Before We Were Innocent
Ratings18
Average rating3
'This compulsive thriller reads like true crime and had me guessing until the very end.' Reese Witherspoon Three friends went on holiday. Only two came back. Ten years ago, after a sun-soaked summer in Greece, best friends Bess and Joni were cleared of any involvement in their friend Evangeline's death. Although they were found innocent, the case made them infamous and they've not seen each other since. Except now Joni wants a favour, and when she turns up at her old friend's doorstep in need of an alibi, Bess has no choice but to say yes. After all, she still owes her. But can you ever leave the past behind, when the whole world believes you're guilty? 'Beautifully written, suspenseful coming-of-age story... I loved it.' The Daily Mail 'Two BFFs are accused of murder in this novel that feels like true crime.' - Cosmopolitan 'A haunting and dazzling page-turner.' – Laura Hankin 'It's a compulsive thriller, and you won't want to put down Berman's second book.'- Shondaland 'Slices to the core of a fraught friendship on the brink of disaster.' - PopSugar
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Premise sounds so much more exciting than it was. This is a drama marketed as a thriller. Was far too long and wordy.
Our biggest mistake had been buying into the lies that had been sold to us - that we would ever truly be sexually liberated, that the summer after we graduated high school had to be unforgettable, that we would be friends for the rest of our lives.
Dark psychological thriller that has its roots in the infamous 2007 Amanda Knox incident. ICYMI, a 20-year old American vacationing in Greece was accused of killing her British roommate, and the resulting media circus convicted her long before her trial.
In this novel, three rich California girls spend the summer in Greece, but one dies under mysterious circumstances. The dead girl becomes a martyred angel, and every mean or selfish thing the remaining two ever posted online is used against them by the justice system and the court of public opinion. Berman does an excellent job at capturing the complex dynamics of the girls' relationships, and the volatile, hormone-laden emotions of being 18. She excoriates the media and true crime fanaticism that allows anyone with access to the internet to believe that they know The Truth, forgetting that there are often no easy answers whenever real, flawed human beings are involved.
Before We Were Innocent is not an easy read, but I'm feeling angry these days, and wanted a book that mirrored my emotions.
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