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Between Before and After

by Maureen Doyle McQuerry

Blink


Historical Fiction , Teens & YA

Pub Date 05 Feb 2019







I am reviewing a copy of Between Before and After through Blink and Netgalley:



Molly is a fourteen year old in the mid 1950’s who worries about school and friends and her parents failed marriage. She is mostly worried about her Mothers depression and the carefully guarded secret Molly knows she is keeping. Her mother is a writer with an obsession for others people’s story, but when it comes to her own she is a poster child for surpressed emotions.



Molly spends her California Summers watching out for her younger brother Angus and tiptoeing around her Mother’s fragile and raw emotions. Molly needs her Mother’s in ways she never has before but Elaine shuts herself off from her family burying herself in the lives of the strangers she writes about. After her Uncle Stephen is pressed into limelight because of a miracle cure for a young man, Elaine is no longer able to hide behind other people’s stories. As Molly digs into her Mother’s past she finds a secret that reveals a family mystery dating back to 1918 New York.



This book is told in dual narratives, in two different times and places, but the narratives blend perfectly together making for a powerful read, one that holds on but doesn’t let go.



I give Between Before and After five out of five stars!





Happy Reading!

Between Before and After by Maureen Doyle McQuerry, while written for youth, is equally enjoyable by adult readers.

Fourteen year old Molly is a typical teenager concerned with many things, school, friends, and boys, but her biggest concern is her mother. Her mother, Eileen, is a writer and seemingly buried in writing but yet Molly knows she is drifting ever further away, at a time Molly needs her most. After her mother chops down the rose garden in their backyard, leaving it in complete shambles, Molly is determined to find out what secrets her mother carries. Finding the lock of hair hidden in her mother’s drawer, Molly becomes even more determined. Not only that she is certain that her Uncle Stephen knows much more than he lets on.

Between Before and After flips back and forth between the earlier 1900’s and the “current” 1955, Molly’s time. As Molly continues her search, the story of her mother’s life is told in heart-rending clarity. A story Molly searches for but will never fully comprehend and remains hidden from her, and readers, until almost the very end of the novel. Only one other person understands and knows what happened in Eileen’s life and Uncle Stephen isn’t telling.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley and JustRead Publicity Tours, and am not required to write a positive review. All thoughts and opinions therein are solely my own.

Many thanks to NetGalley and JustReads Tours for sending me an advanced reader's copy of Between Before and After in exchange for an honest review.

The novel was not what I expected. To be honest, I'm not sure what I expected before reading it. The synopsis left more questions of intrigue more than anything and then there's the cover. Can we talk about how gorgeous this cover is?! I mean anything involving keys, I'm immediately interested in.

Between Before and After follows the perspectives of 14 year old Molly (the after) and her mother (the before). It alternates between the two POVs, which is really fascinating because with each switch the story gets closer to the big family secret. This made the novel unique because I had never read a book with converging perspectives like that. During Molly's perspective, her uncle performs a miracle on a terminally ill kid and her family is left to deal with the consequences: people gathering outside their house, losing friendships, etc. I struggled to find the connection between this and Molly's mother's story. At times, it felt like I was reading two different stories and I didn't know where the final resolution was going to end up.. I thought the big family secret was kind of a let down. I won't spoil it, but I thought it would be darker. I got so pumped up and when I got to it I was like "that's it???".

Overall, Between Before and After was a different and unique read. I liked the whole historical fiction mixed with contemporary and mystery concept. Definitely refreshing after reading several books of the same genre in a row.

- A stunning YA novel about the bonds of family and the power of hope. -

From the first sentence, this book captured my attention and drew me in, tugging my heart-strings and daring me to put it down.

With gorgeous imagery, authentic historical detail, and overall amazing storytelling, Stephanie Morrill took me on a journey that I won’t soon forget!

The split-time aspect was amazing—I enjoyed seeing the stories of Molly and Elaine side by side and watching as they paralleled each other. I also thought the Hansel and Gretel retelling side of this book was very intriguing!

This book dealt with some really difficult topics, and my heart ached for the characters, especially for Elaine. But I also really connected with Molly—her love of writing and curiosity coupled with her sense of responsibility made for an incredibly endearing character, but it was the struggles both girls faced that shaped this story into the amazing book that it is! 😉

Abandonment, betrayal, loss, and secrets are woven throughout, but it is the hope found in the midst of all that, and the overcoming love of family that truly brought this story together. And the ending was great, if surprising!!

****Highly Recommended!!****

Note: There is a very small amount of more mature content in this book, but nothing graphic, so I would probably recommend it for 14+

I’m not sure why this book didn’t immediately take to me. The foundation of the story, the setting, characters and plot was good but I only found myself deeply in the book about midway where it came alive for me.

Between Before and After, the reader is told it’s story through dual time perspectives which I really appreciated. One perspective told through teenage Molly at the present and the past told through her mother Elaine. I feel through Elaine’s perspective, we are learning about the past. Some moments I wish could’ve been explored more because it felt like something was left out or we rushed right buy. Molly’s perspective helped us understand who Elaine was and why she feels the way she does through the past. Getting to know their lives this way gave us a backstory and a overall perspective on who they were.

In hopes to learn more about Elaine, Molly decided to look into her past. When she discovered something hidden, she decided to put up ad to get any information. Not knowing what it would uncover, when an accident occurred, the past collided with the present leaving opening secrets that had consequences that would change their lives forever.

I thought it was a beautifully written story with several memorable moments. There were moments that I wish we could’ve learned more to experience more of their journey. I thought it was a wonderful addition to the book embedding snippets from Hansel & Gretel in there. Despite a couple of my thoughts, I will recommend this book for you to consider.

I love books with dual narrations. However, the downfall of this book wasn't the style or format, but rather that it was quite long-winded and dull. Not much was happening most of the time, and after a while, it was simply too boring to care about either of the narratives.

Unfortunately, this was a DNF for me. I just couldn't get into the story. I didn't like the dual timeline and I never connected with either girl in either timeline.

" The carnage began with the roses.
She hacked at their ruffled blooms
until they dropped into monstrous drifts
of red on the parched yellow lawn"

As far as the story, and writing, go, I have very little to complain about. Several times I found myself losing track of time and space as I was absorbed into the story. More than once I was forced to stop and really think about the events that happened, each one taking a toll on me emotionally as if I was Molly or Elaine, living through it. This is the sign of a brilliant writer. On top of the beautiful prose, each chapter was a significant cliffhanger that kept me turning pages to find out what happened.

"Only two things kept my mother grounded to us:
my uncle Stephen and stories ."

The novel is told in a dual timeline and POV style. Molly's chapters are first person, while Elaine's are third. I really thought I would be distracted from the dual POV - especially with it changing between first person and third person, but I found that it worked well within the story. I have read novels previously that this style led to a jumbled mess of confusion. Between Before & After did not. It was fluid, beautiful, dark, and charming all at once.
Elaine's chapters were, for me, more captivating than Molly's chapters. Maybe it's my preference in setting and style or that Elaine's story was where the mystery lies -either way, it caused me to consume Elaine's chapters more vapidly each time. Molly's chapters just seemed dry at times for me.
The "miracle" also didn't really appeal to me - I've read that story line far too often - so that seemed to detract from Molly's search for answers about her mom for a bit of the story. Others who enjoy that type of story line would probably thoroughly enjoy that particular story line. Despite his story line though, I found that Uncle Stephen was one of my favorite characters in the book.

On the way out, Elaine pointed to the statue of Saint Stephen.
A long robe fell to his ankles and in one palm he held a pile of rocks. He looked too young to be a saint.


My favorite part of the entire work was the characters. The characters were believable and, honestly, extremely accurate. Molly, Elaine and Stephen were so real that I felt like I was sitting next to them at times. The flaws of normal human beings - instead of a heroine that is constantly perfect - really anchored the story and kept them well rounded. Elaine's descent into her depression was an accurate and painful thing to watch. Elaine's chapters really gave her a depth that we otherwise wouldn't have had. I really feel like this rounded her character and made her relatable. The secondary characters were just as palpable as the MCs were. I truly felt like I knew them, their ideals, and their thoughts - when explored through Elaine's chapters. The depth of these characters is again, a testament to the author's abilities.

"That's who Mama named you after."
No sense in telling Stephen
his namesake had been stoned to death.

Stephen considered the statue.
"Lainey, I'd rather he wasn't wearing a dress."

The novel covered some pretty intense topics, things that I didn't expect popped up several times - sending the story in different directions.
I was enthralled by the perseverance of the characters, and the process that McQuerry used to allow the conflicts to come to a close organically. Many times resolutions feel forced and not completely rounded. This was not the case for the ending of this story. There were of course small plot holes and things that didn't line up quite right, but overall - I found the ending to be a fitting ending for the story and the characters.

Over all, I gave this novel 4/5 stars.

3.5 stars
The dual timeline of Elaine as a child during the 1918 influenza epidemic and later in 1955 as a mother of two was well developed with an interesting concept. Molly's desire to learn her mother's secret touched on the heart of all young adolescents and their need to understand the world around them. Seeing the story unfold through the eyes of fourteen-year-old Elaine and fourteen-year-old Molly made the storyline easy to follow, and I honestly had the ending figured out by the halfway mark. It was still worth finishing, however. The biggest problem I had was with Steven performing a miracle of God one minute and drinking beer the next as that goes in complete contrast with my own religious beliefs. I did enjoy seeing New York through Elaine's perspective even though the view was clouded by heartache and the desperate need to protect her brother. Overall, a good book with an interesting plot, well-described settings, relatable characters, and a good look into the history of the Spanish influenza.

A past/present mash up story between a mother and daughter that shows the similarities through the differences in age and time.
Molly is fourteen years old and has the weight of the world on her shoulders. Her parent’s marriage is falling apart, and her mother is falling into a deep depression. She knows her mother has been keeping a big secret, which is part of her problems. Molly helps look after her brother Angus and when her Uncle Stephen shows up claiming to have been involved in a miracle curing a young boy, things get even more interesting. Elaine, Molly’s mother, realizes she can no longer hide behind her stories she has loved and must face the truth of what he life has become. Going between 1918 New York and 1955 California, Between Before and After shows how a family can overcome adversity and find new life even in the most trying of times.
Between Before and After is a very interesting tale told in a unique way. The past/present mash up is becoming a very popular method of story delivery, but it is not usually told from more than two or three viewpoints. So, having multiple viewpoints can be a gamble, but it played out well in this scenario. In 1955 with Molly’s view-point, readers see very little of Elaine and what is going on in her head and how she is really involved with her family. She is much more removed than a normal mother figure would be. Reverting to 1918, readers get a glimpse into Elaine’s history, which makes everything in her present make much more sense. Molly and Elaine are the main characters, but the secondary characters are important and add greatly to the story. I especially liked Stephen and Mr. Seward. The last few chapters that were set in 1955 and the characters that were thrown together really brought everything full circle. I enjoyed the way that all played out; it made perfect sense and tied up the loose ends. At the end of some of the chapters, there were little snippets from Hansel and Gretel. I understand how this tied into the story, but some readers may feel this takes away from the flow of the story and skip over these parts. I think shorter segments might have played out better and not have been as much of a distraction. Overall, I would recommend this book to young readers that enjoy historical novels with a great tie in between the timelines and viewpoints.
I received a complimentary copy of this title from the publisher. The views and opinions expressed within are my own.

A thoroughly engaging book about family told through to time periods—1918 for Elaine and 1955 for her daughter Molly—Between Before and After is unique and refreshing. Love of their brothers and interested in writing are commonalities between Molly and her mother, yet there’s also an air of depression around Elaine. One Molly is convinced comes from something from Elaine’s past.

In an effort to figure out what is happening with her mother, Molly embarks on a fact-finding mission to try and figure out the disconnect between them.

Maureen Doyle McQuerry gives readers an intricately layered story of two young women in very different times who are related but distant. Elaine’s storyline is more emotional as she lives through heavy moments of loss and grief. Yet, Molly’s journey of discovery enhances both.
The end is more abrupt and could have been fleshed out a bit more, but the journey is definitely worth taking. For those looking for YA reads that don’t center on romance, Between Before and After is an excellent choice.

Disclosure statement:
I receive complimentary books from publishers, publicists, and/or authors, including NetGalley. I am not required to write positive reviews. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.

Disclaimer: I received this book from JustReadsTour! Thanks! All opinions are my own.

Rating: 4/5

Publication Date: February 5, 2019

Genre: YA Contemporary

Recommended Age: 13+ (pain, past, secrets, loss and love)

Publisher: Blink

Pages: 304

Amazon Link

Synopsis: “The carnage began with the roses. She hacked at their ruffled blooms until they dropped into monstrous drifts of red on the parched yellow lawn … Only two things kept my mother grounded to us: my uncle Stephen and stories.”

Fourteen-year-old Molly worries about school, friends, and her parents’ failed marriage, but mostly about her mother’s growing depression. Molly knows her mother is nursing a carefully-kept secret. A writer with an obsession for other people’s life stories, Elaine Donnelly is the poster child of repressed emotions.

Molly spends her California summer alternately watching out for her little brother Angus and tip-toeing around her mother’s raw feelings. Molly needs her mother more than ever, but Elaine shuts herself off from real human connections and buries herself in the lives and deaths of the strangers she writes about. When Uncle Stephen is pressed into the limelight because of his miracle cure of a young man, Elaine can no longer hide behind other people’s stories. And as Molly digs into her mother’s past, she finds a secret hidden in her mother’s dresser that may be the key to unlocking a family mystery dating to 1918 New York—a secret that could destroy or save their future.

Review: I thought this book was so captivating and fantastical! I loved how wonderfully vivid and real the writing was! The characters were all well written and the plot and world building were done well as well. The book was structured amazingly well and it left me constantly wanting for more!

However, the ending was not as fantastical. It felt really rushed and ex machina. I think it needs to be built up a bit more but overall it’s pretty well!

Verdict: A amazing book!

A girl is forced to be the caretaker of her younger brother because of family circumstances. We see her life as a girl in 1919 and a mother of two in 1955. I liked both stories in both times. I liked how they interspersed the Hansel and Gretel story into this one.

The back and forth with characters did not suite my taste. This story was okay, but it didn't grip my attention that much which made it a slow read for me. Overall, I was glad it was over by the time it finished just because I had been reading it so long.

Granted, the writing itself is good. The characters are interesting and a few of them make some unexpected things happen; but this story just was not in my taste like I thought it would be.

Initially, I was very into this book. I loved the back and forth perspectives, the way information revealed in Elaine's story influenced the events in Molly's story. I was certainly intrigued by the promise of a big secret in New York that would provide final context for the California story. And that's why the moment when Molly learns the truth about the boarding school was a bit of a disappointment. It took the impact out of the big reveal.
The miracle aspect was unique. I liked that the focus was less on whether miracles are real and more on how destructive the claim of a miracle can actually be. Here are these lives that are totally disrupted and family secrets that are nearly revealed to the world based on intense public scrutiny. And the pressure of being a "miracle child" leads the boy to take an insane risk. A mixed bag of expected plot points and interesting explorations.

I loved, loved, loved Ms. McQuerry's writing style. The split-time was handled in an incredible manner, with the end of each chapter being left in a cliffhanger. It made the novel difficult to put down. Many times throughout the story, an excerpt from Hansel and Gretel is used, adding character to the story as a whole.
Despite everything that I loved, the content was mature enough that I cannot recommend this book to teens. There was a description of how abortion is performed and prematernal sex resulting in a child. There were also numerous comments scattered throughout the novel that were not appropriate.
Personal Rating: 2 Stars
Content Rating: 1 Star
*I received a copy of this book through NetGalley in exchange for a review. A positive review was not required.

I couldn't seem to really grasp an interest in it after the prologue and first chapter. I feel the story was too boring and plain, nothing is really special about it. Sorry for the bad review, but I feel like I've read better

I really wanted to love this book. I found Elaine’s sections engaging, beautifully written, and heartbreaking. Molly’s entire storyline felt forced. She was a side character in her own POV and the miracle storyline did nothing for me. She had no relationships with anyone on the page and I think that really hurt the story, especially since the beginning started out so strong with her desire to know her mother. That all fizzled out, along with her only friendship. It was a slog to get through.

I wish the whole book had been about Elaine. Those sections were so well written and often unexpected. Her whole storyline drove the book.

This story is told in dual POVs/time periods, though both are historical, and I really enjoyed that. Excerpts from Hansel and Gretel are added throughout the story to help give a bit of insight into parts of the story. At times, the pacing was a bit slower than I would’ve liked, but it did balance out by the end. Drama and intrigue combine to make this a story that is easy to engage with, and the characters are realistic and relatable. While I felt a bit more could’ve been done with the ending, I enjoyed the book overall.

Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy, but I wasn’t required to leave a positive review.

BEFORE: Summer of 1919, 6 months after her mother and little sister's death, Elaine got a job to help support her family. Elaine and Stephen's drunk father was jobless as often as he was working. Every morning she went to read the newspaper to a blind older gentleman. The Gossley family was wealthy, giving the children opportunities for funds, food, and education they otherwise wouldn't have had.

AFTER: Molly's parents are separated. Her dad left because her mom (Elaine) wouldn't let the 'past stay buried'. Uncle Stephen came to stay with them while being investigated by the Catholic church for being a miracle worker. The investigation brought media and miracle hopeful people to their doorstep and Elaine's bitterness against God out in the open. Molly decided to do a biography and find out what happened to her mom.

There was a lot of drama; alcoholic father, death of a mother, parents separated, children neglected, depression, teenager wanting to fit in, hormones - but the stories were told in such a way that really captures the lives of the characters. So many cleverly written foreshadowing in the book. The story of Hansel and Gretel was told in segments between chapters to give insight in the lives of the characters. Its hard to tell in the moment what decisions will have a lasting impact on your life. Between Before and After reminds me a little of Then She Was Gone in that way, all the moments/choices.

The pacing felt a little slow. I know the author said to leave room for miracles in stories but there was so much drama, it didn't feel like the story would get better. (it eventually kind of does?).

I was given an Advance Reader Copy by the publisher in exchange for a review, all opinions are my own.