Dunia has disappeared after a nutso attack on her life in the NY subway. There's a LOT going on, and the book is framed by an (intentionally) awful podcast hosted by "two white women wanting to make money" out of the story. And of course it's going to Netflix!

We don't really know what's going on, we flit back and forth between the podcast, the aftermath of the subway incident, and Dunia's childhood. Layers of superstition and trauma from that childhood are revealed. A father who died early, a mother and sister who shunned her.

Twists galore, some broadcast, many surprising. A creepiness factor that made me a tiny bit afraid to read before going to sleep, Almost Surely Dead kept me awake turning those pages.

My thanks to NetGalley and Mindy's Book Studio for the ARC.

I was excited about this book, but it ended up falling short of my expectations. I feel like it started out strong, building intrigue, but by the time I got halfway through the book I was scratching my head. I also couldn’t get past Dunia’s romantic interest in Zabir. I get it, they’re only related by marriage. It just feels icky to me!

Engaging and unsettling this book was an Amazon First Reass and thoroughly readable. All cultures have their own ghosts spirits and ghouls. . Here we have one I haven’t heard before, a jinn, plopped right into the plot of a young woman experiencing near death experiences, actually near murder experiences actually. Adding to the narrative we are treated to two postcasters following the story of the missing woman and give updates as we read along. They were well written and sounded only slightly over the top with their ridiculous pandering and obliviousness to the context of the narrative.

The only reason I gave this novel three stars and not four is because I feel it has been miscategorized, should definitely fall into the supernatural genre and I'm not a huge fan of this genre.
The book was well written and very intriguing plus I was a huge fan of the main character, it lost me however when it started veering into the supernatural.

I was first drawn to this book based on the protagonist's identity alone! Unfortunately, you don't see many women of colour as the stars of mystery/thriller novels but Amina Akhtar does not disappoint with Almost Surely Dead. With culture embedded into Dunia's character, she comes off very real and honest and relatable. What I found was interesting about this book is that we're unravelling the protagonist's disappearance as the strange incidents start to befall her life, while also witnessing the eerie aftermath of Dunia's fate, as a pair of podcasters interview people from her life trying to find out what happened to her. The mixed media of the transcripts from the podcast really honed in the reality of Dunia's disappearance, which had such an interesting, evocative juxtaposition with Dunia's actual point of view as she tries to figure out what's happening to her. The fact that the podcasters themselves were kind of awful I think really addressed the age of overexposing violence done to women and the almost spectator-like treatment we give these true crime situations.

I did enjoy this book, but it just didn’t have that oomph to give it more than 3 stars. The beginning was a little slow and it did pick up about half way through, but the ending just left the reader hanging not knowing what happens.

I went into this book pretty much blind, and I’m glad I did!

There was so much I enjoyed about this book. There was a strong, independent character, who dealt with an attack on her life admirably!

This is my first read📘 by this author, and I didn’t expect the twist, which was set up really well, with just enough of a hint to suggest what was happening. Rich in culture and Dunia’s history with her family, this felt like a late coming of age story, where Dunia learned to see her parents as people and not just her parents.

The love interest wasn’t overdone, and added to the overall feel of the story.

Started out so strong and I guess I just expected more? I didn’t love anything more than the ideas about what this book could have been.

Hmm I’m not sure how I feel about this. It was an interesting story, and the twist wasn’t exactly what I suspected it would be (I thought it would be that <spoiler>she was in a dream the whole time and that all the random people were trying to kill her to wake her up.</spoiler>) so I’m glad it was able to surprise me. The podcasters were perfectly annoying in a way that made me laugh.

But idk…something about it felt not well-written on like a technical level, not even in terms of the plot or anything. I read another review that said the dialogue felt like they were teenagers and not adults and maybe that’s it? I did like the exploration of Dunia’s culture and the way the truth is slowly revealed (despite the constant obnoxious meta “no spoilers” refrain from the podcasters). The ending did feel abrupt but I like that things weren't wrapped up neatly in a bow.

Thank you to NetGalley and Mindy’s Book Studio for the ARC in exchange for my review.

This was so good(and scary)! I am not sure if it was because I am a South Asian and a lot of things were a little too relatable but it was genuinely scary at so many points.
It’s about Dunia Ahmed, daughter of Pakistani immigrants and a pharmacist living in New York, who disappeared almost an year ago. Two women are making a podcast about this and they are interviewing the people involved. Before her disappearance, she was attacked on the Subway station. The person who tried to kill her ended up killing himself. This is just the first in a series of attempts to kill her and it eventually results in her disappearance. We also get the perspective of a five year old Dunia and learn about the strange incidents that happened during her childhood. I feel like anything I write about this book would be a spoiler. But all of it is very interesting.
I absolutely loved it. I am not someone who actively seeks horror but something about this story made me request the arc and I am glad I did. It was very much unputdownable. The story was so gripping. I loved the podcast element and how the author highlighted the negative and predatory aspect of true crime podcasts. I think the ending will be make or break for a lot of people. But I loved it and I highly recommend it.

I was totally drawn to this book because of the cover but it was the story that really gripped me. I'm so interested in the topic of djinn and middle eastern culture so this captivated me immediately. I loved Dunia and the use of folklore within the story. I also adored the use of a true crime podcast throughout. I didn't guess a thing about this book and just loved it so much.

Thanks to NetGalley and Mindy's Book Studio for the advance reader copy in exchange for my honest review.

A really interesting premise and a gorgeous cover but unfortunately the quality of writing is just... extremely poor. I would say juvenile, but I actually enjoy young adult literature! The plot of this ended up being bad enough, but this was a struggle to read down to just basic sentence structure.

I loved #fashionvictim so I definitely had to read Almost Surely Dead. It is told in a non linear timeline with Dunia’s childhood, right before her disappearance and the podcast after her disappearance. This is a quick read that kept you guessing on what really happened.

Imagine an attempt on your life by a "stranger" you see every day on the subway. Your life spirals out of control, and now you're the subject of a true crime podcast because no one knows where you are.

This book was a wild ride, y'all! From the opening chapter to the very end, Almost Surely Dead had me hooked! Dunia Ahmed has been missing for over a year. True crime podcasters Danielle and Amanda have made it their mission to find her. The story switches between Dunia in the days leading up to her disappearance, the podcast after her disappearance, and Dunia growing up as a desi child.
{It sounds complicated but was super easy to follow.}

I loved the inclusion of Islamic folklore. I loved the true crime podcast aspect, and I loved all the twists and turns! I wish you could see my notes/thoughts as I was reading it. There were lots of "wtf's" and exclamation points!

Almost Surely Dead by Amina Akhtar
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5/5

Read this if you like:
• True crime podcasts
• Female POC MC
• Psychological thrillers
• Saying WTF after most chapters

Available today! Many thanks to Mindy's Book Studio for the e-book!

A unique thriller/mystery that is an interesting and entertaining, ghost tale. Dunia is living a normal life until someone tries to kill her. Why it happens and what/who is behind the death attempts is at the heart of this mystical mystery. Dunia doesn't know who she can trust, but is she trusting the right person? Woven through the story is a Podcast that tells her story, which makes the writing even more entertaining. It is also a story of family and the lasting impression of childhood events through adulthood. Dunia is raised on stories of mythology and she has to decide if they are just stories, or if real mystical forces are trying to kill her.
This thriller is a page-turner and thoroughly enjoyable. Whenever I put the book down, I couldn't wait to pick it back up! The cultural references and influence in the story, make this novel a great read!

I received this book from NetGalley. This book had me on the edge of my seat wondering how Dunia could have so much bad luck! One attempt on her life would be hard enough to deal with, but 4 attempts? It is no wonder she is missing! However, that isn’t the only problem she has going on in her life, she is also being haunted.

The story has multiple POV’s, 30 something Dunia, 5 year old Dunia, and the podcast aspect with the hosts and guests telling what lead up to Dunia’s disappearance. Once I found out that 5 yr old Dunia could see dead people, I figured out one of the many twists to this book. I also suspected Liz was not who she claimed to be. In the end this was a quick, entertaining, thrilling read. I hope there is a sequel because I want to know more of the story!

Loved this book! The characters were really well written and the storyline. I love how they incorporated the cultural elements and shared it with us. Really enjoyed it and read it in a day.

Amina Akhtar has created an addictive who-done-it novel mixed with a family secret of a deal made with a ghost. She weaves the present and past effortlessly and the podcast section is a quirky bonus that keeps you guessing. the family history and culture are well crafted along with a character who as a child thought her imaginary friend was real. A realistic mother-daughter relationship and the past and present all come together as the truth is told. An easy twisted thriller that was a page-turner. The ending had me wondering and hoping that maybe Book 2 will follow.

Akhtar's Almost Surely Dead is a gripping psychological thriller with elements of the supernatural. The main character, Dunia, is a 30 something-year old pharmacist living in New York. She is trying to figure what she wants her life to look like as she grapples with trauma from her childhood, most of which she attributes to her own mom and sister, Nadia.

Dunia's story starts out with one of the best hooks I have ever read. She is about to be thrown onto the NY subway rails by a killer and the shocking energy right from the first paragraph carries throughout the book. The story is told through 3 different timelines: 1) Dunia when she was 5yo,
2) two years prior to present day when the murder attempts on Dunia began, and 3) a present day crime podcast about Dunia's disappearance. Each timeline adds a bit more to the plot and Dunia's life, keeping you turning the pages well into the night.

Aside from the usual suspects of an obsessive ex-boyfriend and a possible stalker, the addition of intriguing Pakistani folklore and the South Asian supernatural propels the story into a direction which I did not see coming. Although I enjoyed the ending, it did leave me wanting a bit more as far as details re: the jinn and what exactly is done to rid someone of a jinn haunting. Overall, the story was so well told, the character development made me invested in the outcome, and the pacing was spot on.

NetGalley gave me fifty-five days to finish this book, but I only needed one. I can't remember the last time I carried a book with me throughout my day with the intention of finishing it before bedtime.

Highly recommend this book and can't wait to see if Mindy Kaling will turn this into a series or movie!

I loved this page turner of a book! It was a quick read as I had to find out what happened next with every twist and turn.