Maureen Doyle McQuerry

In a dual narrative, Elaine struggles to protect herself and brother Stephen in 1918 New York City, and Molly, her daughter, does the same for her brother, Angus, in 1955 San Jose, California.

Between Before and After

Sheila Goicea

I received an ARC of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!



Review to come shortly!

My Blog ¦ Bookstagram ¦ Twitter ¦ Pinterest ¦ Facebook

Paige Green

Disclaimer: I received this book from JustReadsTour! Thanks! All opinions are my own.

Rating: 4/5

Publication Date: February 5, 2019

Genre: YA Contemporary

Recommended Age: 13+ (pain, past, secrets, loss and love)

Publisher: Blink

Pages: 304

Amazon Link

Synopsis: “The carnage began with the roses. She hacked at their ruffled blooms until they dropped into monstrous drifts of red on the parched yellow lawn … Only two things kept my mother grounded to us: my uncle Stephen and stories.”

Fourteen-year-old Molly worries about school, friends, and her parents’ failed marriage, but mostly about her mother’s growing depression. Molly knows her mother is nursing a carefully-kept secret. A writer with an obsession for other people’s life stories, Elaine Donnelly is the poster child of repressed emotions.

Molly spends her California summer alternately watching out for her little brother Angus and tip-toeing around her mother’s raw feelings. Molly needs her mother more than ever, but Elaine shuts herself off from real human connections and buries herself in the lives and deaths of the strangers she writes about. When Uncle Stephen is pressed into the limelight because of his miracle cure of a young man, Elaine can no longer hide behind other people’s stories. And as Molly digs into her mother’s past, she finds a secret hidden in her mother’s dresser that may be the key to unlocking a family mystery dating to 1918 New York—a secret that could destroy or save their future.

Review: I thought this book was so captivating and fantastical! I loved how wonderfully vivid and real the writing was! The characters were all well written and the plot and world building were done well as well. The book was structured amazingly well and it left me constantly wanting for more!

However, the ending was not as fantastical. It felt really rushed and ex machina. I think it needs to be built up a bit more but overall it’s pretty well!

Verdict: A amazing book!

Between Before and After

Reviews