I have loved this author's other books but this one just isn't as good. I love the cultural diversity and family in her other ones. but this one reminds me of Colleen Hoover's writing, which coming from me is not a compliment.

This is another twisty tale of a toxic friendship between two women, both more than a little unhinged and neither of them sympathetic or totally believable. The author already has a following, and those people will love this new book, but I'm burned out on this type of story, so it wasn't for me. I appreciate the opportunity to try it..

The best time of Jane’s life happened when she scrimped and saved to attend a Master’s program in creative writing at Pemberton College at Oxford University. The first person she meets is Thalia, who is everything that Jane is not. The other people who play a pivotal role in the story is Ani and her brother Ivan. Two people who Jane loathed because she wants Tallia’s undivided attention.
Well, this was a twisty one. Told from multiple perspectives in the now, the past, and the time these women spent at Oxford. I found it to be a little slow in the beginning, but around the 50% mark it just took off like a rocket. I was suddenly questioning everything I believed, and as the chapters flew by, I discovered that there was much more going on here than I realized.
It seemed like a fairly straightforward story about an insecure woman, Jane, who will do anything to make sure that the beautiful Thalia who everyone loves, will belong to Jane and Jane alone. She does something that ends in a terrible tragedy, and her time with Thalia in her life comes to an abrupt end.
I don’t want to give too much away, but the story is told in three timelines. Present day Jane, past Jane during her time at Oxford, and also the distant past. I was sure I knew where this plot was going, until I realized I made too many incorrect assumptions.
I just flew through the chapters, needing to know what was really going on with these women. When I finished this book, I realized how seriously twisted some of these characters were.
Hello, perfect beach read!

I’m going to keep this real short because simply put, this book was . . . . not good.

If you’re looking for a brainless “thriller” this summer, then maybe (?????) add this to your TBR, but for real don’t ever attach my name to the recommendation. I’m Not Done With You Yet was the basic bitch of fatal female friendship stories. There’s a little obsession, there’s a wibbly wobbly timeline, there’s (not even kidding) 34 mentions of being a sociopath, but there’s oh so very little plot and even when the narrator changes the voice was so similar I had to backtrack and see that I was indeed reading from a different perspective.

Good news is, Jesse Q. Sutano has already written about obsession (literally – the title is The Obsession) and it was a pretty decent YA approach to a story like You. Even better news is you can skip her additions to the thriller genre altogether and go on one of her zany murder mysteries instead because both Vera Wang and The Aunties are laugh-out-loud funny.

This one leaves itself open for a sequel, but please god no.

Book enthusiasts love to read books about writers! This title takes you on bit of a wild ride as our narrator attempts to reconnect with a friend from the past. Very different from Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice For Murderers, this spooky thriller is a sure bet for a fast and enjoyable read.

This gave me Single White Female met You vibes.

Jane is a self diagnosed sociopath. She's also a middling author, living in a disillusioned marriage, unable to reach the level of powerful writing she attained when at Oxford, in another writing program attendee's, Thalia, orbit. After Oxford, Jane has lost contact with Thalia and after receiving an email about Thalia's new book and her upcoming appearance at a publishing event, Jane decides to go, regardless of the fact that she has no invitation, nothing to get her there or see her through once she goes. Obsessed with Thalia, Jane has no desire to let her get away again.

Engaging from the start, this one kept my attention despite the repetition in much of the story.

Repetition aside, it kept me turning the pages.

But… I found the ending far too neat and far too unsatisfying. This was an unhappy example of 'what I was expecting' versus 'what I got'.

I'm rating this one at three stars - I did enjoy it but for the ending.

This was my first novel by the author and I do plan on reading more of her work.


Thank you to Berkley and NetGalley for the DRC!

I loved Jesse Q Sutanto's YA thrillers, but this is a step above. Jane is a bitter, unlikeable, and unreliable narrator as she hunts down Thalia for her own ends. Between the constant twists and turns and the flashbacks to the Oxford MFA program, it's truly unputdownable. It's simultaneously spooky, sapphic, and suspenseful. While I predicted a fair number of the twists, I didn't see the big one coming (and I looooooooved it). It truly goes to show the power of perception and stretches the limits of the thriller genre. I'd recommend this to fans of If We Were Villains and The Secret History (or people who wanted to read those but found lit fic super intimidating).

*Thank you to Berkley and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review*

Thanks to Berkely and NetGalley for providing a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

At first, I was psyched: a book about a sociopath who's obsessed with her female classmate! It sounded like something I could get my teeth into. But it doesn't really take off, veering between 9 years ago and current day. Jane is the aforementioned sociopath, and Thalia is the object of her obsession as they both start a grad program in Cambridge. But she's really only focused on how Thalia looks, there's very little interest in Thalia the person, other than she's "magnetic," and a good writer who somehow inspires Jane to be a better writer. Several references are made to "that night," so you know something awful happened at school.

In the present day, Jane is unhappy in her meager little life as a not very successful lit fic author. She gets wind of Thalia having published a suspense novel about a toxic friendship that's a bestseller, with the publisher having pushed the boat out for the marketing. Jane is by turns jealous and then re-obsessed, as Thalia is going to be leading a panel at SusPens Con, a NY based convention for suspense writers. She decides she HAS TO go and see Thalia, even though it means flying across the country for a trip she cannot afford, and lying to her hapless husband, Ted, who insists on tagging along.

What follows is believable enough, until we get to a chapter told from Thalia's point of view, then the narrative flies out the window. For another author, this would be enough for me to quit, but Sutanto is a gifted writer and I wanted to see it through while I drove through the plot holes in my truck, lol. JK, there weren't really many holes, I just could not suspend my disbelief is all.

Solidly entertaining, not very believable.

A darker, twistier Sutanto! Loved the writer nemesis plotline and the slow reveals of this one. I'm a sucker for MFA culture examinations, and Sutanto's peek into complex female relationships in a grad program and beyond hit well for me. I was thoroughly invested in the voices here. The husband relationship felt a bit pat at times, but the voice and pacing here were excellent.

I wish I had liked any of the characters in this book. I could not sympathize with any of them in their lots in life. The protagonist was a woman so insecure in herself, horrible in her relationships, especially with her husband, I could not summon one ounce of reality in her. The antagonist was equally horrible in her personality, but also unrealistic to me.
I imagine that this book will find readers because the author is established and well regarded. I am afraid I will not be recommending it.

I’m a huge fan of Jesse’s books and I would love to interview her on my podcast, Raise Your Words. This particular book is a lot darker than her other ones but I really loved the plot twist in it.

I think this author could write a science textbook and I would read it cover to cover and ask for more! She is so versatile with her writing. It is amazing. This book has three different storylines that it moves through. It took me a while to catch something about the one storyline (and I ended up being right about it). The characters weren't exactly nice or lovable, but the story keep me interested in knowing what happened. Ready for her next book in whatever genre she decides to write!

I love Jesse Sutanto and this was a crazy switch from her other titles. The beginning started slow and about 30% in, I was unsure if I was going to be able to finish it. That was when the action started and all of a sudden I look up and I'm around 70%. I enjoyed the story even tho it is difficult for me to continue to read when I dislike the main character. Its got fun twists and turns and I will recommend this in the future. Cant wait to see what Jesse Sutanto does next!

Heart pounding thriller that left me on the edge of my seat. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this one. Definitely one of the best books this year.

Jane is obsessed with Thalia, Thalia and Ani are friends, all three of them have a shared history in grad school at Oxford that ends up with a dead body and now years later Jane is determined to get back in touch with Thalia... but there are deadly consequences for all three women. Jane is a self diagnosed sociopath with a severe obsession with Thalia, a beautiful girl who was nice to her once on a bus.... think along the lines of Joe from YOU. Jane latches onto Thalia, but then Thalia becomes friends with Ani, another rich student in their program. Jane hates Ani, but somehow all three become “friends” things all change when Ani’s brother is introduced... and the “incident” happens and thus ends the three girls friendship. Nine years later, Jane is now unhappily married and has lost complete touch with Thalia. Thalia seemingly disappeared yet one day she gets an email with talking about Thalia’s new upcoming book.... inspired by their friendship and Jane knows its a sign that she has to do whatever it takes to be with Thalia again. But being with Thalia again means that more bodies will drop and that Ani is also still included... yet between these three women who truly is the sociopath and what kind of toxic friendship is there? This book gave me such strong YOU vibes with the complete fixation on someone, the manipulation and obsession, and the fact that the love interests and those around them could also be sociopaths. The overall relationship between Jane and Thalia was okay, and the whole plot twist and reveal was fine, I guess I was just hoping for more and I honestly hate to say this but I felt like all three of them were just so.... dumb sometimes like come on. That’s just how I felt, but if you like books similar to YOU and twisted relationships and obsessions, give this one a go maybe you’ll have a better time with it than I did.

*Thanks Netgalley and Berkley Publishing Group, Berkley for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

Find yourself an author like Jesse Q. Sutanto who can write everything from cozy murder mystery, to YA romance, to… psychological suspense/ thriller with sociopaths. This is her adult thriller debut and it was clever, juicy, and had some morally grey characters and anti-heroes within it!

This book follows Jane, a struggling writer, and her reconnection with an old friend from the year she studied abroad at Oxford, Thalia. The two were super close that year until one night ruined everything and Jane hasn’t heard from Thalia since. Now, Thalia has written a book that has become a bestseller and it seems to mirror much of their friendship. With Thalia resurfacing, Jane is determined to figure out what happened between them and why everything went downhill so quickly, but in the process uncovers some dark truths…

If you like books with toxic female friendships, manipulation, obsession, and a campus setting, this book checks those boxes! The story is told from present day and the past during that Oxford year. Jane was a very complex character and in many ways, it was difficult to like her as a narrator, but her voice did keep things entertaining particularly from a psychological standpoint.

There was tons of twists and turns in this story that kept me intrigued. You also just couldn’t predict what somebody’s motive or next move was and I loved all the surprise secrets that were slowly revealed!

As for the ending, I’m still torn on how I liked it. It might make you angry, or you might love it, but one thing is for certain and its that it’ll leave you thinking about Jane’s choice!

There were also discussions in this book about both mental illness and sociopathy and it was done in a way where it made you think twice.

Thanks, NetGalley for the ARC!

I enjoyed this book and was super interested in the first 25% and then I felt there was a lag in the storyline and Jane obsessing over Thalia after almost ten years of not seeing one another seemed a bit much. It had a lot of similarities to the series You, which is what had me hooked at first. Jane gave off creepy vibes like Joe Goldberg but her obsession didn't feel like it was pushing the storyline forward. I will say right at 60% it picked back up and I couldn't put it down. The twist was not the one I saw coming; it was an excellent finish.

A struggling midlist writer whose novels barely command four figures, she feels trapped in an underwhelming marriage, just scraping by to pay a crippling Bay Area mortgage for a house--a life--she's never really wanted.

There's only ever been one person she cared about who truly understood her: Thalia. Jane's best and only friend nearly a decade ago during their Creative Writing days at Oxford. But then one night ruined everything. The blood-soaked night that should have bound Thalia to Jane forever but instead made her lose her completely. Thalia disappeared without a trace, and Jane has been unable to find her since.

Because there she is, her name at the top of the New York Times bestseller list. When she discovers a post from Thalia on her website about attending a book convention in New York City in a week--

She'll go to New York City, too, credit card bill be damned. And this time, she will do things right. Jane won't lose Thalia again.

I’m not done with you yet
Jesse q. Sutanto
Berkley
Pub Date August 22, 2023
Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion,
I just didn’t click with the voice of this author. It was difficult to make myself read it, sadly.
3 stars

This was a solid foray into the thriller genre, but wasn't blown away. The characters in the past should have been aged up a bit to be more realistic. The reveals made sense but weren't particularly surprising. I love when you don't want to root for any of the characters, but all three MCs had voices that were too similar and didn't have enough qualities/motivations to make you side with them even a little. It also seemed a little unrealistic that literally everyone fell Thalia's spell, and so easily. However, I did like the bouncing back and forth in the timeline, I REALLY liked the ending, and I liked bringing in the third MC to add another perspective to the story.

I desperately tried with this one. I returned to it multiple times to try and finish, but I just couldn’t. It’s another one of those books that tries to describe antipathy or ambivalence with repetition, with the descriptors “I know I should be feeling (this way) because normal people would feel (this way) but I don’t because I’m DiFfErEnT, and thus I just pretend!” Over and over and over again, forever. This book does not showing, only telling.