I was looking forward to reading Amanda's recollection of what she went through and how she was able to find the strength to rebuild her life.
I was thinking this would start at the beginning but it starts after she is "Free". I didn't read her first book and wished I' would have before reading this book. I thought this book became repetitive and it felt that it made the book extra long. I appreciate her sharing her experience but this book wasn't for me..

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc.

“Part of being human is confronting tragedy and getting through it.”

I didn’t read Amanda Knox’s first memoir, but, having followed her case throughout high school and college, I was instantly intrigued by her newest book. This book is not a play-by-play of Meredith’s murder investigation and Amanda’s trials, but it recounts her own transformation through her time in jail, after release, and throughout her exoneration.

Amanda says towards the conclusion of her book, “I don’t want to be returning over and over to the well of my pain. And yet I tear open my stitches whenever I give a walk to support the Innocence Project, or when I’m vulnerable on my podcast with another human who knows how it feels to be utterly lost.”

I could feel the stitches tearing open at certain moments in the book. It is raw at times. There were several times throughout the novel that her anger or pain was visceral. However, by the conclusion of the novel, there was a hopeful catharsis.

I hope that writing this book helped Amanda to face her tragedy and to get through it. I believe that her vulnerability and willingness to revisit her trauma will be helpful for those who read this.

I've been fascinated with the Amanda Knox case for years now, so I jumped on this when I saw it available on NetGalley. I feel for all parties involved in the case. This book centers on what came after the trial and Knox's attempts to live a normal life. Memoirs are tricky to review for me; I don't want to discount anyone's experience of anything. The writing, however, did seem repetitive. And who am I to question the choices someone makes after experiencing a significant trauma, but I did find myself questioning her need for a relationship with her prosecutor years after the case.

Thank you to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

3.5/5

Glimmers with potential, and will provide some relief for the wrongfully convicted. Many chapters, however, are filled with narcissistic thoughts . “Waiting to Be Heard” is still far more empowering.

2.75 stars
I wanted to like this book much more than I did. It doesn't center on the trial so much as what comes after, and that is the aspect that appealed to me the most. However, I thought the book was about 100 pages too long and VERY repetitive during the last half. Overall very disappointing.
I will not be recommending this to others.

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

Did not finish book. Stopped at 25%.
I was hoping this would be more intriguing but it's just endless random disconnected thoughts. I just found myself not caring at all to pick it back up.

Amanda Knox spent nearly four years in prison and eight years on trial for a murder she didn’t commit—and became a notorious tabloid story in the process. Though she was exonerated, it’s taken more than a decade for her to reclaim her identity and truly feel free.

Reading about how she has tried to live a normal life again, and the struggles associated with that, was very interesting. Plus, she shares how she’s forged a complicated friendship with the Italian prosecutor who was determined to pin the murder on her, despite evidence to the contrary. Highly recommend this one!

Thanks for the review copy. This is an amazing memory.
Knox is a strong woman. I can't imagine going through what she went through.

I recently had the privilege of reading My Search for Meaning by Amanda Knox as an advanced reader copy from NetGalley. This powerful memoir, set to be published on March 25th, offers a raw and personal insight into Amanda’s story beyond the media’s portrayal of her wrongful conviction and four-year imprisonment.

Before this book, I knew little about Amanda’s case. My introduction to her story came through a YouTube interview, and I was drawn to learn more about how someone could survive such profound injustice. Amanda’s memoir exceeded my expectations, offering not only the truth of her experiences but also a profound message of resilience and self-discovery.

One of the book’s most impactful aspects is Amanda’s journey to find meaning in her suffering. The second half of the memoir is particularly powerful, focusing on her attempt to reconcile with the judge who sentenced her. While initially seeking an apology or acknowledgment of his mistake, Amanda ultimately learns how to thrive and find peace without external validation.

This book is not just for those familiar with Amanda’s story—it’s for anyone who has ever felt misunderstood or struggled through difficult times. Amanda’s journey is a testament to the strength it takes to hold onto your truth, reclaim your voice, and find meaning even when the world seems against you.

This book has not only made it into my top reads of 2025 but also stands out among my favorite reads from last year. I hope everyone gives Amanda’s story a chance—her voice deserves to be heard, and this memoir is a beautiful testament to the resilience of the human spirit.

I truly enjoyed reading Free by Amanda Knox. This is less true crime and more about the life long impacts and consequences from the wrongful conviction she experienced in front of the entire world. First, this is definitely a unique perspective. How often are you going to get to hear someone's story that went through something so public and so media influenced? I think the author did an amazing job conveying the stress and anxiety that she experienced throughout. This book covers a small part of the time that Amanda Knox spent in prison in Italy for a crime that she didn't commit. But it covers the story beyond that. The prison inflected by the media and constant paparazzi bombardment post the overturning of her conviction. This story and reflection really makes you think about how you consume and participate in social media and even news broadcast. We are so quick to convict and the news outlets are so quick to sensationalize and hearing this from Amanda's perspective is really eye opening. I loved to learn about her life and family outside of the 24/7 trial coverage. I hope that people can read this story and think before they jump to conclusions and impressions about people when they see coverage on the news.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion. And thank you to Amanda Knox for providing this look inside her life and time beyond Perugia.

Amanda Knox's first memoir Waiting to be Heard was a harrowing tale of how someone's life can easily be turned upside down in a few moments. Amanda was young and naive when her roommate Merideth was killed while they were studying abroad in Italy. Due to many flubs by the Italian police and prosecutor, as well as the extensive media spotlight on the case, Amanda was charged and convicted of murder. Twice. She was also acquitted twice. The first memoir covers that part of her life in detail.

This book covers a little bit of her life and prison, but mostly the subsequent release and continued persecution by not only the Italian courts, but also the media. The girl cannot get a break. While I enjoyed the first book better, this one was still really good. It gives you a good understanding of how someone that is wrongly convicted can never go back to a normal life. Unfortunately, there were many victims in this case, not just Meredith and her family. I commend Amanda for trying to live a normal life under such dire circumstances.

This book provides a unique perspective of Amanda Knox’s time in prison and when she was freed.

Some of my favorite quotes:
“We live in houses made of stories. And sometimes, you need to knock your house down and build it again from the ground up.“

“Part of being human is confronting tragedy and getting through it. It’s easy to think you’re alone when you’re in the thick of it.“

“In that divide, loneliness grows like a weed that keeps returning no matter how many times you try to pluck it by the roots. But the weed shrivels when you recognize that other people do in fact know what it’s like, that you’re not unique in the hand life dealt you. However much it may feel that way, you are not, in fact, alone.”

“And looking squarely at what I faced, at what I could control and what I couldn’t, somehow gave me the will to make that promise to my younger self, even when it felt like a lie: You will survive this. You will!”

“You can’t choose your life, but you can choose how you feel about it, which will affect your life moving forward as you encounter an endless string of new challenges.”

Amanda Knox was wrongly convicted of killing her flatmate while studying abroad in Italy. What unfolded during this time changed the trajectory of her life. This book was written by Amanda, but it wasn’t really a memoir. She already wrote that after being released from prison. This book was more of a reflection on the time period after her release and how she moved on with her life. The media definitely put her on trial over and over. Everyone across the globe had an opinion of her guilt or innocence. The book was interesting, but not really something I would recommend to others as a “must read.” You definitely have to already know the story of Amanda Knox prior to reading to appreciate where this book picks up.

The back and forth between the Amanda and the prosecutor was a little bit desperate and unresolved. She is clearly very well spoken and bright it doesn’t translate to her writing and I struggled to get through this one. I love true crime but I didn’t really care?? She also already has a memoir so I’m unsure why she had to do another one.

I have always been fascinated by Amanda’s story and was looking forward to learning more about her life after prison. Her writing is extremely descriptive allowing you to see, feel and live through the experiences along side her. This worked for me at the beginning of the story of her life in prison and following. Towards the middle, things started to get repetitive in nature. No fault to her, as she was writing what happened in chronological order. For the reader however, it felt a bit excessive.

Overall I enjoyed learning more about who she is and what really happened. The book in some ways reads as a self help/professional development book as she dissects the medias role, our own psych and relationships with others.

Amanda Knox is a powerful voice for the wrongly accused.

Trauma and shock turn us into imperfect victims. When Amanda didn't "act normally" after her roommate was murdered, she was immediately labeled as suspicious. How many of us would have reactions that appear odd? We'd like to think if we were in these situations that we would wail and mourn immediately, but I believe that shock makes that difficult for most. (In fact, I would be more inclined to think someone was more suspicious if they acted that way.)

Amanda has a strong writing voice and a powerful story.

Free is an excellent and thought provoking memoir with explorations of themes such as media influence, shame, and the court of public opinion. Knox doesn’t shy away from the horrors of her experience or her struggles moving past them, while maintaining a hopeful and optimistic outlook. Definitely an interesting read for anyone curious about Amanda Knox or the impact of false convictions.

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

This is the second memoir from Amanda Knox, but the first that I have read. Even though I haven't read the other memoir, I do not think that this book picks up where that one left off. Knox explains how the Italian police manipulated her into providing a false statement which was corroborated by the person who actually murder Knox's roommate.

Knox's retelling of events set the state for a story about forgiveness and redemption. I found her work with the Innocence Project to be one of the more intruiging aspects of the book and would've loved to have heard more about that experience in her own words - as well as more about the work the organization does.

I recommend this book whether or not you're familiar with the story. I think it would make a great audiobook - especially if she's reading it.

3.5/5

This book speaks to so many relevant themes for today: media influences, forgiveness, and perseverance. Amanda does not sugarcoat her experience, and she has had time to reflect on her story to bring a new perspective to the story. It is heartbreaking to read through the trauma that she has endured, and how it has continued to shape who she is today. I was especially moved by her relationship with the prosecuting attorney and how her view of him could change with time. Some of the chapters are framed where the intent is a life lesson, but this does not make it a self-help or feel good story. She has done a beautiful job pulling back the curtain on what was a media circus to let the reader see the human behind the story.

awesome memoir/autobiography with some really well done discussion of guilt, innocence, and recovering your identity. 5 stars. tysm for the arc.