From the very first page, Not Quite Dead Yet hooks you with its original and heart-wrenching premise. Jet, our fierce and unforgettable main character, wakes up in a hospital after being brutally attacked—her memory fractured, and her future uncertain. She’s faced with a devastating choice: undergo a risky brain surgery that she likely won’t survive, or live with the knowledge that she has only seven days left before an aneurysm ends her life.

Jet chooses to use her final days to do the unthinkable—solve her own attempted murder.

What follows is a dark, emotional, and utterly gripping thriller. Jet, with the help of her childhood friend Billy, begins to unravel the mystery of who wanted her dead, and why. The plot twists come fast and hard, not just revealing clues about her attack but also long-buried secrets within her family and the wider town. The final reveal is masterfully done—I never saw it coming, and it hit like a punch to the gut. "Chef’s kiss" doesn’t even begin to cover it.

Jet herself is the heart of the story. She's smart, sarcastic, and absolutely relentless. You feel her pain, her urgency, and her strength with every page. There are moments that will make you laugh and others that will break your heart. Even knowing the clock is ticking didn’t make her inevitable fate any easier to face—and when that final moment came, I was completely wrecked.

While the ending tied everything together, I did wish it had been given a bit more space to breathe. The resolution felt a little rushed, and I would have loved for Jet to fully witness the fallout of all her efforts. Still, the story’s impact is undeniable.

Not Quite Dead Yet stands out in a crowded thriller genre with its unique concept, compelling characters, and emotional depth. The ticking clock adds relentless suspense, and Jet’s journey—equal parts mystery, drama, and tragedy—makes this a standout read. A must-read for any fan of suspense or psychological thrillers. I devoured this book, and I’ll be thinking about it for a long time.

Thank you Netgalley and Bantam/Random House for this advanced uncorrected readers copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

I was hoping to love this one more but unfortunately it just didn’t work for me! This is supposed to be an adult thriller but the tone reads very YA — the premise is compelling but the execution was lacking.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for an ARC of Not Quite Dead Yet.

I was interested to check out Holly Jackson's adult debut, but this honestly just felt like a YA book with the word "fuck" in it. The main character, Jet, is 27 years old but she comes off as an insufferable teenager and most of the scenes in the book feel juvenile. The entire plot is so medically and legally improbable that it distracted me from the story. I did like the ending and thought it tied up all the strings of the story nicely. If you've been a fan of Holly Jackson's YA books, you will probably really enjoy this one as well, but if you prefer more mature plot lines I would recommend skipping this one.

3.5 stars rounded down

3.75
Didn’t love Jet for the first half of the book but I appreciated her character development. I also like that holly jackson didn’t try to throw a Hail Mary twist in at the end to make it a more feel good ending. Emotional punch at the end for sure. The mystery was well set up while not being too crazy, you can look back and see all the pieces without them being glaringly obvious while you’re reading them.

The concept of this novel is so insanely creative, I have no idea how Holly Jackson thought of it!! Sadly, this fell flat for me just because I found the main character, Jet, to be super insufferable- I know Holly was going for an “asshole” character, but I just could not get behind her. The male lead, Billy, stole the show for me. he was by FAR my favorite character, and had the patience of a saint.
I thought the story was extremely well paced, and as always, the action scenes were *chefs kiss*. I felt like the ending was a bit too convenient, but I’ll allow it because loved how abruptly it ended. Another thing I loved was how balanced the emotional and comedic aspects were. While I may not have cared for Jet, she was hilarious. The tragedy of the story could’ve easily been lost behind the jokes, but it was super well crafted.
Will forever pick up Holly Jackson’s books, she is the QUEEN of suspense!!

I’ve been a fan of Holly Jackson since her debut YA novel and was thrilled to be invited to read her first foray into Adult Fiction! I have always admired her fast-paced plots and she amplified that even more in this book, giving her protagonist only 7 days to solver her own murder. I found the characters to be slightly archetypal, but mostly compelling. My biggest gripe with Jackson’s previous books—the localization to America while using a slew of British English words and phrases—was almost nonexistent in this book much to my delight! Overall, it was a great book that I read voraciously in one day and I eagerly look forward to whatever comes next from Holly Jackson.

Ok, first off, thank you very much for this eARC that was generously provided by the publisher and author via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Second, that was so good! I’ve loved Holly’s books for years since I first read AGGGTM and when I saw this pop up, I knew I had to have it! I did not expect to get approved, and for that, I am extremely thankful and grateful to the publishers!

This book was a rollercoaster! It had me changing who I thought did it left and right up until the very end. I was rooting for Jet, and hoping for a different ending, but I understand the purpose of it as well. Very twisty, keeps you on your toes, and has you second guessing yourself with more and more information that unfolds. Holly went next level with this one!

My only complaint is that it’s considered an adult book, but read like a YA. Nothing adult even happened besides their ages and cursing. The characters were very juvenile and immature. But nonetheless it was really, really good, I couldn’t put it down, and I highly recommend it!

Jet Mason is struggling to find her way. She puts things off, always saying she can to them "later." After a viscous attack, later is no longer an option. With 7 days before her death, Jet decides to solve her own murder. As a reader, this story sucked me in quickly and I could only hold on for the ride! Jet is a complicated, stubborn character who is whip smart and even though she's not especially likable in the beginning, I found myself rooting for her. She's got nothing to lose so she lays it all on the line. This read was quick, engaging and gutted me at the end!

This is a fast, easy read. Some (a lot) of the characters seem like terrible people and parts of the storyline are in the realm of ‘this would never happen’, but it all adds to the charm and entertainment value of the book. Fair warning though, if you are looking for an Adult mystery/thriller, this probably isn’t for you. This is definitely more YA level.

3.5 stars

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Group-Ballentine for the opportunity to read this arc!

This book absolutely crushed me. I’ve got to start reading more of Holly Jackson’s books. She’s such an amazing author. She gives you just enough information to theorize the ending to the mystery but also little enough that you don’t know what’s coming next. I also love the way she incorporates other media (transcripts, letters, etc.) into her books. It makes it so much more immersive.

As for the premise of the book, it was incredibly intriguing and absolutely heartbreaking. I cried before the 10% mark and was sobbing by the end.

I also loved the relationship that developed between Jet and Billy as the book went on. Billy is such a proper gentleman and nothing bad should ever happen to him. “Do you see me?” “I’ve always seen you, Jet”

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for advanced readers copy of this book in exchange for a fair review! I believe this book is a must read for 2025!

Review published on GoodReads and StoryGraph on April 14th, 2025.

I have mixed feelings about this book. The first half felt slow and a copy paste of AGGGTM but with "adults". I say it like that because even though she's almost 30, the way the FMC acts with her family and general behavior reads like YA. Also the behavior of the cops and their unwillingness to do literally anything? Felt extremely similar to AGGGTM and more like a YA brain reacting to authority.

The second half came in a lot stronger with plenty of secrets dropped and excitement. I was worried about the ending, but she did not soften the blow for us which I loved. It was raw and honest and I really felt the emotional pain at the end which made the 2nd half worth it for me.

Oh my gawd!!!! So good. So sad. So funny. So sweet. I luh-huved it!!! Holly Jackson could write a phone book and I’d read it and laugh and cry and be riveted! I did not expect to cry at this one, cuz Holly Jackson doesn’t usually get me that way. But I did. Quite a lot. It was great!!! Gettin it for my high school library, too!!! 💜💜📚

First, thank you NetGalley and Random House for letting me ARC review this book. I absolutely love Holly Jackson!! Ever since I read A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder series. So I was very excited to hear about this one. Our main character Jet is essentially solving her own murder, which is amazing! Jet gets targeted and someone tries to murder her. One of her old best friends from when she was younger, Billy, finds her and he like calls the police. Everything in a wave works out, but then Jet finds out she really only has like kind of a week to live. She also has the option of doing a surgery and there isn’t a good chance of her to survive the surgery. Jet decides she’s just gonna do nothing. I mean she’s gonna die either way so she might as well solve her own murder. While trying so, Jet teams up with Billy to peace together clues of what happened to her, who tried to murder her. She is on a time crunch because in the end she will die. I think that hurt the most for me because I was wishing the outcome would be different. I knew she was going to have to die, but like I didn’t want it!! Honestly when that scene came, I was just so heartbroken. I loved the twist and turns in this book because not only are you finding out who killed Jet, there’s so many other secrets from family members from other people in the town. The twist of who actually did it was chef’s kiss because I didn’t see that one coming. I literally loved it!! I devoured this book. It was so good and I couldn’t believe the ending!!

I have to be honest, I had to DNF this book. To me this did not feel like an adult book. And I know she may live in a smaller town, but the cops shouldn’t be that dumb there. They have the victim being the first to try to track her phone. The cops didn’t seem to think of this brilliant idea. So it just wasn’t working for me.

oh my wow. this was. intense. i could not put this down, holly has a way with writing that keeps you immersed into the story to keep reading. this has so many twists that i was like hold up wait a second and kept thinking on the events. you’ll definitely be playing detective while reading this one following along with billy and jet to solve her is trying to hurt her in her last days of life. this one will make you sad, frustrated, and curious all in one. this story was so addictive, dark, and fast-paced.

i’m so grateful to have received this e-arc because it was one of my most anticipated reads for this year!

Oh okay the Dear Reggie letter had me crying, Holly Jackson, your range extends far beyond YA. Not Quite Dead Yet features Jet (Margaret), a 27 year old woman who lives at home, who is brutally attacked on Halloween. She lives. But it's complicated. Jet decides that regardless of what may happen, she's going to find out who killed her, with help from Billy, a childhood friend/neighbor, and Billy's dad, who is on the police force. This was a surprisingly emotional read, and I could see myself re-reading it, and certainly recommending it.

Holly Jackson, queen of the twisty teen thriller, just made her adult debut, and Not Quite Dead Yet is every bit as addictive as you’d expect! Jet Mason is coasting through life until one Halloween night, when she’s brutally attacked. With just seven days to live, she tried to solve her own murder before it actually happens. Every chapter drops a new reveal or suspicious behavior, and I was second guessing everyone the entire time. It was so creepy and clever!

This was an incredibly addictive read just like every other Holly Jackson works. If you’ve read her books you’d know that most of what she has written are young adult mysteries. Until Not Quite Dead yet, Jackson’s adult thriller. In my honest opinion, Holly has outdone herself in more ways than one. Her ya mysteries are incredible and fast paced with wonderful characters you fall in love with along the way, filled with twists and turns you don’t see coming. But in this, rather than a teenager, you follow twenty-seven year old Jet, well aware that she is going to die. But Jet isn’t quite happy with that ending. So she’s determined to find out who killed her, well, before she’s dead. I ended up loving this, hence why it’s a 5 star read. Just like every other novel she has written, this story is filled with the charm and wit and passion that we love in Holly’s other books. The sarcastic humour and characters made this story, but I loved the murder mystery just as much as I’ve loved it in her other novels. I can’t wait for the world to discover this story.

What a unique mystery! Jet is attacked in her home, and she is thankfully found and rushed to the hospital. Her wounds are taken care of but a small broken bone in her skull will cause a fatal aneurysm in seven days. Jet wants to spend her last few days solving her murder. Even though she doesn't have much time left, Jet isn't drowning in pity and sadness, she puts everything into finding her murderer. She doesn't mind meddling in the police's investigation, questioning suspects, breaking into buildings, and uncovering evidence of her murder. She reconnects with her childhood friend Billy who also helps with her investigation.

First of all, thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy of Not Quite Dead Yet. I'm a fan of Holly Jackson's YA work, so I was excited to see where her adult novel would go. That premise was amazing, and it completely makes sense to me why it had to be adult as opposed to YA. Despite that, she was able to keep the pacing quick, and the style felt like a nice transition as readers leave YA to make the switch to more adult novels.

With that being said, there were some things about the story that made me have to suspend my disbelief a little more than I wanted to. Jet's belief that she had a week as a deadline was fine, but there were several times, especially after her pupil dilates, that I really thought her time would come right then because an aneurysm can only take so much pressure. She was in some high-pressure situations that probably would have ended her in reality. The week was an estimate from a doctor -- it could have been much more or much less time in reality.

Outside of that, I was all-in on this one. I hope that the interest level will be something like grades 11-adult because I really think my older students who are already fans of Holly Jackson will like it.