Bright Young Women by Jessica Knoll is an incredible read that really grabbed me from the start!

The story follows two amazing women who come together after a terrible crime, and it’s all about their fight for justice and their strength. I loved how real the characters felt and how the book kept me on the edge of my seat. It’s more than just a thriller – it’s about friendship and never giving up.

If you’re looking for a book that’s both exciting and meaningful, you’ve got to check this one out. Thank you Netgalley for the book!

June 2024 reread

Carl wrote about Denise like she was a human, and that was when I knew I could trust him. p122

This book was remarkable in the sense that it is about writing and the truth and how these two are ships in the night. Even while she acknowledges the shortcomings of writing to get at the truth, Knolls puts forward a brave and creative effort to tell the stories of murder victims whose truth has been lost to decades of sensationalism.

BRIGHT YOUNG WOMEN is a worthy project, even if I found the execution inaccessible. The narrative is heavily character driven, leaving the plot indistinguishable from all the character tension and conflict.

While my second reading didn't reveal any more about the plot, as I hoped it would, it did reveal more about the themes, which increased my enjoyment of the book a great deal. Knolls's treatment of metafiction is nuanced and thoughtful. How can we ever write the truth, she asks, even as she calls us to aim for the truth in our writing and our reading. I recommend this book for fans of true crime, character driven fiction, and metafiction.

On Saturday nights, we kept our doors open while we got ready. Girls went in one room wearing one thing and came out wearing something shorter. p4

Three (or more) things I loved:

1. I love Knoll's ability to write a really uncomfortable snatch of dialogue snd thereby create powerful negative dynamics between characters. “Sure,” Allen said in the same breath as his rough laugh. Was he saying sure to a ham sandwich? Or sure in the sarcastic sense, to the first thing I’d said? Grandmom needs my help right now. p126

2. Interesting themes in this one, like choosing empathy over honesty: It wasn’t like I had never been critical of someone, but I was used to seeing that person crumple in agony and realizing it just wasn’t worth it to be so honest. People were too easily destroyed. p134

3. Knolls includes in this book many interesting takes on identity, such as isentity as the result of place. Tina gave me her address, and I did a double take. I knew her house. I knew exactly who she was. p149


Three (or less) things I didn't love:

This section isn't only for criticisms. It's merely for items that I felt something for other than "love" or some interpretation thereof.

1. It's really hard to tell if this book is a novel or a memoir, and not in a good way: ...Tucker the F-cker had billed two counties to finance the abortion of his eighteen-year-old mistress—grossly hypocritical behavior coming from the elected official whose job it was to prosecute criminal violations of the law, the kind of shit you can’t make up, and I haven’t. p205

2. Publishers call this one "blisteringly paced" but I found it hectic, erratic. Combined with other technical issues, I just couldn't follow the narrative.

3. Two read-throughs and I'm still not sure what happens in this book, start to end.

Rating: 🔪🔪🔪🔪 / 5 dead sorority sisters
Recommend? Maybe
Finished: Jun 15 '24
Format: Digital copy, Kindle, Libby
Read this book if you like:
🩸 serial killer stories
👭🏽 young female protagonists
👥️ alternating POVs
⏳️ alternating timelines
🌈 the 70s
🕰 historical fiction

Thank you to netgalley for providing an e-galley for review. Bright Young Women is set in the heyday of the American serial killer and the serial killer profiler. In the 1970's there seemed to be one on every corner, with the police there to name them. Bright Young Women's killer is a mix of a few different of the more infamous of these people. But it's not about him, it's about the women left behind, who are trying to get justice in an unjustified world. How these women have to survive and go on with their lives. They find each other and bring about their own closure.

I really appreciated learning about the women's perspectives that encountered Ted Bundy. It gave me a new appreciation for the victims and all that women endured to get him convicted. Although I did find this book very literary heavy, I thought the audiobook was great and the narrator was perfect. I will regularly recommend this book for patrons at my library that like crime/mystery and historical fiction. I think it was very well done and accomplished it's aim.

Not for the faint of heart. The writing style can take some getting used to, but the premise is a fictionalized account of the Ted Bundy murders and it's incredibly fascinating.

To say that I loved this book would be strange. It was by no means an easy read. I had disturbing dreams after putting it down for the night. But what an important and justifying read. Ms. Knoll did her research on this one, that much is obvious. What is also obvious is just how much she wanted to bring "the defendant's" victims and their loved ones true justice. I believe she did just that, even more than his death sentence ever could. Bravo!

This was so good. If you like anything true crime this book is for you. I could not put this down. It’s 100% worth the read.

This was a great book! I very much enjoyed it and I look forward to reading the author’s next work! Thanks to NetGalley for the review copy.

Can't believe it took me so long to get to this brilliant novel. Perfect for lovers of true crime who wrestle with the ethics of how much attention is given to serial killers - this novel centers the victims and those left behind to pick up the pieces. Fantastically well written and well paced.

I really enjoyed this one from Jessica Knoll. Different from her other books but in a good way, Knoll captured the story of Ted Bundy's sorority house murders from the perspective of the women affected.

Thank you for allowing me to read this book. I enjoyed the characters and their arcs, and found the plot interesting. I look forward to reading more from this author.

When I started reading this book, I didn’t read a synopsis or anything about it. I love true crime so felt like I would really enjoy it based on recommendations from my friends. As I was reading I thought to myself, “wow this sounds a lot like Ted Bundy.” It wasn’t until about 75% through the book that I looked up a synopsis and found it was actually historical fiction about the sorority house attack by Ted Bundy that it finally clicked into place. There are many slow parts to this book and it wasn’t what I thought it was going to be- but it was well researched and executed. Pamela’s chapters seemed a bit choppy, but maybe that was her personality?

I was fortunate enough to receive and arc of this book and my true crime loving self was all over this! I love how the killer wasn’t referred to by name. He was only ever referred to as “The Defendant”. To me this gave him a more ominous appearance and dehumanized him in a way. It showed him to be the monster he truly was. It both took away and gave power to the killer and I think it was handled in the best way.
I loved how empowering this novel was for the women in it. Instead of glorifying the killer like a lot of telling do, it showed who the real heroes were. There were some slow moving parts that really got to me here and there and made it hard to really focus. It disrupted the pace of the story. But other than that I found this to be a solid read!

"Bright Young Women" by Jessica Knoll is a gripping and profoundly moving narrative that reimagines one of the darkest chapters in American criminal history through a lens that prioritizes the lives and legacies of the victims over the infamy of their assailant. Knoll masterfully weaves together the lives of two women, Pamela Schumacher and Tina Cannon, separated by thousands of miles yet connected by a shared tragedy, to tell a story of resilience, courage, and the unyielding pursuit of justice.

The novel begins with an air of unsuspecting innocence and excitement on the campus of Florida State University in January 1978, setting the stage for a chilling encounter with evil that alters the course of several lives. Pamela Schumacher's decision to stay home on a night filled with promise saves her life but plunges her into a nightmarish reality when she discovers a gruesome scene that will haunt her forever. This pivotal moment marks the beginning of a heart-wrenching journey for Pamela, one characterized by grief, determination, and the quest for answers.

Meanwhile, across the country in Seattle, Tina Cannon finds solace in a new friendship with Ruth Wachowsky, a young woman hiding painful secrets of her own. Their bond, formed from shared vulnerabilities and hopes, is shattered when Ruth disappears under mysterious circumstances. Tina's unwavering commitment to uncovering the truth about Ruth's fate leads her to Florida, where her path crosses with Pamela's in a confluence of sorrow, strength, and resolve.

Knoll's narrative is a compelling critique of the media's fascination with the so-called "All-American Sex Killer," challenging the mythologized version of a serial killer and redirecting the focus towards the vibrant lives he extinguished. The novel posits that these women, often relegated to the footnotes of a sensationalized story, were the truly exceptional figures, deserving of recognition and remembrance for their dreams, achievements, and potential.

"Bright Young Women" is more than just a fictional account inspired by real-life events; it is a powerful statement on the importance of storytelling in the fight against the erasure of victims' identities in the wake of sensational crime. Knoll's writing is evocative and empathetic, capturing the essence of the human spirit in the face of unimaginable adversity. The novel invites readers to look beyond the headlines and remember the individuals whose lives were irrevocably changed by violence, making it a significant and necessary addition to the genre of true crime-inspired fiction.

I really enjoyed this book! I learned a lot about the Ted Bundy story that I hadn't known before - what a creative approach to historical fiction. It inspired me to do some research on my own to become even more familiar with the story. It was well written and the characters were engaging. I look forward to more from this author!

This book was highly anticipated. It was a clear winner in its genre, and many readers loved it. This book is a slower-paced novel that falls under literary crime fiction. The author never mentions the serial killer by name, using only the actual names of the victims. The focus is on the women affected by the killer, highlighting victimhood and sisterhood. The book challenges the idea of the killer being a "terrific-looking" and "bright young man" by portraying him as an average person. The women in the story are portrayed as impressive, innovative, and exceptional. Overall, this book was put together well, and I can tell why so many people loved it.

Wow! This is much more than a "typical" mystery/crime/thriller focused on a serial killer. This book has so much to say how women and men are viewed and how they relate to one another, law enforcement and how they do (or don't do) their work, and ultimately society as a whole. This is a horrific story told by a talented writer who captures all of the unexplainable, unexpected emotions and responses when a tragedy occurs. The main character Pam is not always easy to understand, but my goodness, we all need a friend like this in our lives. Thank you NetGalley and publishers for providing a digital ARC for review.

I love Jessica's previous books. This one was ok. I enjoyed the back story and the nod to the true life crime that took place in the 70s by Ted Bundy. The character inspired by him in the book was just as charming and evil as the real Ted Bundy was.

Going back in forth in the timeline though was a little confusing to me in terms of following the story. I feel like it might have been easier to do a "Then/Now style of a book. Which may have made it a little more enjoyable. It was still a quick read for me.

Thank you #Netgalley

Another great read from Jessica Knoll! In this read we follow a sorority house in Florida that experiences an unimaginable tragedy. The president of that sorority feels obliged to track down the killer and will not stop until she has answers. During this journey she units with another woman who has more in common with her than she realizes that they eventually partner up to solve this mystery. The content is disturbing at times, it is not a light read, but it is very well done!

BRIGHT YOUNG WOMEN!
Yes this book was SO GOOD! Luckiest Girl Alive was great and so was this one. These are really difficult stories to tell but the author does so in such a great way that is gripping and painful and that stays with you forever after you have finished them
This one is no different!