This is the third book in the Raisa Susanto series. If you haven’t read the first two, stop now! While I will not write any spoilers about this book, there are things from the first two mentioned in the book description and by me.
Raisa’s oldest sister Isabel is a serial killer. Her other sister Delaney is well, more of an enigma. Yet, Raisa blames her for a lot that she feels she could have prevented. With Isabel in jail, Raisa is finally trying to settle down (she actually buys a house) and strengthen her relationship with her FBI partner, Kilkenny.
Unexpectedly, Isabel dies, but she is not done with pulling her siblings strings just yet. A lot and I mean a lot is revealed in this book. I was not at all sorry to say goodbye to Isabel, but there was another character that I really like that I was worried would not make it. I do not know if this is the last we will see of Raisa, but if it is, I can picture her having a much better future.

This book, as with much of this series, is about who you are and who you want to be. Is it nature, nurture, or maybe your literal psychopath of a sister who would love it if you were so much more like her?

Labuskes writes a very intimate story, even as it's enacted along a backdrop of much larger and more world shattering events. We know so much about the sisters now, we've been inside their heads, and even with Isabel gone, as her note promises, she's still trying to direct their lives.

Sometimes with Labuskes I can figure out whodunnit long before the end, and sometimes it's a page turn before her characters do. It doesn't matter, because it's about the journey. It's whodunnit and also why and how did everything I read before lead up to this moment, and I think Labuskes does that very well.

By the Time You Read This by Brianna Labuskes was a good read. Pick it up on publication day. Well worth your time!

Such a good read. Keeps you on your toes the whole time!! I could not put this book down!!! Can’t wait to read more by this author !!

I would give this book a 10/10 if I could!!!!! It is extremely rare that a book keeps me on my toes and I don't have the bad guy figured out by halfway. I was about 85% done with this book and thought oh yeah, I know what's going on. WRONG. It just kept going!!!! Saying anything about the plot is super hard because I don't want to give away any spoilers, but this is one of the very rare books that actually deserves the title gripping and thrilling. It had me on the edge of my seat until the very last page. I really REALLY REALLY want there to be another book in this series, I have a feeling there won't be. But I would love to find out if something happens between R and K.

Get ready, buckle up, and hold tight for this wild ride! I was so shocked by this ending! I still can’t stop thinking about it. Wonderfully written.

When I started reading this, I didn’t realize it was part of a series but this surprisingly did not at all impact my enjoyment. This still read wonderfully as a standalone suspense despite not having the full back story of the characters from the first two. It was a great cat and mouse thriller that kept me hooked from the first page!

When I say a squealed upon receiving this ARC, I do not exaggerate. Brianna Labuskes once again proves herself a master of mystery and suspense. By The Time You Read This by Brianna Labuskes is a captivating psychological thriller that keeps you guessing from start to finish. The novel unfolds in dual timelines, shifting between Raisa’s struggles as she attempts to solve Isabel's murder and flashforwards to Delaney's POV as she races to fulfill Isabel's final task. As Raisa processes her complex feelings surrounding Isabel, she starts unearthing a web of secrets that twist and turn at every corner, making it hard to tell who’s trustworthy and who isn’t. Labuskes does a fantastic job of maintaining suspense by weaving together clues that sometimes seem to lead nowhere, only to reveal deeper, darker truths when you least expect it.

At the heart of the story is Raisa’s complex character development. She’s a woman trying to rebuild her life after Isabel’s dysfunction, murders, and death, but with every discovery, her understanding of both the past and her own role in it is thrown into question. The more she digs into Isabel’s death, the more she’s forced to confront her own choices, and the emotional depth of Raisa’s journey is what makes this book so compelling. Labuskes brilliantly plays with the structure of time and memory, crafting a narrative where nothing is ever fully clear and everything feels up for reinterpretation.

Well, I usually love this series. This one did not work for me. It was extremely over-the-top and had a lot of unbelievable police work. The ending was seemingly rushed, and it took a little bit too long to get into.
I still absolutely love this author and hope that the next book is a little more believable

I would like to thank Netgalley for my digital copy. This is my honest review about the book.
Being the third book in Raisa Susanto series, it can be read as a stand alone. This book had me intrigued from the start with its short chapters and fast-paced story.
I love the way Brianna Labuskes narrated the plot with mentions of different timelines and an undeniable suspense throughout the story. Everyone was on suspect list and till the last, the mystery around the killer was maintained. I could say a lot of research went behind to justify the characters of the series since our protagonist is a FBI Forensic Linguist and whole background of story requires knowledge about law enforcements.
Even though flawed, inspite of showing erratic behaviours and mental disturbance, the characters were relatable. This book also highlights the societal views about crimes, glorification/victimisation of serial killers and aftermath of murders in both murderer's & victim's family.
Overall, if you are looking for a fast-paced small-town thriller, here is your book.

By The Time You Read This started out with a bang and kept my interest all the way to the end. I love the sister characters and how they interact. This book had twists and turns and had me guessing to the end. Definitely worth reading if you a fam of serial killers. 4 stars.

I would truly like to apologize to Brianna, for my error. I did not realize that this book was the third installment in a series, and therefore I found myself very confused. I found the premise interesting, and I think that any true crime junkies would love this series in its entirety.

In this story we follow Rasia and DeLaney as they struggle to combat their messy past. Will they succumb to their destiny or rewrite their ending. The book was only confusing to me because I had not read the series beforehand. I believe that any true crime junkie would eat this book up. There is an excellent combination of other media such as podcasts, reddit posts, references to Don't F***k with Cats, that allows the reader to feel immersed. There were many times throughout the story that I almost felt like it could be a true retelling of events.

Is being a killer genetic?
By the time you read this by Brianna Labuskes explores the nature versus nurture thinking behind a female serial killer and her sisters. If all three women were raised in the same household, with similar DNA, is it possible to have more than one serial killer in a family? Can the things you go through turn on a switch of sorts?

The book definitely makes more sense timeline wise, if you keep track of the timelines at the beginning of each chapter as the book not only floats between the two sisters but also during different points in time, which was a little confusing at first, but thankfully it all came together at the end.

My favorite parts of the books were the inserts of things such As the convicted killer's diary pages. They definitely have a different insight into what was going on. I think this would be perfect for people who want to explore nature versus nurture when it comes to serial killers.

Thank you to Thomas & Mercer for providing me with this book to review via NetGalley. My review and opinions are my own.

An excellent read for any and all readers! Author comes at you with both barrels and knocks you out of your shoes! Great job fleshing out all the characters. I give this book FIVE stars! Definitely recommend!

This was the first book I've read by this author and also the first book I've read in general in quite some time. I had gotten out of reading for a bit and I'm so excited that this was the book I chose to pick it back up again- I was hooked from the start! This book had me not wanting to stop reading, page after page. I was questioning things, trying to guess plot twists, etc. and was still surprised and in suspense right to the very last chapter.
The only thing I'm not sure I liked was trying to follow along with the timeline; however upon continuing to read, I think that may have been apart of the author's tactics to keep us guessing and wanting more. Overall, I really loved this book and already am wanting to read more by this author! Would lreccommend this book to all mystery/crime lovers!

This was my very first book by Brianna Labuskes and I have a feeling that it will not be my last, in my opinion this crime thriller was up there with the best I’ve read. Page after page was filled with suspense and I really enjoyed the characters and plot twists along the way. One of the things I found most intriguing was that the main character Raisa, was a forensic linguist. I enjoyed that aspect of that type of investigation and found that it added something different to the mystery/crime thriller genre of books I’m used to reading. If I were to pick one negative aspect of the book it would be that I found the timeline of events a little confusing. Around chapter 24 it began to become more clear but there were times before that I was struggling to piece the timeline together. Maybe that was intentional on the author’s part to keep the reader guessing and not being able to predict things easily, I’m just not sure I enjoyed that at times.
Overall, I would highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good crime thriller that is a quick read and that you can’t put down!

I knew that <i>”By The Time You Read This”</i> was a popcorn thriller when I downloaded it from NetGalley, and so it sat on my kindle until I was in the mood to read a popcorn thriller. It is a smoothly written, twisty story, although a bit redundant. At the 50% point, I was almost ready to stop, turn it into a dnf, but I persevered, and the pace picked up after the author’s timeline distortions became more apparent.

This is Book #3 in the Raisa Susanto series by author Brianna Labuskes, but it works well as a standalone because the relevant background information from the previous books is incorporated into the first two chapters of this one.

In a review of one of the author’s other books, I wrote that she had <i>”mastered mindless storytelling”</i>, and again I felt that she was writing a story that had no substance, one that relied on twists and turns, rather than one designed to provide the reader with greater insight into the shared experiences, emotions, and challenges common to all.

So, if you are in the mood for a quick popcorn thriller, this will satisfy your needs, but you may feel unfulfilled after you’ve finished it.

Thanks to Thomas & Mercer for providing an electronic copy of this book via NetGalley. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinions.

Raisa Susanto receives a letter from her sister Isabel, currently imprisoned for her many crimes. The message catches her off guard, as Isabel writes that she’ll be dead when Raisa reads it. Sure enough, her death becomes big news, as it often does when a serial killer dies. Raisa knows someone did this to Isabel but can’t get anyone to listen to her, as Isabel was found dead alone in her cell. Everyone chalks it up to natural causes and says good riddance.

Raisa is torn between not wanting to deal with more Isabel drama and satisfying her curiosity about what happened. So of course she gives in. There are two main groups obsessed with Isabel – the ones that love her and the ones that hate her. Raisa believes the key to Isabel’s killer lies somewhere in one of those groups. She works with Callum, her non-partner but basically a partner FBI psychologist, to investigate these people and anyone else who interacted with Isabel. The one person she can’t track down is her other sister, Delaney. But she doesn’t waste much time on her, still irked that Callum sees Delaney as another victim of Isabel, not an enabler like Raisa has long believed.

They uncover plenty of viable suspects, and Raisa’s work as a forensic linguist often comes into play between physical letters, posts online, and published works. That aspect is fascinating as usual, especially how people have a hard time NOT sounding like themselves if they’re trying to disguise their writing. I love how this is woven into the plot.

It’s such a great story and you may find yourself rolling your eyes at the true-crime fanatics when they come up with yet another excuse for condoning the monstrous behavior of killers. Get over it!

A suspense filled novel that stands alone, but is also part of a series. Three sisters united by blood and tragedy, all following very different paths. The plot is well crafted and the characters are all unique and well defined. The story moves fast and is very complex, great for any suspense fan.

Thank you so much to the publisher and to Netgalley for this eARC!!

"By the Time You Read This" by Brianna Labuskes is a psychological thriller that explores the great lengths one will go to uncover the truth. It’s got just the right amount of mystery and twists!! The family secrets are a plus! 😜

While this is a series, and there are two books before this one, this one can be read as a standalone (but you should def read the first two)!!