Book Review for Before We Were Innocent by Ella Berman

 Before We Were Innocent by Ella Berman

 Format

384 pages, Hardcover

Publication

April 4, 2023 by Berkley

 

Genre:  Mystery, Thriller

Taken from Goodreads:  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?

 

My Thoughts:   This book was so good.    I found it to not be a fast read but it was a through read.   The story was told with so much attention to the details.  The details of not only the storyline but also of the characters.  I felt like I was living through their stories and hearing on the news of the lives their were living.

 

As I read, I found myself looking for the clues as to what the rest of the story was.  The rest of the story of Evangeline and their summer getaway but also the story of Joni.  I was left looking for a little more, I am not sure what I wanted more of, but I was not entirely happy with the story.  There were parts, important parts, that we skimmed over (the prison time) that I wanted more of. 

I would recommend Before We Were Innocent to anyone who is looking for a book full of twists and turns.   

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Meet Ella Berman (taken from Goodreads): Ella 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.