5 Stars! Thank you to Grand Central Publishing for the ARC of this book in exchange for a review. All opinions in this review are my own.

First off, I have to say Amanda Knox is a very talented writer. This book takes us through many different points in her experience after being wrongfully convicted - from her imprisonment, release, potential extraction back to Italy, and reintegration into the world after being in prison for four years.

Throughout the entire book, my heart ached for Knox. I've followed her story since it first happened - and like her, I also studied abroad in Italy. I was in Italy when she was being retried again and remember the media circus in the Italian press. Knox took us through these moments in this memoir and broke down how she was treated, how she felt, and drove home the lasting impact that a trial by media can have on someone. Knox drove home that when a horrific crime is committed, there are often times additional victims and lives changed forever.

The theme of kindness, and kindness being something we have power over ourselves, as a theme in this book really resonated with me. That's something that I've always held as a personal value, and from this book you can tell Knox not only talks about how important being kind is to her, but how she puts it into action. She is a bigger person than I being able to meet again with those who put her on trial and made her a villain in the Italian media.

If you've seen the documentary about this case on Netflix or have read about it in any capacity over the years, I strongly recommend reading this book.

In "Free," Amanda Knox invites readers into her tumultuous journey from a vibrant college student to a wrongfully convicted prisoner. As someone who has always been captivated by her story, I approached this memoir with a mix of curiosity and trepidation. Memoirs can be challenging to critique, as they delve deeply into personal experiences, yet Amanda's narrative is astonishingly powerful.

Knox's resilience shines through as she recounts her nightmarish ordeal in Italy, where she was embroiled in a murder trial that captivated the world. Her honesty about the emotional turmoil she faced, the overwhelming media scrutiny, and the harsh realities of the legal system are both poignant and thought-provoking. As a defense attorney, I felt a particular connection to her perspective; she articulates the struggle of navigating a flawed justice system in a way that is both personal and universal.

One of the most remarkable aspects of Knox’s story is her ability to find compassion for those who wronged her, including her prosecutor. Her journey of forgiveness speaks volumes about her extraordinary character and the human capacity for resilience. Knox’s friendship with the very person who sought to imprison her serves as a powerful testament to her strength and growth.

Moreover, her reflections on the media's role in shaping public opinion highlight a critical issue: the presumption of innocence. As we all know too well, sensationalism can distort the truth, and Amanda brings to light the devastating impact this can have on someone's life. Her insights challenge readers to reconsider their perceptions of justice and truth.

This memoir is not just a recounting of events; it’s an emotional, poetic exploration of identity, humanity, and the quest for justice. It’s a book that will leave you introspective and profoundly affected. I wholeheartedly encourage everyone to read "Free." You'll come away with a deeper understanding of the complexities of justice and the strength of the human spirit. Amanda Knox's story is not just hers; it's a reflection of our shared humanity.

Thank you to NetGalley, Grand Central Publishing, and Amanda Knox for this ARC. It went on sale on March 25, 2025. You can get it from your local bookseller, my favorites:

Free My Search For Meaning by Amanda Knox
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Amanda Knox's story was infamous internationally. I was intrigued about what her perspective of how her accusation and conviction affected her and if she was able to move forward from this horrible incident.

Amanda's writing is intelligent and flows easily. My stomach was in knots reading her perspective and how this affected her life. She was very young and in another country. To be accused of a horrific crime, spend time in jail, not have a mastery of the language, and be hated by an entire country, was atrocious as well as frightening!

The thing that impacted me the most from everything she wrote is that she had the courage and insight to form a friendly relationship with the prosecuting attorney. He was vicious, accusing her of a gruesome crime, and ultimately sent her to jail. Yet, she was seeking his understanding.

This was a compelling perspective about a peril most of will never experience. Amanda has sought resolution and taking lessons she learned to move forward.

Great read!

I remember finding the Amanda Knox story very upsetting and also fascinating when it happened. She is only a few years younger than me and I could always empathize with her and found it shocking she was convicted with so little evidence pointing to her.

Anyway, I found her first memoir super compelling for that reason. She really goes into the trial and life in prison and what that was like. This one is a little less engaging to me- it covers her life after getting out of prison but also revisits prison a bit. I was still interested but found it a bit long winded at times. Overall, Knox is a very good writer and I think if you were interested in this story you will find this book worthwhile.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the arc!

I followed this story in real time for a bit but haven't really seen any of the subsequent documentaries or read Knox's first memoir. I was curious about the current state of the case and her life nearly twenty years later. It's definitely difficult to seem to put a finger on who Amanda is...is it because we've been tainted for so long by a narrative she claims is untrue? I haven't quite decided exactly how to view her, but she was acquitted regardless of public opinion. Unfortunately that seems to be all she is going to be allowed, rather than the majority of people actually truly believing in her innocence.
I still felt she held herself sort of at arms' length here in some way, but I was quite intrigued by the story of her unorthodox relationship that develops with her former Italian prosecutor. That part was worth the whole read.
Thanks to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for this ARC. All opinions are mine.

I do not like to rate biographies, but for the sake of NetGalley I have given this a solid 3-star. I am a forensic scientist and when in school, we watched the Amanda Knox documentary, which engrained in us the importance of securing a crime scene. I don't know what I was expecting of this book, but unfortunately the repetition made it hard to stay engaged. I wish Amanda a great life and I am glad she is doing amazing these days.

really good stories of her experiences and loved that I learned so much more about her. loved that there were different stories and what she learned from them.

As an avid true crime fan, Amanda‘s story is very familiar to me. And while I did enjoy her second memoir, it felt very similar to her first I did not shed light on a lot of new ideas or feelings for me. However, this was beautifully written and I am so happy that Amanda is able to use her voice to Abby K for herself and no others.

Hearing Amanda reminisce on the tabloid headlines we ALL read after she was taken into custody in Italy brought me right back. She's keenly aware of how the media made us all feel about her - "Foxy Knoxy - and ready to tell her story in a way that feels comprehensive and truly genuine. As someone who studied abroad in a foreign country at age 20 myself, I truly cannot imagine being imprisoned in a place with a different language and culture. Amanda shares her darkest thoughts, how she got through it, and how she's using her experiences now on the other side to advocate for others wrongly imprisoned, and even going so far as to connect with the prosecutor of her own case. Beautiful, transparent, vulnerable, inspiring.

5 stars.

I loved how this memoir felt more real and authentic than her last book. It felt like you were getting to know Amanda and not just the case that made her known to the world. You really got a glimpse into her life now and some of the struggle she has faced since being released. The writing was enjoyable and kept me engaged. I would definitely recommend.

I received a copy free from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this and could barely put it down. Amanda Knox has been through a lot, and almost everyone (whether they've thought about it or not) has had their opinion of her skewed in some way by media coverage. But here, she does a great job of showing how "Amanda Knox, Public Figure" is very different than Just Amanda, the actual person.

I was only peripherally aware of Knox's criminal case between her arrest in 2007 and release from prison in 2011, but I remember thinking that while on the one hand the media coverage seemed unfairly salacious, on the other hand surely she wouldn't have been suspected, let alone convicted, if there hadn't been some sort of evidence?! and having that "did she or didn't she?" feeling when her face popped up in the news. I haven't read her previous book, Waiting to Be Heard, which was written and published directly in the wake of her release from prison, but I did watch the 2016 documentary, which for me definitively underpinned her innocence. Amanda Knox came off as a regular girl with whom I could even be friends. The Italian police, especially prosecutor Giuliano Mignini, came off as delusional weirdos who had clearly seen far too many giallo movies.

In Free, after many more years of life experience and reflection, Knox discusses Rudy Guede's murder of Meredith Kercher (which set into motion the infamous chain of events) and her own time in prison but focuses more on the details of her life since then. This life has of course been marked by her notoriety, and the constant dance between public and private selves. Knox discusses her social and dating life, her involvement with the Innocence Project and other advocacy work, her journey towards parenthood, and most surprisingly of all, her evolving relationship to Giuliano Mignini.

Knox has been through a pretty unique experience, but has gained insights that can universally help people navigate life, and is generous in sharing them. She's also a brilliant writer. I look forward to seeing what she does next, if she chooses to share that too -- not because it's actually any of my business or because I enjoy seeing her face pop up in the news, but because I'm rooting for her success and happiness. For instance, I bet if she wrote a novel it would be amazing.

If you've followed Amanda Knox's story over the years, "Free: My Search for Meaning" is worth a read - but check your expectations. This isn't a true crime tell-all. It's a reflective memoir that walks through Knox's life before, during, and after the media circus, focusing more on meaning and identity than facts and timelines.

Knox writes candidly about her time in prison, the years of retrials, and being known as "Foxy Knoxy" around the world. Her face-to-face meeting with the very prosecutor who helped derail her life, many years after the trial, was a particular highlight for me.

It's not a fast-paced read - I put it down a lot - but her introspectiveness pulled me back in time after time. If you're looking for insight rather than new evidence, this quiet, thoughtful memoir might be your next read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for the advanced reader's copy; all opinions expressed in this review are my own.

📖 Free: My Search for Meaning by Amanda Knox 📖⁣
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⁣Amanda Knox is back again— this time writing about her life after being freed from prison in Italy. She’s a gifted writer and mostly focuses on her quest for forgiveness. I struggled to get through this book and it felt much longer than 300 pages. The pacing was off and it seemed like she repeated the same ideas over and over. ⁣
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⁣Parts of this one with interesting, but other parts were incredibly hard to read. When she returned to Italy to meet with the man who persecuted her, my entire body cringed. If I was her, I’m not sure I’d ever leave the United States again! ⁣
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⁣All in all, this was okay. I’d only recommend it if you were interested in Knox’s story. Three stars! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⁣
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⁣Thank you to @netgalley and the publishers for an ARC of Free. It is out now!

Amanda Knox’s new book, Free, offers an insightful and personal reflection on her life after being acquitted of the murder of Meredith Kercher. The book provides readers with an intimate look at her journey from being a convicted criminal in the public eye to becoming a symbol of justice and the complexities of the legal system.

Knox's writing is candid and eloquent, giving us a glimpse into the emotional and psychological toll her years of incarceration and trial took on her. She writes with a clear sense of vulnerability, sharing both the trauma of being wrongfully convicted and the ongoing struggle to reclaim her identity in a world that continually questions her innocence. Her ability to reflect on the nuances of the media’s portrayal of her and the impact it had on her life is one of the strengths of the book.

Free is a thought-provoking read for those interested in understanding Amanda Knox’s emotional and psychological journey post-trial. It’s an honest account of resilience and the search for peace as she continues her life.

Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my honest review.

Knox's writing style is boring and hard to follow. The book is divided into chapters where another story is told about her life either before Italy or after. I feel like most of the information she provided has already been said before.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advance copy of FREE by Amanda Knox.

This book is incredibly insightful and beautifully written. I was amazed by the life lessons Knox was able to glean from her experiences and, in turn, share with readers. I initially picked up the book to learn more about a story that dominated the news for years, but I came away with so much more—deep insights on life, the power of forgiveness, and the realization that we have the ability to choose freedom, no matter our circumstances.

This was an interesting take on the entire situation that occurred with her. I thought there was some interesting information that was shared that I had no clue about. Along with the fact that there was things that were never made public made me want to keep reading. It is hard to read one of these type of books cause are you really hearing the truth or just one side of a partial truth. I want to believe everything she says but it is hard just from knowing about this case in general.

I have been interested in the Amanda Knox case for a while and this gave me a lot of insight into it.

Wow! I remember Seeing all of the news postings, interviews and tv shows all made around 'Foxy Knoxy'. I always Love hearing people in the spotlight for something negative, turn it into something good. I love How vulnerable Amanda was with her feelings and anxiety. She overcomes her fear of being free/having freedom after prison. So many great things to say about this book! Thank you for sharing your life Amanda!

“Free” is the second book from Amanda Knox, the American woman wrongly convicted of her roommate’s murder while studying abroad in Italy in the mid ‘00s.

In her first book, published in 2013, she tells the story of her fight for justice. This book touches a little on that, starting off with stories of her time in jail in Italy. But it’s more about the aftermath, her life after returning home to America.

I saw a TV interview Amanda gave where she said this book “didn’t need to be written” or something like that. And I would agree. It felt like something she wrote to provide catharsis for her and her family. As a reader, I’m not sure what I got out of it. The promotions put a lot of emphasis on the relationship she works to build with the man who prosecuted and wrongly convicted her. But that only happens in the last 15% of the book. The rest of it feels a little meandering.

Amanda is an unusual person who still seems to be coming out the other side of a struggle with PTSD. Maybe it’s a struggle she’ll face for the rest of her life. And her experience is so unique and her personality a little unusual, making it hard to fully connect with her in this book.

I really love a depressing memoir, but I couldn’t connect with Amanda’s story. That said, if you are a Dateline fan who always wonders how people turn out 10+ years after they’re in the spotlight for the worst moment of their lives, you may enjoy this book. Regardless, I’m rooting for Amanda and other wrongly convicted men and women. I hope they find the peace they deserve.