This was a no for me… I even considered not finishing it halfway through 👎🏼 It was super far fetched & wildly unbelievable. The characters seemed all over the place and it was hard to follow at times. Definitely not my favorite.

Thanks to @netgalley for the ARC!

1/5 ⭐️

#sandiejones #netgalley #arc #newrelease #iwoulddieforyou

I Would Die for You is fast paced with twists and turns ( or should I say twisted) and characters that you love to snarl at .

What could be better than that.

It is told in dual timelines.

In 2011 we follow Nicole who has a young daughter who goes missing on the day she gets a visit from a writer asking her about a British Band from the 1980'.

This cant be a coincidence.

The other timeline is the 1980's and its Nicole's sister we follow who is obssessed with the band.

Secrets and lies that keep you guessing and the pages turning.

Clear your calendar and settle in for a heart pounding read.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press/Minotaur books for the opportunity to read and review I Would Die for You.

3.0 stars
LUKEWARM recommend

This was billed as a mystery thriller, but it was more like a rock band soap opera. Two sisters, a friend, and a rock band. What could go wrong in 1986 London?

The unlikeable characters had no backstory for their stupid decisions. The only explanation was the plentiful drugs and alcohol. Seriously?

The writing and storyline were just so weak. It was a book of junk food for the mind.

Goodreads: - https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7022420524 - posted 2/3/2025

Storygraph: - https://app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/ab3c2bec-9162-4881-a12b-b32f3d9d4a79?redirect=true - posted 2/3/2025

Books by Dorothea blog: - https://booksbydorothea.blogspot.com/2025/02/review-i-would-die-for-you-earcebook.html - posted 2/3/2025

Unfortunately, this book fell apart at about the 60% mark. The story was so muddled and what were supposed to be big secrets were not that shocking or surprising. The motivations and reactions of the characters was overwrought and didn't always make sense. Not for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This mystery thriller follows two timelines. In 2011, Nicole’s daughter goes missing the same day a writer questions her about a 1980s British band. In the past, we see 16-year-old Cassie obsessed with the band’s lead singer—until he takes an interest in Nicole, causing tension between the sisters.

The writing style was enjoyable, and I liked the focus on family dynamics and past choices shaping the future. Despite not usually liking love triangles, this one worked. However, the ending felt underwhelming compared to the buildup. Still, you might feel differently!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC. This is the first book I've read by Sandie Jones and it was just ok for me. It is fast paced and keeps you on your toes but I found the time hopping a little annoying. I'd still recommend checking it out.

Two sisters, Cassie and Nicole, get entangled in the wild, rock and roll lifestyle of the biggest British band of the 80s. Both of them think the front man, Ben, is in love with them but are they both living in delusion? Fast forward 25 years later, Nicole is living in California and has built a life with her new family but the secrets of her past come back to haunt her when someone kidnaps her daughter. What really happened between Cassie, Nicole and Ben?

This book had me hooked immediately. I’m a sucker for a musician / hollywood themed story. Told from multiple POVs and alternating timelines, this one moves fast and has you guessing until the very last page. Jones did a great job at capturing the essence of a naive, obsessed, teenager in Cassie. I will say Nicole started to grind my gears a bit in the second half of the book as I felt she was being a little dramatic. I thought I had it figured out and every time, I was proven very wrong. This was a fun ride. I look forward to reading more from Sandie Jones.

Nicole Forbes' life is turned upside down when someone from her past turns up, trying to reconnect Nicole's name to a murder that happened decades ago.

Reading the premise, I wasn't sure this book would be my cup of tea but I thought I would give it a try. I enjoyed it much more than I thought I would. The dual timelines definitely kept me wanting to read more, and both timelines moved rather quickly. I did especially love the 1980s setting. In the present timeline, there was definitely some suspense and not knowing exactly who was whom and why things were happening. When everything did come together in the end, I really enjoyed it, and the ending was completely unexpected! I did really like the characters, even the unlikeable ones. This was definitely different from other books I've read by this author but I would certainly recommend it.

A gripping psychological thriller with twists I didn't see coming! The suspense and tension build so well, and the characters are intriguing, making it a perfect pick for thriller fans.

2010: It's an ordinary day in the seaside town of Coronado for Nicole Forbes. A bit odd, perhaps, that a writer appeared at her home asking about the biggest British rock band of the 1980s, but every story is bound to resurface at some point. Then suddenly, the day isn't so ordinary anymore. Nicole's daughter is missing; picked up by an "aunt" she doesn't have.

And everything Nicole thought was long-buried threatens to unearth itself.

1986: There's nothing bigger in Britain than the band Secret Oktober, especially to teenage Cassie. Desperate enough to do anything to get closer to lead singer Ben Edwards, Cassie's fandom morphs into an obsession before long with the encouragement of groupie Amelia. Bit by bit, Cassie manages to get closer to the inner circle of the band, until a single chance encounter between Ben and her sister Nicole threaten everything.

"I Would Die For You" is, regrettably, far from Sandie Jones' best work, readers. With a premise that doesn't feel quite like Jones' usual style and a synopsis that all but gives away the story itself, this was a haphazard, hard-to-get-into "thriller" that didn't seen to comfortable fit in any one genre for me. The characters lacked depth, motivation, and plausibility, and the writing was choppy at best. Sandie Jones, blink twice if you can hear us! This doesn't seem like you!

Captivating on some levels but frustrating on others due to the jumpy timelines, I Would Die for You moves quickly through a story with family - friend - fan drama at its highest. Set primarily in England with the rock band era as background, the book tells of obsession and passion of several different types.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the opportunity to read this ARC.

I have loved this authors books in the past but I just couldn’t get into this story line. It fell flat for me and I didn’t care for the timeline jumps.

Sandie Jones never lets me down. Her books offer an unputdownable experience that grips me from beginning to end. This book was no exception.

Wow!! What did I just read?! I couldn’t put this book down!! The characters were well developed and I found myself staying up way past my bedtime to finish it. Thank you so much for the opportunity to read this incredible book! I will definitely be sharing it with all of my fellow book lovers!

I read this book in about 24 hours. I was not able to put it down! It kept me interested the entire time. I liked the mystery/suspense and twists it had all throughout. There were many unlikable characters in this story, with Cassie being my LEAST favorite female character. She was such an immature, psychotic 16 yr. old who apparently needed therapy! There were so many times I lost my patience with her. Nicole was also irritating at times. Why not tell the truth since the beginning?! A lot of the things that happened could have been avoided if she had just told the truth! Michael was my LEAST favorite male character. That guy needed to be in prison for the rest of his life, but I guess he got what he deserved. Needless to say, I was very intrigued and kept wanting to know more. It had a great number of twists that I was not expecting, which was great!

The only character I felt bad for, was Ben.

I was not too happy with the ending BUT I could see why the author would go for it. The story has to repeat itself!!

This was a 4 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ for me!

Thank you to Netgalley and Martin's Press/Minotaur Books for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

In Sandie Jones new book, she brings you on a thrilling ride where you are questioning what is going on until the bitter end. The book follows Nicole, a wife and mother, who is living with the repercussions of her past. Through back flashes, the reader is given the opportunity to live her early years and find out what is haunting her in the present. The plot keeps the reading going but the ending leaves a little to be desired...

Nicole Forbes has a good life. She has a good marriage, a young daughter and a job she loves in California. She is fighting to provide a sanctuary for seals on the beaches of her community. When a journalist comes asking her questions about an event 25 years in her past, Nicole’s world begins to spiral out of control. Next, her daughter disappears and says the person she was with was her “auntie”. She cannot deny that these events are because of what happened in the past she never wants exposed.

The story alternates between the events of the present and the events in her early adulthood back in the U.K. To hide her past, she has never talked about her birth family to her husband . The lies keep driving a wedge between them. In the 80’s, Nicole’s sister Cassie was a star struck teenager chasing her music idol Ben Edwards. But Ben hears Nicole singing one night at a hole in the wall bar and wants to collaborate. That relationship takes a path Nicole never anticipated. One fateful night, it all comes apart and everyone’s life is turned upside down.

As the details are revealed, all the pieces of the story of that night fit together. But Nicole may be too late to keep those events from destroying her new life. She is trying not to lose her husband and daughter but someone wants to ensure she is pays for what she did.

This book keeps you guessing. Who is taunting Nicole now? What really happened that night? Someone died but who and why? So many questions that need answers. Twisty and suspenseful until the end.

Thank you to St. Martin Press, Minotaur Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and rate this book. I will definitely be watching for more from Sandie Jones in the future.

This was my first novel by Sandie Jones and I really enjoyed it. This is a super gripping and fast-paced read. The story is captivating and I couldn't wait to find out what happened

My first thought upon finishing this book was, "who body-snatched Sandie Jones???" This did not seem like her work at all. NONE, and I cannot emphasize this enough, NONE of the characters are likeable. The plot is very meh, pretty easy to put all of the pieces together. At the end of the day, I just didn't care what happened to anyone because they were all so horrible. Definite miss for me. I was very disappointed, because normally I find her books both fun and thrilling.
I will not be recommending this to others.

Thank you to NetGalley and St Martin's Press for the ARC!

I found the characters unrelatable and the plot developments implausible, which hindered my engagement with the story. The pacing felt uneven, and the ending left several questions unanswered, leaving me dissatisfied.