An interesting take on the unreliable narrator premise.

Charlie, a successful editor at a magazine about to marry into a wealthy family, has a secret. Everyone knows she was a witness to the Scarlet Christmas killings, but no one knows she lied. Even worse, Charlie can't remember the truth - her memory is a black hole. As other survivors participate in a documentary for a major anniversary, Charlie feels herself beginning to lose control. With the help of her therapist, Noor, she begins to dig into her memory to find out what really happened before it's too late.

This book was fast-paced and well-written, and I adored Charlie, despite her failings. But the final twist left me a little disappointed.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance review copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Everyone Who Can Forgive Me Is Dead by Jenny Hollander will release on February 6th, 2024.


First, a quick overview of the plot: We have our main character, Charlie, running a successful magazine and about to marry into a wealthy and well known family, but does her soon to be husband really know her and what she is capable of? Does she even know what she is capable of?

When an old college classmate decides to produce a documentary on ‘that night’, it sends Charlie into a panic and she becomes desperate to uncover her lost memories of what actually happened the night of Scarlet Christmas.

This is all I really want to say without giving away too much - and with that said, I definitely recommend going in blind. Allow yourself to melt into Charlie’s own confusion and go with her on the journey. Make your own theories and see if you can figure out what actually happened that deadly night.

Everyone Who Can Forgive Me Is Dead is a really good book. I was hooked very early on and around the 30% mark I had a hard time putting it down. This is one of those books that I had to know the ending of before I could go to sleep - we all know those books - and it most definitely led to a shorter night of sleep, haha.

The writing is beautiful and it’ll the author does a great job of confusing the reader and keeping you right where she wants you. You really grow to appreciate the characters, maybe developing some strong hatred towards some and some soft spots towards others. My biggest complaint with this book was the ending - I fell like it kind of fell flat, like I had missed something early on. However, that could also be considered a positive thing because it most definitely has me wanting to reread the book when it officially releases to see if I can catch any foreshadowing!


When I finished the book, I was torn on whether it should be given a 4 or a 5 star review. After sitting on it, I think that this book is a solid 4.5 star read.

🌟🌟🌟🌟

A fast and furious look at memory, trauma and the terror of navigating both, as we meet a survivor of a terrible crime, nine years later, and share in her frantic quest to resolve her part in a past she cannot reconstruct.

Charlie Colbert, now a successful NY editor-in-chief, is thirty-two year old and our first person narrative voice. As she flips between telling us the story of her ‘now’ life, and the fragments of her ‘then’ world that may be slowly coalescing, it’s very clear her fractured mind makes her an unreliable narrator. Exactly what the events are, those the then graduate school freshman and her friends experienced, on the fateful day dubbed “Scarlett Christmas”, will take some time to unravel, leading the reader on a panic-stricken ride that will not let up through several twists until the final ending.

I enjoyed this book and found the author’s delight in drawing out the ultimate conclusions, along with the tricky ending itself, both devious and satisfying. All told, this entertaining read is a solid psychological page-turner, and one that is extremely hard to put down.

A great big thank you to Netgalley, the author, and the publisher for an ARC of this book. All thoughts provided are my own.

I liked this one. It was a quick and easy read and even if I saw some of what was coming from a mile away, I still thoroughly enjoyed the ride. Hollander has an easy writing style and does a nice job painting a vivid picture of her characters and the horrible situations they find themselves in (and if they find themselves there largely because of their own actions, however banal, that simply made the story feel more relatable since that happens all too often in the real world). I would definitely read her again.

This book was well written and I felt like the characters were compelling. However, it was a very slow burn suspense novel. The storyline was a great premise although at times I felt a bit confused about the past events. Everything came together in the end, though, and it was a satisfying ending.

Thanks to St Martin’s Press, NetGalley, and the author for the advance copy!

This book was more of a slow burn than your typical thrillers, but I still enjoyed it. It really delved into the idea of lost memories related to trauma. I enjoyed it, but did feel a little “okay, what now?” At the end. Would recommend reading it but not a top favorite of mine.

So many things are uncovered throughout the plot that you DONT WANT TO PUT THIS DOWN and you NEVER are really sure what happened 9 years ago until the author wants you to know.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
WOW what a psychological thriller. I could not put it down.

I will say that I went into this with fairly high expectations based on the description - which was captivating - and after starting, I wasn't sure it was going to live up to expectations. STICK! WITH! IT! The second half of this book brings everything together and it is so satisfying!

It’s giving In My Dreams I Hold A Knife meets Final Girls Support Group, meets The Only Survivors? It’s got academia, it’s got a dual timeline, it’s got a mildly unreliable narrator (but for a legitimate reason), it’s got a tragedy with multiple layers and more than one person trying desperately to keep a secret. It has a few mildly predictable twists mixed with a twist or two that you don’t see coming (which is the best combination of twists, IMO).

Nearly a decade ago, Charlie Colbert was the key witness in a horrific event that left her and her friends wounded - and some dead.

With the ten year anniversary rapidly approaching, the media’s interest in the story - namely, in some gaps in timelines and unanswered questions - is being fervently renewed.

Charlie has made a point to distance herself not only from the tragedy but from the version of herself that survived it. Poised, polished, and ready to begin the rest of her life with her equally upstanding fiancé, she has no interest in reliving the events that shaped her all those years ago.

But someone close to the center of it all has a vested interest in telling the world what happened that night - almost as much of an interest as Charlie has in keeping them quiet.

And when it turns out that the people closest to her have been keeping secrets, too, Charlie only has so much time to get to the bottom of what she witnessed that Christmas Eve… before someone else does it first.

An impressive debut! Charlie is a survivor of what was called “Scarlet Christmas” because of the bloody scene that was found at the Carroll University where she attended for Journalism. Ambulances took the injured and the dead whereas Charlie walked away with no injuries. Because her brain is trying to protect her by not letting her remember exactly what happened, Charlie believes that she may have had something to do with the tragic events. Now, a “based on a true story” movie is being made for the ten year anniversary and Charlie is afraid of what lies she told might be uncovered. What lengths will Charlie go to so this movie never gets made? I was hooked from the first chapter and found it to be quite an interesting and entertaining page turner. I thank Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for the opportunity to read and review this book.

*3.5 stars rounded up*

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

A successful businesswoman has spent years trying to move on from her past - or at least, the parts of it she can remember - until an old classmate brings the events of Scarlet Christmas back to disrupt everything she's fought for.

The book is full of twists and turns, in a race against time for Charlie to figure out she was responsible for that bloody night (and find a way to cover it up, if need be). Charlie is a great unreliable narrator, and I loved the redemption arc she had despite how frustrating she could be at times! The overarching theme of redemption added a layer of complexity, which was appreciated. However, the ending fell a bit flat in terms of believability.

This thriller is a nail-biting ride from start to finish. Between flashbacks to Scarlet Christmas, plus the tension of the black hole of memory and the movie that could ruin everything in the present, we are presented with a well-rounded main character in Charlie. Her increasingly erratic behavior and determination to protect her family and safeguard her future were compelling to read about, and the conclusion was both emotional and satisfying.

This book had some really strong parts, alongside some parts that I just could not stay interested in. I really like the sections when Charlie is working with Noor to recall the memories her trauma locked away - it was like solving a puzzle , piece by piece, without looking at the design printed on it. Outside of this, there were sporadic moments that hooked my attention, but otherwise I found myself speed reading ahead or struggling to follow the point of the plot. It felt like there was a fair bit of fluff, some expendable characters, and a little too much going on that felt undeveloped.

The ending was just okay, for me. I’m not surprised by it, and the way it was revealed was lacklustre. It does raise interesting questions and thoughts around our memories, and the way they are largely unreliable; how this is both protective and a vulnerability - which Charlie’s story makes clear.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a chance to review this arc.

I went into this novel blind after receiving an ARC and it captivated me from the start. Charlotte (Charlie) is a successful editor in chief at a hot magazine and is about to marry a wealthy publishing magnate. But her past keeps coming back to haunt her. Her past that includes being a survivor of a college killing spree known as Scarlet Christmas. Charlie won’t talk about it. The trauma of that night has caused her mind to block out the events that she witnessed. She calls it a black hole. She has panic attacks when things remind her of the night. So she keeps herself in constant go-mode so she doesn’t have to think about it at all. Until she is forced to relive what really happened that fateful Christmas Eve and come to terms with her role in the murders.

This was a fun and suspenseful psychological thriller. A little suspense, mystery and drama, this was a solid debut novel.

Charlie has rediscovered herself nine years after the so called Scarlett Christmas. A horrific nightmare of an experience that she doesn’t remember much of other than her friends are dead, she was covered in blood, and considered a survivor/ victim. Now nine years later, someone wants to do a movie about the incident which brings back a flood of anxiety over what really happened.

This started out strong and fast paced with the suspense adding up about her lost memories and the real events of that frightful night but to me it kind of lagged in the middle. The ending was also a bit anticlimactic but we did get answers. Overall though it’s a solid psychological thriller for most of the story.

I think this would have been 4 stars if not for the ending. I loved the buildup, things kept getting a little crazier and crazier and I was really expecting to be blown away by how it all tied together. However I wasn’t.

It was a bit of a letdown with details seeming to be rushed. Still a very entertaining book though!

i enjoyed the dual timeline and charlie being an unreliable narrator, but this book felt kinda dull.

Good thriller, very compelling. A couple of the characters and relationships felt a bit undeveloped, but overall, loved it. Thank you NetGalley for this ARC

It was an enjoyable thriller/whodunnit story! Was a bit slow in the beginning, but it picked up in the middle for me. Definitely recommend!