The Death of Us was not a right fit for me. I thought the premise sounded interested. 25 years ago a couple lived through a traumatic experience of a home invasion. The perpetrator has now been caught and the couple who had divorced come back together for the trial. Unfortunately the pace is too slow for me and I’m not interested to stick with it so decided to dnf at 45%. Thank you to the publisher for the free ebook to review.

Utterly engrossing. I read this in 2 days and stayed up until 1am to finish. Some of the notes I made at 12% in were “Sally Rooney vibes” and “This relationship makes me ache” and honestly those observations could be the entire review, but lemme compose myself.

“It seemed an oversight, that a human could sleep through that kind of resentment.”

Edward and Isabel are quippy and charming (almost insufferably so) and very much in love… until they’re not. THE DEATH OF US tells the story of a marriage ripped apart by trauma, and believe me when I say the charm goes right out the window.

“But there was no exorcising you…. You changed the way I walked home on a Friday evening. You changed the taste of wine, the plot of a novel, the confidence of Edward’s hands.”

I could tell by page 2 that THE DEATH OF US was special. This book is expertly constructed, and I had immediate trust in Abigail Dean as a writer. It’s not a true thriller, although there is definitely enough mystery to keep you turning pages. Really, this is a book for people who love craft: who aren’t just reading, but wondering how the writer is pulling it off.

“But love is what Edward did, driving me to that hospital, to a place where I would be safe. Caring for me even when he hated the sight of me. That was love. It was love, and I hated it.”

We are so close to ruin, every single one of us. I will be thinking about this one for a long time.

Thank you to NetGalley and Viking for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

1.5 stars.

I honestly cannot think of anything nice to say. The writing wasn’t bad i guess. This was just so boring. Literal snooze fest. And the fact that it’s marketed as a mystery/thriller is a JOKE! Put this boring marriage story in general fiction.

I thought I would enjoy this book, however I did not. I thought it would dive deeper into the court case/crimes that were committed but it focused on the relationship between the husband and wife that the story was based on.

In The Death of Us by Abigail Deanna, Edward and Isabel are a young married couple living in London when they are the victims of a home invasion. Skipping ahead twenty years, the serial attacker is finally caught and his victims are given an opportunity to speak at his sentencing. As they prepare for court, we follow Edward and Isabel back through those twenty years and discover how they have suffered together and apart and tried to heal. Dean has taken what could have been the storyline of a thriller and created a literary character study that made me care deeply about Edward and Isabel. Thank you to Viking and NetGalley for the ARC.

Edward and Isabel are navigating life in their early 30s, finally finding some sense of success in life, when their world is shattered when they become the victims of a serial killer.

Both try to move on, but in very different ways, leading to problems in their nearly once perfect marriage.

This book is a slow burn thriller, but also a romance novel. It goes into painstaking detail about how quickly life can fall apart and how quickly people can change. It is heartbreaking, but so well written.

The chapters alternate between Edward’s POV and Isabel’s and jumps back in forth in time, to show how pain can break people apart, but also bring them together.

This is definitely a book that will stick with me. The characters are all so beautifully written, I ached intensely for all of them.

I highly recommend this book to fans of Sally Rooney, or for anyone who enjoys character focused novels.

Thank you to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

We would all like to think that nothing could change us so drastically and quickly that we would not recognize the person we have become, much less expect others to recognize the "new" us. But forced to face a trauma so devastating you can't follow a clear thought, much less face the mirror every morning, would we erase as many pieces of that memory as possible? In THE DEATH OF US, Abigail Dean places readers into the middle of the lives of just such a couple, traumatized by a killer who invades their home. They live, but cannot never go back to being the person each of them knew "before".
The story line is original and pulled me in. I could not set the book down until I saw what was going to hapen next, and next, and next. Even the trial and sentencing was so emotional, I didn't think they would carry through. The ending was perfect, even tho sad.

Abigail Dean's newest part thriller, part romance, part detective story, part psychological suspense told through multiple POVs novel publishes on Tuesday, and I think is going to be a win for a whole lot of readers. There's a little bit of everything here to keep people turning pages.

This is very much a marriage story with a truly traumatic event at the center of the marriage. Dean is successful in making this complex. I vacillated on whether I wanted Edward and Isabel to be together or not as I tried to get to the bottom of them and what closure, freedom, and happiness would mean for each of them My only gripe is Dean withheld some information for shock value/tension building, and while I understand, some of it was a bit icky to me. Content warnings abound here.

Death of Us is written for true crime lovers. If you loved Bright Young Women and This Book Will Bury Me, you need to pick this up! It is told in alternating POVs and dual timelines between Edward in present day and Isabel moving through the past. I loved this format, keeping the reader in the dark about what ultimately led to the couple’s divorce. This book is definitely a slow burn, but for this type of story it worked. The way the story unfolded it forced the reader to become so intimate with the characters and their relationship. I was so invested in their story. It was incredibly believable and thought provoking how different people handle tragedy. This book is absolutely devastating and filled with trauma, love, hope and found family.

4.5* This was a dark emotional and graphic story of the effects of a violent crime on a couple. Young and in love, Edward and Isabel marry. When they were 30 years old, a perpetrator invaded their home and upended their lives. Although physical death doesn't occur, death of their marriage, love and well being does die. The perpetrator is caught. The evidence is there of the South London Invader, who had now become a serial killer.
This will break your heart. At times it was heart wrenching as they spill out the emotional trauma. In court, they have a chance to read their impact statement. Reading about their past and present, it reveals the damage and scars that never heal.
"Marriage turned inside out by a violent encounter that sets fire to the hairline faults that were there from the start."
Isabel has followed his violent crimes and spoke with some of his victims over the years. Edward has moved on with his life and remarried. He doesn't want to talk about it. I have always wondered after the TV cameras and spokesperson are long gone, how people move on with their lives. I realized everyone handles it differently, as in this case of two people. Such an invasion of space, hearts and minds which are torn, but the graphic violence would leave tunnels of darkness with the light always close but never enough to grasp it. This book grapples with the hope and as dark as it is I was optimistic maybe some relief would come at the trial.
The heartbreak alone was hard to read and very traumatic, but it is a story with telling to understand the horrors people endure and the after effects of it. I have had her book Girl A on my shelf from BOTM since 2021 I need to read it after this compelling book broke my heart.
Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Group Viking for this incredible ARC in exchange for my review.

I heard @novelvisits talk about this on @sarahsbookshelves podcast and couldn’t get a copy fast enough. As she promised, it was intense, engrossing, and absolutely compelling.

This is a genre mash-up - part psychological suspense, part thriller, part detective story, and ultimately, part romance. At its bare bones, it’s a story about Isabel and Edward’s marriage and the effects trauma can have on that bond. It’s a slow burn as the story unfolds and it is unflinchingly raw and emotional in its delivery. The storytelling is so compelling that I had a hard time putting the book down. I went into the story fairly blind (however, if you are a sensitive reader at all, you must seek out trigger warnings) and I’m really glad I did because I feel like the unraveling of the story was part of the process and made the overall affect more appealing.

I really enjoyed the way Dean revealed this story. Told alternately from Isabel’s and Edward’s perspectives, she also alternated timelines. This allowed her to continue to drop the breadcrumbs that kept me turning the pages as fast as I could. Isabel tells the story from the past moving forward while Edward picks up the current timeline and fills in the gaps. Dean handles it all masterfully and I was impressed!

@VikingBooks | #partner WOW! What to say about 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗗𝗘𝗔𝗧𝗛 𝗢𝗙 𝗨𝗦 by Abigail Dean? I’m not sure I’ve read a more captivating book this year. It may be considered a psychological thriller by many and I would agree to a point, but for me this is a love story above all else. We meet Isabel and Edward when they’re 58, preparing to read victim impact statements for the sentencing of the serial killer and rapist who violated their lives nearly 30 years earlier. (Think Golden State Killer sort of crimes.)⁣⁣⁣
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Told in alternating chapters by Isabel and Edward, the story starts out a little on the slow side, but quickly picks up steam. Isabel’s chapters are told in first person speaking to the man who turned their world upside down. She begins when they met at 19, right up to the present. Edward’s chapters are all from the present, specifically the days leading up to the sentencing. Through him we better know Isabel and how she became the person she is today. Between the two, readers come to truly understand this couple, their love, their despair, their mistakes, their resilience and just how deep their bond runs.⁣⁣⁣
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With that description, I’ve also left so much out. The story is populated with many other characters important to the lives of Isabel and Edward. Through their voices we get to know these others well. Dean’s storytelling was superb, constantly drawing you deeper and deeper into their world. ⁣⁣⁣
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“I wasn’t friendless, but I was entirely alone. It seemed to me that Edward and I lived in a small prison, inmates two, and although we were allowed to spend our days as regular citizens, we were always bound to return to our cells.”⁣⁣⁣
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Simply stated, this was a beautiful story of love put through the most horrific of crimes. It may not be for everyone, but none-the-less it’s a book I highly recommend. I expect you’ll be hearing me talk about it a lot this year!🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

“The Death of Us,” by Abigail Dean, Viking, 336 pages, April 15, 2025.

Edward and Isabel are in their 30s. One summer evening, a man breaks into their home in England. He rapes Isabel and brutalizes both of them.

The man, known as the South London Invader, isn’t arrested until shortly after Isabel’s 55th birthday. His name is Nigel Wood. He is 70 and is a retired police officer. He is now accused of murdering nine people and raping many more. He was tracked down by the use of ancestry DNA.

Edward and Isabel divorced years before the arrest. Edward has remarried. Isabel hasn’t. They haven’t seen each other in years. Wood is pleading guilty and surviving victims are allowed to give impact statements in court.

Isabel is sure she’ll speak in court and finally let the past go. Edward has spent the years since the break-in trying to figure out how a near-miss with death resulted in their divorce. This is told through both viewpoints, with Isabel’s chapters set in the past and Edward’s chapters set in the present.

“The Death of Us” is not an easy read. The topics are brutal, but there is little graphic violence. The novel is deeply emotional and not for everyone. It is well written, but slow-moving.

Abigail Dean is also the author of the bestselling novel “Girl A.”

I rate it four out of five stars.

In accordance with FTC guidelines, the advance reader's edition of this book was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for a review.

This is a clever and ambitious book, and it mostly worked for me. The story is anchored around Edward and Isabel, who experienced a traumatic home invasion and rape when they were thirty and married. The story is told in multiple timelines (though not in a confusing way at all!) and we see their love story unfold through their university years, and then their divorce as they each processed their trauma in different ways. I really liked most of this book, but it went off the rails at the end with a scene that I didn't think was necessary. This was a deep character study on marriage, and how a traumatic event can impact the individuals and their relationship.

A slow burn thriller recounting the destruction of a marriage and the slow reveal of the trama of the night that a home invasion, torture and rape impacted the couple. Told twenty five years after the event when the perpetrator has been caught the narrative recounts the past, the present and directs comments at the perpetrator. Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Random House for an advanced copy for an honest review.

This is a very different sort of read. Or at least to me. I was expecting a serial killer story, as I did not pay a lot of attention to the blurb beyond the words "serial killer". Well, had I done so, I would probably not have read it and missed out on an interesting and suspenseful character study. We have Edward and Isabel, a divorced couple in their late 50's. Edward and Isabel were victims of the infamous South London Invader, a serial killer. He invaded their home 30 years before when they were happily married. Obviously, they were not killed, but the trauma inflicted upon the couple and their marriage ultimately split them up. 25 years later, they reunite for the killer's trial. We go back and learn just what happened to the couple leading up to the trial and we also have an interesting look at the killer present-day. I enjoyed this, especially seeing how we tend to focus so much on criminals, rather than their victims. I also enjoyed that ultimately there was still some positivity to an otherwise tragic story.

Thank you to #NetGalley, Abigail Dean and PENGUIN GROUP Viking Penguin | Viking for this ARC. All opinions are my own.

I will post my review to Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Instagram and other retail and social media sites upon publication day of April 15, 2025.

I was a bit unsure how I was going to feel about this book. In the beginning I really didn’t care for the FMC and had a bit of difficulty following the authors prose as well as the back n forth timelines, that being said, the eerie mystery really drew me in and had me eager to figure out what happened that night. This story is a bit dark and at times deeply unsettling, don’t be surprised when you find yourself checking your locks and looking outside your windows more compulsively. Many thanks to @netgalley @abigailsdean and @penguinrandomhouse for the ARC 🖤
#thedeathofus #netgalley #arcreader #abigaildeanbooks

I don’t have a ton of things to say about this (I blame it being Monday - I can only write short reviews on Mondays). I loved how unique this felt. It wasn’t your traditional thriller - more like a slow burn unraveling or psychological descent after something terrible happens. I really liked the writing. It was gritty and atmospheric and somehow very lovely despite the horrible subject matter. The story did drag a bit at times and I thought it could have been shorter, but overall I enjoyed this quite a bit.

Thank you to Viking Books and Netgalley for this ARC, which comes out tomorrow!

4.5 stars. Late one evening, 30 year-old, Edward and Isabel's home is invaded by a serial killer, The South London Invader. Luckily, they are not murdered but this invasion has changed them and their marriage irrevocably.
25 years later the perpetrator is caught and Isabel and Edward attend the trial to read their impact statements and to maybe make sense of this horrific event in their lives. They are no longer together but theirs was a true partnership and love may just end up winning the day.
A very in-depth look at a marriage and a tragedy. Told in dual POVs, with Isabel's reading to the killer from the start of her love story with Edward, emphasizing what was lost, and Edward's POV mostly present day and just as agonizing. What a story!

*Special thanks to NetGalley and Viking for this digital e-arc.*

This was a great new angle on a thriller. It provides two perspectives, one of which addresses the assailant directly. This makes for a fascinating story within an intertwining narrative. It's unique how this story came together, and the character development was amazing. I would recommend this for those that like character-driven fiction and a little crime drama. This was truly genre bending.

Thank you to NetGalley and Viking for a copy. This is out tomorrow, April 15th!