Amanda's story has captivated me since the very beginning. I've followed this case and her struggles throughout the entire time since it made the news. In FREE, Amanda tells he story in her words, which once again, just left me in disbelief at times.

We all know the story, but Amanda tells her version of it, including details that were new to me. I really enjoyed hearing her reflections on the absolute rollercoaster of how she was treated. It was also nice to hear about how she's grown and made life her own again.

Knox is an excellent writer and her honesty and vulnerability were startling. I felt great sympathy for her, although I found her personality a bit off-putting at times, and I wondered if those hard edges were a result of what she’d been through. Some of her stories were heartbreaking, some humorous. The middle of the book was a little slow but it has a powerful ending. It is inspiring to see how she is speaking out for others through her work with the Innocence Project and using her experience to help others.

Amanda Knox is known for her conviction, acquittal, re-conviction, and re-acquittal in the murder of her roommate Meredith Kercher while studying abroad in Perugia, Italy. Amanda's face was splashed all over tabloids and she spent four years in an Italian prison fighting for her freedom. This time we get to hear her story from her. This is Amanda's story of what happened on the night Meredith was murdered and what happened next. I was riveted by this story at the time and this book is an entirely new perspective on how being wrongfully accused impacted Amanda's life. It is very well written and worth a read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for an ARC of Free.

DNF around 50%. I found the writing to be disjointed - languishing over topics in some parts and overly brief in others - and ultimately it was hard to sink my teeth into this one. It's structured to mirror Dante's Inferno, and while that structure sounds cool, the execution was lackluster for me. It was hard to connect to and understand why she wanted to correspond with her former prosecutor. Ultimately not for me. Thanks NetGalley!

Amanda Knox's first memoir, Waiting to be Heard, told the story of her trial and wrongful murder conviction. Now with the well-titlrd Free, Knox grapples with the lifelong notoriety the case has attached to her name, and how she has struggled to reclaim her sense of self and identity beginning with her four-year prison term.

Free details a journey of self, empowerment, and gratitude like few memoirs I've read – culminating in a startling but necessary meeting between Knox and the prosecutor in Italy which is the essence of Knox's practice in compassion and belief in remaining true to her core values. This is a wholly unexpected but deeply rewarding and philosophical memoir.

I was really touched by this memoir. For as long as my memory goes back, I feel like I've heard of Amanda Knox, but to say that the edges of her story have been blurry to me would be an understatement. In reading her story, I feel like I have more clarity not just on what happened to her but also how I want to approach life. She offered perspectives that I may have heard before but that held more gravity because they came from her. It's different when it comes from someone who had been through such trauma nad has emerged resilient and wise. And for the most part, the writing pulled me in; there were minor moments that felt choppy or repetitive but that didn't ultimately detract from the overall story.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a gifted ARC of this novel!

As I am familiar with true crime cases, I have a precious understanding of this author’s story. However, this book has what true crime books/podcasts/documentaries about the case lack: the perspective of the person who actually lived through both the crime and the sensationalism that followed. Although the pacing at times did feel slower when reading, such can be the case often for me when I read memoirs or other nonfiction titles. However, I found this author to be incredibly eloquent when describing her story, and she has an awe-inspiring outlook on life after what she has overcome. I absolutely enjoyed hearing about her experience through her own words, and would recommend anyone familiar with the case give this a read.

I enjoyed this book written by Amanda Knox. Reading her words was heartbreaking but uplifting at the same time. She’s a strong woman! Thank you to the publishers and netgalley for a review copy.

I might like her writing about the case but I thought this book was not interesting. Ms Knox spends a lot of time thinking about her feelings and seems self-absorbed. I know she's been through a lot but it was still difficult. For instance, she seems to have become hysterical because a comedian made a joke about her, but she wanted to go back to Italy and meet her prosecutor.

Thank you, NetGalley, for access to Amanda Knox's latest book in exchange for my honest review.

Growing up, I followed the media coverage of Amanda's story but was too young to understand the details. Now, reading her account has given me a deeper understanding of her story and the challenges she faced. Knox's book details her journey to reclaim her identity following her roommate Meredith Kercher's murder and examines how the media influenced public perception. The book addresses grief, resilience, and the burden of unwarranted fame, suggesting that freedom can be a state of mind.

Overall, Knox's story is one of heartbreak and healing. I recommend this book for anyone interested in learning more about her story, wrongful convictions, and trauma recovery.

I have been following Amanda's story for some time and have always been intrigued by her life and have read her previous book Waiting to be Heard. This one dives a bit deeper into her time in prison, her second trial and what her life has been after. What a hard predicament and life that this woman has led, and of course for the family of Meredith Kricher. A well written book, that if you are interested in Amanda, I think you will enjoy.

Thank you to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for the ARC!

Thank you to Net Galley for the ARC copy of this title.

While I did enjoy reading through Amanda's POV and could never imagine living through what she has been through. The book was boring and just not my usual read. I read about half of the book and never felt the urge to pick it up again. The parts that I did read were interesting especially simple things like food or making friends in prison. I have followed this story for years and that may be why it seemed boring and repetitive.

I followed the Amanda Knox story in real time so I am always interested in anything she has to say and I was living in Seattle when she returned home from Italy and her ordeal overseas....if you can call it an ordeal...that seems to put it very lightly. I listen to any podcast she is on, watch any interview she grants, and read anything she writes. This book was no exception. I was intrigued by the relationship Amanda pursued with her prosecuting attorney and her desire to even pursue a friendship. if I have learned anything about Amanda through the years it is her desire to be open minded- to give others a second chance. To seek understanding, to pursue knowledge over black and white or right and wrong. I would definitely recommend this read.

5 Stars! Thank you to Grand Central Publishing for the ARC of this book in exchange for a review. All opinions in this review are my own.

First off, I have to say Amanda Knox is a very talented writer. This book takes us through many different points in her experience after being wrongfully convicted - from her imprisonment, release, potential extraction back to Italy, and reintegration into the world after being in prison for four years.

Throughout the entire book, my heart ached for Knox. I've followed her story since it first happened - and like her, I also studied abroad in Italy. I was in Italy when she was being retried again and remember the media circus in the Italian press. Knox took us through these moments in this memoir and broke down how she was treated, how she felt, and drove home the lasting impact that a trial by media can have on someone. Knox drove home that when a horrific crime is committed, there are often times additional victims and lives changed forever.

The theme of kindness, and kindness being something we have power over ourselves, as a theme in this book really resonated with me. That's something that I've always held as a personal value, and from this book you can tell Knox not only talks about how important being kind is to her, but how she puts it into action. She is a bigger person than I being able to meet again with those who put her on trial and made her a villain in the Italian media.

If you've seen the documentary about this case on Netflix or have read about it in any capacity over the years, I strongly recommend reading this book.

In "Free," Amanda Knox invites readers into her tumultuous journey from a vibrant college student to a wrongfully convicted prisoner. As someone who has always been captivated by her story, I approached this memoir with a mix of curiosity and trepidation. Memoirs can be challenging to critique, as they delve deeply into personal experiences, yet Amanda's narrative is astonishingly powerful.

Knox's resilience shines through as she recounts her nightmarish ordeal in Italy, where she was embroiled in a murder trial that captivated the world. Her honesty about the emotional turmoil she faced, the overwhelming media scrutiny, and the harsh realities of the legal system are both poignant and thought-provoking. As a defense attorney, I felt a particular connection to her perspective; she articulates the struggle of navigating a flawed justice system in a way that is both personal and universal.

One of the most remarkable aspects of Knox’s story is her ability to find compassion for those who wronged her, including her prosecutor. Her journey of forgiveness speaks volumes about her extraordinary character and the human capacity for resilience. Knox’s friendship with the very person who sought to imprison her serves as a powerful testament to her strength and growth.

Moreover, her reflections on the media's role in shaping public opinion highlight a critical issue: the presumption of innocence. As we all know too well, sensationalism can distort the truth, and Amanda brings to light the devastating impact this can have on someone's life. Her insights challenge readers to reconsider their perceptions of justice and truth.

This memoir is not just a recounting of events; it’s an emotional, poetic exploration of identity, humanity, and the quest for justice. It’s a book that will leave you introspective and profoundly affected. I wholeheartedly encourage everyone to read "Free." You'll come away with a deeper understanding of the complexities of justice and the strength of the human spirit. Amanda Knox's story is not just hers; it's a reflection of our shared humanity.

Thank you to NetGalley, Grand Central Publishing, and Amanda Knox for this ARC. It went on sale on March 25, 2025. You can get it from your local bookseller, my favorites:

Free My Search For Meaning by Amanda Knox
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Amanda Knox's story was infamous internationally. I was intrigued about what her perspective of how her accusation and conviction affected her and if she was able to move forward from this horrible incident.

Amanda's writing is intelligent and flows easily. My stomach was in knots reading her perspective and how this affected her life. She was very young and in another country. To be accused of a horrific crime, spend time in jail, not have a mastery of the language, and be hated by an entire country, was atrocious as well as frightening!

The thing that impacted me the most from everything she wrote is that she had the courage and insight to form a friendly relationship with the prosecuting attorney. He was vicious, accusing her of a gruesome crime, and ultimately sent her to jail. Yet, she was seeking his understanding.

This was a compelling perspective about a peril most of will never experience. Amanda has sought resolution and taking lessons she learned to move forward.

Great read!

I remember finding the Amanda Knox story very upsetting and also fascinating when it happened. She is only a few years younger than me and I could always empathize with her and found it shocking she was convicted with so little evidence pointing to her.

Anyway, I found her first memoir super compelling for that reason. She really goes into the trial and life in prison and what that was like. This one is a little less engaging to me- it covers her life after getting out of prison but also revisits prison a bit. I was still interested but found it a bit long winded at times. Overall, Knox is a very good writer and I think if you were interested in this story you will find this book worthwhile.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the arc!

I followed this story in real time for a bit but haven't really seen any of the subsequent documentaries or read Knox's first memoir. I was curious about the current state of the case and her life nearly twenty years later. It's definitely difficult to seem to put a finger on who Amanda is...is it because we've been tainted for so long by a narrative she claims is untrue? I haven't quite decided exactly how to view her, but she was acquitted regardless of public opinion. Unfortunately that seems to be all she is going to be allowed, rather than the majority of people actually truly believing in her innocence.
I still felt she held herself sort of at arms' length here in some way, but I was quite intrigued by the story of her unorthodox relationship that develops with her former Italian prosecutor. That part was worth the whole read.
Thanks to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for this ARC. All opinions are mine.

I do not like to rate biographies, but for the sake of NetGalley I have given this a solid 3-star. I am a forensic scientist and when in school, we watched the Amanda Knox documentary, which engrained in us the importance of securing a crime scene. I don't know what I was expecting of this book, but unfortunately the repetition made it hard to stay engaged. I wish Amanda a great life and I am glad she is doing amazing these days.

really good stories of her experiences and loved that I learned so much more about her. loved that there were different stories and what she learned from them.