This definitely has 'Daisy Jones and the Six' vibes with the 2 alternating timelines between the past and the present, California in 2011, and London in 1986. As a teenager, Cassie was a big groupie of the band 'Secret Oktober', and became obsessed with it's lead singer, Ben, who only has eyes for Cassie's sister, Nicole. This caused a lot of tension between the two sisters, as you can imagine, and sets the stage for competition, envy, and betrayal.

Pan to present day where Nichole is living a quiet life in California when a reporter shows up at her doorstop wanting to interview her about her days with the band. This coincides with the disappearance of her daughter, and the plot thickens.

There's a good story here and decent character development, but the main characters were just not that likable. The ending also seemed rushed and underwhelming. The two sections of the book are told from different points of view-one in the first person, and one in the third person. This might be challenging for some folks to keep straight, but it made it a bit more interesting to me. Nothing to brag about here as I feel this plot line has been done many times before.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐
Genre: Mystery Thriller

This mystery thriller is told in a nonlinear way in a dual timeline. In California in 2011, we follow Nicole, a married woman with a young daughter. Her daughter goes missing the same day when a writer visits her at home, asking her about a British band from the 1980s. The school informs her that her sister came and took her daughter. Things of the past will have to open up, and Nicole will have to face them.

Then, the past timeline goes to the 1980s, following Nicole’s 16-year-old sister, Cassie. Cassie’s obsession with the lead singer of a British band makes her take some drastic steps just to catch his attention, but when the singer gets drawn to Nicole instead, things get complicated between the sisters.

Nicole’s present timeline is narrated in the first-person style, while the past timeline is narrated in the third style. This was my first time reading a book by the author, and I liked her writing style. The story has many interesting themes, which I enjoy, especially those involving family dynamics. The sibling relationship was quite interesting, too. The narrative concentrates a lot on how past decisions affect your future life.

I usually don’t enjoy love triangles, but surprisingly, the two sisters being in a love triangle did not bother me in this story. I would have given this book a four-star rating if the ending had been stronger. Unfortunately, I feel the ending was somewhat underwhelming and didn’t match the excitement of the buildup. This is a personal opinion; you might think differently if you read the book. Maybe you would like how the story wraps up.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with the ARC of this book.

Thriller readers, get your popcorn ready!!! 🍿Because the upcoming Sandie Jones is full of family drama, rock and roll, and unrequited love gone wrong! Told in a dual-timeline format, this book follows two sisters whose lives became entangled with the hottest rock band of the 1980s with devastating consequences. Fun, frothy, and impossible to put down, this is absolutely one to add to your TBR. Out 03/25!

This was a gripping mystery-thriller that constantly keeps you guessing about what is going on. It's mostly set in London, 1986 when Nicole and Cassie are teenagers. Cassie is obsessed with an up-and-coming band, a groupie in the making, particularly when it comes to the lead singer Ben.

In 2010 California, Nicole and her husband Brad are activists trying to protect the seals on the beach. Then her daughter is taken from school by her "Auntie" and after leaving her past behind 25 years ago, she is determined to find out who this "Auntie" is and what she wants from her family.

The back and forth, past and present, rolls along quickly. There are definitely some troubling signs with the family, especially with Cassie's delusions that she is involved in a relationship with Ben. But with their mother dying from cancer and their father being overprotective, Nicole tries her best to distance herself from the family.

Overall, I thought it was an engaging book, although the characters weren't really developed enough for me. The twists were good, and the ending was abrupt and left to interpretation, but I still enjoyed it.

This book was a quick read for me (I couldn't put it down!) and captured my attention throughout the story. It was a cat and mouse, with chapters alternating between "then and now". I thought it seemed rather unbelievable, that young girls would have such easy access to rising stars, until I read the acknowledgements. Take time to read the Acknowledgements! Oh My!! The ending not only took me by surprise, but it did so more than once. A very twisty, and thrilling read.

Thank you @NetGalley and @St.Martin'sPress @MinotaurBooks for giving me the opportunity to read Sandie Jones new book, I Would Die For You.
I will definitely be recommending to my friends.

A wild ride that bounces between the past and present. At first I was puzzles with how it would all come together in the end, but it kept me on the edge of my seat!

This is dual timeline mystery about a woman who moved to California and reinvented herself after a traumatic adolescence/ young adulthood involving some tragic events. She lost her mother to cancer, has to deal with a dysfunctional father and younger sister and had a romantic relationship implode with a British rock star.
She is reinvented with what seems a happy marriage and a daughter.
What follows is whirlwind of disasters that threaten to destroy her new life. There are many flashbacks to the 1980s - the music scene and the whole culture of groupies and obsession .
All in all for me this book was just too much. I finished the book because it was well paced and had hopes for some redeeming - but the characters were uniformly unlikeable and none could communicate with each other effectively.
I found the ending frustrating.
Thanks to NetGalley and Minotaur books for a chance to read and give my honest opinion.

Wow! The twists and turns will keep you guessing. At the start of the book, the 2 timelines and different narrators was difficult to follow. But now that I've finished reading the book, I think that confusion helped to build the story because it kept you guessing in what happened.

Oh boy, this was not for me. I liked the current timeline, it was interesting and I wanted to know more. But the 1986 timeline? Pure fan fiction and I hated it.

Sandie Jones is a go to author for me, so the bar is high when I read her books. While this is not my favorite read of hers, it still held my interest.

I was very intrigued in the story set in the past, but the current time line was less interesting to me. For some reason I didn’t buy Nicole and her husband’s relationship. While the end made sense, it was a bit too abrupt for me. I don’t know that the last twist was needed.

Like I said, the book held my interest but just was not my favorite read overall.

The first time period is set in 2011, featuring a woman named Nicole Forbes. She lives in California with her husband and their 8-year-old daughter. One day, a young woman arrives, inquiring about someone named Ben Edwards, who was part of the biggest fictional band in the UK during the 1980s. Nicole declines to talk about it and soon panics when she realizes her daughter is missing.

The second time period takes place in London in 1986, where we primarily follow Cassie, a 16-year-old girl who is infatuated with the same fictional band and its lead singer, Ben Edwards. Cassie dreams of being with him, but her sister Nicole, who possesses a beautiful singing voice, catches Ben's attention, leading him to pursue her instead.

The book has its flaws some plot twists are as predictable. However, the author really captures the essence of the '80s, bringing it to life without getting lost in nostalgia. She transforms what could have been just another thriller into a more profound narrative about the lengths we'll go to keep our secrets safe and the consequences when those secrets start to take on a life of their own. The ending felt chaotic. It didn't come across as complete to me at all.

I was excited for this book but it fell a bit flat for me. I enjoyed some of the twists but the characters were unlikeable and flat. The pacing at times was quick while at other times...it dragged. I liked the two different timelines, especially the 80's timeline but overall it felt more YA to me, which is fine, but not my typical cup of tea.

My first book review for the new year and unfortunately this one fell flat for me. First time reading this author. There wasn’t much substance to the story, characters were unrelatable and unlikable, the pacing felt rushed as well as the ending. I was tempted to not finish this one multiple times, but decided to push through.

👉🏼 Who would kill for you?

•Dual Timelines•

What a whirl win of a story
A story that goes between 1986 and 2010. A woman who has built her life up around a story she has concocted to hide the truth. Suddenly comes crashing down when someone comes in search of her. And back in 1986. A young girl so engrossed in a teenage crush of a boy band finds her self in a web of lies, deception, sex, drugs and rock and roll.
2 sisters so far apart yet so close.
I enjoyed the 1986 storyline but the more present one just didn’t seem to catch to me. I did enjoy the twists that it had. It almost had a YA feel to me.
I felt like it was rushed yet a slow burn if that make any sense. I couldn’t really feel anything for the characters they kinda just were there for me. I don’t know I hope other ppl take the time and give it a try and maybe find it a bit more for their liking.

It's 1986 and Cassie is obsessed with Ben Edwards, the lead singer of London's hottest band, Secret Oktober. Along with her new friend and groupie, Amelia, she schemes her way into parties just for a chance to get close to the singer. In the meantime, Ben comes across Cassie's older sister Nicole singing in a bar and there is an instant attraction between the two. As you can imagine, this scenario doesn't end well and the reader is transported to 2010, where Nicole is leading a new life until a reporter shows up at her door.

I like the concept of this story but I didn't like any of the characters. The women were either mentally disturbed or emotionally weak. Also, a little communication between the characters could have saved a lot of heartache and wasted time. I did feel bad for Nicole's husband Brad. He was subjected to many lies and omissions and deserved better.

Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press/Minotaur Books for providing a digital review copy.

This is the story of two sisters, Nicole and Cassie, who fell in love with the same man, Ben He was in a band and Cassie was a groupie. She had fantasized about being in a relationship with him and she finally got her chance. Her best friend, Amelia, was in love with Michael, who was also in the same band.

This story takes place in 1985 when the relationships occurred, and in 2010 when Nicole has a family of her own: Her husband Brad and her daughter Hannah. In 1985, Nicole was a musician in her own right and she played in guitar in pubs. One night Ben came to the pub and listened to her play a song that she had written for her mother who had died. Ben fell in love with the song and decided to record it with Nicole. Eventually, they found themselves in a relationship. It turns out, Ben didn't really like Cassie the way she wanted him to. He saw her as merely a groupie. But he was in love with Nicole. One day, Ben called the house to talk to Nicole and Cassie listened on the extension. She heard them making plans to get together. Cassie was devastated and decided that if it was the last thing she did, she was going to get even with Nicole.

Cassie showed up at the hotel where the band was staying and went straight to Ben's room. But he didn't want her there. Michael showed up in his room and he asked Michael to take her away. Michael took her to a deserted area where he raped her. She was able to get away from him and she phoned Nicole to come and get her. She eventually told Nicole what Michael had done to her and Nicole was determined to get back at him. But Cassie had her heart set on destroying both Nicole and Ben.

Michael had a horrible drug habit and was constantly putting the band in jeopardy. Cassie got her hands on some bad heroin and went to the hotel to see Michael. It was then that she gave him the heroin and he died. Her father showed up at the hotel looking for her and found her in the hallway outside Michael's hotel room. He found his way inside and found Michael dead. Cassie was able to implicate Nicole and Ben. And she got her father to lie on the witness stand. Nicole got away scot-free, but Ben got 5 years.

2010. Nicole fled England immediately following the trial and ended up in the United States where she met her husband. Brad. She never told Brad about her past. A woman named Zoe showed up on her doorstep saying that she was a journalist and wanted to know the truth about what happened. It was through. Zoe that Brad ended up finding out. Of course it was devastating for him to learn that his wife had been a suspect in a murder. He left her for a few days but then he came back. Their daughter Hannah had been kidnapped from school by someone claiming to be her aunt. It turns out it was Cassie, whom Nicole hadn't seen in 25 years. Cassie was angry with Nicole because their father had left her his estate and Cassie felt that she was the one that deserved it. So she wanted to wreak havoc in Nicole's life. Also. Their father had written Nicole a letter. Todd, his attorney delivered to her. In the letter he told her the whole truth about what had happened around Michael's death.

The author told a compelling story and was able to keep me coming back for more. There was a time or two when it seemed The saga was a little off base, nevertheless, I very much enjoyed it, So much so that I gave it five stars.

I have read and enjoyed all of Sandie Jones’ books. They are all vey entertaining. I Would Die for You is no exception. I would call this a total guilty pleasure; a rock band, a murder, past and present, groupies, London, California! What more could one want. Addictive!

I Would Die for you is the latest thriller/suspense novel by author Sandie Jones.

The main character, Nicole has been living in Coronado, California for the twenty or so years, she is formerly from the UK. The story is told in dual time lines, present day 2010 in California and 1986 London. In 1986 Secret Oktober is a band that is very popular and draws big crowds of people, especially young girls who have crushes on members of the band. I just loved this time period. As a Gen-xer, it was fun to read and brought back a lot of nostalgia.

Nicole’s sister, Cassie becomes obsessed with Ben Edwards from Secret Oktober. She shows up everywhere he is and her 16 year old mind thinks they are a couple. One night Nicole is singing at an open mic night and captures the attention of Ben Edwards. He loves her song and wants to help her get it recorded. They make music together and develop feelings for each other. Oh boy!

What happens is a downward spiral affecting the band and Nicole/Cassie’s family and others.

This book really kept me turning the pages into the night. It is fast paced, full of twists and turns and just pure fun. There are lots of hints and speculation about what broke up the band and other events. Ms. Jones gives us little breadcrumbs until we find out the cataclysmic event. The pacing was perfect and the length of book was just enough to tell the story without making it unnecessarily longer. I did find the ending to be a little abrupt and the characters were mainly unlikable but the writing and storylines made up for that.

I really enjoyed the 80s vibe of the story and how it intertwined with the current timeline. I Would Die for You will be released on 03/25/25. Thank you to Netgalley and Minotaur books for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinions.

“I Would Die for You” is by Sandy Jones. This book is told in two timelines - present day and the past. This book follows two sisters - Nicole and Cassie. Present day Nicole is shocked that her past (from 25 year ago) is rearing its ugly head. Back when Nicole was in her early twenties, her sister - Cassie - was obsessed with a band called Secret Oktober. While Nicole was trying to make it as a singer, Cassie becomes obsessed with the front man, Ben. Cassie’s groupie path isn’t a good one. Nicole tires to help out Cassie, but ends up falling for Ben herself after a meeting following one of her gigs. Things happen … and not for the best. While I’ve enjoyed Ms. Jones’s plot twists and storylines in the past, for me this one seemed a bit too all over the place. There’s a lot going on and the pacing (sometimes fast, sometimes dragging) didn’t add to my overall enjoyment. I found the parts about Cassie’s obsession with the band interesting, but Cassie’s actions made me think “obsessed teenage girl actions - not my favorite.” Overall I think this book was okay - some parts were really good, some points I think should either have been dropped or else fleshed out a bit more, but this book wasn’t my cup of tea.

This book is full of suspense with secrets and lies. Sisters betrayed each other. You never get to feel like you know the true real person. They have so much crazy in their heads! Then we are left hanging on what happens next!