old and new friendships.
How far would you go to protect your love ones yet selfishly doing it for your own reasons as well?
Take a dive into Before We Were Innocent
Teaser :
Ten years ago, after a sun-soaked summer spent in Greece, best friends Bess and Joni were cleared of having any involvement in their friend Evangeline’s death. But that didn’t stop the media from ripping apart their teenage lives like vultures.
While the girls were never convicted, Joni, ever the opportunist, capitalized on her newfound infamy to become a motivational speaker. Bess, on the other hand, resolved to make her life as small and controlled as possible so she wouldn’t risk losing everything all over again. And it almost worked. . . .
Except now Joni is tangled up in a crime eerily similar to that one fateful night in Greece. And when she asks Bess to come back to LA to support her, Bess has a decision to make.
Is it finally time to face up to what happened that night, exposing herself as the young woman she once was and maybe still is? And what happens if she doesn’t like what she finds?
December 27, 2023
I'm in between a 3 and 4 star rating. I liked this book, I liked most of the characters, I liked the story. I'm a little confused about the ending...
March 13, 2023
"It's the story of three perfectly imperfect women who hurt each other in all the most obvious ways, but who loved each other enough for a lifetime"
What an incredibly-written and crafted book. I wasn't expecting to be so gripped, so obsessed and so moved by this one. It's truly been a long time since I was unable to put down a book like I was Before We Were Innocent.
This follows Bess, Joni and Evangeline from Bess's POV, three women who were once privileged teenage girls and best friends from Calabasas. They spent the summer they finished school together in Evangeline's old house on a Greek island, but the summer they were so excited for turns sour when only two of the three return home amidst a media storm painting them as evil, ruthless and utterly immoral young girls. Now, 10 years later, Bess and Joni find themselves coming together again under similar circumstances.
This is one of the best books I have ever read in capturing a toxic, intense and all-consuming female friendship between Bess and Joni, whilst also perfectly capturing the messiness, cruelty and fire in coming-of-age female friendships between the three young girls.
"It was about the power the three of us had over each other as best friends, as chosen sisters - the power to hurt each other, maybe even to destroy"
This story unravelled in a compulsive plot that I could not stop myself from reading. There were subtle shifts and changes and twists that were unearthed throughout that worked to have us both villianising and symphathising with our main characters constantly. I was absolutely enthralled and it only got better and better the more into it I went. I felt truly moved and emotional by the end of this book, like I'd been on a real journey with these characters.
I could not recommend this read more. It’s the type of book I immediately wish I could reread for the first time again.
"Ev was so much more than an angel. She was a teenage girl."
What an incredibly-written and crafted book. I wasn't expecting to be so gripped, so obsessed and so moved by this one. It's truly been a long time since I was unable to put down a book like I was Before We Were Innocent.
This follows Bess, Joni and Evangeline from Bess's POV, three women who were once privileged teenage girls and best friends from Calabasas. They spent the summer they finished school together in Evangeline's old house on a Greek island, but the summer they were so excited for turns sour when only two of the three return home amidst a media storm painting them as evil, ruthless and utterly immoral young girls. Now, 10 years later, Bess and Joni find themselves coming together again under similar circumstances.
This is one of the best books I have ever read in capturing a toxic, intense and all-consuming female friendship between Bess and Joni, whilst also perfectly capturing the messiness, cruelty and fire in coming-of-age female friendships between the three young girls.
"It was about the power the three of us had over each other as best friends, as chosen sisters - the power to hurt each other, maybe even to destroy"
This story unravelled in a compulsive plot that I could not stop myself from reading. There were subtle shifts and changes and twists that were unearthed throughout that worked to have us both villianising and symphathising with our main characters constantly. I was absolutely enthralled and it only got better and better the more into it I went. I felt truly moved and emotional by the end of this book, like I'd been on a real journey with these characters.
I could not recommend this read more. It’s the type of book I immediately wish I could reread for the first time again.
"Ev was so much more than an angel. She was a teenage girl."
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