I Would Die For You
By Sandie Jones
Publication date: March 25, 2025

We all made dumb mistakes in our teens. Staying out all night and trying to get a peek at your favorite singer were rights of passage. However, I am sure your mistakes didn’t lead to MURDER. This music-entrenched thriller leads not only to the death of person, but to the death of dreams.

The 1980’s were filled with bands and music that shaped a generation. The British band created by Sandie Jones is derived from the second British invasion of bands, like Duran Duran. These bands were the inventors of the music video and lived larger than life. The fictious band, Secret Oktober, is at the height of their fame, but an underlying power struggle is tearing the members apart from the inside. Crazed fans like Cassie and Amelia have no idea what they are getting involved in. They are risking their hearts and their safety. Song writing partners have no idea how their lives will be changed in the aftermath.

In 2011, Nicole Forbes has left behind her love of music and her painful secrets. She is living a new existence in Coronado, CA as a married mother. Her day-to-day is rather boring, until her life explodes as her past collides with today and pulls secrets from the grave.

It is hard to like some of the characters in this book, I felt sorry for them, but was never really attached to them. I think that’s what made the story flow successfully, you couldn’t get caught up in the emotions of it, you just needed to hold on tight for the thrill ride.

As the story unfolds, I was shocked how far someone would go for an unrequited love. I was also surprised how so many let their dreams die. It wasn’t until the end that a few characters showed their strength by keeping the personal fight going. However, that fight was so misdirected.

It’s hard to say more in their review without giving away the story. You must read it to believe it. The end is a huge “WTH” moment. I had to read the last few chapters twice.

Order your copy for delivery on March 25th. Four Stars!

Net Galley and St Martin’s Press, have provided me with an advanced copy of the book in exchange for a fair and honest review.

This is the first book I’ve read by Sandie Jones and while it was enjoyable I can’t give it a 5 due to the abrupt way it ended. At times I was confused with the timeline as the flipping back and forth between 2010 and 1986 didn’t seem necessary and many times I was uncertain who was ‘talking’ in the chapter. Most of he characters are okay but not great for me.

Thanks to #netgalley, #minotaurbooks and the author for this ARC to read. All opinions are my own

This was a quick and fun read. The short chapters and mysteries kept me invested in what was going on and wanting to read more. At first, I had a bit of a hard time keeping track of what was going on with the different timelines, but once things got going it became a lot more clear. I was invested in the mysteries going on in both timelines so I wasn't ever disappointed when it switched between them which was nice. The characters weren't necessarily likeable, but they were complicated and interesting. I was invested in finding out what would happen to the characters, but because of that I felt the ending was a bit abrupt.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book. Ive enjoyed Jones' past work. Unfortunately, this one didnt quite pull me in as some of her others. However, the ending did save it! I was sucked in reading the last quarter of the book.

I really loved this book and honestly hope this is made into a movie! I binge read this book and the ending will just floor you! The story follows a young girl, Cassie, obsessed with a band named Secret Oktober and the lead singer Ben Edwards. Its reminiscent of the fandom stories you hear about Beatlemania, following the band from hotel to hotel, waiting for a small glimpse of them at the airport, and the obsessed young groupies who idolized the members. I don't want to ruin my review with spoilers, but I highly recommend that you read this book! The book is well written, the characters are so believable and following the timeline was not confusing. I couldn't wait for each chapter to jump back and forth from current to past to find out what happens next. Read it to find out!!

This one kept me guessing for awhile though I have to admit that reading a meet your hero type book felt reminiscent of my time as a preteen on wattpad.

This one was not for me. I felt like the relationship between Ben and Nicole was not really developed. Cassie and Amelia were such vile characters that it was hard to stomach. The twists were confusing and contrived. At least it was entertaining so I will give it 3 stars. It just wasn’t the best. Thank you for the ARC though.

Cassie is madly in love with Ben. Ben is the lead singer of Secret Oktober. She follows the band with the help of a new friend to their exclusive hangouts. Ben reacts with similar feelings. Cassie’s older sister Nicole helps her navigate through her feelings. This is a great read about two sisters who have to deal with the loss of their mother and find distraction with a boy band.

This novel starts out with an interesting premise, but turns dark very quickly. There are 2 timelines which connect the events, going back from modern California to London, 25 years earlier. The novel quickly darkens when a child is kidnapped from school. The main character, Nicole is brought back to the events that occurred in England and tries to understand how her peaceful life has been upended. The catalyst was the appearance of a strange woman trying to ask questions about that incredibly fraught time.

I never found myself not really liking the characters or the dual timelines.

Thank you Netgalley for this novel to read and review.

I read this book in just two sittings, as it captivated me from the very first chapter with the gripping premise of Nicole’s daughter going missing. Immediately, I found myself immersed in the narrative, eager to unravel the mystery. The author weaves in flashbacks to Nicole’s early life in London, which enriches the story and shows how her past experiences have shaped her present circumstances with her husband and daughter.

The plot is filled with unexpected twists and turns, keeping me guessing about the identities and motivations of each character. Read to find out how Nicole’s choices regarding a popular young boy band during her teenage years impacted her life. I could not put this book down!

This book had enough good moments to make me want to continue and finish but there were moments where I had to stop and wonder if I had missed something.
The book has a dual timeline which adds interest. I love the 80’s London boy band setting. The ending was very abrupt and again I felt like I missed something with Zoe’s character.
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this ebook.

I’m a big fan of Sandie Jones but I didn’t really like this one. It was a bit hard to follow with the back and forth between perspectives and timelines, which I usually love but this time it got a little blurry and convoluted. I didn’t really feel drawn to any of the characters and Cassie really got on my nerves. A quick easy read though that kept me engaged just enough to finish it.

2010: Nicole has created a quiet life in a small Californian town. She fights to save seals and be the best mother she can to her daughter. When her daughter is taken the same day a woman shows up asking questions about Nicole's world is tipped upside down. The woman is writing a story on the demise of the greatest boy band of the 80s, a demise that Nicole played a part in. She will have to face up to the hard truths she's had buried for years.

1986: Secret Oktober is the band in London, leaving all the teenage girls with crushes for the three heartbreakers. Cassie is among the crowd, when she falls head over heels for the lead singer, Ben, she will stop at nothing to get his attention.

What starts out as a tribute to 80s music with a family drama takes you around some curves you won't expect. I absolutely love when each character is potentially lying and guilty of something. This speaks volumes to the fandom that leads some down rabbit holes you wouldn't think possible. Sandie Jones always leaves you guessing until the end. Highly recommend. Thank you Netgalley and Minotaur for the advanced copy of this book.

needed a minute to reflect after that one! Whew!

This is told in dual timelines - London 1986 and California 2010. In the present, the story follows Nicole, who gets a visit from a reporter asking questions about her involvement in the demise and death of the band Sekret October. Shortly after, her daughter is missing and her world turns upside down as all the secrets that she thought she had escaped have come back to haunt her.

In the past, we follow Nicole’s younger sister Cassie and her infatuation with the band Sekret October and how her obsession has consequences.

The dual timeline was so well done! Each time the POV switched, the author left me on a cliffhanger and kept me wanting more. Cassie’s character was extremely unlikable and it was almost unrealistic. However, I still enjoyed the story and the twists the book had in store for me. The ending also left me scratching my head for a moment but I was able to piece it together quickly.

Thank you to Net Galley and St. Martin’s Press for this advanced e-copy in exchange for my honest review.

This is my first by this author and while I loved the dual timelines, the pacing was extremely slow and the plot was drawn out for far too long. Overall, the story was cool and unique but I was bored

Thank you to Sandie Jones, Minotaur Books, and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

I promised to be honest, so here it goes... I did not like this book at all. It was a struggle to get through. The characters were horrible and so unlikeable.

I had an ARC of this book from NetGalley and St.Martin’s press. I was intrigued because who I thought someone was, turns out she wasn’t. It was set in the UK and the US which I liked. It was a little wordy and had quite a few mini plots within the story, but it was a quick read. The literal last sentence drove me crazy, because it could mean part 2 or it could mean choose what you think, or worse for me, the book ended and the character I hated was doing her bad work all over

This is a story about how fandom can take a very wrong turn, and you can’t outrun your past. Nicole left behind a very messy series of events. I enjoyed the past/present time jumps as the story unraveled. It started out a little slow for me, but quickly had me rushing to flip the pages to find out what happened. Some of the twists felt obvious, but there were definitely a few that I didn’t realize! If you’re looking for a page-turner that leaves you on the edge of your seat - this does the trick!

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for this ARC.

Nicole and Cassie are sisters. Their mom dies, Cassie goes off the deep end and someone both the girls know gets killed. Twenty years later Nicole has formed a new life when ghosts of the past return to ruin everything she built for herself in the aftermath of the tragedy.

Let me start by saying this is a family drama featuring extreme mental illness and a massive lack of communication. This is not a suspense or a thriller as it’s packaged (or as I understood the packaging). With that in mind, it just wasn’t the type of book I enjoy reading so take my review accordingly. Every tiny bit of conflict in the book could have been avoided by the main character simply not treating everything as a big secret. If the main character had even a smidgen of honesty or respect for others (except the seals) this story could never have happened. I find that aggravating in a book. I get leaving out a detail here or there to spare feelings but to lie about or hide literally everything that happens…. well that, as Nicole discovered, will ruin your life to a far greater extent than anything else possibly could. And maybe that was the message, one sister destroys lives by being a psycho and the other destroys lives by being overly secretive for no reason.

I must also say I didn’t appreciate the ending, which was completely open-ended. I was hoping for a twist and guessing what that twist might be, but there was no twist (thus my opinion of this being a family drama and not suspense). The twist I was expecting would have made this a 4 star for me but the ending came off as the author just kind of giving up and leaving us hanging.

Thank you to the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC.

As a first- time reader of this author I was not sure of exactly how this dual POV and dual Timeline story would work for me, in some ways it did and in others it didn’t quite click.

That being said when I choose a book to read, I look for items in the description of the story that hook my need-to-know curiosity.

Generally, this means I may or may not really like any of the characters who drive a plot twist but enjoy the twists themselves.

In a rare case like this story where neither happens to be 100% true I had to choose the lesser of two evils and I chose Nicole to root for.

By the time everything was all wrapped up and the plot lines/timelines converged I was right back on the fence of not knowing what to think about how things actually were not totally resolved to my complete satisfaction.