Apparently boy band crazy girls was not where my lore started. Sure as a 90s baby I had my fair share of boy bands (thank you very much Gen Z, I have been there done that), but I don’t think my interest in them wasn’t more than my interest in their music. I will still pull that invisible mic to sing along Bye Bye Bye or I Want it That Way (yeah I did not discriminate), but I won’t scream my lungs out just seeing their image

Nicole’s sister was polar opposite of me. She did not only fall into platonic love with a lead singer of a boy band, she took it a step further and started stalking. Back in the 80s it might have been way to go, but now they put you under restraining order for that. Things would have been fine if this was only in her mind. When she managed to get involved with this star and Nicole somehow got tangled in this mess too, things went south.

If you like boy bands and murder mysteries with same level of passion, maybe this is the book you are looking for. It was little too predictable and rushed for me.

I’ve read all of the authors books and this was by far my least favorite. I should’ve DNF it but I kept thinking it would get better and if anything it got worse. It actually seemed like a completely different author, even the style was a huge departure and the lack of character development as well as the lack of tension and excitement left me beyond underwhelmed. ​There was nothing thrilling or surprising here and the ending was a letdown too so overall a huge miss for me.

Boy bands, delulu young teens - and a death. Does it all lead to murder?

Two storylines in this one - One is in 2010 and of a mother looking for her 8 year old daughter who didn't get off the bus. The other, 1986, a 16 year old girl chases after a boy band that, she is just sure, her current boyfriend Ben is in - he just doesn't know they'd be perfect together. . .yet.

This story sounds just as delusional as it is. I found the POV confusing as they jumped around - because perspective accounts didn't match up. I found the leaps required to believe some of the coincidences just a little too much. Of all the women, he found 2 sisters, in all of London?

I wish I'd loved this one but I just never felt pulled into the story, never believed the sisters or Ben, but I've never been a boyband chaser so maybe I just didn't understand the delusion. And, in the end, I don't feel like we got all the answers to the questions and twists. I love the cover but don't think it has much to do with the story.

A huge thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.

This gave a lot of 80s pop music nostalgic vibes. Although it took me some time to get into the story, the middle and end of the book was very interesting with many twists and turns. It was however, a little unbelievable. The ending felt very rushed and since this is a standalone novel, I was unhappy without a sense of finality.

I Would Die for You by Sandie Jones is a thrilling and suspenseful novel that intertwines past and present in a gripping narrative. The story follows Nicole Forbes, who lives a quiet life in California until a writer’s inquiry about a famous 1980s British band and her daughter’s sudden disappearance force her to confront her past.

The novel alternates between Nicole’s present-day life and the 1980s, where her sister Cassie is obsessed with the band’s lead singer, Ben Edwards. As secrets unravel, Nicole must navigate old memories and new dangers to protect her family.

Jones masterfully builds tension and suspense, keeping readers hooked with unexpected twists and turns. The dual timelines add depth to the characters and the story, making it a compelling read for fans of psychological thrillers and mysteries.

Overall, I Would Die for You is a captivating novel that explores the impact of past traumas on the present and the lengths one will go to protect loved ones.

Thanks to NetGalley and St Martin's Press for the advanced copy.

I DNF’d this book. I really didn’t like the direction this book was taking, and it was not holding my attention. I will let other reviewers who enjoy this book promote it. I will not be posting on social media or reviewing on retail sites. That way, this book gets much deserved attention from those reviewers who loved it!

2.5 stars
In this dual timeline story, Nicole Forbes is living a quiet life on Coronado Island in San Diego, California with her husband and young daughter while campaigning tirelessly to protect the seals who make their home on a local beach. That is until a reporter shows up out of the blue one day asking her to provide insight on the downfall of the biggest British rock band of the 1980s and Nicole is terrified that her secrets from the past are coming back to turn her world upside down. Later the same day in what may be a connected event, Nicole's young daughter goes missing after being picked up from school by a woman claiming to be her aunt - the problem being that she doesn't have an aunt. The second timeline takes place twenty-five years earlier in 1986 in London when Nicole's 16 year-old sister, Cassie, is obsessed with the band Secret Oktober and the band's frontman Ben Edwards. When Nicole, also an aspiring musician, meets Ben while singing at a bar one night, their developing relationship threatens to tear her family apart.

This book had a good premise with potential in exploring obession and the damage it can cause to relationships with its plot focused on young groupies and rock bands. The 80's timeline was the more interesting of the two for this reason but, unfortunately, it just didn't hold my interest. The story is dark with a lot of drama and several twists but it didn't really feel like a thriller to me and I didn't care for the ambiguous ending. I Would Die for You is a quick read and, although I found it a bit underwhelming, I'm sure other readers might enjoy more than I did.

Content Warning: Rape

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for sending a digital ARC of this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

Books set in the late 80s are always a fun setting as those were days of my youth. The current time being in quaint city of Coronado added extra intrigued for me. The story is told in current day with Nichole whose daughter goes missing when was picked up by an aunt. The past is told in England about Nichole and Cassie's encounter with the upcoming boy band.

The story was pretty entertaining and the mystery of the aunt kept me vested. This didn't feel like a thriller but more a mystery of what happened to the boy band and what happened between Cassie and Nichole.

The ending was a bit of a let down for me.

Imogen Wilde did a good job on the narration and I felt the tension for Nichole with her missing daughter.

Thank you @macmillan.audio @minotaur_books for a copy of this.

Hum...I'm a little uncertain what to rate this one. I thought the writing was okay and the story was just okay. I was a little irritated though at another book that depicts a terrible family, a wife who has kept a big secret from her husband for 25 years, and a little unrealistic in some of the things that it depicts.

Excellent use of a dual timeline. Honestly, the only likeable character in the book is the dead Mom. Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book

Writing styles have to fit readers and now that I’ve read two books by this author, I think that this “fit” is off. I do think that other readers will connect with the style so I am being thoughtful of that. In this book, the main character, Nicole has created a mess by keeping secrets and lack of communication with her husband and others.in the dual timelines, Nicole is currently living in La Jolla under a new name and is actively involved in her community. In the past timeline, she is a young adult in England and accidentally gets involved with a famous rock star who just happens to be the object of her teen sister, Cassie’s delusional obsessions. In both timelines, the lack of communication between family members wreaks all kinds of havoc. The story is fast-paced and mostly entertaining but just not believable at all. This use of “poor communication” to create a thrilling mystery is exactly what I didn’t like in The Guilt Trip. Unfortunately, repeating this phenomenon in another book indicates some lack of creativity. I’ve rated “up” for entertainment value but I don’t think this will be a repeat author for me.

Thank you Minotaur books for the ARC

This was not good. I went into this knowing the rating was pretty low but was still optimistic. This just made absolutely no sense to me. It goes in two timelines but even when the main characters are adults, the writing and characters still felt very YA. And I can suspend disbelief for a lot of things, but a lot of this book was simply just unbelievable.

I was unfortunately very underwhelmed by this book. The concept seemed intriguing involving a British boy band and a decades-long mysterious incident. But unfortantely the execution of the story - specifically the second half - fell apart for me.

This book shines a light on the very unhealthy parasocial relationship between celebs/pop or rock stars and their fans - and the extreme measures people will go to in order to meet and interact with their idols. I liked this theme and how it was all set up - but the further the story went the more it lost me.

The whole time I was reading, I was imagining Secret Oktober as Drive Shaft from Lost (iykyk). A pretty valid representation I think.

A few reasons why this book did not work for me:
- In general, there were NO likable characters. Everyone was either manipulative, emotionally/verbally/physically/sexually abusive, or so deranged in their delusion that it was impossible to root for anyone.
- I also feel like a lot of the characters felt flat - relationships were not given enough depth (Nicole + Brad, Nicole + Ben, Amelia + the band in general) to actually care or understand how and why they existed the way they did.
- Cassie is such a caricature of a teenage fangirl. The obsession and "groupie" status could be believable (because I know these types of fans did and do exist), but the lengths of her delusion were so uncomfortable I almost didn't want to keep reading about it constantly.
- I find it hard to believe that, even in the 80s, Cassie and Amelia would have gotten away with the things they did in this story. It was a very extreme suspension of disbelief how they ALWAYS managed to sneak or bribe their way into every single location (just too convenient to feel believable). And yes, I know security was not as extreme back then, but everything was just a little TOO convenient for them to always be around.
- The pacing at which things were revealed felt very off. We spend the first half of the book building up this mystery of what or who is trying to upend Nicole's life in 2010 and what about her past is worth revealing so dramatically. Then the last 15% is where we finally get answers, and the answers are delivered so rapidly that it feels overwhelming all at once and underwhelming at what is actually revealed. Especially because we are tossed back and forth between the timelines so quickly I felt like I was holding on for dear life to actually follow the story.
- I do not like the ending. It felt rushed and unsatisfying.

Thank you Netgalley for this arc. It was really good and I enjoyed it very much. It had me thinking it was going one way and ended up going a different route. I can't wait for this book to be released.

This was such a gripping thriller! Sandie Jones did a great job of setting the atmosphere and the tension with the dual timelines, only revealing what truly happened at the shocking conclusion. This is such a captivating psychological thriller, with lots of twists and turns! And the ending was such a shock!

This one was really twisted! It gives a whole new perspective on celebrity fandom and the darker, more obsessive side of fans with major delusions.
The story is told across two different periods, which makes it quite interesting. In 2011, we follow Nicole, who lives with her husband and daughter, Hannah. Nicole's life seems normal until a journalist named Zoe shows up at her doorstep, asking questions about a murder that happened in the '80s. Nicole thought she had left that time behind, but suddenly, everything from her past came crashing into the present, haunting her. The second timeline is in 1986 in London, when Nicole was younger. She worked as a bartender and sang during open mic nights at the bar. That's where she caught the attention of Ben Edwards. Although Nicole and Ben had a complicated relationship, the real issue arose when Cassie, Nicole's younger sister, became obsessed with Ben and developed intense delusions of love. That's when everything spiraled out of control, leading to a murder. After everything that happened in 1986, Nicole left and never looked back. She cut off contact with her father and sister. But when things come to a head, she has to revisit the past and come to terms with the fact that she'll never truly escape the situation. It keeps getting worse, involving her daughter and causing a bigger rift between Nicole and her husband.
This is a thrilling and enticing read, and the audiobook is just as great! The author and narrator know how to keep you on the edge of your seat and hooked until the end. The narrator's performance was top-notch! I definitely recommend it!
Thank you Macmillan Audio, St. Martin's Press/ Minotaur books, and Netgalley for the exciting opportunity to read, listen and review this one!

Nicole is haunted by a murder from long ago. It is finally time for the truth to be revealed. I really tried to enjoy reading this, but it was not for me. I guess maybe I wasn’t the right audience for it. It just fell flat for me.

This was a dual timeline (1986 & 2010) story that flipped back & forth to reveal a mystery revolving around a popular rock band. Each timeline revealed just enough about the mystery to keep you on your toes. I just wanted to keep reading to figure out all of the twists & turns. And in that regard, the entertainment value put the book at 4 stars for me. But then I felt like the ending was so abrupt & left me wanting more closure. All in all, though, it was an entertaining read.

Many thanks to NetGalley & St. Martin’s Press/Minotaur Books for the opportunity to read an early eARC in exchange for my honest opinions.

As a young adult, Nicole and her sister were both impacted by members of a British Pop band. Now, years later, Nicole's new life is threatening to unravel as her past catches up to her.

This was a fun read. I really enjoyed the back and forth and how the flashbacks pieced together over the course of the book. I genuinely cared about some of the characters more than I expected to in a psychological thriller. As cliche as a certain pairing in the book was, I was really rooting and wanting them to workout. I can't say much more without going into spoiler territory!

I will say my one pet peeve is an 8 year old child in this books reads like she is much younger - more like 5 or 6 - but it's not enough to take away enjoyment of the story in my opinion.

Sandie Jones’s I Would Die for You is a well-written thriller that was a fun look into 80s music culture. The plot, which intertwines the past and present of Nicole Forbes, a woman whose quiet life is shattered by a mysterious writer and her missing daughter, kept me engaged for the most part. The story weaves between the chaotic world of 1986 London and present-day California, a time split set up that works for the story really well.

The narrative is well-paced, and the writing itself is sharp, as I expected of Jones. The 80s nostalgia that permeates the story is my favorite part of the book. However, despite the strong writing, I struggled to connect with the characters, particularly Nicole. Her relationship with her past and her family seemed a little underdeveloped, which made it hard to fully invest in her. Similarly, I found it challenging to sympathize with the other characters, especially Cassie, whose obsession with the band was a bit over the top for me.

In the end, I Would Die for You is a decent thriller. Sandie Jones can be hit or miss for me, and this one was solidly in the middle.