Holly Jackson easily transitions to adult fiction with Not Quite Dead yet! This has a lot in common stylistically with the author's YA reads (which does mean at points that the character feels slightly younger than she's said to be), but I think has a lot to appeal to adult readers as well. The concept of the book as a whole is so intriguing and the tight timeline keeps the story moving.

This book was a thrilling fast paced experience. Holly Jackson presented Jet as witty and surprisingly humorous. Even with the circumstances, I still found myself chuckling at some of the things said by Jet. Despite the pace, I really enjoyed the consistent reminder of mortality, it really tied all of the commotion together. These characters were truly messed up. And the mission to figure out who did it, was wild ride.

This is my first Holly Jackson book (surprising, I know) but it won't be my last! This book sucked me in and I absolutely could not put it down- so much so that I bought it so that my mom and daughter can read it too, because I know they'll be equally captivated. Since this is a thriller/mystery, I will be brief to avoid giving much away, but this book was fabulous. Obviously, it is exciting because thriller, right? But wow, the emotional pieces are something that I usually don't get from a thriller, nor is the character development and growth, and I loved both aspects. I loved Jet as a character, and really enjoyed her sense of humor, especially since it lightened the mood of an otherwise dark story. The atmosphere was on point, and I just devoured the story! It kept me guessing the entire time, and just when I thought I had it figured out, it would prove me wrong and throw me for a loop.

Bottom Line: I just couldn't put the book down, full stop.

While Jet Mason is content with life, she isn't where her family believes she should be. At 27, she knows she has time to figure her life out! Unfortunately that doesn't stop the teasing, and judgement, of every "I'll do it later" that comes out of her mouth. Even more unfortunately, it seems like someone wants her dead. After being brutally attacked and barely surviving, she is told she has a week to live before she dies from a brain aneurysm. With no time left to "do it later", Jet has decided to finish the one thing she can think to do: solve who has killed her.

There is nothing I would love more than to give Holly Jackson a smooch on the forehead, tuck her into bed, and discuss her inability to write a book that doesn't have me sobbing at the end of it. I am obsessed with Jet's need to solve her own murder, her dark humor that no one but Billy seems to laugh at, and her love for her truck. I am also now fairly certain that I could successfully solve my own murder because I guessed a few of the twists!
I loved that this book is a bit more mature than previous reads, and am super excited to see if Jackson continues to write outside of the Young Adult sphere. This book is such a great read, and is in the top 3 books I've read so far this year. Maybe even top 10 of all time.

While I did not get to it until after it was published, BIG thank you to NetGalley and Random House Ballantine for the eARC!

Ummmmm I have no words! I absolutely loved Jets humor at her situation but the ride she took us on had me on the edge of my seat. And poor, sweet Billy, he was just along for the ride too, as long as he got to spend that week woth Jet. But that ending?! 🤯🤯 did not see that coming! For Holly Jackson's first thriller. This was pretty dang amazing and I cant wait until she puts her next one out.

When I tell you I was absolutely clamouring for this book. Once again, Holly Jackson does not disappoint. The characters are dynamic and the mystery was thrilling. I was itching to pick this one up at every available moment. I laughed a lot and cried even more. My heart still aches days after finishing it. This is by far my favorite of everything Jackson has written.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for the advance copy.

Not Quite Dead Yet is the first adult thriller by a well-known YA mystery writer, and she succeeds at this age group just like she did in the young adult genre. The plot is original, immediately captivating, and highly suspenseful given the time constraints written into the story.

Jet Mason is attacked on Halloween and the resultant physical effects give her only 7 days to solve the mystery of who attacked her and find justice with the help of her longtime friend. This story is not for the faint of heart, but also cleverly written, atmospheric, and tension-filled. It’s a clear page-turner and one you won’t want to miss!

Thank you @ballantinebooks for the gifted ARC!

𝗧𝗶𝘁𝗹𝗲: Not Quite Dead Yet
𝗔𝘂𝘁𝗵𝗼𝗿: Holly Jackson
𝗣𝘂𝗯 𝗗𝗮𝘁𝗲: July 22, 2025
4⭐️

🔷 𝙈𝙮 𝙏𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝𝙩𝙨 🔷
The twists were twisting in this unique thriller! Jet has seven days to live… on Halloween evening, she was attacked and left for dead. She wakes up with a terrible head injury and doctors telling her by the end of the week she will have a fatal brain aneurysm unless she has an extremely risky surgery.

Jet forgoes the surgery, and decides to try to solve her own murder. With the help of her lifelong friend Billy, they try piecing together the clues from that fateful night and examine all the people close to Jet.

I love how secrets and indiscretions slowly unfolded, and things around Jet are a lot messier than at first glance. I was hooked onto the premise from the beginning, and thought the medical diagnosis was very unique (while also being extremely sad)!

I did think Jet seemed a bit immature for her age (27 but seems more like she’s 20), but it didn’t take away from the overall premise and story. There were so many suspects for Jet to go after, and she aggressively did.

There’s a lot that gets uncovered in this story, especially near the end. The story wasn’t just a thriller, but had sad moments too, and oddly hopeful moments despite all of the darkness. There was a realistic side to the craziness too, where not everything will go as planned or as you think it should.

This was my first Holly Jackson read, and I’d definitely love to read more of her stories. Her unique premise on this thriller will keep readers guessing until the end!

𝙔𝙤𝙪 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙗𝙤𝙤𝙠 𝙞𝙛 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚:
🔷 Suspenseful Twisty Thrillers
🔷 Dark Humor
🔷 Amateur Sleuths
🔷 Unique Medical Diagnoses

After a head injury from an attempted murder, Jet is faced with the choice of undergoing an extremely dangerous surgery with a narrow chance of saving her life, or spending the short reamainder of her time solving her own murder. This premise was so compelling I could ignore the scientific improbability and enjoy the twisty mystery involving a messy family. This is grab-your-popcorn messy, if you can suspend your disbelief and enjoy it. There is a light romance aspect that didn't seem to add much to the story, and although the characters were adults, it still felt pretty YA.

This was a highly anticipated read for me! I love Holly Jackson’s other books, so naturally, I felt this would be right up my alley. Especially since it’s an adult novel rather than a YA.

I’m torn with my rating. It’s between a 3.5 to a 4, because on one hand, I did enjoy it, but on the other hand, I had a lot of gripes.

I listened to the audiobook and read the Kindle version, and I wasn’t a huge fan of the audio production. Obviously that’s not the author’s fault, but it did affect my experience. The Billy voice was horrible to listen to, absolutely horrible.

Plot wise, I felt like the pacing was off at the end. It wrapped up very quickly, and I wish it would’ve had more. It also had what felt like the thriller equivalent of “info dumping.” Often, schemes or twists were monologued out in one big paragraph, which, to me, came off cartoonish.

I did like Jet as a MC, and I liked her relationship with Billy. I felt like it was paced well, and it felt authentic. I found Sophia, Luke, Andrew, and other side characters to be interesting as well. I was a bit disappointed that we didn’t get more of the Mom and Dad, because they had a lot of potential to be complex characters.

Overall, it was an enjoyable story, but not her best in my opinion. It just didn’t work for me the same way her other books have. Enjoyable, but not my favorite.

absolutely loved this, i felt like i never knew what was gunna happen. i dont often read thrillers but glad i got this one!

Jet has been murdered…well,kind of. Her killer didn’t quite finish the job, but she has a week to finally finish something in her life. The task- solve her murder. With the help of her childhood best friend, Billy, Jet is determined to find out who cut her life short. She doesn’t realize all the other secrets she will uncover about all those around her.

Woah…I loved this book. It was extremely intense, particularly the ending! This is definitely one I will recommend!

Not Quite Dead Yet is everything you could want in a gripping thriller. Holly Jackson once again proves she’s the queen of dark suspense with this fast-paced, twist-filled story that had me hooked from the very first page. The plot is so good, and the characters are layered and compelling.

Every chapter ends with a jaw-drop moment, and just when you think you’ve figured it out, Jackson flips everything on its head. The writing is smart, witty, and emotionally charged.

If you loved A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder, this one absolutely delivers that same addictive energy, but with even more edge. Not Quite Dead Yet clever, chilling, and completely unputdownable. Highly recommend!

FANTASTIC. What a wonderful gift of immersive story telling Holly Jackson has. This book had me laughing, gasping, and crying at every turn. You can feel the energy/emotion in the characters jumping off the pages. One of a kind story. MUST PICK UP.

Not Quite Dead Yet is my first Holly Jackson book but I’ll definitely be reading her YA backlist and eagerly awaiting more adult books. This books genuinely took me through every emotion — I truly laughed at loud at points, felt intense tension and fear, and, of course, sorrow. Jet was such an interesting narrator. She wasn’t necessarily likeable but that made her all the more relatable, which made her harrowing situation so impactful. There were tons of twists and I was genuinely surprised and moved by the ending.

“Turns out dying feels a lot like living.”

I was a bit too emotionally drained after all the crying to write a review, and thought, "I'll do it later." But I knew I couldn't leave it at that—because I'd forget, and this book deserves to be talked about.

Miss Holly Jackson, you’ve done it again. Not Quite Dead Yet is truly the epitome of a mystery thriller done right. The suspense is subtle yet ever-present, the dialogue flows smoothly, and the dark humor is perfect. Jet is incredibly relatable and so easy to get attached to (unfortunately, ToT). It felt like I was solving the mystery with her. All of the characters and relationships are so well written (Billy, omg?).

I had the opportunity to hear Holly discuss the book on her tour, and she mentioned that she’s heard some discourse about Billy possibly being an even better book boyfriend than Ravi—and the whole audience audibly gasped, which was hilarious. While I don’t think it’s fair to compare NQDY to AGGGTM, especially since the characters are a whole decade apart in age, I will say that the ever-so-kind, supportive, sweet Billy is an amazing character.

I am always in awe of how Holly manages to write wholesome, meaningful moments between the intense sleuthing and action/survival plotlines. I am also so impressed with the amount of research she must have done regarding any medical aspects. As someone entering the medical field, I loved the intricacy of the details included.

I always get a bit nervous picking up a new book by an author I love, but this was so much better than I could’ve imagined—and I’m sooo happy about it. This is one of those books that lingers in your head long after the last page—and I already can't wait to read it again. So, of course, I would highly recommend this.

And dear Holly, thank you for reminding us to breathe in the acknowledgements after absolutely crushing our hearts <3333

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group for the digital ARC. All opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. The review is available on GoodReads and Instagram as of 7/28/25.

unfourtunately this book was a complete miss for me 20% in i guessed the killer. the premise seemed so good and intriguing but reading it was a completely different experience. usually books like this have me hooked but i could no tget hooked no matter how hard i tried.

NOT QUITE DEAD YET was a fun and creative premise, and despite it seeming a bit over the top, was so authentically done. The humor and twists were well placed, and the ending was both touching and satisfying.

Thanks to NetGalley and Bantam Books for the opportunity to read and review NOT QUITE DEAD YET.

4.5⭐️!! yay!!!! this was everything i was looking for. a fantastic murder mystery that is classic holly jackson style. 🙌🏻

some thoughts:
-after being slightly disappointed with rachel price, i was nervous about this one, especially when the FMC seemed so dislikable. but i pushed though and ended up loving it.
-the way holly jackson writes relationships is so good. i always find myself rooting for them😭 they feel so real & billy was just the best boy sidekick
-the premise/plot of this is genius!!! solving her own murder?? so cool and hooks you in right away!!
-docked half a star because the mystery ending felt a bit predictable and didn’t have my jaw on the floor like her other books. still worthwhile though.

overall this one definitely leaned more character heavy than thriller heavy, which i really enjoyed. i would recommend this one for sure! 🔨

big thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group – Ballantine – Bantam for this eARC in exchange for an honest review! :))))

Wow, this was intense! In more ways than I expected. I wasn’t sure what I was going to get when starting this book since it’s the author’s first venture into adult thrillers, but I was pleasantly surprised in every way. It was so much more emotional than I ever expected a thriller to be.

The story follows Jet Mason, the 27 year-old daughter of one of the wealthiest families in Woodstock, Vermont. After a brutal attack on Halloween night leaves her with a fatal brain injury, Jet is told she has just seven days to live. With the clock ticking, she teams up with her childhood best friend Billy to uncover the truth behind her own future murder.

The premise of this is really unique. I don’t think I’ve ever read anything like it. It’s kind of like a classic whodunit where we have a victim and we’re trying to figure out how they died… but backwards, because the victim is still alive and we already know what will kill her. From the very first chapter, we know the main character will die, but we don’t know why. And that’s the mystery that unfolds as the story progresses.

There were so many twists and turns. Some I saw coming, others completely surprised me but they all added depth and tension, and the story played out beautifully.

This is one of those books where every single person is awful. I hated everyone except for Jet and Billy. As the mystery unravels, we see just how truly terrible the rest of the characters are. There’s so much more I want to say about them, but I won’t spoil anything.

I’m absolutely heartbroken for Jet and Billy. They deserved better. So much more than what they got. I really wish they’d had more time. It was devastating that she died at the end, even though we knew it was coming from the start.

If you’re looking for an emotional, dark, and twisty thriller with strong writing and unforgettable characters, I highly recommend picking this one up.