4.5. When I started reading this book, I thought it would be a DNF. I thought “oh no,” this is going to be disturbing and something like “We Need to Talk About Kevin,” which was a great book but very difficult to read. I didn’t think I liked the main character, and I didn't really like the narrative style. HOWEVER, suddenly I couldn’t stop reading. I realized this book is all about hope and survival and, in the end, uplifting. I watched each character experience something horrible, but evolve and survive. I really liked this book. I would recommend!

The Death of Us follows a couple, Edward and Isable. Set with dual perspectives and timelines, the chapters flash back and forth between Isabel who is chronologically telling their life story. She starts with how they met when she was just going off to college and lays out their love story chapter by chapter, while sharing how a crime committed against them affected their lives. Edwards chapters stay in current time where he talks about the trial of their tormentor.
This book was beautifully written, I laughed in the beginning and cried at the end. All the while I couldn't put the book down until I had reached the end. Abaigail Dean did an amazing job of tying together a love story in a thriller while still portraying life as it is and the trauma that is endured.

Sadly I chose to DNF this one. The story just isn't pulling me in at all. The writing isn't working for me either.

Some of these reviews aren't passing the vibe check, so I'm sharing brief thoughts now while I'm still processing this book. TL;DR: It's a masterpiece. If you've read an Abigail Dean book, you know she's going to some very dark, dark places. But if you can handle dark, you're in for what is the best relationship drama I've read in years. I could not put it down. Those who can manage it will be rewarded, but do be careful here. This is not an easy read.

Thank you, PENGUIN GROUP Viking Penguin | Viking for the copy of The Death of Us by Abigail Dean. I don’t think this book was for me. I loved the description, but I had problems following the timelines and I never connected with Isabel or Edward. None of the characters were fully drawn, and the writing style was dispassionate so it never made me really care about the characters or even the worst events. I loved the idea of the story, and I appreciated how Isabel’s POV was (probably) her impact statement, and was used to help tell what had gone on. I wanted to feel some emotion and I never did. 2.5 stars rounded up to 3 stars

Incredibly intense and heartbreaking! A couple’s life changes when they are victims of a crime. It’s a deep, emotional book that doesn’t turn away from the pain.

The Death of Us follows the relationship between Edward and Isabel, told via both of their points of view as well as from present and past timelines. They were victims of an in-home invasion and we are introduced to them as they are getting ready to provide their victim impact statements at the sentencing phase of their attacker. This book focuses entirely on their relationship both before the crime and after.

The book is broken up into three parts and part one for me was very difficult to get through. It moved along very slowly, and I was having a hard time connecting to the authors writing style. The prose made it difficult for me to fully invest into the story. Also, we know straight away, who the culprit is as this is the sentencing phase, so there is no mystery on who the attacker was. At this point I almost put it down as I just could not get into it, but I did want to know where it went. I’m glad I stuck with it as part two was much more interesting as it dealt into their early relationship up until that point.

Overall, I think this is a very good book. I just wasn’t the right reader for it. It delves deep into the main characters relationships whether it be the good times or the lowest points possible. For those who really find themselves drawn into books that lean towards more of a character driven novel, this would certainly be for you.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher, for my advanced copy in exchange for an honest review

This was a slow burn story that focuses on the aftermath and unraveling of a couple who are faced with in unimaginable tragedy. Something most of us cannot imagine going through. It was an amazing portrayal of a marriage.

This book goes back-and-forth with the timeline from when this couple is attacked by a serial killer and then present day when they have sent split and come back together to face this person in court.

I found a story to be very raw in human emotion. It was an amazing story.

This was my first Abigail Dean book, and I found it extremely dark.. I don't say that negatively...just that she strips human emotion in the face of violence and suffering quite bare, and so it maintains a very stark tone most of the time. Narrated by Isabel, a mid-50's woman who was the victim of a horrific crime 25 years ago, it tells the story of her perpetrator's trial while also exploring the breakdown of her marriage in the aftermath of the crime. She and Edward, her ex-husband, are drawn back together again during this trial, and it explores not only the trauma they experienced during the initial crime, but also how it affected them as a couple, and why it is their relationship couldn't recover from the violence inflicted upon them. As so many books are today, it's told in alternating timelines, and Isabel is an original voice and narrator, often veering into moments that leave the reader both uncomfortable and reflective. Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC!

Such a quiet, compelling novel. Narrated by Isabel and Edward in both the present, at a trial, and tracking their relationship over the past 30 years. As often happens with dual timeline stories, I preferred one over the other: the present day, which is pretty much only seen through Edward's perspective. I'm just so much more interested in the story of the justice system than the story of a marriage. I think most people felt the opposite, though, because the past is where you get answers to why this is all happening.

As you'd expect from a character-driven book, the people in it felt so real they could walk off the page and into actual life. Not just Isabel and Edward, but all the ancillary characters. I could see this becoming a miniseries.

This was a really compelling read, despite not being very much like the typical thriller. Even though this didn’t provide the high tension high suspense vibes that I generally pick up a thriller for, they still managed to hold my attention and keep me turning the pages and would still be what I considered and “easy read” just in the sense that it is easy to become immersed in and isn’t particularly dense. Abigail Dean’s writing is a step above most thriller authors so for those that like the more literary thrillers this would work for them, but don’t expect those high voltage vibes.

The book starts off with a mysterious narrative about what happened to the narrator. The more you read the more you know this book will make you cry. Because it's heartbreaking and shows that victims of violent crimes have more than physical wounds. However, the narration was pretty dry and the way it was written did not bring those emotions up for me. I give it 2 stars. Great synopsis but writing not my taste.

This book starts off where you know the narrator has been a victim of a crime, but you’re not sure what the crime was. She’s also talking to somebody as she’s writing these chapters, and you don’t find out till a short time later who she’s narrating these chapters to.

The crime has been committed, and the chapters are alternating points of view from what appeared to be ex-spouses. The chapters reflect upon the crime and everyone who the crime touched. The victims. The reporters. The police officers. The spouses and families of the victims. But mostly it’s how this crime interfered with a marriage, changed the trajectory of a marriage and left both of them alone and suffering.

It’s a very emotional book but seemed a bit dry to me - the telling of the story through this odd narrative was hard for me at times to enjoy.

Thank you to NetGalley, Abigail Dean and Viking for the e-Arc in exchange for my honest opinion.

This was a wonderful read! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 5 stars does not do this story justice. It’s heart gripping, sad and wonderful all wrapped up together. It is a wonderful testament to life and love and what really matters in life. The whole time I was reading it, I kept thinking “This would make a great movie.”

Love always wins.

Thank you to NetGalley & Penguin Group Viking for providing me this copy.

While this book was definitely a slow burn, it was a gripping portrayal into marriage. The most well thought out expression of how messy life can be and how the challenges we face can tear us apart but also bring us back together.

When Edward and Isabel faced a serial killer one night, their world would be forever altered. Fast forward 25 years in the future, they are reunited for their tormentors trial. Throughout the book we go back and forth on timelines and it gives us such a realistic tale of how trauma can continue to find its way into our everyday life.

The honesty in the struggle I found so refreshing. Nothing was glossed over in this one. Nothing was off limits in the sharing of the pain. What does it mean to be human and will love prevail through it all?

Abigail Dean knows how to write a book that will make you not want to put it down. This was the third one that did just that. So much trauma and literally had me gasping. I good look at relationships and what can happen after something terrible happens. The writing is terrific and the characters are well developed. I would recommend this book for people who like true crime and thrillers.

"The Death of Us" was an intriguing departure from my usual reading choices. The narrative revolves around Isabel and Edward, chronicling their journey from their initial meeting to falling in love and ultimately marrying. However, their lives take a tragic turn at the age of thirty when they become victims of a home invasion orchestrated by a serial rapist, who goes on to murder multiple individuals before his capture. The story is primarily conveyed through Isabel's perspective, exploring the years that follow the attack as they attempt to recover, revealing that healing is not as straightforward as it seems. At times, the content was quite challenging to read, prompting me to reflect on how my husband and I might cope in a similar situation. Nonetheless, I am grateful to have experienced this book. I highly recommend it, awarding it a well-deserved four stars.

Wow! Such an emotional, heart-wrenching read! Was not expecting that!
Isobel and Edward met through a mutual friend while attending their respective universities. At the time, each were dating someone else. But alas, the heart wants what the heart wants and the pull was too strong. They were simply meant to be.

Years later, happy and quite content in life, their world is forever damaged by the intrusion of The South London Invader. The couple is now left to put the pieces of their lives back together. But will that include each other? Is their love strong enough to restore their magical relationship?

Trauma… big or small it’s still trauma. It reshapes you into someone new. Someone you don’t recognize but that’s the new you, who must carry forth.

Not only is this book a retelling of the night in question, but even more so a narrative on the strength of the characters and of love.

I’m a bit speechless having finished this book. My heart is heavy, yet filled with the hope of no matter the circumstance there is always a chance for healing.

This was my first read of 2025 and I cannot think of a better way to start the New Year than with a five- star read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Viking

Abigail Dean’s The Death of Us absolutely gutted me in the best way a book can. It’s horrifying and visceral, yet written with such vivid detail that I could picture every moment as if it were unfolding right in front of me.

Edward and Isabel’s story broke my heart. Their pain felt so real that I found myself aching for them long after I’d closed the book. The exploration of marriage, trauma, and resilience was both devastating and illuminating—Dean doesn’t shy away from the darkest corners of human experience, but she also leaves room for hope.

I can’t imagine living through what these characters endured, let alone seeing it happen to someone I love. This book is a masterful, haunting portrayal of how we confront the unimaginable and find a way to survive. It's not an easy read, but it’s an essential one. Highly recommend.

The Death of Us is Abgail Dean's best book yet (and that's saying something because her first two books are outstanding)!

It's a story about a couple who are victimized by an intruder breaking into homes in and around London, raping and murdering people -- and destroying lives.

The couple at the heart of this book are traced from their beginning (loved!), through the early, happy years of their marriage, to and through the attack, and the aftermath (so sad, so brilliantly done).

The amazing thing about The Death of Us -- and the thing that makes it for me, the one of the best reads of 2025 -- is that it is despite all of the pain that the characters go through, and all the fear and all the suffering, it is at its core a love story.

This book manages to be terrifying and heart-wrenching and hopeful all at the same time which is just astounding and a masterful accomplishment! The death of Us it is just so amazing, so brilliant; I finished this book crying and wrung out but so very happy that I read this amazing novel. Absolutely very highly recommended and one of my top reads of 2025 even though it's still only January as I write this.