The book that this reminded me of most was Looking for Alaska. It doesn't quite hit the same age range - both middle school and college - but there were some similar elements. I didn't find the murder mystery very compelling, but I liked how the characters and their perspectives changed. The non-linear elements of the plot worked well too.

I was lucky enough to win an e-ARC of UNTIL ALISON by Kate Russo from a Shelf Awareness/Publisher's Weekly giveaway. Thank you for the early look, and have a safe and happy summer!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc.

I wanted to enjoy this story but found the plot to be unrealistic and slightly annoying. I can see where the audience is for this book, but unfortunately I am not part of it.

Until Alison by Kate Russo is a explores adolescent angst and a college murder mystery. It is recommended. This novel will be appreciated more by New Adult readers

In Waterbury, Maine, Rachel Nardelli and Alison Petrucci were friends as children, had a fall out during middle school, and Rachel really hasn't talked to her since they were 14. Alison was bullied and considered the weird girl in grade school and middle school. She came from a wealthy family and later went to an exclusive high school due to the bullying. During their senior year at college, Rachel was drunk at her boyfriend Cam's party when Alison showed up and later left with a guy. Alison's body was found in a pond the next day.

Rachel is a journalism major and part of the college newspaper staff so she starts investigating the murder with her fellow journalists. She also privately reflects on her former relationship and interactions with Alison, but neglects to mention until much later her previous relationship with Alison or the fact that she saw her leave Cam's party with a young man.

For mature adult readers it should be noted that this is really a new adult novel. The narrative reads exactly like an immature college student ruminating about her past. Most college students have matured, move on, etc. and don't dwell on or deeply ponder events from middle school to this extent. They are usually looking toward the future, leaving their childhood and many of the people they knew from school behind them, in the past.

As the narrator of the story, Rachel is unlikable and a large part of it, for me, is her immaturity. Rachel mistakenly thinks because she saw Alison that night she could have prevented her murder. She was also so removed from Alison in the present that she should have easily shared the fact that she knew her from years ago. They had no current connection with each other. Alison is never really developed as a sympathetic character other than her oddness in middle school when she was the target for bullies.

The quality of the writing is good, but it also seemed like Russo wanted to write a social commentary about class, gender, political alignments, and violence against women rather than a mystery. These topics are present in the narrative but don't feel incorporated into the plot in a natural manner. The novel held my attention and Russo gets points for her writing ability but the presentation could have been better.

Until Alison would be a good choice for New Adult readers on the younger side. Thanks to Penguin/Putnam for providing me with an advance reader's copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.






The review will be published on Edelweiss, Barnes & Noble and Amazon.

Until Alison is another dissection into what it means to be a woman. The alternating between high school and adulthood shines a light in this in different periods of life. Abuse, manipulation and violence are always lingering nearby. I was absolutely pleased by our main character’s personal development. As long as you go into this story expecting more of a character driven novel and not a super fast paced mystery, it’s easy to get wrapped up in. The high school sections did feel very YA, which comes with the territory - it’s not inherently a bad thing. It was extremely interesting to see how one person can indirectly affect your life in subtle ways that stick with you for years and years.

I really liked this book! I found Russo's writing to be suspenseful while also being reflective, and it painted a great picture of how it feels to come to terms with the wrong you've caused someone. Additionally, I felt like the book balanced being a coming of age story and a thriller well. I did cringe while the main character recounted their experiences being a bully, which really shows how well written it was. I would definitely read more by Russo!

Thank you to Netgalley and the author/publisher for the ARC!

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this eARC.

A compelling captivating read with the capacity to open up old wounds in our own lives, and to help promote their healing.

Unfortunately, in my school years, I was both bullied and I was a bully. It is amazing that this book is not an autobiography, as the author perfectly captures the pressure cooker which children and young teens are forced to survive in public schools. Should adults, especially parents, think that this trauma is minor and is merely a right of passage ( or if were one of the few kids who passed through this nightmare unscathed) I hope they read this book because this trauma can (and will) cause lifelong wounds.

Regarding the mystery, it is captivating and enlightening. When you are done reading it, hand it to your teenager, so they can realize, that if they survive this minefield of youth, they will eventually become an adult, and life will, at last , improve.

I received a copy for review. All opinions are my own. I thoroughly enjoyed every bit of this book. The way it was told through past and present made it easy to follow the history of the characters and helped me to draw my own conclusions about each along the way as I (like many characters in the book) tried to solve the age old question of who did it. It was a mix of coming of age and a mystery thriller. Kate Russo did a fantastic job at putting us in Rachel’s mind so we could understand her feelings especially guilt and regret. I’ll definitely read future books by Russo! She earned a new fan with this one.

I do think it could make a good book club read for groups that like to discuss complicated themes. However, in a world of strong FMC, this was not it for me. Themes of sexism, bullying, being a bully and becoming a bully…an unconfident FMC that experiences minimal growth. A bit weird how much she’s fixated on a girl from middle school that she fell out of friendship with. I had a hard time relating which impacted my ability to enjoy this story.

'Until Alison' is a beautifully layers, slow-burning literary mystery that explores grief, memory, and the subtle betrayals that shape us. Kate Russo brings a quiet intensity to the story of Rachel Nardelli, a college journalist whose world is rocked by the sudden death of her estranged childhood friend, Alison Petrucci.

The novel moves fluidly between present-day investigation and past recollections, unraveling the complex dynamic between Rachel and Alison as girls growing up in a town defined by class lines and unspoken rules. Russo captures that aching blend of nostalgia and discomfort that comes with revisiting a version of yourself you thought you'd outgrown. Rachel's narration is sharp and honest, with just enough distance to let readers feel the emotional weight settle in slowly.

This isn't a thriller in a traditional sense - it's more introspective, more interested in the emotional fallout than a dramatic reveal. And yet, the tension builds quietly as Rachel digs into Alison's life, questioning not only what happened, but what kind of friend she was - and wasn't.

This was an intrigue-filled mystery that kept me interested from page one. Everything I thought I knew or figured out turned out to be wrong, which is always nice when reading a mystery story.
There are TW of binge and underage drinking, SA, and intense bullying.

Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin Random House for this ARC. Allison was dead to begin with. The messy friendship the main character had with the dead student made me immediately think there was more to it than a “what happened to Allison.” So I was kind of happy when the ending wasn’t just dunking on the main character, or the friend who died.

I enjoyed this book and loved the switching between present and past. I found some of the themes a little hard to read, mainly because I can remember what school was like and how bullying affects people.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of Until Alison.

When Rachel learns her childhood frenemy, Alison, has been murdered, she wonders if she could have done something to prevent it. She was the last person to see Alison alive.

As she and her colleagues on the college newspaper probe for clues into the investigation, Rachel must confront her childhood past traumas and accept how she and Alison will forever be inextricably linked.

This was definitely not for me.

I thought this was a straightforward mystery/thriller where clues are uncovered to find the murderer but the murder is a subplot to the core of the narrative; flashbacks to the past and how Alison and Rachel's friendship unraveled and Rachel's complicity in the bullying that plagued most of Alison's young life.

I didn't like Rachel or Alison and I don't think we're supposed to.

Rachel isn't a terrible person, she's just not a good friend and not a compelling main character; she's not interesting, smart or ambitious, a closet alcoholic.

Honestly, I still don't understand the rivalry between Rachel or Alison. The only thing that bound them was they both liked the same boy.

This was well-written but I wasn't interested in the angst-filled turbulent years of junior high and high school.

I wanted a mystery, not a reflection on why Rachel was a lousy friend and how their friendship deteriorated due to a boy. How stupid.

That's not to say I don't understand when you're young (we all used to be at some point), those kinds of things mattered then; boys, making friends and wanting everyone to like you.

It's only when you’re older do you realize how petty and silly all that stuff is.

When I was young, my mom used to say, when you're older, none of these things will matter.

Of course, when you're young those are the only things that matter and who listens to their parents when they're teenagers?

We get flashbacks into how Rachel mistreated Alison and her own revelations as she dealt with puberty and the not nice things boys will do because they think they own everything...and us.

The identity of the murderer is a non-issue as the narrative is really about how Rachel will now cope with the loss of Alison and how her death will continue to impact her life in the present and future.

Read this if you're a fan of the author and enjoy introspective narratives, not if you're looking for suspenseful or thrilling read.

I'm not the right audience but I'm sure there are readers who will enjoy Until Alison.

A riveting murder mystery x journey of self-acceptance/growth. Rachel’s childhood frenemy is dead. She isn’t forthcoming about how well she knows Alison and is tasked with writing a story about her for her college paper. To make things even more complicated, Rachel is pretty sure she saw Alison a few hours before she died.

This was really tense and engaging. As Rachel grapples with how much information she should share with investigators, she reminisces about how awful she was to Alison in junior high. Overall an exciting and emotional novel that is hard to put down once you start reading.

Thank you to Putnam and NetGalley for the opportunity to read a copy.

I was kind of shocked by this one. The middle school bullying and general dynamics really hit me hard in a way that I was not expecting. This book perfectly captures the way that everything at that point in your life feels so life or death because it’s the first time you’ve ever experienced crushes, popularity, peer pressure, etc. I felt actually nauseous at the way Alison was treated in middle school because it felt so believable and awful. Rachel’s development throughout the book was really well done, and watching the guilt eat away at her over the course of the writing of her article for the school paper was gut-wrenching. I was fascinated by the small-town and class dynamics that subconsciously drove middle school life and the similar way that politics dominated Rachel’s college experience despite her desperation to avoid choosing a side. Just a sickening and fascinating read. I thought the ending was a little rushed, and I wish her relationships with the other girls who worked at the newspaper were better fleshed out, but overall, I loved this and have already started recommending it to people for when it comes out.

Rachel learns her childhood rival, Alison, is found dead in the same pond where they parted ways years ago. Rachel, who saw Alison the night she died and said something regrettable, feels implicated. Joining the murder investigation, Rachel confronts their complicated past, uncovering cruelties that challenge her understanding of their relationship and the events leading to Alison's death.

Thank you to NetGalley, Penguin Putnam and the author for providing me with an advance copy. All opinions are my own.

This was a hard book to read, to remember how awful teenagers can be. But I thought Kate Russo did a great job of getting into the head of someone who was in that middle ground of not quite bullied/not quite a bully, and acknowledging the guilt that accompanies that position. I only wish we had learned more about Alison’s life between high school and college, to get a better understanding of who she was at the end.

Also, maybe spoiler: it frustrated me that the police said they “thought” the body was Alison. They held a press conference with the entire town without having a formal ID? That seemed completely unprofessional and made me expect that there would be some body-switch/“she’s been alive the whole time!” nonsense.

I devoured this book in one day. I loved the small town Maine settings. The cast of characters all felt so complex to me which made it even more interesting and I found myself thinking about them, even when I wasn’t actively reading. They all seemed deeply flawed and real and I appreciated that. I will recommend this to my friends and social media.

Love everything by this author. Always suspenseful, fast paced and sorry to fet to the final page. GReat story great intrigue and great entertainment.