Damn, this was wild! I was having trouble getting into ANY book and this was finally the one that got me hooked. From the beginning you know there was a 'massacre' but you know zero details of who did what, who died, etc. As the story unfolds there are more and more twists.

Charlie was a fun character to read from and I would definitely read more from this author!

I read this book a while before writing this review so I've had some time to think about it and the longer I think the more I get angry at this book. Right when I finished this book I loved it and gave it a 4/5, but now I'm bumping it down to 3 because while it was written well and pretty entertaining, there was one part that annoyed me.

Starting with what was well done, I really like this author's writing style and how she got across the main character's struggle with mental health after everything that happened to her. The author did a good job with not magically making the character okay and showing how the Scarlet Christmas affected Charlie into her adult life, and the consequences her secret caused her. This book also had interesting plot twists that I didn't see coming, had a good buildup to finding out what happened, and was written in a way that made me think of several different possibilities.

Now onto the not so good. Honestly this is me being a little picky, but the whole book was building up to finding out what happened the night of Scarlet Christmas and when we finally find out what happened there was a portion of it that was so out there, and it had caused Charlie so much grief that I had to take a step back and say really??? Not such a big issue, but when something like that happens at the end of the book it tends to ruin it for me.

Either way, I can honestly say I enjoyed reading this book, and look forward to seeing more from the author in the future!

Wow this one caught me by surprise I was not expecting to be so engrossed in this book once I started it, wasn't able to put it down. This was a solid fast moving thriller with dark academia vibes kind of The Luckiest Girl Alive mixed with In My Dreams I Hold a Knife. All the characters were well written and I always love an unreliable narrator. I went into this one mostly blind and would recommend doing the same and I don't want to spoil any of the twists that come out. I want to thank NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

Solid 4 stars! Great pacing and Well written characters, even the unlikable ones. Krot me guessing and reading.

It’s a shame when an alluring title and thrilling premise are the best parts about a book. This incredibly lackluster suspense was a chore to get through and I fully confess to throwing in the towel at the 44% mark of the e-galley. Life is too short. I do like that there was some focus on the actual traumatic impact that the Scarlet Christmas massacre had upon Charlie’s life, but it was more telling than showing, and not a deep enough psychological examination to save this bland story for me.

I am immensely grateful to Minotaur Books and NetGalley for my copy. All opinions are my own.

This was a little bit of a slow burner but I loved how everything was done in this book. The twists and turns really threw me. The character developed was great but I did feel like there were additional characters that didn’t feel super relevant. I think there’s some great life lessons in this book about trauma, guilt, and forgiving.

I was lucky enough to win an eARC of EVERYONE WHO CAN FORGIVE ME IS DEAD by Jenny Hollander through a Shelf Awareness giveaway. Thank you for the early look, and have a safe and happy autumn!

Thank you to NetGalley, Minotaur Books, and to Jenny Hollander for the opportunity to read this arc in exchange for an honest review!
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My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Publication day: 2/6/24

Summary:
This is her debut novel and she did such an amazing job! I really got into this one. The slow burn build up definitely worked for this story and some of the twists I didn’t see coming. I really enjoyed her writing style and look forward to reading more future books of hers. I recommend this to anyone who enjoys thrillers, murder mysteries, dual timelines, and slow burns!

#read #thriller #suspense #murder #bookaddict #bookworms #bookstagram #netgalley #fiction #chilly #readmore #jennyhollander #christmas #booksbooksbooks #booksyoucantputdown #everyonewhocanforgivemeisdead #minotaurbooks #stmartinspress

Almost 10 years ago Charlotte was in college, and survived an attack dubbed the Scarlet Christmas. She never spoke about the events that night, despite a deluge of press requests. But now, upon the 10 year anniversary, a major film is being released, and Charlotte can’t let the public find out what really happened that night. This debut novel has all the elements: a traumatic event shared by now estranged college roommates; an interesting but flawed protagonist; and a suspenseful lead up to the big reveal. However, when we finally get to the core of this story, the motive felt a bit underwhelming and deflating, leaving the reader expecting more. Overall, a good read that kept me turning the pages, and I look forward to this author’s next book. I received an ARC of this book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book has been getting some great buzz and I needed a good drama/thriller to pull me out of my reading funk…it did the trick for the most part!

Charlie is a successful editor at a magazine but is struggling in her day to day life as she reckons with a traumatic past. In college she was part of a massacre called “Scarlet Christmas” which left her being carried out of her dorm covered in blood. The book moves back and forth from past to present where very slowly the events of that night and prior are unveiled.

This is indeed a very slow burn, and once you get to the reveal I was a little underwhelmed. However, the promise of that reveal kept me turning pages. I enjoyed how the story followed Charlie’s past and I liked an inside peak at a woman coming unraveled (the therapy sessions were well done). That said, I frankly found her backstory with her family most compelling and wish that had been talked about more. I have to imagine this being a bit tough to follow on audio as it does switch past and present pretty frequently and there are a lot of characters to follow. If you like slow burn dramas this is definitely one to pick up in Feb.
3.5 stars

Pub date: 2/6/24
Genre: mystery/suspense
Quick summary: "Scarlet Christmas", a night of horror Charlie witnessed in graduate school, lives on in infamy. She's tried to move on, but a film made by a former classmate threatens to reveal secrets that will destroy her rebuilt life.

This title is just amazing, and I knew I had to try the book. Unfortunately, I had some trouble connecting to the story - it was a bit too much of a slow burn for me. I also had trouble following some of the more "stream of consciousness" thoughts from Charlie, as well as the large cast of characters. That being said, a lot of other reviewers have really enjoyed this one, so other thriller lovers may enjoy it more than I did!

Thank you to Minotaur Books for providing an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed the beginning of this book. The build-up was nice and you didn't really know which way the story was going to go. However, the ending felt like a completely different book and I was so disappointed.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press, Minotaur Books and Netgalley for my ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I think my older students will get a lot from this book, it is a slower burn a, more introspective story. It was a little confusing at first and I wonder why the author chose to have so many things start with the letter C which added to the confusion but once I got past that, it was very interesting and well thought out and had a depth and understanding that I appreciated 4.5

This is a very absorbing look at healing from trauma and living beyond it. Told in the present and the past, a young journalism student survives a massacre at her school and starts to fall apart again as her secrets threaten to come out. There are twists viewed into the plot but it is mostly a psychological about a very relatable woman dealing with horrible circumstances and questions about who she is

I liked this book, but I felt like there was so much going on at times, the story couldn't keep up with iteself.


That's my whole review and I don't have anything else to add.

From the sassy title to the wild ride of twists and turns in the storyline, this gripping psychological thriller had me totally hooked, flipping those pages with bated breath just to see how it all unfolds.

With its clever back-and-forth between past and present chapters, the author skillfully lays out the events leading up to that fateful Christmas Eve. And can we talk about Charlie? She's such a complex character, dealing with her messed-up memories and carrying that heavy load of guilt. What really got me was realizing that Charlie isn't the only one hiding some serious secrets here.

The way the mystery unraveled at the end felt totally legit and left me feeling super satisfied. Overall, this book is a total page-turner and had me absolutely glued to it from beginning to end.

4/5 stars!!!!!

I stayed up way too late finishing this book — once I started, I couldn’t put it down. The author deftly weaves Then and Now narratives to propel the story forward and reveal bits of information as needed. Some of the twists I saw coming, some I most definitely did not!

Charlie’s mental health and trauma were explored realistically and respectfully. Sometimes thrillers sacrifice character development for plot, but this one was extremely character driven and I felt like I truly knew Charlie by the end of the story.

Fans of Jessica Knoll’s Luckiest Girl Alive will enjoy this one, too! I will definitely be reading any other titles this author releases.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the eGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Charlie, the EIC at a big magazine, has spent the past nine years reinventing herself after surviving a deadly graduate school attack that the press dubbed "Scarlet Christmas." But when the sister of one of the victims announces she's producing a film about that tragic night, with the intention of revealing the truth about what really happened, Charlie is forced to revisit the past she's tried so desperately to forget. Her panic mounts as she grapples with the black holes in her memory, which have left her wondering if she has more involvement in the deaths of her classmates than anyone realizes. Hollander delivers one gripping twist after another as Charlie frantically pieces together her memories, culminating in a shocking ending you won't see coming.

Holy crap. I wish I could give this book six stars, because it is the best thriller I've read in ages. I ignored my family for a full day and stayed up hours past my bedtime to finish it, because I literally could not put it down. Run, do not walk, to preorder this one!

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book early.

Unfortunately this book fell flat for me.

A fresh, witty thriller tailor-made for fans of IN MY DREAMS I HOLD A KNIFE.

What a fabulous premise, with excellently timed twists that made me freeze and whisper ‘oh crap’ to myself. I LOVED Charlie’s voice; she’s shrewd, calculated, and terrified, and it’s a compelling combination. The plot felt very much like a hard twist on the ‘college friends reunite ten years after the murder of a classmate’ trope, and I was here for it. Hollander is a master of dialogue, both external and internal, and the jumps back into the past were masterfully placed to mislead and heighten tension.

My only drawback is that this book started out with a bang, and I was sure it was going to be a solid five stars—and it was, until maybe the last 15%. Tragically, it felt like multiple of the plot threads fizzled out a bit, and I struggled with how some things were resolved—they seemed just too built up for what it ended up being, and it seeeeeemed like the MC very intentionally withheld info from the reader on a couple things until the very end, but without a viable reason (other than surprise for the reader).

Still, I very much enjoyed this thriller, and think it’s perfect for readers looking for a fresh twist on college-campus thrillers!

Extremely grateful to Netgalley and the publisher for this arc—I’ll be getting a physical copy!