Very different!

So, we have Charlotte (Charlie) who is currently the fiancée of a wealthy young man… in the current timeline…

But, she goes back and forth between now and nine years ago…back when she was in graduate school.
And for the life of her, she cannot remember what happened that fateful night…
However, everyone in the world knows about that night! They read about it, and followed on TV… and still,it all seems as clear as mud!

But now, one of the people she went to college with wants to make a movie about what happened that night…and Charlie begins to unravel!

A lot of moving parts in this one, and fast paced!
Lots of little tidbits that will keep you guessing!

3 1/2 ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 for me, rounded up to 4!

Thanks to #NetGalley and #MacmillanAudio for an ARC of the audiobook which was released on 2/6/24.

#EveryoneWhoCanForgiveMeIsDead by #JennyHollander and narrated nicely by #MarisaCalin.

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IG @ #BookReviews_with_emsr or
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Thanks so much for reading!📚⭐️📖

I really disliked this book. I make it a point to finish ARCs I receive but I just can't keep reading this.

I'm pretty far in and still know nothing. The Scarlet Christmas thing sounds interesting but no one is telling me about it and I'm stuck hearing a first person account from one of the most insufferable characters.

This had a lot of potential to be a great mystery but the pace is too slow and there's nothing to connect us on any way to the plight of the characters.

This one really drew me in with its provocative title, which I still think is neat, but it just couldn't get there.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read, listen, and review. Narration was terrible too.

Sadly, I just could not get into this story as much as I wanted to. I think this was because the details I needed were not revealed until the end. I also could not understand the motivation behind the actions of several characters. It just felt like everything was just being pulled out of the air and thrown into the story making for a disjointed read.

The audiobook really helped breathe more life into this story along with adding more suspense as Charlie was searching for the truth.

This was a debut, and I feel like the author has more to offer in the future and still look forward to picking up her next book.

Thank you, MacMillan Audio, for this gifted copy in exchange for my honest opinions.
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Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for my advanced copy and the chance to review it honestly.

What if everything you know about the worst night of your life turns out not to be true?

I received Everyone Who Can Forgive me is Dead as an ALC. Unfortunately I had trouble with this one. I could not for the life of me stay focused. It was a little slower for my liking and the characters felt a bit… underdeveloped. I wasn’t at all engaged and the story fell flat for me. I really wanted to enjoy this book and it makes me sad that I didn’t. Authors put so much love into their books and it’s a bummer when it’s a miss. As always, take my opinion with a grain of salt. I see others that this story absolutely worked for.

Happy reading!

Scarlet Christmas – three graduate students are dead. Ten years later, Chalie, one of the survivors of the massacre and now a successful Editor for a large publication, is forced to deal with the past once again. No one suspects anything is amiss, except she knows she didn’t tell the whole truth in her statements to the police. She simply blanked out and filled some facts about that terrible night.

The problem is, a new movie in the making about the event stirs up public interest, and Charlie is convinced, the renewed attention in the tragedy will dig up the truth. The inconsistencies in her statements are about to come up on display for the whole world to see.

It’s fast paced, it’s twisted, and it kept me guessing up until the very end. It’s everything you expect from a thriller with the “I can’t remember what happened” trope. The wrap up is one of my favorite parts here, as it wasn’t perfect, but it was the one that made perfect sense. Solid thriller.

This one was just ok for me. While it started out strong, it eventually became a bit convoluted. And with a few loose strings, the ending was pretty anticlimactic. This is Hollander's debut so I'll definitely try her next one and hope it's a better fit for me. Marisa Calin narrates, and though her ability to perform a huge cast with varying accents is proof of her talent, her voice and I just don't jive. It's a tad breathy and dramatic, and I think is better matched with historical romance or even theater. As always, YMMV!
Thank you Macmillan Audio for my gifted copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

Audiobook Review | Everyone Who Can Forgive Me is Dead

Before I get into the review, I wanted to talk about the audiobook. While I think this book will read fantastically in print and ebook, the audiobook added an extra layer to the experience of the novel that I greatly appreciated. Narrated by Marisa Calin—the story is from the perspective of a British woman who attends graduate school and lives post-graduate in New York. Calin narrates the accents for this story perfectly.

Charlie herself references making her accent posher at times to garner respect from others that allows her to gloss over things she’d rather not discuss. Hearing Charlie’s story narrated out loud keeps that aspect of her personality at the forefront, and to me it was a critical part of her story. I also liked the way Calin narrated others, from the sisters from Connecticut to a southern boy attempting to downplay his accent.

Review | Everyone Who Can Forgive Me is Dead

Charlotte “Charlie” Colbert was a survivor of “Scarlet Christmas”—an event popularized by the media because it involved the deaths of several graduate students at the prestigious Carroll University School of Journalism where Charlie was also enrolled. If you’re reading this and confused about which students died, don’t worry! I went back because I wasn’t sure if I missed it, and realized it was intentionally vague at the beginning due to Charlie’s attempts to repress memories of what happened and push forward.

Which brings us to the present timeline of the book (we actually don’t visit the past storyline as it’s own narrative, but learn about it through media coverage and Charlie’s sessions with her therapist). Charlie has an incredible life in the present day! On the surface, at least… A Londoner living in New York, Charlie is the editor-in-chief of C—a popular women’s magazine linked to a broader newspaper.

Charlie is also engaged to a man named Tripp who is a handsome, filthy rich, old-money heir to a publishing magnate. More importantly, Tripp is kind and loves Charlie. When Charlie receives an email from a former classmate that one of their cohort is producing a movie based on the events of that night long ago, Charlie spirals. She has worked hard to repress memories from that night. Now she may have no choice but to relive them, as she does everything she can to prevent the movie from portraying the truth of that night.

What I liked

Told through present day timeline, media excerpts, and sessions with Charlie’s therapist where she works to uncover memories from that night, the plot is compelling and well-paced. Charlie was a great narrator. She is aware that she is unreliable, which is a departure from many novels with this general plot.

Charlie is a plucky, upbeat, and driven. From early on, Charlie mentions using her British-ness to her benefit. The posh-er she makes her accent, the more people respect her opinion and don’t question her. This is a super-power Charlie has at work and in life. It helps her gloss over questions about the trauma for the sake of British reservedness. I liked that her cageyness with the reader is part of her efforts to just push forward in life and not think about the people or events of graduate school.

Despite her trauma and obvious challenges, Charlie isn’t the typical basket case that narrates these types of novels. Her memory blackouts in the past are specific to that night. She didn’t let it break her, but it is slowly seeping into her well-curated life. Charlie knows that once the story becomes a sensation, true crime fans won’t hesitate to pick it apart and find the holes in the story she told police.

I was confused at times about which students died that night, but later realized it was kept intentionally vague. Charlie has a list of names and events she has forbidden being mentioned in her therapy sessions prior to this book. Now that she has pressure to remember everything from that night, she has the opposite approach and begins to speak about her past much more openly.

I was gripped by her story, wanting to know more and more leading up to the event. Her former boyfriend Jordan is the person who emails her about the film, so we know he is alive. Similarly Steph is creating the film, so she clearly lived as well. But some of the other deaths are more mysterious until about halfway through. I’ll be honest, at times I even questioned if Charlie really got an email from Jordan or if this was a manifestation of her survivor’s guilt.

What other readers disliked

There were more critical reviews than I expected when I went to read this book. Many liked the book until the last 30% or so, where things heat up and a lot of truths are revealed. This is the part of the novel where Charlie is honest with Tripp, her therapist, and herself about what she knows about that night. From there, things are fast-paced.

Most of the criticism I saw of this book fell towards that final third. Readers sometimes felt that the story wrapped up a bit too neatly and abruptly, leaving some plot holes. I actually agree with these points, though I didn’t think it was a bad thing. I liked that the story had a full conclusion and the plot holes really didn't bother me. I thought they were mostly explained in the final chapters.

Don’t wait for a final twist in the epilogue, it is meant to showcase what happened eighteen months after the main events of the novel. The twist comes before that and has a complex development that I absolutely loved. I was surprised to find many disliked it, because it was so delicious and satisfying, in my opinion!

Final Thoughts

I absolutely loved this book, and was surprised reading early reviews that others felt differently. I think it goes to show that for any book, we should take the reviews with a grain of salt. Know going in that not every book is for every reader. I actually loved the ending and how it came together, and the epilogue answered those typical lingering questions in psychological thrillers where we ponder “so what happened to these characters I got to know over the course of this book?”

I had some mixed emotions about this book but I definitely liked it.

It kept me hooked from the beginning. The main character, Charlie, survived a violent episode at her journalism school known as Scarlet Christmas. It's haunted her ever since and she's blocked out a good portion of the night. Given that she can't solidly remember the events, she's not sure what role she may have played and now one of the other alumni wants to put out a movie about the night's events. This basically sends Charlie off the rails and she is risking everything she's worked hard to gain in her life - - he posh career as an Editor-in-Chief for a major magazine and her engagement to Tripp, the eldest son of a powerful old money New York family. She also is obsessed with her concern for her family back home in England and what the paparazzi will do to them. Especially her special needs sister, Felicia.

The story is told in two timelines - - the present day and the past leading up to Scarlet Christmas. I really enjoyed the story for the most part. I did think that Charlie's obsessive paranoia got a little excessive at times but it fit the plot.

AUDIOBOOK REVIEW: The audiobook narration was really good. The narrator's voice did a great job with Charlie and the depiction of her emotional state. 4 stars

Thank you to NetGalley for early copies of both the audiobook and ebook.

I found this audiobook compelling, but there were many elements of the story that were confusing or contradictory. The protagonist, Charlie, is a survivor of an episode called “Scarlet Christmas,” when she and her graduate school classmates were attacked on Christmas Eve. Although Charlie emerged unhurt, she was traumatized, and nine years later she still cannot remember everything that happened. Through this dual timeline story we learn more about Charlie’s relationship with her classmates and the events that led to the attack that killed three of them and wounded others, and we learn more about Charlie’s current life as a magazine editor and bride-to-be. The lingering question is: what actually happened? And why does Charlie fear that she may have been responsible (so much so that she has blocked out the details)? When one of those involved announces plans to produce a film about the event Charlie panics and her life spirals. I enjoyed the story and the narrator was excellent, but I kept wondering about certain things and not all of them were truly resolved. There were some major twists near the end, but not all were very believable, in my opinion. In the end, I liked, but didn’t love the book, and I appreciate the author, publisher, and NetGalley providing me with an advance copy.

I really liked the narrator! She did the characters and accents really well. The story was twisty and very well done. I did not see the end coming. I was sure I knew what happened three different times. I was right one of the times, but I didn't believe it because things kept changing.

Sadly, this one was not for me. I tried doing the audio first and just could not connect with the narrator, and it was harder to follow along with the story with newspaper clippings and such. Once I switched to the ebook I was hoping I would connect with the story more, but I just was not feeling this one. Lots of skimming to get to the heart and twists of the story and I still wasn’t all that thrilled with it. Hoping I’m in the minority for this one, but it really fell short from my expectations.

Thank you St. Martins Press, Minotaur books, and Macmillan audio for my ARC and ALC in exchange for my honest opinion.

This book had a ton of promise for me. I loved the premise and it started out strong. Then it kind of fell apart. The characters were unlikeable, the pacing was slow, the mystery was confusing. I think because I listened to this mostly on audio, I robbed myself of the full experience. It wasn't because of the narration, which was great. Instead I found myself frequently confused and I think that's where reading this fully on ebook might have helped. I can see promise in Jenny Hollander's work and I will happily read her next book.

Loved this book! It was a great story, I was captivated right up until the end. It was twisty and intriguing. Highly recommend!

This book was very engaging and I liked the fast pace of the plot and journalism theme for the main character. The narrator’s voice sounded age appropriate for the role and was easy to listen to.

Fun dark academia with dual timelines. Nice twisty ending. Odd that a political soapbox came out of nowhere about guns when a shooting was not part of the story.

What a ride! This was a fun thriller/mystery with a little dash of dark academy vibes & dual timelines. The author did a great job with incorporating therapy appointments to support the past timeline rather than just a true then/now plot line. I also enjoyed that I didn’t know exactly what was going on for most of the book 😂 I know what you’re thinking “isn’t that a bad thing?” But in this instance no i don’t think so! I was hooked, I wanted to know what happened that night & it kept getting more complicated with all the different characters showing up! The only thing that didn’t work for me was the ending, or rather the reveal bc I don’t think there was anyway I could have guessed who did it. Again not a bad thing, but sometimes I just want some clues to lead me toward a person 🤷🏻‍♀️ that’s probably just a me thing tho! For a debut novel, I think the author did a great job building suspense & characters that you actually want to keep reading! I will keep my out for what she does next!

A super solid debut! I did a combo of audio/print and very much enjoyed. This was a slower burn, but I was definitely intrigued the whole time and wanted to find out what was happening. The last 40%ish especially had me on the edge of my seat! Def recommend.

Every once in a while, a debut author comes along that you just know is going to be on your auto-buy list, and I got that vibe from Jenny Hollander's Everyone Who Can Forgive Me is Dead. Right from the title and synopsis, I had to know. I mean, if that doesn't draw you in, what will? But once I started reading, I was listening every chance I got, desperate to know what really went on during Scarlet Christmas.. Everything about this book works, from the characters, the pacing, the plot, the mind-blowing reveal. Even if dark academia isn't normally your go-to, this book is so much more than that. If I could give it more than five stars, I would.

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for this audiobook! I love listening to audiobooks at the gym and when driving. The book did not disappoint. I felt I was engaged throughout the whole book. Thrillers and mysteries are my favorite books to listen too. I loved the ending!

Everyone Who Can Forgive Me Is Dead is a clever suspense/thriller that unravels as the main character begins working through her trauma of events in college. The reveals were well done, and the main character’s thoughts were realistic.

The main character was quite relatable in the walls she put up and the systems she set in place, which is an important note because too many of us don’t know how to work through trauma and grief, instead finding internal protective mechanisms. I think this book was not only a great read, well paced, and twisty, but also secretly informative for those struggling with mental health issues such as trauma and PTSD.

I listened to the audiobook, which was very well done. The narrator really brought the story to life. I listened at 1.75x speed (my normal speed) until about the 80% mark, then slowed it down to 1.5x speed as things picked up pace even more and a slower speed was needed to fully process the events of the story.

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for allowing me to listen to and review this advanced audio copy.