I have consistently enjoyed Holly Jackson's teen books, and I am glad to say I enjoyed her first adult novel as well. Unfortunately, I think, much like other authors who transition from teen to adult genres, that the writing failed to "mature up". I expected darker, more layered themes, and it was not here in this novel. Also, while I liked the protagonist, I did have to remind myself that this was an adult character because at times she came across as much younger. Again, I think this often happens with teen writers transitioning to adult novels.

The story was good though - the novel finished on a high note (though it did get a bit draggy in the middle. It is the standard Holly Jackson mystery (and if you have read her previous novels, you will know what I am talking about). Overall, I think it is worth reading her first adult novel and adding it to library collections. I can see this one being popular with teens and adults.

Wow, talk about an intense roller coaster of emotions. This book held nothing back. I laughed, I cried, I raged. Holly Jackson just keeps getting better and better. Not Quite Dead Yet is my fave book by her yet! The premise is SO unique and I had my doubts about how she was going to pull it off, but she did so flawlessly. Trust me when I say you NEED to preorder this book!

Also, Holly Jackson, I’ll be sending you my therapy bills.

Not Quite Dead Yet was an intensely captivating mystery from start to finish. The premise was intriguing and exciting. Will the FMC be able to solve her own murder before she dies in seven days? With the clock ticking, there was no shortage of shady suspects as Jet attempted to complete her mission, and they all had shocking secrets that were revealed throughout the story. Just when I thought I knew, Jackson switched things up and led me down another path of possibilities. I was on the edge of my seat with anticipation the entire time, waiting for the big reveal. I flew through the pages like I had a timer counting down in my head and had to get to the end because my own life depended on it. The final moments were sad and expected, and I had hoped for a better outcome, but the big reveal was a doozy! Not at all predictable. With all that being said, I have to admit that I had a love/hate relationship with Jet's character. I loved her personality and her persnickety sarcasm, and I empathized with her plot, but she was so emotionally turmoiled that she came across as immature and juvenile for a 27-year-old. Most of the characters came across this way. They seemed to talk at each other instead of with each other. I did adore Billy though. He brought a love and pureness to a really effed-up family dynamic. I really enjoyed this book, despite my disconnect with the characters. I know that this is the author's adult debut, but it still came across as YA...even with the mature content. I didn't mind this at all. I loved the author's YA books! I just felt like it should be noted as such. I would definitely recommend! I think the many fans of this author are going to love it.

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for granting me a digital ARC via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review!

How do you solve your own murder? Holly Jackson's tale keeps you riveted from the first chapter. All the twists and turns add to the intensity. Every time I thought I knew where the story was headed and who was responsible, Ms. Jackson spun it a different way! Any one of the characters could be the murderer, but who?

This was such a unique premise for a book. The storyline is what really hooked me into this one. This was a good fast paced thriller with the plot tightly wound and full of twists and turns. The plot progressed quickly, and naturally and fully kept my interest throughout the book. I really couldn’t wait to see what happened next. At first I didn’t love the FMC, but she had some really great character growth and I was really routing for her. And even though I knew exactly what would happen and how it would end, it was still an emotional gut punch. The twists and turns throughout were executed perfectly and the ending was great. This is Jackson’s adult debut, but I will say that for the majority of the book, it read as a YA thriller. I really had a hard time believing that the FMC was as old as she was because she read as much younger and much more juvenile.

I’ve read all of Holly’s books so I was really excited to get an eARC of Not Quite Dead Yet.

On Halloween night, Jet is violently attacked and suffers a catastrophic head injury. She finds out that within a week she will be dead. Who did this to Jet? She is going to solve her own murder.

This was such a good twisty and intense thriller. I really liked Jet! She showed so much strength! But I was still really sad for her. I honestly had no idea who hurt her. I was shocked!! I didn’t expect the book to end the way it did.

I love Holly’s writing. Her books are fast paced and will keep on the edge of your seat.

Rating: ✨✨✨ ✨
Publication Date: July 22, 2025

Thank you NetGalley, Holly and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for the eARC!!

#NotQuiteDeadYet #NetGalley

This book was captivating from beginning to end. The ending was somewhat expected, yet still a bit sad. I love the way the author writes, her style is really engaging. The only thing I didn’t love was that the chapters felt a bit long, at least in the ARC version I read. But I suppose that’s something typical of the author. Thank you for the opportunity to read it. I gave it 4.5 stars, it was very good overall.

Holly Jackson has never written a book below five stars. Her writing is just so compulsively readable and I thought her writing style and voice transitioned well here for the adult audience. Cool cover and super unique concept that I hadn't read before.

Eh.

I enjoyed reading this. It was fun the whole time. But it is largely forgettable. I did cry! That is always fun!

Oh my god the dialogue. Ok. I get that wow this is her first book aimed at adults woo! But like that apparently just means dropping the fuck word at least once a page. It doesn't help that most of this book feels like characters talking at each other and little else.

The mystery was pretty predictable. Some of the characters kind of feel like they were forgotten about. Like what was Sophia's deal????

I liked Jet, I really did. But she is just so quippy and snarky and ugh. It is giving CW show.

I don't know, there is not much to say here. A pretty average book. Definitely check it out! It was the first thing I read by Holly Jackson, so her fans might get more enjoyment out of it. Still, a fun read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for the ARC! All opinions are my own.

I read this in one day. I was so happy to be picked to receive this ARC, and it did not disappoint. I was worried initially about having a MC whose personality was “I’m a disappointment”, but it immediately turned around with Jet. I found myself being unable to sleep and unable to do other things because I was so interested in knowing WHAT HAPPENED! I will say I guessed the killer, HOWEVER only pages before it was revealed as I noticed things lining up. The book was amazing, I flew through it, I loved it, and I miss Jet. Holly Jackson has done it again!!!

ARC review
Publication date 22 Jul 25

“Not Quite Dead Yet” by Holly Jackson is a murder mystery thriller.

Thank you very much Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for the advanced digital copy of the book (via Netgalley).
Opinions from this review are completely my own.

Holly Jackson is an auto-buy/read author for me and I read all her books.
So I am very happy that I was able to read this book early.

What I like is that the premise for the book is original. Or at least I did not read any book before with a character trying to solve their murder.

Jet is the daughter of a rich family and at 27, she thinks that she has all the time in the world to live her life.
But on Halloween night she is attacked in her home and suffers a head injury that will cause a deadly aneurysm in the next week.
There are so many potential suspects even if Jet was actually a collateral victim.
The whole book is so intense and caused some anxiety.
I understand that the idea is to live your life while you can, but Jet's story is heartbreaking.

My favorite part is that she had help in her investigations.
Billy is her childhood friend and the one that found her after the attack.
He made the most of the time that she had and helped her with anything she asked.
What I did not understand is her family's behaviour, especially her brother.

There are many twists and secrets revealed and I did not except the ending.
Still, some things were predictable, or at least I figured them out a lot faster than Jet.

Overall it is a good book but is made me sad.

okay, so, i’m traumatized! i’m actually going to need holly jackson to step off my neck. this is twice now that she’s reduced me to a sobbing mess on my couch, and i’ve had quite enough!! jesus!! (this is a positive review).

enough about me crying, and more about this incredibly unique premise. when i first read the description i wrongfully assumed we were kind of getting supernatural with it, but jet is actually a medical marvel (/neg) who’s up, walking, and talking for a week (and one week only) after someone attempted to murder her – and she decides to use that week solving her own murder! talk about an insane setup. i was so invested in the mystery that i kept a running list on my phone of clues and theories that i had about who the killer was. i wasn’t right about the final reveal, but i did guess some things along the way, and i had a ton of fun trying to figure it out!

i love the way holly jackson writes her female characters, and this book was no exception. jet was so much fun to read about – i loved her snarky attitude, and i especially loved her interactions with her childhood best friend, billy. i don’t want to give too much away, since this is (of course) best read blind, but man, that ending was a killer. if you’re like me and the end of good girl, bad blood destroyed you emotionally, get ready for a whole new world of hurt. my head is still pounding from crying as i type. join me in suffering in july!

I’m really confused by some of the other reviews because while the style of Holly Jackson’s writing is consistent with her YA titles, that doesn’t make it sound or read like YA in a negative way.

You have 27 year old who was stunted in development. Her behavior is consistent with how a New adult would act. That’s the difference between good and not so good writing. The FMC that Ms Jackson created does have a lot in common with some of her young female protagonists from earlier works but when you look at the character development, that behavior is completely consistent.

Anyway, this was a fun ride with such a unique premise. Did I figure out many of the twists, yes. Did I care? Absolutely not because it wasn’t about the who or how but about the why.
Ms Jackson crafted together a layered plot that’s fulfilling and has some nice shock value.

This book comes out on July 22, 2025 and if you’re a thriller lover, get this on your TBR asap.

I am thankful to have gotten a complimentary eARC from Bantam through NetGalley to read which gave me the opportunity to voluntarily leave a review.

My rating system since GoodReads doesn’t have partial stars

⭐️ Hated it
⭐️⭐️ Had a lot of trouble, prose issues, really not my cup of tea (potentially DNF’d or thought about it)
⭐️⭐️⭐️ Meh, it was an ok read but nothing special
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Really enjoyed it! Would recommend to others
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Outstanding! Will circle back and read again

Jet Mason has seven days until she dies and she is determined to solve her own murder. Jet is the daughter of one of the wealthiest families in her hometown, but at 27 she really doesn’t know what to do with her life, but she is only 27, so she has time, right? The night of Halloween, Jet returns home, where she lives with her parents, and is attacked and left for dead. Miraculously she survives the brutal attack, but is told she will die within the next seven days due to a brain aneurysm caused by being struck on the head.

With this knowledge, she decides she will solve her own murder. She reconnects with her childhood best friend, Billy, who helps her look for clues, drives her around, and allows her to stay at his apartment. Will Jet be successful to find out who killed her before she dies? Read this fast-paced book that has some twists and turns to find out.

I love Holly Jackson's YA novels, and this novel for adults did not disappoint. There were so many times that I thought I had this story figured out only to find I was wrong. I love it when that happens! Readers will fall in love with Jet and her childhood best friend, Billy. Even though Jet knows how her life will end, she doesn't know how her story will end, and it was a delight finding out with her.

As a massive fan of her YA mysteries (thrillers? not sure the exact genre) I was thrilled to try her first adult thriller, and I must say I wasn't disappointed. The concept of her solving her own murder in a way that isn't paranormal is so (pun intended) thrilling. I've read a fair amount of "solving my murder as a ghost" stories, but never one like this. It's rare to have a fresh concept with the amount of books I read!

I will admit, as someone who is afraid of death and what comes after- and thus what is the point in anything and I have to make everything I do count and be worth it- being in the head of someone who is for sure dying in 7 days was harrowing to say the least. Reading the book actively unsettled me, partially because of the content, partially because I think in her situation I would be comatose in fear the whole time.

This book was so entertaining and I couldn't put it down. I think I still liked her YA works more, despite being nearly 30 now, because I can get the joy of a mystery without having to insert myself as the FMC and feeling existential dread.

This took me a second to get into because I REALLY did not like the main character at first, but she (and her dry humor) rubbed off on me. I love the premise of this thriller. There were enough suspects to keep the story really interesting. Basically, Holly Jackson killed it as per usual!

This book had a pretty original plot that I could get down with. The main character is violently attacked, and an aneurysm will kill her in seven days. Then she decides that she’s going to basically solve her own murder. I loved the characters and the story was insane. There were a lot of different plot twists and interesting directions. I definitely recommend putting this one on your TBR.

Thanks to NetGalley for the copy of this ARC. This will be out in July of 2025

I’m not sure I have words. Holly Jackson is a thriller genius, and her first foray into adult was an absolute smashing success. I loved Jet, her dark, dry humor? Never wavering in the face of the end of her life. The cast of characters was well-developed and made it incredibly difficult to pinpoint the killer. I adored Billy and how much he loved Jet, willing to do whatever it took to help her solve her murder before she died. This book had my heart in my throat the entire time, and I’ll be thinking about it for a WHILE. Highly recommend!

I haven't read any of Jackson's YA books, but I really enjoyed this adult mystery from her. Enough twists and turns to keep me guessing, and I cared about the main character so much that the ending got me a bit teary eyed.