I have some mixed feelings about this book — some parts I loved, other parts, not so much. There were a few good twists, but I didn’t find myself completely invested in the characters and the ending was kinda blah for me. Having said that, it was still a fun and fast paced read.

Thank you to Scarlet Suspense for my physical copy and NetGalley for my e-copy!

This is the kind of book you take with you to the beach, and forget about swimming, the sea, and your suntan lotion. I picked up the ARC planning to read a page or two, but by the time I looked up, it was already hours, and I was halfway through!

Trevor Vaughn is the sort you want murdered (sorry, I'm evil) but you'll know what I mean when you read the book! The sprinkling of secrets throughout kept me guessing and these were not your everyday secrets--so be warned. The twists and turns kept me glued, and I almost missed a work deadline, because I could. not. put. it. down.

Go pick up It Could be Anyone. You can thank me later.

Huge amount of thanks to NetGalley, scarlet publishing and Jaime Lynn Hendricks for an advance copy of this book!
A group of friends, a destination wedding, and a murder. Sounds like an excellent formula for a great thriller to me! Fiona is marrying charismatic Trevor, and on the surface, all of her closest friends like him. Of course appearances can be deceiving, and we find out that none of Fiona’s like Trevor. As we find out why, we see that it truly could be that any one of Fiona’s friends is capable of murder.
Y’all, I was hooked from the first chapter! I usually do have a hard time putting down a really good book, but this one was so good I finished it in a day! This is definitely an author I will be keeping an eye on. Publication day is May 31, so definitely put this one on your list and pick up a copy.

Thank you to Penzler and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

It Could Be Anyone by Jaime Lynn Hendricks is a large-cast suspense set at a destination wedding. The story revolves around a group of five best friends who are gathering together for a happy celebration. They love their BFF Fiona. Unfortunately, the groom Trevor is blackmailing them with their deepest, darkest secrets. Then, he ends up dead.

Here is a chilling excerpt from the opening chapter, which is from the Killer's point of view:

"Trevor's leg convulsed, his face flushed, and his lips swelled. I got a small amount of pleasure as he looked at me, though I wasn't sure in his desperate state that he understood that it was me who did it. His threats to expose me to my friends, to hurt those I loved, those were things I couldn't take anymore. I mouthed F*** you to him as he clutched his throat, unable to breathe, and his shiny wedding ring glistened from the overhead disco ball lights. His handsome face looked wretched as he gasped for air, his eyes bloodshot as the oxygen stopped flowing in his veins. No more gasping. He stopped moving altogether."

Overall, It Could Be Anyone is a delightful, slow-paced thriller that will make you question going to your next wedding. One highlight of this book is the relatable premise. Who hasn't been invited to a wedding with a group of your best friends? Weddings are the perfect time for closely-held secrets to accidentally come out. I did take off 1 star, because I'm not a fan of books with large casts. I found some POVs (Emma's and Veejay's) more interesting than others. If you're intrigued by the excerpt above, or if you're a fan of thrillers in general, I recommend that you check out this book when it comes out in May!

A destination wedding sound like fun, right? Wrong! It Could Be Anyone grabbed me from the start. In the middle of his wedding reception the groom, Trevor Vaughn, drops dead from a severe anaphylactic reaction. Was it an accident? Nope. So who’s responsible? Well this book’s title couldn’t be more accurate because it seems like everyone had a reason to want Trevor dead. That’s especially true of the bride’s closest friends. You see Trevor is (or rather was) a major weasel! (Seriously, he’s not a good guy) He’d learned everyone’s deepest, darkest secrets and has been blackmailing them all into helping him to convince Fiona (the bride) to marry him.

Fast-paced, suspenseful, and plenty of twists, this book kept me flipping pages late into the night. I kept saying just one more chapter…just one more chapter. I think a Netflix adaptation would be a lot of fun, and I’d like to thank Penzler Publishers and NetGalley for the chance to read and review an eARC of It Could Be Anyone.

Trevor is the most unlikable character in a long time for me. He dies on page one at his wedding reception and almost allof the members of the wedding party feel a huge sense of relief and guilt, but who did it? The rest of the books made up of their reasons and stories.
It turns out that *spoiler alert* every one of them was being blackmailed by him. Every one of them had good reason to want him dead, but who did it?
I did not care for the drama or the use of men and girls instead of men and women. The use of me and him instead of he and I also annoyed me. I only read 20% of the book and skipped to the end to know what happened, but could just as easily have closed the book without knowing. Not my kids nd of story.
Thank you herbal let for an advance copy in exchange for an honest opinion.

I devoured this in one sitting because it started with a bang right out of the gate! I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough to find out what was going on. And those twists are EVERYTHING!!! 🤯🤯🤯🤯🤯

I was very excited to read this book and went into it with all good vibes. After the first few pages I was even more intrigued, but unfortunately as I continued to read, I found myself re-reading pages and pages because I was having a hard time keeping the characters straight in my mind. As this is an extremely unusual occurrence for me, I began to analyze why this was happening. I decided to stop reading the book, wait several days and begin again.

When the same thing happened again, I came to the conclusion that it was because I just was not that interested in the plot or the characters. I've read them all before and none of them seemed interesting or worthy enough of my time to finish the book.

I am rating the book two stars because in all fairness I didn't finish reading it.

This was your typical “who done it domestic thriller”. It was slow going and the characters were all very unlikable. Perhaps that was the point, but it made it difficult to make it through the book when I didn’t really care one way or the other about the outcome of the characters lives. I didn’t guess, who the killer was so that was one positive about this book. It was a slower read and not as fast paced as I prefer. I generally enjoy books that switch between characters, but I felt this one switched too much.

A good thriller! Trevor is getting married and asks his future bride’s friends to be bridesmaids and groomsmen. The months a days leading up to the wedding are full of secrets, and the wedding night brings even more.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book prior to publication. This book was so fast paced and kept me gasping and holding my breath until the very end. Such a great read! You will be so happy you chose this book!

This was a fun and fast who-dun-it read! There were a lot of questionable decisions made, intense characters, lot of red herrings, and the ending is a bit abrupt. But when you suspend reality, it's a great mystery book to get lost in. I also enjoyed the multiple POVs. Overall, a wild ride!

Let me first say that Jamie Lynn Hendricks is by far my favorite author! I read Finding Tessa when it was first released and I was immediately enthralled by the book. So, of course, when I saw this on NetGalley, I immediately requested it- this book did not disappoint one bit. It gave me Ruth Ware and Agatha Christie vibes, being that this was a whodunnit mystery/thriller. I found it to be a twisty and intriguing domestic thriller that kept me guessing! And when Trevor is murdered that’s when things began to get twisted- who could’ve possibly murdered Fiona’s evil soon-to-be husband? If you’re looking for your next twisty thriller, I highly recommend this one!

It was a fast-paced suspense read with multiple points of views and backstories. If you enjoy reading different takes on one event that keeps you guessing: who killed the groom? This is it.

The story follows five best friends traveling from NY to a destination wedding in Miami. Weddings should be fun and exciting but what if each friend had their own reason for wanting the groom, Trevor Vaughn dead.
Trevor is a sleeze who had his own reasons for wanting to marry into Fiona’s family. In order to get Fiona’s attention, he became friends with her group of friends first. Learning all their deep dark secrets and using it to force them into convincing Fiona into saying I do.
When Trevor dies of an allergic reaction the authorities realize that everything is not what it seems.

I wish the story had a bit more thrill or that we could be pulled into the atmosphere of it. I couldn’t connect with the characters but I didn’t dislike them. Overall it was an entertaining read.


I received a free copy of this book via NetGalley and I am voluntarily leaving an honest review.

It Could Be Anyone will have you guessing in this fast-paced who-dunnit through the entire book. The twists and turns are crazy and it was a wild ride.

The story follows a group of college friends who are in Miami for their friend's wedding, except the groom dies within the first few pages. From there, the story bounces between all the characters POV's leading up to the wedding with all having their own reasons for potentially killing him.

I truly can't say much without giving away the book, but HOLY CRAP, I never saw the ending coming. If you're looking for a thriller that will keep you guessing, check out It Could Be Anyone.

4/5 stars

Thank you Penzler Press and Netgalley for the digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I had a blast reading this edge of your seat mystery that had me guessing till the very end!

The book starts off like a shot. The groom, Trevor, is dead and someone in the wedding party killed him. Trevor is someone who's death you don't cry over, as he had blackmail over the entire wedding party - which means, there is an abundance of motives. You get introduced to the different members of the wedding party through their own POVs, slowly untangling who these people are and what secrets they are keeping and who had a secret big enough to kill over.

Jamie Lynn Hendricks does an amazing job in this book of keeping you guessing till the very end. I was 95.3% sure I knew who the killer was until a surprise twist had me baffled and propelled me to continue reading. Hendricks is masterful at characterization. As the secrets get revealed you can't help but feel sorry for some of them and furious at others, but overwhelmingly you just feel rage for Trevor and can't wait for him to get murdered. There's also some romance sprinkled throughout the book, and because it takes place during a wedding, it does feel like Chandler and Monica vibes which I was totally here for!!

The book is a must-read for any mystery fan!

This eARC was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

This murder mystery novel starts out strong with the murder occurring in the first chapter. From there, I stayed hooked through the entire book. I could not put it down! I absolutely loved this book and would highly recommend it to anyone!

Thank you @netgalley @penzlerpub and @scarletsuspense for allowing me to read this book ahead of publication in exchange for my honest review.

I've heard lots of good reviews from Hendricks's previous book and was looking forward to reading this one.

"A group of friends head to Miami for a wedding of their good friend, Fiona, and their new friend, Trevor. Except none of the group really like Trevor. He really wants to marry into Fiona's family so he found the darkest secrets of the group and blackmailed them all to speak well of him to Fiona. And now at the wedding he's dead...and everyone is a suspect."

Trevor dies in the very beginning and the rest of the book we find out why everyone wants him dead. And these characters are all jacked-up. This is the perfect read for you if you like messed up characters. Hendricks dribbles the stories out a little at a time - just the right amount to hold the reader's interest. There are several red herrings so you'll have a hard time guessing the killer.
Fast-paced, entertaining narrative from Hendricks and relatively short chapters (if that's your thing)

How well do you really know your closest friends?

Nice new thriller from Hendricks.

I need to stop requesting destination death trip stories. They generally all have a similar vibe for me and it’s not one of my favorites (that’s on me).

Anyway, this was entertaining in a very dramatic, over the top way. There are multiple characters and viewpoints, lots to remember. At times the shifting storylines and dialogue felt choppy and inorganic. The reveals (blackmail secrets) are way out there and because of that the ending seemed rather lacking. Overall, this was a quick entertaining read but not my favorite.

Thanks to NetGalley, the author and Penzer Publishers, Scarlet for a copy in exchange for a review.

It Could Be Anyone by Jaime Lynn Hendricks opens with a truly intriguing chapter. A member of the friend group, which as of yet has not been described, has murdered the groom at his own wedding. However, every single friend has the motive, means, and opportunity to do it. Thus, the title.

<p>We then flash back to the friend group heading to Miami. There's Dutch, the rich boy who tries to make up for his privilege by volunteering for everything. Vee, an Indian guy who doesn't like swearing. Ethan and Emma, a married couple who have been together since college. Ethan is a recovering alcoholic, and Emma is Portuguese. Finally, there's Allie, who's blonde. These descriptions might seem bare-bones, and they are. Unfortunately, that's how deep the characterization goes.</p>
Although we get to read different characters' inner monologues, there really isn't much there, making the protagonists feel essentially like cardboard cutouts of people. There's a lot of telling when there should be showing, especially with their friendship dynamic. We're told that everyone has been best friends since college, and that they'd do anything for one another. This is constantly repeated, but there aren't too many scenes of them happily interacting or reminiscing. They barely mention Fiona, the bride-to-be, who is essentially their whole reason for attending the wedding in the first place.

<p>Fiona is marrying Trevor, a man who is not well-liked by her friends. And yet, they've been talking him up to Fiona, and to each other, to the point where each person think they are alone in their secret hatred of the man. Why don't these friends confide in each other about their true feelings? Why, because Trevor has blackmailed all of them into convincing Fiona to marry him, of course.
Yes, you read that correctly. This thriller uses blackmail, not to extort its victims, or make them do various tasks or crimes, but rather to act like the perpetrator's friend in public. It's an odd setup, and the group dynamic doesn't help.
The secrets range in severity, from taboo sexual encounters, to financial crime, to manslaughter, but they're treated as if they're on the same level.
Fiona is supposed to be in this friend group, yet she's barely mentioned by the other characters. If she is, it's usually with a disdainful to outright rude comment, such as how plain she is, how fat she, that Trevor is clearly out of her league, and so on. She's also the sacrificial lamb, marrying someone who has ulterior motives and doesn't actually see her as a person. You'd think that real friends, even those who aren't said to be like family, wouldn't let this happen, and you'd be right. A former member of the group, Rodger, explained his true feelings to everyone else, before being exiled when his secret was leaked by Trevor, as promised. No one was able to connect this with their own blackmail, though, so the farce continued right up to the wedding.

Once in Florida, the desperation increases, with Trevor individually taunting them about what he knows. For a thriller, it's quite a slow burn, and I think that's because the point of view switches so frequently. Just when a character is starting to crack, the narrative switches to someone else and the process repeats. It's clear that each person really, really doesn't want their secret to come out, and by the time they're revealed to us, the tension is mostly gone.

I'll be honest: I don't think these people like each other very much. They're all hiding things and lying, insulting Fiona and mocking anyone else at the wedding. Or complaining. They complain constantly, and while I understand that they're under stress, it was a lot to read. The bonds they formed in college were due to very weird circumstances that not everyone knows, and they don't appear to have kept up with one another until this reunion. Heck, once Trevor is dead, the girls comfort Fiona, who is hysterical, but both agree that they'd rather be doing anything else, and are jus looking for excuses to leave her. This dynamic would've worked better if they once were a group of friends, maybe in high school, but had naturally drifted apart and now are forced to confront one another at this wedding. As it is, though, their friendship just feels as fake as their friendship/adoration of Trevor is.

<p>It's initially presented that Trevor is using Fiona because her family has political connections, and someone who blackmails others likes control. Like every other character, Trevor doesn't have much depth, and the one chapter from his point of view seems to be the author's attempt to justify his murder. He talks like a cartoon villain, referring to Fiona as "this chubby, frizzy, gummy-smiled <em>thing</em>," (loc 2785). His actual motive, when revealed, is more convoluted.

Remember those weird circumstances? Well, let me try and map them out for you. These will spoil the entire story, but I couldn't write a proper review without explaining this.


Dutch and Vee knew each other from a fancy private school. Vee was sent to the US for accidentally killing a woman with a car during a drunken joyride, which was covered up by his rich family. That woman was Allie's mother, so he stalked Allie, both online and in-person, eventually befriending her. Allie and Emma were roommates, and it's said that Ethan and Emma were meant for each other and therefore always together. Dutch, a party boy, convinced his girlfriend into taking too much cocaine, causing her to overdose and become seriously disabled for the rest of her life. Oh, and Rodger was Dutch's childhood friend, who ended up having an affair with Dutch's mother. Trevor, who was apparently a totally normal person before, used to date Kelsey, who had subsequently left him for Dutch, became a single-minded machine after the overdose, determined to exact revenge on Dutch and everyone around him.
That's not even the whole story, though. Emma, who is seen as a saint by her friends (though it's not made clear what makes her such a good, pure person) slept with Vee when she and Ethan were broken up, became pregnant with his child, didn't tell him, and gave the girl to her cousin to be raised in Portugal as her niece, rather than her daughter. She also told Ethan and co that she was pregnant, though this was a lie to scare Trevor, whom she had slept with in an attempt to quell the blackmail. Although every single one of the group tried to kill Trevor on the wedding night, Allie, who is revealed in the final chapter to be the killer, did it because she didn't want her dying father to find out she wasn't his "good girl", as she had been selling her much-older husband's business secrets for cryptocurrency. She is the only one out of her friends, all of who went to a very prestigious university, who understood that a peanut allergy and a tree nut allergy aren't the same thing, even though Emma had tried to poison him months earlier with an almond, which did cause a severe allergic reaction



<p>What a lovely tale of friendship and mystery, don't you think? When the book ends, Vee knows about Emma's secrets, and she knows his. Ethan's secret has been revealed to everyone, but Dutch and Allie don't know about Vee and Emma's, Ethan doesn't know anything else, and Fiona is left out entirely of the whole thing, although she was presumably victimized by Trevor as well.


I was really excited to read this book, so I'm disappointed to have written such a negative review. I do want to praise Hendricks for a genuinely thrilling idea, but overall, this was difficult for me to get through, and I felt cheated by the end. I'd personally been hoping the killer would turn out to be Fiona, with Trevor as the face of the blackmailer, but no. Fiona is just a plain woman with hot friends who probably aren't very good friends at all.



Final rating 🌟🌟
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