I was invited by the publisher to review this book. This book weaves together two timelines, one in the present and the other in 1986. Presently, Nicole lives a more secluded life until a reporter approaches her and asks for her take on the end of a highly successful band from the 1980s; on this same day, her daughter goes missing when her "aunt" picks her up from school. Back in 1986, Nicole works as a bartender and sings open mic - this is when Ben, a member of this highly successful band, discovers her. However, Ben has already been embroiled with Nicole's younger sister, Cassie, but his eyes shift once Nicole comes into the picture.

This was a wild ride of a book, and the plot itself was just crazy. With a storyline like that, there are obviously a lot of twists and turns and this book is definitely a page turner! The only downside was due to the fast pacing, it felt as if the characters were not as developed as they deserved. That being said, having not cared for anything from the '80s, this certainly was interesting for me from that perspective!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press/Minotaur Books for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book started off with a great premise and I was interested till about the 50% mark, but unfortunately, the ending was pretty anticlimactic and I've read the authors other works and know she can write a better story. None of the characters were particularly likeable. I do find that sometimes I can enjoy a mystery thriller more in audiobook form if the narrator really brings it to life, so I'll give that a try before delivering my final review on goodreads. trating Overall, it just didn't deliver the payoff I was hoping for. That said, I would recommend "The Other Woman" instead.

I have loved this authors previous works, but this one just wasn’t for me. I was pretty invested at first but about 60% in I just felt lost and uninterested. I also really didn’t understand the ending. 2 stars.

Nicole Forbes is living a seemingly happy, mundane life with her husband, Brad, and young daughter, Hannah. Her biggest problem is trying to save the seals in her area. When a reporter shows up on her door asking her about long suppressed events of the past, everything she has carefully hidden is at risk of being revealed.

We go back to London, 1986 to figure out what Nicole is still trying to hide in California in 2010. In 1986, Nicole is an aspiring musician with a dying mother, a stoic father, and a younger sister, Cassie, who is absolutely obsessed with the front man of an up and coming band. As Cassie makes terrible decision after terrible decision and Nicole tries to hide her love life and potential big break, tensions flare and someone ends up dead. Clearly, these events are what Nicole is hiding from in the present. We are fed breadcrumbs about what happened, who it happened to, and whodunit. The book is unbelievably drawn out and a lot of what happened could have been avoided without delusions and with better, honest communication. When we finally find out what exactly happens, it confirms what an awful person the culprit is (as we suspect along the way) but I don’t really feel like justice was served. Then the book ends on a cliffhanger!

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

Filled with drama and a great dual timeline plot, this book was a complete page turner.

However, I didn't enjoy the dialogue which was inconsistent with the narrative, and it felt convoluted and unrealistic. The characters were one dimensional and didn't feel true. My first Sandie Jones book and sadly my last. The cliffhanger was not the greatest way to end this book and if there is a sequel, I won't be reading it. That being said, there are people who really like her books, just not me.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.

This was such a good book! I saw none of the twists coming, even though sometimes it was hard to tell what was happening with all of the frenetic sequences. I love when I don’t know what will happen next, this book definitely satisfied me in that respect. It was clever, creative, and challenging to keep up with. The characters were so well written that I loved and hated right along with the story. Great debut novel!

Nicole Forbes is a loving wife to Brad and mother of Hannah, champion of the local seal population and about to have her world implode. The day her world starts unraveling is the day, Hannah is picked up from school by her Aunt but Hannah doesn’t have an Aunt. This is also the day, a reporter comes to Nicole’s home and asks her about her involvement in the demise of the band Secret Oktober. These two emotional events turn Nicole’s world upside down. Are these two events somehow linked together? Who is behind this? What secrets has Nicole been hiding? Are those secrets going to cost her more than she bargained for?

Told in two timelines, the story flows seamlessly between past and present, as well as between characters, both past and present. The tension between Brad and Nicole is palpable, tensions while Nicole was going up are just as intense. Those feelings of teenage angst and having feelings for that guy who made you deliriously happy in youth are well written. Little by little, the story unfolds what happened that fateful night years ago, what secrets is Nicole hiding, and who is behind all the terror is revealed in a delightfully wicked way. Skillfully written, characters and plot are developed in a first rate manner, well done!

I Would Die For You by Sandie Parks
This book immediately intrigued me because it was about a girl (actually 2 girls, sisters) and their involvement with a rock band in the 80’s. (I remember the 80’s bands well as a teenager then!)
Cassie is a diehard fan/groupie of the band Secret Oktober and especially lead singer, Ben Edward’s. She spends a lot of time chasing the band everywhere. She also feels that Ben has the same feelings for her as well when in fact she’s just another face in the crowd to him. Until he meets her older sister Nicole whom really could care less who he is.
This story is set in two different times. So you have to pay close attention to when it’s back in the 80’s vs now 25 years later when Nicole is married with a little girl of her own and a past she’s never shared with her family. Eventually these two time zones collide. Sometimes it was a little bit hard to follow but still a good read.

This was my fourth read by Sandie Jones, and my least favorite. In fact, I couldn’t wait for this book to finally be over. If I wasn’t reading and reviewing this book for NetGalley, I probably would have put this book in the DNF pile, as it was a complete waste of my time. All the characters were unlikable (and not in a good way), there was absolutely zero substance to this story, and every “twist and turn” was unnecessary and totally not shocking.

This story is mainly about Nicole, who is living a new life in California. We have flashbacks from Nicole’s life in London, 1986 to now in California, 2010. Nicole has a younger sister Cassie, who is a complete whack-job. Cassie is deplorable and delusional, and chases a rock band around town called “Secret Oktober”. How does this famous band change the course of their lives forever? Especially Nicole’s?
Well, if you would like a bunch of eye-rolling moments, then I suggest you read this book and find out!

As I mentioned above, this my least favorite by this author. In fact, I feel like this was written by a totally different author (who kidnapped Sandie Jones? And can we please have her back?!). Maybe others will enjoy this more than I did if you enjoy reading about young groupies, and twists that really don’t go anywhere…

I would still like to thank NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press/Minotaur Books, and the author for an ARC of this book.
Publication date is: March 25, 2025
Genre~ Mystery & Thrillers

Teenage Angst at its finest. I was a baby in the 80s but I know a good boy band when I see one! This had everything! Star crossed lovers, teenage sisters, tragedy at home, drugs, promiscuity, and rock and roll! Put your feet up and enjoy the ride!

Fast paced with a great premise; but this book unfortunately just fell flat for me. The pacing was jumpy, there were too many odd plot holes, and the entire plot was based on multiple instances of miscommunication. I held out hope the big “lie”/reveal would redeem the sorry, but it was anticlimactic.

A deepdive of groupies of the 80s and a whole lot of crazy!
This was fun! Its dual timeline going back and forth between the 80s and the now is done well and moves the story along nicely.
We start with Nicole in the 2010s as her daughter gets picked from school by a stranger. There is also a woman asking questions about her past and her connection to a certain band of the 80s. The second timeline follows exactly that and we find out more and about Nicole, her family, the band and what that all has to do with Nicole‘s daughter being taken.
The parasocial relationship between the band and groupies creeped me out and got more intense the longer the story went on. I couldnt stop reading. The relationship between Nicole and her husband felt off, like she actually didnt care that much about him. But overall, great book and dang what a last page?!

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for an advanced readers copy!

Present: Nicole Forbes lives a quiet and happy life in California with her husband and daughter, Hannah. When a reporter shows up unexpectedly and starts asking questions about the downfall of Secret Oktober, a hugely successful 1980s British boyband, Nicole sees her carefully curated life start to crumble. On that same day, Nicole’s daughter goes missing from school supposedly picked up by an aunt that does not exist. Believing that these two simultaneous events cannot be a coincidence, Nicole starts down a rabbit hole and must revisit a past that she has been determined to escape.

Past: Cassie is fangirl obsessed with Secret Oktober lead singer, Ben Edwards. When she is lucky enough to gain access to a backstage party, she believes they have a real connection. Willing to risk her life and relationships, Cassie sets down a path of destruction. Meanwhile, Ben meets Cassie’s sister, Nicole, by happenstance and feels an instant connection. As each sister’s relationship with Ben accelerates, the family begins to collapse under the weight of lies and deceipt.

The story switches back and forth between the points of view of Nicole and Cassie in past and present timelines. This is a tough one for me! I really enjoyed the premise and actually enjoyed both Nicole and Cassie’s perspectives, but the story was a little hard to follow. I think this is because of the twists and turns that were around each corner, but something got lost along the way. And ugh, the ending! While I typically don’t mind a cliffhanger, this one wasn’t my favorite. I actually went back and read the last page several times to make sure I didn’t miss something. I will continue to read what Sandie Jones writes. This one just wasn’t my favorite :)

Thank you to St. Martin's Press, Minotaur Books and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing this book, with my honest review below.

I Would Die for You read as a really tense and (at times) gut wrenching dark take on some of my favorite fan fics of my youth so I was not surprised to learn the band that is at its heart was modelled after Duran Duran and the author’s own experience with them (less dark) growing up. I say this in the best way as the writing was flawless, and this went far deeper than any of my youthfully read fan fics ever did, but this story carried the same tone of nostalgia and yearning as I am sure I’d feel and felt when first reading my favorites.

The plot was incredibly well done, following sisters Cassie and Nicole in the 80’s as both fell in love with a boy in the famous band Secret Oktober. And while my own sister and I have a great relationship, this also evoked some nostalgia over the feelings of it just not being fair when she got certain privileges or things over me (keep in mind I was 4 years younger and a brat - and that never extended to boys). All around this hit the perfect tone I didn’t expect from a thriller, and while it could have coasted on the emotions it hit it went so far as to give me a great last page too.

📚 PRE-PUBLICATION BOOK REVIEW 📚

I Would Die For You By Sandie Jones
Publication Date: March 25, 2025
Publisher: St. Martin's Press | Minotaur Books

📚MY RATING: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

📚MY REVIEW:

I Would Die For You is a MUST-READ for anyone who is a die-hard fan of suspenseful thrillers infused with rock-n-roll, the 80s music scene, and its obsessive teenage groupies. This book immediately pulled me into its captivating story and was absolutely unputdownable until its jaw-dropping conclusion!

This book contained everything I love: heart-pounding suspense, unreliable and unhinged characters, dual timelines, obsessions, secrets, betrayals, and a crazy amount of twists & turns that left my head spinning. The 80s storyline had a Behind The Music kinda vibe to it, but with a more salacious and dangerous feel. The 2010 storyline was filled with so many slowly-revealed and shock-inducing secrets, I felt like my brain couldn't process each twist and turn coming at me because I was continually stunned. This was SUCH a compellingly entertaining read, I completely devoured it in one sitting! And that ending though?! I'll be thinking about this one for a long time to come.

I'm not sure how this was my first read from Sandie Jones, but I'm really excited to get into her backlist. If you're a fan of truly suspenseful twisty books, love the 80s, and love a good read with secrets and betrayals at every turn... You're going to want to run -- don't walk -- to get yourself a copy of this book when it publishes in March. Don't wanna wait?! It's available to request on NetGalley right now -- so you don't have to wait. And you don't want to anyway, because this one is brilliant! A huge thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press | Minotaur Books, and the author herself for this gifted advanced e-copy in exchange for my honest review.

#IWouldDieForYou #SandieJones #StMartinsPress #MinotaurBooks #fivestarreads #MUSTREADS #NetGalley #NetGalleyReviews #ARC #thrilleraddict #thrillerlover #suspense #unputdownable #booklover #bookreviews #bookrecs #bookrecommendations

I really wanted to like this book — the premise is right up my alley, and I love a good dual timeline. But to me, the dual timelines were clunky and ill-paced. It got boring that so many chapters ended on cliffhangers or obvious red herrings and it made me not care to know what the truth actually was. I’m sure the ending was meant to be a jumpscare gotcha moment but, again, it just felt clunky and unsatisfying.

Thanks to Minotaur Books for this advanced readers copy. I was so excited by the premise of this book. Two stories, a woman living in Coronado in 2010 and a girl obsessed with a boy band in 1986, London. I love Coronado and even fell in love with my husband there (so did the character in the book) and 80’s Brit pop is amazing! For the first chapter there are issues though. She mentions she couldn’t resist an army uniform when talking about meeting her (future) husband in a bar on Coronado. There is no army base there, it’s a Naval Air Station and I’ve worked there. Then, even though it is minor, she mentions her husband that works on NASNI, goes in at 9 to 5. No one starts that late. Very unrealistic. Another minor issue was when she drove from Coronado to La Jolla in 15 min. That’s pretty much impossible.

The part about following and loving a band was very nostalgic (I wasn’t that bad though, but had posters and remember waiting outside to see Tear for Fears one night). Overall I liked the book and it kept me guessing until the end. I feel like there was a rush at the end with the reveal and didn’t get enough development from the main characters. The end seemed very abrupt, like I’m missing a chapter. Hopefully the final book is corrected before it’s published.

If you are a fan of 80s boy bands, you will experience some fun nostalgia with this book as an 80s British band is the core of the story. It takes place in two timelines, with two sisters driving the story.

I believe this book is striving for psychological suspense but it fell flat for me. I wanted more character development, more secrets, more suspense. I would definitely try another book from this writer; I just think I wasn't the targeted audience for this one.

Thank you to NetGalley, St Martin's Press and minotaur books for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is a psychological thriller. It unfortunately had many of my pet peeves (badly designed characters, so much lying/miscommunication, erratic pacing).
What it did have is that it's very easy so read, mostly fast paced and the premise in entertaining.

was it for me? No. Was it absolutely bad it doesn't deserve to be read? No. I'm sure it'll be a hit for those who don't have my pet peeves 💚

This is a book told in two timelines - present day (2010) and 1986 - and two sisters who end up intertwined with the big boy band of the moment. I was super curious at the story, but because I’m no thoughts head empty all the time when reading, I had a hard time following this and making the connections. I fear some of the plot reveals should’ve been obvious before they became clear to me, but they weren’t and then when they were revealed, they still didn’t totally fit. Overall, this was fine.

TW for sexual assault.