I Would Die For You is a unique novel, told in both present day and the 1980's by rival sisters. The 1980's is legendary for its style and music, which attracted me to the book. In my humble opinion, the 80's were among the best of times, and I enjoyed revisiting the decade in this thriller. Teen music fans can become obsessive about their idols, and that obsession is at the heart of this well-written story. Sixteen-year-old Cassie becomes a frenzied fan of the front man for a popular band, but when he notices her older sister, Nicole, their futures are altered forever. Mystery and thriller fans who remember 80's music might also enjoy this novel.

Many thanks to NetGalley and St Martins Press/Minotaur Books for providing an advance copy of the book to read and review. This review will post to Bayside Book Reviews.com at https://baysidebookreviews.com and its Instagram page on release day. Follow us! *NetGalley Top Reviewer*

I just finished my first novel by Sandie Jones. This mystery/thriller is about two sisters in a dual time line and their involvement with very popular band and its' members.. I was immediately drawn in from the get go. For me it was not your typical mystery storyline. There was lot of deceit and betrayal which really drove the characters and the storyline to make it hard to put down. Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. I look forward to reading more by Jones. ( I actually have 2 of her prior books)

I really enjoyed this book! There were a number of twists and turns throughout. I thought the premise was original and loved the flashbacks to 1986. This story follows the fictional band, Secret Oktober. Everywhere they went groupies followed. The events of that year have repercussions 25 years later. What does Nicole know, what did she do back then, and what does it have to do with her missing daughter? Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

I was so excited to read this book. I have loved many of Sandie's books in the past and this one sounded right up my alley.

I was okay with the slow burn start because I thought there would be a huge explosion of an ending. But this book was such a huge let down.

It had a dual timeline and the "past" timeline is multiple POVs. I was okay with the idea of the multiple POVs, but it would have been soich easier to keep track of the POV if we were told under the chapter number which character it was. Sometimes it wasn't until the second paragraph we found out whose POV it was.

Nicole is the main character in the "recent" storyline (inside recent because it took place in 2010, compared to the 1986 past timeline). She was the worst! We don't really know what happened to her in the past, although we know something did to make her leave everything and everyone she knew behind. But was it so bad that she's not trust the person she loves??

This book has a lot of flaws, but I will say Cassie gave me the creeps a bit. She was well written. But other than Cassie, there wasn't much to love about this book. If it weren't for the advanced copy, I might now have finished it. I had to force myself to just sit down to read it and get it done.

Overall, I give it 3.5 stars. It does have potential, but it didn't quite live up to my expectations. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

“If you’d been honest about your past, then perhaps none of this would be happening . . . “

I would Die for You by Sandie Jones is a dual time-period psychological thriller following. In 1986 Cassie becomes obsessed with the boy band, Secret Oktober – mostly their lead singer, Ben Edwards. Her sister, Nicole, simultaneously is trying to pursue her career as a singer and begins a secret relationship with Ben. When tensions rise, an accident happens that there is no coming back from. Trying to escape her past, Nicole moves to America and now has an amazing husband and daughter. But when her past suddenly catches up with Nicole, secrets emerge and there is now no escape from the life she was hiding from.

I’m not sure if I was supposed to or not, but I got One Direction vibes from Secret Oktober. This is groupie level status on a whole new level! Fan girls being obsessive and leaving reasoning at the door for all their over-the-top, dumb decisions!

I am a fan of Sandie Jones, and the buildup in the book was great! The suspense was there in every quick page-turn, but the ending ruined this novel for me. I (mostly) like my books finished… tied in a nice bow where I know exactly what happens, nothing is left to my imagination, and I know what the author was thinking.

The plot was great, good underlying themes, focused on family (and family drama), the mystery was there!!! Basically, there was tons of potential, but it was completely shattered by the ending. It was like a balloon that kept expanding with suspense, that simply just deflated instead of popping with a bang. I did not feel like this was a typical Jones book which I was expecting.

3.4 stars rounded down to 3.

Thank you to NetGalley for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

“If you ever loved someone as much as I love you, you’d know there is nothing I would do . . . “

Wow! What a good book. The main characters are two sisters, Nicole and Cassie. At 16, Cassie has a major crush on the lead singer of Secret Oktober Ben Elliott. This crush turns into an obsession. Nicole, also a musician, meets Ben while performing at a bar. The attraction is real and instant. When Cassie accidentally finds out a series of events occur that ends up in murder. Nicole moves to restart her life. Move forward twenty-five years and a knock on Nicole’s door causes the past to come forward. So many secrets, lies and devious behavior follows. What’s the truth? Who is the murderer? I couldn’t put this book down

I just could not get into this book. The jumping in timelines took away from any feelings of suspense. And I could not connect or care about the characters. I was just not interested in what was going on.

We've all been there—falling head over heels for a band or artist, covering our walls with their posters, and scribbling their name inside little hearts on our notebooks. We dream of meeting them, of being part of their world. But when does admiration cross the line into obsession?

This book started off a bit slow for me, but after a chapter or two, I was completely hooked! It transported me back to my late teenage years, when I followed my favorite band from show to show across the state. While I never took things to the extremes some characters did, I found their experiences relatable in many ways.

I ended up enjoying this story even more than I expected. A must-read for any music fan!

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press and Sandie Jones for the ARC.

Thank you to @netgalley and @StMartinsPress for this ARC. 1986: Cassie is obsessed with the boy band Secret Oktober. Her sister Nicole is a struggling waitress that would like to make her way into the song writing world and all this during their mother's last few weeks. Cassie would do anything to see lead singer Ben Edwards and Nicole falls into a chance meeting with him. What happens next shapes their entire life. 2011: Nicole now lives in California with her husband Brad and their daughter. All he knows about her is she fled London in the 80's and she never wants to go back. Now the secrets are coming out.
I was not a big fan of this book. It was really hard transitioning between time lines for me and trying to keep everything straight. I usually love Sandie Jones' books but this one sadly isn't for me.
I would give 3.5 stars. Three stars seem too harsh.

#IWouldDieforYou #SandieJones #StMartinsPress #March2025

⭐️⭐️/5. I Would Die For You by Sandie Jones. Thank you to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for this advanced reader copy. I had high hopes, alas, it was disappointing. Nicole is living in California with her husband and young daughter when a journalist knocks on her door. Suddenly, the past she tried to keep buried comes rushing to the surface. What does Nicole have to do with the biggest 1980s boy band (think Duran Duran)? Then her daughter is missing. In 1986, Cassie is sixteen and obsessed with Secret Oktober, and she is trying to do everything she can to snare the lead singer, Ben. Ben isn’t interested in young Cassie, but he sees her older sister singing in a bar & he’s smitten. There are lots of obstacles to Ben dating this sister, mainly his record label who dictates who he can be seen with in public. Love is thwarted & it sets in motion tragic events. Did I really care about Nicole and Cassie? No. It read like a bad YA novel. Thumbs down! #skipthisone #bookstagram #netgalley #whatiread #goodreads #bookgram #reading #books #bookworm #advancedreaderscopy #libbyapp #thumbsdown

I Would Die For You had some high points but I think overall the story is a bit disjointed. Lots of switching back and forth of timelines and POV so it quickly gets muddy. I couldn't really understand how the two storylines would connect as I was reading the book and with the ending being so abrupt, I didn't get complete satisfaction with the conclusion. I would still recommend that people who enjoy thrillers give it a try but it's not one I would regularly recommend or purchase for myself.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the advanced copy. I Would Die For You is available on March 25, 2025.

I have never read a bad Sandie Jones book. So yes, while it's true that this is totally a popcorn thriller, it is still REALLY GOOD. I finished this in one day, and didn't have it figured out until the very end!

Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free, electronic ARC of this novel received in exchange for an honest review.
Expected publication date: Mar. 25, 2025
Sandie Jones’ newest novel, “I Would Die for You” is a dual-timeline, suspenseful page-turner about sisters, secrets and a deadly obsession.
2011: Nicole is leaving a quiet life in a small California town with her husband and daughter. So, when a young woman appears at her door, asking Nicole about her part in the downfall of the biggest band in the 1980s, Nicole is floored. Especially since no one knows about that part of Nicole’s past, not even her husband. So, who is this woman and what does she want?
1986: Cassie is obsessed with Ben Edwards, the front man of the biggest pop group of the moment, Secret Oktober. She can’t believe it when she manages to make it into the hotel where the band is staying and Ben actually singles her out to talk to her. Now, she is on her way to making all of her fantasies come true. But how far will she go to make it happen?
“Die” has some edgy, 1980s “Behind the Band” energy that reminded me a little bit of “Daisy Jones and the Six” with a domestic suspense vibe. Nicole is the 2010 protagonist, although she does feature in 1986 as well, but that era is mostly Cassie’s domain. Young and naïve, Cassie is your typical sixteen-year-old, knowing everything and nothing all at once, easily influenced by those she admires. Nicole is only a few years older, desperately trying to keep her family above water as her mother battles cancer. Although both women are very different, they both have recognizable, relatable components to their personalities that will connect with readers.
There are some sensitive and powerful themes in the novel, so readers should be prepared to read scenes featuring sexual assault, drug use and a young mother dying of terminal cancer. So, if you’re expecting a light read, you won’t find it, but you definitely will find drama, intrigue, plot twists and engaging characters.
There is non-stop action right through to the final pages of the novel and, in fact, the ending itself doesn’t provide the definitive conclusion I was expecting, but the cliffhanger ending did not take away from my enjoyment of the novel as a whole.
I am a long-time fan of Jones and have been with her since “The Other Woman”. Jones continues to craft delectable domestic suspense novels and, if “I Would Die for You” is any indication, then I will eagerly look forward to more powerful, addicting page-turners from Jones in the future.

This was just okay. I have mixed feelings on Sandie Jones' books, some I have loved others I hated. This was middle of the road. A popcorn thriller, slightly predictable, but an overall good time.

This story jumped between the past (1986) and present (2010) and tells the story of Nicole's life. This woman lead an interesting life when she was younger; complicated, tragic, mysterious/secretive. The story was a little slow, but entertaining enough to keep me engaged, and things really started picking up in the last quarter of the book. When there are so many secrets someone's trying to keep hidden, something's bound to surface, especially when the 'right' person gets even a little incentive. The last line of the book had my jaw hanging open! I went back and read the last few paragraphs again and it still had me saying WOW. This was only my second Sandie Jones book, but it was more enjoyable than the other one I read. Might not be a hit for everyone (based on GoodReads ratings and some reviews), but if you're intrigued by the overview, I say give it a try.
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Thank you NetGalley and Minotaur Books for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

4 stars

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, which alternated between California 2010 and London 1986. I enjoyed the glimpse into boy band culture of the 80s - the sordid behind=the-scenes drama of drugs, groupies, and intra-band conflicts. I truly devoured this book - only putting it down to analyze what I'd just read and try to conclude what was going to happen next. My only issue was that the ending seemed abrupt. Some of my questions were unanswered.

I'm a newcomer to the mystery genre. This is exactly what I like - lots of twists and turns but no gory crime scenes. .
I will definitely look into other books by this author.

Thank you to St. Martins Press Minotaur and NetGalley for the opportunity to read a digital ARC in return for an honest review.

“Oh, what a tangled web we weave…” Nicole Alderton Forbes has a big secret. So big that she decided she had to leave England and move to the United States. She’s told no one, not even her husband, Brad.

Two things happen on the same day, early in the story. One, a stranger from England comes to ask her about her past life, and two, her eight-year-old daughter disappears. Thus begins “I Would Die for You” by Sandie Jones.

Jones tells her riveting story using dual timelines. Nicole and her younger sister, Cassie, are teenagers. Cassie cuts classes and calls in sick to her job just to get a glimpse of her favorite rock group, Secret Oktober. Her crush becomes her obsession. Over time, Cassie unfortunately gains access to the group’s members and has a physical relationship with one of them. She doesn’t realize the young man has no feelings for her and will not even remember her.

The situation escalates and ends in death. An innocent person goes to jail. Nicole leaves her country.

“I Would Die for You” is hard to put down. Just when you think you might learn something who killed whom, for example, you’re zipped back to the current timeline. This creates a lot of tension.

I recommend “I Would Die for You.” Not only do the readers not know who killed the victim, they also don’t know who the victim is!

Thank you to NetGalley for the advance reader’s copy. This is my honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC of I Would Die For You by Sandie Jones. This gripping novel blends passion with suspense, drawing you into a world where love and danger intertwine. Jones’ writing is raw and evocative, capturing the high stakes of a story where every heartbeat could be your last. The narrative pulses with intensity, although there were moments when the pacing felt a bit rushed, leaving some twists less developed than I’d hoped. Still, the well-drawn characters and palpable tension make the risk and romance feel all the more real. Overall, I Would Die For You is a thrilling, emotionally charged read for anyone who loves high-stakes romance with a dark edge.

I Would Die for You is the first Sandie Jones novel I've read, but it won't be the last. I enjoyed the story and the characters, and in the end, it had a super balanced tone between memories and live action. Multiple POVs give the reader cause to question who is really speaking, and you get to play the guessing game of which sibling is the focal point. As the true history of what happened all those years ago come together, you're left with an open-ended choice of which characters to love and which to hate. Readers will easily fall into some traps, which writers love.... thru the trickery of words, changing POV, and playing a bit of a guessing game, you think you understand but then you learn about some of the other situations in the background and it all feels like a house of cards that eventually, like all dramatic moments, come tumbling down. Intrigued by the writing style enough to see if the author recreates that magic in other novels.

I hate to say it, but this book just didn’t do it for me. Jones has written some great stories over the years, but this one felt completely different—in the worst way. It was slow, predictable, and just didn’t have that spark I usually expect.

The only redeeming quality was the dynamic between the sisters. Their relationship felt real and well-developed, but even that couldn’t save the overall storytelling, which dragged the entire way through. I kept waiting for something exciting to happen, but it never did.

Unfortunately, this one was a miss for me. If you’re a longtime fan of Jones, you might still want to give it a shot, but don’t expect the same level of excitement as their previous books.

I would like to express my deep gratitude to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for their generosity in allowing me to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review.