It is BEYOND time a book like this was written. I loved the focus on women, female empowerment and the pain of victims of Ted Bundy rather than on him and his "fans". The characters were incredible and sucked me in and I loved the writing style- especially the decision to never use his name. This was truly a book about the women.

Thanks so much to @bookclubfavorites @marysueruccibooks #BookClubFavorites #FreeGift for my copy of #BrightYoungWomen I love discovering new reads through their #bookclubfavoritesinsiders program. It’s so much fun.

This is a book about he who shall not be named….one of the most infamous serial killers. That booger picking clown 🤡. So it’s a book about him but also focusing on the victims more than most books.

This book while fictional is based on true events… if you like true crime you may enjoy this one but keep in mind the author definitely added fictional elements.

However, I learned more about the case(s) than I knew prior to reading this book.

Overall this one was just ok for me. The writing was clunky at times and the chapters jump around in a way that I didn’t think flowed well. The beginning was well done and reeled me right in. About 25-30% in I started losing interest.

There was a sapphic romance element to this story too which I get was not generally accepted in the 70s and she felt needed to be added in, but I don’t think that subplot really contributed much to the story, it felt like filler to me.

I loved this author’s 1st novel The Luckiest Girl Alive. Her last 2 books have been misses for me though.

Jessica Knoll turns the familiar serial killer story on its head. This particular story re-examines Ted Bundy through the lives of the women in the sorority house in Florida that were impacted by his brutal attacks and killings. Jessica Knoll weaves different parts of the well-known story together, never letting the focus shift from the victims who are too often forgotten.

I loved this book. I really enjoy true crime and this book was right up my ally. I loved the characters and how the author told a story from the victims side. I couldn't put this book down and highly recommend it.

I don't know why, but I did not expect to like this book. However, I really did get caught up in this story and the multiple timelines playing out. Protagonist was genuine, earnest, and worth rooting for. Her relationship with her friend and mentor as she is guided for years seeking justice against a serial killer was complex, believable, and engaging. The cruelties that women suffer, and the ridiculous latitude given to monstrous men who manage to present themselves in a way that is palpable - even romantic to some, is truly disturbing aspect of society.

As someone who went through a huge true crime phase (podcasts, documentaries, and books) in my mid-to-late twenties, the “All-American Sex Killer” that this book is based on was not new to me. I’ve read The Stranger Beside Me by Ann Rule and watched the confession tapes on Netflix as well as the film Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile starring Zac Efron. Perhaps the thing I’ve learned the most during this period is that coverage of a killer that centers–at best and glorifies–at worst, can be horrible for their victims and the victims’ families to be subjected to. I have since reckoned with what it means to “love” true crime and have made efforts to really examine what I’m consuming. In particular, is the family involved or have they given permission for their loved one’s worst moments and life to be exposed, are the victims centered, and what does the person or people creating the content have to gain from this? This is all to give a background to how I went into this novel. I give props to the author for not naming this notorious serial killer, so in my review, I won’t either. (Side note: in my advanced copy, I did find one slip-up in the last third of the novel that did use his name. I want to check a published version to see if it has been removed or if it was intentional!)

Some may be familiar with Jessica Knoll’s other novel “The Luckiest Girl Alive”. I was eager to read her new one. I felt this novel was an ambitious endeavor that she did a great job with. Bright Young Women has dual stories that intertwine and jump between many different time periods. The chapters do explicitly state what timeline and POV we are viewing, but I really was taken out of the story by one of the POVs using days (post horrible event) instead of the date. I understood why the author did this, but it distracted me because I would pause to do the math!

My favorite thing about this novel is how much the defendant would have hated it.

Fans of true crime, themes of feminism/the general badassery of women, and the movie Promising Young Woman will enjoy this.

2.5 stars rounded up… it took me a while to get into the rhythm of this book, and once I finished it just left kind of an “eh” feeling. I appreciate the author wanting to tell a story about the victims of Ted bundy and not using his name directly, but it felt more like a character study than a psychological thriller. Things like Ruth’s “secret” felt like it was going to be a much bigger deal than it was, and the ending just fell a bit flat.

Thank you to netgalley for the ARC

This book was just okay for me. I grew up in the PNW, where hearing about Ted Bundy is so prevalent and sort of the local lore. I do acknowledge that this book might be even better for someone who did not grow up in this area. I am curious what survivors of actual victims think of this retelling! overall, it was still enjoyable.

JESSICA KNOLL. She did it again. After reading Luckiest Girl alive I was like well I guess I’ll never sleep again. And here we are with a new one that also knocked it out of the park with its horror and sharp commentary on what it means to be a woman. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!

Knoll's somewhat fictionalized take on Ted Bundy's Florida State University sorority house murders was originally 5 stars for me. I re-rated to 4.5 because of something that came to light after I read it. First, what I loved. This is the best entry to the growing Micro Genre of fiction about serial killers that centers the (usually female) victims. Rather than ignoring or making the killer a cardboard cut-out (as these books often do, she totally demeaned and defanged him. She debunked the media’s portrayal of him as brilliant, a cunning lawyer, incredibly good-looking, etc. And, apparently, her portrayal is based on fact. This story deals with memory and highlights how men in power often discount what women say. Knoll cleverly tackles serious gender issues in an unputdownable package. BUT, I wish there had been an Author's Note explaining what where she fictionalized parts of the story and WHY she fictionalized some parts, but not others. Her choices surrounding Ruth's character, in particular, are perplexing.

Bright Young Women reads almost like a true-crime novel told from the perspective of a woman who survived Ted Bundy as well as a woman who did not. Although the story is fictional, the events are similar to the reality of the case. Pamela was the sorority president who saw the killer as he fled the house after killing several of her sorority sisters. The story is told from her perspective directly during and after the killings as well as decades later as she seeks answers to some of the questions that remained unanswered. The story is also told from the perspective of Ruth, one of the killers victims, in the lead up to her death. I loved the multiple perspectives and did not want the story to end.

Rectifying the pitfalls of the true crime genre, this novel focuses on the extraordinary strengths of the survivors rather than the supposed "genius" of The Defendant. I felt immersed in the survivors' ability to find the strength to face what the world thinks of as a monster. But these women and this book know the truth: he's not a monster, just a misogynistic, entitled sad, unimpressive man.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC in exchange for an unbiased review.

I really liked this book, it was different than anything else I've read which was a breath of fresh air. I will be recommending this to my friends, and auto buy this author!

I wouldn't call myself a true crime fan but I do find the psychology of serial killers interesting, so when I saw that Jessica Knoll was releasing a book from the victim's POV of an infamous serial killer, I was immediately interested. This book grabbed my attention from the start and I thought it was cool that the author didn't once name who the killer was, but you knew exactly who it was. As my first of this author's books, I didn't know what to expect when it came to writing style and character work, but I really enjoyed it! It did take me far too long to connect who a specific character was in both of the POVs, but I blame myself for that more than the author. I didn't really know what the point of the side POV was until I made that connection and it did lower my enjoyment. I remember thinking "I wish this was two separate books following each of these characters" because I was so interested in both but had no idea how they connected. Overall, this book kept me hooked and I read it in two sittings, and I was still invested in the story despite obviously knowing the ending. It did make me more interested in this author's backlist and I'll probably go back and check them out.

Book Review: Bright Young Women ✨

“𝐈𝐦𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐠𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐟 𝐢𝐬 𝐠𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐝𝐨𝐞𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐚𝐝𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐚 𝐬𝐨𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐨𝐫 𝐡𝐮𝐦𝐚𝐧 𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐮𝐚𝐥𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐞𝐱𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐚𝐰𝐧 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞.”

⁉️: Do you follow true crime cases? Which ones have baffled you? If not, what are your plans for the weekend?

@JessicaKnollauthor’s Bright Young Women released earlier this Fall has stayed with me so much so that I took my time understanding and slowly uncovering the two parallel and intertwined narratives of Pamela Schumacher, the narrator and witness of her sorority members who were killed by The Defendant (referring to Ted Bundy) and Martina Cannon (woman who loses her lover, Ruth) to him but her body is never found. As the story unfolds, both women struggle for acceptance, for establishing their credibility, and speaking up against injustice.

At a time when the term “serial killer” was not in the nation’s vocabulary, the media and judge treated him in a way that I found absolutely outrageous by calling him a “Bright Young Man.” Knoll’s extensive research, thoughtful recognition of witness testimonies, and fight for justice for the victims and recognizing how difficult it was to nail Bundy down for conviction is an important reminder for how testimonials and eye witness testimonies can also be questioned. Moreover, what I appreciated about Knoll’s novel is that through its unique framework, it draws attention away from the fascination mainstream media has with perpetrators often problematically romanticizing them to sharing stories of women who were his victims and were often vilified or seen as being not credible in the eyes of the law because of who they were, their sexuality, their being as a whole. And, it reminded me of the novel She Said, which was a documentation of the New York journalists who collected testimonies against Harvey Weinstein which ignited the #MeToo movement. If you haven’t picked this book up, you should. Jessica Knoll is a brilliant author, and I am already looking forward to her next book! 5 ✨from me!

Thank you @bookclubfavorites, @simonandschuster and @jessicaknollauthor for the gifted copy!

#BookClubFavorites #SimonandSchuster #JessicaKnoll #BrightYoungWomen

3.75 stars, rounded up to 4.*

I read Jessica Knoll's first two books, and enjoyed them. I would say I had hesitations about both but for different reasons. That said, when I saw she had a new book, based on the Ted Bundy FSU sorority murders, I was all in.

I enjoyed the format of this book-expounding on the imagined lived experiences of various women who were a part of the tumult surrounding a serial killer's wake. This book tells an imagined version of the story of the president of the sorority where Bundy maimed, assaulted & murdered 4 co=eds; the partner of one of his victims' and one of the victims themselves.

Something big was missing here, though. I can't say exactly what. But I was left feeling wanting.

*with thanks to NetGalley for this digital ARC in exchange for this honest review.

"I want you to remember, every time I say The Defendant, is not him but the seventy-one-year-old court reporter in cat-eye glasses who refused to participate in the outright lie of him."

"Law enforcement would rather we remember a dull man as brilliant than take a good hard look at the role they played in this absolute horror show, and I am sick to death of watching them in their pressed shirts and cowboy boots, in their comfortable leather interview chairs, in hugely successful and critically acclaimed crime documentaries, talking about the intelligence and charm and wiliness of an ordinary misogynist. This story is not that. This story is not that."

This is a fantastic book, a completely unique take on the subject.

I agree with the above. His name has been mentioned too many times, his notoriety has grown to mythical proportions. The accepted narrative is not the one that the author wants to tell. When it comes right down to it, it is the women who deserve that spotlight. The women who deserve to be lauded, remembered, and praised for their survival instinct. That is what Jessica Knoll has done with this novel. She has brought to light all that the women did to make sure that this man did not survive any longer than necessary, and that he was just a man. Just an ordinary, albeit evil man of mediocre intelligence.

I grew up in the Pacific Northwest, where The Defendant started his reign of terror in the 1970s. Although I was a child when all of this happened, I grew up with it as part of the folklore of life in the 70s and 80s, with serial killers around every corner.

This book is inspired by true events follows two narrators and two timelines. The first is Pamela, the president of the Florida State University sorority house where the two murders and two additional attacks took place that led to his death sentence. The book starts with those attacks and moves forward. The second is with Ruth, a woman in Washington state who is friends with Tina, who ends up meeting Pamela and ties the two narratives together.

This book made me experience the gamut of emotions: anger, sorrow, frustration, irritation, futility, and such deep respect for any woman who encountered The Defendant. The misogyny of the 1970s were truly what allowed this man to get away with what he was doing for so long. Knoll's narrative makes it clear that it wasn't his "intelligence" that helped him, but rather the ineptitude of law enforcement and a series of very "lucky" circumstances.

For those who are interested in true crime and looking at true crime from a different perspective, then definitely pick this one up. I listened to it as an audiobook and the narrators were fantastic and gave an "out loud" voice to the women that Knoll so respectfully depicts in her story.

This one is so interesting, because you get the entire story from the start - there's no "whodunnit" vibe, but the thrill and the suspense is still there. I imagine that must be really hard to nail in writing, so props to the author for doing this in a way that gives you all the answers but still keeps you very engaged throughout!

Bright Young Women is a thriller where you know the killer, the motive, and the ending from the very beginning, yet it is injected with such thrill, despair, and grief that I had a hard time putting it down. Pamela is an average university student who is catapulted into a nightmare when a predator falls upon her sorority house, murdering her best friend, and leaving her as the sole eyewitness to his grisly crime. Soon after, in the midst of dealing with her own grief, she is thrown into the media circus surrounding the serial killer, and meets Tina, who claims to know who the killer is, as years ago he murdered Ruth, the woman she loved. And thus the stage is set for the telling of the stories of two women who had their lives irreversibly changed by The Defendant.

The Defendant is Ted Bundy, although, as Pamela constantly reminds the reader, he is not the main character of this novel and shouldn’t be regarded with anything other than disdain and ridicule. What I loved so much about this story is that it was the stories of the women who were affected by this renowned killer, not another idol worship-esque recounting of his suaveness and killer charm. Pamela is a tour de force of a protagonist as she forces herself to become comfortable being brazen enough to fight for justice for her friend. I was struck in the chest multiple times with the stark portrayal of grief, and the likening of Denise to being eternally frozen in Pamela’s memory as we follow her pre-, during, and post-murder. The way Knoll plays with the concept of time to write the various timelines is as captivating as it is horrifying, and made for a striking examination of grief and moving on. This book had me holding my breath from the very first page, and I don’t think I’ve read anything like it before.

I wish I had a lot to say to explain how I felt about this. Unfortunately, it just rubbed me the wrong way really early on. The way the main character constantly refers to her figure and has a sort of ‘not like other girls vibe’ combined with not even vaguely veiled retelling of an actual murder. It’s just personally not for me.