I Would Die for You begins with Nicole and her husband and young daughter living the ideal life in Colorado until one day her daughter doesn't come home from school. The school says she was picked up by her aunt. The only problem is, she doesn't have an aunt. The story shifts between 2011 and 1986. Sadly, this book just did not work for me. I struggled to get through it, hoping it would get better, but it didn't. Thanks to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for the ARC.

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.

Sandie Jones never disappoints me, and this was no exception. Every time I thought I knew what was going to happen or who died, there was another turn and then yet another person who I thought was alive, was possibly not. The end was truly brilliant!

This was the first book in a long time that I read in 2 days- could not put it down! I enjoyed the structure switching from present to past, and enjoyed uncovering the truth of what happened. Thanks for a chance to read this galley- will be recommending to friends and coworkers!

I Would Die for You is a twisty tale that follows sisters Nicole and Cassie as they navigate the music scene of 1980s London. Cassie is 16 and completely obsessed with a new band called Secret Oktober and Nicole is in her early 20s, trying to make it as a singer. Cassie's obsession with the band and its front man, Ben Edwards, leads her down a dark path of sex, drugs and rock and roll and not in that particular order. Nicole, trying to be the big sister she knows that Cassie needs, finds herself also falling for Ben Edwards after a chance meeting following one of her gigs. For Ben, Nicole is it - and Cassie doesn't like it.

With Ben threatening to leave the band after one of its members begins bringing down everything they've worked for, it opens up a whole new can of worms that leads to a death, and Nicole and Cassie's lives, along with that of her family, to be changed forever.

All of this comes crashing down in California, when 25 years later, the past that Nicole has been running from this entire time comes flying back at her when a young woman appears on her doorstep claiming to be writing a book about the downfall of Secret Oktober. But, her appearance is just the first notch on an ever-growing crisis that is going to change Nicole's world.

Sandie Jones is the queen is a twist, but in my opinion, this story fell short. It was a quick read, as I finished it less than 24 hours after I started, but I think there was too much going on at one time. There is the story of Nicole and her daughter, Hannah's disappearance, which I know is related to the entire story, but felt out of place. There is Nicole's secrets she's kept from her husband all this time, which I understand but there was only a brief period where this is discussed before never being mentioned again. There is the reunion between her and Ben that left us without any sort of answers, and Nicole and Cassie's reunion, which was just confusing overall.

I think the premise of the story definitely could have gone somewhere, but the story just felt rushed while simultaneously taking forever to get anywhere. Overall, 3 stars. Thank you for Sandie Jones, Minotaur Books and Netgalley or an ARC of this novel. The opinions aforementioned are my own.

So this book was better than I thought. I do not like the ending. Nicole and Cassie are sisters. Nicole seems very normal. Cassie is an entitled psychopath. I have a hard time believing all of these events would really happen because Cassie wanted them to and without any consequences. But overall it did hold my attention enough to finish it. Not a bad topic. Different.

Thank you NetGalley for the advanced reader copy of I Would Die for You by Sandie Jones in exchange for an honest review.

I started out really liking this book but the ending is WHAT???? I need more of what happened.

2.5 rounded up This intrigued me based on the setting of the 80’s music scene. The dual timelines worked at first, but soon this whodunnit became more twisty than a whole bag of pretzels…and not in a good way. It was purposely unclear not only who committed the crime, but who the victim was. Throw in a lot of overused tropes, unlikable characters and a completely unrealistic criminal mastermind…this was too much.

🎵Back in the 1980’s, Cassie and Nicole are experiencing such a terrible, emotional situation with their beloved mom slowly passing away. They are in their teens and trying to figure it all out. Cassie loves the band, Secret Oktober, and somehow lucks out and meets a girl who can get her backstage. After that, all of the chaos begins to take place.

🎼Fast forward to the present, Nicole has a suspicious stranger appear at her door asking for the story of what took down the band, back in the 1980’s. Nicole has knowledge that others don’t have. She has secrets she has not shared with her husband even. This has to go away, quick; but it doesn’t.

🎤The story has a dual timeline told by Nicole and Cassie. This book is totally different than Jones’ other ones. I like it. Totally liked the plot, but it didn’t have the eerie vibe I thought it might. However, Jones is one of my favorites and her writing is so good! I like the fact that the band, Secret Oktober, is based on Duran Duran. It brought me back to the 1980’s, which was so fun. This was an enjoyable read!

Thank you to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for the ARC of this book.

I'm ashamed to say that I Would Die for You was my first read by Sandie Jones, but I'm excited to dig into her backlist.

The story alternates timelines between California 2012 and London 1986. Nicole Forbes lives a quiet life in a small seaside Californian town with her husband and daughter. Her quiet world is rocked when someone shows up at her house asking questions about the downfall of Secret Oktober, an uber popular band from back in London 1986. She pushes that person back out the door only to realize that her daughter never returned home from school.
It's 1986- and 16-year-old Cassie is obsessed with Ben Edwards, the lead singer of Secret Oktober. She does whatever she can to get herself in his orbit and be with him, but when Ben discovers her older sister, Nicole, singing at a local bar, he can't help but feel drawn to her, setting in motion a collision course that could tear their family apart.

I Would Die for You is full of suspense and shocking twists The writing gripped me from the very first page and kept me hooked. I flew through this book! The ending left my jaw on the floor! I think I might have thrown my phone down and yelled "WHAT!" You'll definitely want to read this if you love 80 rock and roll and/or family drama.

What a master illusionist this author is…. While having you looking one way she is expertly weaving another story with her other hand that will reveal itself you at the end of the book to leave you flipping back wondering how you could have been so blind to miss the signs.
This book kept me engaged from the very beginning to the very last jaw dropping revelation.

Thank you to Netgalley and the author for a chance to review. Unfortunately, I had a hard time connecting with this one. Out of respect for the author, I don’t think it fair if I share my views on social media because I didn’t finish the book. Again, thanks for the opportunity… unfortunately, this one is a pass for me. I only added the star because otherwise the review wouldn't go through.

There’s aren certain books whose storylines are over used… this is an example. Girl escapes family and secrets follow her to a murderous end. I am tired of this scenario. In addition, this book takes this premise to a shaky conclusion. I had no idea what the last paragraph was supposed to mean. A cliffhanger for a sequel perhaps. I will not be reading it.

A twisted tail for sure. A sister that is obsessed with a band member, a secret music collaboration, secrets, secrets and more secrets. How can she expect her husband to handle finding she has held secrets for years. Does he even know her? There are so many pieces to the story that pull together. Did she forget where is came from and what happened? A good thriller that I stayed up too late reading. I liked it.

Very suspenseful and full of twists—several times, I thought I had things figured out, but then the author put in a twist that I didn't expect!

I will say, the ending wraps up rather abruptly and is kind of ambiguous. I thought we needed a few extra chapters to wrap things up. I also would have liked to see some of the characters, like Brad, Nicole's husband, more developed. Brad and Hannah were important to Nicole, but they ended up being rather one-dimensional.

Also, I'm so glad I was never a band groupie, making a fool of myself chasing after some random music group! I may have done silly things as a teenager, but nothing that silly, thank goodness. :P

I received an arc copy of this book from Net Galley in exchange for my honest opinion of it. I have read other books by this author and enjoyed them. I tried a few times and couldn't get very far as it didn't hold my interest.

Nicole, a British expat, has started over in America, but her past catches up with her when a reporter uncovers her ties to the band Secret Oktober. The band’s tragic downfall fractured her family, straining her relationship with her sister Cassi, who also fell for Ben, the same band member. When Nicole’s daughter goes missing, she must face the past she thought she had escaped. While the story explores loss and mystery, Nicole’s underdeveloped character and the overly predictable ending left me disappointed.

This was a fast-paced psychological thriller that bounced back and forth between two timelines. It had a strong hook in the beginning. One thing I sometimes struggle with is being more interested in one timeline than the other and that happened here. I was more invested in knowing what was going on in the 2010 timeline. Even though they connected, I liked the pacing of that timeline better. Things felt a little rushed sometimes, which often worked in the story's favor. The mystery was definitely gripping and the twists were great. I did enjoy the ending but wish there would have been a little bit more at the end to tie the story up better. Overall, an enjoyable thriller.

I received a free copy of, I Would Die for You, by Sandie Jones, from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Nicole is all about saving the seals, until her daughter goes missing. In the 80's Cassie is in to music. This book tells the story about Nicole and Cassie. You never really know who people re, people are so good at hiding their true self. A good read.

The latest novel by Sandie Jones is told in alternating timelines: California in 2010 and London in 1986. Nicole is living in California after leaving her home in London. This was following a tragedy and death of a member of one of the biggest pop bands of the 80’s. In the current timeline, Nicole’s daughter has gone missing the same day a reporter shows up to discuss her role in the death of the pop star. Nicole believes these events to be connected. In the 1980’s timeline we follow Nicole’s sister Cassie who is obsessed with this band and one member in particular.

Having grown up in the 80’s and maybe having some borderline obsessions with certain bands at the time, this book resonated with me. I also love the author’s note of how much of this was autobiographical with her obsession with Duran Duran. (Obviously not the murder parts). I found the story well written with great character development. She did an excellent job flipping between the two timelines without confusion. This was a really good book.

Thank you to the author, NetGalley, and St. Martin’s Press for the advance reader copy. This is my honest review. 4⭐️ Publication date March 25, 2025