Unfortunately I don’t think this book was for me. However, I still am able to see several good qualities- the twist about 50% through was jaw dropping. And it will keep you guessing to the end. As always, just because it wasn’t for me doesn’t mean it won’t be for you!

But to me, the story felt redundant and like the problem was introduced too soon- which made it seem like Charlie was rehashing the same anxiety over and over. The audio didn’t do much to keep my attention either.

The title of this book was enough to have me intrigued. How could you not want to read this.it was a very bingeable debut novel, and I thought that the narrator, Marisa Calin, did a fantastic job with it.

I listened to this book in 2 sittings. The story is told through the eyes of Charlie, a British student who travels to New York to study. She finds herself caught up in the events of “Scarlet Christmas’ when a number of students died. Only Charlie can’t remember what happened that night nine years ago. All she can remember is lying to the police. She is trying to retrieve the memories with the help of a counsellor, but it might be too late. A movie is coming out that threatens to tell the truth of that night.

I really enjoyed how the author gave us little bits of Charlie’s past as the story was going. We don’t know quite what happened either until close to the end. It was frustrating but worked well in this story. There are some very unlikeable characters and some that I did like. I am still not sure which category Charlie fits into yet.

Thanks to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for the advanced audio copy of this book. Released on 6th February

This had all the elements of a great thriller, a woman who went through something horrible in college, lost memories and the whole story being pulled back up from the dead for a movie adaptation.

Unfortunately I felt it fell flat in a few ways. The lost memory trope seemed to be a crutch and a way to prolong the story rather than create tension, the ending didn’t have a “wow” moment and ended rather abruptly, and the characters needed some work to have a little bit of relatability.

It felt like it was going to be a dark academia, hidden secrets, dark motives kind of story and it just seemed more like a unhinged woman (women?) story. I also thought the representation of the therapist was a bit concerning, as a therapist would never push a client into revealing repressed memories so forcefully. There was a little pushback in the story but she still let our MC do it?

There were some elements I liked, the idea of making a movie and the way if affects everyone involved. I also enjoyed the “true crime” bit and wish it had been leaned into a bit more. Maybe have some chapters of true crime forums and people starting to theorize on Charlie’s secrets?

Thank you so much to Netgalley for providing me with an early audibook release! I really enjoyed the narrator. The story as a whole was a good story. I enjoyed the idea and the way it was written. My issue that brought it down in rating was that the middle felt muddy. It felt like a slow pace and build-up, and then information overload. The end was also slow paced, which was nice, but it was also a little hard to follow with audio. Overall I was excited to follow along and the plot twists really threw me. I look forward to buying this physically when it comes out.

I was immediately intrigued with this title, Everyone Who Can Forgive Me Is Dead. The story is all told from Charlotte/Charlie's point of view but jumps between her current and college days. She is internally tormented by a lie she told police the night a college friend grabbed a knife and started killing other friends at a party. Over the years some friends tried to find healing and monetary gain by sharing/retelling their view of that tragic experience. Charlotte retracted from college friends and kept her distance from any re-visiting of the tragedy due to the fear of her initial lie. As the 10th Anniversary approaches Charlotte learns a movie has been suggested and she starts to spiral. She works with her therapist to uncover the blackout moments from that night. The perceived truths rekindles/strengthens some relationships and breaks others...and more truth gets revealed.

The characters are well developed. I love how the author weaves her personal experience of a Londoner moving to New York into Charlotte. Two of my non-lead favorite characters are the love-to-hate mother-in-law to be and the 'friend' making the movie.

For me, the 'ah ha' moments were underwhelming. I expected a bit more "meat" to help reinforce the title...but also Charlotte needs forgiveness from some who are still living so I'm conflicted there regarding the title. The last 20% of the book seems rushed in comparison to all the build up. I actually went back to re-listen to the last 5 chapters trying to makes sure I got it all. Then in the second half of the last chapter lots of loose ends getting tied up - so much crammed in there. Sorry to be vague, I don't want to include any spoilers.

I'm giving this one 3.5 stars but am rounding up because it's a debut novel. I think Hollander will only to continue to improve with additional novels. Thank you to Macmillan Audio for the advance audio copy for Everyone Who Can Forgive Me Is Dead in exchange for an honest review.

This one was a miss for me.

Let me start with what worked. The prose is good, the plot has been done many times in one form or another but was solid, and the whodunnit stayed within the scope of believability, which was nice.

So where did this one miss for me? The pace was a little slow, you don’t get details about the actual mystery until about a quarter of the way through, I didn’t like any of the characters apart from two who showed up at the END of the book and were barely in it - one of which was a DOG, and the twists fell flat. In trying to fool the reader with the lost memories trope, the ending got muddled in misdirection, making me feel more confused than surprised, and, unfortunately, this was a rare time when the audio made my experience worse. I just didn't prefer narrator Marisa Calin's accents for the characters. They sounded like caricatures.

Is it a bad book? Not at all. It just wasn’t to my particular taste. Others have enjoyed it much more, so please read some of those reviews before you decide. My guess is that Jenny Hollander will have some great stories to savor in the future!

★★ ½

This is categorized as a thriller but I’d say it’s more of a very slow burn drama, mystery with an unreliable narrator and lots of time jumps.

I had to push myself a bit to get through it. The characters could’ve used a little more defining. I kept getting everyone mixed up.

The audio narrator was excellent but I think reading the physical book might’ve been better for me to help me keep track of what was going on as it was a bit all over the place.

This one just didn’t keep my attention. It never really grabbed me. So for me personally it was a miss. It could totally be a preference thing though, because the writing wasn’t bad or anything, I just didn’t like it.

"Everyone Who Can Forgive Me Is Dead" is a strong debut novel by Jenny Hollander. The book offers an intriguing exploration of an unreliable narrator and the consequences of a tragic event. This one moved a bit slowly for me and I didn't love it/didn't hate it - I just found it to be an okay read. I initially just had the ebook and struggled with it a bit but requested the audiobook version which was narrated by Marisa Calin and I must say that she did an excellent job narrating the story and it helped me finish out the book. A lot of people have really liked this one - if you struggle with reading it -give the audiobook a try. Thank you Netgalley and Macmillan audio for my advanced listening copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This was a largely entertaining if frustrating mystery and suspense tale. The reader and the protagonist are both kept in the dark for much of the story, in ways that make less and less sense as the story goes along. By the end I was mostly wondering why, and, if I were more motivated, I’d give it a second listen to figure out how many plot holes there were.

If you’re looking for a light suspense to read between weightier books, and you’re willing to suspend disbelief, this could work for you.

Marisa Calin did a nice job narrating the audiobook.

Thank you Jenny Hollander, Macmillan Audio, and NetGalley for providing this ARC for review consideration. All opinions expressed are my own.

Everyone Who Can Forgive Me Is Dead is a dual-timeline thriller, in which the reader knows that something bad happened years ago (people died) but not exactly what.

One interesting aspect is that the tragedy happened at a journalism school; many of the characters are now well-known in the media world, including the main character who's the editor-in-chief of a major magazine. I'd have liked more details there. (Especially given that the author herself works in media!)

Narrator Marisa Calin seemed well-cast for the British protagonist. I did need to listen at a slower speed than usual in order to catch every word, though I think it's fair to chalk that up to my own ears and nothing Calin did wrong.

I thought the ending was good, even if I'm not wowed by the book overall. I think I have just read a lot of similar books in the past year or two, and I'm not sure Everyone Who Can Forgive Me Is Dead had many distinguishing features. Of course, that means that if you're not an avid thriller reader, you might totally love this one.

If this wasn’t in ARC book I would have never finished it. I kind of felt like I was obligated to listen to it in its entirety. I found this audiobook so boring. I kept waiting for there to be some type of excitement or some thing to pull me in, and it never came. When the big reveal came as to what the book was building up to I was so disappointed because, it was so far-fetched. I think part of the problem is that I never developed any type of connection with any of the characters. There were also a lot of characters and sometimes it was hard keeping track of who was who. I do enjoy books that go back-and-forth from then to now , but I just did not enjoy this book

Charlie Colbert is the editor in chief at a major magazine and the fiancé to publishing heir. Her life seems to be ideal after reinventing herself after what she went through. Charlie was a survivor and witness to a brutal slaying during grad school known as "Scarlett Christmas." When news of a movie championed by another survivor threatens to shatter the world she has created for herself, Charlie begins to spiral into despair as she works with her therapist to remember once and for all what actually happened the night of Scarlett Christmas. I found the beginning of the book to be slow, definitely a slow burn psychological thriller, and the ending while super engaging, was a bit farfetched. Overall I enjoyed, but nothing that stood out.

2.5 stars rounded up. Slow at first, and a lot of build up for what actually happened. I also felt there were far too many plot holes, missing motives and unrealistic behaviors. For example, I have no idea why Charlie kept passing out when thinking about that night/blacked out/had memory loss about what happened when her friends who actually got injured during the attack seemed to handle things fine. I also think the way she acted about the movie coming out made no sense…if anyone thought she pushed the girl out the window she would have been arrested, not arrested because it’s potentially depicted in someone’s interpretation of what happened. Also, Stephanie was a psychopath, no? Roofieing her sister’s friends and letting her take the blame? We are just going to glance over that? AND THEN the truth actually bombs Charlie’s life instead of allowing her to cope better, where we then come full circle to Jordan. Just did not make sense to me.

I thought the narrator did a fantastic job and delivered the story effectively and with great tone. I really enjoyed her accent and felt this brought the characters to life. The book is told from Charlie’s POV in a past and present timeline and I was very interested in the story. The book is heavily character driven and I enjoyed how small bits of the plot slowly started to unfold. The writing is actually quite witty and clever. There’s some twists and turns along the way but the ending did feel a bit rushed and left me wanting more. Overall it was a solid debut!

Thank you Netgalley for giving me access to this audiobook!!
SPOILERS TO FOLLOW

I've read several thrillers before and usually find myself... unsatisfied by the end results for a few reasons. The first reason would be because I could predict how the story would end, the second is that the unreliable narrator actually had nothing to do with whatever the incident was in the first place. This book falls in that second category.

Finding out that Charlie didn't actually hurt anyone that night was a big let down. She's lived with the guilt that she'd killed people that night for over a decade. It affected every aspect of her life and in the end you find out she had nothing to do with that night at all, aside from being there when it happened. All of Charlie's trauma and anxiety felt like (to me) that it had been for nothing.

I was also very confused toward the end of the book because I thought Kate had died the night of Scarlett Christmas (or had been the one who had a breakdown and hurt their friends). I'm not sure if I thought this because that's what I was led to believe by the author or if I'd missed something during the beginning of the novel. I think we're meant to believe that Kate died/was the killer but I'm unsure....

This novel vaguely reminds me of "All The Missing Girls" because the FMC both have stable jobs in the city, a fiancee, and are being forced to relieve the murder of their friends but I liked ATMG more because the FMC actually had something to hide (i.e she did kill her friend on accident and felt guilt from it).

I think I would have preferred if Charlie, in EWCFMIS, actually had something to do with the death of Elise that night. If she had it would have made for a more compelling narrative. As it is, Charlie ends up being a very un-captivating character. I was rooting for her because I wanted her to have her happy life, despite what she might have done (which would have been in self defense if she had pushed Elise). When it was all said and done though, I was disappointed.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an early copy of this twisty fun debut thriller!
Overall, I really enjoyed the story about Charlie, who is working with her therapist to recover memories of a violent crime she witnessed 10 years earlier while she was in graduate school.
The story switches between current and then perspectives, which I really loved. I enjoyed getting to know the characters and how the story unfolds.
I think this was a really solid debut novel!

I would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for an advance copy on exchange for an honest review. I will admit, the cover and title immediately drew me in so I was excited to start this. Once I got into it, it really reminded me of Luckiest Girl Alive. Overall I enjoyed the story and it kept my attention so I am curious to see what the author comes up with next.

I mean come on, the title ALONE reeled me in. This was a super slow burn that I would not characterize as a thriller but more of a literary suspense.

This book is told in first person through a series of fragmented memories, flashbacks, and her current experience in the present. The main character irked me for majority of the book, but she redeemed herself in the end. Speaking of characters, I honestly wasn't really a fan of any of them. Not that they were terrible people (some definitely were) but more so they didn't leave an impact. I'm still a little confused about what happened that night, but maybe that's the point?
Maybe we never fully know.

The plot was written well, but I still wanted more. While I feel the end was a bit rushed it was still a solid first read of the year.

Overall, it was a pretty good book. There were definitely some plot twists I didn't expect, which is something I always want in a good mystery. That being said, I started to lose some interest a little past the halfway mark. It felt like the story was going in circles a bit. In summary, I would probably recommend this book to someone who is into more of a slow-burn psychological thriller.

This was a debut novel for Jenny Hollander! What a title!! I really enjoyed this… until about 75% in. Our narrator is unreliable and we get most of our backstory through therapy sessions. I really liked that aspect! Getting little puzzle pieces here and there. But as the character came to terms with things, she somehow became even more unreliable. She was going in circles and the Capricorn in me could not deal! Also, I do feel things were tied up a little too neatly at the end to force a “happily ever after” but I wasn’t happy with her after?!

With that being said, I did like the premise of the story! It was very In My Dreams I Hold a Knife meets Luckiest Girl Alive. It may have been a *mood* issue. “It’s not you, it’s me”. I can’t wait to discuss with everyone once it is released because I have a feeling I’m an outlier here!!

🎧I listened to the audio version of this title and the narrator, Marisa Calin, was brilliant! Her ability to go in and out of an array of accents was so seamless! Also, her ability to make me feel the rising panic in our main character was insanely intense! Amazing job!!

** Thank you Jenny Hollander, NetGalley, and Macmillan Audio for this advanced audio copy 🫶🏼**