I could not put this down!! This had me completely sucked in and turning pages. I absolutely recommend this to any fan of true crime; it was twisty and turny. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Wow. This book! This one had me glued to it the whole time. I could not put it down!! Loved the characters and the way it was written. Twists I didn't expect at all!! Highly recommend!!

For some odd reason, this is my first book by Ashley but I will definitely be reading more now. I immediately connected with main character because I also received an unexpected call from my mom that my dad died from a heart attack due to his weight. I screenshotted 3 pages for my sister to read because the circumstances and emotions was eerily similar to our experience 17 years ago.

The book kept me on my toes. There's a few red herrings. My only criticism is that it's a bit long because it's so detailed. There were pages that I was able to skim without missing anything important. The first case for Indira entails almost 20% of the book but could be summarized for less pages.

I rate this book 4.5, rounding up to 5 stars. Parts of it or particular situations made me think of other books I've read. Particularly college students in Idaho. If you don't enjoy reading email threads or similar communications, this probably isn't the book for you. In an interview w Sara Goodman Confino, she said she writes books that predate the internet for this reason.

I was disappointed the ARC did not include the questions for readers or the Q&A w the author. I will have to check that out when the book is published. I look forward to reading other readers reviews.

This is the first book I have read by this author
It will definitely not be the last one !
Loved her writing style
This book kept me wanting more and didn’t want to put it down

I cannot wait to get my hands on anything by Ashley Winstead! While this is not my favorite of hers, it was highly intriguing and kept my attention throughout. I loved how this book was written as a book from the main characters POV. The chapters were short and each one ended with a cliff hanger that made me want to keep flipping pages. Winstead perfectly depicted the stages of grief, which I appreciated. I will say that the first killer was obvious to me fairly early on in the book, so the "who dun it" surprise element was lacking for me. I'm not sure if that was intended, but it didn't change my desire to figure out all the other moving parts in this storyline. What did surprise me is the empathy I had for the antagonist, maybe from working in the mental health field. In the end, I felt that person truly tried to right the wrongs and committed a selfless act that he knew would save Jane and the other sleuths. and I actually felt the letdown and loss that Jane did.
This was my first ARC and first review on goodreads! Thank you netgalley!

From the Boyfriend Candidate to This Book Will Bury Me, Ashley Winstead is an incredible writer! I am drawn to thrillers that are a story inside of a story and man This Book did not disappoint! It is from the first-person point of view of Jane, one of 5 in a group of true crime sleuths that are determined to solve crimes. They are a mismatched team of people who believe and have proven that they can solve crimes if given the access to police files to do so. After a horrible triple murder in Delphine, the FBI reaches out to the team to contract them as helpers in solving the case. Little do they know that they are infiltrated by a killer that has access to their files, emails and even the team's plan. Jane goes on to tell the whole honest story a year after the Murders took place, it leaves you guessing who could some of the closet people you know really be?

So here’s the deal - I love this author - (have read everything she’s written and I’ve even been mentioned in her thanks) and this book was pretty great. It had me sucked in from the jump and I read it in one day. I went in completely blind and am glad I did so.

This would normally be a no brainer 5 ⭐️ read for me.

But…the fact that it so closely mirrors (sickeningly so) the real Idaho college murders and the murderer is still on trial right now makes me cringe beyond hard. Details that were identical - not necessarily inspired by the true event - but didn’t stray one bit from the reality, felt too invasive and tasteless right now.

However - I received a digital arc of this book and so there was no author’s forward or note so I do not know how she plans to address this. I hope she will donate proceeds to the victims families or something because otherwise it feels like distasteful murder porn.

I reserve the right to change my rating based on what Winstead does when the book officially releases.

This mystery drew me in with its intricate plot and emotional layers. I read it alongside my best friend, taking our time to discuss every detail and analyze each twist as we progressed through the story.

The narrative follows a group of characters who connect on the internet, uniting to solve a murder and ultimately pursue a serial killer. Their interactions and shared experiences kept me engaged, allowing me to invest in their journeys.

The story explores themes of connection and the human experience, showcasing how relationships evolve through adversity. The author skillfully navigates the group dynamics, highlighting how their bonds strengthen through shared challenges.

The plot was filled with unexpected twists and turns that kept me guessing. The pacing was expertly crafted, transitioning from a simple online connection to a gripping investigation. I often found myself reflecting on the complexities of human relationships and the impact of trauma as I read.

While I enjoyed the overall experience, I wished for a more detailed exploration of certain character arcs and motivations, especially toward the conclusion.

The best aspect of the book for me was the villain, whose portrayal left a lasting impression. I was surprised by my feelings toward this character as I delved deeper into the story. This mystery provides a fresh take on the genre, skillfully blending suspense with deeper emotional themes. I will never forget this book and wholeheartedly recommend it for its captivating journey that lingers in your mind.

I was going back and forth, but I think I’ve settled on a 3. This was definitely compelling, enough that I read it in less than a day, staying up till like 1:40 AM to finish it. But in the end, I have super mixed feelings about it. I liked at first that it seemed like it was gonna really dig into the dark side of the ways people get involved in the true crime “fandom” but in the end, that was a let down. Rather than critiquing that movement, I feel like the characters’ actions shown to be were justified because hey, they solved the crime. To be fair, I suppose that is part of the conceit of the book: of course Jane will want to justify her actions, and since it’s an ARC, the discussion questions and talk with the author haven’t been added to the back yet, so I’m not sure about her intentions, and that’s something I will have to check out once the book is out. (Although after looking at reviews and discovering that the case in this book is apparently based on an IRL one, I’m not feeling particularly charitable.)

The reveal of the real culprit was also INCREDIBLY obvious, I think I clocked it after the first few [redacted] references, around 32% in. I did think their motivations were done well, in a fucked up way, and I didn’t predict what it’d be. And wanting to be proven right definitely is the reason I ended up staying up so late. The tension worked for me, it kept me reading.

I did like the found family aspect of it a lot, and the stylistic choices of it being presented as a book the main character was writing (although frustratingly, the clickable footnotes didn’t work, so I had to keep clicking back and forth and spoiling myself for the start of the next chapters). In the end, I’ve enjoyed a lot of Ashley Winstead books (In My Dreams I Hold a Knife was absolutely a 5 star for me), and I was so thrilled to get an ARC for this, but the more I think about it, the less I liked it.

Thanks to NetGalley and SOURCEBOOKS for the digital ARC; all opinions are my own.

Thank you to the publisher for a free Netgalley.

This one was quite the ride.This Book Will Bury Me is about Janeway, who loses her father unexpectedly. While grieving she finds a group of arm chair detectives. They work together to solve murders.

I enjoyed the writing of the characters in this one. Each character added something to the plot of the book. None of the characters were "too much" or written in an exaggerated fashion. Jane drove me bonkers at times. But her character was well fleshed out.

While we are given some red herrings, I did figure out one of the end pieces. Though that happened, I still did not feel like it took anything away from the book as the way Winstead laid it out was well done. But that very ending? Fabulous. I loved how this one wrapped up.

Definitely recommend.

DNF - Thank you Netgalley for providing me with an ARC of this story. Unfortunately, this book was not for me. I don't know why writers think it is a good idea to take a real life true crime, and have it be the premise of a fictional story. It's distasteful and once I realized that this author was doing just that, I had to stop reading. The Idaho Four was a tragedy; one that still doesn't have answers or justice for the victims and their families. It's a big no for me to take the details of their nightmare, and use it for a fictional book.

A 4/5 thriller!

I loved this one! I read In My Dreams I Hold A Knife when it came out for book club, and immediately loved her writing style. I found this book to be equally engaging and interesting, and didn't think any twist was too outlandish.

PS - You know what Ashley Winstead is really good at? Book titles. This and IMDIHAK are two of my fav thriller titles I've heard in so long.

Yup! This Book Will Bury Me….ha but I started wanting to dig my own grave in hopes of escaping having to finish this book. Total outlier opinion I am guessing since it has a 4+ star review, and I am giving this a measly 2 stars.
Initially I was strapped in for a wild ride that Ashley Winstead gave me with "In my dreams I hold a knife" (Why oh why are their scissors on the cover??) The opening few chapters had my attention as we learn that our lead girl is being accused of doing something really bad, and we are flashed back to a time when Jane is what we think is an innocent co-ed at a Florida University. How did her life spiral into the chaos you read on the first few pages?

Sadly the writing style falls off and we dive deep into the dark web, true crime chat rooms and endless references to star trek (or wars?? who cares they both are weird) this trifecta drained my interest. Winstead also grasped every opportunity to remind us that "rednecks" are dumb as monkey butts and racist. She was about as subtle as an Elephant in a China shop letting her political views be known. PSA: Authors keep the politics out of the books please. I am reading fiction, if I wanted to read a politic piece I would pick up the newspaper, so stop. Thanksomuch!

On ward, This book left a really really really bad taste in my mouth. Winstead ripped the all too recent "Idaho College" murder story and fictionalized that tragedy. It was really off putting, I thought. As Winstead is trying to maintain a thriller/mystery plot line on the side she has Jane trying to deal with her father’s death. Prepare yourself…this is going to sound harsh, but like why? There was no mystery about his death. This could have been a completely separate. Book how Jane tries to discover “who her father really was”. Given that this book was pretty long, she should have just cut this whole subplot in my opinion. The last chapter in This Book Will Bury Me was Winstead trying to jump into the deep end of a literary masterpiece, when in all honesty she was just jumping off the edge of an above ground pool your neighbor got from Walmart in 1995 with floaties on and a snorkel. Maybe other readers will find this chapter poetic, but I had completely checked out by the conclusion of this book and couldn’t wait to move on to my next read.

Not impressed, I guessed the ending and never felt invested. Once again Winstead has let me down. I keep hoping for better from her. But maybe if Trump wins 2024 that will at least make me feel like a W in my column since she totally robbed me of my time. [If She can insert her political agenda in her books, I will insert mine in my review]

Thank you Netgalley for allowing me to review this advanced copy of This Book Will Bury Me. I was not influenced or paid in exchange for my honest review.

Ashley Winstead is an amazing psychological thriller writer. This book had a lot of twists and turns that were not expected. The initial similarity to the Idaho murders bothered me at first, but the story evolved so much that I soon found myself no longer bothered. Keep doing you, Ashley!
#ThisBookWillBuryMe #NetGalley

Thank you net galley and publisher for this ARC. This book was initially very interesting to me and then felt like it slowed down quite a bit. I enjoyed the twist at the end.

Did not enjoy how graphic this book was and how closely it was tied to Idaho murders. While it was well written it was not enjoyable for me.

I am going to preference this review by saying that I do not read, or follow true crime. I don't listen to podcasts and I have never been in a chat room...so this was a new world to me. I found the mystery to be OK...and I did know where it was going, but I loved Jayne trying to figure her way through grief and the love she had for her father.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

This was a hard one to rate. And I still can’t quite figure out if I liked it or not tbh.

On the one hand, this book managed to really pull me in, it stayed with me even when I wasn’t reading. I think the author did a fantastic job with this cast of characters, especially Jane, she was complex and well written. She wasn’t necessarily likeable, but I don’t mind that in a thriller. I felt for her at times, but I also despised her for some of the choices she made. I found it truly fascinating how the author managed to simultaneously make me like and dislike her.

This played nicely into the commentary on true crime. Jane getting involved with the group and then watching her slowly but surely become obsessed with solving these cases was very well done. It also served as a great way to show how some of the people who engage with these true crime cases and ‘investigate’ will think themselves helpful and important. But what they’re actually doing is often times insanely invasive and disrespectful to the victims and their families and just plain irresponsible and dangerous for the (innocent) people they think are guilty.

On the other hand, though, I felt like it was too long. The pacing was just a bit off.
Don’t get me wrong, it was interesting and well written for the first like 60%, but it also dragged. It only started to really get going after around the 60% mark. All of a sudden, things were happening left and right.
I also struggled with the group’s ‘investigation’ and what goes on towards the end, all of that seemed very unbelievable to me, honestly ridiculous. At the same time, I don’t know anything about the whole true crime thing because that shit really weirds me out, so what do I know? Maybe this actually does happen?

Now with all that said I’d have given the book a solid 3.75 stars.

However, I read some reviews saying that this story is very similar to a real murder case that happened not too long ago? I don’t know anything about that, since it happened in the US. But if it’s true, then I’m kind of confused by what this story was trying to do. Because it obviously discusses and comments on the dangerous fascination with true crime that seems to be so common nowadays and shows the very real consequences this can have. But then at the same time it uses a real murder case as I guess inspiration? That kind of goes against everything the story tried to say, no? It still doesn’t make sense to me, but maybe I just didn’t get it..

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

This was the best book I've read in quite some time. I was practically glued to the pages- I couldn't put it down! I loved everything about this one- the book inside of a book; two killers with two different motivations (I only caught one!); the grief that drove many of Jane's actions. . . . .it all came together in a book that was fascinating, entertaining and just overall well-done. I honestly think this book will sell itself, easily, but I'll be happy to help it along its way. This was my first book by Ashley Winstead, but it certainly won't be my last!

Wow, what a thriller. As a true crime buff myself, I loved reading about the inner workings of real internet sleuths. I appreciated the interwoven mentions of real true crime, such as talking about the role of Barbara Rae Venter and genetic genealogy. As well, the obvious connections to the Idaho murders of the last few years adds an interesting framing. Highly recommend