I loved, loved, loved Ms. McQuerry's writing style. The split-time was handled in an incredible manner, with the end of each chapter being left in a cliffhanger. It made the novel difficult to put down. Many times throughout the story, an excerpt from Hansel and Gretel is used, adding character to the story as a whole.
Despite everything that I loved, the content was mature enough that I cannot recommend this book to teens. There was a description of how abortion is performed and prematernal sex resulting in a child. There were also numerous comments scattered throughout the novel that were not appropriate.
Personal Rating: 2 Stars
Content Rating: 1 Star
*I received a copy of this book through NetGalley in exchange for a review. A positive review was not required. ( )

I received a free advanced copy of Between Before and After as part of the FFBC Blog Tour in exchange for an honest review.

Enter the GIVEAWAY on my blog, Absolute Bookishness. (Ends 2/15/2019.)

Told in alternating perspectives between Molly and her mother, Elaine, Between Before and After crosses distance and time–from 1955 San Jose, California to 1919 Brooklyn, New York and back–spinning a tale of grief, determination, and wonder.

In Between Before and After, McQuerry reveals the strained, tenuous relationship between mother and daughter. A writer, Elaine immerses herself in her biographies project, emotionally closed off from Molly. Elaine’s past a mystery to her. Until Molly discovers a hidden envelope among her mother’s belongings, containing breadcrumbs from her life’s journey. Until Elaine’s emotional outburst in her garden spurs Molly into action. Molly becomes determined to follow the trail collecting as many pieces of her mother as she can, hoping to truly find her way home to Elaine.

Buried in the past, both her own and of those she writes about, Elaine is forced into the present when claims arise that her brother, Stephen, is dubbed a miracle worker after “curing” a teenage boy of fatal disease. As investigators and religious fanatics descend on her house, old instincts return as Elaine attempts to protect her family from those who threaten its peace and happiness.

McQuerry summons Elaine’s tragic coming of age, in a period following World War I and in the midst of widespread outbreak of the deadly Spanish flu. Elaine’s childhood is rife with devastating loss. Her childhood innocence shed too soon. Disease and covert affairs hack away at her family until little remains (much like her later attack on her garden). And, with this, comes terrible burden–of sorrow and loneliness, obligation to care for her younger brother, and survival despite the odds.

McQuerry’s writing is lovely and flows smoothly across the page. The worlds she builds are vivid, tangible, and rich in history as are her characters. Not unlike our modern era, McQuerry constructs a world where flu pandemic sweeps through countries leveling populations, evils pry children from parents, and youths are left to wander a perilous landscape to pursue uncertain futures.

McQuerry’s characters breathe unique spirit into the narrative. Molly navigates the dynamics of friendship, crushes, and life as a child of divorced parents surprisingly well. Little does she know, Molly shares more in common with her mother than her knack for writing, like her mother’s youthful self consciousness. Like his uncle, Molly’s brother, Angus, is widely imaginative, intelligent, and determined, almost to a fault.

Elaine and her strength and resilience flares through the narrative brightest. Though she seems to grow quite a bit in her youth, Elaine becomes stunted as an adult. Rather than taking responsibility for and accepting the consequences of her own actions and decisions (and acknowledging those of others), she continually blames God for not intervening on her behalf. Then when intervention comes (as many believe is the case with the “miracle”), she insists it isn’t enough. Which makes her frustrating. Although not a central character, Stephen seems to grow the most, from being completely dependent on his sister as a child to becoming someone she and her children could depend on in adulthood.

This potent novel is a study in secrets and struggles interwoven with fantastical images of survival–the retelling of Hansel and Gretel, the miracle boy, a family member’s “return from the dead”. Between Before and After is both a cautionary tale and one full of hope. And a testament to the power of stories, the ones we tell others and, more importantly, those we tell ourselves.

Rating: 3.5/5

The original review was posted on Absolute Bookishness.

A thoroughly engaging book about family told through to time periods—1918 for Elaine and 1955 for her daughter Molly—Between Before and After is unique and refreshing. Love of their brothers and interested in writing are commonalities between Molly and her mother, yet there’s also an air of depression around Elaine. One Molly is convinced comes from something from Elaine’s past.

In an effort to figure out what is happening with her mother, Molly embarks on a fact-finding mission to try and figure out the disconnect between them.

Maureen Doyle McQuerry gives readers an intricately layered story of two young women in very different times who are related but distant. Elaine’s storyline is more emotional as she lives through heavy moments of loss and grief. Yet, Molly’s journey of discovery enhances both.
The end is more abrupt and could have been fleshed out a bit more, but the journey is definitely worth taking. For those looking for YA reads that don’t center on romance, Between Before and After is an excellent choice.

Disclosure statement:
I receive complimentary books from publishers, publicists, and/or authors, including NetGalley. I am not required to write positive reviews. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255. ( )

"The best stories can be as unpredictable as miracles. They can surprise you, even when you think you know them by heart."

Fourteen-year-old Molly is inquisitive by nature- a writer, like her mother Elaine, Molly seeks out the truth. When her mother's secrets begin to tear apart Molly's family, she decides to seek out the truth from Elaine's past. Molly starts with her Uncle Stephen for some clues, however, soon Stephen's life is turned upside down as the church begins to investigate him for performing a miracle. With the attention that Stephen's miracle brings, Molly and her brother Angus begin to see a different side of their mother, making Molly more anxious for the secrets that her mother is hiding from 1918. While investigating her mother's past, Molly might just create a miracle of her own.

Between Before & After is a heartwarming and gorgeously written story that examines family, secrets and a little bit of magic. Told in a dual narrative switching between Elaine and Stephen's childhood in 1918 Brooklyn and Molly and Angus' in 1955 San Jose, the differences between their lives is highlighted as well as the mental stress of Elaine's secrets. I felt equally drawn to both timeline stories as Elaine's life in Brooklyn quickly changes after the Spanish Flu epidemic and she becomes responsible for her little brother and running the household. The 1918 timeline also had the story of Hansel and Gretel woven throughout that added a fabulous fairy-tale element that strangely connected to Elaine and Stephen's story perfectly. In Molly's timeline the possibility of miracles and exposing of secrets creates mild suspense and drama that slowly teases out the consequences of Elaine's secret. With an emotionally driven story line and seamless writing, Between Before & After will capture your heart.

This book was received for free in return for an honest review. ( )

https://iwriteinbooks.wordpress.com/2019/01/16/between-before-and-after-maureen-...

{*I was given an early review copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.}
Writers are a strange lot, at least when they’re written about.
Fourteen year old Molly knows this better than anyone. In the mid-fifties, she and her family carve out a strange little life in California, mostly ruled by the whims and near-mania of her mother’s obsessive biography project.
Though Molly and her kid brother do their best to simultaneously win their mothers affection and stay out of her way, that is easier planned than done.
Through dusty archived of the lives of others, including her own mother, Molly stumbles upon a family secret too heavy to leave alone.
Through present (well, relatively, since it’s the 50’s) day struggles, wives through with threads of family history and fairytales, Between, Before, and After stays true to its name in a beautifully written overlapping timeline.
As is the case with many intricately written stories, there is a sizable helping of hard moments. Depression, substance use, abuse, and neglect made this one both difficult to read at times and heartbreakingly beautiful.
It’s certainly not a typical Yoing Adult novel but in many ways, that became a breath of fresh air.
The book comes out next month (February 5, 2019) and I’m grateful to Blink (an imprint of HarperCollins), Netgalley, and Maureen Doyle McQuerry for an early review copy of this book. ( )