Thank you NetGalley for the ARC! I Would Die For You by Sandie Jones is a slow burn psychological thriller about two sisters who tragically lose their mother to an illness. As they navigate the loss of their mother, they both are seemingly interested in the same man. One of the sisters has a very strong infatuation and dreams of being the one. The other begins to write music with him to further her career. 25 years later, Nicole, is a married, is successful and is the mother of an eight year old girl. She seemingly has it all and could never imagine how her sister could come back into her life so suddenly to upend it completely. She also would never understand how her father could love her so unconditionally that he would never stop trying to find her. Overall, a good story, though I didn’t quite get the ending. It may have been the author’s way of setting it up for a second novel but one worth reading nonetheless the less.

Unfortunately I had a really hard time getting into this one and connecting with the characters! I have liked her books in the past, but this one was a miss for me.

Nicole left England and started a new life in California. She’s married to a man she loves and they have a young daughter whom they both adore. She put all the baggage of her past behind her or so she thought until Zoe shows up on her doorstep asking questions about her past.
Taut plotting, lots of suspense and twists galore make this an insanely riveting read. The author drew on some of her experiences as an obsessed fan of Duran Duran in her youth in writing this novel about a couple of young teens obsessed with Secret Oktober, the hottest band of teenage heartthrobs going. It’s a story about family, long buried secrets and what we do for love. The cliff hanger ending took me by surprise. Given the way the twists went in this story, I probably should have anticipated it. It’s one edgy psychological thriller! 4.5 stars

"I Would Die for You" is a first time read for the reader by author, Sandie Jones. The book was a bit too slow for me and it did not draw me into the story the way I thought it would. I am not a big fan of dual POVs and timelines but thought I would give this a try. Was not for me.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press (Minotaur Books) for this ARC for my honest review.

I Would Die For You" by Sandie Jones is a captivating novel told through dual timelines, set in 1986 and 2010. The story revolves around two sisters, Cassie and Nicole, and their entanglement with the lead singer of their favorite band, Secret Oktober.

In 1986 London UK, Cassie is a 16 year old girl obsessed with her favourite band and their lead singer, Ben. Cassie's character starts out innocently enough and I felt a sense of nostalgia thinking back to when I was a teenager and had a crush on a musician. Yes, I'll have you all know at one point in my life my dream was to marry Nikki Sixx of Motley Crue and yes, my room was plastered in posters. However, my obsession ended there and Cassie's did not. Nicole is Cassie's older sister and has a chance enounter with Ben, Ben becomes attracted to Nicole. A tragedy happens and afterwards, Nicole leaves the UK and cuts ties of contact with her family.

In present day, Nicole is living in the US and has moved on with her life. She is married and has a young daughter. She has done her best to put the past behind her but when a reporter shows up asking questions, the past has now caught up to her.

I really did enjoy this read. I loved the two timelines and could relate to them both. The writing style of the author was fabulous, easy to follow and kept me engaged. The character development was excellent, making it easy to feel Cassie's teenage angst and Nicole's present day anxieties.

What I did not like was the very ending. Augh. It just left me hanging and I do not have a sense of closure at all. Despite this, I would recommend this one for a fast entertaining read.

Sandie Jones’ I Would Die For You is a mystery/thriller told in dual timelines by sisters Nicole and Cassie. It is a story of family dynamics, obsession, secrets, lies and revenge.

Cassie is the primary narrator for the portion of the story that takes place in 1986 London, and her story is of a teenager with a mum dying of cancer who fans the flames of Cassie’s star-struck infatuation with a band’s lead singer. You only live once, right? With every turn, Cassie’s interest in singer Ben Edwards, grows into an obsession. She is not a likeable character, and I found her cunning plotting to be well beyond her 16 years and wholly unbelievable. Cassie as the evil genius brought Batman’s nemesis, The Joker, to mind.

Nicole, the primary narrator in 2010 California, seemingly has the perfect life in a small coastal community. When she opens her door to a stranger, she opens the door to a past that she has been desperately trying to escape. I liked Nicole a bit more than Cassie, but given her circumstances, she comes off as naïve. Most of her actions were well-intended--both past and present, but as she revisits the past trying to piece together her current predicament, I questioned her repeated poor decisions.

The secondary characters have very limited development, and to some degree they are superfluous to the story.

I found the plot pacing to be inconsistent and the ending rushed and implausible. The first half of the book felt slow even though it depicted Cassie’s frenetic obsession with the band Secret Oktober. The second half of the book has more action and consequences, and it is more interesting to read. I anticipated many of the twists, but I was surprised by the ending. It was in keeping with Cassie’s characterization, but not wholly satisfying.

Overall, a slow-motion train wreck that I couldn’t take my eyes off.

3.5-4 stars

I don't read as many thrillers as I once did, but the premise of this one was unique enough to pull me back in. I can't think of a thriller built around music fandoms I've read, so was intrigued on how this might play out. The story is told in two times - 1986 and 2010. Nicole, the main character, is in both. And she's got secrets from back then that are coming up in 2010. I will say I wanted a bit more depth to this one to draw me in. More about me as a reader, but it was quite a bit of drama that was just a lot of me as a reader. I recognize it was to move the plot and thrills forward, but the layers were just a lot. I've liked others by this author better, and I'll still give her next one a go. Thanks to NetGalley for the look at this March 2025 release.

This one started out very slow for me, found it hard to get into but then I got sucked in just to be disappointed with the ending of the book.

Thank you to NetGalley and to the author, and publisher of this book allowing me to read the ARC.

I have read all of Jones' books and liked them. Unfortunately, this story felt disjointed for me, and the ending seemed abrupt, unfinished.

I do love her writing style, and I felt the need to keep reading the book to see how it ended. I read the Acknowledgments, which I highly recommend that you read, and I learned that Jones was a huge fan of Duran Duran, and she was obsessed with them. Duran Duran inspired her writing this novel.

This story reminded me of my teenage years, and how band crazy I was. But I only obsessed about them from afar, listening to their music and reading up on their activity in rock magazines.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press | Minotaur Books for a chance to review this book.

I Would Die for You, written by Sandie Jones is a fictional mystery taking place over time in London and California. Main character Nicole lives in California with her husband and daughter. She is an environmental advocate, caring for the seals and pups on the beaches, trying to allow them to have a safe place for themselves. But in the 1980's she lived in London, and became involved with the band Secret Oktober, along with her younger sister Cassie who was somewhat obsessed with the band. When Nicole's daughter goes missing one day, only later to be found telling her parents that her aunt picked her up at school, Nicole is first worried that her husband might be having an affair. But she begins to open her mind to other options, while reflecting on her past relationships, and how they might be affecting her current family.

I enjoyed this book, it really kept me guessing until the end! I was confused with some parts, had a little trouble following along or understanding where the author was taking us, but I still really enjoyed the story line, relationship development, and the ways the book went between the two time periods. I also like that the book leaves you with a cliffhanger, and possibly room for a sequel!

Thank you to NetGalley and to the author, and publisher of this book for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I'm not sure how to describe how I feel about this book other than, simply, BORED. I really tried to push through, but I couldn't. No likable characters (no one to root for and to keep you moving) and there seemed to be a lot of talk and words, but very little happening. The premised sucked me in, but it just didn't hold up for me.

I made it about halfway through before this was added to my DNF pile. I HATE adding to that pile, but I feel like I didn't have a choice with this book. It seems like some people liked it, it just wasn't for me.

Perhaps if you like long epics with little action - and really like a sloooooooow burn - then this book might be for you!

**Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for sending this book for review. All opinions are my own.**

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press | Minotaur Books for the ARC of I Would Die For You by Sandie Jones.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

This book jumps between 2 timelines following the story of Nicole’s life. In present day, Nicole is married with a daughter and no family to speak of. But in the past, she and her sister had a conflictual relationship that stemmed around a band and one particular member of the band. Death and deceit, what’s the truth and what’s a lie…and when the past presents itself in the current, what is Nicole to do. Just when you think you know what this author is writing and where she’s taking you next, you find you’re wrong. And then to end on a cliff hanger where you can only assume what has happened. I hope there is a sequel, but not sure where it can go other than to tie this one up. A very good read that kept me wanting more.

This was just okay for me. Slow in the beginning but picked up nicely. I could not connect with the characters -- they were a bit too outrageous for me.

This wasn’t my first Sandie Jones book, but this one wasn’t my favorite. I’m not sure what didn’t work for me exactly, but some of the characters were too outrageous for me to believe and the plot really didn’t pick up until the second half. I do think this book will work for other readers, but it didn’t for me.

This book was a pleasant surprise.
I thoroughly enjoyed it, as it was a quick read and a good time.

Sandie Jones is one of my favorite authors. She has a knack for writing thrillers with unexpected twists, and her latest book, I Would Die For You, is no different. Though it takes a bit of time to pick up the pace and the thrills don’t kick in until later, it’s still absolutely worth the read.

"I Would Die For You" by Sandie Jones begins in 2011, where we meet Nicole, a staunch supporter of protecting seals. She appears to lead a normal life with her husband and daughter, Hannah, until a journalist knocks on her door, asking probing questions about a murder that occurred in the '80s. This unexpected visit shatters her sense of security and brings her past rushing back to the forefront of her life.

The narrative then shifts to the second timeline set in 1986 London, where a younger Nicole works as a bartender and showcases her singing talent during open mic nights, eventually catching the eye of Ben Edwards, the leading singer of the famous band Secret Oktober, leading to a complicated relationship. However, the real turmoil begins when Nicole's younger sister, Cassie, who is obsessed with Ben and the band developing intense delusions about Ben that spiral out of control.

As Nicole is forced to confront her past, she realizes that escaping it is not as simple as she once thought. The repercussions of those events ripple into her present, affecting her relationship with her husband and putting her daughter in jeopardy. The tension builds as Nicole grapples with the haunting memories and the reality that she can never truly escape her past.

I must admit that this wasn't my favorite book by Sandie Jones. I've read every book she's written to date, and while this one was entertaining, it didn't quite reach the heights of her previous works for me. Nonetheless, I was eager to uncover the secrets surrounding Nicole, Ben, and Cassie.

The cover art is very nice, and I appreciate the title of the book, "I Would Die For You," and how it came about from the story within.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for my advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. 3 1/2 stars rounded up.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a free e-arc!!

THE ENDING WHAT?!?!? AHHHHH WHY WOULD YOU DO THIS SANDIE JONES

Okay but seriously, this is my first Sandie Jones novel and I really enjoyed it! This book takes place between two different time periods, 1986 and 2010.

In 2010, Nicole is a wife and mother living in Los Angeles, happy with her passion as an activist for seals. Nicole is pretty content with her life, until one day her past comes back to haunt her in a terrifying way.

In 1986, Nicole is a singer, sister, and daughter living in London. At the time, the biggest boy band in England, Secret Oktober, was a huge sensation. Teenage girls were driving their parents mad by following the band’s every move, skipping school to chase the boys. All of their thoughts revolved around the men of these bands, and every girl loved them- including Nicole’s younger sister, Cassie.

When past combines with present, it’s clear that Nicole was somehow involved with the band, and that something bad happened that maybe caused her to move all the way to LA.. but what would be bad enough to leave your family, your country, and basically your entire identity?

I will say that this is a more slow paced thriller in the sense that the timeline in 1986 isn’t too much of a thriller for most of the book- that timeline reads more like a fiction or historical fiction up until a certain point, but it’s still very interesting!! I actually enjoyed the 1986 chapters more than present day, but both still had me flipping pages.

I recommend this to fans of thrillers, mysteries, fiction.. it definitely kept me guessing, and the end had me searching for another page because that surely couldn’t be the end?!

I would definitely read another book by this author.

I Would Die For You by Sandie Jones has all of the attributes in this book that all of her other books have, signature twists and non-stop suspense that will keep you guessing until the very end. This is a quick and thrilling read and if you have enjoyed her previous works, I believe you will be highly entertained with her newest installment. I am looking forward to what Sandie writes next!

Thank you to Netgalley for an early copy in exchange for an honest review.

This book is told in dual timelines of Nicole in California in 2010 and in London in 1986. She follows a popular band along with her sister and her best friend, and there is a love triangle. There is a lot of alluding to a mysterious sordid past and I didn't feel like the twists were surprising or mind blowing.

I'm not sure if I just read it in too many small chunks, but this wasn't my favorite. I didn't connect with any of the characters and didn't find myself wanting to pick it up very often, even on vacation.