It’s finally the weekend of Fiona and Trevor’s wedding in Florida. As a group of friends gather at the airport, none of them are excited, all of them have their reasons for disliking Trevor, but none of them are sharing them with Fiona. Instead all of them are keeping them safely hidden, even from each other. As the wedding approaches, more secrets are brought to light, but there will be no cake, no honeymoon, no home or family with the picket fence. Fiona has been widowed on her wedding day. Each of them has a reason to kill Trevor, but it could be anyone.

▪️REVIEW▪️

It Could Be Anyone ~ Jaime Lynn Hendricks


▪️READ IF:
* You have a love/hate relationship with Florida heat.
* You know how to administer an EpiPen.
* Weddings are your jam.

▪️SUMMARY: Trevor and Fiona are about to tie the knot in Miami and their five best friends wouldn’t miss it for the world. Scratch that - Fiona’s five best friends can’t miss it because they’re being blackmailed by Trevor to support these nuptials. Despite wanting the groom dead, they are left championing this wedding for fear that their secrets will be outed.

As the wedding festivities proceed, it becomes harder and harder to keep quiet and animosity grows! When the groom dies of an allergic reaction, there are a few secrets that had more to lose than Trevor’s life ~ it REALLY could be anyone!

▪️REVIEW: I went into this with ZERO expectations - was honestly just trying to squeeze one more in before the end of the month and the May 31st pub day was good incentive. I was hooked! The first chapter ends with a dead groom so I was sucked it right away and the shifting perspectives allowed me to get to know each character without being totally confused about who was who.

Even if thrillers aren’t your thing, you’ll like this one. It’s a quick, soapy, salacious page-turner that’s perfect poolside or when you need something to get you out of a slump. I would totally recommend this one and lucky for you, it’s out today!

Thank you NetGalley and Penzler Publishers for this e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I LOVED Jaime Lynn Hendricks debut, Finding Tessa, and was so ecstatic to be approved to read her second book, It Could Be Anyone. This was a fun, drama filled, twisty, page-turning thriller! The characters were unforgettable. I loved getting to know each one of them on such an intimate level. Emma, Ethan, Allie, Dutch, and Vee are each hiding life-changing secrets within their close-knit circle. I thought the most exciting part of this book was when I hit the 75% mark. I loved the ending! I will say I did enjoy Finding Tessa a little bit more than this book, but there were enough twists to keep me wanting to find out what was going to happen in the end.

Thanks so much to Netgalley, Penzler Publishers, and Jaime Lynn Hendricks for this eARC!

This story had me hooked right from the start. Very much enjoyed the premise behind this story and the fast paced writing with multiple characters, but I felt that halfway through I knew the bulk of what was keeping me on my toes. About halfway through, I walked away for a month or two because I couldn’t stay engaged. I started a few other books and then came back because I had to see if I was right about what would happen…I was. I like that there were multiple story lines but didn’t feel like they were tied up, which I definitely would have liked. The chapter were fast paced and changed characters pov.

This was a fast paced and twisty "whodunnit" mystery and I had a fun time tryout to figure out who the killer was! Told in multiple POVs, everyone had secrets, so everyone had motive. I loved the short chapters and the twists and turns!

This one comes out tomorrow and I highly recommend it!

Five best friends. One destination wedding. The groom doesn't make it out alive.

Why would any of them want Trevor dead?

Trevor Vaughn wooed his bride-to-be Fiona by becoming close to all her friends. He learned all their deepest, darkest, most dangerous secrets. He blackmailed them into convincing Fiona saying "I do".

Trevor has ulterior motives to gain entry into Fiona's family and will stop at nothing to make his dream a reality. When Trevor dies of an apparent allergic reaction at his own wedding - it begs the question: which one of these five friends would want Trevor dead?

_____________

This book gave me 'The Guest List' vibes!

While I enjoyed the premise of this novel, there were too many characters to keep track of, and it definitely got confusing keeping track of all their secrets.

None of the characters were really likeable, and I felt like the dialogue was very simple.

While this was a fast paced read, the ending was very lackluster. I was anticipating a more jaw dropping ending.

I didn't love this book - but it was an entertaining read!

This book had me hooked from page one! My favorite part of reading this genre is when there are unexpected twists and turns, and the author of this novel delivered. Would definitely recommend!

This book was racing towards a 5 star review, then the last 25 yards of the race it's like the author tripped over the finish line and came in 4th place (just outside of medaling) I was telling Eve I literally could not turn the pages quick enough,I absolutely loved how JLH kept hanging a little carrot out infant of the reader...I was dying to know everyone's secret.
(Recap: 5 friends show up for Fiona and Trevor's wedding. ON the first page Trevor has been killed during the reception.....and all we know is 1 of the friends killed him. The book begins with the reader learning each of the 5 was being blackmailed from Trevor....but why? What were their dark secrets?) Y'all these secrets were SO JUICY! Like squeeze an orange and make me some OJ juicy.
I had not stayed up past 10:15 in the past few months but I was up reading at night till after 11 just to find out what happened.

So why not 5 stars Neils?

Sadly reader when it is revealed who did it (yes you literally have to wait until the last like 4-5 pages) it felt like such a let down. I was thinking it was going to be a really crafty twisty plot...but in the end the person who did it there was really no way the reader could have pieced together the actions of this particular character.
So I kinda felt like a New England Patriots Football (Omg did I just type that? I LOVE TOM BRADY!!! But I couldn't resist) **Tom You had nothing to do with deflated footballs, you are a true football star and I will gladly accept any and all tickets to your football games **Hint Hint Ted I know you are reading this Oct 23 Panthers vs Buccanneers --the pirates not the deer)

Read this book! You will be totally entertained! The ending.....hmm...interested to see what you think....maybe I am just being a buddy dud?
I WILL Definatly read more by this author.

Thank you Net Galley for this advanced reader copy. I have not been paid or given anything for this honest review (I will accept football tickets though--haha)

Murder at a destination wedding, what's not to love! Such a fun book! Full of surprises and really unexpected twists and turns. It did take me a little while to get into it, but once I did it took off like a shot. I didn't love the characters, but that makes for a better book for me! Thank you so much!

I started this one at 3pm on a Friday afternoon, and just finished it 8 hours later. I was so invested in the characters so quickly, and I felt compulsively pulled toward the end. I love a great friend group with secrets plot, and It Could Be Anyone delivered.

If you love multiple points of view, secrets hidden all over the place, a shocking beginning that you go back in time to understand, and characters pushed to extreme desperation, then get this on your TBR right now!

I loved Finding Tessa by the author and was thrilled to be approved for an ARC of her sophomore novel, but it sadly missed the mark for me.

This was a quick read and relatively easy to follow despite the large cast. However, I didn't feel attached to any of the characters and the antagonist was laughably one-dimensional (which a character in the book itself actually acknowledges and mentions 🤷).

While the setup/premise is similar to that of many whodunits involving a group of friends reuniting for a significant event, this one had very poor characterisation that leaves you not caring about anyone. Additionally, the opening chapter is the most compelling part of the whole novel so don't expect any big twist or wow moment or worthy pay-off.

Might make a fun vacation read but ultimately very underwhelming for a thriller.

With a "Big Little Lies" vibe, It Could Be Anyone kept me riveted, wanting to know who did what. A cleverly written book that will keep you guessing right up until the end.

This is The Guest List just rewritten and...worse somehow? Definitely not my favorite. I do think it may have captivated me more had I not already read The Guest List. It wasn't awful and it could keep my attention, it was just too familiar of a plot line.

Thank you NetGalley for an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review and opinion.

It Could Be Anyone. True. It took half of the book for me to really keep the characters straight. Even then, it was more by name than by any true character development. I did enjoy the guy getting what he deserved. The horror of that kind of death was a little glossed over, but the book was more about the relationships than the crime itself. Because of that, I am torn on this one. I didn’t like any of the characters enough to care about the relationships. These weirdos who stay in a friend group from college into adulthood are rarely likable. The murder and the reasons everyone had for wanting to commit it were less developed than I would have liked. More murder and intrigue and less people stuck in their barely post adolescent drama.

This is not my first Jaime Lynn Hendricks book, and will certainly not be my last. I was so happy I got this ARC, and I can say this novel did not disappoint. I am a HUGE fan of whodunnits, so this was right up my alley. The story follows the death of the groom at this destination wedding. The suspects? The bride's 5 best friends, each with their own motive. I loved that the story kept me guessing, and it didn't seem to have an obvious suspect. It does not drag, and it is not full of unnecessary details. One of those fun reads you can lose yourself in as you keep flipping the pages to solve the mystery. I would love for this to be turned into a movie.
#ItCouldBeAnyone #NetGalley

Review- It Could Be Anyone
By Jaime Lynn Hendricks
Stars ⭐️ ⭐️⭐️⭐️

What could be more fun than a destination wedding with your closest college friends? The better question is how miserable could it be??? In Miami for a fun filled wedding weekend, Allie, Emma, Ethan, Dutch & Vee are about to find out just that. They are all being blackmailed by their best friend Fiona’s fiancé Trevor. Fiona is having second thoughts about Trevor & he has to do something to seal the deal… she must marry him. The only way for this to happen is if Trevor convinces her closest friends that he is HER PERFECT choice. Easier said then done… without a little persuasion but when the groom dies on their wedding night who is the murderer? Anyone could be! Trevor has & is holding secrets about each one of them. How far will he go to get Fiona?

What follows is a fast paced domestic thriller that will keep you reading until the very end. The book is so well written. I loved the alternating chapters of past & present along with the complex characters constantly evolving… always revealing just a bit more. Lots of twists & turns happen along the way too! Just when you think you have it figured out… along comes another twist.
Highly recommended for those who enjoy a suspenseful thriller. Thank you #NetGalley, #jaimelynnhendricksauthor, #ItCouldBeAnyone & Penzler Publishers for the opportunity to read this ARC. My review is strictly voluntary.

Published 5-10-2022

Title: It Could Be Anyone
Author: Jaime Lynn Hendricks
Genre: Thriller
Rating: 3.0

To anyone on their flight out of New York, they appear to be five best friends excited for a destination wedding in Miami. No one would guess that each of them has a reason to want the groom dead.

Trevor Vaughn, the groom in question, wooed his bride-to-be by first becoming close with her friends—which is to say that he learned all of the five’s darkest, most dangerous secrets and blackmailed them into convincing Fiona to say “I do.” The friends were forced to convince a doubting Fiona to go through with the wedding, no matter what, and now the charade is set to continue all the way to the altar.

Trevor has his own reasons for wanting to marry into Fiona’s family, and he’ll stop at nothing to make his plan a reality. But when he dies of an apparent allergic reaction at the wedding, surrounded by such close enemies, the possibility of murder isn’t far behind. And for the authorities investigating the case, anyone present could be a suspect...

To be honest, the only reason I finished reading this was because it was a quick read. None of this group of friends were likable people—they’d all done horrible, selfish things in the past—and present—and frankly, they made my skin crawl. Trevor is also a horrible person, so I didn’t feel too bad knowing he ended up dead. The writing was solid, but the blurb is a bit misleading, considering the “investigation” into Trevor’s murder was barely mentioned at all in the actual book.

Jaime Lynn Hendricks lives in New Jersey. It Could Be Anyone is her newest novel.

(Galley courtesy of Penzler Publishers in exchange for an honest review.)

I don't know why, but I'm always grabbing for the books about a group of friends who go away together and one ends up dead. Sometimes they're in a snowstorm, sometimes at a fancy resort, or as in this case, at a wedding. It Could Be Anyone starts with antagonist, Trevor, dropping dead at his wedding, apparently brought down by a fatal allergic reaction.

The novel then shifts back and forth between the wedding-related events and a time in the past when Trevor first proposed to Fiona. The other five main characters are all old college friends of Fiona's. The reader quickly discovers that Trevor is a really bad guy who has blackmailed each of the five friends to support his marriage to Fiona. He obviously has political aspirations that marriage to Fiona would help solidify. The other five friends can't stand him, but self-preservation requires them to keep their mouths shut and let the wedding proceed. At least that's what they all tell themselves.

The five friends are all obviously suspects in Trevor's death, but then so is Fiona to some extent, as well as her politician uncle. Author Jaime Lynn Hendricks gives no hints in her telling of this story, and the answer only comes in the closing pages of the novel.

It Could Be Anyone is a quick beach read for anyone just looking for a short escape from real life. However, it's a formulaic story that won't stay with the reader past closing the book. My thanks to NetGalley and Scarlet Press for providing me an eGalley.

This was a drama filled thriller and I couldn’t get enough. You definitely have to suspend your disbelief so this one because it’s kooky and a little over the top but it worked for me. It starts out with the murder and then circles back to the days leading up to it - it really worked well in this book. The suspect pool is decently large but I didn’t struggle keeping track of the characters like I’ve done in other similar set ups. This is the perfect beach read thriller if your in the market for one!

Oooh, It Could Be Anyone gives us the best kind of story- a protagonist we love to hate, and five people set on revenge for his cold-hearted blackmail. All set in a wedding venue in Miami, in the midst of a heatwave, which doesn't help anyone's temperament. I love how Jaime Lynn Hendricks managed to put together a complex plot while keeping all the characters true to their voice. At first, I was disappointed, thinking the author had given us the killer up front, but nah, she's way too clever for that!

And I have so many questions! How did Trevor find out everyone's secret? How does everyone do life after the wedding (after the secrets)? Does Fiona find out what a rat Trevor was? Does Roger come back into the fold? Do the police investigate the members of the wedding party further? Any one of these answers could be a sequel, hint, hint Jaime Lynn! This was one of those books you never want to end!

Thanks to NetGalley and Penzler Publishers for an advance reader's copy. Now I have to go back and read Finding Tessa!