✨Everyone Who Can Forgive Me Is Dead by Jenny Hollander✨

Genre: Mystery
Pages: 304
Pub date: Today!

📚Nine years ago, with the world’s eyes on her, Charlie Colbert fled. The press and the police called Charlie a “witness” to the nightmarish events at her elite graduate school on Christmas Eve—events known to the public as “Scarlet Christmas”—though Charlie knows she was much more than that.

Now, Charlie has meticulously rebuilt her life: She’s the editor-in-chief of a major magazine, engaged to the golden child of the publishing industry, and hell-bent on never, ever letting her guard down again. But when a buzzy film made by one of Charlie’s former classmates threatens to shatter everything she’s worked for, Charlie realizes how much she’s changed in nine years. Now, she’s not going to let anything—not even the people she once loved most—get in her way.

📝A mystery thriller that held my attention. Our MC Charlie has spent the last decade moving on from a tragedy in her past, dubbed Scarlet Christmas. That is, until news of a movie deal commemorating the ten year anniversary reaches her.

The pacing was good, told in both past & present timelines while incorporating newspaper snippets and other media. The truth of the event is not revealed until the very end!

💫Thank you @netgalley and @minotaur_books for my #gifted copy💫

⭐️⭐️⭐️

Everyone Who Can Forgive Me is Dead by Jenny Hollander

(Thank you @netgalley and @minotaur_books for the #gifted e-book)

I was immediately intrigued by the synopsis for this one and knew I had to read it. Overall, I think it’s a decent popcorn thriller and a quick read.

I loved the audiobook narrator, except for her male character voices. Idk why but they irked me 😅

I enjoyed the premise of this one, but I felt like we took 8 hours to uncover something that didn’t need to be drawn out. It was the meeting that could’ve been an email.

Rounded up from a 2.5. The long buildup, pacing, and main character were not for me. Hope you enjoy!

Thanks to Netgalley for the free copy in exchange for an honest review

I knew I would have a bit of trouble with this book going into it - I'd just finished my first 5-star book of 2024, and was in a bit of a book hangover from that one. Knowing any book was going to suffer in comparison, I hoped that going to a different genre would help, and it did, to a point. I liked this one, but didn't love it. I thought maybe it was just my book hangover, so skimmed some reviews to see whether it was just me. Apparently it wasn't. Some of the things that hit me a bit wrong did the same with other reviewers. The pacing was a bit off at times - jumping back and forth in time can be tricky and there was a lot of that here. There were a lot of questions that were just left hanging for me - some of them involving some major plot points. On the other hand there are many excellent reviews from people who loved it, so maybe it actually was just me, and I definitely can see why those readers loved it. It just didn't work for me on all levels, yet I wanted to keep listening to find out what really happened on that "Scarlet Christmas" - and it worked enough that I will absolutely be on the lookout for this author's sophomore book. I did listen to it for the most part (read a bit as well) - the narration by Marisa Calin was excellent.
Thanks to Netgalley, St. Martin's Press, and Macmillan Audio for providing copies for an unbiased review.

Important things you need to know about the book:

Pace: Medium but does pick up to fast towards the end of the book. After the twist, it falls back to medium again.

POV: 1st person (told from Charlie’s POV in both past and present)

Trigger Warnings: There are scenes involving mental Illness (on page), murder (on and off page), alcohol (on and off page), suicidal thoughts (off page), violence (on page), blood (on page), grief (on and off page), injury and injury detail (on page), child death (off page), death (on and off page), drug use (on page for one scene and never mentioned again), self harm (on page), toxic relationship (on and off page), stalking (off and on page), and toxic friendship (on and off page). If any of these triggers you, I suggest not reading the book.

Language: Moderate swearing is used in Skater Boy. There is also language used that could be offensive to some people.

Setting: Everyone Who Can Forgive Now Is Dead is set mainly in New York City. There is a brief scene in Nantucket when Charlie tries on wedding dresses. Charlie also remembers growing up in England.

Plot Synopsis (as spoiler-free as I can get):

Charlie Cobert had lived through a horrific Christmas Eve massacre at her exclusive graduate school. Dubbed “Scarlet Christmas,” several of Charlie’s friends were killed that night. Charlie herself could not remember the events up to the massacre and the actual massacre itself. Determined to lose the victim label the press gave her, Charlie slowly got her life back. Now, nine years after those events, she is the editor-in-chief of a major magazine and is engaged to the heir of a huge publishing company. But, when the twin sister of her best friend (who was killed in the massacre) decides to make a film about that night, Charlie starts to unravel. What exactly happened that night? What isn’t Charlie remembering? Will it take Charlie completely falling apart to remember?

Characters:

The main character in Everyone Who Can Forgive Me Is Dead is Charlie. I am going to say this upfront: Charlie is not a reliable narrator. Let me repeat this louder for those in the back: CHARLIE IS NOT A RELIABLE NARRATOR.

I didn’t like Charlie, but I felt terrible for her. The trauma she experienced shaped her into the neurotic woman that is portrayed in the book. She kept people, including her fiancee, at arm’s length. She refused to discuss anything to do with that night with anyone. Hell, she even went as far as to get plastic surgery to change what she looked like. So, I wasn’t surprised when she began to spiral. When she started remembering the truth of that night, it broke her. It would have broken me, too.

The secondary characters weren’t as fleshed out as I would have liked them to be. They did add some extra depth to the storyline but that was it.

My review:

The main storyline in the book is split between Now (present-day) and Then (the months leading up to the massacre). The author also includes news articles about the massacre as buffers between the chapters. I was skipping over the articles until I realized that they did hold information in them. So, don’t skip them. You will miss out on stuff.

I wasn’t a fan of the dual storylines. Dual storylines and I have a love/hate relationship. Done right, they are lovely and done wrong, well, they suck. Thankfully, the author did them right in this book. There is a correlation between what Charlie was going through in the present day and what she experienced leading up to the murders. It made the transition between storylines easy, and I didn’t get lost when switching over.

As I stated above, Charlie is an unreliable narrator. Her memories of events leading up to the Scarlet Christmas were skewed. There were holes in them because of her drinking (minor spoiler: she is a blackout drunk). But, as the storyline went on, and the more Charlie’s therapy sessions uncovered the truth, I did begin to wonder if I was getting the whole, unvarnished truth. And now that I have finished the book, I still wonder that.

The mystery/thriller/suspense angle was well written. The author did a great job of building up what was going on with Charlie in the present and what was going on with her in the past. There is also a massive twist in the back half of the book that I did not see coming. Usually, there is a hint, a whisper of things to come, but not in this book. It came out of nowhere and surprised me.

The end of Everyone Who Can Forgive Me Is Dead was interesting but not what I thought. I can only get into a little about what happened without spoilers, but I liked what I read. But, it was almost anti-climatic after everything that was revealed.

Many thanks to St. Martin’s Press, Minotaur Books, NetGalley, and Jenny Hollander for allowing me to read and review this ARC of Everyone Who Can Forgive Me Is Dead. All opinions stated in this review are mine.

I really enjoyed this for the most part. I thought it was very well written and the characters were well developed. The author did a nice job bouncing between the past and the present which made the story flow nicely. My one complaint without spoilers is around the 50% mark there is a detail that is revealed. That detail never really goes anywhere - I thought it was going to add more to story.

Overall, I enjoyed this book and think it’s a great debut novel for this author. I will definitely keep an eye out for their future releases! Thank you so much Minotaur Books for allowing me to read an advanced copy of Everyone Who Can Forgive Me Is Dead.

"Everyone Who Can Forgive Me Is Dead" by Jenny Hollander is a compelling and emotionally charged debut that captures the reader's attention from the outset. Narrated by Charlie, the protagonist, we are thrust into her tumultuous world as she navigates the treacherous waters of PTSD, survivor's guilt, and profound loss, all while trying to orchestrate her wedding and maintain her cherished job. The narrative's grip is immediate, drawing the reader into Charlie's complex psyche and her struggle to find equilibrium in her fractured world.

Hollander skillfully unfolds the story in the present, peppering the narrative with flashbacks triggered by Charlie's memories, which are just resurfacing. This technique cleverly immerses the reader in a state of suspense and speculation, mirroring Charlie's own process of piecing together the fragments of her past. The journey through Charlie's recollections is both haunting and riveting, keeping the truth shrouded in mystery until the narrative's climax, where all is finally laid bare.

Although the denouement ventures into territories that some might find a stretch of the imagination, it nevertheless provides a gratifying closure to the myriad threads woven throughout the story. The resolution, while perhaps veering towards the edges of plausibility, ties up the loose ends in a manner that leaves the reader content and reflective.

Hollander's foray into this genre is impressive, showcasing her ability to craft a narrative that is as enthralling as it is poignant. Her talent for creating a suspenseful and engaging tale is evident, making "Everyone Who Can Forgive Me Is Dead" a standout debut. The novel is replete with twists that are both surprising and thoughtfully executed, marking Hollander as a promising new voice in the genre.

As a fan of psychological thrillers and complex narratives, I found Hollander's novel to be a refreshing addition to the genre. Her potential is unmistakable, and it's clear that with further works, she has the capability to ascend to the forefront of contemporary fiction. Jenny Hollander's debut is a testament to her storytelling prowess and her ability to delve deep into the human psyche, making "Everyone Who Can Forgive Me Is Dead" a recommended read for those who cherish a story that stays with you long after the last page is turned.

Thank you to the publisher for this ARC!

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.