I Would Die for You had a solid premise and kicked off with a lot of promise—some family tension, mysterious behavior, and that classic Sandie Jones “can you really trust anyone?” vibe. It pulled me in quickly, and I was ready for a juicy domestic thriller.

But as the story went on, it just didn’t quite hit the mark. The characters felt a bit flat, and their decisions didn’t always make sense. I found myself more frustrated than intrigued, especially with the main character. The twists didn’t land as hard as I expected, and the ending felt rushed and a little too neat.

It’s a quick read and not without its entertaining moments, but overall, it didn’t really stick with me. If you're a fan of Sandie Jones, you might still enjoy it, but for me, it was just okay—not great, not terrible, just somewhere in the middle.

⭐️⭐️⭐️
Entertaining, But Missing That Wow Factor

I Would Die for You had all the ingredients for a gripping domestic thriller—secrets, tension, and a relationship that slowly unravels. Sandie Jones knows how to create suspense, and there were definitely moments that kept me turning the pages, eager to see where things were headed.

That said, the story didn’t fully deliver for me. Some twists felt a bit predictable, and I struggled to connect with the characters emotionally. I kept waiting for a big moment to really pull me in, but it never quite got there. The buildup was solid, but the payoff felt a little underwhelming.

It’s still an easy, fast-paced read and not without its enjoyable moments. Fans of Sandie Jones or domestic thrillers in general might still find it worth picking up—it just didn’t leave a lasting impression for me.

I couldn’t put this twisty thriller down! Still a little confused about the ending because it was left up to interpretation in my opinion, but still a thrilling ride

I Would Die For You by Sandie Jones didn’t quite hit the mark. Its stumbles with undeveloped characters and uneven pacing, I have enjoyed a couple of her other books, but this one didn't work for me!

Thanks to #NetGalley and the publisher for providing a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

I'll be honest, this author's previous books have been hit or miss for me. Please don't hate me! This one was a hit! 🥳! Honestly, it was probably my favorite book by her! I enjoyed the storyline and the narrator, Immogen Wilde, was fantastic! She added so much to the story. The dual timeline was great and again it added to the story helping to build a complete story for me. I don't think I've ever read a story of a fictional famous musician before. I really enjoyed that trope! Overall, this was a pretty dang good book.

Nicole's world comes crashing down when a mysterious strangers shows up on her doorstep asking about her past on the same day her daughter is kidnapped. Nicole wrestles with how much of her past with an infamous boy band she needs to reveal to her husband to help make sense of the situation.

This book is told in alternate timelines between Nicole's life now and her and her sister, Cassie, in the 1980s as they followed the boy band.

There was limited character development, except for the fact that Cassie needed help and everyone just kept ignoring it to further the story. Too many unbelievable things happened and everyone was just like, "Okay Cassie." There was not a whole lot of suspense and the ending felt rushed. I really enjoyed the present day storyline more than the past and wish there had been more of it.

Overall, this was not for me. A super quick page turner but nothing that was very memorable or one I'd recommend. Everyone seems to love her previous books so I will try one of those.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and to Netgalley for the advanced copy of this book in exchange for a review. I Would Die for You by Sandie Jones is part historical fiction part thriller following both the rise and fall of a fictional British band in 1980s and the woman at the center of it 25 years later in California.

This book was... okay. Its chapters are short and fast paced and I found myself reading this fairly quickly. While I enjoyed some of the 1980s London story I felt like the entire story was fairly far fetched, especially the 2010s storyline. The characters all acted without any logic and it just felt like some piece was missing even as each chapter "unraveled" more and more of the events of the past. I think the book could have had something really interesting to say about fan culture and parasocial relationships but just fell really flat for me. And I am not a fan personally of the cliffhanger ending on a book unless it is intended to be a series.

Thanks to NetGalley for the advance copy of I Would Die for You by Sandie Jones in exchange for an honest review.

If I hadn’t been reading this book in order to review it, I would have given up about halfway in. I thought that the beginning was promising, and was looking forward to figuring out how the two timelines resolved, but ended up finding the characters unlikable, the storyline contrived, and the writing just meh. Two stars.

I really did not care for this book. I didn't like the two separate time lines, and figured out the twist pretty early on. It was a quick read, but was kind of all over the place. Thanks NetGalley for the ARC!

The Locked Ward follows Dr. Amanda Adler, a psychiatrist working in a high-security ward of a psychiatric hospital. As she treats a troubled patient who may be more dangerous than he seems, she begins to uncover unsettling truths that blur the lines between doctor and patient, reality and delusion. The novel combines psychological suspense with a glimpse into the complexities of mental health care.

This was my first book by Sarah Pekkanen, and I’ve been curious about her writing for a while. The premise really drew me in — it had a lot of potential, and there were definitely moments that I found compelling. The story kept my attention, and I genuinely wanted to know what would happen next.

That said, something about the book didn’t fully land for me. It’s hard to pinpoint exactly what was missing, but I just didn’t connect with it in the way I’d hoped. Still, I can see why others might enjoy it, especially if they like atmospheric, slow-burning psychological stories. I’m definitely open to trying more from this author in the future.

I’m not sure what to say about this one… None of the characters were likeable, the storyline was pretty far fetched, and the depiction of mental illness felt poorly done. I finished it, but wouldn’t recommend it.

I just finished reading this book. The plot was absolutely fantastic! It was quite the page turner, and I could not put the book down once I began reading it.

This was a quick page thriller. The timelines were very hard to follow and at times way confusing. Very hit or miss with this author.

initial thoughts: just not for me. an interesting premise but a bunch of unbelievable, eye rolling scenarios had me having a hard time picking up this book to finish it.

still, a big thank you to NetGalley and St Martin’s Press/Minotaur Books for the ARC.

I’ve always enjoyed this authors twisty books! The dual timeline is a favorite of mine and I think Sandie Jones did it justice! When Nicole’s current life collides with her past, she’s forced into wondering who she can trust and to protect the one person she loves more than anything, her daughter.

The ending was a little rushed for me and I feel like I still wondered ‘why’ to one of the main storyline plots.



TW: Rape

Nicole Forbes thought she had a nice, quiet life on the California coast with her husband and daughter. Out of the blue, a writer comes knocking asking her questions about a night she wishes to forget. Nicole was personal witness to the ending of the biggest British band of the 80s. Just after this visit, her daughter went missing. Two concerning events and Nicole believes they are connected. Back in the 80s, when Cassie was only 16-years-old, she was wildly obsessed with the popular boy band, Secret Oktober. She somehow captured the attention of the lead singer, Ben Edwards, and will do anything to keep it. Things go sideways for Cassie when she learns that Ben had discovered her older sister, Nicole, singing at a local bar. This only begins weaving the webs that could bring everyone’s life to a stop.

I enjoyed the back and forth between current time and the 80s. This one was twisty and certainly kept you guessing until the end. I haven’t read anything by the author before, but certainly would pick something up by her. She keeps it twisty and does a great job to make you want to like the right characters and hate the others.

This book was just okay! While I enjoyed the rockstar vibes I felt this one had so much potential that wasn’t executed well. I was entertained but also felt it was lacking at the same time.

I Would Die for You was an edge-of-your-seat thriller of extreme band fandom gone completely rogue. Intriguing, right? It's a topic I've scarcely seen addressed in thriller and mystery literature: when obsession and jealousy are taken a few steps too far, ending in murder - whether intentional or not.

The story is complex, well woven, and captivating. There are some disturbing and triggering elements and themes in the plot that may or may not have been necessary to the overall development of the story - therefore be sure to review possible triggers warnings before reading.

This was the first time I read Sandie Jones and it was a thrilling experience. However, I did feel that the plot was wrapped up rather quickly, leaving me feeling like some loose ends remained. I also wouldn't be surprised if a sequel is to follow.

🙏Thank you St Martin's Press, Minotaur Books and NetGalley for a gifted advanced electronic copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

⚠️ Potential Trigger Warnings (may not be an exhaustive list): missing person, drug use, sexual assault, homicide.

I almost never give a book less than 5 stars because I'm just here to be entertained. But the ending of this book is causing me to deduct a star. I really enjoyed the premise of the main character having left her old life behind to escape her past and then it all comes rushing back to cause conflict in the present. I enjoyed the alternating timelines up until the end and the story did keep me on my toes with the plot twists.
However, as I got to less than 5 minutes left in the audiobook and there was still a lot that needed to be wrapped up, I realized this would not be a satisfying ending.
SPOILERS BELOW
The end felt soooooo rushed and was also hard to keep up with. The end chapters were short and switched timelines with each chapter so l was mentally having to keep track of what exactly was going on.
The main character, Nicole, goes to see Ben, the guy in the band she was in love with in the 80s, with this girl who had previously showed up at her doorstep. For most of the book I thought Ben was the one who died in the 80s and who Nicole had been cleared of suspicion after a death occurred but no, he's still alive. So then I'm realizing who dies and I'm not mad about it but I'm also thinking why has she acted like she killed someone for the whole book. Anyways, her crazy sister is in town so she leaves Ben and the girl to go back home because she thinks her sister is kidnapping her daughter again. She and the sister have a confrontation within like the last 10 minutes of the book, the sister is still deranged, and her primary concern is that Nicole got the entire inheritance her dad left. This is because of what the sister did in the 80s and the fact that she's still very mentally unwell. So the sister almost kills Nicole but her husband and police captain friend rescue her at the last second and the sister is handcuffed and then the police captain gets a radio message that there's been a homicide in another county and why does that matter?
Because it's related to Nicole and the police captain looks at Nicole as her husband stops hugging her and her psycho sister has a twisted grin on her face and Nicole remarks that her sister will never stop destroying her life and the book ends. And that's why I'm giving this 4 stars.
We're lead to believe that Ben was probably killed by the random girl who turns out to be the daughter of the band mate Ben was convicted of killing and the sister's equally delusional enabling best friend. The band mate who brutally assaulted the sister and died from a drug overdose from drugs the sister who was 16 at the time gave him and he willingly took. So Nicole never actually told Ben the truth of her perspective of the events in the 80s before leaving to rush home and the poor guy l assume had a tragic end to his tragic life because of the psycho sister and Nicole who couldn't ever just spit out the truth. I didn't like how this book basically ended on a cliffhanger of everyone in the room looking at Nicole like she's responsible for this new murder. It felt so rushed. And logically, if she could actually just lay out the entire truth and relay the sequence of events, her husband and the police captain would very quickly realize she's not at fault for either band member's deaths and that her psycho sister organized this whole mess because of an extreme case of parasocial relationship.
In summation, the book is an excellent case study in how important it is to communicate clearly because bad stuff happens when everyone is running off assumptions and no one has a clear conversation with one another about what's actually going on

I've only read one other Sandie Jones book (The Other Woman) and I absolutely loved that one. This was unfortunately a let down for me. The past chapters to me were a bit messy and confusing at times. I did really enjoy the present chapters, though! I'm definitely not giving up on SJ because I enjoy her writing style! Thank you NetGalley for my ARC!