I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Well that was a trip. After an attack, Jet learns that she has only about a week left to live due to brain trauma. So she enlists her former best friend to help her solve her impending murder. As they do they learn that their families and community have hidden secrets. This is the kind of book that’s difficult because you know what ultimately is going to happen but not how the loose end will be tied up. I don’t want to give away too much but it was twisty. The conclusion was surprising, I will say that much.

A huge shout out to NetGalley, Holly Jackson, and Random House Publishing Group for giving me the opportunity to read this ARC! It took me a full day to wrap my head around the events of this book, and I still don't know if I have fully recovered. 😭 My mind is blown, and this is an absolute must-read! 🤯

Margaret "Jet" Mason is attacked on Halloween night, resulting in a fragment of her skull embedded in her brain and a 1 week death sentence. Feeling like she hasn't accomplished anything in her 27 years of life, she vows to accomplish the biggest thing yet... solve her own murder.

With the help of her childhood friend, Billy, Jet uncovers way too many secrets about way too many people in, not just her town, but her own family. It is quite the ride, let me tell you. I had to pick my jaw up off the floor on several occasions!

I absolutely loved Five Survive by this author so I was so excited to pick up Not Quite Dead by Holly Jackson, her adult debut!! At the time of picking it up, nothing was holding my attention, but this immediately drew me in.

The premise? So fun. The main character, Jet, is attacked, finds out she’s going to die sometime in the next week, and decides to solve her own murder,It seemed a little outlandish before starting that she just knew she was going to die in a few days, but the explanation behind it was actually really well done. This was quite different from a traditional thriller, the humorous tone and quirky main character was more similar to a (dark) cozy mystery.

Overall, I absolutely adored this book! The plot was captivating, the main character was fun to follow, the ending was satisfying. The characters were so complex and I loved them so much. At (most) times it felt like the main character was taking forever to put two and two together, but she had a brain injury so I’ll cut her some slack.

Could not put down! What would you do if you only had 7 days before you died? Jet has suffered a traumatic brain injury and is on a mission to find out who her killer is before she dies in 7 days. There are twists and turns that I never saw coming! Another great read from Holly Jackson!

Thank you Netgalley and Random House Publishing for the eARC of Not Quite Dead Yet. 27 year old Jet is living at home, telling her parents she will do things "later". Well when Jet flakes on helping her parents like she said she would and goes home, her life changes for the worse. An intruder comes in the house and hits her 3 times with an unknown object. Jet wakes up in the hospital and is informed she has two options, a surgery that she only has a 10% chance of surviving or having a week left to live until a brain aneurysm takes her life. Jet very quickly learns that "later" is not always a given. Jet chooses the latter and decides to use the week finding out who murdered her and she does this with her best friend, Billy. Billy is the best sidekick ever and it is obvious the feelings he has for Jet. This book was action packed and fast paced. I enjoyed trying to figure out who did it along with Jet. It was not at all who I suspected. I will say I did not really love how the book ended. I won't give details that spoil the ending but I felt like there would have been a better way to end it. Not that the ending made the rating of this book any less. A true mystery, suspense, thriller, story and one that I could not put down.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing for this free ARC. I will be posting to Goodreads and fable closer to the release date.

I absolutely loved the premise of this story. It was captivating because it was different than most thrillers since she was solving her own murder. It was a little hard to get into at first because I wasn’t a fan of Jet, but it eventually picked up and hooked me! I also liked Jet as the story progressed. I felt like everything wrapped up and came together for an amazing ending. I really appreciate that the author didn’t throw a crazy ridiculous end twist. Sometimes those work, others don’t. And this definitely was a story that didn’t need it. It had me guessing all the way up to the conclusion and can’t wait for more adult Holly Jackson novels in the future.

Thank you to NetGalley for my ARC of this amazing book!

WOW! Holly Jackson does it again with her first Adult mystery/thriller novel.

I’ll be honest, the first chapter of this book worried me. There were tons of new characters introduced in quick succession, which made it difficult for me to keep up. After the first chapter, though, this book was smooth sailing. Better than smooth sailing!

The protagonist, Jet, is an interesting person to follow. She’s young, a little confused about what to do with her life, stubborn, and amazingly strong. I admire the way that she was written, and I fell in love with her from the first page. The writing in this book was so amazing. The book was fast-paced, filled with twists and turns, and had a satisfying ending!

Holly Jackson has quickly become one of my favorite authors and I am so exited to see what else she comes up with in the future!

I loved the teaser!
“In seven days, Jett Mason will be dead. Jet is going to solve her own murder.”

Such a cool concept for a book! On Halloween night, Jett Mason is attacked and given her situation, she will be dead in seven days. I thought the author did a wonderful job with Jett and her sidekick, Billy, being amateur sleuths trying to solve her impending murder.

Billy, being amateur sleuths trying to solve her impending murder. In a small town, there seems to be plenty of suspects. Unfortunately, for me it dragged. I found myself wanting to hurry through the middle of the book.

At about 85% in the book, things really start moving! The way the author brings in the raw emotion really got me. I loved the ending, although, at the same time I was sad. Really good. Well done, Ms. Jackson!

4 1/2 stars for me

4.5 stars! 🌟

This is THE murder mystery/thriller I needed to get out of a bad, bad reading slump.

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House - Ballantine - Bantam for an e-arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Jet Mason seems to be going through the typical late twenty's crisis. She aspires to do something more with her life, something BIG after a few short-term jobs and not knowing which direction to turn. She is under the impression she will have more time to fulfil her dreams. She comes from a wealthy family known for operating a successful construction business but wants little to do with it. After a brutal attack on Halloween night Jet has to face the cruel reality that her time is very much limited. So much so, that she only has a week to live before she dies of an aneurysm due to this attack. She makes the tough decision that she will use the remaining time she has to accomplish her “one big thing” being, solving her own murder. As she continues to get closer to the truth, she also discovers hidden secrets - about everyone. Will she be able to get the closure she needs?

The pacing of this book is perfect. I never found myself growing bored or tired of our main character Jet. She was witty, relatable, stubborn, and caring. I REALLY enjoyed getting to understand her character and what causes her to act the way that she does. She faces her uncertainty with humor and bravery which is more than I would be able to say for myself. Billy is a loyal friend, and a stand-up man. He deserves so much better.

THE LETTERS - I DIED READING THOSE.

One moment I was feeling in suspense, and the next I was in tears. So that’s how reading this went for me.

Highly recommend 🌟

I don’t think a mystery/thriller book has ever made me cry. Until this one. I felt so connected to the characters and immersed into the story and investigation. I could not put this one down and this is one of those books that I’ll wish I could read again for the first time.

An intense and emotionally charged thriller that keeps you second guessing everything. The writing is sharp and engaging, with a voice that feels both raw and real. There’s a perfect balance of suspense, character depth, and psychological tension.

The atmosphere builds with a creeping sense of dread, and every moment feels deliberate no filler, no fluff. Just twists, turns, and a steady unraveling of secrets that hits hard.

A bold, fast moving story that sticks with you long after the final page. Highly recommended for fans of dark, clever thrillers that don’t hold back.

While this book was promoted as Holly Jackson’s first book for adults, it still felt more like a YA book but with older characters. That doesn’t mean that it wasn’t an enjoyable ride, because Jackson still knows how to write a gripping whodunit. The central mystery turned out to be fairly simple to solve so the main enjoyment with this one isn’t necessarily in the mystery but rather in the unique set up and the superb characters in Jet and Billy that Jackson develops. In the end, fans of Jackson’s other works will likely enjoy this one too, and Jet’s snarky sense of humor gave this book so much need laugh out loud moments with so much emotional heaviness and themes that this book covers.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “Murder, Mayhem, and Mildly Inconvenient Aneurysms”

If Nancy Drew had a bad attitude, a dysfunctional family and a ticking time bomb in her brain, she’d be Margaret “Jet” Mason—our gloriously unfiltered heroine in Not Quite Dead Yet. Jet is 27, unemployed, and living with her parents, which is already a horror story. But wait—she’s also been murdered. Kind of. Almost. Not quite. Hence the title.

After surviving a Halloween attack that left her with a skull fracture and a bone shard playing Operation with her brain stem, Jet is told she has seven days to live. Naturally, she decides to spend her final week doing what any rational person would do: solving her own murder. Because if you’re going out, you might as well go out with a bang—and maybe a few sarcastic monologues.

Jet is the kind of protagonist who makes you want to slap her and hug her in the same breath. She’s brash, blunt, and has the emotional range of a teaspoon—until she realizes she might actually care about people. (Gross.) Her only consistent companion is her dog Reggie, who is clearly the emotional support animal we need, not the one she deserves.

Speaking of support, there's Billy, the childhood friend turned loyal sidekick who Jet only remembers exists when she needs help. He’s sweet, devoted, and possibly suffering from Stockholm Syndrome. But hey, his dad’s a cop, so he’s useful. Jet may not believe in love, but she does believe in leveraging personal relationships for murder investigations.

The mystery itself? Deliciously twisty with more red herrings than a Swedish smörgåsbord. Jet’s investigation is like watching a raccoon solve a Rubik’s cube—chaotic, messy, and surprisingly effective. She interrogates friends, family, and frenemies (looking at you, Sophia), all while dodging death and delivering one-liners like a stand-up comic on a deadline.

By the end, you’ll be laughing, crying, and possibly Googling “can sarcasm delay brain aneurysms?”

I finished this in one sitting- it was that captivating.

Jet's life changes tremendously in one harrowing moment- her murder. After being hit in the head several times, she wakes up in the hospital to find out that she only has a week to live. Jet decides to use that time to solve her murder.

She enlists the help of her childhood best friend, Billy, and they embark on a twisty, crazy few days of following leads and learning decades-old secrets. The path is dangerous and daunting as Jet's body slowly shuts down, her life ending in a way she can't fix.

Heartbreaking with humor and life lessons, Not Quite Dead Yet is the ride of a lifetime as one woman uses what time she has left to find out who tried to kill her and why.

You won't be able to put it down and the end will break you.

Thank you, NetGalley, for the ARC!

I wanted to like this book so badly! I thoroughly enjoyed the Reappearance of Rachel Price, and was looking forward to Holly Jackson’s next but this just didn’t keep me entertained sadly.

I was so excited for Holly Jackson’s first adult thriller! I wasn’t sure how this story was going to go from the synopsis alone but thought the premise was very intriguing! The FMC Jet is attacked in her home on Halloween and given about a week to live before a brain aneurysm takes her out. She chooses to use this time solving her murder with help from Billy, her childhood best friend. I did find it to be a little slow in the beginning but once it picks up, it reallllly picks up and is hard to put down. My suspicions of who the murderer was were correct, but I don’t feel like it took anything away from the plot for me while reading. The ending was still action packed and I did like how it played out. Full of suspense, high stakes, twists and turns, and so much emotion!

This book did leave me pretty emotional at the end, especially with the letters Jet decides to leave behind. You know before ever picking the book up that Jet is not going to survive, but reading it still hurt my soul nonetheless. She went through so much in such a short span of time and her character development was just as much a driving factor for this book as the crimes they were investigating. I really enjoyed this read overall and definitely recommend for anyone who enjoyed her previous works or just loves a good thriller/murder mystery!

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House- Ballantine for the E-ARC!

If Holly writes it, I will read it, no questions asked. This book had me ready to throw something in anger while also needing tissues. The story packs all the usual suspense you can expect but the tenderness of this one was something new.
The story starts with Jet. A 20 something who is burned out on life. She is spending time with her family running their Halloween fair when she is attacked. She is given a week to live, unless she wants to undergo risky surgery. Jet declines the surgery and wants to spend her final days trying to find who did this to her.
In a true race against time, Jet digs up some old secrets that might have been left hidden.
BY FAR, Holly's best book yet. I am going to scream because what the hell am I going to read now.

Thanks to NetGalley for the eARC of this novel!

Really enjoyed this novel from Holly Jackson. The plot was so well thought out! Highly recommended!!

I'll read anything Holly Jackson writes, but her first adult thriller with this premise? Incredible work. I think the more I think about it, the more I'll like it, which is saying something because after finishing it, my emotions were everywhere! As things unfolded throughout the story, it was pretty interesting and wondering how it would all connect was pretty crazy. The little friends to lovers sub plot was done so well too. Even if some of the reveals felt like a typical thriller reveal, I felt like it was just such a good storyline regardless. It was rough having a main character who only had a couple days to live too. Yet another emotional roller-coaster. I'll definitely be recommending to all my thriller loving customers!

Holly Jackson is easily one of my FAVORITE authors. I tore through this books. She writes the most incredible, complex main characters. I love that none of them are perfect. They all have a bite or an edge to them. And the ENDING?!? Are you KIDDING ME?!? Obsessed. I wish I could read it for the first time again. Sobbing!!’