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.

“I Would Die for You” by Sandie Jones is a fun quick and gripping mystery with plenty of twists and turns to keep you hooked. The suspenseful story takes place in two timelines, California 2012 and London 1986. It’s about a family completely unraveling as two daughters and their father suffer through the mother’s dying of cancer and at the same time dealing with the youngest daughters wild life and entanglement with the lead singer of an 80s British rock band.
Anything I would say from here would just spoil the mystery for you, so I am just going to say that the obsession with the band and the thrill seeking groupie culture brought back memories that were as scary as this book! A highly entertaining read.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I was asked to review “I Would Die For You” by Sandie Jones. This is the first book I have read by the author. This novel really resonated with me as it focuses on an eighties British band—and growing up in the eighties, I adored several eighties British bands (Wham!, Duran-Duran, etc.)

The band here is Secret Oktober, its lead singer is Ben Edwards, and Casse is a huge fan. However Ben is more attracted to Cassie’s sister, Nicole.

In the present, a reporter contacts Nicole about her past and how she might have led to Secret Oktober’s downfall. Nicole turns the reporter away, but then Nicole’s eight-year-old daughter goes missing. How could the past have impacted the present and what exactly was Nicole’s connection to Ben Edwards?

Jones writes is a simplistic and straightforward way and I thought she did a good job of building believable tension. I also thought she made a good effort to develop the central characters, though I found Jones relied on superficiality when I wanted to see more motivation. In particular, as the lead singer, I felt there should have been more to Ben.

When I am in the right mood, I enjoy reading a faced-paced thriller and this one fed that need. As a result, I will give this four out of five stars.

Thanks to Net Galley, Sandie Jones, and the publisher for this evocative read.

So I enjoy Sandie Jones’ books because they are a quick read and this was no exception. I couldn’t put it down and finished it quickly, but the ending left me…..disappointed. It felt rushed, unfinished and thrown together unfortunately. I thought the twists and turns were good, but just felt like the ending didn’t match.

I am so disappointed in this book. About 80 percent in, I was like what is the lie!!??? Then it all started to unravel and then it ended. This was a huge waste of time. I'm so upset that I read this. I love a good back and forth between timelines, but this was so mundane and drawn out. UGH! I wanted to like this book, but I cannot.

3.5 stars rounded up

I enjoyed this book for the most part. It was a fast read that I flew through in a few hours. The 80s boy band theme and music references had me feeling nostalgic for my childhood and the obsessions that I once had as a young girl. I thought the story flowed well with the dual timeline and the suspense was palpable. It certainly kept me guessing as to what transpired back in the past...maybe a little too much though. At times, I was confused and felt like I must have missed something. It all became clear near the end, and I was surprised but it didn't knock my socks off. The ending was abrupt and left too much on the table. I can see why the author did this, but I needed more closure after all the drama. Overall, it was a good mystery. I would recommend if you're a Sandie Jones fan or a lover of the 80s music scene.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press for granting me digital access via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review!

I couldn’t put this book down! Constantly intrigued with what had actually happened, and where the story was headed. I always enjoy a dual timeline story.
Writing was good, story was captivating. Great suspense story

It is 2010 and Nicole lives a peaceful life saving seals and spending time with her loving husband and eight year old daughter in a quiet California town.

Nicole’s world is rocked when on the same day that a woman shows up at her door claiming to be a writer looking for insight on the fall of 80s mega band Secret Oktober, her daughter does not return home from school. As she frantically calls the school looking for a reasonable explanation for her absence, she is told her aunt picked her up. But- her daughter doesn’t have an aunt.

Perhaps she has angered a community member with her attempts to close popular beaches in the area to protect local seals, but it seems unlikely this could be a coincidence. The truth is- Cassie has traveled a world away to forget the life this woman has come asking questions about. As her past becomes exposed, she must revisit the memories of a life buried deep to find her daughter and protect this life she’s worked so hard to build.

In London 1986, teenaged Cassie’s hyper fixation on Secret October, the hottest band in England, is reaching maybe unhealthy levels as she goes through great lengths to find a way into their inner circle. Cassie’s love for their frontman, Ben Edwards, is strong and she’d do nearly anything to win his love and attention.

Meanwhile, Cassie’s older sister Nicole is working in a diner and playing music in dive bars to get by. When Ben Edwards hears her sing and takes notice of her, her initial reaction is to push him away, but she realizes there might be more to Ben than she’d given him credit for.

Nicole has no idea the consequences that may come from getting to know Ben, and that many lives could be changed forever.

✨✨✨✨✨

This book offers multiple POV, multiple timelines, drama, lots of mystery, thrills, and twists and turns galore- everything I look for in a book was delivered! It got right to the action and was just what I needed to get out of my reading slump. I am excited for the world to experience the adventure I just experienced.

I love books by Sandie Jones and I’ll Die for You did not disappoint. This is a dual timeline story told from the point of view of Nicole and I loved the flashbacks to her former life. What a great read!

**Genre:** Psychological Thriller

**Overall Rating:** 3/5 Stars

**Introduction:**

*I Would Die for You* by Sandie Jones delves into the murky waters of familial bonds, toxic relationships, and psychological manipulation. While the novel promises a thrilling ride through the psyche of its characters, it somewhat falls short in delivering a consistently engaging narrative.

**Plot:**

The story centers around Anna, who is about to marry her fiancé, Ben, but is constantly undermined by his overbearing mother, Elaine. Elaine's manipulative tactics are supposed to keep Anna and Ben together, but her methods are anything but comforting. The plot thickens with secrets, lies, and the unveiling of past traumas, aiming to explore the lengths to which a mother would go to ensure her son's happiness.

**Character Development:**

- **Anna:** The protagonist's character oscillates between naivety and sudden bursts of assertiveness. Her development feels somewhat uneven, making it hard to fully empathize with her decisions.

- **Elaine:** As the antagonist, Elaine is meant to be chillingly effective, but her character sometimes borders on caricature. Her motivations are clear but not deeply explored, reducing her complexity.

- **Ben:** Perhaps the least developed of the trio, Ben's passivity in the face of his mother's actions often feels contrived, serving more as a plot device than a fleshed-out character.

**Writing Style:**

Jones's writing is straightforward, which can be both its strength and weakness. It makes the book an easy read, but it also means that the psychological depth promised by the genre is somewhat superficial. The dialogue often feels forced, especially in confrontational scenes where the tension could have been heightened with more nuanced exchanges.

**Pacing and Structure:**

The pacing of the book is erratic. It starts with a promisingly tense build-up but then meanders through middle sections that lack the momentum to keep the reader hooked. The climax, while somewhat predictable, does attempt to salvage the narrative with a series of twists, though these twists sometimes feel unearned due to the lack of groundwork laid earlier in the story.

**Themes:**

- **Toxic Relationships:** This is the central theme, and while it's explored, the execution lacks the depth needed to truly disturb or enlighten.

- **Manipulation:** Elaine's manipulation is central, but the novel could benefit from a more nuanced portrayal of how such dynamics play out.

- **Family:** The idea of family as both a sanctuary and a source of conflict is present but not deeply dissected.

**Conclusion:**

*I Would Die for You* has the makings of a gripping psychological thriller but fails to fully realize its potential. It's enjoyable as a light read for those interested in family drama with a dark twist. However, readers looking for a profound exploration of the human psyche or complex character studies might find it lacking.

**Breakdown of Review:**

- **Plot:** 2.5/5 - Intriguing premise but predictable and occasionally meandering.
- **Characters:** 2.5/5 - Underdeveloped with potential left unexplored.
- **Writing Style:** 3/5 - Easy to read but lacks depth in psychological insight.
- **Pacing:** 3/5 - Starts well, loses steam, and tries to regain it at the end.
- **Themes:** 3/5 - Present but not deeply examined.

Overall, *I Would Die for You* might be worth reading for fans of Sandie Jones or those who enjoy straightforward psychological thrillers, but it might not satisfy readers craving something more intricate or emotionally resonant.

I should know better than to agree to read a book from a genre that just is not my thing. There were parts of this book that I enjoyed, but then there were the parts where I felt as though it was perhaps written for the younger generation. I started to feel guilty for not liking this one as much as I should have. Some parts moved very slowly and the book seemed to drag on longer than it should have. I gave it four stars because I honestly believe that a younger person may truly love it. Thank you to Net Galley and Minotaur Books for allowing me to read and review this book.

Suspense filled tale of a hidden past catching up to the present.
Nicole is living a good life in Coronado her husband and young daughter.
Until, all of a sudden, one day, she is not.
A writer shows up asking for her comments on a story she is writing which will bring
Nicole's hidden past connection to a famous rock band to light.
And her daughter fails to get off the bus from school starting a search for her and the woman sho
abducted her.
The story takes off as Nicole's carefully crafted life story starts unraveling.
Strong characters and good story line but the look back days were a bit too predictable at times.