For three best friends, a summer in Greece in 2008 with no adult supervision was a dream come true.  Until it wasn't. There were problems from the time they boarded the plane and they slowly festered as time went on. When a side trip ended in tragedy, a pact was made that would change Bess and Joni's lives.  They were charged with the murder of their friend Evangeline, but never convicted. Ten years later, their lives have taken two very different paths.  Even so, Bess and Joni come together once again when history may be repeating itself.

BEFORE WE WERE INNOCENT by Ella Berman is a story that vividly brings to life relationships that might have brought out the worst in the young women even though they believed they were best friends. As Bess and Joni's lives were ripped open publicly, it became very clear that social media was not their friend.  Words came back to haunt them for years. Ten years after Evangeline's death when Bess and Joni face each other again, questions and suspicions arise. Why did one of them shrink away from the world and why did the other embrace her notoriety to create a public persona?  What exactly are they capable of and were they ever loyal to each other?

I found this to be a skillfully crafted and engrossing story about lives that went wrong.  Readers are left with a thought-provoking conclusion.