Three girls, Joni, Evangaline and Bess living in a wealthy gated community in California. Evangaline (Ev) is given a trip to Greece as a graduation present and Joni and Bess accompany her. Tragedy strikes during the time they are there.
This is a compelling read. It not only contains a murder and mystery, but also the reader gets to see the complex relationships between the three girls. Moving between past and present, Bess now lives a quiet life where she moderates complaints on a dating site. Her life is basic. She is happy. And then Bess turns up out of the blue with a request that leads her back into a similar situation she experienced that summer in Greece.
The weave of 2008 and present day is an interesting one. Initially, I did not like Joni’s character. Since Ev’s death she has made a name for herself as a life coach, with podcasts and TV appearances. Arriving unannounced at Bess’s, she’s clearly not impressed with her friend’s situation – living under the radar, working from home with very little social interaction. All the same, she is expecting help. And Bess agrees.
Switching to the events in Greece enables us to get under the skin of each girl and understand their personalities more. When the unthinkable happens, it also says a lot about media manipulation and how it can influence public perception.. The ‘then’ part of the book became the most interesting part, but as the story progressed my interest in the ‘now’ deepened.
All in all, this is a well written and powerful read which held my interest from page one until the very end.
I would like to thank Ella Berman, Head of Zeus and Netgalley for an ARC of Before We Were Innocent in exchange for an honest review.

After the tragic death on a Summer trip to Greece, two friends are bound together and later separated by events. Ten years later, they are reunited when another mysterious event brings them back together.

Three young women on the brink of bright futures, Before We Were Innocent, is a story tinged with nostalgia and contrasted with the modern digital age. I loved how the timeless feel of a sentimental summer interplayed with the new world of dating apps and a fascination for true crime.

The novel takes place over two time periods with the reader learning about the events and characters as each period progresses. I love how Bess, Joni and Evangeline are as characters. Certainly flawed, as they complement and aggravate each other as the author depicts the complexity of friendships between young women. As a reader I was constantly asking myself which version of them I trusted: Bess as the narrator, the views of other characters expressed through her interactions with them, or depictions in the press that are encountered throughout the book. I feel the book is written to foster mistrust of even Bess as the narrator, which I think adds an extra dimension.

I think the challenge Ella Berman took on, of mixing the tones, could have easily gone wrong if not executed properly. For me the contrast in tones and characters worked out and the risk paid off. I would definitely recommend for those who love a bit of nostalgia (especially around 2008) and/or true crime.

A gripping and revealing read about a summer that ended up in tragedy for three teenage girls and the aftermath of how that summer changed everything.
I particularly was enthralled by the descriptions of each of the characters and the analysis of how intense friendships are at that stage of life and how mistakes and actions of the young are reframed when tragedy strikes to manipulate and build up personas that are too simplified.

Before We Were Innocent catches up with Bess a decade after the death of one of her best friends, Evangeline. Desperate to separate herself from the tragedy, she tries to hide away from the world. This had worked, kind of, until a figure from her past turns up at her door.

Before We Were Innocent is for readers who love unlikeable characters, a twisting plot line and a coming-of-age tale all rolled into one. This story tackles themes of grief and guilt and depicts those sorts of teenage friendships that feel so instrumental in forming your identity.

However, despite being a mystery thriller, I feel Before We Were Innocent lacks that fast pace that I craved from a story like this. Although there were moments that gripped me, overall it had that absence of momentum I needed to keep reaching for it.

I did love the atmosphere Berman created and the friendships between the girls were very reminiscent of the ones I had when I was that age - flawed but beloved. Although I felt this novel had some imperfections, I am intrigued to give Ella Berman’s other novel a try.

Compellingly Executed..
Toxic friendships, a lifelong bond. A coming of age tale transcending timelines in this beautifully written, succinct tale of flawed friends and a mystery within. A slow burn but nicely done and compellingly executed. There is no real tension here, no thriller, no grand reveal but rather a drama of lives, feelings and emotions. We can never bury the past.

I really enjoyed reading this book. We begin by meeting Joni who reappears at old school friend Bess' door nearly ten years after last seeing her asking to use her as an alibi when her current girlfriend goes missing.

The story flicks between past and present when 3 friends Joni, Bess and Ev go on holiday to the Greek islands as teenagers and something terrible happens.

The book is a story of friendships, adolescence and a fun summer turned bad.

I loved how Ella built each character up. I really enjoyed her writing style and the story was real, raw and believable. The book covered topics of youth, guilt , manipulation, jealousy but also love.

I will be recommending this book and looking out for others by this author.

Before We Were Innocent was quite the slow burn. Not exactly what I was expecting but very enjoyable. While I was thought I was in for a thrill ride, it was a slowly slowly approach which unraveled over time.
The coming of age and relationship aspect was well written and relatable, and I think it will appeal to readers of women's fiction. Thank you to Aria and Aires for the early reading copy it was a terrific book and one I recommend.

Thriller/drama book regarding group of three girls who go to Greece, and tragedy happens when on one of them falls of a cliff. I kept thinking who did it, was she pushed off the cliff, or was it an accident. The relationship of the girls was unusual. The media are following their every move to work out who done it. The book goes through two periods 2008 and 2018. However it was slow and I found it hard going. The more you read the book the more interesting it got. However, there didn't seem to be a proper ending, is so there can be another book to follow?

Before We Were Innocent

Three best friends spend the summer after high school in Greece but after tragedy strikes only two of them return, but not before they are both accused of their friends murder. Even though Bess and Joni were cleared of any involvement in Evangeline’s death the two of them were ripped apart by the media - both in Greece and back home in the US - resulting in them being infamous upon their return. Both girls dealt with the fallout in different ways. Joni took full advantage of being a well known name and rode the wave to become a successful and well known motivational speaker. Bess, on the other hand, retreated from the world trying to avoid being recognized or receiving any attention.

Now, nearly ten years later, the two former best friends are reunited when Joni suddenly shows up at Bess’ door late one night. Joni has found herself caught up in an eerily similar situation to that of their summer is Greece and needs Bess to support her as a friend, but also as an alibi. With Joni back in her life Bess is forced to reflect on the summer she has been trying to forget, will she like the outcome when she is forced to face the truths and lies of the past?

This was a great character driven thriller. Told over dual timelines. In the past it examines the drama, manipulation, toxicity and jealousy surrounding a group of three teenage girls on the cusp of adulthood, trying to navigate their way into the world of the unknown. In the present timeline it looks at how people evolve and change with time but also how they stay the same and how it easy it is to revert back to thinking and behaving in certain ways when people from your past are around.

Sometimes I find character driven thrillers can drag on, but this one was nicely paced and was definitely invested in the outcome. I really enjoyed the dynamics of the friendship group in the past and also seeing how the trauma of the past had effected them in the present timeline. This is one I’d recommend to those who enjoy thrillers that feature toxic friends, twists, drama and suspense.

What I will say about this book is that although I liked the cover I don’t think it went with the story itself. The book will be enjoyable to fans of The Secret History, Madam and Malibu Rising. It reminded me of an article I read about 3 girls in the UK a long while ago. I typically don’t enjoy the use of “influencer” characters in books but it was a good tool and fit with Joni.

A fabulously written gripping story that was a pleasure to read. I would absolutely recommend this book

A well-written take on a ripped-from-the-headlines crime thriller with a more human touch. I felt the 2008 timeline was better crafted than the 2018 one, and honestly would have enjoyed it more if it just focused on the crime and the immediate fallout. Much more of a rumination on female friendship and how you change as you get older, less of a grisly rehash of the Amanda Knox story. Which is probably for the best.

⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
Before We Were Innocent
by Ella Berman

For anyone who was even mildly interested in the trial of Amanda Knox for the murder of fellow traveller and roommate Meredith Kercher in Italy in 2007.

This is a story of toxic female friendship, riddled with class imbalance, personality clashes, manipulation, distortions and lies which centres on the outcome of two of the girls lives 10 years following the tragic death of the third one while they summered in the Greek Islands.

"We partied hard, we bitched and complained, we hurt people, we thought we knew everything about sacrifice and loyalty and how the world worked"

"We all made poor choices for each other, for ourselves, for the wrong reasons and the right ones, and we all ended up paying for it in the most unfathomable way"

There is a small overlap with recently published "The Girls of Summer" which explores similar risky behaviour in holiday settings. They make a great pairing when examining newly independent teenage recklessness.

It is tempting to catagorise these girls as unlikeable characters, but actually my heart goes out to them. The are so young, so full of themselves and their possibilities, convinced of their immortality and just trying to work themselves out.

The author chooses a very interesting time to set this in, 2008, the brink of social media, when the indelibility of our online footprint hadn't really been considered. The trial by media aspect of any high profile case can have such devastating consequences for all evolved. When unscrupulous reporters and the public at large can trawl a person's socials, using drunkenly posted photos of slutty and careless activity, it is possible to distort the narrative and create incriminating evidence, or vica versa, use other material to build an anodyne portrayal of a supposed victim.

There's a lot to unpack about the power and abuse of power within friendship, the treachery of character assassination and the gendered nature of public shaming which makes for some grim reading, but the punch comes from the growth of one character in particular and her self reclamation.

A strong start, a meandering middle but great ending.

Ten years ago, three best friends set off for a summer to remember in Greece, however not all went to plan. When Joni and Bess are thought to be involved in the unfortunate death of Ev.

Cleared of involvement, Bess and Joni were able to rebuild their lives after an abundance of negative press and guilty accusations until now, when Joni needs her friend's help with the disappearance of her girlfriend.

Told through two timelines; then and now, we learn a lot more about what actually happened in Greece and who was to blame.

An interesting read, about a complex friendship between three teenage girls. It was nice not to depend on a romantic relationship with the focus on the three best friends. The pacing was slightly slower than I would have liked but overall a great read which kept me captivated throughout! I would definitely read another Ella Berman book in the future!

‘Can you do it for me, Bess?’

Ten years ago, three teenagers went on a holiday to Greece. Only two returned home. While Bess and Joni were cleared of any involvement in their friend Evangeline’s death, the media (and some members of the public) were less certain. Bess, full of remorse and feeling guilty about Evangeline’s death, has tried to keep a low profile ever since. Joni has travelled another path. And then, one night, Joni approaches Bess. Joni’s girlfriend has gone missing, and she wants Bess’s help to establish an alibi. Bess complies because she believes that she owes Joni.

‘We had all assumed that losing Evangeline would be the hardest part. We were all wrong.’

The story shifts between the present and the events in Greece ten years earlier. We see the best and worst of teenage friendships, and the influence of good, bad, and indifferent parenting. Bess feels responsible for Evangeline’s death, but her recall of events is imperfect. What really happened the night that Evangeline died? And why does Joni need an alibi now?

Ms Berman takes the reader on a journey through complicated friendships, through the consequences of impulsive actions and their reverberation through lives. Bess may be our primary focus, but Joni held my attention as I tried to work out the truth both in the past as well as the present.

Recommended: a totally engrossing read.

Note: My thanks to NetGalley and Aria & Aries for providing me with a free electronic copy of this book for review purposes.

Jennifer Cameron-Smith

*I received a digital ARC of this title in exchange for my unbiased review*

This book was such a surprise! Before We Were Innocent alternates timelines between the summer that Bess and her friends Ev and Joni went to Greece, where Ev died and Joni and Bess were suspected of involvement, and ten years later, when Joni turns up on Bess' doorstep, asking for a favour.

I half-expected this book to lean heavily on the story of Amanda Knox, and while I could see parallels in the ways in which all three girls were treated by the media - reduced from complex individuals to broad stereotypes, the demons and the angel- this was very much its own story. The relationship between the three best friends, with all their insecurities, shifting alliances, attempts to control one another and the struggle to build their own identities, felt so relatable.

The ending was not what I was expecting, and I've been dwelling on it ever since I finished. I would definitely recommend this book, and think it would be really well suited as a book club read!

Set between two timelines, this book follows the story of three girls and how their lives changed after a summer abroad. I enjoyed the book, it was dark and full of suspense.

This book is about female friendship, yes I know is toxic and very complex but that’s just the start of this review. The plot is dark, the different layers in the story made this reading very interesting for me. The complex female characters where something I enjoy, one of the characteristics of this book is that is a gripping book. write a psychological drama Isnt easy and most of the times the author get lost in the plot and POVs. But this autor keep writing this book in beautiful and elegant way. I like the fact that we just have Two timelines because that made easy to read this book. It is a slow book so don’t enter thinking is a thriller or you gonna leave disappointed. This book describes the multi layers of the young female relations and how when we are young as females can involve in very toxic friendships. They are raw and visceral and most of the times we hurt people we love because we are not mature. This is the description of those relationships this won’t have a ending that answer all your questions and it’s a bit messy. Teenager years are complex and this is what this book is about. Thank you very much to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for the early access to this book. The book is out the 13 of July 2023

The plot is as deep and dark as it gets, multi-layered with 'who knew what when?' as the strands come together and the finer details get filled in. This is an absolutely compelling, gripping book full of mystery and suspense. Only a few authors can write deeply involving psychological drama of the very highest quality. This is a first for me by the author and one I enjoyed and I would read more of their work. Thank you very much to the author, publisher and Netgalley for this ARC.

Interesting and unnerving in places, i feel like at the end of this book I didn't know who to trust. The girls were both unreliable narrators, I think this story went on for too long though. I am not sure if it just alluded me or I missed something but I'm not quite sure if we get resolution to what really happened in Greece, or to the new fiancee by the end. It was okay but could havew been edited down.