Free By Amanda Knox
To be published March 25th 2025

"Nothing I would ever do or say would cut that noose from my neck." And yet this memoir will take you on the path of how Amanda did just that.

Everyone may think they know the story. And to a degree we do! But we do not know the truth or the impacts. Only Amanda and those directly involved know that. And this is her chance to share both.

Not only did I cry reading this book. I felt a sense of thankfulness and healing too.
Amanda explains that's not everyone had been falsely imprisoned, but those who have traumas can still have common emotions.

While reading this, you will be taken into the interrogation room when she's about to be arrested, to court, to America finally free, back to accused, and you will get to hear about the private meeting of Amanda with Guilano Gignini.

I read this book with my newborn my side and my heart broke for Amanda parents. "What do you make of the fact that someone hates you, wishes you dead, or wishes your mother dead because she raised you?"

Each chapter was an eye opening read that was written in bite sizable chapters written in a way that still made it fun to read, despite the conversation being had on the page.
Well done, Amanda

If you are looking for a rehashing of the trial of Amanda Knox, then go back to her first book. This is much more of a book of someone dealing with and working through their trauma. Won’t get a fast pace true crime type book but a reflective book on how one woman dealt with her experiences in and out of a foreign judicial system. Over all good book with a lot of insights.

I received a free advanced copy of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Interesting book.
Thanks to author, publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book. While I got the book for free it had no bearing on the rating system gave it.

Of all the court cases over the years Amanda Knox’s case is the one I followed the most. Amanda and I are both 37, born in 1987. When she was wrongfully arrested, convicted and imprisoned in Italy while studying abroad, I was a college student myself in New Jersey. She was living my worse fear, of being wrongfully charged with a crime I did not commit. As a rule follower, kind person, who sees the good in others, I see a lot of myself in Amanda. I also believed in her innocence and wish nothing be good things for her in her life. I read her memoir as well and was interested to read her story from a different perspective.

Amanda gives full insight of her life from how she grew up to her life in the present day. She invites us to learn what prison was like for her mentally and physically for four years. How when she was finally acquitted of the charges and essentially freed, that freedom was as much of a prison. Being free after prison, and people still believing she had something to do with the murder of Meredith made it hard to navigate life even in the United States, far from Italy where the murder occurred and where she was imprisoned.

Amanda, thank you for writing this book. It was beautifully written and very insightful. Thank you for being vulnerable. The relationships that you have made along the way in your journey of freedom and the advocacy that you have continue to provide to the Innocence Project in the US and abroad is inspirational, meaningful and encouraging.


Thank you NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for this eARC in return for my honest review. I would and will buy this book when it is released. This is a book that many should read and could learn a lot from.

Amanda Knox and I are the same age (literally born two days apart), and I remember vividly following her story when I was in college. At the time, I didn’t get too caught up in trying to figure out whether she was guilty, but I remember thinking the truth must lie somewhere in the middle. When I read Amanda’s first book, Waiting to Be Heard, in 2013, I was blown away. I was so impressed by how smart and articulate she was, and what an incredible writer she is. I remember feeling deep empathy for her and realizing I had it all wrong for even slightly thinking she might have had something to do with the murder she was convicted for.

This book builds on the last and has given me an even greater level of respect and empathy for Amanda. She is an incredible human, and there is so much we can learn from her. Reading her book and seeing the grace with which she navigated everything—including making peace with the prosecutor on her case—was so inspiring. It even made me reflect on how I could extend an olive branch to people in my own life who have hurt me in far smaller ways.

Amanda - you are an incredible person and writer. Thank you for the courage to share even more of your story with us.

I am grateful to Amanda, the publisher and NetGalley for an advance copy, thank you.

Amanda Knox can write! Beautifully and skillfully done, this book takes us through her thoughts, reflections and hopes in the aftermath of her release from prison. Amanda is very generous in offering up the workings of her mind as she navigates the minefield of media intrusion and, inexplicably, even more legal troubles from Italy. She could have just hidden herself away once she finally made it home, but I'm glad she didn't. There is so much food for thought here, even for those who have never been the victim of injustice.

I liked the non-linear, essay-type format, and if I needed more of a timeline, there are other books for that. Why was I interested? To get into Amanda's brain, quite honestly. I've always wondered why exactly the Italian justice system was so against this girl, and what was her interpretation of that. I have my own theory as to why she was convicted, and some of that was borne out in the latter part of the book.

I've always believed wholeheartedly in Amanda's innocence, and I greatly admire her writing ability, but that does not necessarily mean I'm a fan. Take that for what you will. It may seem contradictory to admire a memoir written by someone you wouldn't necessarily connect with. But I think Amanda would understand, given how far she's come to find peace within herself and with others, and accepting that things can't always be perfect. This theme is elaborated on in the latter part of the book, the details of which will likely come as a surprise to most readers.

Excellent and highly recommended.

Amanda Knox is an incredible writer. She has such an incredible story to tell that is far beyond what the public has been fed, and I am so glad she is continuously to use her voice and speak the truth about her lived experiences. I appreciate that she allows us to see into her pain, recovery, the mundane, the hope, and the persistence. I hope she keeps writing.

Like everyone else, I was engrossed in the trial (and outcome) when it happened. Watching Amanda be portrayed as she was in the media - as a young girl myself - was so infuriating. This book is a fascinating look into not only that time, but what happens when the media storm is over and how we recover from trauma. Reading her talk about being infamous for something she did not do and had very little control over is interesting. I love that she gives a lot of grace to everyone involved - staying true to her narrative while giving space and weight to the emotional journey everyone else (from her mother to the prosecutor to Meredith's family) went on at that time and today. Acknowledging that there are many victims of this story and how that fact (wrongly) overshadows the biggest victim of all: Meredith. I was expecting something a little salacious and was pleasantly surprised to find out its not salacious at all, really, but a deep emotional look at crime and humanity and healing.

What a powerful story from a brave young woman. This is definitely worth reading although I liked some parts better than others. She is an imperfect narrator but that doesn't take away from the overall importance of the story.

Knox’s writing is sharp, intelligent, and surprisingly intimate. There’s no detached retelling here—she pulls readers into her thoughts, emotions, and struggles with a rare and refreshing honesty. The prose is direct but lyrical when it needs to be, making the emotional weight of her story land with full force. Themes of justice, identity, resilience, and media sensationalism run deep, forcing readers to confront the uncomfortable truth about how society treats women, trauma survivors, and those caught in the crosshairs of public scrutiny.

Because this is a memoir, “character development” is really about personal growth—and wow, does Knox deliver. She doesn’t just recount the past; she analyzes it, questions it, and examines how it shaped her. We see her go from a young woman trying to fit into the world’s expectations to someone who fully owns her narrative, scars and all. It’s inspiring without ever feeling self-congratulatory, which is a tough balance to strike.

The sheer emotional depth and introspection. Knox refuses to paint herself as a perfect victim or a martyr—she’s complicated, flawed, and fully human, which makes her story all the more compelling. The book also raises necessary questions about the justice system, media ethics, and the long-term psychological impact of being misrepresented on a global scale.

If you’re looking for a straightforward true crime retelling, this isn’t it. *Free* is less about the case itself and more about its aftermath, so those expecting a courtroom drama might be surprised. But honestly? That’s what makes it stand out.

For readers who love deeply personal memoirs like *Know My Name* by Chanel Miller or *Untamed* by Glennon Doyle, *Free* is a must-read. It’s a story of survival, self-reclamation, and what it truly means to be free. Thank you, NetGalley, for the early copy—I’ll be thinking about this one for a long time.

I had watched quite a few things on Amanda and thought I had known almost everything about her story. I did read the first book and really enjoyed that one. So I reviewed to read this book and I am glad that I did. It was a well written story and kept me interested.

This was a great memoir! I especially loved reading about her interactions with her prosecutor and how she processed that relationship.
Thank you NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for the ARC

I feel bad for amanda and i dont want to leave her a bad review.

I have wateched multiple documentaries and im familiar with the case. However this book was a struggle to read. It was just really boring and not my cup of tea. She uses big words that were perhaps above my reading level

Parts of this I really enjoyed and parts were harder. Amanda is a great writer and I really enjoyed her reflections on her life, trauma, and healing. I understand she felt she needed to do it for her own healing but the parts with her prosecutor were really really hard for me to read. Every cell in my body was screaming "NO! DON'T DO IT!!!" As a longtime believer in Amanda's innocence I am glad she's able to build a happy life for herself and find peace.

I was excited to read this memoir by Amanda Knox as I was looking forward to reading her story from her point of view, as everything I knew about her I had learned from the press over the years. In this memoir, Amanda details her ordeal of being confined in an Italian prison and how she tried her best to survive in the harsh environment. She also shares her story of trying to remain strong despite all she endured while awaiting trial in Italy.. The first few chapters I read captivated me and Amanda came across as being honest and genuine when sharing her story with us readers. However, I found the chapters of the story as well as the flow to be rather disjointed, which prevented me from wanting to finish the story. It is an interesting read all the same that shows just how resilient and determined an individual can be.

Thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley for the ARC. This is a well written memoir by Amanda Knox that focuses on her time in prison and what happened after. She discusses how to forgive and move on and how to live in society when everyone thinks you are guilty. It is well written and interesting, but at some points drags and feels repetitive. It is hard to rate memoirs, but this her life, and I do understand why she feels the way she feels.

When Amanda Knox was arrested, I was the same age, also from Seattle and doing my study aboard in South America, there was even a sixth degrees of separation of a person who was a friend of classmate situation. All that being said, at the time living such a parallel existence, it was terrifying to think such a fate could happen to any of us. I watched the story unfold year after year as a curious bystander and I’m sorry for that, I could have been an active bystander. Amanda’s 2nd novel is raw, vulnerable and brave and took courage. It was an amazing read. Thank you for writing it.

very insightful story! i now want to go back and read knox's first book, but i overall enjoyed this. there were times when i felt the tone wasn't quite hitting the mark for me, but i think a lot of people will really enjoy this. thank you to netgalley and the publisher for this earc!

Free felt very similar/repetitive to Amanda's first book Waiting to be Heard. I realize that the two books are dealing with the same topic so of course it's going to seem redundant in some areas. I just wasn't learning anything new about the experience. I hate that this happened to her and it's very unfortunate. I wouldn't wish this on my worst enemy. Nor can I imagine how she feels or what she deals with on a daily basis.

Most everyone knows who Amanda Knox is: She’s the American girl who spent four years in an Italian prison amidst an international media frenzy, accused (and convicted, later exonerated) of killing her British roommate. In FREE: MY SEARCH FOR MEANING, Knox describes how it felt to be incarcerated for a crime she didn’t commit. She also talks about how it feels to be vilified in the digital age and what it means for a woman to wear a red letter in today’s society.

Knox talks about forgiveness and kindness, two subjects that fascinate me. If Knox can look at the prosecutor who was, in large part, responsible for her vilification, and actually build a mutual respect/strange friendship with him, what are the possibilities for the rest of us, navigating through life with less severe traumas? What kind of a weight would this lift from our shoulders if we didn’t let others dictate our feelings of self worth and happiness?

I highlighted liberally while reading FREE. Knox is a strong, smart woman and I enjoyed this look into her life and her psyche. The book is succinct, impactful and definitely worth the read.

Thank you to NetGalley and publisher Grand Central Publishing for an early digital copy of FREE: MY SEARCH FOR MEANING in exchange for my honest feedback.