Raw, powerful, and at times emotional. Knox’s story is one that most of us know, and I am in awe of how she has been able to find freedom and peace in the aftermath. It’s truly inspirational.

👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻! Thank you, NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for the eARC!

Everyone knows Amanda's story, but not everyone knows the things she has endured since her release and acquittal. I was so impressed with this book and I was so glad to see Amanda persevering despite all she has been through, but more than that, I was also inspired by her outlook on life. It made me reconsider how I frame the events and difficulties in my own life. I never read Amanda's first book, but I can imagine how much growth and life experience also colored Amanda's perspective between when this first happened in 2007, and now. Clearly, prison being the obvious formative experience that traumatized her and changed her life and her worldview, but since then she has also experienced marriage, a pandemic, childbirth, etc. - all of those events also provide a person with a more expansive perspective on the world. I was appreciative that she included these things because a person can mature SO much in 18 years - I'm so glad this book wasn't all dwelling on the negative. I gave it 4 stars because I sometimes felt certain things she said seemed to contradict themselves later on (crying over a comedian making jokes about her after she met him, but then saying humor is important to her/helps with coping and making jokes herself), but overall the contradictions weren't extremely prevalent, just something that made me scratch my head a bit (also not criticizing - I'm sure it's a complicated feeling).

In this book, Amanda focuses on her experiences in prison, returning to her family home back in Washington after leaving Italy, her daily struggles and attempts at normalcy and relationships, accepting her new circumstances, grieving the loss of the person she was before 2007, how she feels about being a punchline for comedians, meeting her husband, her journey to becoming a mother, and most shocking to me, her endeavor for closure by making amends/extending kindness and forgiveness to the Italian prosecutor through a series of emails before meeting in person. Amanda also shares advice she received on how to accept how things are, how people may perceive you, and being ok with it. I felt that was very important and could be useful in my own life.

If you followed the Amanda Knox case with an open mind in 2007, or even if you heard about it later, I highly recommend this book to hear from Amanda herself. The writing is fantastic and the story is extremely engaging. I sometimes found myself wondering, "I wonder if she will address (insert thing) ..." only to have my question addressed in the next section. This book was a super insightful and inspiring read.

Go, Amanda! <3

My major regret about this book is that I did not read Waiting To Be Heard first. I feel like I would have gotten a lot more out of the story if I had. Knox is a great writer and a very introspective person and I think we can all learn a lot from the way she responded to her situation. I am not sure I would have made many of the same decisions she did, especially with the relationships she chose to cultivate, but certainly everyone is entitled to their own decisions and their own life. Certainly worth the read, but consider Waiting To Be Heard first.

3.5 stars. I started following Amanda Knox’s story because around five years prior to her arrest, I was also a naïve twenty-year-old American exchange student in Europe. I understood why she might have acted strangely while being interrogated in a language she didn’t fully understand in a culture she was not yet used to. There is an unreality involved in being a short term student in a different country. I liked this follow-up to Knox’s original memoir even when it felt wordy at times. Her attempt to make sense of the entire event is natural and for the most part she succeeds. I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley.

This memoir picks up where Amanda Knox’s court case left off, exploring what it means to rebuild your life in the wake of a wrongful conviction.

One of the most surprising and moving parts of the book was her reconnection with Giuliano Mignini. Watching their relationship evolve from adversaries to something resembling friendship was both unexpected and beautiful. It caught me off guard emotionally—and made me reflect on how people can choose to respond to even the most painful circumstances with grace and empathy.

Knox’s commentary on the “single victim fallacy” was particularly eye-opening. She articulates the difficult truth that society often refuses to acknowledge more than one victim in a crime, leaving the wrongfully accused without compassion or space to heal.

Amanda is a writer, and it shows. Free is a deeply introspective, thoughtful memoir that doesn’t dwell on the past so much as it considers what comes after—and how to live with, and beyond, injustice.

Thank you to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

I’ve always been interested in Amanda Knox’s story. Amanda’s story was beautifully written. I was in Italy weeks after Meredith’s tragic murder and similar age to Meredith and Amanda. I love that she met Monica Lewinsky and inspired each other. Amanda does a wonderful job taking us into her reality and horrible struggles. She has shown how she came out on the other side with grace. She has turned a horrible situation into a positive. I am in awe she befriended her prosecutor. It was wonderful conclusion to know that Amanda is now living a happy life. Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced reader copy.

This book was raw and heartbreaking. I remember so vividly watching this case unfold and I just can’t imagine what she went through, but reading it all in her words made it even more painful. I’m glad that she finally got out but she never should have gone through that to begin with.

Thank you, NetGalley, for an e-ARC of Free by Amanda Knox.
I got this book right before a trip to Italy. The story of Amanda Knox became something I was pulled toward. Not knowing anything about her arrest, I found the book very interesting yet unsettling. Free is a solid memoir that offers hope and positivity in the face of adversity.

Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for providing this read. All opinions are my own.
Free is a powerful and compassionate exploration of Knox's life after experiencing wrongful incarceration. It's incredibly thought-provoking - I feel that Knox really invites us inside her exploration of what her life was going to be like after being freed. Of course, the media circus surrounding her court case means that she's had to fight to reestablish herself as the owner of her story; something that can be a re-victimization, but that I think Knox uses to transform and grow. Beautifully written and poignant. Something we hope to never experience but also can't help ourselves from wanting every salacious detail.

Amanda Knox is known as the girl who went on trail for the murder of her roommate, Meredith Kercher. Her first book,'Waiting to be Heard,' tells mostly about the trail. 'Free' tells a bit about the trail, her time in prison, and her life since.

I enjoyed this book because I can remember her trail. She spent 4 years in prison, then 8 before she was finally cleared by the Court of Cessation, that like the US Supreme Court, but in Italy.
I have to say she's a better person than me. There's no way I would have gone back to Italy and then met the man who put me in prison for something I didn't do. No way! She's a very strong person. I am glad she has gotten married, has a family, and seems to be doing good with her life.

Published March 25, 2025

Thanks to Netgalley, Grand Central Publishing, and Amanda Knox for the E-ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

😊 Happy Reading 😊

#Netgalley #GrandCentralPublishing #AmandaKnox #Free #ARC #Read2025

I wanted to give this a shot but I feel like it was hard to find any footing in the narrative. Very stunted writing and hard to feel like any of the conversations were real...It all felt like manufactured dialogue.

Amanda Knox tells her story of a tragedy and her life after spending time in an Italian prison. When her roommate was murdered, Amanda Knox and her boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito were taken into custody. She was convicted and spend four years in prison for the murder. DNA evidence later proved that someone else was the sole murderer of her roommate, Meredith Kercher. Amanda and Raffaele were released soon after upon the appeal and overturning of their convictions. However, Amanda was still forced to live as "the girl who murdered her roommate".

Free details not only Amanda's life inside the prison but her life after. This is the story of her journey into darkness while trying to find the light again. Amanda soon discovered that she was not alone. There were others who have also been wrongly convicted for crimes they did not commit. Amanda has finally been able to start moving on with her life. She has found a sort of peace. But the question remains: will Amanda Knox ever really be free?

This was a very sobering look at how injustice happens to innocent people, along with the mental trauma associated with being on trial by the media. I did not follow Amanda Knox's story closely as it was happening, but the name did ring a bell. After finding out more about the story, it is terrifying and terribly sad, but also offers hope in the face of tragedy.

While I would recommend the read to others, especially those invested in the story, I did feel the book to be a bit repetitive and could have been shortened a bit.

There was so much said about her over the years and as much as I was so interested in true crime I managed to steer away from this story as much as possible, but I think it was the time. I knew the basics of the story; however, I did not mind hearing her side of the story

When it was not for sure that you are the perpetrator to begin with, I couldn’t imagine facing the charges in another country for such a crime. Language barrier, difference in how courts work, not having any idea about what your rights are in such situation, and being pushed to your limits could do “wonders” to a person. Especially when that person is a young woman. World is not kind to a woman especially when people can tag you a jealous seductress since day 1

We don’t know what happened that day, but we can expect justice system to do its job to find the truth. I hope Knox really came to terms with what happened to her and I wished whole story was about Meredith Kercher

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I really enjoyed this memoir and appreciated the author’s openness and honesty throughout. Their storytelling was engaging, and I felt connected to their journey in many ways. There were a few parts where the pacing slowed, but overall, the reflections and experiences shared made this a very rewarding read.

This was a thoughtful and heartfelt memoir that I would definitely recommend to others.

For all true crime fans, the Amanda Knox case is one that’s well known and showcased on many podcasts and shows. Hearing from Amanda herself adds a whole new dimension to the story. Her first memoir was captivating and shocking, detailing many events from the case. Free shows the world just how strong Amanda Knox is and is an inspirational story of grief and healing.

Thank you to the publishers and net galley for this advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

"Free: My Search for Meaning" was released on March 25, 2025. A big thank you to the publisher and author for providing an Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) of this novel via NetGalley.

4 stars.

The first time I heard about Amanda Knox, I was in a required class that all university students had to take before studying abroad. I was 19 at the time, just one year younger than Amanda was when she left for her study abroad trip—one that turned into a nightmare in Italy. Her story was essentially used as a cautionary tale for college-aged students to be careful while overseas. At the time, like most people, I didn’t know the full depth of her story or the blatant misinformation the global media spread about an innocent 20-year-old American girl who was wrongly convicted of a heinous crime—despite absolutely no evidence linking her to it.

In her second memoir, Knox shares with the reader an incredible story of trauma, healing, and forgiveness through an intimate look into her life after being acquitted of the murder of Meredith Kercher.

The most powerful part of this gripping memoir is the relationship that forms between Knox and her former prosecutor—the very person who once seemed determined to send her to prison for the rest of her life.

I hope Amanda continues her journey toward peace and keeps speaking out, unwaveringly, about wrongful convictions and the unrelenting stigma that follows.

This is a devastating story on all fronts. Amanda ends her memoir with a chapter dedicated to Meredith—it’s a moving reminder of how little time the two young women actually spent together. My condolences to Meredith’s loved ones.

Amanda's story has captivated me since the very beginning. I've followed this case and her struggles throughout the entire time since it made the news. In FREE, Amanda tells he story in her words, which once again, just left me in disbelief at times.

We all know the story, but Amanda tells her version of it, including details that were new to me. I really enjoyed hearing her reflections on the absolute rollercoaster of how she was treated. It was also nice to hear about how she's grown and made life her own again.

Knox is an excellent writer and her honesty and vulnerability were startling. I felt great sympathy for her, although I found her personality a bit off-putting at times, and I wondered if those hard edges were a result of what she’d been through. Some of her stories were heartbreaking, some humorous. The middle of the book was a little slow but it has a powerful ending. It is inspiring to see how she is speaking out for others through her work with the Innocence Project and using her experience to help others.

Amanda Knox is known for her conviction, acquittal, re-conviction, and re-acquittal in the murder of her roommate Meredith Kercher while studying abroad in Perugia, Italy. Amanda's face was splashed all over tabloids and she spent four years in an Italian prison fighting for her freedom. This time we get to hear her story from her. This is Amanda's story of what happened on the night Meredith was murdered and what happened next. I was riveted by this story at the time and this book is an entirely new perspective on how being wrongfully accused impacted Amanda's life. It is very well written and worth a read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for an ARC of Free.