I love Jessica's previous books. This one was ok. I enjoyed the back story and the nod to the true life crime that took place in the 70s by Ted Bundy. The character inspired by him in the book was just as charming and evil as the real Ted Bundy was.

Going back in forth in the timeline though was a little confusing to me in terms of following the story. I feel like it might have been easier to do a "Then/Now style of a book. Which may have made it a little more enjoyable. It was still a quick read for me.

Thank you #Netgalley

Another great read from Jessica Knoll! In this read we follow a sorority house in Florida that experiences an unimaginable tragedy. The president of that sorority feels obliged to track down the killer and will not stop until she has answers. During this journey she units with another woman who has more in common with her than she realizes that they eventually partner up to solve this mystery. The content is disturbing at times, it is not a light read, but it is very well done!

BRIGHT YOUNG WOMEN!
Yes this book was SO GOOD! Luckiest Girl Alive was great and so was this one. These are really difficult stories to tell but the author does so in such a great way that is gripping and painful and that stays with you forever after you have finished them
This one is no different!

Oh my GOD. I have goosebumps all over, that was so ducking incredible. Jessica Knoll manages to so satisfyingly undercut the weird reverence/fetishizing of Ted Bundy that even works like Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile (which claims to subvert that view of him…) continue to uphold. These are some of the most fleshed out female characters I’ve seen, which is all the more striking given their context in a story that has thus far only seemed to want to flesh out its deeply unremarkable antagonist. Weirdly formal review but I AM SO LOST IN THOUGHT this was so so incredible!!!! 11/10 recommend

This book was not at all what I expected. I had such high expectations and reading the story it just did not have the punch. For one thing, the timeline of the story was a lot to keep track of, which is told in part by Pamela in the past, but also by Pamela in the present, and then you add in Ruth whose story telling is also in the past. The descriptions of the murders are horrific, and I admit I looked over my shoulder a lot after reading this book, trying to be very aware of my surroundings at all times. I really liked the aspect of not giving the murderer a name, not giving him any more attention than he was due, and instead placing all the emphasis on the victims. That being said, the murders take place in the 70's and for the most part oh my the men in this book really infuriated me with the way they talked to and treated the female characters! This book took me way too long to finish because I kept losing interest, and with this subject matter that should not have been the case.

Thank you NetGalley and S&S/ Marysue Rucci Books for my copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

An exceptional book. Infused with a sense of regret and melancholy, but also anger at the casual and quiet ways women are diminished, disregarded and the not so casual and not so quiet; the worst case scenarios (like that of a serial killer targeting them) where women are simply ended, and discarded. Jessica Knoll, I think, has stepped more fearlessly into her mission and vision as a writer. Clearly she has something to say about gender, and now that I think about her debut novel, and the origin story for that novel, I think I understand what she's saying and I understand why. Though she made only a passing reference to it near the end of the book, I shared her main character Pamela's unease at the recent trend of making perverse sex symbols out of serial killers—all those limited series that stoke the fiction that there is something just a teeny bit alluring about men who hunt, rape and disfigure then dispose of other human beings. I never understood it, and I'm not sure I necessarily drew a bright and direct connection between that phenomenon and misogyny, but this book helped me make that connection.

It took me a little while to complete this one, not because it wasn't engrossing and well-written, but because there was that undercurrent of loss throughout and I didn't want to feel that for a sustained period. I completely understand the critical acclaim for this one, and for the refrain of "her best work yet." I absolutely agree. There is something fearless about this book that gives me a sense that Knoll's subsequent work will just keep getting bolder. I look forward to that. The one caveat I have for those considering reading: this is not a breakneck speed read, it is a very deliberate and thoughtful and analytical, and to some people, will seem slow.

I enjoyed this, but it wasn't easy for me to finish. An interesting fictional take on the Ted Bundy murders, this story focuses more on the victims of the crimes, and not the perpetrator.

Thank you Netgalley and Simon Element, S&S/ Marysue Rucci Books for the ARC!

Pssst....listen up. I almost DNF'd this book, but I'm glad I stuck it out. Those who know me or may have seen reviews from me willl know that I don't like to work to hard at reading. After the first ten pages I was exhausted and had to really slow down because of the author's writing style. I mean why use everyday words when you can use Panhellenic (3 times - it means relating to Greek Mythology) and obsequious (2 times). I'm not snobby enough to think I'm all that, but I do consider myself relatively intelligent and I had to stop and look up so many words to make sure they meant what I thought they meant. But back to the story...it's a fictional account of a serialized killer based loosely (??) on Ted Bundy. It was facinating (and infuriating) to be reminded of how differently women were treated back in the 70's. I think many will like this...but have a dictionary close by.

This is a stranger-than-fiction account based on the real life, 1970s murders in a Florida sorority house. There used to be a lot going on in this and it is truly fascinating, but at times my mind wandered. Still, an interesting and eye-opening read.

Love Jessica Knoll and her latest title, Bright Young Women, did not disappoint! Sadly, there is a long time between her books being published but definitely worth the wsit! Thank you Netgalley

Really enjoyed “Luckiest Girl Alive,” so I was excited for this one. Unfortunately, I gave up a third of the way through because it didn’t kept my interest. Perhaps I’m tired of the literary devices used but I didn’t find myself caring enough to finish.

This book is a take on the Ted Bundy murders. The idea itself should have made for a 5 star book. However I found the characters to be devoid of emotion and annoying. The writing also seemed overly complicated. This was a hard one for me to finish. Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

This was such a surprise and absolutely not what I expected, but I enjoyed it none-the-less.

Bright Young Women is a fictional account of a real-life horror, obviously inspired by Ted Bundy. Brilliantly, he is never once mentioned. It really is the women's story.

This story is less of a mystery thriller and more of a think piece on the ramifications of these type of true crime events, and Jessica Knoll is a voice to be heard.

This was a great book. I loved every paragraph, every sentence and every word of this masterpiece! I read it in 12 hours, which is a lot for me to do! It had everything and more laid out in the novel! I sure hope There is more to come from this author! I am totally hooked!

Bright Young Women is a great take on victims rather than perpetrators of violent crime. I think that people might be disappointed if they go into it thinking its some kind of gruesome rehashing of this case. It is not. It is how those who were directly impacted by the crime find a way to move on, if they even can. It was slow but heart breaking and it was really great to realize he wouldn't even be named.

Damn. I didn’t realize what I was getting into until it was too late. So well done. This was hard to read because I lived life as a girl back then and this is too accurate. Everything about this book is how the story needed to be told. I won’t say more for the few who might not know what the book is about. But yeah, just damn. I have all the feelings at the end of this.

I read an ARC (late) of this book via NetGalley.

I'm still not totally sure what to make of this one. Some parts really had me hooked, but overall I think it was too wordy and more than what it needed to be to get the job done. I greatly appreciated the overall premise of the story in which the women were able to win over this "bright young man", and I appreciate that the author never named the serial killer, despite us all knowing who this story was shaped after. However, I think the story was too slow and I didn't feel any real connection to the main characters. Thank you to NetGalley, Simon Element/Marysue Ricci Books, and Jessica Knoll for the opportunity to read Bright Young Women in exchange for an honest review.

Bright Young Women by Jessica Knoll puts the spotlight on the victims and women left behind after a serial killer commits murder at a sorority house at Florida State University in 1978. The novel splits the story into three parts--one involving a young woman Ruth in the Pacific Northwest who joins a grief group in 1974, the sorority president, Pamela Schumacher, who comes across the killer in her sorority house, and present day where Pamela tries to pick up the pieces many years past the unthinkable and tragic crimes.

I've been a fan of Jessica Knoll's since Luckiest Girl Alive held me in thrall during a Christmas break where I hardly did anything but consumed the book. Her second book, The Favorite Sister, had a good premise, but it really fell flat for me. But this book brought me back to that rapt absorption I experienced during her first book. The story itself is incredibly sad and, at times, felt uncomfortable to read due to the barbarity of the crimes, but it truly engaged me with the writing.

I love how the writer refused to call the serial killer by his name, which I thought was very effective. He's garnered enough attention, and, if you don't know who it is, you can easily figure it out if you're so inclined by googling it. I had a rough outline of the crimes and perpetrator, but I really appreciated the focus being shifted to the women, partly because of the disgust the author felt about the killer being referred to by the judge as a "bright young man." It isn't necessarily a feminist notion--it's a shifting from the glamorized killer to the women who had so much life left to live and unfairly had it taken away from them.

When you first hear Ruth's story, you're not sure which direction it will take. I had an idea after a few key scenes occur in Pamela's story in the past, but you may not know right off the bat. She's an empathetic character after you learn of the events that adversely affected her life. I didn't totally buy the relationships she has, but they move the story along to the inevitable conclusion.

Pamela is a force and probably my favorite character. She's a fighter and really becomes a staunch advocate for the victims. The crimes that took her best friend away make her stronger and change her in some positive ways despite the tragedies she observed. And she's different from other main characters that the author writes about in her other books. She's a very together person and determined to reach her goals and live her life on her own terms.

I also appreciated that the author does not condemn all men. I find that that's the trend nowadays, but every character has their own flaws and peccadillos, whether male or female. Not every man turns out to be murderous or cowardly or lacking support for women. There are good men in this book. And you'll notice that some of the characters simply act as the time period they're in dictates, so, by the time you see Pamela in present day, things may appear different from the past.

I read some complaints that the 1970s time periods don't ring true, and I didn't get that at all. There was no overt references to the time yet it felt accurate enough. Frankly, that isn't the point of the story, and, believe me, I would have noticed if it didn't feel authentic as far as time period goes.

I do have to say that I'm truly impressed with the book and the research that went into it. I feel like Jessica Knoll totally stepped up her game to another level with this book. While she still focuses on characters who've been castigated and victimized, this book feels so much more sophisticated and thoughtful than her others. Every once in a while, I needed to reread a confusing passage, and you may read a crude way of describing something, but I was impressed and am interested in what she will come up with next.

The book really demystified serial killers who are celebrated in American culture - in some way or the other. The book illustrates that these killers are not geniuses but get away because of the incompetence of law enforcement. The two women showcased in this book are magnificent, the narrative gives us reason to root for them. The book is really good and gives us new vocabulary to talk about violence against women.

Bright Young Women was a new age take on mystery and thrill writing. Unlike many other mystery thrillers it was difficult to predict who the killer was. The transitions between present day and the past were easy to follow and added depth to the story line. Highly recommend this book.