A dark, twisty mystery -- even though I struggled to find a character to root for or relate to, I couldn't put it down. It's tightly plotted and skillfully crafted. Fans of psychological thrillers and college-set murder mysteries will enjoy this very much.

Many thanks for the opportunity to read and review!

I'll be filming a full non-spoiler/spoilers for those who have read video for this amazing book on my Youtube channel come August when it is released, but for now I will give you my general thoughts, spoiler free of course! I was very happy with this book, it is the perfect murder-mystery for those who love a WHO-DUN-IT novel! I personally LOVE to get invested in the select characters that are our potential murderers, make mental notes for who I think the killer is, and then either be proven right or wrong! In the case of In My Dreams I Hold a Knife, I was WRONG with my prediction, which I always love.

In this book you follow our main character POV, Jess, who is being haunted by one of her friend's deaths many years later. When she returns to her college wanting to show off her amazing lifestyle, she doesn't get to do this because a ghost from her past is here to make either her, or one of her friends, fess up. I loved this book! It kept me on the edge of my seat. I would say my only criticisms with it were it felt a tad too lengthy, and some of the hopping from past to present sections could have flowed a bit more neatly. For example, you will have past sections from a day from Junior Year of college, and then the next is a snipped from a day even before college. Those parts could have flowed a little more fluidly, but overall not a huge con and the book is really good overall!

College reunion becomes a who-done it. Told from current day and flashbacks, you follow the story of who killed Heather and why. Each character seems to have their own reasons to kill her, but who actually killed her? This one had many plot twists and turns and the flashbacks made it all the better. Quick read. Recommended.

One of the best things I can say about a book is that I continued thinking about it or puzzling over it while I wasn't reading. Everything in this world is dramatic and full of high stakes, even for superficial matters, but almost everyone has a reason why. Even if you still hate them and can't condone their actions, everyone has some trauma, some emotional scars that cause them to make the decisions they do. I'm used to college novels being set in the northeast more often than not, so it was also a little bit of a different world for me, spending time with these students at a Southern school where Greek life played such an important role.
Sometimes, things don't entirely make sense until you continue reading, as the novel skips around in time, and even then, I couldn't help but occasionally wonder "Would someone really behave that way?" but there was something rich enough about the drama that I wanted to continue reading. There was also a big romance at the center of the story that I found mostly satisfying and human way to tie it all together in the end.
My little pet peeve is that the title is so great, but like the cover depicts, it's a pair of scissors that are the most prominent weapon in the book. I totally get that "In My Dreams I Hold a Pair of Scissors" feels more like the title of crafting book, and it was definitely the title of this book that caught my attention first, so I'm going to let it go!

Read this WAY past my bedtime. I just had to know what happened. Excellent prose, complex, but easy to follow plot. Will be purchasing for library collection.

What a ride!

A murder on campus. Six college friends. A ten year reunion. And no one is leaving this party until the case is solved.

This is an absolute must read! I love how the author takes a dive into the psyche of each character, pulling out the devious and manipulative tendencies that lie within all of them. There was never a dull moment. The writing was propulsive and engaging, and I couldn't stop flipping the pages through all the twists and turns that I didn't see coming. Just when you think you've got it figured out...you don't.

Ashley Winstead has a new fan!! I can't wait to see what's up next!

Jessica is eager to attend her 10 year college reunion and show everyone how fantastic her life has become. She reunites with her friends, except for the one who was murdered. Heather's brother is determined to finally find the guilty party so what was supposed to be a good time turns into suspicion, fear and blame. The story is told in alternating timelines from college days to the present. It was a good story and well written but I just couldn't feel much for the characters. Thank you Netgalley and the publishers for the advanced copy.

#InMyDreamsIHoldaKnife
#NetGalley
#Edelweiss
A strong and witty mystery that will keep the reader guessing. It has a smart and thought-provoking plot. I enjoyed the characters extremely well.

This is such a great book. I would say it’s definitely combining drama and a thriller. There are also sections that are hard to read because of assault. However I couldn’t put this book down. It’s extremely important subject matter and handled really well.

Ashley Winstead's work is always crammed full of my favorite things: lush prose, twisty plots, and really complicated, nuanced characterization that holds a lantern up to the darkest and brightest spaces within us.

I am real excited to report that this book is not an exception.

IN MY DREAMS I HOLD A KNIFE starts in a microcosm: a woman, flush with achievement and saturated in desire, on the verge of attending a college reunion. Jess is arresting, both in her clear, lyrical voice and the way she wants the same things so many of us want, even if we're afraid to admit it to ourselves.

Quickly, though, the book grabs you in its undertow and spirals out of control. The plot twists and turns, murder suspects revealing and discarding themselves one by one in an angst-filled series of recollections. I read, breath held, as each layer of obfuscation was peeled off, revealing the struggles and machinations of each member of the group as they surged toward their deepest desires: to get away from loss; to prove integrity; to grab at power, status, and respect. I can honestly say this book combines the witty lyrical cynicism of HEATHERS with the Machiavellian yearning of CRUEL INTENTIONS, and if that isn't a compliment, I don't know what is.

Despite how large and complex the plot is, it's airtight and reads like an oiled machine. I started this book at 6:30 p.m. one evening, read until I passed out, woke up at 5 a.m. the next morning, and swam right along to the intellectually and emotionally satisfying conclusion. This was a shock to me; after years and years and years of reading and watching mysteries, I can usually spot the ending a mile and a half off. Not this time. This time, I was pulled along, page by page, inch by inch, each reveal flipping my assumptions and conclusions on their heads. I just cannot recommend this book highly enough. It's definitely cemented Ashley Winstead's place on my auto-buy list forever.

"And I knew, with all my heart and soul, that I'd loved him, and he'd been good and wicked, and in the dark, secret part of me, we were so much the same."

An amazingly complicated and well thought out plot line that follows a group of college friends through their four years of college. They were the “in-crowd” and popular. Then, one of their group was savagely murdered and a member of the group was accused, but then let go for lack of evidence. Flash forward to Homecoming 10 years after graduation. Who really did kill Heather? It could have been any of them. The story is told in flashbacks with so many twist and turns! Just when you think you know who the murderer is, another layer is revealed. I started reading this book one morning and finished it before bedtime. You have GOT to read this book!