Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this.

Wow I loved this. This gave me similar feeling that I got when I read Notes on an Execution-- Although very different.

I think this novel was written in a unique way. I liked the time stamps and the jumps and the timing of the novel to really draw me in.

I think this will end up on a lot of best of lists!

I devoured this book. Jessica Knoll does an incredible job of taking the bones of a real life story and threading a captivating fictional story around it. Knoll keeps the real locations, victim’s names, and deaths tied to Ted Bundy and weaves three fictional women’s stories together opening up the book with the sorority murders in Florida.

The book focuses on sisterhood, strong women who push against societal views, who feel grief but find ways to push forward against adversity, women who are determined to lift each other up and get the justice deserved for the women gone from their lives too quickly. The alternativing POVs and three separate timelines are easy to follow and the characters are so well developed I never wanted to put this book down.

I really appreciated that Knoll has the character, Pamela, consistently refer to the Ted Bundy inspired killer only as “the defendant” and minimizes the myth surrounding him and his actions. It’s too often in society we focus on the serial killer and mythologize them and make them to be more than they really were. Knoll consistently reminds us her killer (and subsequently Bundy) was nothing extraordinary. Even though the book is fiction, it’s something we should consider doing to all offenders moving forward. The true crime community always wants to place more emphasis on the victims and perhaps this is the best way to do it. I also appreciated that she named the book “Bright Young Women” in defiance to the judge in the real Bundy murder trial calling him a “bright young man” once again Knoll places emphasis on the victims and the lives that should never have been lost.

Thank you to Simon Element for this ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

We all know of The Defendant. We’ve heard his story, we’ve watched endless hours of documentaries, spanning decades. We’ve heard his voice, listened to his own words, watched his interviews, marveling that the dapper man in the turtleneck was such a vicious monster. He is notorious. Only recently, in the last five-ish years has there been a push to remember the victims. Remember their names. Make them into human beings, whose lives were stolen. Taken. All of the Bright Young Women. All of their potential, all of their futures. All of their everything.

Bright Young Women was astounding. It was a difficult read. It was staggering, sobering, heartbreaking. It was a reminder of what it is like to be dismissed because you’re a woman. To be questioned because you’re a a woman. To be diminished because you’re a woman.

Jessica Knoll has only gotten better with time. The writing in this book was strong. Strong doesn’t seem fair enough to describe it. It was one of the most impactful books I’ve read this year.

Bright Young Women was my kind of book. It’s a slower burn, crime (almost true crime as it’s based on the Ted Bundy killings) fiction story that might not be for everyone. I say that because it reminds me of other slow burn crime stories that I loved that others found “boring.” To me, it was anything but. If you were a fan of I Have Some Questions For You, this WILL be for you. I was captivated just being pulled along in the seventies setting, which is a time period that I always love reading about…especially if it’s a crime story. For some reason, those stories always have a strong sense of time and place, and this was no exception. Thank you to Net Galley and the publishers for my advance copy of this book.

Pub date: 9/19/23
Genre: suspense, fictionalized true crime
Quick summary: Pamela and Tina are connected by their experiences with the All-American Sex Killer - this is their story of reckoning with his crimes and trying to bring him to justice.

Too often, true crime focuses on the perpetrator rather than the victims and those they leave behind. I really liked that Knoll chose to focus on Pamela, a member of the sorority house where an attack took place, as well as Tina, a friend of a presumed victim. The story moves between their two perspectives across various timepoints as they look for the truth.

Unfortunately, there were a few too many time and perspective shifts for me to keep track of, and they kept me from being fully immersed in the story. That being said, the ending was very strong, and I think this is a worthwhile read for fans of true crime!

Thank you to Simon Element and S&S/Marysue Ricci Books for providing an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Not being someone who is into true crime, this did keep my attention and I loved that it gave the side of the story that should be told. Who were the victims, what it was like to be a witness to something like that, especially at the time. I found the topics infuriating, knowing that we have come so far but also knowing that we still have a lot of work to do.
Similar to the book, Know My Name, a book that should be required reading, they talk about the defendant's sex appeal, intelligence, and charm. Bright women know better and deserve justice and for the initial narratives to change.

Thrillers are a new genre for me as I continue to read some amazing books on NetGalley from fantastic authors. I won't lie when I tell you I had no idea who Jessica Knoll was, but I'm sure glad I found out. This book had me on the edge of my seat from page 1.

I appreciate so much that Jessica Knoll has written a book about survivors of a crime, with focus on the victims. We need more books like this. However, the writing style was not for me. Some authors have a style that my brain does not like, necessitating me rereading sections, making the experience unpleasant. Since I was simultaneously reading another book (a classic thriller) and had no trouble, I can only assume that my reading preferences do not mesh with this author.

Thank you NetGalley, Simon & Schuster, and Marysue Rucci Books for letting me read this in exchange for an honest review

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon Element/Simon & Schuster for this Advanced Reader Copy, in exchange for my honest review.

Bright Young Women is a fictionalization of the Ted Bundy serial killings. The story bounces between the store of Ruth, a woman killed in Washington; Pamela, the President of a sorority in Florida, where several of her sisters were attacked, and Tina, the woman who ties the two others together.

The story is a perfect mix of true crime and women's fiction. The story shows strong women and has clear themes of determination, sisterhood and sheer will.

I appreciated that this dark story was made more relatable by the characters and their reasons for continuing to seek justice. The author also showed respect to the victims of the real crimes by never once using the real killer's actual name. The character of Pamela was likeable and added so much to the overall story. The story itself is dark and heavy, but Bright Young Women made it more palatable.

I found the multiple narrators and bouncing of timelines to be a tad bit hard to follow at times but overall enjoyed this book and found that it picked up in the second half of the book.

I would recommend this book to my fellow "Murderinos" out there or those that like historical fiction with a true crime twist.

I loved this book! I will definitely recommend it. Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Wow, this is a complex, intense thriller that kept me on the edge of my seat. Very well written, it tells the story of the real life murder of 2 sorority sisters in the late 70s by the notorious Ted Bundy. Without naming the killer, the author focuses on the victims, how smart they are (thus the title), and how they come together to try to solve these murders. I would call this a feminist retelling of the Bundy murders, and by not giving name to the 'defendant', the women are highlighted here and portrayed not as victims, but as resilient sisters driven to catch the man that murdered their friends.

The timelines alternated between present day, 1974, and 1978, when the trial takes place. There are no graphic details describing the crimes, but it was sometimes challenging keeping up with the pacing, timelines, and various points of view.

This so reminded me of the movie 'Promising Young Woman' starring Carey Mulligan. This is the authors 2nd book , and I look forward to seeing what she will do next!

WOW! What an amazing book from Jessica Knoll! I could not put this book thriller down. Super impressed with how she weaved the story over several characters and timelines. Definitely add this book to your to be read pile! You will not be disappointed!

Bright Young Women is fantastic. The dual POVs work really well. I love the fresh perspective on the Bundy murders.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced digital arc.

A fictionalized retelling of a serial murders in the 1970s. This novel centers the victims rather than sensational if the killer. The story is maddening not only for the killing of innocent lives but also for the gross disregard for the victims and the way the murderer charmed so many.

Initially, I didn't understand the purpose of retelling the Ted Bundy story, but as I got into it the impact of not saying his name and telling the story from the perspective of the women became more apparent. The more I think about it, the more I feel how significant it is to finally have the story of the women told, even if it is fictional. And a stark reminder of how incredibly low the bar is for men. A mass murderer was still complimented and praised by the judge sentencing him. Wild.

Bright Young Women is based on a fictionalized Ted Bundy and the victims he left behind. Pamela is president of her sorority and wakes to a thump in the middle of the night. When she goes downstairs to investigate she seems a broken glass, and a man at the door with a bloody bat who runs out of the house. She later learns he had broken in and killed two of her housemates, including her best friend, and nearly killed two more. Across the country, Tina is convinced the same killer is responsible for the death of her friend, Ruth.

This story brings together these two women as they search for answers and try to prove the same man is responsible for the deaths of both their friends, and countless others across the country.

Jessica Knoll continues to be one of my favorite authors. I absolutely loved this book. It is a perfect hybrid of historical fiction, investigative mystery, and police procedure. I loved how the book focused on the victims and women who were impacted by the horrors, instead of a deep dive on the killer himself. A lot of writings end up romanticizing the killers, especially the "attractive" ones like Bundy, but this book instead focused on all the women in the path of kills of.

Thank you NetGalley for an arc of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I was provided with an Arc of this book in exchange for an honest review. This book will be released on September 19th, 2023. Thank you @simonandschuster and @marysueruccibooks for the great read.

1. I have a bad habit of not reading what books are about before diving in. If I had realized this was based on Ted Bundy's killings of the Florida State sorority girls in the 70's, I doubt I would've read it and that would've been a big loss because this was such a well-written story of two women trying to work together to find the truth. It's not yet another glamorization of Bundy's crimes and his so-called charms. This novel is for and about the women he targeted; they were truly the special ones.

2. This one sucked me in right from the beginning...I found myself reading it on my lunch hours and any spare minute I had. This is a page-turner for sure.

3. The reason I didn't give this book five stars is because of the ending. I just wanted more closure than what we got at the end of the story.

4. I had read Jessica's "Luckiest Girl Alive" back when it came out and was really impressed by it, but this book has so much more depth than that book did. Her writing has really improved so much over the years.

5. Finally, buy or rent? Would I spend my hard-earned cash to purchase this book or check it out from the library? This book is a spend the cash book without a doubt.

Thank you NetGalley for an ARC of Knoll's latest thriller. I was ecstatic to receive this since I couldn't put down " Luckiest Girl Alive".. however, this one fell flat for me. I didn't like either narrator and it was hard for me to want to pick this book back up which is VERY rare for me. I gave up after page 110.

Such a well written, researched, thoughtful, searing, and powerful work. I w Knoll for her incredible storytelling and research for this gripping story that gives agency and voice to women taken too soon from a serial killer (I presume Ted Bundy). As someone who lives in Idaho and has ties to the university, this also hit home and I wish the media would read this one before they report on the young women who lost their lives. I especially liked how the author teased out misogyny and patriarchal attitudes we love to dole out to women—even when they’re dead.

𝖡𝗋𝗂𝗀𝗁𝗍 𝖸𝗈𝗎𝗇𝗀 𝖶𝗈𝗆𝖾𝗇 is loosely based on the real life crimes of Ted Bundy, but told in the view of his victims. You have two main characters ..Pamela, who was the president of the Florida sorority and the witness to the murders in the house back in 1978. You also have Ruth(who is way across the US in Seattle) whose friend goes missing and her investigation leads her to meet up with Pamela.
They become deeply connected on finding out the whole truth.

This novel refers to Ted Bundy as “the defendant” throughout the book. The purpose is to not “celebritize”(my made up word) him, but remember the stories of his witnesses and victims much more. I wanted to scream out loud at how some of these witnesses were treated compared to the actual murderer in these courtrooms!! Omg 🤬

This one is dark AF. The details are very explicit. Following how this “defendant” ripped apart so many lives and their families is A LOT. So much trauma. If you get scared easily, I would read it during the day(notice I didn’t say not to read it😆). Not giving the serial killer the focus was so badass & these women were so strong & courageous! 👊

📣True crime junkies, this one is for you!
3.75 stars ⭐️ ⭐️⭐️💫
⎈This is the same author as The Luckiest Girl Alive🍀 Publish date is on 9/19

👌Oh & the title for this book is perfection. Ted Bundy was once referred to as a “bright young man” by a judge.

Thank @simonandschuster @marysueruccibooks and @netgalley for my advanced copy in exchange for my honest review ✌️