Though this book moves pretty quickly, I often found it confusing. I liked the storyline and found it very interesting, but it felt as if it jumped around; as if before one thought was finished we were jumping to another.

First, my thanks to Netgalley for sharing the ARC in exchange for an honest review. My feelings on this novel are mixed. For, despite having an idea of what I was in for, I still expected it to be more of a mystery (or at least have a mysterious vibe.) It doesn't. Instead, it is simply a collection of voices, some who knew the victim and some who didn't, whose lives are impacted by her death to varying degrees. It's an interesting concept as well as pretty effective. However, perhaps as a result of so many voices, each individual character remained relatively flat and neither meaningful nor empathetic -- including the victim -- which is rather tragic and disconcerting on the part of the reader. I believe I would have enjoyed it more with a few less characters and a deeper glimpse into the life of the murder victim. It would also be a good documentary.

My advice to readers: don't read the blurbs. Don't read the comparisons (It's Gone Girl, it's The Girl on the Train, or whatever). It's not a thriller (we know whodunit). It's not a mystery.

But it IS a great drama. Told in multiple POVs and flashing back to the pasts of both Blake (the murderer) and Sara (the murdered college student), we see how this one incident affected so many people and in so many ways.

While the kindle version I had was a bit confusing (I couldn't always tell who was narrating or if there was a narrator), I allowed it all to flow over me like a stream. Here was one story, there was another. Here was a bit of anger, there a bit of sadness. I kept coming back to read it night after night so it definitely kept my interest. I would also say it wasn't exactly a story (no beginning, middle, end) but I think that circularity worked: life is not a straight line.

Thanks to Netgalley for the arc to review.

Nothing Can Hurt You: Nicola Maye Goldberg
Release date: June 23rd,202o
Publisher: Bloomsbury

Propulsive, jumpy, and grotesque; a haunting debut novel inspired by true events.
Summary:
In 1997, Sara Morgan, student at a liberal arts college in New York, was found dead in the woods outside of campus. Her throat had been slit to her vertebrae by her boyfriend, who then plead guilty under the guise of temporary insanity.
After only getting minor punishments in the grand scheme of things, this case impacts a surprising network of community members. This book weaves together the stories of the young woman who found Sara’s body, the junior reporter who senses a connection to John Logan, the local serial killer, Sara’s half sister, and a kid Sara used to babysit, who now writes John Logan in prison.
This book is definitely a social commentary on how gendered violence is not as much as an anomaly as society would like to think it is. Nicola Maye Goldberg does attempt to paint a holistic view of who and how people were impacted by her murder.
My thoughts:
So. It is a very fast read. However, I was hoping for the plot twist/climax that never came. I actually found this book to be a bit confusing and most of all frustrating, but there really was some major enticement because I finished the book in one day. I think the problem was how quickly Goldberg rotated the characters, I was struggling to make sense of it all. Seems like the multiple POV was a grear idea and how the plot progressed, but could have been executed more seamlessly. Also, I really had an issue with the ending. The ending kinda just happened, like all the sudden you were to run into a door. And I had kept reading because I figured some giant climatic element would come to play to wrap everything up neatly in a bow at the end, I had high expectations, and when it didn’t, I was let down even further.
Regardless of the flaws I did find with this novel, I found it a very entertaining, quick read. One that had ton of potential.
Along with posting on Net Galley, I will be posting my review to Goodreads, Amazon (when it becomes available), my Instagram (which has over a two thousand book review followers) and my blog. Please find the link to my blog post below. I am very grateful for the opportunity to review such a raw and gritty thriller. All opinions and thoughts are my own. Thank you very much.

Sincerely,

Chanel Johnson, If You Can Read This

Link to Blog Post: https://ifyoucanreadthisdotblog.wordpress.com
Link to Instagram Post: https://www.instagram.com/ifyoucan_read_this/
Link to Goodreads Post: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/112342382-chanel-johnson

This debut novel is fiction based on the true crime genre. What Nicole Maya Goldberg does with the material however, is very original. Although many authors write from different characters' points of view, what Goldberg does is different in that the entire narrative shifts from different time periods and perspectives throughout the book. The characters discussed are so varied and distinctive - many requiring a lot of imagination. The original crime ties the different narratives together but each perspective is unique and sometimes unexpected (including one sequence of letters, from a young girl to a mass murderer). Dialogue is heavily relied on in this novel but moves the narrative along and I found it convincing. This was an interesting and page-turning read.

I started this book with high hopes. Alas, I didn’t enjoy it much. It changed characters every other page and ended so abruptly I thought it couldn’t be the end. An entirely different book at the beginning. Maybe it was just mr, but I had a very hard time following this book. Thanks to NetGalley for allowing me an early arc but it just wasn’t for me.

Interesting. A murder told from many different points of view. Unfortunately, just when you (the reader) find yourself really liking a character or understanding them, bam, on to the next. It's a good book though, very well written. The ending is a bit disappointing, lacking closure of any sort. However, the book is creative, and fascinating, and moves right along. Appreciate the opportunity.

This is actually more of a collection of short stories, all revolving, in one way or another, around the killing of a college girl by her boyfriend.
Each “chapter” focused on a different character; some dealing directly with the aftermath of the killing, such as the murdered girl’s sister trying to come to terms with the loss, and some more peripherally, like the unhappy housewife who stumbles across a body.
The stories were well-written and compelling, but then they’d end and for most of the characters, they wouldn’t be seen or heard from again.
And that’s really my only issue with this book and why I generally avoid short story collections - I get sucked into individuals stories but then I’m left hanging and wanting more.
Thanks to #netgalley and #bloomsburypublishing for this ARC of #nothingcanhurtyou.

This is the story of a small town murder and the many different people who are affected by it. The story is told in several different points of view. never the same person twice. It touches on our fascination with death and the macabre and at times reads like a true crime novel.

I really wanted to love this book. I requested it immediately after reading the synopsis and then crossed my fingers in hope and anticipation. I was approved and couldn't wait to get to it on my TBR, I read it very quickly as the writing was simple and the story seemed to flow from one point of view to the next. However the ending felt very abrupt and left a lot to be desired in my opinion. I think sometimes books are supposed to leave us with a lot of questions but in a satisfying and reflective sort of way. This one just missed the mark for me. However, if you are looking for a palate cleanser this is a very quick read that should do the trick.

I loved the premise of this book. It really has some great characters and great ‘start up’ stories. Some really cool and creepy tidbits.
There were multiple POVs in this book that tied the story together.
Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

<u> Nothing Can Hurt You </u> by Nicola Maye Goldberg peaked my interest because it was inspired by a true crime story. It was about the death of college student, Sara Morgan and her boyfriend, Blake Campbell who confessed to her murder. He was convicted, but never went to jail because he plead out by reason of insanity. Blake had schizophrenia and had been off his medications at the time of the murder. The book explores relationships that Sara and Blake had with friends, families, as well as what Blake's life was like after the murder.

Unfortunately, this book missed the mark for me. It was jumpy and disjointed. Most of the time I could not figure out who the author was talking about or where the story line was going. I wanted to stop reading several times, but decided to keep going hoping it would get better, but it did not. There were way too many characters for me to keep up with and multiple POVs. The ending was disappointing.

This book publishes June 23, 2020.

Thank you to NetGalley, Bloomsbury Publishing and Nicola Maye Goldbery for the eGalley in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 stars

Quirky, jumpy, and not always sure where I was or who I was reading about, was how I initially felt about this story. However, I didn't give up and felt it had quite a different look into the death of a young college girl.

It took me a bit to get into the story for all the aforementioned reasons, but when I did it felt like the ripples ones sees in the water after you throw a pebble into it. The death of one like the butterfly's beat of its wings affects many, leaves some forever changed, and allows others to continue with life that is altered and adjusted.

Sara Morgan killed by her boyfriend, Blake, in a psychotic episode, leaves a hole in many people's lives. From the person who discovered her body to Sara's half sister, we learn about what enters and seems to find residence in their thoughts and minds. The boyfriend, Blake, after a stint in a mental institution is freed and goes onto live a life that was denied to Sara. He does become a focus in the life of two of the characters and there is also a tie in to a serial killer named John Logan.

Confusing at times, frustrating as well, but somehow there was a thread of an allure to this new author's story.
Thank you to Nicola Maye Goldberg, Bloomsbury Publishing, and NetGalley for a copy of this story due out June 23, 2020

I received an ARC of this novel from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I loved the book and the way the characters come together. The ending was not satisfying as there wasn't a real conclusion, however.

In 1997, student Sarah Morgan was founded murdered in the woods near her college campus. Her boyfriend Blake Campbell, a man with a history of schizophrenia and drug use, was ultimately apprehended and deemed not guilty due to temporary insanity. Inspired by true events, this book follows the people left in the aftermath of this court ruling, including: The woman who found Sarah’s body, Blake’s old college roommate, Sara’s half-sister, etc. This book aims to address gender based violence head off, and the ripple effect that can result from such an event.

All in all, this was the definition of a 2-star read for me. There was so much potential here, but the characters and plot just fell flat for me. I’m not really sure what genre this book would be classified under. It doesn’t feel like a mystery/thriller, considering the story starts off after Sarah’s death and Blake’s verdict. Dark contemporary maybe? I don’t know. This was hard for me to get through, and not because of the implied dark content. There were way too many shifting perspectives, and as a result none of the characters felt fully actualized/developed. What we did get were very brief glimpses into the lives of people who were somehow (even loosely) connected to Sarah or Blake. The sections would switch between 1st & 3rd person without reason, which took me more than 80% of the book to actually get the hang of. Instead, I really wish the author had zoned in on just 2-3 characters and allowed those narratives to be the driving force of the plot. For example, I would have loved to read more about Luna’s journey seeking justice on behalf of Sarah (which was also a subplot included in the book’s summary). But we didn’t even really get that? The part where Luna accepts a nanny job in Blake’s house lasts just a few pages with no real payoff. I just wanted a lot more from it. I also don’t really what the author was trying to accomplish with certain characters, as most ended with a very anticlimactic/lackluster finish.

Regardless of the many flaws I had with this, I did find it to be an entertaining read and finished it within 48 hours. This had a ton of potential, and I would definitely read more from this author in the future!

3.5/5

This feels like a complicated review to write. There are so many points of view given, and the narration jumps around quite a bit both in voice and date in the storyline.

We know the basics - we know who died, and how she died. I initially came into this book thinking I was going to be reading a standard thriller/mystery, but this book feels deeper than that. As a reader, you get a much more detailed storyline with so many perspectives - from the ill woman who discovers the body, to the sister of the murderer.

Overall, very interesting read. Slower paced, but I think that was necessary for the story and character development.

Thanks to Bloomsbury Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC!

Nothing Can Hurt You is a line written by Louise Gluck in "A Myth of Devotion". I thought the few lines in the epigraph were interesting and realized after reading the book it actually described what was to come. Themes of love and death run throughout the book. The book is well written but is a bit confusing as the story does not progress in a linear fashion. It was necessary for me to take notes and try to figure out how the different characters were connected. The ending came too quickly and left me feeling like I missed something.

I received an Advanced Reader's Copy from Bloomsbury Publishing through NetGalley. The opinions expressed are entirely my own.

This book differed from many books of the same genre in two important respects. First of all, a variety of character perspectives are showcased. No perspective is returned to twice, although common characters appear at various times throughout. The array of characters' mindsets kept the pages turning for me (although I really did not enjoy the perspective of the reporter, which comes at the beginning of the book). Another unusual aspect about this book is that the details of certain events remain ambiguous through the book's ending. In fact, I can think of one minor mystery that goes unsolved. Also, the progression through so many character's mindsets and personal situations necessarily leaves myriad little threads hanging. I think the novelty of this approach makes up for any unanswered questions, but some readers may find the lack of resolution of all loose ends -- or indeed the focus on character rather than steady development of a play -- frustrating. I thank the publisher for giving me access to this book via NetGalley. Please be advised this review will be posted on Goodreads and LibraryThing.

So the book I currently haven't quite finished is called Nothing Can Hurt You, by Nicola Maye Goldberg. I was expecting a straight-up standard thriller or mystery--you've got a murdered girl in the woods outside a small college town and her loving boyfriend, high on LSD and mood stabilizers. Is it open and shut but-we-were-wrong? Is it going to be a courtroom drama, where the clever defense attorney will put the police to the test? Will the other serial killer arrested just a few weeks before in the same town be related?

Whatever I thought I was getting, this is not it. This whole novel is a series of vignettes, barely interconnected, all about people tangential to the events. It's very well written, and I'm enjoying it a lot, but it's such a strange beast of a book that I am having trouble imagining its market.

The book opens introducing a woman who moved to the small town because of a strange medical condition, whose marriage is on the rocks. We follow her through entertaining her husband's coworker, a fight with her husband, an angry walk in the woods--when she finds a body--Sara's.

Next we meet a totally different character a thousand miles away. We get to know her in rehab, and why she's there, and about her life and personality. We get a little invested in her rehab, and are concerned about the crush she develops on a fellow patient, who is rumored to have killed his girlfriend. Which he admits to; he was high on LSD.

And then we jump forward. We flash around, meeting the dead girl's half-sister, who barely remembers her, 15 years later. A reporter covering the murder trial, whose section is mostly about her fraught relationship with her mother. A teenager who Sara used to babysit for, whose lonely high school life leads her, in a sideways fashion, to a correspondence to the other murderer who was active in the town at that time. The guilty boyfriend's nanny, many years later when he has children of his own.

There's no mystery here; we know who did what and when. We even know why, because mental illness and contraindicated drugs leave it pretty obvious. We're not angry, necessarily, but we are maybe as befuddled as all these people who are trying to make sense of a world that has such a horrible crime in it.

I liked this book very much--which is impressive for a book that is carried so heavily on its writing. Each section is a really thoughtful dive into a character, sympathetic and clear-eyed. There are no bad guys here; everyone's doing their best, although some of their bests aren't very good.

But it's so far from what I expected when I picked it up, and from what I think most people expect when they look at a book about a murdered girl in a small town, I worry that it'll have a hard time finding its audience. This is a book for people who know that a murder like this isn't something that disappears after the show ends in an hour--it changes everyone around it, in every kind of way, for the rest of their lives.

Thank you to Netgalley for a review copy of this book.

Nicola Maye Goldberg has written a solid and engrossing page turner of a read with Nothing Can Hurt You! Well worth your time.

Nothing Can Hurt You piqued my interest enough to continue reading. I enjoyed the character development but it felt a little rushed. I wasn't a fan of the ending. Overall, I'd say it was a decent book.