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Before We Were Innocent - Ella Berman
Two former best friends who were once suspects for their friend’s death are forced to confront their past when a similar crime pulls them back together a decade later…
Two former best friends who were once suspects for their friend’s death are forced to confront their past, when a similar crime pulls them back together a decade later. As Joni becomes entangled in new accusations, Bess must decide whether to protect her old friend or finally face the truth about what really happened in Greece all those years ago.
Before We Were Innocent is nothing more than a three‑star read. I didn’t love it, but I also didn’t hate it, and there are a lot of reasons that led me to that middle ground. First of all, the beginning felt messy. Ella Berman wrote two parallel timelines: the present day in 2018 and the past in 2008. As you read, each story unfolds, but they don’t necessarily intertwine very well. This made it confusing to follow during the first chunk of the narrative, and that had me setting a low standard for the rest of the novel.
Though I felt this way initially - and it did sort of ruin the first part of the book for me - I think as the story went on, it started to make sense and was definitely necessary for the reader’s general understanding of what was happening. With that said, maybe Berman didn’t start the story in the right place, or perhaps it would have worked better with a prologue followed by the flashbacks starting at a later point in time. Some of the information in the first few pages wasn’t all that impactful and was extremely hard going.
Subsequently the story was quite flat, and because it wasn’t very eventful but very informational, it just wasn’t that exciting. Most of the book felt like it followed the rule of “tell, don’t show” rather than “show, don’t tell,” and that affected my attention span. When I’m reading, I want to be gripped from start to finish and while I was mildly interested in where the story might land, I wasn’t profoundly engrossed or on the edge of my seat at all. Its lack of exhilaration made it predictable, and I ruined the ending for myself by the midway point.
So, if you’re any good at solving murder mysteries, I’d steer clear of this novel because you won’t get the thrill you’re looking for. Yes, the narrative took some unexpected turns, but they weren’t jolting revelations; more like anticlimactic swivels in a direction not far from what I’d already predicted. Hence why it felt uneventful and a little boring.
Furthermore, losing myself for a week in a world that wasn’t mine was nice, but overall it’s a very fair-to-middling novel without much depth. However, despite all those negatives, there were some positives that I genuinely loved finding throughout the story. Before I list those, I want to make sure I state that Before We Were Innocent definitely succeeds when it comes to addressing societal issues, people’s behaviour, the media, and so much more. The story thrives on its underlying messages and themes to its audience.
Berman explores the complexities of toxic female friendships, the impact of adolescent trauma, the destructive power of secrets and memory, and themes of guilt, betrayal, maturation, and loyalty. This is where the book is both powerful and relatable. I mean, its relatability was the soul reason I kept reading. I was drawn in by relationships that reflected a lot of my own past friendships and romantic experiences. It highlights just how cruel girls can be, and subtly steers young women away from behaving that way; not just with female friends, but with anyone.
This was particularly good to me because as women, we sometimes forget there are healthier ways to communicate than through our insecurities and jealousy. It’s okay to have them, and feel it, but it doesn’t excuse you from being nasty. Berman shows exactly what happens when we act when our emotions are clouding our judgment; it’s heartbreaking, immature, and silly. To see these interactions play out on the page, strengthened my connection to the characters. I knew exactly whether I liked them or not, and exactly why that was. And these themes need to be spoken about because they reveal the ugly truth to people who don’t want to believe they act a certain way. Whether that’s being petty, or rude.
To conclude, considering its core messages, I’d recommend this book because you might learn something from it. Even if you don’t, you’ll definitely find some aspect of it relatable, even if the writing and story aren’t as strong as they could be. And if it really doesn’t tickle your fancy, then rest assured, you wouldn’t be missing out.
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Such Charming Liars - Karen McManus
When Kat and Liam’s scam‑artist families collide, the teens realise they’re in danger and can only rely on each other. It gets worse before it gets better — but can Kat and Liam find a way out of this alive?
Kat and her estranged almost‑stepbrother Liam are thrown back together during a high‑stakes con at a billionaire’s birthday party, where a murder forces them to team up. As their scam‑artist families collide, the teens realise they’re in danger and can only rely on each other. It gets worse before it gets better — but can Kat and Liam find a way out of this alive?
Karen McManus’s latest novel, Such Charming Liars, is… bad. And as much as I hate to say this — because I can’t recommend reading enough — I genuinely wouldn’t recommend this book to anyone. It was readable, sure, but I felt like the pages were sucking the life out of me, which was incredibly disappointing. Especially because I’m in love with the One of Us Is Lying trilogy. I’ve read every single one of McManus’s novels and never had a single issue with any of them. In fact, I’ve reread a few just to relive the thrill; they were that good. But this 2024 release? I don’t think I’ll be reaching for it again anytime soon, if ever.
For starters, I didn’t get on well with Kat and Liam. I disliked Kat and found it very hard to connect with her, which made it impossible to root for her. She annoyed me — and I know that’s blunt — but I really, really wanted to shake some sense into her because she said and did some pretty stupid things. Yes, I know that without all her silly decisions the story would’ve been hella boring, but Kat could’ve been so much more interesting and realistic without all the corny behaviour and dialogue. I cringed too many times. The dialogue felt dumb and improbable, and that alone made the book tough to get through. And while we’re on the topic of characters, I didn’t like the family dynamics either. I totally understand that neither of these families is a regular, functioning family, but the way Kat behaved around her mother was just odd. I don’t feel like any 16‑year‑old would act the way she did. Teens might become distant, they might hate their parent, they might ignore authority — but becoming their mother’s protector? That dynamic didn’t land. Liam and Kat acted way older than 16, which made their conversations and choices feel out of place for their age group. The only thing that hinted at their actual age was their naïveté, but even that annoyed me because it didn’t match the way they were conducting themselves otherwise.
It all became quite cheesy and made the story harder to believe. Not to mention how information‑heavy it felt — a tiring, drawn‑out read when all I wanted to do was put the book down and end my unexpected bout of disappointment.
However, I write these reviews for you in the hopes that they help you decide whether you want to read a certain novel or not. So I have a duty to finish every book I pick up… unless it starts making my life a living hell. And to be fair, the fact that I soldiered on with this must mean something, right? It was decent to a certain extent. If you simply want to escape life for a bit and don’t feel like taking a book too seriously, Such Charming Liars might work for you. In that sense, I’d recommend it. Otherwise, I wouldn’t waste your time.
Besides, there are better heist novels out there. Fantasy heists like Leigh Bardugo’s Six of Crows and Scott Lynch’s The Lies of Locke Lamora; classic thrillers like Michael Crichton’s The Great Train Robbery; and contemporary works like Grace D. Li’s Portrait of a Thief and S.A. Cosby’s Blacktop Wasteland. I can’t vouch for all of them, but I know The Great Train Robbery is fantastic and well worth the read, even if you’re not a fan of older texts. And Six of Crows has been read by a close friend of mine who loves it — and as El from Stranger Things says, “friends don’t lie,” so I believe her. It’s on my TBR list and i have a much better feeling about that genre and heist, than this one i’m writing about. As for you, I may not be your friend, but trust me when I say this novel isn’t as good as McManus’s other ones. There are plenty of people out there who agree with me, too.
For now, I’m sorry to bring you this let‑down, but I hope it gives you some clarity when choosing between Such Charming Liars and another heist novel in the future. Hint hint: choose the latter.
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The Virgin Suicides - Jeffrey Eugenides
Jeffrey Eugenides’ first novel ‘The Virgin Suicides’ follows the tragic lives of five sisters who were the neighbourhoods greatest fascination…
Jeffrey Eugenides’ first novel, 'The Virgin Suicides,' follows the tragic lives of five sisters who were the neighbourhoods greatest fascination. From sex to suicide, the Lisbon sisters’ story is told from their neighbours’ points of view—neighbours who kept a watchful eye on their peculiar ways and naturally alluring beauty, deeply investigating why they were all driven to such extremities.
It’s a marvelously written book from start to finish, and it deserves all the praise it’s received. Every sentence was written to perfection, every character felt elaborately created; it felt so real I had to check that it wasn’t based on a true story. Though, according to an article on Yahoo, the story “was inspired by real events after Jeffrey Eugenides came across an article mentioning a group of young girls from California in the 1970s who agreed to make a suicide pact.” And despite its brilliantly formed clauses and phrases, it’s probably the darkest story I’ve read, evoking emotions that I never thought would be evoked so greatly in my life (by a novel at least). He’s sprinkled it with humor and fueled it with information that everybody wants to know. There isn’t a single portion of this book that I felt shouldn’t have been there because I didn’t need to know it. I had to know it. I had to know everything, because just like the boys living on the same street as the Lisbon family, I had questions that I wanted the answers to.
I mean, the description was so powerful it was one of the aspects in this book that propelled me through the story, forcing me to finish it without skipping a single sentence. And there’s plenty of novels out there that I’ve tried to read and tried to enjoy but have miserably failed at doing because the description is too much and way too unnecessary. It’s boring, and I don’t like boring.
Eugenides captivated me completely. He not only raised awareness about an issue that devastates thousands of people today, but he’s brought to light themes of adolescence, repression, and the impact of societal expectations which surround the main idea. And so I found it to be a really riveting read. The plot was strong, which made each turning point in the book a distressing shock, which is the right effect to give as an author considering what the novel is about, on top of ending it the way it should be ended. You may argue with that, but I’m pleased with it. I don’t think it should be changed; not for the world.
I give this intense and delicate story five out of five stars. Every aspect deserves top marks, and I’d read it again just to see if I could piece together anything that I might have missed before. So with that said, yes, I would recommend this novel to almost everybody, unless you’re trying to avoid upsetting topics and sorrowful mysteries. Otherwise, read to your heart’s content. This is a modern classic that any death fanatic would enjoy. It’s intriguing and very eerie, “bold and resonant” from the Independent on Sunday, and intoxicating but not without its heartbreaking subject matter.
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The Truants - Kate Weinberg
Jess Walker’s life gets turned upside down when she’s sucked into a friendship group like no other. They bend the rules, bringing out a version of Jess that she never knew existed. So when their lives at University begin to darken, secrets spill, lovers cheat, and devastation strikes. And the death of her friend is only the beginning.
Jess Walker’s life gets turned upside down when she’s sucked into a friendship group like no other. They bend the rules, bringing out a version of Jess that she never knew existed. And when their lives at university begin to darken; secrets spill, lovers cheat, and devastation strikes. The death of her friend is only the beginning.
This is a novel with a complexity that builds suspense, keeps the reader guessing, and causes utmost destruction to the emotions of the reader and the unpredictable lives of the characters. As the New York Times book review says, it certainly is the “Hypnotic…an uncommonly clever whodunnit’ novel that they claim it to be.
God, it’s perfect. From the characters to Weinberg’s plot, it’s so intricately detailed and well written that there is nothing like it. It’s original, fresh, a real page turner that never ceases to amaze. I never once guessed where the story was going - but perhaps that’s because i’m not much of a detective - and I was delightfully surprised by each revelation got described. For a murder mystery that referred to the genius author Agatha Christie quite a bit, this is a truly astonishing book. Her characters annoyed me, but I also fell in love with them, their flaws were realistic and their character traits grew on me over time. Much like with people we meet in our day to day lives. Weinberg’s characters were so raw and meticulous that I never once had to question their actions or dialogue; and it gives me great joy to say that. She deserves the five stars I’m going to give her for it.
The writing too was spectacular, effortless, easy to read and to follow. I really felt like I was being carried from one scene to the next without getting lost in between. The well planned structure helped it move smoothly. It’s a plot perfect for the genre, it made sense, and left me satisfied which is all I ask for in murder, mystery, suspense, and psychological novels. It’s creepy, weird; extremely bizarre, but in such a brilliant way. You’ll hate Weinberg’s characters, but you’ll also care for them, and question what they’re doing and what they mean, and that in itself is a special thing to be able to do to a reader in writing. It’s what makes The Truants such an unstoppable page turner. Each phrase and clause keeps you interested with its suspicious characters and their wild yet endearing behaviour which inevitably takes them on the adventure that Weinberg tells.
I loved it and I hope you murder devotees enjoy it too; if this is something you’d be interested in reading of course. But with that said, I recommend it - among a lot of other novels in this genre - but for a good and compelling start, this is the book for you. I mean, it hits its audience well, if you’re the right reader for it you’ll know. It’s coming-of-age aspects are relatable beyond belief, especially when one is put in the circumstances that poor Jess Walker gets put in…but I won’t speak too much of that, you’ll have to read it yourself! So go on, take a gander, you just fall in love with it.
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Not Like Other Girls - Meredith Adamo
High school senior, Jo-Lynn Kirby, strays away from the norms in all aspects of life. From academic troubles, to flirting with the boys, and back chatting the teachers; Jo has a lot on her plate. Not to mention the fact that her best friend, Maddie Price goes missing for reasons nobody can seem to find. But when Jo begins to investigate, bringing her soon to be lover, Hudson, into the picture, secrets start to unravel faster than a ball of string…
So, I’ve stepped back into my comfort zone with this one and boy was I satisfied. Meredith Adamo has written an astonishing novel with twists and turns that take her readers on one very big emotional roller coaster.
Not Like Other Girls is about high school senior, Jo-Lynn Kirby, who strays away from the norms in all aspects of her life. From academic troubles at school, to flirting with the boys, and back chatting the teachers, Jo has a lot on her plate. Not to mention the fact that her best friend, Maddie Price goes missing for reasons nobody can seem to find. But when Jo begins to investigate, bringing her soon to be lover, Hudson, into the picture, secrets start to unravel faster than a ball of string. Secrets that change everything. She may have fallen out with all her friends over a few leaked nudes shared by a close pal, but the mysteries that come from it are way bigger than she ever thought they’d be. Does she ever find her missing friend? And will any of the friendships broken by her past mend themselves in the end? Or will everything end in disaster?
You’ll have to pick up this book if you want to find out where Adamo takes this story, but it’s one close to her heart, and it raises issues far bigger than menial friendships and the pointless arguments that occur within them. This is a story about power, control, close bonds, trust, and true love. It’s a story told time and time again, but each time it is, there’s a different way of presenting it and Adamo’s done a good job of executing both the plot and her characters; drawing on her own experiences, as well as her wonderful imagination.
I couldn’t recommend this book more. It’s right up my street. It’s influenced my writing and has been a real inspiration when it comes to ideas and textual traits which I will aspire to use in my own work. So much so, I can happily give this a strong four out of five stars due to its tense page turning plot, and believable characters. The only thing I was slightly disappointed by was the ending. I felt that it was rushed; wrapping most of the mystery up during the epilogue when I think that it would have benefited from a little more information and bulk at the end of the story, before the epilogue even begins.
In other words, the ending was too abrupt, and the epilogue was too fast paced which made it a little hard to remain emotionally engaged throughout the last few pages. Especially as the major, stomach churning event occurs during the last few chapters of her book. However, I can’t say that this makes the whole book awful. It doesn’t, it’s great, and I’m glad that we as readers actually get to enjoy a conclusion that doesn’t leave us guessing or wanting more. That’s how a mystery should be handled, and that’s exactly what Adamo did, even if it felt a little messy through my eyes. Which says a lot considering my thoughts on Stuart Turton’s ‘The Last Murder at the End of the World’…
I still have nothing but positive feedback for Adamo, though, it’s a book for your summer holiday abroad, or perhaps you need some down time reading among all the books you’re reading for your studies, or perhaps you just need a book that’s easy on the mind and is a smooth read. Not Like Other Girls is the one for all those situations, it’s fit for relaxation and some well deserved pleasure. So take a break from the busy world around you and read this one, you’re guaranteed to enjoy it - unless you prefer horror novels, or straight up sci-fi’s, or anything that doges taboo subjects like sex, drugs, and alcohol. Otherwise, sit back, read, and enjoy.
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