Irked by the fact that a judge referred to Ted Bundy as a “bright young man”, author Jessica Knoll wants everyone to know that his victims and survivors were all bright young women who should have had promising futures, too. In a tribute to the now mostly anonymous women, Knoll has created an emotional fictional account of the Florida State University survivors and witnesses — where 2 women were murdered and 2 were severely beaten. This was the time before law enforcement realized that an escaped Bundy had relocated to the South after an escape in Colorado.

Bundy, a super narcissist, is never named (only once as “Ted” in last pages) and referred to as “The Defendant”. The primary characters are Pamela, the FSU sorority president who clearly saw the killer; and Ruth, a unconfirmed victim of “The Defendant” who lived in the West, whose body has never been found. Tina, Ruth’s friend, a therapist and burgeoning feminist of the 70s who was convinced the murders in Florida were the work of the same serial killer, ties their stories together as she seeks out Pamela to get the local police to take notice.

There is a triple timeline — what happened at the sorority, Ruth’s story of 4 years earlier in Washington state, and 43 years later, as the now lawyer Pamela returns to Tallahassee to visit a man from the past.

Knoll wants us to know that, contrary to popular culture, “The man [Bundy] was no diabolical genius. He was your run-of-the-mill incel …caught picking his nose in the courtroom.” The book also recounts how even the most intelligent women were dismissed just because of their gender forty years ago and how even the slightest suggestion of same sex affection or even acknowledging a friendship with a possibly gay woman meant that you and her were therefore contemptible and could be totally ignored. The book is haunting, mesmerizing and frustrating. It speaks volumes about how the female survivors, witnesses, and victims were treated, in subservience to the misogynistic “Kennedy-esque Killer.” 5 stars.

Thank you to Simon Element and NetGalley for a free advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review!

Literary Pet Peeve Checklist:
Green Eyes (only 2% of the real world, yet it seems like 90% of all fictional females): YES But this time it’s a male reporter with dark green eyes.
Horticultural Faux Pas (plants out of season or growing zones, like daffodils in autumn or bougainvillea in Alaska): YES There’s talk of lilacs at a January funeral, but lilacs don’t bloom anywhere in the US until spring

I read Knoll's Luckiest Girl Alive when it came out but skipped The Favorite Sister. I was intrigued by the premise here - a story of two women from completely opposite sides of the country who come together because they both lose people they love to a sadistic serial killer who keeps evading the law. The story alternates between three timelines - Pamela's story starts in 1978 when two members of her sorority at Florida State University - including her best friend - are brutally murdered and two others are mutilated in the middle of the night. Pamela wakes up during the attack and sees the murderer without being seen, and she becomes a critical witness while also dealing with the grief and pain of her loss. In the aftermath of the attack, she meets Tina, who arrives in Tallahassee and tells Pamela that she believes the murderer killed her friend Ruth four years prior in Washington state. That's the second timeline - Tina and Ruth becoming friends (and eventually more) through a complex grief group in Issaquah, Washington in 1974. The third timeline is the present, when Pamela and Tina end up back in Tallahassee after being contacted by a former friend, a journalist who covered the case and eventually betrayed them by being taken in by the murderer. I liked the focus here on the women, the victims and survivors of this killer, rather than the killer himself. One of my favorite things was that the author purposely never gives the killer a name - he is referred to consistently as The Defendant, an intentional choice that's meant to take away some of his power. Knoll also tackles the issue of male serial killers being romanticized by the press, the public, and even the justice system - shown here by members of law enforcement and the judiciary frequently mentioning how smart and handsome the Defendant was, and what a waste it was that he chose the wrong path. It's very reminiscent of the narratives around killers like Ted Bundy, and I appreciated that it was called out. So many content warnings here - murder (of course), sexual assault, gaslighting, homophobia, and more. A tense read but an interesting take on the current obsession with true crime.

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for this entertaining ARC. All opinions are my own.

Bright Young Women’s main character is Pamela Schumacher, the fictional eyewitness that places Ted Bundy at the FSU sorority house—at which she is president—on January 15, 1978. The timeline jumps from her experiences in 1978 in the aftermath of the murders, in 1979 during the trial, and in the present still dealing with his crimes. In addition, BYW shares its POV with Ruth Wachowsky, a fictional victim to Bundy, painting her background and the days leading up to her inevitable end. Both stories collide when Pamela meets Martina “Tina” Cannon who believes that Bundy is responsible for her friend Ruth’s disappearance and alleged murder.

I thoroughly enjoyed this story, but I have to admit that I wish Ted Bundy’s name would never be used in anymore fiction or nonfiction media. BUT…this book definitely altered my perception of him. I’m not sure how old I was when I first heard about Ted Bundy, but it was always followed by the stories of teenage girls fawning all over him and talking about how clever he was as a serial killer. I had seen Zac Efron’s portrayal of him, and I guess I was unaware of how seriously pathetic this guy really was until now. Hollywood has a way of changing or omitting details, I guess. I can tell Jessica Knoll did her research on him; she provides even the most minute details about Bundy.

In the book compared to “real life”, Pamela Schumacher is the fictionalized version of Nita Neary, the eyewitness who saw Bundy leaving the FSU sorority house, and Ruth Wachowsky is Janice Ann Ott who was abducted from Lake Sammamish in Issaquah, Washington. I can tell that details were changed because who would want to read a fiction novel from the POV of the real Nita Neary or Janice Ann Ott—that would’ve been disturbing to say the least. I go back and forth wondering if this book should’ve even been written or not, but I was entertained and I did enjoy it, looking forward to certain scenes I had hoped would be portrayed in the book. I just don’t know if we should give Ted Bundy—who in the book is named “The Defendant”—anymore “screen time.”

That's it. I’ve said my piece, and I can’t say anymore since this book doesn’t come out until September, but I did like this book. It was written well and the characters were intriguing.

Thank you to NetGalley for an advance copy of Bright Young Women!
This novel was a great new take on the story of Ted Bundy and his victims as we know it. Jessica Knoll brilliantly never gives him the power of his name, only referring to him as The Defendant. I caught myself wondering what was real, and what Jessica dreamt up to get us in the minds of the women that were impacted by The Defendant. She has the reader fired up about the injustice of not only the senseless murders, but also women’s general role in that time.
The vast majority of the male characters in this novel are chauvinistic, patronizing, unintelligent or a mix of all three. Having the male characters shown in this light helps to highlight the power and intelligence of women, but the frustration of society’s view of them.
A great full circle moment was during the trial, the judge sent off The Defendant calling him a “bright young man.” It was a great juxtaposition of the women who actually were, and makes me love the choice for the name of the novel.
I appreciated that this story was bookended by the two attacks of our narrators. The book opens with Pamela’s POV of the murders in the sorority house because she survived, and Ruth’s narration ended towards the conclusion of the book.
This novel was a slow burn, and there were moments in the book that seemed to jump around. In a chapter titled Pamela 1978, she was comparing her current situation to the eventual Covid lockdown. I understand the writing style, but it takes the reader out of the moment.
I appreciate that Jessica told the story of the women involved in the Ted Bundy murders that even the most invested followers of true crime never hear about. Immediately after finishing the book I began researching Pamela and Ruth because I’ve already watched numerous documentaries and movies about The Defendant. He’s old news. It is important to remember the victims, rather than the monster who negatively impacted so many lives.

I really enjoyed the mix of true crime with feminism in this book. It took a case we’ve all heard about plenty of times and told the story from the women’s point of view. The characters and the story line were all well done and it kept me intrigued the entire time. I would highly recommend!

A twisty murder story that's based on a true story?! Sign me up! Loved the history that this is based off of and couldn't stop turning the pages, Also loved the dual timeline and how then stories were intertwined. Recommend to thriller lovers!

I really loved this! I didn't realize until after I had finished how much of this was based on true events. I feel like maybe I should have known that. But anyway! Finished it in a day.

I can't quite decide what I think of this book. The premise is interesting and I like the idea of the multiple points of view. I also appreciate that the focus isn't on the killer himself, but more on the people who were affected by him. But I don't know how to feel about the fact mixed with fiction. Some of the victims' names are real and others have been changed or are fictionalized accounts. The facts of the cases they're based on are mostly there, so it was hard to tell where to really put this. It's not technically true crime, but it's also hard to fully qualify it as fiction. There were definitely points where I really wanted it to just move forward and others where I was so drawn in I couldn't put it down. So I'm torn.

An intriguing take on the Florida State University sorority killings in the 1970s, with the POV of the sole member to identify the killer. While I was drawn in by the plot and my understanding of the real-life events, Pamela's character is hard to get a handle on--at points she seems to push the parameters expected of her as a young woman in that era, but at others her perspective is distancing and aloof. Other characters are two-dimensional and predictable in their "roles"; that said, the suspense of the story kept me reading. Overall, I'm divided in my review. There is plenty of interest and movement through the storyline, but the main character falls a bit flat.
Thanks to NetGalley for the chance to give this a read!

Thank you for the opportunity to read and review! While I enjoyed the writing style in this text, something about it fell flat for me. In order to avoid spoilers, I will say that there were some clever takes on drawing from past events to craft the murderer, which I found compelling. Still, something about Jessica Knoll's writing style is off-putting to me.

"Sometimes I think The Defendant is just another old wives' tale. That law enforcement backed up his self-purported claims of brilliance to cover up their own incompetence... The man was no diabolical genius. He was your run-of-the-mill incel whom I caught picking his nose in the courtroom. More than once."

Bright Young Women is not a book about T** B****, but he is clearly the model for The Defendant, and the story is based on the aftermath of his attacks at the Chi Omega sorority house in Florida in the late 70s. Knoll has transformed the broadly accepted narrative about the "Kennedy of Killers" and placed the focus on the women he killed, and the women who survived, testified, and ultimately helped get him convicted and executed.

I loved this book so much that I'm having a hard time trying to write a review that will do it any semblance of justice and doesn't just consist of me yelling about how great it is and how absolutely fucking ridiculous it is that a nose-picking-third-tier-law-school-dropout-necrophiliac has been mythologized as a diabolical genius, while the lives, achievements, and potential of the many smart, accomplished young women he sexually assaulted and murdered (after not being perceived as a threat by law enforcement and allowed to easily escape custody TWICE) are ignored to focus on the "glamour" of that dead-eyed maniac.

The main character, Pamela, who is also the Chi Omega chapter president, sees The Defendant leaving the sorority house and discovers four of her sisters - including her childhood best friend - were attacked. She makes a one-second mistake - briefly thinking the man could have been her friend's ex-boyfriend, but just as quickly realizing he wasn't - that law enforcement then holds over her head throughout the investigation and eventual trial. Pamela meets another woman, Tina, who is convinced The Defendant is responsible for her girlfriend's disappearance from Seattle, and the two women form an alliance to try to find justice for their lost loved ones.

I have to admit that didn't love-love Knoll's previous books and went into reading this with a bit of trepidation, but holy cats, this is one of my absolute *favorite* books of the year. Knoll really tapped into something here, and I hope the book gets all of the love and accolades possible. READ THIS

I had a hard time reading, luckiest girl alive took me a couple tries to finish, but this one I couldn’t put down, kept me guessing the whole time, and I would recommend this to future readers

I am a huge Jessica Knoll fan after "Luckiest Girl Alive" and was so excited to receive this ARC. This book is a fictionalized retelling of Ted Bundy's 1978 attacked on the Chi Omega Sorority house at FSU. (I will be be honest I did not know this until the end, I wish I did before I read it) From the first page I was sucked in and while I wanted to love it, I have to say it was a bit hard to keep track of the characters and time period. At times it was wordy and the ending was hard to follow. I still give this 4 stars because I could not put it down and loved Pamela, Ruth and Tina.

Like everyone, I read Luckiest Girl Alive last year and was excited to see another title from that author. I really enjoy Jessica Knoll's writing and this story was no exception! I was drawn in and captivated immediately. This book was so character driven and I found myself along for the journey. I could easily see this be adapted to a show or movie and hope that is in the future!

While Bright Young Women had an action-packed start, it fizzled for me.

Pam is president of her sorority, level-headed, and nicknamed Pam Perfect by her best friend Denise. Pam doesn’t go out to party with all her sorority sisters one night. Around 3am, she wakes up to hearing the TV and seeing a light on. She goes out to investigate and comes face-to-face with a stranger holding a bloody club. He’s murdered 2 girls and brutally injured 2 more. He’s escaped from prison twice, and accused of murdering sever other women. He becomes the nation’s first “celebrity” serial killer.

The rest of the story jumps timelines from the days immediately following the murders, and “present day” which was the 90s. Since the timeline jumps all involved the same characters, it was a little confusing at times. The “meat” of the book followed the legal battle, and how Pam struggled as a woman in the legal system.

Maybe I’m one of the women who feeds into the “celebrity serial killer” but I would have preferred more about that and less about the court proceedings.

Bright Young Women took me a while to trudge through. And that’s how it felt. Not my favorite.

I really wanted to like this more than I ended up feeling.

Ultimately, this is a fictionalized account of the loved ones of Ted Bundy's victims. The POVs are told through Ruth, one of his victims, and Pamela, the woman who identified him in the sorority murders. The story ultimately just felt very disjointed for me between Ruth and Pamela and I would have preferred following one story instead of both of them, which are tied together through Tina, Ruth's partner.

I struggle to have anything really more to say about this book than that. Pamela's story was the more compelling of the two, while Ruth's is all the more tragic knowing what is ultimately going to happen to her. It's admirable that the book refrains from naming the murderer and instead calling him only The Defendant. It does a lot to dispel the myth of the man and instead focus on the disgusting reality of him. But I was left feeling not emotionally invested in the characters or the plot, and just a little bored.

ARC provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I was already a fan of Jessica Knoll, so I was looking forward to this one — and I wasn't disappointed. This dark crime novel is a character-driven story that beautifully portrays a friendship between two people who are determined to uncover the truth in the wake of tragedy.

Absolutely amazing. I was disturbed, intrigued, and filled with an uncontrollable urge to consume this book as quickly as possible. The author takes a tragic story we've heard so much about and shines a light on the players that have only been seen as "his" victims. What a beautiful and powerful tribute to the women he effected. This is a must read for fans of true crime.

An interesting story. So sad. The way women were, and still are, treated is sometimes terrible. Good writing. ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair review.

I have mixed feelings about this book. I’m not a big true crime reader so this was a little outside my comfort zone. This book was heavily inspired by the victims of Ted Bundy in the 1970s and I appreciate Knoll’s take on these events and her focus on the victims rather than Bundy himself. I liked the character driven nature of the book and its focus on the resilience and strength of women but there were some things that hindered my overall reading experience.

The main issues I had were with the writing and structure. The writing felt very dense and overwritten at times and was too slow paced for me. The timeline shifts and multiple POVs were a little jarring and made the overall story unnecessarily complicated. And the ending fell apart for me and I was left a little confused with the resolution of everything.

I also want to mention, there were some graphic details regarding one of the murders that I felt was almost gratuitous to include. I understand certain things are meant to be uncomfortable but I don’t see how including those details helped or added anything to the story or for the victims.

This book is more of a crime historical fiction novel rather than a mystery/thriller, but I recommend it for readers who like character driven stories and are interested in true crime.

Content warnings: rape. sexual assault, murder, grief, homophobia, and dementia (minor)

*Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing an eARC copy for review!*