I have to agree with some of the reviews I’ve seen already, this book was a bit of a struggle to get through. I wanted to love it, the premise sounded intriguing and I was expecting so much gruesome murder scene for a crime dubbed “Scarlet Christmas”…and yet you don’t even find out exactly what the crime was until very close to the end.

My biggest problem was that Charlie was just so ALL OVER THE PLACE. It was chapters and chapters of her being confused and running to hide in the shower. I wanted more of the THEN, describing the background and the murder and aftermath, and less of the NOW-confused Charlie.

Overall I did like the book, and I will definitely read future books from this author, I just want to see more juicy content and less filler and running in circles. I really did like the ending and how it played out, adding in more of the past would have helped round that out.

Thanks to Jenny Hollander, St Martins Press/Minotaur Books and NetGalley for providing this advance copy for review!

I love when a mystery/thriller can hook me in the first chapter and this book did that. I needed to know what happened and why. Also, when the storyline hinges on the main character not remembering specific pieces of the past due to blackouts, the payoff better be good. This one ended up being a mixed bag. Some things surprised and were worth the wait, others not so much. A good debut, but not a knockout. I will definitely be looking for this author in the future.

Overall, this title keeps the reader intrigued & on edge the whole book through. It's sort of a coming of age story for a graduate student into her mid-adulthood.
Pros:
+ Honey, the emphasis on the importance of therapy & mental health makes this title quite the gem
+ I love how this title exposes how tangled & twisted our own memories can be, which highlights how pertinent it is to process trauma
Cons:
- The pace of this book almost lost me at times
- Switching back between the past & present always annoys & messes with my ADHD
- I still don't know how Dee died. Did Elise fall on top of here or what?

SN: Was I the only one the thought that Cate was the one who went off the rails & started murdering folks?

*I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Suspenseful. Twisty. Mysterious.

This novel has it all!

Charlie is on top of the world after putting a terrifying and tragic incident at grad school behind her. But Steph, a former classmate, threatens to bring it all back when Steph decides to make a movie about the horrible event.

Charlie’s on a mission to stop the movie and protect herself at all costs.

Will she be able to stop the truth from coming out?

Told through flashbacks, the author takes the readers on a suspenseful journey as Charlie discovers what really happened that night.

The pacing was wonderful and there were no gotcha plot twists. A smooth story for any mystery lover!

3 what happened at Scarlet Christmas stars

This book centers around a gruesome event at a college where several lives were lost. Charlie was there and survived, but her brain is protecting her by keeping the truth hidden.

Nine years have passed, and Charlie has built a solid career at C (a magazine), where she serves as editor-in-chief. She starts to hear rumors that a film will be made about the tragedy and realizes she has to discover the truth.

As Charlie works with a therapist, we learn about the past and the characters involved. As she uncovered more of what happened, I started to guess the truth. I admit that I was not right, though.

I really wanted to love this one, but it was missing an essential piece for me, and that is connecting with the characters and rooting for them. Her romance with Tripp felt hollow. The movie seemed to come out of nowhere.

I would still give this author another shot and hope to connect more with a future book.

ARC by NetGalley and the publisher.
Scarlet Christmas that’s what they called it, the tragic events that happened 9 years ago at Carroll University. Since that horrific day Charlie has been able to move forward and create the perfect life for herself, editor in chief to a magazine and a wedding to plan. When an old classmate makes a documentary film focused on that tragic Christmas Eve night it sends Charlie’s picturesque life into a tale spin. What memories can Charlie recover from that night and what secrets does she want to keep hidden.

Everyone Who Can Forgive Me Is Dead is Jenny Hollander’s debut novel and is such a very successful one at that. We follow Charlie our main character thru two timelines, the past (with the events leading up to Christmas Eve 9 years ago) and the present. I definitely think going into this read blind aside from the synopsis is best as it will enhance the twisty journey the author takes you on. The flashbacks helped to make Charlie seem more relatable which aided in her overall likability as a character, even when she was making choices I did not necessarily agree with. The humor that you get glimpses of with the flashbacks of Charlie and her classmates was something I wasn’t expecting to come across but found it to be a great addition. The beginning and middle pacing of this book was so great, making this a page turner for sure. Reading the tiny sprinkling of clues throughout the story was also so satisfying especially once you get to the reveal. Overall this was an exciting thriller and I can most definitely see Hollander going far with her writing and becoming a must read thriller author.

Everyone Who Can Forgive Me Is Dead comes out February 6th, 2024

Thank you again NetGalley and for St. Martins Press, Minotaur Books for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the eARC!

I mostly enjoyed this book. It was a quick, easy read and I liked the setting.

I didn’t really care for Tripp, he didn’t seem all that necessary, really. Also, how did dee even die?

Overall I enjoyed reading this one, even if it kind of has one of my least favorite story lines. That said, I also really liked the format and writing style of this. I’ll definitely read more from her in the future.

This was a good slow burn psychological thriller with a rather interesting premise.

Nine years ago, Charlotte Colbert was the only witness to a tragic slaying that took place at her journalism school. After reinventing herself and creating her perfect life, another survivor threatens to ruin everything she’s worked for.

This story is told flipping between past and present and even shows parts of therapy sessions and press announcements throughout.

This book has an interesting plot with some twists and turns. This had me interested enough to feel the need to know what happens, even though you don’t really find out until the very end.

OUTLIER OPINION !

Unfortunately, I didn’t find there to be anything “thrilling” about this debut “thriller” and it failed to capture or hold my interest…

Nine years ago, Charlie Colbert was the only “witness" to a tragedy at her elite graduate school of Journalism- an event dubbed by the Press as "Scarlet Christmas" since the deaths took place on Christmas Eve.

With the help of her therapist, Noor, Charlie has managed to move past that night, and is now the editor-in-chief of “C” -a major magazine, and she is engaged to be married to Tripp-a “well to do” heir of the publishing world.

But when one of Charlie's former classmates, Stephanie Anderson announces that for the Ten Year Anniversary of Scarlet Christmas, she will be producing a film based on The NY Times best-seller, “The Fall”, Aaron Katz’s account of the night, written after interviewing hundreds of sources-Charlie becomes increasingly DESPERATE to stop the movie.

The story unfolds through chapters from THEN (very YA) and NOW, with snippets from therapy sessions and Press announcements.

So in addition for it being a slog for me to get through, what else went wrong?

For starters, the characters were not well developed as the author seemed to differentiate one from the other by hair description and what part of the country their accent was from-and not much else. I found them hard to keep track since I really didn’t get to know anyone, and the descriptions of how words were being pronounced was annoying.

The romance between Charlie and her fiancé Tripp wasn’t convincing, as they didn’t even know the most important things about eachothers pasts or what each envisioned for their future together. There was finally a big reveal at 50%, but it didn’t really develop into anything much, and could have been so much more.

I also wasn’t at all CONVINCED about Stephanie’s motive for releasing this film, especially after the truth of what happened on the Scarlet Christmas was revealed. OR, why, she would lead Charlie to believe things about what the movie was actually going to depict when she knew what Charlie feared most.
It made no sense.

Still, so far, others have enjoyed this more, so if the premise interests you, be sure to check out additional reviews from other reviewers including DeAnn and Sheyla, who both buddy read this one with me, and may have felt differently! It didn’t work for me, but it might work for you.

EXPECTED PUBLICATION DATE: February 6, 2024.

Thank You to Minotaur books for the gifted copy provided through NetGalley, in exchange for an HONEST review.

Nine years ago, Charlie fled after a horrific event at her grad school. The press and police called her a witness, but Charlie knows more than she’s ever told anyone.

Now she’s rebuilt her life and moved on. But the past is coming back to haunt her. A buzzy film is about to be released portraying Charlie in a negative light. It’s then that Charlie realizes she’s not going to let anyone, or anything, stand in the way of her getting what she wants.

This was a fun thriller that was entertaining. I loved the mixed media throughout the book. That is always a fun addition to the story and it worked well in this one. This one wasn’t mind blowing or super intriguing, but it was a solid read that held my interest. I didn’t really care for the midbook twist; I was kind of take it or leave it. I also felt that a lot of this book stemmed on miscommunication, and it was a little aggravating, it’s not my favorite trope to read about. I did enjoy that we got this story from the alternating timelines. I am always a fan of when this works out well, and in this case it did. I think that I also expected things to be a little messier to resolve, but everything was so nice and tidy it just didn’t work for me. Overall, this one was a solid read, but not my favorite read.

Thank you so much to St Martins Press @Stmartinspress and Netgalley @Netgalley for this e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

This was a pretty fun, interesting thriller that kept me engaged the entire way through. I really liked our main character Charlie, and I found the story itself interesting. I was not a fan of the twist half way through the book, it felt less like a surprise and more like the author was keeping vital information from us. Miscommunication is also a big trope in this book, which I wasn’t crazy about. Overall, it was fine, I didn’t love it but I didn’t hate it either.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a free arc in exchange for an honest review.

This book was a ride. I enjoyed that you couldn’t fully rely on the narrator Charlie. I do think the author took a bit too long to start unraveling the truth of the story but overall it was a fun thriller read.

Three grad students are killed Charlie was there but remembers little of what happened…and is afraid she was very much to blame.

Almost ten years ago, on a night that came to be known as “Scarlet Christmas”, three students were killed in a building where students of one of the country’s most prestigious journalism programs were studying. Others were injured that night, but Charlotte (Charlie) Colbert emerged physically unharmed. Most of the traumatic evening has remained a black hole in Charlie’s memory, but she may not have told the police the full truth all those years ago. The press coverage at the time was brutal, affecting not just Charlie and her classmates but also Charlie’s family back in England. The Colberts had had enough pain….a son who died at a very young age, and a daughter who has Down’s Syndrome. Two of the victims that night were Charlie’s best friend Cate and boyfriend Jordan, and in the aftermath of the crime she pulled away from her circle of friends in order to heal. She has struggled with mental health issues ever since, but threw herself into forging a career and becoming a very different person from the quiet, naive girl she was then. She is now the very successful editor of a trendy Sunday magazine for one of the country’s top newspapers, is engaged to Tripp, the son of a wealthy publishing family, and thinks she has been able to put the past behind her. Then comes the news that Stephanie, Cate’s sister who was also present at the grisly scene all those years ago and who is now a well-known TV anchor, is producing a movie based on the events of that fateful evening. All of the survivors are supporting the movie, except for Charlie. Charlie has never spoken out publically about the events of that night since it happened, and has no intention of doing so now. Her prospective in-laws are horrified at the scandal, and are willing to help Charlie fight the film’s production. What really happened that night, and why? Who killed the three dead students? Is Charlie truly just a surviving witness of the carnage? With the help of her therapist, Charlie works to bring her memory of that night into complete focus….but she may have been better off not remembering.
Violence on school campuses is sadly not a rare event, and we are only to familiar with the media going into overdrive whenever there is an incident. Theories of who committed the acts and why, condemanation of those who should have seen signs that negative things were brewing but didn’t, and the many people left behind forever changed by the event are all part of the media narrative. What does it feel like to be someone who will be identified with and defined by such a violent act? In this novel, the reader doesn’t find out exactly what happened on Scarlet Christmas, nor the identities of the killer and the murdered until the very end. Charlie, the other survivors and their families and friends are all unique three dimensional characters, and I had fun sorting through the cryptic clues and red herrings to try to finger the killer. After more than a few twists and misdirections, the facts of the case and the motive that sparked the killing spree become known. It is a compelling read which I enjoyed a great deal. I would recommend it highly to readers of authors like Rachel Hawkins, Lisa Unger and Mary Kubica, and anyone who likes their suspense novels with a touch of, “I Know What You Did Last Summer. Many thanks to NetGalley and St Martin’s Press/Minotaur Books for allowing me access to an advanced reader;s copy of this book, which kept me up late into the night as I sought answers to all of the above questions.

3.75 stars

Charlotte Colbert, aka Charlie, is doing great. Really. She's 32, living in NYC, editor-in-chief for a huge magazine, and engaged to a rich, desirable man. She's totally not haunted by the Scarlet Christmas, that time in grad school when one of her classmates had a psychotic break and murdered a bunch of her friends. It's fine that parts of her memory that night are a black hole. Really. Until suddenly there's a movie in the works for the 10th anniversary, and it's being backed by someone else who was there that night. Charlie has purposefully distanced herself from all her old friends, but now she's scared of the blanks in her own mind, and what might be put on film that she can't remember.

The story is told in alternating timelines, but in a really interesting way. Instead of traditional flashbacks, we get Charlie recovering her memories through therapy, and then discussing and processing them after with her therapist. I found this a really cool storytelling device, and enjoyed that it gave us older Charlie's thoughts as well as younger Charlie's in the memories.

I liked Charlie, and her relationship dynamics with everyone were interesting to explore and refreshingly different in some cases. I understood why she made some of the decisions she had, even when I disagreed with them. There were secrets and twists to the events of the Scarlet Christmas that I didn't see coming, which I appreciated, but I would have liked to spend more time with the characters as those things were revealed and after. With the amount of build-up earlier in the book it felt like the bombs were dropped and resolved more quickly than I expected.

The blurb for this reminded me of "Luckiest Girl Alive", which I loved, and while I don't think this story will stick with me in exactly the same way, I had a great time reading it. So if you liked "Luckiest Girl Alive", or think you would but it feels too heavy for you, give "Everyone Who Can Forgive Me is Dead" a try! Thank you to NetGalley & the author for an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

I enjoyed this book. It drew me in right from the beginning and I had a hard time putting it down. Charlie was a fascinating character and the story developed at a great pace; the author did a great job of incorporating dual timelines and still propelling the plot along at an intriguing pace.
This is the story of Charlotte, or Charlie, an incredibly successful editor who seems to have it all: a great job, a fantastic super-wealthy fiancé, and loads of poise, self-confidence, and polish. But Charlie is also a survivor of what has been dubbed "Scarlet Christmas" by the press--a tragedy in which several students in an elite journalism grad school program were killed by another student. Charlie has worked extremely hard to put the past behind her and build a successful present, but when another survivor (a broadcast journalist who is even more successful that Charlie) announces plans to make a movie on the 10-year anniversary of the tragedy, Charlie begins to worry that her carefully curated life will fall apart. Because she has secrets about that night that she has been hiding for all theses years.
As I said, I was pulled right into the book. Charlie's character is very well done. She is just the right balance of unlikeable and vulnerable. The reader understands her motivations and roots for her, even when she makes obvious wrong decisions and does questionable things. Charlie's meetings with her therapist were a great way to show exactly what was going on in her head as well as detail the events of the past that led up to the defining moment in Charlie's life. As the story unfolded, I was captivated and found myself wondering what really happened that night, what Charlie was really hiding, and what would happen in the present when and if the truth came out.
I read feverishly until about the last 25%, when the pacing and plot began to feel a bit disjoined and strange. There was a slightly bizarre "aha" moment that should have been huge...and I guess it was huge...but then again it wasn't huge. So I felt confused and maybe a bit misled. And the denouement did not feel like it matched the pacing and tone of the rest of the book at all. I certainly don't want to give away any spoilers, and I am all for a HEA, but this felt overly drawn out and slightly anti-climactic (and nobody cared about the peanuts? Really?!).
But I did enjoy the book, and I would recommend it if you enjoy tense psychological thrillers. And I will definitely read more by this author.

This was juicy and felt adjacent to The Luckiest Girl Alive or a Carola Lovering book. Extremely impressive debut and excited to read more of her work. Slow burn, psychological thriller I couldn’t put down!

Page-turning, great characters, totally unpredictable, absorbing — loved it and will absolutely be recommending.

Let me start with saying, I love the cover. Many applause to the art department, it’s a beauty.

So. The book. This story follows Charlie, who has built a successful life for herself despite her past. She was a witness to a horrible event known as “Scarlett Christmas” at her graduate school. She’s tried her best to forget it and move on, but with the ten year anniversary looming and others involved determined to dig up the past, she must revisit that night.

I enjoyed the way these chapters were formatted, as well as the then and now timelines. I was kept guessing and in suspense throughout the book!

Read if you want: dark academia vibes/marrying into a prestigious family drama/solved mystery

Thank you to the publisher for a gifted ARC!

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

Charlie Colbert has been branded a "witness" of a campus tragedy that left her friends severely injured and dead. But what if she did more than just witness the events that took place during Scarlet Christmas? What if she caused the deaths?

---
This started off so, so strong but it ended up falling short for me. The beginning had me hooked and I dreaded putting the book down. But the middle was confusing and the ending anticlimactic.

Thank you NetGalley and St Martin's Press for gifting me an advance copy in exchange for my honest review and opinion.

Everyone Who Can Forgove Me is Dead by Jenny Hollander is a thriller I think will work for a lot of people but unfortunately, it didn’t work for me. It is very slow and it’ is hard to relate to Charlie for a lot of the book. I felt a big distance from her, a lot of that on purpose.

I know exactly the reader I would recommend this to. Which is always a good thing because I think this is going to be a book people really enjoy. I wish that I would have liked it more.