Book Review ✨-
Wow! Where should I begin on this one. I loved the premise of this book! So often the media sensationalizes series killers and we know everything about them while the victims and their stories are forgotten.

This book tells the story of Pamela, president of her sorority that is attacked during one famous killers last spree’s and Tina who is searching for answers for her friend Ruth’s death. The women team up to find justice for the women in their life.

The details of the story are real while names are changed. Was it unsettling? Yup. Was it a compelling story? You bet. It is slower paced but that didn’t stop my enjoyment of it. I also love that we get details about the customs and survivors and the killer is never given a game. He just referred to as The Defendent, a man who failed out of school and was much less of a genius than world was led to believe. The police work in this one also was completely frustrating and appalling. The way the women had to fight be heard. Ugh just so not right.

Will this be for everyone? No but I really enjoyed the way this was written and it’s a story I’ll think about for a long time!

Bright Young Women is out now!
Thank you @simonschusterca for my advanced copy!

This. Book. My god. Jessica Knoll is such a thrilling, prolific writer. This book gives all the wonderful true crime vibes you want in fiction! Would definitely compare this to The Book of Cold Cases by Simone St James!

This is the perfect read for anyone who followed the Ted Bundy cases closely and for anyone who is looking for a new true crime fiction obsession this fall. This book takes you on an emotional wild ride that will leave you breathless at the end!

Thank you to Simon and Schuster for the ARC!

I loved Jessica Knoll’s debut book, Luckiest Girl Alive, and though thrillers are not my typical go-to genre, I found it to be smartly written and engrossing. I was, therefore, really excited to pick up her latest thriller.

This book is about a serial killer’s targeted killings at a Florida sorority house in the 1970’s (based on Ted Bundy). This book wastes no time and the murders happen right off the bat. The story is terrifying and riveting all at the same time. The story goes on to follow the terrible aftermath of this tragedy but also the main character’s quest to bring justice to light - she, afterall, can identify the killer.

The book’s shining quality is that it illuminates the deep seated misogyny behind these all-female murders - held by both the killer and society in their handling of this case.

The only downside to this book is that it jumped around between parallel story lines and from past to present times within the main storyline. I found this to be a little confusing because it was so frequent and when there was a shift I had to really think about where I was in the context of the plot.

It is overall well worth the read!

Title : Bright Young Women
Author: Jessica Knoll
Genre: Thriller
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️✨✨
Pub Date: Today ( September 19, 2023)

Bright Young Women is inspired by real life events that took place in the 1970s by the first "Celebrity Serial Killer", I won't say his name here. I believe the name of the book is a play on a Judge calling him a "Bright Young Man".

What I enjoyed about this books, his name was never really mentioned until the end. It was about finding justice for the victims and survivors. The story is told from 2 perspectives, from a victim, Ruth and from an eye witness of another event, Pamela and how their lives intersected to help catch this "man". It made us see Ruth as a real life person, and also the aftermath of such tragedies. It showed all the victims as remarkable women.
I had a hard time getting into the book, and found some parts a bit slow and a bit long, but I did eventually become transfixed


Thank you to for this advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

This was a wild ride, I loved it. Different than the Luckiest Girl Alive, but in a good way. This book was an unexpected read and I didn't expect to love as much as I did. Loving the cover too! Amazing read and I cant wait for the rest of the world to read this knockout.

Thank you Simon&Schuster Canada and Netgalley for this ARC!

When I heard about Bright Young Women, I knew it would be a book for me. I’ve always followed serial killer stories closely - I watch all the documentaries, listen to all the podcasts, etc - call it a morbid curiosity. So when I became aware of a book told from the perspective of the Florida sorority victims, I became immediately interested.

Upon first starting the book, I was struck with how real it all felt. The author did a phenomenal job interweaving fact and fiction. I had to stop and remind myself that it was crime fiction, and not an interview with one of the survivors. The natural progress of the story followed the history down to the last detail.

One of the most notable things was how this book made me feel: I never wanted to put it down, even though it was more character/background based than action based. I was thoroughly invested in the story, brilliantly told through three timelines. While this wasn’t a particularly “gory” story, the details given were enough to leave me feeling horrified and haunted without giving long specific descriptions (now that’s good writing).

Another notable fact about Bright Young Women: it was good so eloquently that it made me want to expand my own vocabulary. Every word used seemed specifically chosen to create the greatest possible impact, and it worked, without seeming pretentious or wordy.

Lastly, Bright Young Women will stick with me for a long time to come. The main theme to me was one of feminine power - women reclaiming their voices, persevering despite their histories, and continuing on in life through their complex grief and trauma.

All I can say is I loved this book. So much. It was perfect to me, from start to finish.

Bright Young Women tells the story of two women who are linked together by the murder of people close to them as they fight for justice and truth,
Good read. Read like a cross between true crime and thriller.

* I received an advanced reader’s copy of this book from NetGalley and Simon & Schuster Canada, S&S/ Marysue Rucci Books in exchange for my honest review

A fictionalized telling of Ted Bundy's crimes from the victims point of view. I thought it was a smart choice that the author did not once use Bundy's name or identify him directly. The author also demonstrated the vast amount of times perspectives were skewed to put Bundy in the limelight (handsome, smart, glorified his escapes). Really well done and it kept me turning the pages.

Thank you Simon & Schuster and Netgalley for the opportunity to review this arc.

A dual timeline, dual POV story about a tragic sorority house murder spree and the aftereffects it has on the women who survive. This book has gotten a lot of buzz and will be perfect for fans of true crime stories. While fictional, it definitely reads as a real case and will have you on the edge of your seat waiting to see if the killer will get justice.

I enjoyed learning about the ins and outs of the law and the legal aspects of being an eye witness to such a horrific event. Great audio narration by Sutton Foster and Imani Jade Powers but overall just an okay read for me. I didn't care for the survivors as much I was hoping to and just wasn't thoroughly invested in the story. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy and @simon.audio for a complimentary ALC.

3.5 stars rounded up to 4.

I liked the feel and the story of this book. You get to follow along with Pamela while they try to get answers about what happened to her sorority sisters. What I liked is you get to really see and get to know who Pamela is as a person and see how she changes from before to current day. After reading this, the story felt familiar and then found out it was based on Ted Bundy's sorority murder in Florida. I thought the storyline and events taking place were well written and the reactions from all the characters were very realistic. Where this book lost me was how many POVs there was (I'm used to multiple POV so it's not normally an issue) and the jumps between timelines. New POVs were introduced throughout the book and as much as I can see the value it brings to the story, it ended up confusing me and sometimes felt unnecessary. As for the timeline jumps, sometimes you could go between before and current days in the same paragraph because the story is primarily told by Pamela's POV and it is written in a way that makes it sound like she is telling the story as a memory and you get current thoughts with old memories. The pace was on the slower side and for most of it worked really well because you really get to find the details and see character development but sometimes wish the story would develop a little faster.

Overall I enjoyed this read and would recommend it to anyone who likes true crime based fiction but to me it was missing a little something to really keep me hooked and get me excited.

I see what the author was attempting to do - feminist subversion of one of the most famous serial killers of all kind. I didn't think it was successful. Far too timid for an audacious premise the book dances around the point. It doesn't help that it seems to be straddling a line between contemporary and literary fiction in a way that seems designed to bring wider appeal.

Bright Young Women - Jessica Knoll

4⭐️

I honestly had to check several times to make sure this was fiction as it was such an in-depth recounting that I was sure it had to be true crime.

This book was so well done.

You truly feel like you are right there during the investigation into the brutal attack on a sorority house. It felt very Ted Bundy inspired but that didn’t bother me.

My only thing was parts dragged and made it feel long.

Read if you enjoyed: The It Girl, All The Missing Girls or The Guest List

Pub date: Sept 19, 2023

Thank you netgalley and simonandschuster for the eARC in exchange for my review.

A brilliant retelling of the true crime story about Ted Bundy. The female perspectives of the horror that the young victims endured at such an evil hand lent an emotionally charged atmosphere throughout its telling. The women became human again and had been so very loved by the women telling their story. It reminded me that these women were not just a story line in a horrible time in serial killer sensationalism but they had such ambition and promise that was cut short som violently. A definite must read if you love true crime.

Thank you NetGalley for this arc

I liked this novel by Knoll and would suggest if true crime is of interest you are sure to like it as well.
At his core it’s an interesting and arresting story about the bonds of women and survival. At times I found the storylines uneven and the pacing was off for me, but overall it’s a page turner about the after effects of a series of murders. My first novel by this author.. I will be sure to check out her other work.

Delighted to include this title in the September edition of Novel Encounters, my column highlighting the month’s most anticipated fiction for the Books section of Zoomer, Canada’s national culture magazine. (see column and mini-review at link)

This book is based on a true crime of Ted Bundy, a celebrity serial killer.

Pamela Schumacher, chapter president of the sorority house, was the only person who saw an intruder the night he killed two girls and brutally injured two others. She lost her best friend and will do anything to catch the killer. When Martina Cannon finds out about this attack, she gets on a plane to meet with Pamela. Her friend was killed four years ago by the same person. Following the lines of clues, Pamela and Martina gather more facts to bring the killer into justice.
The investigation gets complicated, and police don’t cooperate.  
They focus on the wrong person not trusting Pamela's testimony because of her original identification of the attacker. They don't like her relationship with Tina who "influences" her. At the top, the serial killer is a good manipulator and is familiar with the law.

I expected this book to be focused only on the serial killer and I'm glad there was more into this. Hidden secrets, family issues, and relationships problems were well implemented into the story. I was impressed by the courage of two women who kept fighting for justice and redemption. An intrigued book that any true crime fan would love to read.

Unfortunately this was a miss for me. It's billed as a mystery/thriller but is essentially true crime (a retelling of the Ted Bundy murders). I generally hate multiple POVs and timelines as nobody ever gets developed properly, and sadly this is true here - there are just too many people and threads to unravel. The beginning was strong and I appreciate that the catalyst for action (murders) happen quickly and we get into the action immediately; however, given the gripping subject matter, the book shouldn't have felt flat, slow, and monotonous for major portions. I really enjoyed the author's Luckiest Girl Alive and will look for their next effort.

I’m a little bit conflicted with this book so bare with me. Bright Young Women is a work of fiction that blends/recounts the real life attack and murder on four sorority house students. It’s pretty clear from the start which serial killer this is based on but he is never named, which is one of the main points of the book. It is not about him but the victims, who’s names tend to be forgotten while the killer’s is glamorized.

While the real life case is the inspiration here, the story is crime/fiction told in multiple time lines following Pamela and Tina and their quest for truth and justice. This is a very slow burn and character driven book focusing on the resilience of women, gender based violence and mistreatment, friendships and forgiveness, misogyny, homophobia and the list goes on and on. So while I had no issue with the writing and I did appreciate the detail and work that went into the book, the blend of fact and fiction was not my favorite. I get the message but parts of the book just failed to keep my interest and attention. But this is just my opinion and I know others will love it.

DNF - have to unfortunately agree with some other reviewers that this generally felt rushed, and confusing to follow as a reader. An interesting concept and not necessarily a bad book, but not something that meshed well with me as a reader. I think fans of true crime who are more familiar with a narrative of this scope and complexity will enjoy this more than me.

Nonetheless, always immensely grateful to receive these ARCs from NetGalley and Simon & Schuster Canada!

This is a really good book, very sad as it is based on a person (Ted Bundy) that did terrible things, though the name of that person and the names of the victims are fictionalized in the story. 1978 in Florida and Pamela Schumacher, a FSU sorority house president, has stayed in for the night rather than go out with the other girls, in the early morning hours she hears a noise and gets up to investigate. The light in the front entrance is on and as she nears the door, she sees a man who she initially things is the boyfriend of one of the girls, he leaves without seeing her and she looks further and finds some strange things, TV on, dirty dishes, lights on, as she goes into one of the rooms she discovers something is very wrong. The story follows Pamela and Tina back and forth in time, she met Tina, who lives in the Pacific Northwest, after Tina saw news reports and contacted Pam to tell her she is convinced the person that did the bad things at the sorority did the same in her area, to her girlfriend Rachel. They form a partnership of sorts along with an aspiring journalist to investigate on their own. The back and forth timeline does get a bit confusing at times, but the subject matter is so heart wrenchingly sad you just can't stop reading. Rachel's storyline is the most difficult to read, especially at the end. A very good book and I would highly recommend. Thanks to #Netgalley and S&S/ Marysue Rucci Books for the ARC.