This book started out a bit slow for me, I was somewhat confused on how all of the different POVs fit together, but when I did figure out the connections I was hooked! I really enjoyed the past and present timelines and felt that it really helped to progress the story. I felt the overall story was intriguing with the idea of band members stringing along groupies and how their lives were intertwined. All of these positive details fell apart at the end of the story. The ending was just confusing and had a what the f*** feeling to it. I don’t know what made the author and the publishers feel this was a good idea because frankly I felt it took away all of the build up that it could have been. The ending also didn’t tie up a lot of questions about who some of the characters were and how they related to others. From reading other reviewers opinions this author has written other good books but apparently missed the mark with this one.

This started out really strong and then just fell apart throughout the rest of the book. Also detested the ending. I dud like the audiobook narrator.

𝐒𝐲𝐧𝐨𝐩𝐬𝐢𝐬
Present- Nicole Forbes enjoys a peaceful existence in a quaint coastal town in California, sharing her life with her husband and daughter. She never anticipates that a writer would arrive at her doorstep, seeking her perspective on the decline of the most prominent British band from the 1980s, which would force her to confront a past she thought she had left behind. On the same day, her daughter mysteriously disappears, and the school insists that her aunt picked her up, a claim that leaves Nicole puzzled since she has no sister. This unsettling coincidence compels Nicole to delve into long-buried memories to safeguard her current life.
Back in 1986, a sixteen-year-old Cassie is completely captivated by the sensational band Secret Oktober, particularly infatuated with its charismatic frontman, Ben Edwards. Eager to catch his eye amidst the sea of adoring fans at the band's notorious backstage gatherings, she is determined to stand out. However, when Ben stumbles upon Nicole, Cassie's older sister, performing at a local bar one evening, he finds himself inexplicably drawn to her, igniting a series of events that threaten to unravel their family ties.
𝐌𝐲 𝐓𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬
I'm a bit torn about "I would die for you." It wasn't terrible, but it also didn't leave me amazed. The narrative unfolds across two different timelines, which I found manageable at first, but by the end, I was a bit lost and still unsure about Zoe's true identity. While the story kept me engaged for most of the book, the conclusion felt a bit underwhelming and left me feeling confused. On a positive note, I absolutely loved the narrator! She did a fantastic job with various accents and brought each character to life with distinct tones and speech patterns, making it easy to tell them apart.
Thank you @Netgalley and @macmillan.audio for allowing me to review this ALC.

Sandie Jones takes readers back to the 80's music scene with her new book - I Would Die for You.

"Nicole lives happily in California with her husband (Good Guy Brad) and daughter. 'Til one day a woman knocks on her door, wanting to ask Nicole some questions. about her role in the death of a British pop star. Nicole thought she had left that behind and has no intention of answering anything. But now her daughter is missing and her husband (Good Guy Brad) is furious about her deception."

This is a dual timeline story. It goes back-and-forth between Nicole and the band - Secret October - in the 80's and 2011 when someone is trying to disrupt Nicole's life. There's a lot of Cassie, Nicole's younger sister, and her obsession with Secret October - and the Fantasyland she lives in regarding her relationship with the band.
Lots of internal dialogue with current Nicole trying to figure out what's happening. And lots of tension. My favorite parts are when Nicole is making music.
Pretty wild ending - SJ keeps you guessing. And then leaves part of it vague. I would rather know what happened but you can fill in your own blanks.
And finally - a Brad that's a good guy. He's a Navy Seals instructor.

Good job on the audio by Imogen Wilde, especially the ending.

Fans of Sandie Jones will enjoy this domestic thriller.

I was intrigued by the idea of someone smitten with a rock band from the 80s and how that impacted the life she has now. However, this book wasn't near as exciting as some others I've read by this author. I preferred the 1986 timeline over the 2010 as I found the modern story not all that interesting. I couldn't really get into the characters that much, they felt underdeveloped to me. The ending left a lot to be desired!

The narrator did a great job and kept the POVs easier to differentiate, but overall, this is just not a book I'd recommend.

Thank you to MacMillan Audio for this ARC. Would still read this author again.

I'd not read anything by Sandie Jones before I would Die For You, but I doubt that I'll be moved to try another. This story of two sisters who manage in the most improbably ways to become entangled with a boy band in 1986 London and the subsequent death of one band member, stretches credulity. Because the novel is all about the plot, rather than being a character study or one in which the location plays a major role, it just doesn't really work. The "mystery" such as it is will not confound even the most casual mystery reader and the "romance" elements are too unrealistic to be of much interest. And the ending, which is unclear, is a further letdown. There are germs of what could have been an interesting book, but this one just fails to launch. The best thing about I Would Die For You is the narrator, who does an excellent job.

Apparently boy band crazy girls was not where my lore started. Sure as a 90s baby I had my fair share of boy bands (thank you very much Gen Z, I have been there done that), but I don’t think my interest in them wasn’t more than my interest in their music. I will still pull that invisible mic to sing along Bye Bye Bye or I Want it That Way (yeah I did not discriminate), but I won’t scream my lungs out just seeing their image

Nicole’s sister was polar opposite of me. She did not only fall into platonic love with a lead singer of a boy band, she took it a step further and started stalking. Back in the 80s it might have been way to go, but now they put you under restraining order for that. Things would have been fine if this was only in her mind. When she managed to get involved with this star and Nicole somehow got tangled in this mess too, things went south.

If you like boy bands and murder mysteries with same level of passion, maybe this is the book you are looking for. It was little too predictable and rushed for me.

This gave a lot of 80s pop music nostalgic vibes. The audio was fast paced, and although it took me some time to get into the story, the middle and end of the book was very interesting with many twists and turns. It was however, a little unbelievable. The ending felt very rushed and since this is a standalone novel, I was unhappy without a sense of finality.

I Would Die for You was not what I was expecting from Sandie Jones.

I want to start off by saying I am a fan of Sandie Jones. I really enjoyed The Other Woman and The First Mistake, so I was really excited to dive into I Would Die for you.

I would say this was just middle of the road for me. And when you read/listen to books as often as I do, I need the book to stand out more than the average, run-of-the-mill thriller/mystery novel. And this was just that, average.

The story kept me interested, but I figured out what was going on pretty early on, and I don't like books that end semi open-ended. The other thing that I would say was slightly irritating was the use of the phrase, "she blew out the breath she didn't know she had been holding". This was used 3 ! times in the last quarter of the book. And I am pretty sure that she is a more talented writer than that. That to me says, "lets end this and get it over with asap and not use imagination or inspiration." For those who haven't read my other reviews, I know books take A LOT of time, energy, effort, money, and inspiration to finish, but that doesn't mean giving up at the end.

So, like I do in many of my reviews, I would suggest trying this for yourself if you like the following:
✔ engaging story
✔ dual timelines
✔ multiple points of view
✔ you're in your 30-40s and want a bit of nostalgia

Maybe skip this one if you need:
❌ an ending with a definitive ending
❌ solid timelines

This won't be the last Sandie Jones novel I read because I think she is a great author, but I don't think this is her best work.

London 1986 - Cassie a 16 year old is infatuated with Secret Oktober one of the hottest bands. Cassies meets some girls that have an "in" to the band and she gets back stage at a concert. There she meets Ben the lead singer and the one member that has captured her heart. After a night of drugs and drinking at a hotel Cassie along with her friends and band mates are arrested. Now Ben has sworn off the bad boy image and meets Nicole, Cassie's older sister while she is singing a song she wrote for her mother. Nicole and Ben keep their relationship under wraps however, Cassie finds out and what happens next will change everyone lives.

California 2011 - Nicole Forbes is living the life of her dreams on Coronado Island. She is married to Brad, a Navy Seal and together they have a daugher. One day a journalist shows up on Nicole's doorsteep asking to tell her side of the story that led to Secert Oktober's demise. Nicole who just wanted to forget the past 25 years ago now has to confront her skeletons in her closet. When her daughter is picked up by an aunt from school Nicole's worst fears are becoming a reality. Now Brad is losing patience with Nicole for not being 100% honest about her past and why she fled London all those years ago.

While i was drawn in to the mystery that surrounding Cassie and Nicole and then Nicole and Brad the book kept me on the edge of my seat until the very end. It just kind of left you hanging and I'm not sure since this is the first book of Sandie Jones that I have ever read/listened to that I'm not sure if this is her regular MO. I would like to thank both NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for letting me listen to an advanced copy of this audiobook.

2.5 Stars

When Sandie Jones comes out with a new book, I have to read it. As a general rule, I've enjoyed all of the books I've read by her and this one was no exception - until the ending. There was no real closure and it just sort of stopped leaving me with more questions. If there's going to be a sequel, then I am there for it, but if this is it - I'm disappointed.

If you enjoy being left with questions at the end of a book - then grab this one. If you like closure, it's probably not a great fit.

The audio narration was excellent though and up until the end, I really enjoyed this one. Just that ending... Ugh.

This was an interesting one for me.
The audio is fast paced which keeps your attention.
I love the idea of young girls getting obsessed and following along with a band. As a girl from the “Bieber” generation I know so many girls who waited in lines to catch a glimpse of him.
The way the stories unfold together is great and I needed to know what happened and how it was going to all tie together.
Not my favourite thriller of the year but it was enjoyable

Books set in the late 80s are always a fun setting as those were days of my youth. The current time being in quaint city of Coronado added extra intrigued for me. The story is told in current day with Nichole whose daughter goes missing when was picked up by an aunt. The past is told in England about Nichole and Cassie's encounter with the upcoming boy band.

The story was pretty entertaining and the mystery of the aunt kept me vested. This didn't feel like a thriller but more a mystery of what happened to the boy band and what happened between Cassie and Nichole.

The ending was a bit of a let down for me.

Imogen Wilde did a good job on the narration and I felt the tension for Nichole with her missing daughter.

Thank you @macmillan.audio @minotaur_books for a copy of this.

Writing styles have to fit readers and now that I’ve read two books by this author, I think that this “fit” is off. I do think that other readers will connect with the style so I am being thoughtful of that. In this book, the main character, Nicole has created a mess by keeping secrets and lack of communication with her husband and others.in the dual timelines, Nicole is currently living in La Jolla under a new name and is actively involved in her community. In the past timeline, she is a young adult in England and accidentally gets involved with a famous rock star who just happens to be the object of her teen sister, Cassie’s delusional obsessions. In both timelines, the lack of communication between family members wreaks all kinds of havoc. The story is fast-paced and mostly entertaining but just not believable at all. This use of “poor communication” to create a thrilling mystery is exactly what I didn’t like in The Guilt Trip. Unfortunately, repeating this phenomenon in another book indicates some lack of creativity. I’ve rated “up” for entertainment value but I don’t think this will be a repeat author for me.
I listened to the audio version of this book and found the narrator to be adequate. Nothing stands out in negative or positive way in the narration.

Loved the narrator, she did an excellent job of performing multiple accents and people, each character has their own tone and speech patterns and was easily deciphered amongst one another. The audiobook flowed well, I felt the storylines weave into each other, connecting the timeline in 1980s London with 2011 California. The plot kept me guessing throughout the book, and held suspense right up to the last sentence. I appreciated that the dark aspects of SA and substance abuse were alluded to, but not described in detail, keeping the content relatively cozy despite these plot themes. Nostalgic in the description of teenage crushes of musicians, and overall, enjoyably mysterious!

This one has multiple points of views and the fun twist of having an 80s pop sensation as a big character. So that part was fun, but it fell flat in other ways for me. No giant twist and plenty of characters that felt just Ho hum. Grateful for the read from NetGalley.

I loved this one! First I must say, as a former teenage girl who loved a boyband once with all my heart, I am definitely the intended audience for this book. This book follows a hot 1980s band (similar to Duran Duran) called Secret Oktoberfest, and focuses on one family with two sisters who become enmeshed with the band in different ways. Cassie is an obsessed fan who meets the band as a fan and eventually a sort of groupie, following them about and showing up at their hotels and parties. She gets to know the band outside their clean-living image and some dark things happen. And most of all, she's in love with Ben, the lead singer whose face is all over the posters in her walls. She has a somewhat fantastical and delusional view of Ben, even as she sees the darker underbelly of the band and its worldwide fame.

Meanwhile, her older sister Nicole (who doesn't even know the half of Cassie's groupie adventures) stumbles upon the hot lead singer Ben in a real life situation, and the two begin a real relationship.

All of this comes to a head in 1986 with a national tragedy.

The book follows two timelines, 1986 and 2011, as we learn about the sad events that tore a family apart and caused the national mourning of a death in the band.

I thought the book did a fantastic job of capturing that crazed teenage crush love so many of us experience for celebrities, and showing how the fantasy young girls have of such boys doesn't comport with reality. I also loved the character of Nicole and her more mature and real relationship with the celebrity. The murder mystery unfolds with intrigue and lots of emotion and there are many twists and turns. More so than a thriller, this is an emotional book about the contrast between teenage infatuation and real love; and about girlish fantasy versus reality. I loved the narrator and the writing and really enjoyed listening to this one. 5 stars!

This was such a good audiobook, I loved the narration! Sandie Jones did a great job of setting the atmosphere and the tension with the dual timelines, only revealing what truly happened at the shocking conclusion. This is such a gripping psychological thriller, with lots of twists and turns! And the ending was such a shock!

This one was really twisted! It gives a whole new perspective on celebrity fandom and the darker, more obsessive side of fans with major delusions.
The story is told across two different periods, which makes it quite interesting. In 2011, we follow Nicole, who lives with her husband and daughter, Hannah. Nicole's life seems normal until a journalist named Zoe shows up at her doorstep, asking questions about a murder that happened in the '80s. Nicole thought she had left that time behind, but suddenly, everything from her past came crashing into the present, haunting her. The second timeline is in 1986 in London, when Nicole was younger. She worked as a bartender and sang during open mic nights at the bar. That's where she caught the attention of Ben Edwards. Although Nicole and Ben had a complicated relationship, the real issue arose when Cassie, Nicole's younger sister, became obsessed with Ben and developed intense delusions of love. That's when everything spiraled out of control, leading to a murder. After everything that happened in 1986, Nicole left and never looked back. She cut off contact with her father and sister. But when things come to a head, she has to revisit the past and come to terms with the fact that she'll never truly escape the situation. It keeps getting worse, involving her daughter and causing a bigger rift between Nicole and her husband.
This is a thrilling and enticing read, and the audiobook is just as great! The author and narrator know how to keep you on the edge of your seat and hooked until the end. The narrator's performance was top-notch! I definitely recommend it!
Thank you Macmillan Audio, St. Martin's Press/ Minotaur books, and Netgalley for the exciting opportunity to read, listen and review this one!

This was so great! I couldn’t put it down. Bravo to the author for showing over telling.

Normally I do not enjoy groupie/rocker troupes but didn’t mind it here (though I think removing that so the story was more realistic would have been super).

Was very much interested in every character and had no clue what happened. I figured out nothing! A rare treat. Love this author.