I received an ARC of this title from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own and were not affected by the free copy.

Jet Mason is a dead woman walking. Literally, she has seven days to live. She was attacked on Halloween night, and through a series of medical complications, will suffer a fatal Aneurysm within a week. She has never finished anything in her life, but she is determined to finish this. She will solve her own murder.

I have never hated a cast of characters as much as I hated the characters in this book. Did that stop me from sobbing through the last 20 pages? Nope. Not exaggerated, literally sobbing.

Jet was super annoying, very immature, and honestly, quite rude to all of those around, including her supposed childhood best friend, Billy. Even her thoughts about her were mean throughout a good 75-80% of the book. She was very selfish, which when you were murdered, I suppose can be expected, but she was very rude and selfish before her skull was caved in, so she got very little grace from me. Her mother was extremely overbearing and I'm not sure she ever liked, let alone loved, her children, and her brother was truly awful. Poor Billy was a sweet, naive child who honestly deserved better.

It sounds like I hated the book, but I haven't stopped thinking about it since I finished it. And not in the bad way As Good As Bad by the author made me dwell. I genuinely enjoyed this book, the layers of twists at the end really made the whole thing worth it. I can't say I liked what was done with the last 2 pages, but it definitely fit the characters, so I can't complain too much.

I do agree with a lot of the reviews, it did read more YA than Adult, but I think that was solely based on Jet acting like an angsty, self-centered teen. I do think most Holly Jackson fans will enjoy the book, and it's definitely a unique thriller.

I was honestly surprised when I double-checked the blurb and realized that this book was marketed as adult fiction. Having read almost all of the author's previous works, Not Quite Dead Yet still felt very YA to me. I kept forgetting how old the main character, Jet, was 27, since she reads more like a teenager or someone in their early twenties.

That said, the premise of Jet solving her own murder was more compelling than I expected. I also appreciated how, having received her prognosis, she takes full control of her life after over a decade of living in her deceased sister's shadow. Her family is messy and dysfunctional, and frankly, filled with unsavory and largely unlikeable characters like her mother. Furthermore, the web of small-town connections and buried secrets added to the intrigue of Jet's murder.

I'm usually not a fan of romance in thrillers, but I actually didn't mind the slow-burn relationship between Jet and Billy as it didn't overpower the plot. I'm also glad that the author introduced more multimedia elements into this book, as she did with A Good Girl's Guide to Murder. Jet's goodbye letters to her family and Billy added more depth to the characters and were grounding to read.

One surprising element I liked was the part of the ending where Jet does die from her aneurysm, as I was worried there might be a miraculous, unrealistic recovery. However, the very last chapter was completely absurd. Even though I correctly guessed the murderer, the resolution felt so rushed. I found myself completely confused by how Billy could so easily accept Luke killing their father, Jack Finney, out of vengeance.

While I think that Holly Jackson accomplished something unique with A Good Girl's Guide to Murder, I haven't felt the same spark with her newer works. Still, I'm likely to keep her future releases on my radar as her books always bring something new to the thriller genre.

Jet is the daughter of a wealthy family in Vermont. This far in life she is always able to set her things off for later, never really pushing herself one way or the other.

After the big Halloween carnival in town, someone abruptly kills any chance for later when Jet is brutally attacked and left for dead. Upon waking, the doctor informs her that a piece of metal from the attack is in her embedded head and the placement makes it extremely troubling. If they operate she has a 10% chance of survival. If they don't, an aneurysm will form and she will be dead in a week. Pushing her family's wishes aside, Jet decides to forgo surgery and use her remaining time to solve her own murder.

Author Holly Jackson does a great job with character development especially with Jet who goes through a range of emotions, often choosing humor to make it through an extremely difficult time.

The action is exciting throughout but make sure to hold onto something sturdy because the last 10% is so tense and action packed you'll need to have something steady nearby. 4.00 stars.

I received this advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving a review.

Thank you Random House Publishing and NetGalley for this ARC.

The twist...oh my! I couldn't put this book down. I loved the ups and downs that Jet went through in trying to solve her own murder. I would definitely recommend this book!

I think this is easily one of my favorites of Holly Jackson’s books. Jet Mason is attacked in her home, leaving her with injuries that will result in her death within 7 days. On Jet’s bucket list - solving her own murder.

Holly Jackson does an incredible job of building out the plot and developing multi-dimensional characters who are interesting, flawed, and lovable. I thoroughly enjoyed Jet’s “give no fucks” attitude and accompanying her on her final days as she processed grief and unraveled a dark mystery.

I devoured this book and was on the edge of my seat! Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for the arc!

I finished this book in two days. Quite impressive for me because lately I need like a week to finish any kind of book.
So that should you give you an idea of how fast-paced and engaging this story was. I could not put it down, it was so captivating. There were some twists that took me by surprise and that really made it an engaging read. And unlike this author’s last book, I didn’t manage to figure out who did it until quite late into the book, which kept me hooked. So all of that worked very well.

Unfortunately, there were also some things that didn’t work for me.
The story tried to tackle two big plot points, a murder investigation and a woman who all of a sudden has only seven days to live. You could write a whole book about either, and by trying to fit them into one book I think neither was really handled in a satisfying way.

Jet’s fatal injury overshadowed the murder investigation, which felt a bit half-hearted at times, and simultaneously their investigation took away from her injury and the implications of it. She mostly joked about it throughout the book, which was a coping mechanism I get that, but like she was violently attacked. Even though she initially survived the attack, she knew she’d die soon, and I just expected a more in-depth exploration of that because it was such an insane situation.

And then there was Jet as the main character.
I don’t need likeable characters in thrillers, I’m reading a thriller to be thrilled, to guess who did it, to maybe be a bit scared but not mainly for the characters. But Jet was so unlikeable, she really grated on my nerves. Just a terrible person to be around. And sure you could argue that her behaviour after the attack was in a way understandable because how could you process something like this happening to you anyway without lashing out, right?! But she just straight up annoyed me sm, it took away from my enjoyment of the book.
She was also supposed to be 27, but she read like a 17-year-old. I’ve seen it mentioned in other reviews and definitely agree, this book felt way more YA than adult.

The ending was a bit all over the place, but that’s spoiler territory.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

Holly Jackson is an auto-buy author for me. I loved this book! If you liked her previous books, this one will not disappoint.

[ a huge thank you to netgalley & the random house publishing group for an e-arc of this book in exchange for an honest review! ]

↪ ★★★★.25 flabbergasted stars

❝ a dead woman walking. and dead women had no use for fear.❞

i. | the concept.
---> oh. my. goodness.
holly jackson, you never fail to amaze me 🤭

this book was unlike any other i've ever read. my reaction when reading the synopsis was as follows: "wait. what do you MEAN she's gonna die in 7 days and she knows it, but she's gonna solve her own murder??" literally. i would give anything to see the way this woman's mind works, because if just the concept of the book is this phenomenal, just think of how amazing the book itself would be.

on halloween night, jet mason, daughter of one of the wealthiest families in woodstock, is attacked by an intruder, leaving her with a massive head injury. her neurosurgeon predicts the formation of a brain aneurysm within 7 days. which, essentially, means that jet will be dead in 7 days. that is why jet decides to finally do something in her life, and solve her own murder.

🔨

ii. | the plot.
---> at the beginning, i'll say, it was a little slower than my liking. but as the book went on, the little things that bothered me eventually ended up growing on me.
the whole plot is so thought-out and well-explained, in a very organized but also flowy manner, which makes it so much easier for an average reader to understand.

a moment of silence for the astonishing cover and the great minds behind it, please. our fmc has brain injuries & a future brain aneurysm, and the cover designers took that and thought "well that's easy, let's make the cover a brain." so simple, yet so genius. it brings a whole lot of depth and gravity to the original plotline.

the plot itself? action-packed, intense, interesting, enjoyable and makes you think - "what next?"

🧠

iii. | the characters.
---> the characters, overall, were well thought-out, deep, realistic and constantly made you want to know more about them. except jet, i didn't like her much - i don't hate her, though.

𝜗 jet mason: i didn't like her for most of the book, honestly. she was annoying and constantly used the fact that her death would approach within days to manipulate people into giving her what she wanted (i have to say, though, it's probably why their investigation was so fast). she kept making jokes about her near-end, and i understand that she was trying to lighten the mood, but there's a certain limit to things. her character did get better nearing the end. she was smart but also dumb at the same time. does that make sense??

𝜗 billy finney: poor guy. he's suffered & all he wanted was to be loved back. idk what was wrong in jet's brain because it was SO obvious he was in love with her. like, from the beginning. HE WROTE A SONG FOR HER, GUYS. A SONG. i love him

𝜗 luke & sophia: i would have loved to know what went wrong in jet & sophia's friendship, but i guess delving into that topic would add another 100 pages to the book. luke, sadly, didn't realize how much his sister mattered to him until she died. i do like how he started to make improvements after realizing his (many) mistakes. and that revelation about him? eh, i wasn't very shocked.

𝜗 the rest of the family: i feel like scott mason wasn't taken seriously enough, just because he had PKD and had a tender-hearted soul. i love that father figure within him. dianne mason is an iffy character, and i'm still not sure i like her. there's more i wanna say (if u read this book, then yk who im talking about) but this is a spoiler-free review, so i can't.

🚓

iv. | the end.
---> in conclusion, holly jackson is about to release another banger that everyone needs to get their hands on!

i literally cannot wait for this to come out so i can grab my popcorn, sit back, relax and watch everyone's reactions to the events of this book. so much happens in so little time, it doesn't give you much time for processing. when you read this, don't go in with sky-high expectations and don't get disappointed when it's a little slow at the beginning - just stick for the ride, you'll enjoy the book, i promise.

xx
almas


review on goodreads.
uploaded on 27th May, 2025

I've read all of Holly Jackson's books, and I have to say - this could be her BEST WORK YET. I could not (and did not) put it down. Jet was a great protagonist- very smart with a dry, gallows humor and fierce determination. I was in turns on the edge of my seat and laughing out loud - sometimes both at the same time. We have a group of Holly Jackson fan at our library, and I know they're going to be thrilled with this book!

For the publishers: please keep the pictures of Jet's handwritten letters in the book (they really show the struggle of her trying to write with her non dominant hand), but also transcribe them for readers whose vision may be impaired or who have difficulty seeing them on their reading device. I know a lot of times I'm reading a book on my phone with Libby or Kindle and things like the letters aren't always easy to read in that medium. Fortunately, I was using Thorium on my PC to read this ARC, so there was no issue this time.

I'll start by saying that this was one of my most anticipated reads of 2025 and sadly I was a bit disappointed. I was super excited to get this arc because so far I have loved every book I've read by Holly Jackson.

Since seeing that the character is in her 20s opposed to Jackson's previous main characters I thought the plot and concept would feel more adult. Unfortunatel for me, the writing still felt very YA.

All that to say I did enjoy the twist and turns but at the same time it felt like maybe one too many? So much needed to come together that by the end I was over it and just wanted to know who done it. Was I still super emotional on that last 5%? Hell yeah I was and loved it. Just wish the rest of the book had been just as great.

Thank you to Netgalley for allowing me to read this arc.

Jet is trying to solve her own murder. Someone came into her house and hit her in the head with a hammer, and she lived……but unfortunately it caused complications in her brain and the doctors are giving her a week to live. She decides she’s going to use this week, her last week, to get to the bottom of what happened to her.
This book had suuuuch a unique premise. I’ve never read anything like it, and it’s so hard because Jet is such a lovable main character but you already know how it’s going to end. It was actually so crazy to be in the mind of someone who knows they’re going to die ???? I loved going through this story with her and putting all the pieces together. It was so fast paced and so easy to read, so many twists and turns I never stopped guessing and I never wanted to put it down. I think this was Holly Jackson’s first adult mystery and I think she did a great job!! The characters definitely felt very mature and the plot was crazy. I hope she never stops writing mysteries because all of her books have been so unique and fun to read. Thank you netgalley for the early copy!!!!

e-arc provided by Netgalley

I really enjoyed this. It's the first book that has made me bawl my eyes out in a long time, I did guess some of the turns but honestly while this was a good thriller/mystery I cared more about the relationship between Billy and Jet and it was done really well. I was also really hoping that something that happened wouldn't but I wasn't surprised

Not Quite Dead Yet is a thriller that delivers a fresh twist on the classic “solve your own murder” premise. When Jet is attacked by an unseen assailant and left with a fatal injury that will kill her in a week, she launches into a desperate investigation—not just to figure out who tried to kill her, but to make her final days count.

Jet, for me, was not the easiest person to love at first. I found her kind of annoying and just super defensive. But throughout the story, I could see why she became the way she was.

Jet had a week to figure out who killed her, and she was not playing any games. Almost every chapter had a new clue. I was right there with her trying to put the pieces together. I figured things out a few chapters before it was revealed, and I was almost screaming it at Jet because I wanted her to figure it out. So the clock ticking for her definitely made it an enjoyable thing for me because I was rooting for her to put the pieces together.

Holly Jackson did it for me with this book.

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

Wow, wow, wow!!!! This book had me in a chokehold right from the start. I already knew I loved Holly Jackson’s writing, but this really just solidified that for me. Plot twists that I did NOT see coming and a MMC that was just *chefs kiss*. Will most definitely be recommending that everyone pick this up when it comes out!

Thank you to the publisher, Bantam, for providing me with an eARC of 'Not Quite Dead Yet' in accordance with NetGalley.

________________________________________________________
What would you do if you had one week to live… and your murder was a mystery? Ask Jet.

Jet, the youngest sibling and ultimate procrastinator, is suddenly forced to strike the word ‘later’ from her dictionary because of a swift strike to the head that will leave her dead in 7 days. She's hell-bent on solving her own murder.

Growing up shadowed by siblings, she never knew what she was capable of (thanks to the 'I'll do it later' attitude). But this? Her time and stage to prove herself.

I went into this thinking I’d outsmart the mystery. I narrowed my eyes at EVERYONE.
Holly: 1
Sareema: 0
(I did not see that twist coming, and I am in pain.)


Billy. I need a Billy in my life. You need a Billy in your life. Jet NEEDED a Billy in her life. He’s respectful, supportive, kind—and I would protect him with everything I have.
Luke needs (oops needed) to do better. Yes, I think he did redeem himself a little at the end. Does that erase everything? Hm.
I despise Sophia. I disliked her from the get-go.
Jet deserved more understanding parents. At least her dad tried at times.
Reggie. Utterly obsessed with him. You'll just have to read to know who I'm talking about.

I love how, despite not getting along well with her family, Jet found her stronghold, her person. Even if she only had a week to spend with him (yes, folks, we're talking about Billy). And honestly, we all need to thank Holly Jackson for giving us not just one, but two rays of sunshine in this book.


I do feel the ending was a bit rushed. It could have been fleshed out more. Everything happened so quickly, you, the reader, barely had time to process it all. Just when you think you've figured it out, the book just… ends. You blink, and it’s over.
That’s the only reason this fell short of a full 5/5 rating.


We got a unique plot, a cinnamon roll MMC, good pacing and that signature Holly Jackson writing. I give this 4.5/5.

I'm grateful to the publisher, Bantam, for providing me with an ARC of 'Not Quite Dead Yet' in accordance with NetGalley.

________________________________________________________

When I got approved for this ARC I just about THREW UP. Thank you to Netgally and Bantam for this ARC! Holly Jackson is one of my all time favorite authors and this definitely did not disappoint. This is easily up to par with Good Girls Guide to Murder. The main character ? LOVED. I was rooting for Jet the whole time and don’t remember the last time I resonated with the main character so much. The story starts with Jet being attacked in her own home but the killer doesn’t quite kill her yet. Doctors give her a week to live and she wastes no time trying to solve her own murder with her childhood best friend Billy. The twists and turns this story takes you are unbelievable and unexpected to the last page. Without giving anything away the ended totally gutted me. This is easily going to be the next big thriller of the summer. Get the Netflix series ready! 👏

I read this book in less than 24 hours, in just 3 sittings. And when I wasn’t reading, I was thinking about the story. First of all, Holly Jackson, HOW DARE YOU write such a heartbreaking premise? Second—kudos, because I totally thought I had it figured out, but I DID NOT.

This is very much in line with Jackson’s other books, so if you like those, I’m betting you’ll like this.

Thank you to NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I received this arc from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. We follow Jet as she tries to solve her own murder. Yep that is right and holy moly Holly Jackson did an amazing job. As a reader you can feel all the various emotions that are present in the book. I would read this book again. Be careful who you trust, even family.

This was a great premise- very unique! It is definitely a young adult thriller, but I enjoyed it anyway and felt invested in the story, a few too many characters were introduced in the beginning, which caused me to get a little confused and have to re-read, but overall it was a good book with a twist I did not see coming.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!

What is happening to Jet? Who did it? Will she find out who her attacker was before her time is up? This book kept me from getting other life things done! I kept wanting to come back to my book to find out what was happening and who did it. Would definitely recommend to friends and fellow readers!