I really liked this book. The mix of past and present really kept me guessing. The relationship between Joni and Bess is very familiar, one girls normally get caught in, or did when I was a teen.

The ending seemed a bit suddenly and I feel like there may be some sequel needed to close loose ends.

Set between two timelines. Before We Were Innocent follows Bess who after emigrating from England to Los Angeles becomes friends with the beautiful, brilliant Joni and her quiet friend Evangeline.

When the trio jet off to the Greek islands for a last holiday together before college, something terrible happens which means only two girls will return home alive. The narrative floats between past and present as you piece together what really happened that summer.

I enjoyed this. it was heady and intoxicating and I devoured it in one go but it wasn’t really anything I hadn’t read before. I really liked the style of writing and the fast pace of the story though so i’ll definitely look out for the authors other work!

4.5⭐️

I would like to start by thanking the publisher - Head of Zeus for giving me this ebook, via NetGalley, in exchange for a honest review. All opinions are my own.

I was beyond happy when Head of Zeus pick me for reading this book, as they said it could be of my interest. I went into it without reading the synopsis and I think it was, perhaps, the best decision as I had no preconceived ideas.

The book has a dual timeline, which is something I almost always enjoy, and works perfectly here in a kind of “before and after” narration. Joni, Bess and Ev are three best friends that decided to spend the summer after high school in Greece (back in 2008), however, this trip will not go accordingly to plan and in the present (2018) timeline we will be seeing the effects it had in our characters.

I don’t want to do a great disclaimer on the plot line, as I felt it was quiet nice being surprised by the unfold of events, but I can assure you it’s an easy reading book, which happens as a result of the small chapters, and it’s quiet additive. There are some characters with some serious issues here, but the book could not work so well otherwise.

It’s a mixture of romance and mystery, very focused on the female friendship and overall, I highly enjoyed it. I finished wanting to know more of Ella’s work!

This review will also be available on my Goodreads profile and, later on, on my Instagram account - @cat.literary.worl

Wow! What an amazing book!!
Would love to read more from the author.
Thankyou netgalley for the Arc!

The friendship between the three girls as teens is always teetering on the edge of who is in and who is out of the group. Transplanted for a final summer together before going off to college the girls go for an extended holiday to Greece, to Evangeline's family summer retreat.
The descriptions of those first few days of sun, sea and spirits gradually declining into lacklustre sameness for the girls leads them nicely into seeking new thrills to alleviate the boredom.

When only 2 return from the holiday their lives take polar routes forward, with one thrusting herself into the limelight and the other hiding in a cabin in desolate countryside.

Thrown back together, the toxicity of the friendship continues a decade after the initial tragedy and the truth gradually teases itself out.

Before We Were Innocent revolves around the complex friendship of Joni, Bess, and Evangeline during their teenage years. The story unfolds through dual timelines, alternating between the summer of 2008, when Bess, Joni, and Evangeline spent time on a Greek island, and the year 2018, when Joni's fiancé disappears under mysterious circumstances.

While there is an element of suspense surrounding Evangeline's death and the disappearance of Joni's fiancé, I wouldn't categorize this book as a mystery or thriller due to the absence of significant plot twists. Nonetheless, I enjoyed Ella Berman's writing style, and I look forward to reading more books by her.

I received a complimentary ARC in exchange for an honest review. Thanks to Ella Berman, Aria, and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book.

Oh dear, this was not the book I was looking forward to reading. I struggled with the pace of the book, and the characters. Sorry but not my cup of tea.

Toxic friendship, no character development , too much going on, slow paced & didn’t catch my attention enough for me to stay interested. Can’t say I’d recommend this one

In fairness, I am neither the gender nor the age group of its target audience; ‘Before We Were Innocent’ is basically Mills and Boon for millennials. The three main characters are over privileged and self-absorbed teenagers. Ten years later, the two surviving women seem no more mature. I struggled to sympathise and care about their struggles and found the conclusion unsatisfactory. Too many questions were left unanswered including how on Earth did this dross get published?

It took me a little while to get into this but once I did, I couldn't put it down. The intensity and cruelty of the friendships of teenage girls was captured perfectly. I did wish for a more conclusive ending re: Joni though.

This is my first book by Ella Berman, and I'm intrigued to go back and read her previous novel! I loved this story of a crime that happened within a complex group of friends - the dual timeline worked especially well for me, and I'll always be drawn to a Greek island setting. The perfect holiday read!

Oh dear I had such high hopes for this book with its intriguing premise and the unusual cover which I loved by the way! Unfortunately I found my attention wandering. I think I was expecting a psychological thriller, or at least suspense, but instead the book is a slow-moving study of the toxic friendship between a group of rich, entitled girls. I was underwhelmed by the book itself as there was too much moving between the two timelines rather than propelling the story onwards it felt repetitive and certainly slowed the pace. The story is actually a relevant one and there’s loads of positive reviews for this book, so in this case it maybe just me over thinking things!

Being a 34 year old woman I’d almost forgotten about the terrifying, visceral nature of teenage friendships until I read this.

Read it if: you simultaneously yearn for the messiness of adolescence whilst wondering how you actually got out of it with your mental health fairly intact.

Don’t read it if: you need a neat and entirely resolved ending.

This book details the lives of a trio of wealthy teenage girls, with the narrative moving between present day and ten years previous. The focus is on the circumstances and reasons behind one of the trio’s death, and the repercussions of those events still affect the surviving two.

The author’s depiction of the dynamics of relationships at that age were spot on for me. You love your friends so intensely at that age, it’s almost aggressive and any fallout feels like the end of your universe. Especially when it comes to that big first girls trip away where you feel like adults for the first time.

I read this book over a couple of days and I’m still left wondering how the characters might get on over the next decade…

this was the perfect holiday book and i finished it in just over a day. juicy and suspenseful, but with enough solidity to the characters and story to stop it from feeling like ‘holiday chick-lit’, i found the story of Evangeline, Jodi and Bess to unravel at the perfect pace. Before We Were Innocent captures the intoxicating dangers of female friendships within your teenage years, and how quickly mistakes can come to fruition - it’s shocking yet eerily relatable. Both an engaging, slowly exposed crime story and a deep psychological dive, this provides the perfect quick yet attentive read.

I heard about this book and from the description, I thought it sounded like a good read.

This was an enjoyable story about friendship, love and loss. I was able to relate to the characters and their bonds of friendship, and I found it quite heartwarming to read, but emotional at the same time. I'd say it was light enough to read in one sitting, and a good choice to read if you're in the mood for a tearjerker.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for a free copy to review.

Wow I loved this book. I didn't realise how quickly I got through it, I could not put it down. It definitely shows how female friendships can truly be.

This story was both a suspenseful thriller and nostalgic coming-of-age story about female friendships and losing your innocence as you may onto adulthood. I loved all the different themes that were dealt with in this book and how they were weaved into the story and the characters. This is definitely more of of a contemporary fiction but the mystery is still incredibly interesting too and this is worth a read for something a bit different.

Before We Were Innocent was exactly what I was looking for in my next read given that my past 2-3 reads have been quite character driven and lacking any real plot to keep me hooked but thankfully I couldn’t put this one down!

I’m usually not a huge fan of a non-linear narrative that alternates between present day and flashbacks every chapter because I often favour one storyline over the other but this was not the case with Before We Were Innocent.

Berman’s pacing was one of my favourite parts of the novel and I felt that although I had some idea as to what was going on, there was enough uncertainty to keep the mystery going.

The only thing stopping me giving this novel five stars is that I wasn’t 100% satisfied with the ending but for the most part I thoroughly enjoyed this book!

I loved this book. I found it very nostalgic and relatable in terms of teenage, female friendships. I really enjoyed how it was written and actually enjoyed how reflective Bess was throughout. Thank you to Netgalley for the preview. I will definitely be recommending this book. I would give it 4.5 stars if I could.

Wow! What an amazing book!!
Would love to read more from the author.
Thankyou netgalley for the Arc!
Full review will be uploaded soon