It doesn't matter what Jesse Q. Sutanto writes, I'll read it! All her books have sucked me in and never let me go. I'm still thinking of them all now including this one! If you're in the moody for a twisty suspense novel then grab this book when it releases!

Another knockout from Jesse Sutanto. A recommended purchase for collections where thrillers are her previous titles are popular.

First book for me by Jesse O Sutanto ,I was drawn right in bay the tense chilling story line.The characters come alive the story is so effective so well written.An author I will be following and I will be recommending this thriller.#netgalley #berkley

After the perfectly good YA Well, That Was Unexpected, and the perfectly good cozy mystery Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice For Murderers, Jesse Q Sutanto is BACK with the one-sitting WTF pageturner in the new I’m Not Done With You Yet.

I’m Not Done With You Yet is a twisted, manipulative friendship story about writers writing twisted, manipulative friendship stories. Also, about murder and psychopathy.

In the present timeline, Jane is a middling writer, with laughably small advances and a husband who keeps “accidentally” referring to her career as her hobby. I thought the husband was terribly well-written. I think real life is full of people who aren’t hateful, aggressive or dangerous, just completely inconsiderate, and Ted is every coworker who’s left the shared microwave dirty because you’re just so much better at cleaning it, and every boyfriend who left the seat up again and wondered why you were making it such a big deal. Inconsiderate Dudebro Ted is so realistic that it helps ground the intensity of this story into our regular world.

In the past timeline, working-class Jane was lost and overwhelmed at her Oxford fiction MFA program, and is quickly swept up by a chance meeting with the gorgeous, charismatic and talented Thalia. This reminded me of nervous comp grad Hannah and her gorgeous, rich suitemate April in Ruth Ware’s The It Girl. (I’m delighted to see my experience as a state-college kid on an Oxbridge course reflected in fiction, perhaps I won’t dwell on the murderous outcomes in both novels.) Jane is immediately obsessed with Thalia, and their intense friendship powers the whole novel.

I’ve written before about how great the friendship motivation can be in a thriller. Thrillers with obsessive love as a motivation don’t always work for me, because sometimes I think, just dump him/her and move on. Seriously, do you know how many attractive people are out there?!? Reject this one! But doing something dangerous and deeply messed up for a bestie? Doing it for social approval or under social pressure? Now that’s a motivation that works for me every time.

When Jane discovers that Thalia has a new book out about an intense female friendship, she carefully manipulates her way into bumping into her at a fiction convention. Well, sort of, we’ve veering into spoiler territory now. Once the two reunite, the twisty plot really takes off, with shocks and more murder. On one level, readers absolutely know that their insta-bonding after years apart is gonna have dramatic, possibly bloody outcomes, and on the other, everything seems so perfect for Jane! I’m Not Done With You Yet is 100% Gore Free, with a fairly high body count off-camera.

I read this in one sitting and I was hooked right to the end, with twists coming rapidly in the final section.

I’m a big fan of Jesse Q Stanton’s two auntie books and this was obviously very different from those two books but I really liked it. The flashbacks were really good and I really liked the shifting points of view. I appreciated that there wasn’t really anyone to root for but there were def characters I liked better than others.

Jesse Q. Sutanto is an astonishing author who can switch between genres, writing stunning thrillers and entertaining romance/murder mysteries that will make you laugh out loud.

I noticed some resemblances to her previous books, such as naming people or pets after Hollywood stars (in this book, she chose Clint Eastwood). Additionally, there's an auntie in this book who might be one of the key persons in the mystery.

This book is a twisty cat-and-mouse game about toxic girlfriends, obsession, killer instinct, and mental health, with several crazy characters.

Jane reminds us of our favorite Jane Doe character, with her sociopathic tendencies and social anxiety issues. She's stuck in a marriage, a dilapidated house that's draining their savings, and a writing job she's not succeeding in. She barely holds herself together and is on the brink of losing control.

Then she finds out that her friend Thalia, from their Creative Writing days at Oxford, will attend a book convention in New York after releasing her NY Times Bestseller, "A Most Pleasant Death," which seems to be written about their past friendship. Thalia cut her off after they experienced a tragic and bloody incident, which bonded them with a dangerous secret pact.

Seeing Thalia's face on Google searches gives Jane a purpose to reunite with her friend and never let her go. She doesn't consider her husband, who decides to accompany her to fly to New York, and she doesn't think through the fact that meeting an old friend will open a can of worms, bringing out her true face that she's been hiding behind a normal facade for years. What if her sweet, caring, social butterfly friend also keeps dangerous secrets that she never wants to know?

Overall, I'm rounding up 3.5 stars to 4. The beginning of the book was a little dragging, and spending time in a socially disturbed person's mind was an absolutely irritating experience. However, when I reached the second half, the smart twists and picking up the pace changed my mind. I enjoyed the rest of the smart moves and riveting pacing.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing for sharing this psychological thriller's digital review copy with me in exchange for my honest thoughts.

𝐌𝐲 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝 𝐢𝐬 𝐚 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐫𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐛𝐫𝐨𝐤𝐞𝐧 𝐦𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐈 𝐝𝐨𝐧'𝐭 𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐧𝐲𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐚 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐞𝐲𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐦, 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐬 𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐢𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐈 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐛𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐞.

I think every female I know knows this to be true...some friendships are just toxic. Such is the case with Jane and Thalia. When the two meet in a creative writing program, Jane instantly knows she's found her muse. She can't believe that gorgeous, dazzling Thalia would take a liking to her, but she has. One violent night tears the two apart for a decade when Thalia is thrust back into Jane's life.
Jane is a struggling writer while Thalia has achieved fame. When Jane sees that she will be at a book convention in New York, she decides to go confront her long-absent friend, desperate to be back in her orbit.

This was a pulsing, raw examination of the worst kind of friendship there is; one in which Jane constantly compares herself to Thalia and consistently comes up short. Will Thalia finally see what is missing in Jane, or is she using Jane's insecurities to boost her ego? Charles Bukowski said it best with “The male, for all his bravado and exploration, is the loyal one, the one who generally feels love. The female is skilled at betrayal and torture and damnation.”

I loved the flawed characters, I enjoyed the pacing, and I really appreciated the themes that this story line explored so well. Many thanks to NetGalley and Berkley for the early read. This title will publish August 22, 2023.

I'm Not Done with You Yet
by Jesse Q. Sutanto
Pub Date: 22 Aug 2023
Berkley Publishing Group, Berkley
General Fiction (Adult) | Mystery & Thrillers

My thoughts:
This novel by Jesse Q. Sutanto is nothing short of brilliant. The deeper you get into the story, the more questions you have. As the story's primary eyes and ears, Jane, the main protagonist, is well fleshed out and intriguing. This book is driven by tension, an escalating pace, and red herrings that keep you guessing until the end.

Synopsis:
While enrolled in Oxford's Creative Writing program, Jane and Thalia were best friends. Thalia disappeared from Jane's life without a trace after one tragic night that changed their friendship.

Almost ten years later, Jane finds Thalia, who is now a bestselling author. Thalia is promoting her most recent work at a book convention in New York. Will Jane's plan to reconnect with Thalia restore their lost friendship? Is there something more sinister behind this?

Thanks to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for sharing this incredible book with me. I appreciate your kindness.

Nice read. A thriller with an edge, interesting characters and their weird dynamics. The writing style was appropriate, easy enough to digest, but not too simple to be bothersome. The story took a few interesting turns and I was gripped until the very end. I'll look out for more books from this author.

4.5, really
I really struggled with the tone for the first quarter or so, it felt...needlessly frustrated? Idk, I'm not even sure what I mean by that except to say that it was somewhat unpleasant to read. That said, it pulls through in a big way, until the very very end (where I was kinda...Okay? So?).