As hard as I tried I just could not get into this book. I may have to try to pick it up at another time or it just maybe that this book was not for me.

Thank you, Netgalley, the author, and MacMillan Audio for the gifted audiobook! ❤️ #gifted. My review is comprised of my honest thoughts.

Read this book if you like: fast-paced reads, unreliable narrative

Yessss. This was so good. I listened to this one. The narrator did a great job. I wouldn't change a thing. The book itself was gripping and fast-paced. What a great debut! I did want more from the end.

The intrigue of this book goes deeper than the surface mystery, which is thrilling! It cuts to the emotional reality of the weight secrets carry and eventually, the healing that comes from sharing them.

Nine years ago Charlie witnessed a brutal event dubbed "Scarlett Christmas"
Being the only "witness" to the events, Charlies version of the night is the only story anyone has ever heard.
But now a film vowing to "set the records straight" is getting a lot of press, and Charlie is worried the story she told, will start to unravel.

One time I was at my husbands office, sitting on the couch in the lobby reading.
All of a sudden I heard screeching tires and a car slammed into a fire hydrant right outside the lobby window. In the movies, water would shoot into the air, this is what I was expecting.
Instead the fire hydrant just toppled over... that is how I feel about this book.
I was promised shooting water, and instead I got a sad little fire hydrant laying down.

Everyone Who Can Forgive Me is Dead is a dark academia type thriller focused on Charlie, a grad student who was the "lone survivor" of a mysterious murder incidence nine years prior. Charlies doesn't remember anything about the incident; she has essentially blacked out all memories. The reader finds out the circumstances of the murders alongside Charlie. While the story was decent, I did leave feeling a bit underwhelmed. I feel like perhaps this was best consumed via the book, whereas I listened to the audiobook. I don't think it is the fault of the narrator, who I do believe did a great job, but it was a lot of jumping back and forth in time that was difficult to translate into audio. This might be a me problem, as others certainly might enjoy the audio more than I did. The twists left me more confused than anything to be quite honest. That being said, it was a middle of the road story for me.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for an advanced listening copy of this audiobook. All opinions within this review are my own.

I had to start this book over at least four times, and I'm still not sure I could tell you what happened.

I received an advance copy. All thoughts are my own.

I literally never knew where this book was going. In the best way possible. Just when you think youve got it figured out, something else happens. Which is perfect because its exacly how the FMC was feeling. I would absolutely recommend this book to anyone.

The last 1/3 of this book redeemed the rest. It is a good story that keeps you guessing until near the end. It focuses on one survivor of a tragic event and how her mind has framed and dealt with this tragedy.

Charlie is successful, engaged to a rich man, and has everything- except memory of a tragic night in college. Charlie is a survivor of that bloody Christmas night and would rather remember nothing about it. Unfortunately, people are not letting the past stay in the past which means she has to face memories she would rather not look too closely at. Everyone Who Can Forgive Me is dead has interesting links between characters but Charlie as a MC lacks charisma. The book was ok, the narration was well done.

‘Everyone Who Can Forgive Me Is Now Dead’ follows Charlie who has spent the past nine years rebuilding her life after it has been turned on her head when she was declared a ‘witness’ in a scandal that slandered her reputation. But when a former classmate goes digging for the truth, Charlie is forced to relive and face her past.

A blend of literary thriller and mystery this book is perfect for fans of ‘Before We Were Innocent’ and Alice Feeney (two very different books but trust me).

I listened to this on audio and I enjoyed the narration and production of the book. It had components of a story I would love, but unfortunately, I just did not find the writing compelling despite enjoying the plot and I struggled to feel invested in any of the characters.

This is one of those ‘didn’t work for me’ books that I would still recommend to the right reader.

Juicy and fun plot that wasnt finished off exactly satisfying for me. I think the ending was maybe tied up alittle TOO perfectly. The first half was fun - the second half felt rushed.

Thank you for this ARC!

A complex psychological story about a group of students at an elite university and the aftermath of a horrible tragedy. Everyone has their own perspective, memories and reasons for doing what they have done and continue to do. It explores multiple mental health issues, trauma, family, friendships, truths, what money can buy, power, reality, explores how awful and manipulative people can really be and how important truth is. Interesting topic and story, but I found it slow until the very end and them it was over. A difficult listen to as most of the cast of characters were unlikable and or unkind.

In this engagingly twisty psychological thriller, Jenny Hollander delves into the aftermath of a journalism school massacre. The story unfolds against the backdrop of tight-knit friendships, fledgling romances, and shifting alliances among ambitious young reporters.

The protagonist, Charlotte “Charlie” Colbert, survived a traumatic Christmas Eve attack at the prestigious Carroll University graduate school of journalism. Now living in New York City, engaged to a publishing magnate’s heir, and working as the editor-in-chief of a trendy magazine, Charlie is determined to keep her past hidden. But when her former classmate, Steph Anderson, announces a feature film that aims to reveal the secrets of that fateful night, Charlie’s world is thrown into chaos. She knows what truly happened on “Scarlet Christmas,” and the consequences of its public revelation could be devastating.

Hollander skillfully explores the dynamics of young professionals in the media industry, capturing the stress, ambition, and power struggles that unfold behind ivy-covered walls. As the truth about the massacre gradually emerges, readers are drawn into a web of deception, suspense, and emotional turmoil.

While the characterizations could have been deeper, the taut pacing and memorable cast of characters make this one-sitting read a compelling experience. So grab a strong drink, settle in, and immerse yourself in the aftermath of secrets and betrayal in "Everyone Who Can Forgive Me Is Dead".
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Everyone Who Can Forgive Me Is Dead was a fun thriller that kept me guessing the whole way through. Charlie survived a horrible attack on her college campus and the ten year anniversary is fast approaching. Charlie has plenty of unresolved trauma she deals with, but she also has a secret about that night that she doesn’t want to get out.

There were things I liked about this one and things I definitely didn’t like. The author did a great job of playing with reality and had me questioning whether or not I could believe what Charlie was saying. I also really enjoyed the narrator - her voice was clear and enunciation was top notch. The main character Charlie displays a wide range of emotions throughout the novel and the narrator did a wonderful job of conveying her emotions. There were some pacing issues for me and the number of secondary character involved in the story got confusing at times. All in all I enjoyed reading this and would recommend it to any thriller fan.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan audio for an ALC.

4/5 stars

Thank you Macmillan audio for the advanced listening copy!

SYNOPSIS --

Charlie Colbert has never escaped the effects of Scarlet Christmas, though her memories of it are hazy. Nine years ago, Charlie was an essential witness to the horrifying events at her graduate school -- events that still remain a bit of a mystery to her. Charlie has spent years of therapy and work to gain her success, including being editor-in-chief of a major magazine and engaged to a handsome, successful, rich and very kind man. Suddenly, one of Charlie's former classmates is making it her mission to dredge up the past and, with it, more secrets than anyone could really know.

Talk about an unreliable narrator! Charlie was sooo chaotic in her telling of things that every few minutes I had a new suspicion! Despite this chaos, Charlie was extremely likeable. I was desperate to know what happened from the moment I started this, and I could not put it down! There were some really phenomenal shocks in this story, and I was equally impressed by the way in which they were revealed -- sometimes so subtly I had to go back and listen again! I always love the feature of a therapist, and this can often be one of my favorite aspects of a book. In this case, some of the moments felt a bit unrealistic to me, but I can look past that.

Overall, I was pleasantly surprised by this book and enjoyed it a lot!

I knew I would have a bit of trouble with this book going into it - I'd just finished my first 5-star book of 2024, and was in a bit of a book hangover from that one. Knowing any book was going to suffer in comparison, I hoped that going to a different genre would help, and it did, to a point. I liked this one, but didn't love it. I thought maybe it was just my book hangover, so skimmed some reviews to see whether it was just me. Apparently it wasn't. Some of the things that hit me a bit wrong did the same with other reviewers. The pacing was a bit off at times - jumping back and forth in time can be tricky and there was a lot of that here. There were a lot of questions that were just left hanging for me - some of them involving some major plot points. On the other hand there are many excellent reviews from people who loved it, so maybe it actually was just me, and I definitely can see why those readers loved it. It just didn't work for me on all levels, yet I wanted to keep listening to find out what really happened on that "Scarlet Christmas" - and it worked enough that I will absolutely the on the lookout for this author's sophomore book. I did listen to it for the most part (read a bit as well) - the narration by Marisa Calin was excellent.
Thanks to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for providing copies for an unbiased review.

Nine years ago Charlie was in a graduate program in college when there was an incident on Christmas Eve that was quickly called "Scarlett Christmas". She was a witness involved in the incident, however, she doesn't remember it. Then, when she starts to remember she knows she lied to the police and it's eating her alive.
Charlie has remade herself, built her life up from the bottom and she is even engaged to a high profile guy! Then, she fears that everything she has built up will come crumbling down when she hears that another person who was a witness to that night is going to make a movie out of what happened that night. Since Charlie can't remember everything and she thinks she killed someone then everything will come back down and everyone will know the truth that she lied to everyone including herself. All the twists and turns are amazing and everything will keep you on your toes. I was given the audiobook to listen to and review by Macmillan Audio and the narrator did an amazing job and fit the story! I loved it! Thank you Macmillan Audio and Netgalley for this opportunity I loved it! I definitely recommend this audiobook for anyone who loves a good mystery and thriller!

Thank you NetGalley and MacMillian Audio for this ALC.

As an audiobook, I really appreciated the narrator. Her performance was outstanding. There was a range of emotion to her voice.

As much as the narrator did a good job, I cannot say that I loved Hollander's book. It was weirdly reminiscient of In My Dreams I Hold a Knife, but was not as interesting. The characters were, at times, unrelatable and though I appreciated the commentary on mental health and how important it is to find ways to support and care for those suffering with mental health struggles, the novel fell flat.

There were times when the alternating timelines were confusing to follow, and when things seemed to be overly dramatized.

Dear Everyone Who can Forgive Me is Dead,
There were things that I really liked about your story, and things that I really didn't. I just have to point out that Charlie's "therapist" should completely lose her medical license and be charged with malpractice. Their therapeutic relationship was toxic and detrimental to helping Charlie heal from The Scarlet Christmas. That being said, I absolutely love a clearly unreliable, borderline unhinged narrator. The absolute tangle that Charlie twisted herself into after dealing with shattering trauma was hard to watch, and the fact that she let herself sit in that mental place for 10 years was tragic. The twist at the end was surprising, but was also fairly predictable. Definitely a middle of the road thriller for me.

*3.5 Stars On My Instagram Account*

"When something terrible occurs, like what you went through Charlie...your brain is trying to protect you by letting you not remember."

The title, Everyone Who Can Forgive Me Is Dead, by debut author Jenny Hollander, is a perfect attention getter for mystery lovers.

Charlie walked away "unscathed" during the "Scarlet Christmas" massacre at her college dorm. Now 10 years later, a movie is being made, and Charlie can't afford for the public to be reminded of that deadly night, especially when she doesn't remember it.

Talented voice actress Marisa Calin has
numerous accents with varied emotions. This debut mystery had a few OMG reveals but nothing is revealed to the end and, though satisfying a bit too clean for my warped brain!

I received a free copy of this audiobook from Macmillan Audio via #NetGalley for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.