Before We Were Innocent

De: Ella Berman

Narrado por: Jennifer Jill Araya

Reese’s Book Club Pick December 2023

A summer in Greece for three best friends ends in the unthinkable when only two return home. . . .

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 needs a favor, and when she turns up at her old friend's doorstep asking for an alibi, Bess has no choice but to say yes. She still owes her. But as the two friends try desperately to shake off their past, they have to face reality.

Can you ever be an innocent woman when everyone wants you to be guilty?

©2023 Ella Berman (P)2023 Penguin Audio

Reseñas de la Crítica

"Two BFFs are accused of murder in this novel that feels like true crime.” —Cosmopolitan

“Ella Berman reveals a teenage girl’s heart of darkness in her absorbing new novel. . . . Written with the urgency and thrill of an illicit secret, Before We Were Innocent captures the pleasures and perils of American girlhood.” —Jillian Medoff, bestselling author of When We Were Bright and Beautiful

“With evocative and astute prose, Berman’s sophomore effort is a…searing portrayal of the intoxicating power of privilege, youth, and female friendship.” —Booklist

The Ending

If there was 4.5 I would give it. Binged it through a whole day of work, couldn’t stop listening. The only real issue I had was the ending felt a little undone . Maybe the point was we don’t know if a certain character is alive still, but it felt unfinished. Like I even looked for a sequel.

Addictive

The beginning seemed slow. It took a while to grow on me. I wasn’t very fond of the characters they didn’t seem likable but they slowly started to earn a place in my mind. Wish the ending offered more closure

Wonderful narration

The story was great, I was hooked from the beginning. The voice given to these characters really came through. I wanted a better conclusion, but a great book nonetheless.

Amazingly addictive

Love how the dynamics between 3 teenagers is explained and how they grow to become wonderful women!

Wanted more

BOOK 2….
Of my 🏝️🎧 Beach Listen July🎧 🏖️ MAYBE a beach read mystery:thriller:story 🫠🤣😂🤣😂part of it is a summer in Greece for 3 best friends…..a very character driven mystery:thriller:story🎧 at times listening to it was like listening to a true crime …. I had the resist more than once to look up the case but this is fiction. ⭐️⭐️⭐️.23

A few really great twists!

I really enjoyed this book and its twists. It’s a little Amanda Knox and a little Brokedown Palace combined. The author did a great job of describing the effect that the media has on cases like these, and the harsh judgment of the public on 17 year old kids. Best book I’ve read in some time.

The story DRAGGGSSSS

The book could have ended an hour earlier. It drag on for so long after the climax. I was waiting for another twist - but was disappointed…

Heartwarming & breaking

The story kept me engaged the entire time and on the edge of my seat until the very end. I felt the honesty and hope the author conveys and can’t help but relate. I wish I could share the story with my son (he probably wouldn’t receive it, though lol), so he can catch a glimpse of the struggle of “growing up” including the naïveté we all inevitably experience.

I expected some kind of chaotic storyline/writing style based on some of the reviews I read indicating the alternation between one time period and another was a challenge to follow. It is NOT a new, outlandish writing technique that is hard to follow. It is NOT complex. It is NOT confusing. I agree with one review I read (paraphrased) about people having elementary reading skills if they couldn’t follow it. Please don’t be deterred in any way if you read those reviews and wonder if the book would be too complex. You’ll be just fine. Enjoy!

Not my favorite

Long, drawn out and the reveal wasn’t worth the exhaustive backstory. A little too adolescent for me. A bit whiny and self serving for the main character Bess.

Reese really?

This book was just inane. I really was hoping for more. It just fell flat.
The character development was good and the characters were likable. Other than that I will never get those hours back.