I must admit that this took me a while to get into. However, once I got into it I was flying through it. I had moments where I didn't know what to believe, which I love in my thrillers. However, since this was told in a dual timeline, there were moments where I was a bit confused. Although this took me on a wild ride of trying to solve the mystery, I felt it was wrapped up too perfectly. This usually tells me that the ending was rushed, which is something I despise in the books I read. Overall, this was okay, nothing groundbreaking for me.

This book was cliche after cliche, and I could not get into it. I found it hard to keep track of the characters, and although the writing was good, I just didn't care about anyone in the book. There was such an emphasis on Charlie being British that I found weird and pointless. I did think the big reveal was clever, however it was past redemption for me by that point. I only finished it in order to review it. Sadly, I won't be recommending this one.

Solidi writing with an interesting and complex plot but was just a bit to loo long to wrap up and I lost interest. The plot twist bomshell 50% in really got me.

While the book attempts to explore deep emotional themes, it ultimately falls short. The writing is occasionally evocative, but the characters feel underdeveloped, and the plot lacks cohesion. The pacing is uneven, making it difficult to stay engaged. Though it shows promise, it doesn't quite live up to expectations.

"Everyone Who Can Forgive Me is Dead" by Jenny Hollander is a gripping exploration of grief and the search for meaning after loss. The novel follows a young woman as she navigates the tumultuous emotions that arise after the death of a loved one. Hollander's writing is both candid and evocative, immersing readers in the protagonist's internal struggles and the complexities of her relationships.

The character development is a highlight, as we see the protagonist grapple with her feelings of anger, confusion, and longing. Hollander does an excellent job of portraying the various ways people cope with grief, offering a nuanced look at how it can both fracture and forge connections.

The pacing is compelling, with a mix of introspective moments and dramatic events that keep readers engaged. Hollander balances heavy themes with moments of levity, making the reading experience both poignant and accessible.

Overall, "Everyone Who Can Forgive Me is Dead" is a heartfelt and thought-provoking novel that will resonate with anyone who has faced loss. It’s a beautifully crafted story that examines the intricacies of forgiveness and the journey toward healing, making it a must-read for fans of contemporary fiction.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book. I read this a while ago and forgot to review it, so I don’t remember too many specifics. I do recall not being a fan of some of the writing devices and how information was withheld from the reader. The premise of this was better than the execution, between the slow pace and uninteresting characters.

What if everything you know about the worst night of your life turns out not to be true?

Thank you Minotaur Books, Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for sending me review copies of this book in exchange for an honest review! I was reading this book and decided to DNF it at 64% because I’m not emotionally invested in this story and also because I don’t like the main character or her friends. The main character and her friends are kind of annoying.

* The prologue sets the bait for the rest of the story. Seven years ago and then first chapter is present day
* We follow Charlie (Charlotte) while she works with a therapist to try and figure out what happened during her colleges most terrifying night (scarlet Christmas) which left two students dead and she cannot remember anything from that night. One of the dead girls sister is now coming out with a documentary on the 10 year anniversary that is making Charlie spiral. Can she figure out what happened during that horrible night or was there nothing new to remember?
* I did not like Charlie as a character in the beginning. She definitely grew on me as time went on.
* This book just gave me the ick. I’ve seen too many college parties of dumb and way to drunk kids take a turn bad and this whole book felt like it was right on the cusp of breaking. But I think that was the point. The author did good giving you that constant feeling of doom - some would say anxiety lol. College kids are just soo messy.
* Wow. This book was honestly way better than I imagined it would be. The twists and turns and the ending. It was so good.

The MC Charlotte "Charlie" Colbert is a witness to a horrible event during college, "Scarlet Christmas". Years later another victim of this event plans to make a movie from that real event. New clues of that night come about and Charlie works with her therapist to recount and remember everything she blackout from that day. In this dual timeline novel, we journey through Charlie's POV of "now" and "then" dealing with a traumatic past and reinventing herself.

Easy read and loved the twists. I will say this felt like one big miscommunication trope which made me a little crazy at the end.

This was a really solid debut and a solid thriller. The ending felt a little bit too tidy, and I was left with some lingering questions. However, I did enjoy it overall

Everyone Who Can Forgive Me Is Dead does a good job of building tension and keeping you guessing on what happened on Charlie's Scarlet Christmas. She has spent years trying to rebuild her life only to have it come back to haunt her as a new movie comes out about that fateful night and it could prove she lied to the police unravelling it all. Not just the movie, but the fact it comes from one of the victim's twin sister.

It starts off pretty strong but the middle is a bit sluggish. especially as there are a lot of look backs to the past but snippets that don't show all due to Charlie's memory loss. Going through that will definitely have an impact on your mental health but it made it tougher to read too (maybe more on a personal note as this year has been tough).

The ending wasn't overly obvious despite some clues through the book, yet it left you feeling a little like there should be more

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read and review an advanced copy of this novel. I highly enjoyed it and will be recommending it to others.

A digital copy of this book was provided to me by NetGalley, St. Martin's Press and Minotaur Books. The opinions are my own and freely given.

Charlie was involved in what the media call, "Scarlet Christmas" where her classmates lost their lives. Years later, Charlie has rebuilt her life and never talks about that night. She stays away from everything related to that time in her life, especially her friends. Because Charlie lied and she doesn't want the truth to come out. Now, a movie is being made in honor of the 10-year anniversary, and Charlie does everything she can to put an end to it.
Charlie goes down "memory lane" with the help of her therapist to actually remember what happened that night and retrieve the parts she blocked out. But is the truth too much for Charlie to handle? There are lies by omission, and around corners that Charlie didn't have a clue about. This is a great debut, and it kept me guessing.

Dark academia is an immediate yes in my book!

🏫 REVIEW: EVERYONE WHO CAN FORGIVE ME IS DEAD 🏫

By Jenny Hollander

📖 SUMMARY: Charlie survived a traumatic night at her elite grad school that people call “Scarlet Christmas.” Nine years later, she is living her dream life, thoughts of Scarlet Christmas pushed solidly to the back of her mind. But when a former classmate announces she’s making a movie about that night, she realizes she will have to get back in contact with people from back then to make sure the movie — and her secrets — never come out.

💭 THOUGHTS: Anything dark academia and I’m sold. This was a solid read — the university setting, the nightmarish events that you slowly learn more about, and a main character with secrets of her own, aka a recipe for success. There were a few plot twists at the end, one of which I totally didn’t see coming! Definitely pick this up for a dark and fun (yes, those can go together) reading experience!

✨ MADE ME FEEL: suspicious 🤨

🥰 YOU’LL ENJOY IF: you liked IN MY DREAMS I HOLD A KNIFE

What a fun dark academia thriller! For those plot-driven thriller lovers, this book is not for you. It is very character driven and literary.

Charlie Colbert can't remember much of what happened to her friends that died before Christmas break while they were in grad school at a top journalism school. She is now an Editor-in-Chief at a renowned magazine and neurotic to a fault. She is engaged to be married to a wealthy publishing magnate and has checked out from planning anything. She barely talks to her old classmates and keeps her family (who reside in the UK) from getting too close. She has blocked the memories of those deaths for so long and now that the "Scarlet Christmas" event will be made into a movie, everything about that time is coming back to haunt her.

She finally decides to try to remember by going to a psychiatrist that can hypnotize her into remembering more because she worries that everyone will find out that she lied about what happened. She thinks she lied about more than what happened and its aftermath. But as I read deeper into the story, I got more annoyed at why she isolated herself and all of her inactions to do much of anything.

I enjoyed the twists and turns of the novel and was surprised a little bit at the ending. But I thought that Charlie could have been a better character overall and her inactions over every part of her life was a bit grating.

Thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and Minotaur Books for this eARC. Everyone Who Can Forgive Me is Dead is out now.

Everyone Who Can Forgive Me Is Dead centers around Charlie Colbert, an unreliable heroine with a distorted memory, who attempts to piece together the memories of a tragic event that occurred ten years earlier during her graduate school days. The narrative oscillates between the past and the present, revealing a complex web of friendship, trauma, and survival. Charlie, now having rebuilt her life, faces a new challenge when one of the other survivors decides to create a movie about the incident, threatening to unravel her carefully constructed reality.

Jenny Hollander's debut is a dark and dazzling psychological thriller that offers a deep dive into the human psyche. Its strengths lie in its well-crafted characters and the exploration of complex themes such as trauma and memory. While the pacing may be slow for some readers, the novel's emotional depth and intricate plot make it a worthwhile read for fans of psychological thrillers and dark academia.'

For those interested in a thought-provoking and suspenseful read, Everyone Who Can Forgive Me Is Dead is a commendable choice.

Overwrought psychological drama.

Charlotte (Charlie) Colbert was a witness and a survivor of an event at graduate school more than 9 years ago. The public knows it as "Scarlet Christmas" -- when 2 students died on the Carroll University School of Journalism campus. Now Charlie is an editor-in-chief at a prestigious magazine and engaged to a wealthy publishing magnate. She's come a long way since those terrible traumatic days in the aftermath of the tragedy. Unfortunately, she's really not OK, and when a former classmate decides to produce a movie about those long-ago deaths, Charlie decides she can't let the truth come out. Because Charlie lied.

The narrative is told in a then and now format leaving so much out that the reader is easily annoyed by the lack of a real plot. The main character, Charlie, is written as a neurotic so it is hard to imagine her successful in her high-powered job. She can't remember what happened that night but is convinced that she's about to be outed. The author attempts a twist that falls flat as revelations occur that make the previous historical accounts moot. And it went on way too long. This could easily have been a short story. Not that interesting of one, but definitely most of the chronicle could have been cut and you'd still be left with the bare bones of banality.

I listened to the audiobook while following along in the e-book ARC provided by the publisher. The narrator did an adequate job but found it hard to pick and stick with an accent for the characters.
This isn't one I'd recommend.

Honestly, I wouldn’t have finished this book if I hadn’t received it from the publisher. The more I read, the less I cared about what happened on the fated night of the crime. There are much better thrillers out there, and this is a title that can be skipped.