I received an ARC copy of I Would Die for You by Sandie Jones from Netgalley!

In the beginning, I was really intrigued by the story and was really into the characters and the plot. However, it kind of fell flat for me towards the middle and began to be a little repetitive. The ending had a few twists, but it overall ended too abrupt after reading the whole story.

Thank you to Minotaur Books and Macmillan Audio for the copies to review.

I enjoyed I Would Die For You by Sandie Jones, and you do have to suspend a bit of belief with this one but if you can do so then it will be fine. The audio was enjoyable and easy to follow the two timelines without having the ebook handy. Once this got going I was vested in the story and it is a fairly quick read that I finished in a few hours.

A gripping, fast-paced thriller about the dark obsession fans can have on celebrities. Nicole felt she had left her past behind until a writer, Zoe, showed up at her house asking questions about the death of a band member in the 80's. She now lives with her husband Brad and daughter Hannah in a quiet seaside California town. After this, her daughter is missing from school. Supposedly, an aunt picked her up...she doesn't have an aunt.
In the 80's, Nicole worked at a bar and sang when she could. Her younger sister Cassie is obsessed with a band member Ben Edwards with the Secret Oktober in London. Cassie is only 16 years old and becomes involved with scandalous backstage parties. Her toxic friend, Amelia, joins the dark side and begins a relationship with a band member Michael, while Cassie's obsession for Ben grows.
The problem is Ben has eyes for Nicole. This upends and complicates things for the two. A murder occurs, as the past is revealed and pieces are in place... things are more disturbing than thought.
Great job by this author. Not one of my favorites, but still a mystery to solve as lives are upended.
Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press | Minotaur Books for this ARC in exchange for my review.

3.5 stars, rounded up.

My favorite part of I Would Die for You is the dual timelines between 2010 and 1986. The 1986 portion focuses on Cassie’s obsession with a popular band from London and brought back my memories of my obsession in that same time frame with Duran Duran. As it turns out, the author used a lot of her own memories of her obsession with Duran Duran as a base for the book. So I enjoyed that connection. The 2010 timeline is more Nicole’s story (Cassie’s sister) and how the events of 1986 continue to shape her life.

This was a quick read but at times I found it to be confusing however eventually all was revealed. I think readers of a certain age will enjoy this book and maybe dig up some memories of their own related to that time.

Thanks to NetGalley, the author and Minotaur Books for the opportunity to read and review this digital ARC.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc/alc.

This was a decent thriller. With that being said, I don't think it will make my list of best thrillers of 2025, though I still enjoyed it. I also have to say that I thought the first half of the book was better than the second half of the book. I enjoyed the audiobook narrator, Imogen Wilde as well and I thought her voice was pleasant. I can't quite put my finger on what I did not enjoy about the book, but I guess I might have to say some parts of the story were kind of too slow-moving for me. With that being said, I would still be open to reading more books by Sandie Jones in the future.

3.5 stars

Tomorrow is the release day Sandie Jones‘s new thriller, I Would Die for You. Bouncing between 1986 and 2011, it follows two sisters and their involvement with a wildly popular band… and the repercussions haunting one of them 25 years later.

Why I Chose This Book:
I first heard about this book in the Minotaur Sampler that came out a few months ago. A recurring theme for me is how much I love music in books, and that was, of course, what first drew me to I Would Die for You. (The title reminding me of “#1 Crush” by Garbage helps, too!) Here, the music in question comes from a 1986 band—Secret Oktober—who all the teens love, their groupies and collaborators, and their shocking end. I also liked the element of sister relationships in this book, problematic as their dynamic is.

What I Liked:
- Rock band, songwriting, and celebrity scene. While I love reading about artists writing and performing music, in this book, we see more of the drama and toxicity of celebrity. Fame and addiction, groupies and scandals, a band that’s rather dysfunctional behind the scenes… The only parts really about the music itself are when Nicole and Ben work on a song together. The rest is worthy of gossip magazines and is, in fact, the fuel behind all that goes wrong with the band.
- Lies, manipulation, and evil doings! From the beginning, you know there are some secrets and some bad endings for certain characters. But how it all goes down… wow! Horrible people doing horrible things!
- Unlikable characters! Speaking of horrible goings-on, some of these characters only get worse with each passing chapter. Some are downright awful people. I’m glad I don’t know anyone like this in real life.
- Dual timeline (1986 and 2011). Nicole has a husband, a young daughter, and a successful career, but her past is starting to catch up with her. Half of the book takes place in 1986, when she and her sister Cassie were grappling with their mother’s rapid health decline. Somehow, the lead singer from Secret Oktober got mixed up in all of this, and Nicole is still paying the consequences. But what really happened? And is Nicole (not to mention her daughter) in danger?

What Didn’t Work for Me:
- The ending was so abrupt! I liked the ending overall, but it left me wanting more time to wrap it up further.

If you like the dark scandals of celebrity life and potentially unlikable characters, I Would Die for You is a fun and thrilling read. You may want to check content warnings before reading, and it certainly won’t be for everyone. But I enjoyed this novel! It was my first time reading Sandie Jones and I look forward to checking out more of her books.

I Would Die for You by Sandie Jones
Thriller. Dual time line past (late 1980’s) present (2011).
2011 - Nicole Forbes lives an unassuming life in Coronado, CA with her daughter and husband. Unexpectedly a woman knocks on the door and asks Nicole for an interview about her knowledge of the famous boy band and the death of one of the members in 1986. Nicole is shocked. She doesn’t talk to anyone about her past and refuses to answer any questions. Later that day, her daughter doesn’t get off the bus as usual. An “aunt” has picked up her up and there is a record at the school that it was prearranged a week prior. There isn’t such a relative.
1986 - Secret Oktober has exploded onto the music scene and fans are obsessed with the band and trying to get access to the outrageous backstage parties filled with liquor, drugs and sex. Thousands of young women are obsessed with the band, following them everywhere. Sixteen year old Cassie hooks up with another girl that seems to know where the band will be next and get them in the doors.

From each time jump, there is a little more revealed of the famous men, the fans, and consequences of obsession.

🎧 I alternated between an ebook and audiobook which is narrated by Imogene Wilde. The performance is chilling and will keep you on the edge. The tempo is smooth as the twists keep coming and the emotions of sorrow, and horror can’t be denied.
I always try to read and listen at the same time. It allows me to catch the nuisances I may have otherwise missed. Both formats here are equally explosive.
I listened between 1.5 and 1.75 with 1.5 being the preferred to match my reading and conversation speed.

Utterly absorbing as the twists keeps me reassessing both what actually happened and what that means in the current timeline. The overindulgence of the 80’s? Fame? Innocence and manipulation mixed with delusion?

Incredible suspense and thrills.
Not sure I loved the ending.

I was gifted a copy from NetGalley and publisher Macmillan Audio

A dual timeline domestic suspense novel about a former band member with dark secrets. This was okay on audio and had some moving moments but overall it was just an okay read for me. I wasn't pulled into this story like I wanted to be and found the ending a bit of a let down. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital and audio copy in exchange for my honest review!

💭: I enjoyed this one right up until the last page.🤣 It abruptly ended. I kept thinking I skipped some pages by accident on my kindle, swiping back and forth. Low and behold, I did not. I can get down with a cliffhanger, but this was not it for me.

Now for the things I did like:
✔️ alternating timelines (1980’s and 2010’s)
✔️boy band fanatic (took me back in the day😍)
✔️family secrets and suspense
✔️unstable character

I’m going to be completely honest. I just could not get through this book. I got to about 122 pages before I just couldn’t continue reading. There was zero development by this point which was about halfway through the entirety. I was incredibly bored and it took me more than eight days just to get this far. I can’t say that I’d ever recommend this one.

This is my first book from Sandie Jones and for me, I enjoyed it.

This story is told in a dual timeline, from 1986 in London to 2010 in California. In the past, we see the story told from both Nicole and her younger sister, Cassie's POV. In 2010, the story is told only from Nicole's perspective. The past is told in the third-person, while the 2010 POV is in the first-person viewpoint. This didn't impact me but I know other readers may prefer a specific POV.

In the 80's, Cassie is obsessed with the band Secret Oktober, and especially with front man, Ben Edwards. She starts attending pop-up shows and events and meets Amelia, who claims to know the band. From an adult perspective, we can easily see that Amelia is a groupie but Cassie is clearly more naive and doesn't really understand what's happening. Ben continues to blow her off. Her older sister, Nicole, is a singer-songwriter, and Ben happens to meet her in a bar where she's performing. They have a connection and he pursues her, meanwhile having no idea she's related to Cassie. Is this totally realistic? No. I kept wondering if Ben wouldn't have seen some appearance resemblance, but also, this is the 80s. There weren't cell phones, the internet, or all of the connections we have today.

In 2010, Nicole is married with a daughter and a life she enjoys. Until one day, a writer shows up, wanting to write a story about the demise of Secret Oktober. And then her daughter goes missing, only to pop up later, after having had a day out with her "auntie". But Nicole's husband doesn't have a sister.

This story doesn't have a massive amount of character development, and I think this is because there are a lot of twists, and more and more of the story is constantly being unearthed. As a reader, you're really starting to put the pieces together as you go along, but not in a way that made me guess the ending.

Overall, I enjoyed this story. I think if you're someone who loved boy bands an rock bands as a teen, and you love a good, twisty story, then you'll enjoy this one.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy. All opinions are my own

Summary:

2010

Nicole lives a quiet life with her husband and daughter. Until one day someone appears on her doorstep saying she’s writing a book and wants to ask Nicole some questions. The topic? The downfall of the biggest British band of the 1980s.

1989

Cassie is Secret Oktobers biggest fan. Well the leading man Ben’s biggest fan. She will do anything to get him to notice her. But when Ben notices her sister at a local bar one night because of her singing, a plan is set in motion that will destroy Cassie’s family and millions of Secret Oktober fans.

My thoughts:

I really liked the concept of the story and it could have been amazing. It was not executed well for me. I HATED all the characters. Not one thing about them was good. Nicole has built her entire marriage on lies that she’s too scared to admit to. When she inevitably is faced with the choice of telling the truth or continuing to lie, she tells half truths and ends up getting someone killed for it. Overall, not worth the read.

I give this one a 3.5, I hesitated to give it 4. It was a good thriller with plot twists. I did like the premise of 80's London groupies following a Duran Duran type band. However, the multiple POV shifts were sometimes confusing causing me to have to re read portions to confirm I knew who was speaking. Especially if a new character was introduced, such as Cassie. I also felt as the ending was unraveling that everything was not made clear. Again I had to re read to make sure I was putting all the inferences together. Would have loved the ending to be a little more straight forward. Leaving a little mystery or wondering is fine, but I felt it was muddy. Overall it was a good read but I would of appreciated a little more clarity. Maybe title the POV when it begins. I also felt like the age of Nicole didn't line up. She was around 21 in the London scenes but past mid 40s in California with a young child. I felt a marriage of 20 years should be stronger & the husband didn't really seam supportive. He walked away so easily & didn't even try to clarify her false accusations. If the flow had been a bit better it would give it 4 stars. The story idea was great & I enjoyed following the sisters story as well as Ben's.

Nicole has been lying to everyone in her life for over 2 decades trying to escape her old life. Her past is catching up with her and her family may be in danger because of this.

Told from the perspective of 2 sisters, and both in the present and past. The story started out slow, picked up in the middle of the book and went off the rails at the end. The characters were unlikeable and delusional and the ending left me thinking "what was that?". Overall just not my cup of tea. Rounded up to 3 stars but truly a 2.5 star read.

Thank you to Netgalley and Minotaur Books for an advanced reader's copy in exchange for an honest review..

This one was a struggle. It read like a YA, and I figured everything out very early. I was hoping the author was going to lead me on a bit of a wild goose chase, but I was able to see all of it coming from a mile away. The plot and the characters were lacking substance, and I forced myself to finish this.

Nicole’s has fled England to leave her past behind and has built a new life with her husband Brad and their daughter, Hannah. Life seems good—until the unthinkable happens: Hannah is kidnapped, and Nicole’s buried secrets resurface with a vengeance.

The novel unfolds across two timelines, 1986 and 2010, weaving together the lives of two sisters, a popular band, and a scandal. While the story starts off slow, it gains momentum as the timelines begin to overlap. Once the action picked up, I was completely invested in uncovering the true story. The ending is a whirlwind of action, with delusional characters, shocking confessions, and truths that change lives forever.

Bummer. I was excited for a thriller and this sounded like it could be fun.
The characters were awful and just not exciting to read about. The twists weren’t very shocking and overall I just wanted it to be over.

Thanks to netgalley and Minotaur books for an eARC

This book is a crazy ride, but not in a good way. The first chunk of the book was so confusing to me. It jumped between perspectives too quickly, and I felt like there was no context as to what was happening. It left me genuinely confused. Then the book got a little interesting about halfway through and I found myself wanting to know what happened. 

However, the characters are truly awful. I didn’t like any of them. Cassie is super annoying and I just wanted to slap her the whole time I was reading. Nicole is bearable, but the interactions she has with her husband had me doing some eye rolls. 

I liked the addition of the band, but it just wasn’t enough for me to really enjoy it. The twists also left me sort of confused and the ending was so random and frustrating. 

Thank you Netgalley and St. Martins Press for this eARC to review. All opinions are my own. This is available on March 25, 2025. 

Read if you like:
🕰️ Alternate Timelines 
🎸 Rockstars
👯‍♀️ Sisters
😡 Unlikeable Characters

I couldn't get into this book at all. The dual timeline was weirdly paced and just never came together for me. The ending felt like it was rushed. I'm not sure what else to say about it.

This is a dual timeline book taking place in London England in 1986 and in 2010 in California USA. In London, 16-year-old Cassie is obsessed with the frontman of the biggest pop group of 1986, Secret Oktober. She can’t believe it when she manages to make it into the hotel where the band is staying and Ben actually singles her out to talk to her. In 2010 a young woman appears at Nicole Forbes' door asking Nicole about her part in the downfall of the biggest band in the 1980s. Nicole is floored, especially since no one, not even her husband, knows about that part of her past.

After a few unsatisfactory experiences with books about the world of popular music, what am I doing reading another one?! Fortunately, I'm happy to report that I enjoyed this one more than the others I've read. Maybe it was the fact that the events in the past were mostly from the viewpoint of a 16-year-old superfan and I mostly felt sorry for her until she crossed a line. I'm sure many of us had daydreams about being discovered by a music/movie star and that star falling madly in love with us. Or was it just me?! There are many twists in this little mystery and I found myself quite confused more than once. I think I was expecting the story to go one way and when it didn't, my mind was in a mess. As enjoyable as the book is, it's a little light on character development plus the ending is rather abrupt and leaves many questions unanswered. Still, I'm rounding my 3.5 stars up to 4 because it was easy reading and kept me interested.

TW: Sexual assault, drug use.

This is the first book by Sandie Jones that I've read and I hope to find time to read some of her backlist.

My thanks to St. Martin's Press, via Netgalley, for the invitation to read an advance copy of this novel. All opinions expressed are my own.
Publication Date: March 25, 2025