Publication Date: April 4, 2023
A summer in Greece for three best friends ends in the unthinkable when only two return home in this new novel from Ella Berman. . . .
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 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.
Is it finally time to face up to what happened that night, exposing herself as the young woman she once was and maybe still is? And what if she doesn’t like what she finds?
As a last hurrah before going their separate ways to college, three teenage girls take a trip overseas. Only two come back, creating a maelstrom of harsh media scrutiny surrounding the death of the third. Ten years later, Bess has rebuilt her life far from the spotlight.
Joni shows up on her doorstep asking for help in a scenario that brings the past roaring back. Author Ella Berman sets the stage for Bess to finally put her demons to rest in Before We Were Innocent.
From the beginning, the author uses flashbacks between 2018 and 2008 to create the story’s foundation. There’s a solid dose of foreshadowing without the author revealing the circumstances of Ev’s death.
Bess and Joni serve as contrasting characters. While Joni was able to capitalize on the tragedy and launch a lucrative self-help career, Bess has stayed in the shadows. It’s not until Joni reappears and asks for an alibi that Bess realizes something terrible has happened.
Before We Were Innocent shines a spotlight on a life-altering event that impacted two young women with an ending providing a new appreciation for second chances.
Ella Berman grew up in both London and Los Angeles and worked at Sony Music before starting the clothing brand London Loves LA. She lives in London with her husband, James, and their dog, Rocky.
