If nothing else, this did not improve my already extremely poor opinion of the violent true crime as entertainment industry. And if reading this book does one thing, I hope it’s to convince you to stop consuming this sort of content, which exploits and harms victims, survivors, and their families:

This book centers on those consequences of the public’s lust for this stuff, and does a great job showcasing what it’s like to be on the other side of a tragedy that others seek to monetize.

The mystery itself here is just okay, and there are some elements of the “surprise” at the end that didn’t feel quite like fair play, but I really liked Charlotte, and the other characters are interesting and nuanced if not entirely anyone you’d want to be around.

The book does a good job on the “life after a tragedy” angle, and I hope also serves as a cautionary tale for those treating the real life versions of stories like this as an entertainment product.

Interesting stuff and a promising debut for Hollander, who gives us a story that is equally thought provoking and engagingly well paced.

This sounded pretty exciting but it ended up being more Much Ado About Nothing. The timeline went back and forth and the accents were kind of annoying. There was a lot of repetition and the payoff wasn't worth the buildup.
That said, if you want to listen to a thriller, you can be entertained. The narrator does a great job bringing to life what the author describes.
Thanks to NetGalley for letting me listen to this audiobook

Everyone Who Can Forgive Me Is Dead by Jenny Hollander
4/5 Stars
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

•••Spoiler free review below•••

I have been on a thriller kick as of late and this one was the perfect listen for me. It was very quick and hooked me right from the start. Told in past and present, the story unfolds in a captivating way and will have you guessing what really happened to a group of students at an elite grad school ten years ago. I really liked the narrator for this one - she does a phenomenal job capturing the distress of our main character, especially as the plot unfolds.

Read this book if you like:
-suspenseful thrillers
-a main character who learns what really happened at the same time the reader does
-side characters who will leave you questioning their motives

Everyone Who Can Forgive Me is Dead will be released February 6th and if it's not already on your tbr, it should be!
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Special thanks to Macmillan Audio for sharing a free copy with me in exchange for my honest opinions.

Wow ! I really enjoyed this audiobook. I finished it so fast because it was so hard to stop listening. The narrator did a great job. I did not know this was a debut novel when I first started it and I look forward to reading other future works by Jenny Hollander. I liked the main character's inner struggle to remember what happened during the murders. I highly recommend this to anyone who enjoys a good pyschological thriller.

Thank you Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for this audiobook in exchange for my honest opinion.

Narration speed was 1.75; I'm normally a 2x listener, but the accents here threw me off. That said, I also really struggled with the narration on this one. Early on, it's mentioned the MC has a 1/2 British, 1/2 New York accent and the narrator definitely tries to hit that. However, the slip ups/teetering made it tough to follow which character was speaking as I though it had changed mid-line.

The story itself is correctly billed as fiction, not mystery or thriller. Charlie witnessed a horrible multiple murder scene in college, and the story oscillates between THEN and NOW as the reader learns what happened during those grad school days and what Charlie is facing modern day as a successful magazine editor-in-chief hiding the truth of the past from everyone around her.

The characters seem pretty vapid and lack a good amount of depth--other than their constant deceptions. There were a few good twists, but the story felt largely too long and drawn out to be satisfying. The ending was an all-too-neat wrap up as well. The writing itself was fine, not burdened by overly flowery dialogue or descriptions.

Overall: 3 stars (I liked it, but it wasn't the best)

I'll tell my students about: language, alcohol, drugs, sex (not graphic), infant death (past tense), violence/blood/gore, trauma, mental health, physical violence

**Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the free ALC. All opinions expressed are my own.**

This was a quick read/listen and was a decent book, not great but not terrible.

Charlie is editor-in-chief at a fancy magazine, engaged to a wealthy man from a prominent family. She has PTSD from the ‘Scarlet Christmas,’ a horrific event during college in which several of her friends were injured or killed. She was one of the witnesses that helped piece together what happen, but when another survivor wants to make a movie about it, Charlie fears that the truth will be uncovered.

Overall this book held my interest. It had a good twist about halfway through, but I didn’t think the ending made much sense, especially in regards to motives.

I both read and listened to the audiobook. I thought the narrator did a great job with a variety of accents, but found reading it to be easier to follow with all of the back and forth.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the advanced copies in exchange for my honest review.

What if the worst night of your life turns out not to be true? When a tragedy of nightmare proportions hit Charlie’s elite grad school, she fled. In the past decade, she has carefully rebuilt her life. When a former classmate is making a documentary about the tragedy - referred to as “Scarlet Christmas” - for its ten year anniversary - everything Charlie has built could change as she knows it.

This was one of my most anticipated reads for 2024, but unfortunately it was not for me. The pacing was very slow, and I just could not get into the story.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and the author for. The ARC.

I was so excited for this book! The title instantly hooked me, and the description sounded fun as well. Unfortunately, I struggled to stay into it. I especially felt disappointed when I realized it’s essentially a knock off of “Luckiest Girl Alive” by Jessica Knoll. Main character survives a tragedy that happened at an elite school, pursues writing career for a magazine, is planning to get married, and a fellow survivor wants to make a big story about what happened, of which freaks main character out. Once I realized how similar it was it made it even harder for me to appreciate the book. I do very much appreciate receiving this advanced copy though!

With a title like Everyone Who Can Forgive Me is Dead, I had no choice but to read it.

Charlie has managed to put what happened to her in college in the past. Now working a big girl job and engaged to her rich fiancee, she's finally happy with how life has turned out. Until someone wants to make a movie about the massacre she barely survived. Not only is the movie giving her unwanted press attention, but it's bringing up old memories to haunt her. Charlie didn't just survive; she made some hard choices to live that night, ones that she had worked to bury.

Charlie is a messy character. I wouldn't say she's particularly likable, but she was real and raw. She's barely holding it together but spirals the moment the movie is announced. Her brain has blocked a lot of memories to move on with life, but it's a superficial fix. Her self-medicating and desire for control quickly get out of hand. I found her love for her family admirable; a majority of her decisions are made to protect her family. This quality kept her from being superficial and shallow.

I was having a good time up until the halfway mark. By then, it felt like the story was going in circles: Charlie tries to sabotage the movie, and when it doesn't work, she panics. We also don't know why she exactly wants to prevent the movie from coming out til the very end. This reveal took far too long, considering how anti-climatic it was. Maybe that's unfair, but the way Charlie was going on about her secrets, I thought it would be more twisted and dark. It didn't detract from the suffering Charlie had gone through the whole book; no matter what her secret was, that night would have been traumatic for everyone involved. I was expecting more than survival guilt.

This book could have been done without the epilogue. For such a messy story, everything did seem to work out perfectly in the end. I'm not necessarily saying the epilogue was bad, but couldn't connect Epilogue Charlie and Friends to the Plot Charlie and Friends. Everything was wrapped up too nicely for a psychological thriller, but that is a personal preference.

I listened to this in audiobook form, which was the best decision. The narrator is incredibly gripping, easy to follow, and brings dimension to the story.

Not a bad debut. If you like slow-burn psychological thrillers, give it a try.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the advanced audio. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

Thanks to NetGalley for the arc!
I have been so excited to read this book - it’s been on my tbr list for months and holds placed on Libby! I was thrilled to receive an advanced copy. Unfortunately, this did not live up to my excitement. The storyline and synopsis are great, however the writing did not grab my attention. Bits and pieces were exciting and captured me, but then faded. It wasn’t predictable, there are some surprises, just not quite as thrilling as I had hoped for. Overall, it was an ok book, but not a favorite.

AHG, I am really thankful to Minotaur Books, Jenny Hollander and Netgalley for granting me access to this one from a digital, physical, and audio standpoint, but this one was just not for me.

I just finished reading "Everyone Who Can Forgive Me Is Dead" and it was a fantastic book to kick off the new year! The characters are all unique, but Charlie stands out as the main character with her originality and coping mechanisms.

The story follows Charlie as she navigates through the present timeline while having flashbacks that lead up to the tragic event on Christmas Eve, where several college students lost their lives. The writing is brilliant as the author slowly feeds us information in alternate timelines. In the present, Charlie is seen as a successful survivor who is engaged to Tripp, the son of a wealthy and influential family of publishers. The second timeline is Charlie's therapy sessions, which are extremely intriguing. Her therapist is trying to retrieve buried memories leading up to the event, and they come out as a slow drip of intense flashbacks. I chose to listen to the audiobook, and the narrator keeps the story engaging.

Overall, it is a pleasure to discover such a talented new author! I would like to thank Macmillan Audio for providing this complimentary audiobook through NetGalley. As always, all opinions are my own and are left voluntarily.

#EveryoneWhoCanForgiveMeIsDead #JennyHollander #MacmillanAudio #Debut #Minotaur #NetGalley #ARC #ReadersOfTheLateArc #TalkWordyToMe #UpcomingRelease #HonestReview #JustFinished #ComingSoon #ThrillerBookLoverPromotions ThrillerFriendsUnite #ThrillerObsessedBookishClub #LoveToRead #BookAddict #Bookstagrammer #BookReels #LoveBooks #ThrillerBookLovers #BookReview #SMPinfluencers #stmartinspress

This was weird. Our girl survived a knife attack on campus at a party. Is she the only survivor? Maybe. Now one of the victim's twin sister is going to do a documentary on the case. Our girl doesn't want her too. We learn about the case as she remembers and uncovered information.
It was okay.
I love the narration.

Jenny Hollander's debut, EVERYONE WHO CAN FORGIVE ME IS DEAD, is a compulsively readable journey into the dark corners of memory in this gripping psychological thriller.

Charlie Colbert is a survivor (witness) of an incident known as "Scarlet Christmas nine years earlier—a bloody massacre with three deaths on Christmas Eve at her elite graduate school.

Charlie has rebuilt her life as the editor-in-chief of a major magazine and engaged to Tripp, a wealthy golden child of the publishing industry.

She still sees her psychiatrist, Noor, as she continues to struggle to remember the events of that fateful night.

What happened that night?

Now, Cate's twin sister Stephanie, one of the victims, plans on making a movie based on real events, and Charlie's lies are close to being exposed.

She cannot allow everything she has worked for to be destroyed, and she must protect her family and her sister, Felicity. She does not want her family to be subjected to the public.

Charlie is an unreliable heroine told in the present day with flashbacks of the past. What happens remains a mystery until the final pages, when Charlie remembers what happened that night.

What was Charlie capable of in her darkest moments?

Gripping, unsettling, and disquieting, EVERYONE WHO CAN FORGIVE ME IS DEAD is for fans of Andrea Bartz's The Lost Night and Jessica Knoll’s Luckiest Girl Alive.

While there has been a lot of conversation about the debut, it unfortunately did not wow me, even though I kept listening to find out what happened. The ending was a bit of a letdown; however, fans of psychological thrillers will want to see more from this newcomer.

I listened to the audiobook narrated by Marisa Calin for an entertaining performance.

Thanks to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to an advanced audio copy for my honest feedback.

Blog review posted @
JudithDCollins.com
@JudithDCollins | #JDCMustReadBooks
Pub Date: Feb 6, 2024
My Rating: 3 Stars
Feb 2024 Must-Read Books

**Thank you to NetGalley, Minotaur Books, and Macmillan Audio for the advanced listening copy of this title!**

I love a good thriller, and I especially love an unhinged narrator. Unfortunately, this book just had too much going on and I felt like it got in its own way multiple times throughout the story. The idea of the story was great, and I think Hollander did an incredible job dealing with themes of memory and trauma, and the way we process things to make them fit the narratives we have constructed. The ending came together a bit too neatly for my liking, and there were just too many points where the reader is asked to suspend their disbelief for the sake of fiction.

I think the narrator did a great job with this one, especially dealing with several regional accents. Overall, I think this one is worth a listen for readers/listeners that haven't read that many books in the thriller/mystery genre. This was definitely a page-turner and there were some solid twists along the way that gave me a bit of whiplash.

The debut thriller, "Scarlet Christmas," follows Charlie Colbert, a journalist who witnesses a tragedy at her graduate school. With the help of her therapist, Noor, Charlie moves past the tragedy and becomes the editor-in-chief of "C" magazine. However, when Stephanie Anderson announces a film based on Aaron Katz's account, Charlie becomes desperate to stop the movie. The story unfolds through chapters from THEN and NOW, with snippets from therapy sessions and press announcements. The characters are not well-developed, and the romance between Charlie and her fiancé Tripp is unconvincing. I wanted to love it.


Thank you to Netgalley and Minotaur books for this advanced listening copy for an honest review.

****4.25 star review for the ALC of "Everyone Who Can Forgive Me Is Dead" by Jenny Hollander ***Audiobook***

In the realm of advanced listener audiobooks, "Everyone Who Can Forgive Me Is Dead" by Jenny Hollander stands out with its solid narrative and engaging storytelling. The audiobook, crafted with finesse, explores a rich tapestry of characters and emotions, creating an immersive experience for the audience.

Jenny Hollander's narrative style shines through, drawing listeners into a poignant journey that unfolds with nuance and depth. The characters are well-developed, and their intricacies add layers to the storytelling, allowing the audience to connect with their experiences and emotions.

While the audiobook may not introduce groundbreaking elements, its strength lies in the authenticity of the storytelling. Hollander navigates themes with sensitivity, addressing complex emotions and relationships. The result is a narrative that resonates with listeners, offering a genuine and relatable exploration of the human experience.

The narrator's performance adds to the audiobook's appeal, enhancing the emotional impact of the story. With clear narration and a tone that complements the narrative, the audiobook succeeds in creating an atmosphere that captivates the audience.

"Everyone Who Can Forgive Me Is Dead" is a testament to Hollander's storytelling prowess, providing a compelling listening experience. It may not aim for grandiosity, but its ability to deliver a thoughtful and resonant narrative makes it a valuable addition to the advanced listener category. For those seeking a well-crafted story that delves into the complexities of human relationships, this audiobook offers a satisfying and immersive experience.

Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the opportunity to listen to this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This book hooked me in the beginning and is based on a solid and intriguing premise. Charlie, a successful magazine editor, is soon to be married to a wealthy scion of the publishing industry. Her life is perfect until her past threatens to derail everything. Charlie “witnessed” a gruesome murder scene during her time at graduate school. When an old friend plans to make a movie about the events, Charlie is terrified at what may be revealed.

There were some pacing issues with the book, but I kept listening to find out what really happened on Scarlet Christmas. The ending was a slight letdown, but overall this was a solid debut.

Thank you Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for the ALC.

Story: 🌟🌟🌟🌟
Narration: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
Overall: 🌟🌟🌟🌟

Everyone Who Can Forgive Me is Dead is an excellent debut from author Jenny Hollander. After surviving a traumatic attack at her college, Charlie fled and was determined to start a new life. Now she is a successful editor and engaged to the golden child of the publishing industry. However, when one of her former classmates decides to make a buzzy film about the events of that night, Charlie’s new life may be torn apart.

Fans of Luckiest Girl Alice and In My Dreams I Hold a Knife will love this thriller. With all the dark academia vibes and twists, this is an excellent read to fly through this winter. The narration by Marisa Calvin is top notch.

ALC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I thought this was pretty good for a debut. It was very much a slow burn as I read, very impatiently waiting to learn what really happened on Scarlet Christmas. Charlie’s desperation to keep the events of that night secret led her to do some things that I found very unsettling. Everyone else, however, just excuses her behavior, which made zero sense to me. Otherwise, it was an intriguing premise that definitely kept me reading.

3.5/5