Jenny HollanderRezensionen

Meh. I think I've read too many books where the main character is so certain they killed someone but they don't have all their memories and are too afraid to ask for help. Cause that's this book, again. I think I needed the crime/tragedy to be clearly explained at the start, because I didn't even know who all died and who was thought to have killed them until the end when were apparently getting the twists. I think the characters had potential, but the plot was not executed well.

I had high hopes for 'Everyone Who Can Forgive Me Is Dead'. I loved the gothic sound of the title. It spoke to me of irredeemable sin and deep guilt. I liked the idea of the story being told through the eyes of a Brit making her living on the US East Coast because it offered so much scope for cultural dissonance, especially when the English-middle-class-girl-made-good is engaged to a New-York-one-per-center. I also liked that this debut novel drew on the experience of the author, at least in terms of settings, so, in addition to a good plot and a lot of tension, I was hoping for relatable characters, an insider view of both the work and academic environments and a strong sense of place.

I actually got everything that I hoped for. The main character, Charlotte (Charlie) Colbert is riven by guilt. The level of disdain that Charlie's soon-to-be mother-in-law feels for Charlie could freeze the planet and the novel delivers an insider's view and a strong sense of place.

So why did I set this novel aside at 33%?

I was overwhelmed by Charlie's anxiety.

The story is told as a first-person account from Charlie's point of view, albeit with a dual 'Now' and 'Then' timeline. Being inside Charlotte's head was stressful. Her anxiety was constant. I could see that I was supposed to empathise with Charlie and feel sorrow for the way that anxiety was crippling her but that wasn't how I felt.

I didn't like Charlie. She saw her new, 'Now', life as something that she's earned through hard work and she feels aggrieved (although not surprised) that the life she's created is being put at risk by a lie she told a decade earlier. The problem I had was that her 'Now' life seemed to me to be an invention, a comforting pretence designed to distract her from the harm her lies did a decade earlier.

Of course, I don't need to like the main character of a story to enjoy a book but I do need to be able to live in her head if she's the one telling the story. I found that I couldn't do that.

'Everyone Who Can Forgive Me Is Dead' was an intense well-told story but it was too unremitting for me and there was nothing to compensate me for putting up with the stress. I didn't like Charlie and, by the time I was a third of the way through the book and still had nothing but vague hints about who did what to whom and why in the notorious 'Scarlet Christmas' that is the source of Charlie's guilt, I found I didn't care enough to hang around and find out. What I wanted more than anyhing else was to get Charlie's anxious, self-deceiving, guilty voice out of my head.

It's possible, perhaps even likely, that the things that led me to abandon this book are exactly the things that will make it irresistible to fans of psychological thrillers. Take a listen to the audiobook except below and make your own mind up.

https://soundcloud.com/macaudio-2/everyone-who-can-forgive-me-is-dead-by-jenny-h...

Charlotte (Charlie) Colbert is a successful editor-in-chief at a magazine, engaged to a handsome and wealthy man, Tripp. However, she is hiding a devastating secret. Nine years earlier, while enrolled in journalism grad school, several students were pronounced dead-an event known as "Scarlet Christmas". Charlie fled from her life after this, and believes she killed them. In therapy, she tries to come to grips with her life, then. Her BFF Cate, her lover Jordan, and his jealous friend, Elise. Steph, Cate's sister, Dee (Tripp's girlfriend at the time) and Gunnar, another friend were all there, too. Charlie has rebuilt her life, but can't escape the guilt. Now, a film of the events is coming out, and she needs to stop it.
Dramatic-but I foresaw the ending.½

2.5⭐️

Editor-in-chief of a major magazine and engaged to a member of an affluent and influential family, Charlie Colbert has a seemingly perfect life. But when one of her former graduate school classmates decides to make a movie about the tragic events that transpired on Christmas Eve nine years ago – an event dubbed ”Scarlet Christmas “ by the Press - that resulted in the deaths of three of her classmates, leaving Charlie and other survivors traumatized, she is fearful that the movie, based on a book written about the tragedy, will upend the life she has so meticulously rebuilt. Charlie had distanced herself from her former friends after the tragedy but now not only will she have to reach out to them to prevent the movie from being made but also have to revisit her past to fill in the gaps in memories from that night.

To be honest, I liked the premise of Everyone Who Can Forgive Me Is Dead by Jenny Hollander more than the execution. Up until the halfway mark, I was enjoying the writing and found the plot intriguing. However, as the narrative progressed, the inconsistent pacing, repetitiveness and poor character development resulted in a less-than-satisfying reading experience. Despite this novel being less than three hundred pages long, it felt much longer, which is never a good thing. None of the characters were particularly interesting (Annoying and Shallow? Yes! Interesting? No). I did feel sorry for Charlie and her struggles, but that’s about it – I think I’m a bit tired of protagonists with foggy memories and dependence on alcohol. The therapy angle should have been better executed. The romantic relationship between Charlie and Tripp felt forced and superficial. Most of the twists felt contrived and I found certain revelations along the way too ridiculous to shock or even surprise me. I’m all for suspension of disbelief, but I found the resolution of the mystery behind “Scarlet Christmas” underwhelming, to say the least. I could go on about how this novel didn’t work for me, but I think I’ll stop here.

In short, I can’t say this was a thrilling read.

Many thanks to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the digital review copy. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.½

Everyone Who Can Forgive Me Is Dead is Jenny Hollander's debut mystery novel, and I can hardly wait to see what she comes up with next! This was a five star read, I was interested at the very beginning.

Charlie Colbert survived the tragic Scarlet Christmas during her college years, but not all of her friends did. Now, one of the other survivors is going forward with a movie tell-all for the tenth anniversary. Charlie had blocked out all memories of that night, but she has a nagging feeling that she did something she shouldn't have and now she's desperate to remember and stop Stephanie's movie. She can't live through this story and the paparazzi again, so she's willing to do whatever she can to put an end to it all.

Interspersed with articles, excerpts, and interviews of the survivors at the time of Scarlet Christmas, this is a dual timeline suspense novel. A gripping, twisty tale full of changing stories and an unpredictable ending. Charlie is an unreliable narrator, giving us the story of what she thought happened, while trying to uncover what really did happen. There were several characters, but not so many that it was difficult to keep track of them, and they were all well-developed.

All in all, this was a great debut, well-written and unpredictable. If you enjoy an unreliable narrator, mysteries, or "getting the gang back together" stories, then this is a definite must-read! For fans of Karin Slaughter and Ruth Ware.

Thank you to @NetGalley and @MinotaurBooks for a digital copy for review consideration. All opinions are honest and my own.

Everyone Who Can Forgive Me Is Dead by Jenny Hollander is a slow burn psychological thriller with strong ‘last-girl’ vibes. Nine years ago on December 24th three college students were killed in what became known as “Scarlet Christmas”. Charlotte was one of the surviving victims. Her memories of the event are extremely scattered, but at the time she lied and gave a full statement to police. Now a former classmate is making a movie based on the events. Charlotte is now the editor at a respected magazine, has a supportive boyfriend, and continues to see a therapist. Renewed attention and scrutiny will threaten the life Charlotte has worked so hard to build.

Thoughts:
This is Hollander’s debut book. It starts out incredibly strong and had me hooked. It’s a moody, atmospheric read, that delves into trauma, memory, and formative relationships. Told through a ‘then-now’ format we get many of the blanks filled in through flashbacks. I really appreciate the raw unresolved feelings the remaining students still have. It felt very honest, a nonlinear journey with trauma. Hollander’s premise is engaging, if a little messy at times. I was left confused on how some things fit together despite a final chapter wrap up that felt a little too warm-fuzzy. I read on ebook, but noticed the audiobook is narrated by Marisa Calin. I’d highly recommend that format if you get a chance! She always adds a wonderful element to her voice acting, really uplifting any story. I’m excited to see what Hollander does next and will definitely be reading!

I received an advance copy from the publisher @MinotaurBooks via @Netgalley

This book is a gripping psychological thriller that delves into the aftermath of a traumatic event, known as "Scarlet Christmas, “at an elite journalism school. Charlie Colbert, the protagonist, is haunted by the events of that night, and the story follows her as she attempts to keep her carefully reconstructed life from unraveling when a former classmate plans to turn the tragedy into a movie.

Hollander's debut novel is a page-turner, skillfully combining elements of mystery, psychological suspense, and drama. The narrative unfolds through Charlie's perspective, providing insight into her struggles with PTSD, survivor's guilt, and the weight of the past. The use of flashbacks and Charlie's recollections keeps the reader engaged and invested in unraveling the truth behind the “Scarlet Christmas” tragedy.

The pacing of the story is well-executed, with the tension steadily building as the plot unfolds. The author keeps readers guessing by skillfully revealing details from the past at strategic moments, maintaining an air of mystery until the final pages. The book cleverly plays with the reader's assumptions and expectations, creating a compelling and unpredictable narrative.

The exploration of Charlie's mental health issues adds depth to the narrative, especially her experience with dissociation, which becomes a central element of the story. Hollander effectively weaves this psychological aspect into the plot, creating a nuanced portrayal of trauma and its lasting impact.

While the ending may be considered slightly unrealistic and convenient, it provides a satisfying resolution with expected outcomes. The author successfully navigates the complexities of the mystery genre, creating a compelling and enjoyable read.

I received an advance copy of the book. The opinions expressed here are my own.

Charlotte ‘Charlie’ was a survivor of Scarlet Christmas, a mass campus murder that left several of her fellow grad students dead including her best friend, Cate. She had blacked out much of what had happened but had lied to the police about this at the time and had kept this a secret ever since, fearing what her role might have been in the killings.

Now it’s almost a decade later and Charlie is in therapy, still trying to move past it while refusing to try to dredge up those hidden memories. But when she learns Stephanie, Cate’s sister and a fellow classmate at the time, says she is making a documentary about the event because she is determined to put the real story out there, Charlie is determined to stop her,

For the most part, I enjoyed Everyone Who Can Forgive Me is Dead by Jenny Hollander. It’s a well-written slow burn thriller with plenty of red herrings and twists and turns and Charlie’s memory loss makes her an interesting unreliable narrator. However, as other reviewers have pointed out, so much of this tale and the ensuing events depended on cryptic statements by the characters and could have been resolved if someone had just asked the characters what they meant. And, well, I’m still not sure how I feel about the ending.

Still, the novel is very entertaining and kept me reading despite my criticisms. The story is told in the first person by Charlie and I followed along with the ebook while listening to the audiobook narrated by Marisa Calin who does a great job of projecting Charlie’s memory loss and fear of what might be discovered should the memories ever return. I’d like to thank Netgalley and both St Martin’s Press and Macmillan Audio for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review½

The title and London accent got me but the story doesn't pay off. This is another standard thriller in which the main character is unreliable. Charlie can't remember part of a tragic incident that happened to her group of friends while in journalism school. She's been in therapy for years and become a successful editor but still hasn't dealt with the trauma because she lied about something at the time and is afraid to reveal it. Most of the book is Charlie freaking out, fending off panic attacks, and trying to figure out how she can stop a movie about the incident from being made. Her thoughts and emotions regularly spiral out of control which, on the audio, brings every line to a fever pitch that becomes annoying quickly. The twists are not clever and suspense is created by characters keeping secrets they don't need to keep or having vague conversations. Any character asking, "What do you mean by that?" would end the whole ridiculous story so, of course, none of them ever do. I cannot reveal why I gave it two stars without spoiling the only minor, but unexpected, surprise.

Damn. Take a college tragedy, live through it, without talking it through, and you can see just how messed up your life can really become. Blame, guilt and black outs where you don’t know what you could have been capable of filter through this story for many characters and develop the plot seamlessly. The details and threads that overlap and then combine were masterful and have this mystery coming full circle by the end. I couldn’t put it down.
*I received an arc from the publisher through NetGalley for an honest review

Charlotte “Charlie” Colbert was a witness to “Scarlet Christmas”, a horrific tragedy that found some of her fellow graduate students dead. That night and her lack of memory of it as well as her lie to the police have always haunted her as she rebuilt her life, rising in the world of journalism to editor-in-chief of an important magazine and engaged to the scion of a wealthy family. Now, as the decennial of that event approaches, another woman who was also present that night wants to make a film about it and “tell what really happened”. Charlie’s life spirals out of control as she desperately tries to recall the events of that night while also attempting everything possible to prevent the film being made.

This book had ups and downs for me. I really liked the first quarter introducing the main character and the plot; I couldn’t wait to get into the story. But then it devolved a bit for me as Charlie frantically tried to control the situation. I felt it was a bit all over the place and some important characters not particularly well developed

While there was a mystery at the heart of this book, it also was a study of PTSD and how guilt can weigh one down. The story is told in two timelines, then and now. There are some twists the reader might not see coming and may or may not like. Despite my reservations about the story, this is a sold debut and I look forward to reading other works by this author.

Thanks to #netgalley @stmartinspress #minotaurbooks for the ARC.

This was a solid debut from Jenny Hollander. It was well written and had some good twists. It was more of a slow burn than a fast-paced thriller. My biggest issue was that I felt like it should have taken place during the character's college years rather than during grad school. They seemed too old and would have been spending too much money at a prestigious school to be living their lives the way they were. But I did enjoy the book and would read another by Jenny Hollander. Thanks to NetGalley for the digital ARC.