Bright Young Women
Ratings78
Average rating4.3
15
Ratings78
Average rating4.3
Don’t miss this “breakneck thriller” examining “our culture’s obsession with serial killers and true crime” (Harper’s Bazaar) following two women on the pursuit of justice against all odds. “A fascinating look at true crime and tabloid culture that's as thoughtful as it is gripping” (People).
A New York Times Notable Book of 2023
New York Times Editors’ Choice
Instant New York Times Bestseller
A Goodreads Choice Award Finalist
Named a Best Book of the Year by NPR, The Washington Post, Harper’s Bazaar, Kirkus Reviews, CrimeReads, Booklist, and more!
An Edgar Award Finalist for Best Novel
Masterfully blending elements of psychological suspense and true crime, Jessica Knoll—author of the bestselling novel Luckiest Girl Alive and the writer behind the Netflix adaption starring Mila Kunis—delivers a new and exhilarating thriller in Bright Young Women. The book opens on a Saturday night in 1978, hours before a soon-to-be-infamous murderer descends upon a Florida sorority house with deadly results. The lives of those who survive, including sorority president and key witness, Pamela Schumacher, are forever changed. Across the country, Tina Cannon is convinced her missing friend was targeted by the man papers refer to as the All-American Sex Killer—and that he’s struck again. Determined to find justice, the two join forces as their search for answers leads to a final, shocking confrontation.
Blisteringly paced, Bright Young Women is “Jessica Knoll at her best—an unflinching and evocative novel about the tabloid fascination with evil and the dynamic and brilliant women who have the real stories to tell” (Laura Dave, New York Times bestselling author of The Last Thing He Told Me); and “a compelling, almost hypnotic read and I loved it with a passion” (Lisa Jewell, New York Times bestselling author of None of This Is True).
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Reviews with the most likes.
2.5 stars
Let's start with the good. I liked how the author didn't name the “bad guy” (although it was clear who the story was based on) of the book and instead referred to him as the Defendant. Too often with true crime we focus on the crime and the person who committed it. We give them the attention they are seeking while the victims stories are forgotten. This is very much the story of the victims and it humanized them. We saw the impacts of the crime rather than focusing on the crime/violence itself which I thought was important.
I just felt like it was slow and I was bored reading most of it. At one point I felt I could have skipped to the end and I wouldn't have missed much. I guess I was hoping for a fast paced story.
Took me a while to pick up and come back to this one. An excellent telling of a terrible time. Absolutely despicable to know the details of what happened. This was all before my time, but to know that times haven't changed much is sad.
I wouldn't call myself a true crime fan but I do find the psychology of serial killers interesting, so when I saw that Jessica Knoll was releasing a book from the victim's POV of an infamous serial killer, I was immediately interested. This book grabbed my attention from the start and I thought it was cool that the author didn't once name who the killer was, but you knew exactly who it was. As my first of this author's books, I didn't know what to expect when it came to writing style and character work, but I really enjoyed it! It did take me far too long to connect who a specific character was in both of the POVs, but I blame myself for that more than the author. I didn't really know what the point of the side POV was until I made that connection and it did lower my enjoyment. I remember thinking “I wish this was two separate books following each of these characters” because I was so interested in both but had no idea how they connected. Overall, this book kept me hooked and I read it in two sittings, and I was still invested in the story despite obviously knowing the ending. It did make me more interested in this author's backlist and I'll probably go back and check them out.
Thank you to Simon Element, S&S/ Marysue Rucci Books, and NetGalley for providing me with an eBook copy to review
