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?
Genre: Mystery
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?
Genre: Mystery
Praise for this book
"Captivating - a rich exploration of the complexity of female friendships with a compelling mystery at its heart." - Tammy Greenwood
"Before We Were Innocent takes a scenario we've seen in news reports - young women abroad, falsely accused of a horrific crime - and gives it all the nuance and empathy that the media never bothered with. Ella Berman is a master at depicting teenage friendships in both their beauty and their brutality. A haunting and dazzling page-turner, Before We Were Innocent kept me up well past midnight." - Laura Hankin
"The past refuses to stay dead in this stunning story of friendship, memory, and guilt from master storyteller Ella Berman - It brilliantly illustrates the vulnerability and cruelty of teenage girls - and how the judgments placed on them create the perfect environment for both to flourish. It brought me right back to my teenage years and cracked my heart open. A profound exploration of loyalty and betrayal, Before We Were Innocent is a perfect book." - Rachel Kapelke-Dale
"Berman's an expert at the small moment, the Austen-esque tragicomedy of unspoken human desire that compounds into something too big to name, too awful to ignore." - Sarah Langan
"Ella Berman reveals a teenage girl's heart of darkness in her absorbing new novel. By braiding together a past tragedy and a present mystery, Berman explores longing, loneliness, female friendship and blind trust, and illustrates how impulsive decisions made by our younger selves can haunt us as adults. Written with the urgency and thrill of an illicit secret, Before We Were Innocent captures the pleasures and perils of American girlhood." - Jillian Medoff
"[A] fascinating portrayal of the complicated friendships between teenage girls, and what happens when they grow up. Berman expertly weaves together the past and the present to create a suspenseful, spellbinding story about lies, betrayal, and what happens when the truth catches up with you. I loved it." - Elissa R Sloan
"Before We Were Innocent takes a scenario we've seen in news reports - young women abroad, falsely accused of a horrific crime - and gives it all the nuance and empathy that the media never bothered with. Ella Berman is a master at depicting teenage friendships in both their beauty and their brutality. A haunting and dazzling page-turner, Before We Were Innocent kept me up well past midnight." - Laura Hankin
"The past refuses to stay dead in this stunning story of friendship, memory, and guilt from master storyteller Ella Berman - It brilliantly illustrates the vulnerability and cruelty of teenage girls - and how the judgments placed on them create the perfect environment for both to flourish. It brought me right back to my teenage years and cracked my heart open. A profound exploration of loyalty and betrayal, Before We Were Innocent is a perfect book." - Rachel Kapelke-Dale
"Berman's an expert at the small moment, the Austen-esque tragicomedy of unspoken human desire that compounds into something too big to name, too awful to ignore." - Sarah Langan
"Ella Berman reveals a teenage girl's heart of darkness in her absorbing new novel. By braiding together a past tragedy and a present mystery, Berman explores longing, loneliness, female friendship and blind trust, and illustrates how impulsive decisions made by our younger selves can haunt us as adults. Written with the urgency and thrill of an illicit secret, Before We Were Innocent captures the pleasures and perils of American girlhood." - Jillian Medoff
"[A] fascinating portrayal of the complicated friendships between teenage girls, and what happens when they grow up. Berman expertly weaves together the past and the present to create a suspenseful, spellbinding story about lies, betrayal, and what happens when the truth catches up with you. I loved it." - Elissa R Sloan
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Used availability for Ella Berman's Before We Were Innocent