veryone Who Can Forgive Me Is Dead is bringing the dark academia vibes with an utterly absorbing and impossible to look away from plot that will have you questioning everything you think you know until the very last pages.

Give me well-built stories about a mysterious traumatic event and a lead character fighting to regain her memories of that night to finally know the truth of what happened any day. This book does it all exceedingly well - complicated and sometimes unlikable characters, interwoven through present day and what-happened-then flashbacks, bite sized reveals of increasingly incriminating evidence, and gasp out loud twists that upend the steady thread you think is building. Each chapter has you dying to know what’s next, and the ending comes to serve.

No spoilers of course, but with flavours of Luckiest Girl Alive, this is must read this spring for thriller and dark academia lovers alike. A dark and delicious whodunnit that will haunt you anytime you dare to pause reading.

Many thanks to @minotaur_books for the copy and to @jennyhollander for keeping me up well past my bedtime so I could finally know the unknowable secrets of Scarlet Christmas.

I had high expectations for this but had a hard time due to slowness of the development. The story plot is very familiar, tried and true.
The writing is well done but the stitching of the story line was difficult.

This was an extremely suspenseful read that kept me turning the pages, but also a wholly unsatisfying one.

I liked the writing, especially getting to feel the protagonist's love for NYC. However, so much of the suspense came from omission (e.g. deliberately not mentioning certain characters in the present timeline) instead of skillful storytelling. It wasn't effective anyway since a lot of my guesses turned out to be correct and I didn't feel shocked at any of the 'twists' or revelations.

While the book does a good job in exploring grief and trauma, it's concerning that Noor the therapist allows Charlie to cross boundaries and rush things. At best, it's more evidence of weak storytelling to propel the plot along quickly. At worst, it's risky and dangerous behavior that does a disservice to therapy in real life.

I also never warmed to Charlie because she was detached and often unkind to people (what she herself calls "the icy way that had become my default". She was hard to empathize with despite all that she had been through.

Still, there were some themes that I really enjoyed and thought were tackled well, such as how different demographics are treated differently in the media.

While the unravelling of the plot was underwhelming, the author has talent and promise that I will eagerly watch out for.

As someone who often feels like thrillers can be a little bit one-note, this one really kept me fully interested throughout the entire book. I also feel like this stayed truer to a more realistic thriller rather than an outrageously fictional one. The notes on mental health are well-written and widely applicable to our time.

Any confusion you get from the first half comes around to make more much sense by the end. It's such a cleverly-written book and I'll recommend this to anyone who wants a thought-provoking read!

Okay, so I am not 100% sure how I feel about this one! I was very excited to receive this ARC. But the book fell a little short for me on the end.

Charlie survived what was known as the 'Scarlet Christmas'. A Christmas Eve at her graduate school turns into a bloody nightmare that leaves her fellow classmates dead. Now nine years later, she is an editor-in-chief to a huge magazine, engaged to publishing royalty, and has built walls around herself to protect herself. She is determined to to make sure nothing changes to the life she worked hard to rebuild. But things have changed when a former classmate decides to make a film based on the events of what happened that bloody Christmas Eve. Will Charlie be able to make sure everything she has built doesn't shatter?

This was a slow burn for me. I kept hoping it would pick up in pace but it was a bit slow. I had high hopes going into the book and felt a little let down. I loved the first half and found it intriguing. I wanted to know more. But I was sadly let down in the second half. I would still love to check out more in the future by the author though! I did think the book was well written, and had some great complex characters. This just wasn't my favorite. 3 stats out of 5! Thank you Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I’m honestly not sure how I felt about this one lol. The premise and the first half or so really had me. Multiple murders on a college campus, catchy tag line for said murders and a big mystery surrounding what actually happened?! I. WAS. SOLD. However, somewhere along the way, the author just lost me. The plot twist was definitely one that I didn’t see coming but for a while there, I felt like I was just going in circles and I was like ok?? What is actually happening here?! Also it wasn’t very thrilling, and felt more like a mystery.

There was still a lot about this story I did enjoy though. I always love a past/present situation in thrillers and thought it was a nice touch that most of the “past” was told through therapist sessions. It was quite clever. And although the ending was more of a HEA, I’m actually a big fan of those and like when things are wrapped up at the end of a story.

Also I’d like to point out that my biggest gripe with this book is the cover?! I’ve never had such strong dislike for a cover lol. If I saw it on shelves, I would be more likely to think it’s a book of poetry or something and not actually an adult thriller.

Overall, a solid thriller debut!

WHAT I LIKED
- The flashbacks between the current and past timeline were fantastic. I loved how the author hinted at the specifics of Charlie's past without truly revealing anything until almost the end. 
- The *vibes* were immaculate.
- I was genuinely surprised by the way certain events played out. 

WHAT DIDN'T WORK FOR ME
- There was a lull in the pacing toward the middle of the book, which caused me to lose interest for awhile. 

Read this if you liked The Luckiest Girl Alive or In My Dreams I Hold a Knife.

Thank you St Martins for the ebook book and MacMillan for the review copy of this audio! This is a sneaky kind of good read/audiobook, at least for me, it sneaks up on you, draws you in bit by bit and makes you care about the main character, question the value/lack of value in asking people to revisit and discuss trauma, ... all while making you wonder what really happened. The pacing works well and I thought the writing and plot development was really effective, a moody style that kept me just a tad uncertain, in a good way (though I will admit at times the writing didn't quite flow for me), as to where the plot was going. The dual timeline format worked well for how the story came together and I appreciated how Hollander approached the reveals.

A compelling story and nicely done on audio, I think that format was a particularly good way to appreciate the story and plot.

If you like an unreliable narrator, dark academia feel, and dramatic suspense this is the book for you!

As a debut, I think it was good. I enjoyed it but did find some of the writing a little jumbled and hard to follow. However, it was a fun read. There are a lot of characters to follow so it was very busy (and not a lot of the characters were likeable). I didn’t really connect with any of the characters.

I see the potential with her writing and look forward to seeing what the future brings for her!

Thank you to netgalley and Minotaur books for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

This actually wasn't super original for me, but I did still enjoy it. I love dual timelines and I love to be kept guessing until the very end.

10 years after a tragedy at her school, a documentary stirs up secrets to what really happened that night as Charlie can't seem to remember. It really did keep me on the edge of my seat until the very last twist.

When a ten year old killing spree is reexamined for a documentary, the victims must deal with the backlash and possible destruction of the lies they've carefully crafted.

I thought this book was incredible engaging. The characters, while not inherently likable, captivated my interest and kept me reading. I also loved the flashbacks that slowly pieced the story together. A fast-paced read for those who liked If We Were Villains.

Let’s talk about a book that is so square in my sweet spot— dual timelines, a campus setting, NYC, someone hell-bent on finding the truth and someone else who will stop at nothing to keep it hidden.

Nine years ago a tragedy dubbed “Scarlet Christmas” left six graduate students at NYC’s Carroll University either in surgery or in the morgue.

But Charlie Colbert somehow escaped the night totally unscathed. The press called her a victim. They called her a survivor. She’s quick to tell us everyone got it wrong.

As the ten-year anniversary creeps closer, Charlie learns that one of her former classmates is going to make a movie about that night — a movie that will finally set the record straight.

Charlie has spent years rebuilding her life by leaving the dark night, and everyone she knew, behind. She’s now the editor-in-chief of a major magazine in New York City. She’s engaged to the heir to one of the biggest publishing companies. She’s worked so hard to forget the past and so hard to protect the truth of what really happened.

With dual timelines, some mixed media and lots of dark secrets this book kept me guessing. I am always up for books where the past comes back to haunt the characters and so interested to see what’s lurking in the dark.

Huge thanks to @minotaur_books for the eARC and to @macmillan.audio for the Audio ARC. I loved being able to switch between the two and to stay deep within the story at all times. I really enjoyed this debut!

What would you do if a long-buried past threatens to come to the surface — and on the international stage?
Nine years ago, Charlie Colbert was a survivor of “Scarlet Christmas” where three of her journalism grad school classmates were killed and another three injured. She’s since blocked out the fateful night where she was found covered in blood, moving on with her life until stories and a movie adaptation are in the works, with reporters once again knocking on her door. As she’s forced to relive that traumatic time, memories are also coming to light…much different from the official investigation. More than one person knows what Charlie did that night.
I thought this was an interesting read, but it didn’t have that thriller edge to it that keeps me turning the page. I was also still left with basic questions at the end that I felt were glossed over in a rush to wrap up the book. It was still a good read though and would make a good adaptation if done well.
Thank you to Minotaur Books for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

I wanted to love this. I have been looking forward to it for a while but, it just fell flat. It didn’t make me feel like it was a thriller. I didn’t feel like I was desperately waiting to see how the story unraveled. Left me feeling really blah.

What if everything you thought about the worst day of your life was actually a lie?

Charlie came to New York City for journalism school and stayed because after tragedy she fell in love with the city. She has become a highly successful magazine editor and is engaged to an old money heir to a publishing firm. However, Charlie is hiding dark secrets about the Christmas Eve night when students at her school were killed, and she blacked out and found herself covered in blood.

This story had such an interesting premise, but seems to get a bit lost in the weeds of flipping from Then and Now - it gets a bit confusing what is memories and what actually happened. We start picking up speed as Charlie is meeting with her therapist and then ... the therapist goes on vacation.

Honestly, this feels like a whole series of miscommunications and secrets that did NOT need to be hidden and could have saved people from years of guilt and pain, and at the centre is an unlikable poor little rich girl in red bottoms.

Great debut!

This was so intense, with a narrator, Charlie, who admittedly is unreliable. Ten years ago she was the lone survivor of "Scarlett Christmas" - a bloody massacre that ended in three deaths. Charlie struggles to remember that night.

She's in therapy. She's trying to remember. But she worries if she should. And we are along for the ride right until the very end.

The ending was a bit unrealistic - but it's fiction! I was invested until the last word.

I had the audio and the ebook and found both great. The narration was really good!

Many thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press and MacMillan Audio for an ARC and ALC in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you St. Martin's Press for accepting my request to read Everyone Who Can Forgive Me Is Dead in exchange for an honest review on NetGalley.

I actively seek and get excited when I see debut novel when submitting a request to read on NetGalley, I click author as my reason. Thirty years ago I would read in line while waiting to pay for a new release. Now I have stacks of books and devices and like to cold read -- I know I've already picked the book through the synopsis, cover, or seeing debut. Thus when I sit down to read it much later -- resell me: keep my attention blindly. Everyone Who Can Forgive Me is Dead grabbed me immediately. If my windows were open my neighbors would have heard me when I finished reading -- no way, wow, her first novel.

I struggled early on fighting my urge to reread the synopsis versus letting the story play out. The tone was giving me mass school shooting vibes and I am not comfortable with that subject matter in fiction thrillers. I held firm and true to my love for storytelling and forged on as if the synopsis and/or Google were not at my fingertips. Hollander wrote a good story. She had my (minus the language and my mass shooting vibes) undivided attention. The first 75% was like a logic problem. It was smart with details sprinkled that left me fulfilled and not thinking about the solution. The solution is where the story fails. There are a lot of banterings between characters and the story flips back and forth between past and present. It isn't smooth.

All-in-all this is a good time. It should not be taken seriously. I finished with an accomplished sigh, a smile and am ready to move on to my next read.

Published: 02/06/24

3.75⭐️ This was a pretty solid thriller. The lost memory trope has been done a good bit and I thought it was a good take on it, however, once the twists started coming I was bit confused by some of the revelations. I still don’t fully understand what happened to Dee and I can only assume. Overall, I enjoyed it and will read more from this author.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press, Minotaur Books, and NetGalley for a copy of this e-book in exchange for my honest review.

I enjoyed the cast of characters, especially the main character Charlie and her struggle to cope and regain her memory of a horrible night from her past. The suspense carries throughout which I live in a slower-burn and well-plotted thriller. This is one I would definitely recommend.

I have been provided with a review copy of Everyone Who Can Forgive Me Is Dead from NetGalley for an impartial review. Oh my gosh this story was just epic. I just couldn’t put this story down and I was just captivated by everything that was taking place. The author truly outdid herself with this story. This story just had my emotions all over the place and I am so sad to see this book end. I just can’t wait to see what’s next from this author.