I’m not going to lie, I thought I hd this all figured out at the beginning and it wasn’t until the last few pages that I learned that I was very wrong.
Jet is a late 20-something who hasn’t finished anything in her life until she is brutally attacked in her own home and finds out that the attack left her with a fragment in her skull that was going to cause an aneurism that would kill her in a week. Jet finally had a purpose; solving her own murder. I was rooting for Jet the whole time, sure I had the key to what really happened and why. Nope. A 4 1/2 star read from Holly Jackson. I couldn’t put it down!

This is the first "adult" novel from Holly Jackson. I've really enjoyed her YA thrillers, and she did a great job branching off into adult main characters. However, the main character Jet felt a little immature and young, so it wasn't too much of a departure from her other novels.

I really enjoyed this creative take on solving a crime. After Jet was brutally attacked one night, she survives, but with a traumatic brain injury that will ultimately leave her dead. Since she has yet to do anything with her life, she decides she will solve her own murder with the help of her childhood best friend Billy. With nothing to lose, she takes chances most people wouldn't. There were a lot of good characters in the story, although Jet and Billy were my favorite. This book was dark, tragic, and a bit emotional.

One of my most anticipated reads this year and it was AMAZING! I’ve never read a thriller like this. Our MC has to solve her murder within seven days, before she dies. I read this so fast, kind of regretting that, but I loved it so so so much!

After being attacked, Jet finds out she only has about a week left to live. She sets out to find out who her murderer is before she dies. Although a compelling storyline, the book felt like it was originally written for teens and then altered so it could be published as an adult book. Jet didn't seem like a 27-year-old at all.

I loved the premise of this book! So creative! The twists and turns, the love story, the family dynamics...SO good!

The book begins with Jet being murdered. She is hit multiple times in the head, and everything goes dark.

Jet wakes up in the hospital only to be told she has a bone fragment pressing on her artery, and she will be dead in 7 days.

She now has 7 days to solve her murder.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for allowing me to read this ARC in an exchange for an honest review.

When you're attacked on Halloween, the only logical sequence of events would be to solve your own murder.

Not Quite Dead Yet follows Jet Mason after she's attacked, resulting in a fatal injury that will leave her dead in a week. With the clock ticking, Jet works to catch the murderer and uncovers a lifetime of deceit that has been following her for a lifetime. I loved how the story plays out, along with the dark humor and the absurd events that take place. Why wouldn't you commit a bunch of minor crimes if you knew you were on borrowed time?

The novel did a great job at building a case against various characters in the novel, giving them realistic motives, as well as weaving a mystery that is difficult to put down.

4.5 stars -- Holly Jackson has once again written a totally addicting thriller. This one GUTTED me with its uniquely tragic premise -- 27 year old Jet is still very much trying to figure her life out when she is attacked at home late one night. She survives, but the traumatic brain injury she sustains is inoperable and will lead to an aneurysm that will kill her within the next week.

Jet is determined to unmask her killer before she dies, even if the most viable suspects are a little too close to home. The police are convinced it was her ex-boyfriend, JJ Lim, but Jet has other ideas.

For the next week, her and her best friend Billy will use some (less than legal) search and seizure techniques to figure out who would want Jet dead.

This was fast-paced and completely binge-able, one of her best yet. Can totally already see this as a movie or Netflix short series.

I don’t think a thriller has ever made me feel all of the emotions like this one did!! What a strong character, who refused to stop until she could solve the mystery of what was happening. Definitely some twists you don’t expect and a moving book!

I know this is supposed to be Holly Jackson's adult debut, but I really didn't see much difference between NOT QUITE DEAD YET and other HJ jams, except maybe more f-bombs. I think this would still be okay for teen readers, in case anyone was wondering. If you like other Holly Jackson books, you are guaranteed to love NOT QUITE DEAD YET. I loved Jet, and I loved this story. The time crunch to solve the murder put a dramatic spin on the events, and it was a blast to follow Jet and Billy on their rampageoning, even if it made me sniffle at the end. This one is going to be another hit!

Holly Jackson does it again!

The concept of this book is genius. I love the idea that a girl is trying to solve her OWN murder—like that’s gold. And then I was like… 'well, how is this going to be in any sort of way logical?' Don’t even worry; Holly does not disappoint. This book manages to make a concept that seems impossible realistic enough, yet with high stakes, and that’s a combination that is lethal with Holly.

Character wise: I don’t think Jet was Holly’s best protagonist. Jet was witty and just rude, and I found her a bit insufferable at times. Though, I thought she did get better throughout the novel. Billy, however, is my favorite ever. Like what a guy. Genuinely, he was such a sweetheart. “In a world of boys, he’s (Billy) a gentleman.” The other characters, basically a give or take. They fit well for the plot, but weren’t extremely exciting.

Holly, of course, does a really phenomenal job at crafting a story that is well-rounded and understandable, while still having the twists and red herrings that are desirable in a crime novel. But… full transparency: I figured out the “who donnit” basically immediately… but, half of that was accident. I just kinda tossed a guess that was half thought out, and was right. BUT even though I did a massive happy dance about being correct, the motives and backstory—the overall “why”—were still shocking enough that I wasn’t even mad about guessing it so soon.

I guess my biggest thing with this book was the pacing. The first like 20% was incredibly slow. So, it’s very much a stick with it; it’ll be worth it—even, if it’s just to fall in love with Holly’s unique writing style.

Also, I really enjoyed the reflected piece of this book, and the lesson learned about stopping to smell the roses and enjoy life—even if it's not the really massive things.

When the daughter of one of the wealthiest families in town is attacked she discovers she has only 7 days left to live and she's going to spend her last days trying to figure out who her murderer is. Jet is the twenty-seven year old daughter of one of the wealthiest families in Woodstock. She doesn't know what she wants to do in her life and is just waiting for it to start... but on Halloween night she is violent attacked by an unseen intruder. She wakes up to find that she was left with a horrible head injury that within a week, the injury will cause a deadly aneurysm... and with the clock ticking Jet needs to figure out who did this to her, from her family, her former best friend, her ex... and possibly anyone else in town and the only person she can turn to for help is her childhood best friend Billy, who is still in love with her. Can she figure it out before her clock runs out? Holly Jackson is one of my favorite thriller/mystery authors and this was just a fun read. I was hooked from the first chapter and every twist and turn just kept me on the edge of my seat until the last one. It's a fun read that really has you wanting to find out what happens next after every chapter. I definitely think this would make a fantastic mini series/movie!

Release Date: July 22, 2025

Publication/Blog: Ash and Books (ash-and-books.tumblr.com)

*Thanks Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine | Bantam for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

I know the author from her YA series “A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder”. This is her first novel for adults and it isn’t a big leap. The premise was great and is shared in the blurb. Margaret (Jet) Mason is attacked and left for dead in her home after a Halloween fair in Woodstock, Vermont. She has a head injury that will lead to an aneurysm and will kill her within roughly seven days. Instead of wallowing and surrounding herself with family she sets out to solve her own murder. She relies upon her lifetime neighbor and friend Billy to help follow the clues. But the clues lead to secrets being kept in her own family.

I enjoyed the plotting and pace. They only have seven days and Jet is slowing down as the week goes on. Jet is 27, but at times behaves like an immature teen. Jet’s character is the most developed in the book. She is living her life always wanting to live up to what her older sister would have been if she hadn’t died in her teens. But she never stays focused for long and never finishes what she starts. It makes solving the mystery even more important to her. And I was rooting for her even as the story got more and more dramatic. I guessed correctly one of the twists, so I patted my shoulder for that.

This is a full throttle forward type of story. Clues are given, if you pick up on them along the way. The near the end letters were a nice closure and I loved the one to Reggie the most.

Holly Jackson you did it again. Thank you Netgalley for the ARC, I read this book super fast.

Jet is a hot mess, which I love. Billy is so sweet and I'm sad that they didn't get a happy ending. I agree with Jet's letter to Sophie, she is a cunt. haha. Luke was more unstable then I thought he would be. Shocking. I was shocked. I can't wait to buy a physical copy.

Thanks NetGalley and Ballantine for this ARC!! This book was exactly what I needed and I will never miss a Holly Jackson release. This is a must read.

This was a fast-paced, twisty read with a wild premise- waking up with a week to live! Holly Jackson does a great job keeping the suspense high, and the mystery unfolds in a way that keeps you guessing. Some parts felt a bit over-the-top, but it was still super entertaining. If you liked A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder, you’ll probably enjoy this one too. Thanks Netgalley for the ARC.

I was so close to not even finishing this one. I couldn’t stand this book at all 🙄 The authors writing style annoyed me so much because she constantly wrote in incomplete sentences which is such a pet peeve of mine 🙃 I was excited to read this book, but I ended up not liking it at all & wishing it would hurry up & end 👎🏼

1/5 ⭐️

#netgalley #arc #newrelease #notquitedeadyet #hollyjackson #mystery #thriller

Understanding this is Holly Jackson's first adult book, a break from her hit YA stories. It's a tight plot and moves quickly to reach a satisfying end that belongs on the same shelf as many other thriller bestsellers.

Jet Mason is living a horror movie. She's 27 (hello, 27 club) and she will die in seven days. (ok, The Ring). She's attacked during a home intrusion and suffering a massive head injury. Her doctors tell her that she has 7 days to live.

Now, without trusting even her family, Jet can only trust her childhood friend Billy to help solve her murder.

It's a quick fun read and I hope this is only the beginning of Holly Jackson's thriller stories.

first controversial opinion: i actually liked the ending 😳 sue me!!! that’s what makes a tragedy, baby! i love misery and suffering and the pain of the unknown. everybody say thank you Holly Jackson for another book full of anguish! second controversial opinion: this book did not feel very adult. if the book didn’t explicitly state the characters were in their late twenties, they could have easily been mistaken as late teens or early twenties. swearing does not equal being an adult. in spite of that, this is a certified Holly Jackson banger 🔥

Never having read this author before I went in blind, and although she does have a sense of humor and a unique plot here, it wasn't for me. If you can get past the main characters potty mouth, you might enjoy it.

In a nutshell the plot is that a young woman of 27 is hit over the head as she arrives home on Halloween night and left for dead. The injury has caused irreparable harm to her brain and surgery is recommended but it is likely that she would stroke out on the table. The alternative is to do nothing and the likelihood is very high that she would develop an aneurysm with a week that would burst and kill her anyway. She chooses not to have the surgery as she wants the week to solve the mystery of her assailant and needs to know who wants her dead. Her personality is such that she jokes around a lot about the seriousness of this conundrum.

I was anxious to get through it and though I found it ok at times, I can only give this three stars. A young adult audience might enjoy this more than I did.

I appreciate the e-ARC provided by Random House publishers through NetGalley for my unbiased opinion of this work.

This was fantastic! I didn’t know a lot going in, but this exceeded my expectations and more. This was a unique concept and it was well done. I usually see endings coming from a mile away, but this one took me a while to figure out. Loved it. I loved Jet. I loved Billy. This was a wild ride and I enjoyed every minute.