I loved The Comeback and couldn't wait to read Ella Berman's second novel and I wasn't disappointed. Every sentence is beautifully crafted and Before We Were Innocent was a pleasure to read. The story is about three girls, Joni, Bess and Evangeline who travel to Evangeline's family home on a Greek Island one summer when they are 18. What happens over the course of the summer leads to Joni and Bess becoming notorious in the media after Evangeline dies in shadowy circumstances.

A wonderful and poignant look at female friendship.

I recently had the pleasure of diving into a captivating story with multiple timelines and a rich cast of characters. The intricate narrative brilliantly weaves together different perspectives, leaving me both intrigued and emotionally invested. The mystery surrounding what occurred, the reasons behind it, and the intricate web of relationships had me engrossed from start to finish. As the story unfolded, I found myself constantly torn between different viewpoints, unsure of whom to trust. This immersive experience provided me with a rollercoaster of emotions, keeping me engaged until the very last page. If you're a fan of intricate storytelling that leaves you questioning every twist and turn, this is an absolute must-read.

The plot and characters of this book were really intriguing and well thought out. However, the length of both the book itself and the lack of variety in sentence length made the read seem very cumbersome and long. The long sentences in particular distracted from the great and very interesting content of the novel.

Really liked the premise for this one, sounded like it would be really twisty and intriguing. Although it definitely had elements of this, it did fall a little flat for me.

The pacing was a little up and down, with some sections where it felt like it lagged a little bit.

The relationship dynamics were really well done. That gritty, toxic and all consuming female friendships - especially in your teens. Those aspects kept me really interesting and I was interested to see how everything played out.

It was done over dual timelines and I think the past timeline was my favourite to read. It was gripping and really had me invested. The present day, however, I just felt like I was waiting for something to happen that never did.

Generally the messages about friendship, grief and relationships were really well done. I think those aspects were my favourite parts of the book.

I felt it started strong, lagged in the middle, then ended well. So I did definitely enjoy it, it just didn’t hook or shock me as much as I thought it would.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for sending an e-arc for review!

I really enjoyed this one - more than I thought I would. It’s a very typical storyline of someone’s past coming back to haunt them type of book but the structure and writing style was compelling and really drew me in.

I loved that the story was told through alternating timelines as it allowed an extremely in depth exploration of their friendship as teens and built a strong foundation to help the reader understand the implications their past had on the present day.

The depiction of the toxic trio friendship really resonated with me. I especially enjoyed how Berman didn’t shy away from a more authentic portrayal of the intensity of young female friendships, acknowledging how they can be simultaneously the best people in your life and the people who can and *will* hurt you the most. It was refreshing to see the darker side of a coming-of-age novel where the girls aren’t portrayed as innocent, flawless individuals.

My only real critique is that the ending felt a little deflated to me as I was expecting a bigger twist, but other than that it was a great read for the summer and would recommend!

A very enjoyable read. I thought that it was well-paced and that the dual timeline really heightened the tension as we discovered what happened to Evangeline and how this changed everything for Bess and Joni. The friendship between the three girls was incredibly toxic and unsettling in parts but what I really found interesting was how the media interpreted their actions after Ev’s death and how this narrative impacted both Bess and Joni (in extremely different ways) as they tried to move on with their lives in the present day.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the chance to read this ARC.

This was an intriguing and engrossing read, although I do feel that it could have been a little shorter. Bess and Joni have a toxic relationship and they are unreliable narrators so you don't know who to believe or trust throughout the book.
This is not usually the type of book that I would choose, but I was offered an ARC from the Publishers. I enjoyed reading it.
Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for my ARC

What an interesting story with many twists and turns. A story of 3 young ladies and one fateful night

You are made to feel like you are living the story with the girls that are left behind. Bess and Joni, so different but the same, haunted by that night and scared with the lies that were told

Really enjoyed this book

I really enjoyed reading this book, my thanks to the publisher, author and netgalley for the advanced copy. Will be recommending

this one was okay.

joni, bess, and evangeline spend their post-graduation summer lounging in greece. but when their summer turns into tragedy, joni and bess are faced with endless media scrutiny. 10 years later, joni has capitalised on their fame to make a name for herself, while bess has tried to run from her past as much as possible. when the two girls are faced with an eerily similar tragedy to that night 10 years ago, they both have to confront their demons and consider how their past has shaped them into the women they grew up to be.

i feel like, given how potential there was in the blurb of this book, i was really hoping for something a bit more hard-hitting. i’m left feeling a little unfulfilled. i felt that there wasn’t a lot of depth to the individual character development, beyond what was already shown in the blurb.

the concept/themes were interesting, as the characters explored how their teenage selfs have changed over 10 years (or not changed?) and how they carry the weight of their grief so differently. however i was often bored with a lot of the exposition, and just didn’t find it super engaging.

overall, i enjoyed this but wanted moooooore

Didn’t think this brought anything hugely original to the genre of ‘mysterious teenage death coming back to haunt protagonist’, but I thought the writing was strong and compelling.

A perfect summer read.
Split between 2008 and 2018 this is the story of Bess a British teenager transported to the priviledged world of Calabasas when her Mum changes job - in her struggle to fit in she is befriended by Joni and Evangeline and they become a close group but during their end of high school summer holiday in 2008 things start to unravel and a tragedy occurs. 2018 is the present and after a decade of living with the events of that Summer, Joni reappears in Bess's life.
As the 2018 drama unfolds we learn more about the tragic 2008 event.
A gripping story which I loved.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for allowing ne to read Before We Were Innocent

I really loved this book. It’s a stand out book for me this year.
The writing style is unique and intriguing and the characters drew me in.
It’s one that I’ve already recommended as a great summer read.

“We had all assumed that losing Evangeline would be the hardest part, we were all wrong”
Friends, Joni and Bess were cleared of the murder of their, Evangeline in 2008, while on a summer holiday in Greece.
But now Joni is tangled up in something similar in present day Los Angeles and drags Bess back into her life, even though they haven’t spoke to each other since the tragedy.
It’s dual timeline between 2008 and present day and was intrigued in the relationship dynamics back in 2008 between the three teenage girls and why Evangeline was murdered. As they say three’s a crowd and especially three teenage girls, one is always gonna feel the odd one out and be open to toxicity.
Not a thriller as such more a character driven, coming of age novel with thriller elements, showing how the events of 2008 had impacted Bess & Joni’s lives and the part media had to play.
The perfect summer read, especially if holidaying in Greece.
Thanks @ellaberman, @ariafiction & @netgalley for the eARC

This is a story of two parts, the current day lives of Joni and Bess while also revealing their past, with a dear friend they lost as young adults.
While this book pulled me in enough to want to keep going and find out the outcome I must say it was very long. I got to about 50% and felt for the length of time I had been reading not much had really happened. I think the whole story could have been condensed down. I feel the story picked up towards the end, but I must admit I was left disappointed at the ending, I just didn’t feel it ended well, we didn’t get all the answers, it just ended. I would have loved a bit more of a conclusion after reading for some many hours!
I would try another book from this author but would be wary of the length!

To quote Joni, Before We Were Innocent is ‘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.’ Well, that’s how she chooses to frame it.

Moving between 2018 and ten years earlier, the book gradually reveals how a dramatic event on the island of Tinos changed Bess and Joni’s relationship from that of inseparable best friends to virtual strangers. And how it changed them as individuals too. Whereas Bess has retreated into self-imposed isolation, punctuated by episodes of risk-taking behaviour, Joni has seemingly put the past behind her, reinventing herself and using her experiences as a springboard for her career. But although Bess and Joni may have become estranged they are bound together forever by a lie. ‘Oh what a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive’ as someone once said…

Although narrated almost exclusively from the point of view of Bess, this isn’t a case of being either ‘Team Bess’ or ‘Team Joni’ because we’re never quite sure about the reliability of what we’re being told. While I didn’t find either Bess and Joni particularly likeable or their actions laudable (perhaps because my wild – if they ever were – teenage years are well behind me), they’re definitely nuanced characters and the author skilfully ensures your empathy moves back and forth between them.

Three into two don’t go, there’s always one left over. This is definitely Evangeline to whom Bess and Joni are actually quite horrible at times. Some of this ganging up comes back to haunt them. For me, Evangeline always remained a rather hazy character and I didn’t get any sense of the strong bond that supposedly existed between her and Joni before Bess came on the scene.

Before We Were Innocent is part coming-of-age story, part depiction of the complexity of friendships, and part intriguing mystery. It also exposes the impact of intrusive media attention on individuals and their families and the toxic nature of online discourse. Although it has plenty of twists and turns, for me it simmered but never really reached boiling point.

This is perfect holiday reading, chunky, twisty and a page turner. Part thriller , part coming of age drama, this was intensely readable! While the characters were not always relatable, Berman does a great job at capturing that on the cusp of adulthood stage of life. Well paced if a tad too long and while I am not sure how memorable a read this will be , I enjoyed reading it.. This is the perfect addition to your beach bag this summer.

3.5 stars.

Bess finds herself once more dragged into a suspicious mystery but this time she was nowhere near. But was her friend involved? Time to face the past as it collides with the present leaving her to wonder about what happened that night.

This was an interesting read. I wasn't sure at the start but it slowly pulled me in. The story jumps from past to present as we slowly learn all the details. The ending worked for the story and i liked how it came together yet I would have liked more of a conclusion. The story is well written and descriptive. it sets the scene and then pulls you in as you decide how you feel about the girls. Its not a book with overly likeable characters but they are real. An intriguing mystery/ thriller.

I’ve seen some negative reviews regarding this book and I am a bit confused to be fair.
I thought it was gripping. Kept me on my toes and I would definitely recommend it.

4,5 stars.

I really really enjoyed this! From the very beginning, I was sucked in and I could not put it down.
Berman eloquently explores growing up in a way I have never read about before, presenting young women as more than just docile, innocent things capable of far more than anyone could anticipate. Split between two timelines, the summer of Bess and Joni's friend's death, and the present day, when another tragedy has occurred. Moments from the past keep getting dragged up to inform the present day mystery, making the reader question everything about these characters. It's messy, Bess and Joni's friendship is complicated, in ways only female friendships can be.
I love how it took me on a complete ride, making me adamant of one outcome, only to completely subvert my expectations once more. I wish it had more of a twist at the end, but other than that, this book was perfection.
A truly great summer read! (I say writing this in the middle of winter)