Molly, a 14-year-old girl from the 1950s, becomes very worrisome about her mother’s growing depression. Elaine, Molly’s mother, has started to isolate herself from the outside world, but most importantly, isolate herself from her family. She closes herself up in her room for days, barely eating or being active, solely focusing on the dark and depressing stories she writes. When a most shocking event comes up in her family, Elaine realizes that she can no longer hide behind her dark pieces of writing --- she has to come out of her shell and face the real world after quite some time. As Molly desperately searches for the answer to her mother’s depression and isolation, she comes upon some shocking evidence containing pieces of her mother’s past, which she has always refused to speak about, Molly’s discover of the secret is something that could single-handedly change her and her family’s life, forever.

"BETWEEN BEFORE AND AFTER is a dark but beautifully written story. I can almost one hundred percent promise that you will be not able to quit flipping the pages of this book..."

BETWEEN BEFORE AND AFTER is a dark but beautifully written story. I can almost one hundred percent promise that you will be not able to quit flipping the pages of this book because of its strong ability to captivate its readers. Everything from its plot, setting and all of the characters in this novel are unique and extraordinary. I absolutely loved reading in both of the points of view of Molly and her mother, Elaine, for they both had such wonderful and different ways on how they both view things and react to certain situations.

This book is unique in its own way, considering it switches between a mother and her child’s point of view nearly in every chapter. Molly gets a lot more than she bargains for in BETWEEN BEFORE AND AFTER. It’s full of drama and suspense, something that I love. Not the dramatic horror suspense that gives you a thrill, but a historical family drama that will continue being adored by readers all over the world. In my opinion, everything about this book is amazingly written, though having an exception for the ending.

From my perspective, the ending felt very rushed and the conclusion of the book didn’t end up giving me the same amount of closure that most books I have read have satisfyingly given the readers. The ending didn’t completely disappoint me, but to say it was a little rushed is an understatement. That said, overall, BETWEEN BEFORE AND AFTER by Maureen Doyle McQuerry is most definitely worth the read.

I would very highly recommend BETWEEN BEFORE AND AFTER to anyone who loves historical fiction and drama, all compacted into one book. Being a history-lover myself, I can vouch for saying that the events that happen in this book have actually happened in the early 1900s, exactly when this book takes place, at least mostly in the mother’s point of view. For anyone who loves drama, there is no doubt in my mind that you will love this book. It’s filled with all different kinds of drama, and even the littlest bit of odd romance. All in all, I wish everyone would read BETWEEN BEFORE AND AFTER by Maureen Doyle McQuerry. Get comfy and cozy because this is a wild ride, my friends.