Enjoyed this one! I can't believe this was a debut novel. Looking forward to reading more of their work.

Complex and eerie, this book was a wild ride. I loved the atmosphere, the feeling of panic in every sentence, a pure thriller. There were many twists and turns, and while some of them felt slightly contrived, overall, I was all-in on this mystery to find out the truth.

3.5-4 stars: Charlie survived an event that the papers called Scarlett Christmas during graduate school. Three people died during the tragedy. Charlie’s is now the editor in chief for C magazine, and the ten year anniversary is looming. Stephanie, the twin of one of the victims, has launched a production company and plans to make a film about the events. Charlie is dealing with the foggy events of the night in therapy while planning her wedding. We get flashbacks of the tragedy, but as I mentioned, Charlie’s memory was very foggy. While I enjoyed the narrative and the minor twists, I felt like the tragedy could have been more fleshed out. It still is a little confusing to me exactly what happened and why one of the victims died… Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

the first few chapters end with charlie saying "i won't [let this happen again]" only for her to do nothing about it. lots of talk around it, which i understand gives time for the actual secrets and truth to unfold in a timely and satisfying manner, the thing is, her voice could only entertain me too much, which in this case, is not enough at all.

for graduates students, some of the dialogue - especially that coming from the confirmed deceased - follow the intonations of a teenage valley girl. and not even in the adult teenage girl sense. as in, i'm turned off by how unnatural and unrealistic the words coming out of their mouths (and charlie's thoughts) sound.

i don't have any strong feelings regarding the show vs tell aspect of storytelling. both have it's risks and rewards and it always depends on how an author uses them - hence my neutrality. but i don't think the breadcrumbs are laid out in a way that makes me want to be curious in nature. i'm not neutral about the matter or what questions the last paragraph obviously wants me to ask, but i also don't care enough to ask in the first place. and that, it feels like, is even worse.

This was a wild ride and it kept me impatiently reading to get those gaps filled in Charlotte's memory. What happened the day of the Scarlet Christmas massacre, when she was escorted out,, covered in blood, yet miraculously unharmed?

I found the concept of media and crime reporting impacting a victim very fascinating. I watch the YouTube channels and I read forums of popular cases and it's so easy to forget they were real people and that a victim is constantly reminded of that day, forced to live it over and over, in the online age.

You could feel this tension building for Charlotte and feel it come forward. It was like watching a storm build to violent intensity.

I just wish the last bit of the curtain was lifted on the event itself, as the last 15% or so of the novel was a tad confusing. There's a character that is heavily mentioned but not clearly explained at the end. I would have loved to have gotten more detail on those final moments. It was a 5 star book until that point.

But I haven't encountered a page turner like this in a long time, where I was sneaking my Kindle open every morning, every lunch break, every evening to just find out more.

I would very much like to thank the Publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this. What a great time!

This book completely caught me off guard! It was thrilling and the pacing was done very well. The book took a few chapters to get into to set things up, but then it was smooth sailing! A horrific event happened to Charlie nine years ago while she was in college. Now with the 10th anniversary looming, someone from her past is making a film about it. The thing is, she's not quite sure that she told the police the truth. What will happen if the truth comes out...what actually is the truth?

Absolutely enjoyed this book! There were lots of different twists that I did not see coming. I thought Charlie's relationships with her family and fiance were written very well. I really enjoyed jumping between the past and present. I like that the author lets you know when it is the past and present as that is not always a given. This story shows a good narrative of blocked/repressed memory. Charlie cannot remember all of the pieces of the terrible event, it's as if she blacked out. I found the therapy scenes to be realistic as her therapist kept telling her she needed to take time to fully deal with things as Charlie was trying to rush things. Overall, this was a very interesting thriller!

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for the eArc in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martins Press for an eARC to read and review-

Told from Charlie, the main characters POV and dual timelines of then and now, I was hooked from the beginning of this debut! There was quite a few characters I had trouble keeping track of, but the twists and reveals throughout kept me wanting more.

I feel as though the story was built up so much and the ending kind of fell flat for me as I had more questions and felt there was some loose ends with some unresolved plot lines.

Overall this is such a great debut and I’m looking forward to what comes next from Hollander!

This was the perfect thriller to read for a summer break day. I loved that you were never a hundred percent sure who to trust and that friendships were so valued.

(3.5 / 5.0) Everyone Who Can Forgive Me Is Dead by Jenny Hollander was an engaging read with dual-timeline drama with a group of school friends. They experienced a nightmare event that took the lives of multiple students, and the story focuses on one woman, Charlie, in the present-day as she tries to piece together what happened in the past.

“Elite” settings are hit or miss for me, and I had a hard time connecting with the characters at times, but the mystery in this one took the lead and kept me reading. The dual timeline worked, and the unreliable narrator memories were just enough to create questions but keep you invested. It’s a solid campus mystery and even though I could see the twist coming, I had fun reading it.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press / Minotaur and NetGalley for the advanced, gifted copy – I appreciate you!

I like any book that is centered around an event that ends up with a media nickname (even if it is fiction) like 'Scarlet Christmas'. I always wonder about the aftermath of these stories when they are real and in the news so I'm drawn to fictional accounts of similar stories. What would it be like to have no memories of a horrible event and then find out there is going to be a movie made of it? I really enjoyed the fast faced spiral into Charlie's story.

Thrillers are always such a hit or miss with me. Whenever I’m reading one, I always ask myself, “why don’t I read thrillers more?” because I always have a wild experience. But even though I fly through them super quickly, it usually tends to be more frustrating than enjoyable.

“I don’t need sleep, I need answers” is my thriller motto. I zoomed through this in one sitting but after having finished, I’m just annoyed. All that buildup just felt so unsatisfying. Every character pissed me off at some point, and so many plot points were just resolved in unthinkable ways. I just question so many different choices made throughout this book, I can hardly articulate them.

Overall, I WAS invested in the plot, if only to get answers. So I’ll give this a 2.5!

This gave me BIG Luckiest Girl Alive vibes- but better since I didn’t love that one. Overall, I enjoyed this and would recommend. It kept me on my toes, and eagerly flipping the pages to find out what happened. I do think it all wrapped up a littttle too nicely but I enjoyed nonetheless.
Thanks so much for sending me this galley!

Thank you NetGalley for the eARC of this novel!

Flashbacks of graduate school and current day journalism rockstars? Sign me up! With an on slot of characters, a mystery is afoot. Trying to shed a her old image, Charlie is a well established editor that is not looking for her career to crash due to a lie told in her post-bachelor academic journey. Due to her past blackouts and fuzzy remembrance of a school massacre, Charlie believes her involvement was not truly investigated and an upcoming movie is to expose her. For those looking for a novel similar to “In My Dreams I Hold A Knife”, only this one is better!

I found a lot to like about this story, from the mystery to the chapters, to the self exploration it was an easy and fun read. As a debut novel there is a lot of strength and I will be looking for more of this author in the future!

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of Everyone Who Can Forgive Me Is Dead.

Charlie Colbert is living the life; she's got a super rich fiance who loves her, and a high powered job at a major magazine, But, almost 10 years ago, she was a very different person.

One of the sole survivors of a murder spree that occurred on the campus of her hoity-toity journalism school, Charlie has spent years on therapy, meds, and booze to change her life and forget her past.

But, when the a former classmate is intent on channeling the events of that nightmarish night into a hot new film, Charlie will do anything to protect her life and her family, even commit murder.

For a decent, though not original premise, the narrative lacked suspense and urgency, and very little drama.

This is more about Charlie, her POV as an unreliable narrator, how a person processes grief and sorrow, and how it shapes, twists, and changes your life, mind, and perception.

There are some twists, if you can call it that. I don't.

Since Charlie is an unreliable narrator, we can't trust her memories from that fateful night so we're led to assume Event A happened, when EVENT B or C might be possible.

As the main character, I found Charlie unlikable; perhaps it was her constant ruminating, the repetitive thoughts and worries tumbling over in her head, her anxiety and worry.

I understand she's suffering from PTSD and certain signs and objects are triggers for her, but her neurosis and panic attacks made it difficult for me to take her seriously as a high powered magazine editor, much less how she attracted Tripp, who has his own issues, by the way.

Or maybe it's just the way she's written that made me not like her. I didn't dislike her. I just found her irritating.

Her privileged friends were no walk in the park, either; I did like her supportive parents, and sweet sister, Felicity, and her loyal BFF, Liv.

The writing was good, but the narrative not thrilling. Nothing really happens.

This is about Charlie spending time with her therapist, coming to terms to what really happened that night, and making amends with the choices she made and moving on with her life.

Everyone Who Can Forgive Me Is Dead was such a twisty, chilling thriller that kept me turning the page as fast as possible!

read this if you like:
- unreliable narrators
- academic settings
- FMCs that don't have you banging your head against the wall
- dual timelines

the writing of this book was FLAWLESS. the way Jenny Hollander wrote her flashbacks was the most seamless i've ever read & had you flowing right into the memories of the characters! just so captivating!

this is out Feb 6, 2024 and it is a MUST read for next year

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 for me!

thank you to @stmartinspress @netgalley & @jennyhollander for the e-ARC!

Wow! This book is incredibly thrilling and kept me on my toes. I was able to finish it all in one night! With a dual timeline that kept me guessing and an unreliable main character, this psychological thriller is a standout. It follows Charlotte "Charlie" dealing with her worst moment in her life becoming a movie and the effects that has in the present day. I don't want to spoil too much, but the ending was extremely shocking and I would recommend this book to any thriller fan.

Let’s see, suspense, dark academia, creepy foreboding atmosphere? Sign me up. Hollander nailed it with this one. Charlie and Tripp are to be married. But Charlie needs to come to terms with her horrible past. This book is her journey back to her past in order to live her future. It kept ne engaged from start to finish. Hollander is an amazing author. 5 stars from me.
Thank you to netgally and the publisher for this e-arc. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

“𝙳𝚘𝚎𝚜 𝚜𝚑𝚎 𝚑𝚊𝚞𝚗𝚝 𝚢𝚘𝚞, 𝚝𝚘𝚘?“

So far, this has definitely been a summer of great reads! I have discovered some wonderful new-to-me authors in the last couple of months and 𝘌𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘞𝘩𝘰 𝘊𝘢𝘯 𝘍𝘰𝘳𝘨𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘔𝘦 𝘐𝘴 𝘋𝘦𝘢𝘥 by Jenny Hollander is a perfect example!

“𝚃𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚠𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚙𝚊𝚛𝚝𝚜 𝚘𝚏 𝚖𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚍𝚒𝚍 𝚗𝚘𝚝 𝚜𝚞𝚛𝚟𝚒𝚟𝚎.“

Hollander’s book is reminiscent of that final girl trope we love so much but with a delightful twist. The writing is clear, concise, and immersive. I was hooked right away and found myself diving deep into this dark, gut-wrenching narrative. There’s nothing like an unreliable narrator to keep you on your toes!

“𝚃𝚑𝚎𝚢 𝚌𝚊𝚗‘𝚝 𝚏𝚘𝚛𝚐𝚒𝚟𝚎 𝚖𝚎. 𝙴𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚢𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚠𝚑𝚘 𝚌𝚊𝚗 𝚏𝚘𝚛𝚐𝚒𝚟𝚎 𝚖𝚎 𝚒𝚜 𝚍𝚎𝚊𝚍.“

Mark your calendars because this book releases February 6, 2024 and you are definitely going to want to read it!

If a thriller can surprise me and make me never want to put it down, Everyone Who Can Forgive Me Is Dead is that type of thriller novel. I swear I didn't think about or want to do anything else until I knew the end of Charlotte Colbert's story and what happened at "Scarlet Christmas."

The book even made my anxiety spike at times with how much Charlotte was going through. She has no memory of the event and is trying to use therapy, slowly, to get it back. Then a movie is announced about it, so she speeds it up, and that's when the wild ride starts and doesn't stop until the end. Giving away no spoilers, I liked the end, as I like being surprised.

Jenny Hollander has written an interesting thriller with characters I became invested in. I liked the back-and-forth between now and then. The pacing perfectly kept the reader on edge, giving just enough to know what happens next. Excellent debut novel. I'm a fan and can't wait to read whatever come next.

Content Warnings: grief, trauma, blood, murder, alcohol/drug abuse

What a letdown. This "thriller" builds you up to let you down.

9 years after the events of "Scarlet Christmas", that left 3 students dead and others injured, Charlie has turned her life around but she cannot remember the full events of that night.
She begins intense therapy to remember the events but what she finds out was kind of blah.
The twist was okay and I liked how the author discussed grief, therapy and how Charlie used work as a means to escape that night.

I enjoyed the book but I wish there was more to it than what it was.

Thank you again to NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC!