the feeling of an absolute page-turner is a rare one, and ashley winstead instead hit the nail on the head with this book will bury me. every day that I was reading this book, every second of free time i wanted to jump back in!

i absolutely loved the mixed media elements to this book; reading true crime forums & group messages. the plot twists were fun and pretty unpredictable. it’s been a lonnnngggggg time since i’ve read something that hooked me like this!

giving this one 4.5/5 stars: 1. it kept me wanting to read CONSTANTLY 2. the plot was very exciting to follow 3 i would recommend this to so many people and i throughly enjoyed it. it lost a half a star solely because i did predict one of the plot twists & none of the characters were super lovable for me personally (didn’t connect with as much as i normally prefer).

i also loved 1. how the entire book is written as a reflection on the narrator’s experience and everything is written with hindsight & 2. how the ending was tied up in a pretty perfect bow, with just a hint of ambiguity to the future but gave you answers on all the plot lines!

After her father’s sudden death, college senior Janeway Sharp stumbles across a true crime network on the interweb and quickly becomes enthralled as she looks for a distraction from her own pain and grief. Soon close friendships and alliances are formed as the armchair detective group takes on the shocking and brutal murder of three sorority students in Delphine, Idaho and are suddenly thrust into the spotlight themselves.

Looking at the reviews for this book, it strikes me that most people fall into two categories on it - you either love it or you hate it. Turns out, I am in the former. While this book didn’t quite bury me, it sure gripped my attention to the point of complete absorption. I. Could. Not. Put. This. Book. Down.

Unlike Ashley Winstead’s other novels that are works of pure fiction, the primary case in this book is based on a very true crime, and is part of what makes this book controversial. Is it too early to be featuring this brutal murder, an event that has left a town broken, in such a front and centered way? In fact, Winstead even includes an author’s note to explain her rationale on this and it’s definitely worth a read.

I would argue that although it is pivotal to the story, it is very much not THE story. At the core, TBWBM is about community and making sense of the senseless. It’s about our overarching desire for answers we may or may never be able to find. And it’s about family, those who we love and who offer comfort, and those who seek only to knock us down.

To prevent the risk of spoiling a book that’s best when gone into blind, I will end my review by saying that although, I didn’t love her last, this book was a major winner for me and such a pleasant surprise. Not since Verity has a first page grabbed me hook, line and sinker and I hope it does the same for you, if you choose to read it.

Thank you to the Alisᵗᵐ for buddy reading this one with me. Sorry I wasn’t able to slow myself down there at the end, but what a testament to the addictiveness of this book.

Read if you like:
▪️true crime
▪️serial killer storylines
▪️quasi-cozy mysteries
▪️epistolary format
▪️unputdownable thrillers

Thank you Sourcebooks Landmark for the advanced copy.

Based on enjoyment, this was great. I echo a lot of other reviews: it's a bit too long and maybe leans on the predictable side, but has some really well-done aspects (found family, grief, internet culture). The characters are mostly likeable and, for the most part, fleshed out. It gets a bit campy by the end there, but it's fiction, so I can't be too mad at it. I had a really great time with this and love Winstead's writing.

This book was fun. It started a bit slow for me, but by the last half or so, I was hooked. I did figure out the killer pretty early on (rare for me!) but still enjoyed the ride and how everything played out. The book is told an interesting way - the main character is describing the action of the book as if she is writing a tell-all or memoir after the events unfolded. I have really enjoyed a lot of this authors books, so in that regard, this wasn't a favorite of mine of those she has written, but that is admittedly a high bar! An enjoyable thriller, especially for fans of true crime (and I'm not even one of them, but still a 4 star for me!

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for providing a free e-arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I think this finally seals the deal for me that Ashley Winstead is just not the author for me. Like her other books, the plot is very predictable. I did like the fact of following a true crime forum, there was a found family that worked really well, and the suspenseful parts were decent. This book was entirely too long, however, as it could have been a good 150-200 pages shorter and gotten the idea across.

Apparently this book is based off murders that happened in Idaho back in 2022 that I'm not aware of, and though there are many books that I have read that are loosely based off serial killers from the past this may have been a little too recent in the eyes of some.

I unfortunately can't recommend her books as they all follow such a similar pattern and turn out to be such letdowns by the end, but give it a try if you enjoy her work as you may like it.

TW: If you've lost a parent, especially your daddy, the first 20% of this book is VERY hard to read. I pushed through, but it made me cry and make me wonder if I should continue...

(Also something to note: the true crime event that this book discusses is almost identical to what happened in Idaho. Read the author's note before diving into the book.)

...With all that said, I am glad I kept reading. The true crime aspect was interesting and it was intriguing to learn a little about "armchair detectives." The chapters were short, the characters worked well together, and it was well written.

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this ARC in exchange for an honest opinion.

What an unusual way to tell a story. It's told in the form of the main character (Jane Sharp) writing a memoir. If you are a fan of true crime and amateur sleuths, this is a perfect book. It was a little hard to get into at first because I didn't really know where it was going, but as soon as things click and the sleuths form a small group, the story becomes captivating.

Jane was such an interesting character. It starts off with Jane partying in college when she gets a call from her mom that her dad had a heart attack. She quickly heads home, but he ends up dying before she gets there. In trying to deal with her father's death, she joins a subreddit group for true crime. At first, she's just an observer. But when she realizes one of the murders took place near her hometown, she jumps in and volunteers to help out. And so, her addiction to help solve crimes begins....

This was a complex psychological thriller. I felt like it took bits from real crimes that happened, so it left me thinking "what if" while reading. It's interesting the role that these armchair detectives take in trying to solve crimes - through legal and illegal ways. A dark, suspenseful book that left me thinking about things in a different way.

I really enjoyed it! It kept me engaged, I loved the cyber sleuthing aspect, I thought that was original and creative. I did end up seeing the ending coming once they found the eyelash, but I enjoyed the ending anyways. Especially the connection to her dads fanfic and her ending. Thank you for letting me read it!

I am grateful for the opportunity to read this ARC. Thank you!

I struggled with this book. I found it riveting. While I identified the murderer early on, I found myself glued to the pages to see how the story would be told. However, this felt like an opportunity to say more about how true crime has become entertainment for our society. While the book discusses it frequently, it feels like it is also giving more material for true crime fiends — especially its similarities with real crime stores.

Jane Sharp is a college student whose father unexpectedly dies. This causes Jane to flounder in her grief. Her only distraction comes as seems stumbles across some true crime websites. Jane gets totally drawn into the true crime world and she seems to have a knack for spotting details others overlook. She becomes involved with a small group of internet sleuths that she basically views as her family. The group becomes interested in getting the killer of some college girls in Delphine, Idaho. I found the group of characters interesting and fairly well written. However, this story did not sit well with me as it is based on real events - the murder of college girls in Idaho. As this was far too close to real events, with some names being too close to real ones, I found it very upsetting. The real killer’s trial hasn’t even taken place yet. For this reason, I can only give the book 2 stars out of 5.

Thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley for this digital ARC in exchange for my honest review. The book will be published March 25, 2025.

This book honestly surprised me. I started it and I was confused at what was going on, but once the plot evened itself out, I was hooked. I really enjoyed the idea of anonymous crime fighters of the internet solving a case that was even puzzling law enforcement. The FMC was likable and the way the story was told was super interesting. There were plenty of twists and turns that I didn't expect which is exactly what I want out of a thriller book.

This was a very entertaining book! If you are at all in to true crime, you'll love the idea of following along as these five people try to solve murders. It does a good job of balancing what arm chair sleuths bring to the investigation vs the downside they can bring as well. The book also does a great job of showing the different sides of grief and how people work through it on their own time. I thought it added depth to the story and didn't take away from it. I gave the book four stars because I guessed the twist pretty early on. I kept hoping I was wrong but no such luck. Overall, it was a gripping read and I definitely recommend it!

Even though this was a longer book than I usually read, and it started off somewhat slow, I managed to finish it quickly because it was suspenseful and the action picked up. The fictional crime is based on the real life Idaho murders, although the perpetrator is not. I figured out the mystery about two thirds of the way through, but I still enjoyed the conclusion. I also enjoyed the secondary storyline about the main character's father's death--it gave the story an added dimension and drew me closer to the main character who sometimes acted questionably. It's also thought provoking regarding America's true crime obsession,

Janeway Sharp loses her father unexpectedly and to deal with her grief she turns to the internet. She finds a true crime solving network and becomes obsessed. Their most recent case is proving to be extremely convoluted and has the entire country’s attention.

So I went into this blind and started obviously seeing extreme similarities to a current case that happened. One that hasn’t even gone to trial yet. I decided to give it a chance and read it all, but honestly I’m not glad I did.

Pros:
- I liked the armchair detective angle
- the internet chats were really well done
- I liked the main character, Jane, and the other main characters
- I loved the found family
- I enjoyed the way grief was portrayed by the main character

Cons:
-super long, detailed rambling of Star Trek info
-TOOOO long. A thriller should not be 500 pages! It felt like it dragged and dragged and would never end.
-I don’t read a fiction book to be inundated with the author’s political views. I read fiction to escape,
-this biggest con is own that many people have issue with. This book is extremely based on a true crime that has gripped our country and hasn’t even gone to trial. Many people write books INSPIRED by true crime and that’s fine, I’ve even liked them. However this one is different in 2 ways. 1. Time. There should be a decent amount of time between when a crime happened and when an author decides to write about and profit off it. 2. There is a difference between inspired by and based on. This was way too close to the actual crime, not enough details were changed.
-the male victim was left out of the book and although bc I know the ending I do understand, it did make me feel some sort of way
-the way one do the suspects is treated and the outcome of it also made me feel some sort of way. I can’t comment more or it will give it away.

Thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for the advanced copy of this book!

Would've been a five star read, but this is gross. Direct copy of a very recent, very tragic crime. I liked the writing style, plot and premise but I just couldn't get past that.

A group of online friends obsessed with solving true crime cases are thrust into danger when their investigation lands them in the path of a serial killer. I know this is loosely based on a real case (I’m not really a true crime girl so I’m unaware of the details) but I hope it was handled with care. Judging solely as a book - I was hooked to the story, despite it being somewhat predictable. This author always manages to take average sounding plots and include deeper, interesting commentary than the typical thriller.

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for my ARC.

I'm a little on the fence with this one. I really liked the idea of the book, the keyboard true crime solvers, because I like to think of myself as one of them (I'm not even close), but the thing I struggle with here is the case. It's too recent and too similar making it hard to focus on the book and not the real life story.
With that said, what I really liked about this book was the surprise twist. While reading this, I never would have thought it was going to be what it was. I liked the characters of the book, Jane, the main one, kind of got on my nerves a little bit but she was grieving so I get it and she made a pretty good armchair detective, the group really did make a great team.
Overall, I'm going 3.5 rounding up to 4. The way the book is written has you convinced that there is some deep dark secret and there is, but it's not the secret you may think. I would say it was a good story but too close to reality at the moment and that will strike some people and make it a difficult read.

this book capitalizes on the Idaho murders from the POV of a 24 year old internet true crime sleuth (who sounds and acts like she’s 14). recommend moving on and finding something not as insensitive.

i liked some of the underlying tones and lessons of the book — you never really know someone, everyone is complex, spend time with your family, you can find family, everyone deals with grief differently, etc.

however, i had two things that primarily annoyed/rubbed me the wrong way from this book:

1. the biggest one - off the bat, weird. weird to see a massacre as inspiration for a novel that you’ll profit off of. i understand that the purpose of this book is to point out the flaws and also benefits of the true crime community online, but it genuinely just rubs me the wrong way to basically copy and paste the murder into this book. i understand the authors note at the beginning states she tried to keep everything as accurate as possible — but this book is fiction!!! please vary it as much as possible, actually. i just couldn’t stop imagining myself as the parent to one of the kids murdered, picking up this book, and realizing it’s basically a fanfic of my kids murder.

2. if you can get past all that, on a lesser note, the vibe of the MC is juvenile. she’s 24, but i kept forgetting because she genuinely felt 14-16. i understand why the author needed to age her up (internet safety, traveling, random romance scene), but her actions and the way she talked was much more YA.

other than that, quite a bit of the beginning of the book takes place in a “chat room”, which is obnoxious and generally annoying to read, especially with the over exaggerated comments.

this book is very over the top and unrealistic, but i’m not knocking the book for that. i’m not reading fiction for accuracy.

two stars bc even all of that couldn’t turn me off from finding out what happened.

thanks netgalley for the ARC

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC of this book. I really enjoyed the suspenseful telling of this true crime story. However, I felt this book got a little long and could have skipped parts.

Loved this book! I haven’t read anything like this before. The middle was a tad slow, but overall a good book and will recommend to others!