Before We Were Innocent

✮✮✮

May 12

Before We Were Innocent - Ella Berman

my review : ✮✮✮

A quick and twisty mystery that delves into the nuances of female friendships in late adolescence.

10 years ago, best friends Bess, Joni, and Evangeline capped off their high school senior year with a sun-soaked summer in Greece at Evangeline’s family’s historic estate. Excited about the future ahead of them, they’ve decided to treat this summer as the last hurrah, but pretty quickly, it’s apparent that this summer is going to be drastically different than the girls expected. As the trip comes to an end, Evangeline dies in a sudden and bizarre accident. Bess and Joni have been cleared of any involvement, but that doesn’t stop the devastating loss from defining them for the next 10 years. While Joni used that summer to propel her career forward, Bess becomes a recluse and hasn’t spoken to Joni in years; that is until 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…

This story alternates between two timelines: the summer the girls spent in Greece and 10 years later. While the story was well-told and engrossing, I couldn’t shake the feeling that I had read this book before! This story is less thriller/creepy and more coming of age/character-driven.

Overall, if the premise sounds intriguing to you, I’d recommend it for a quick read. I didn’t find myself obsessed with the story or surprised by any of the twists and turns, but that just may be because I’ve read too many similar stories!

This one is best paired with a Greek native aperitif, Ouzo (@themediterraneandish has a fabulous recipe for an Ouzo Drink With Lemon And Mint). Cheers!!