Nog net niet dood

by Holly Jackson, Hc Kaspersma (Translator)

A twisty thriller about a young woman trying to solve her own murder.

In seven days Jet Mason will be dead.

Jet is the daughter of one of the wealthiest families in Woodstock, Vermont. Twenty-seven years old, she’s still waiting for her life to begin. I’ll do it later, she always says. She has time.

Until Halloween night, when Jet is violently attacked by an unseen intruder.

She suffers a catastrophic head injury. The doctor is certain that within a week, the injury will trigger a deadly aneurysm.

Jet has never thought of herself as having enemies. But now she looks at everyone in a new light: her family, her former best friend turned sister-in-law, her ex-boyfriend.

She has at most seven days, and as her condition deteriorates she has only her childhood friend Billy for help. But nevertheless, she’s absolutely determined to finally finish something:

Jet is going to solve her own murder.

Genres: Mystery, Thriller, Mystery Thriller, Fiction, Audiobook, Crime, Adult

470 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 17, 2025

About the author

Holly Jackson was born in 1992. She grew up in Buckinghamshire and started writing stories from a young age, completing her first (poor) attempt at a book aged fifteen.

'A Good Girl's Guide to Murder' is a YA Mystery Thriller and her debut novel. She lives in London and aside from reading and writing, she enjoys binge-playing video games and pointing out grammatical errors in street signs.

Reviews

[Clace · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.95!

Holly Jackson, the way your mind works amazes me.

I am so conflicted on what to rate it because this could have been a four-star with the way it was set and how it was written, but also it just was not as good as her other books. And keep in mind I rated this not on my Holly Jackson scale where I compared the enjoyment I derived from this book as compared to the others and how impactful it was. Thus, coming to this rating, it would be higher if it's compared to other thrillers, but I feel like Holly Jackson can do better. There were some areas where it fell short, but it wasn't a bad read at all. In fact, it was very enjoyable. But the thing is, it just didn't captivate me like all her other books do. Like, I consume her books, and the pacing was very weird with this one. Like, when I would read it, I wouldn't be able to stop, but when I did stop and put it away, I would have no motivation to pick it back up again. It just wasn't as captivating as it needed to be, and it did affect my reading experience. Because usually, a Holly Jackson book is so alluring that I read it within two or three days, but I think this one took around two weeks?? The writing style, however, was something that I liked. Holly Jackson just has a way with words, she makes reading every one of her books enjoyable. Like, you cannot be bored with her writing style. She makes everything so interesting, and it's always so refreshing reading her works, so that was a plus side of this book because it was definitely something I needed.

The concept of the plot was also very interesting. Like, that is the thing that made me want to read this book besides the name of the author. It basically is the story of Margaret, or as everyone refers to her as 'Jet', who gets hit on the head by someone very brutally and miraculously survives, but only for the next seven days due to some complications with her skull. So she is determined to find out who 'murdered' her in these seven days. And I mean, come on, who wouldn't be itching to read this book? The way it set everything up was really well done. I liked that it also focused on the characters and their development and yet still managed to weave a clear path for the plot. It was drawn out, but maybe a little too much? Where things started to go in circles, and I just wanted them to wrap it up. Because there came a point where nothing was happening, and I already had no motivation to pick the book up, and I knew if I kept it down, I wouldn't pick it up. So I had to power through it. It may also be because I had figured out who did it. So, very, very surprisingly, for the first time ever, I predicted both of her plot twists. But I don't believe that it invalidated how well they were set up and how nicely it wrapped the story up. It was a very interesting take.

Our main character Jet is witty, sarcastic, rude (like that girl from Rachel Price), but those are the effects of her growing up in a very dysfunctional family and losing her sister, which caused her to be carefree, a commitment-phobe, never doing things on time, and always relying on "I have my whole life left." So Jet then gets a reality check by being attacked and being stripped away of that opportunity. And honestly, that hit hard because almost everyone procrastinates, but this just showed how literally the thing that you expect the least can happen, and you can be stripped away of the choice to do it tomorrow. Anyways, I liked her determination to solve the murder. Her sarcasm really saved this book for me because it made some of the scenes in this book better, and the lengths that she was willing to go through, because she had nothing to lose, added a nice touch to this story. Billy, in a world full of boys, everyone needs Billy. He was amazing, so supportive and always there for Jet when no one else was. I really liked his character, and I also liked how Holly created their dynamic to be so powerful that every interaction between them felt so natural!! I enjoyed that.

SPOILERS!!!
SPOILERS!!!
SPOILERS!!!
SPOILERS!!!

Okayy the side characters?? I didn’t like Jet’s mother, she drove her other kids away because she obsessed over one, and when that kid died, she moved on to the other one, driving the third away even more. The dad was nice but felt irrelevant at times, even though he brought a main thing to the plot. Luke, he was my very first suspect. Things just felt too weird around him. Him killing Emily (his sister) was surprising, but I figured out that he wasn’t the killer as we moved forward with the story, because I found a new suspect, a better one and also an unlikely one, YAYY!! I followed my own rule (never stick to your first suspect and point towards the most unlikely but also slightly likely one). In this case, that was Billy’s dad. He was too nice for his own good, and he was always conveniently there, so I knew that he murdered Jet. But it was just a theory, and I didn’t really have any evidence. So I started to think, why would he do that? Anddd we move on to Sophie (Luke’s wife??) who, in Jet’s words, is a massive cunt.

She was poisoning her father in law because he wasn’t giving Luke the company. And I thought, why would he not give him the company? Because I think Jet’s conclusion was that he was greedy? But that didn’t feel right. So, I connected this dot with Billy’s dad being the murderer, and the common denominator was that he was Luke’s actual father and he was doing it for him. Honestly, when I thought of it and the way I thought this through, it felt easy, so I thought that this can't be the twist. And I honestly wasn’t fully sold on it because there were still things missing from this. But when it did happen, I was shocked that I was right, lmaoo. But I liked that she was able to fill the gaps that I had in my theories, which made the overall reveal better.

So out of the three twists, I predicted the two main ones but didn’t predict the minor one (Luke killing Emily).

Also, the letters in the book were really well done. They somehow made me feel emotional—especially the one for Billy and the one for the dog.

Overall, this was a very well-thought out book that fell a little short for me, but I enjoyed it!!
__
The arc dropping on my inbox this morning was such a blessing because I just know my weekend is going to be amazing binging this!!

*Thank you to Netgalley and Random House- Ballantine for an E Arc*
__
That time of the year when Holly Jackson gives us a reason to live.....

[Nilufer Ozmekik · Rating 5 out of 5]

My heart is shattered! I’m crying my eyes out! 😭💔
I knew it wasn’t wise to get attached to a protagonist with a literal ticking time bomb in her head—but I couldn’t help it! I got so deeply attached to Jet… and sweet, loyal Billy! How could I not?! This is, without a doubt, one of the smartest and most emotionally devastating concepts Holly Black has ever crafted. “Not Quite Dead Yet” is a thriller that hurts—and I mean that in the best way possible.

The final chapters completely wrecked me. I won’t spoil anything, but let’s just say my tears were flowing harder than during that soul-crushing Joel Miller episode of The Last of Us. Honestly, I need hugs, a Disney movie marathon, a strong drink, and about three pounds of chocolate to recover. 😭🍫🎥 Holly Black, what have you done to me?!

The premise alone is pure brilliance: Jet Mason is attacked—brutally—and miraculously survives three head blows, suffering a subdural hematoma and cardiac arrest. But her fractured skull has a grim expiration date: in just seven days, a bone fragment will rupture an artery in her brain. That gives her one terrifying, pressure-cooker week to solve her own attempted murder. The suspense! The stakes! The EMOTION!

Jet returns to her wealthy, dysfunctional family in Woodstock, Vermont—a family that, quite frankly, does not deserve her. Everyone’s caught up in their own drama while she’s walking around with a death sentence. Even the cops seem more interested in easy answers than actual justice. And because the Masons run a powerful construction empire that’s bulldozed lives for profit, Jet’s attack might be tied to one of the many enemies her family’s made.

Let’s talk about these unforgettable characters:

💔 Jet – 27, brilliant, sarcastic, a little messy, and completely relatable. A law school grad who gave up everything to come home and live in the shadow of her perfect, deceased sister. She’s been trying so hard to prove she’s not useless… and now all she wants is to uncover the truth before she runs out of time. Even as her body fails her—headaches, memory issues, cognitive fatigue—she never stops fighting. She’s fierce, crude (when necessary), and absolutely unforgettable.

🎸 Billy – Her estranged childhood friend turned roommate (after she flees her family home). He’s the one who found her after the attack, called 911, and now he’s her rock. A kind, selfless musician with a soft spot for Jet—he’s the only one who really sees her. And I just want to wrap them both in bubble wrap forever. Protect Billy at all costs!

👔 Luke – Jet’s older brother, corporate shark, all ambition and secrecy. Could he be hiding something darker?

😇 Sophie – Luke’s wife and Jet’s former best friend. Suspiciously angelic. Possibly sinister. Definitely shady.

👩‍👧 Elaine – Jet’s hypercritical mother. Emotionally cold. So much tension. Meanwhile, Jet’s father fades into the background, suffering from kidney disease—the same condition that may be contributing to Jet’s fatal prognosis.

💔 JJ – Jet’s ex who proposed, got rejected, and then vanished after the attack. Guilty conscience, or something worse?

Some of the action scenes push the boundaries of realism—yes, a cardiac-arrested, brain-trauma survivor solving her own attempted murder in a week is a stretch—but I didn’t care. I stopped questioning it and fully surrendered to the ride. The plot is twisty, sharp, and so well-executed that I was hooked from page one.

I adored the emotional family dynamics, the slow-burn tenderness between Jet and Billy, and the themes of mortality, regret, and resilience. The ending? Heartbreaking but inevitable. I didn’t want to let Jet go.

⭐ 4.5 stars rounded up to 5 because Jet Mason deserves to live forever in my heart.
📢 This is the kind of book that makes you want to scream about it from rooftops.

THANK YOU to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group – Ballantine – Bantam for the digital ARC of one of the most anticipated thrillers of the year in exchange for my honest thoughts. I’ll be thinking about this one for a long time. 🖤


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[Ali Goodwin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this book!! I LOVE the concept. Holly Jackson's most unique and highest stakes book imo. I love that this book is SUCH a great balance of comedic relief through Jet's dark humor but also heartbreaking at moments because she only has 7 days left to live.
The only two things stopping me from rating this book higher is 1. although I loved Jet & Billy, I didn't feel super emotionally connected to them. 2. Never saw the ending coming but I do think I have read twistier mysteries before.
And now I've read every Holly Jackson book!!
My current ranking of Holly Jackson's books:
1. A Good Girls Guide to Murder series OF COURSE
2. Five Survive - LOVE this one
3. Note Quite Dead Yet
4. The Reappearance of Rachel Price

[Maddy ✨ ~The Verse Vixen {AFK brb} · Rating 3 out of 5]

A Thriller That Actually Thrilled Me! RTC! Eventually!

---

AHH!! FMC really said, "I've dug two graves for us, my dear,"—one for me, one for the liar standing near🔪
Seven days to solve her own murder before she dies? Say less. The tension, the mystery, the ticking clock—this is going to be a wild ride, and I’m so here for it. Tension? ✅ Suspense? ✅ A desperate, edge-of-your-seat unraveling of secrets? ✅✅✅
This is giving unputdownable energy, and I need to see how this plays out.Fingers crossed this delivers hard because I’m so ready for the chaos.
Grab a popcorn, let’s play detective,
Because this plot? Highly effective.⏳🍿

[Yun · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'll say this — I never have cause to complain about the mystery components in Holly Jackson's stories. It's the other parts that has me feeling more iffy.

But first things first, I just can't get over the cleverness of this premise. Jet is attacked and left for dead, but she miraculously survives though she only has seven days left before her resulting brain aneurysm will rupture and kill her. She wants to use her last days to figure out who killed her. Along with her childhood best friend and sidekick, Billy, they go around sticking their noses where they don't belong, trying to suss out her killer before it's too late.

Holly Jackson's mysteries always feel a little retro à la Nancy Drew, and Not Quite Dead Yet falls right into that camp. There are clues, secrets, red herrings, and surprises galore, and of course I gobbled it all up. At a time when other authors of the genre can't be bothered to put any real clues into their mysteries and rely more on wacky twists to drive their stories along, reading Holly Jackson's is a breath of fresh air.

It was so much fun to armchair detect, mulling over all the clues, spotting the red herrings, and seeing what I could figure out all on my own. And Jet's childhood best friend/sidekick Billy makes for the perfect Bess/George to Jet's Nancy, and their smidgen of romance was minor enough so as to not distract. Of course if you're a mystery enthusiast, you'll probably see most of it coming from a mile away, but that doesn't make it any less enjoyable.

But what does make it less enjoyable is the writing style. This is Jackson's adult debut (after a few YA books, including the famous A Good Girl's Guide to Murder), and well, it doesn't really feel any more adult than her previous books. Jet is supposedly 27 years old, yet if you took ten years off her age, you could conceivably have the exact same story. She and every single character in here reads either like a sullen teenager or is sketched through the eyes of one.

I've seen this happen before. Authors start out writing YA, then as they and their readers mature, they make the jump to adult fiction, with the hope that their fanbase will follow and grow with them. But the problem is that some authors have trouble making this jump. Either they've gotten so used to writing YA style that they don't quite know how to do adult, or they themselves are not yet mature enough to be able to pull off that voice. Either way, it's a clumsy first attempt, and that's what happened here.

The other issue could be the format. The A Good Girl's Guide to Murder series was mixed media, as if you're reading a dossier of an actual investigation, and it was superbly done. This here though is just regular prose, and it felt considerably less successful. Jackson's reliance on dialogues and extremely short paragraphs (sometimes as short as a sentence fragment) makes it chaotic and at times difficult to follow. It took me three separate tries just to get through the initial chapter, in which we are inexplicably introduced to every single character in the book, all in one go.

Back to the mystery for a second. I know I said I have nothing to complain about, but there is one thing that left me unsatisfied. The main mystery wrapped up just fine, but there were multiple side mysteries that popped up along the way (as is oft the case with books of this genre), some of them quite serious in their own right. And though we find out whodunit in each case, there was no real reckoning for the perpetrators of those crimes within the tale. I found the attitude to just shrug and move on decidedly odd.

Okay, one more thing since I'm laying it all out there. I always get a little weirded out if there is disdain towards animals or children in the pages of a book (and not as a way to forward the plot or the characters). And while the pet in this book was treated with reverence, the attitude towards the baby was such obvious scorn while serving no real purpose, I can only imagine it's the author's own leaking onto the pages. Every time this happened, I was jerked out of the story because it was so jarring and unnecessary, and I really wish editing had caught it.

So now I'm at this awkward spot where I'm not sure where I stand with Holly Jackson. I adored the first two books of her A Good Girl's Guide to Murder series and wholeheartedly recommend them to anyone in need of some modern day Nancy Drew. But it seems with her latest books, she's veering in a direction with her style that doesn't really jibe with my preferences. Time will tell, but for now, maybe I just need to contend myself with rereads of her old books rather than venture more into her new ones.

~~~~~~~~~~~~
See also, my thoughts on:

A Good Girl's Guide to Murder:
#1. A Good Girl's Guide to Murder
#2. Good Girl, Bad Blood
#3. As Good As Dead
~~~~~~~~~~~~

✧ Connect with me ✧ Instagram ✧

[shanayaa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Who thought I would end up sobbing over a murder mystery? Holly, you’re gonna pay for my therapy 🤧✋🏻

[ଘRory · Rating 3 out of 5]

☆☆☆
I'm a massive fan of Holly Jackson, always ready to be swept away by her knack for crafting a good mystery. While her books usually have me on the edge of my seat, I have to admit this one was a bit of a letdown. So, did I enjoy it? Yes. Would I recommend it? Obviously. Where did it fall short for me? Let me explain.

The premise is brilliant: a crime scene, a victim with only a week to live, a past conviction, an aneurysm, an ex-boyfriend, a construction company, and a bunch of suspects. The story starts off with a bang—the setup is fantastic, and I was hooked right from the beginning.

But then... around the 40% mark, things started to flatten out, and ultimately, the last pages felt a bit rushed. Our main character, Jet, reeling from her mom calling her useless, decides her final act is to solve her own murder with childhood friend Billie. Her last week becomes a whirlwind of sweet moments with him and a frantic attempt to untangle family secrets.

You know that feeling? When a writer piles on clues, creating intricate knots, leading you down a garden path... only for the climax to reveal a solution so convoluted you're left thinking, "We couldn't solve it, and dogs could not scream." (If you know, you know.)

Despite the frustrating twists and turns, I was excited the entire read. It felt like Holly Jackson downed an entire pot of coffee while writing this standalone – and honestly? I was totally there for the caffeine-fueled chaos. That's the testament: even a "letdown" from her is still a rollercoaster ride.

[emma · Rating 3 out of 5]

holly jackson adult debut everybody freak out.

the real reason this is adult and not YA isn't that the protagonist is in her late twenties. it's that the world is dark and everyone is evil and the real murder mystery was inside us all along.

y'know. grown-up stuff.

i guess i'm filled with childlike whimsy and i'm going to live forever, because that made this a bummer to read.

it's not believable to me that everyone in this nowhere town is committing crimes hidden from their loved ones. maybe if they were just emotional crimes...but the fact that justice is involved is a stretch too far.

also, the long staccato dramatic passages of action where it's like the blurry camerawork at the violent bits in the hunger games. i get this is for Art but i don't know what's going on!!!

and i read this 3 months ago and i still think about how mean our protagonist was for eating a PB&J! justice for the adult peanut butter and jelly sandwich eating community!

bottom line: diagnose me with peter pan syndrome — i like the YA better.

(thanks to the publisher for the e-arc)

[Ana · Rating 4 out of 5]

A knife in the heart would've hurt less...

Holly needs to pay for my therapy bills, I spend hours sobbing.. That was fun NOT.. I knew it was going to happen and it still caught me by suprise and it still hurt, it hurt so much..

There's going to be a little spoiler section at end, I marked it clearly, just wanted to make sure you're warned in advance!!

Jet gets attacked on Halloween, she survives, but with a brain injury that would kill her in a week. She decides to solve her own murder before that happens, and she's doing it with her friend Billy. It's a race against time and they'll discover more secrets than one...

I loved Jet, the way she handled finding out she was going to die was honestly amazing. She was an asshole most of the book and she absolutely earned that right. I loved how determined she was, to make up for all the times she quit. It also broke my heart..
Billy, my sweet Billy, I adored him so much.. His kindness, the way he did everything to help Jet, how he became her safe place to land. He deserves everything good in his life!!
I loved them together, all those little moments, everything they did to find the truth.. They were perfect.
As far as Luke, Sophia and Dianne are concerned, I wish I could sucker punch them!! That's all..
Scott deserved better.
And Reggie is the sweetest boy ever..

Now as far as the mystery goes, there were some things that I really didn't expect, but I did guess the killer along the way. Holly did a great job leading us towards the truth.
The pace was fast and perfectly executed, at least it was until the end came. The end is what I didn't like. I'm growing tired of everything being found out in the last chapter, it feels abrupt and leaves me unsatisfied. It's why I didn't rate it five stars. It bothered me too much..

And I love the message this book leaves you with.. Live now, enjoy the little things in life, because there might not be as many tomorrows as you think it does.
I started to cry again writing this, it really was heartbreaking.. Anyway, I highly recommend it, just make sure you have some tissues nearby..

SPOILERS!!!!!!

KEEP AWAY!!!

SPOILERS!!!!!!

The letters, omfg, I couldn't see because I was crying so much..
And she died in his arms... That alone made Holly my number one enemy.. It broke me. They deserved so much more.. They deserved their happily ever after..
And the song, stop, that was adorable!!
Also, what happened at the end, absolutely deserved..

[Sydney Books · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5* LOVED THIS BOOK

[May (previously Violet) · Rating 4 out of 5]

⊹₊ Thank you to netgalley for an arc of this book in exchange for an honest review! ₊⊹

» No Complaints - Noah Kahan «
0:53 ─〇─────3:24
↻ ◁ II ▷ ↺

✧˚ · You can love something without needing it to love you back · ˚✧

No spoiler review

⭐⭐⭐⭐ - 4 Stars
Single Third Person POV
Spice Level 🌶️ - 0/5
⤷ Literally no sexual content, talk of “screwing around” but that’s it
Age rating - 15+
⤷ F-bomb used over 160 times, along with every other cuss word out there. There were some very intense scenes


⁺˚⋆｡° 🧠 My Thoughts 🧠 °｡⋆˚⁺
Er. Ma. Gursh.
Miss Jackson you gave me such a heart attack at the end 😭😭😭
Here I was like “Dang nothing is happening, this is gonna be a 3 star fs” and then I was screaming, crying, freaking out, and was considering chucking my kindle out the window.

There were definitely some things I didn’t like at first, but they for sure grew on me. I’m glad I didn’t dnf because I’m in SHOCK rn bro. Idk what to do with my life now.
And the fact that I got to read this months before it came out so I can’t rant to anyone…*depression noises*
Though I can’t rant about everything because that would spoil, you’re in for a ride in this review.

⁺˚⋆｡° 🛻 The Plot 🛻 °｡⋆˚⁺
This plot was so good and so well thought out, though it was a little slow at the beginning,
Something I loved about it (as dumb as it sounds) is she actually died. They didn’t magically find a cure at the end that no one was expecting. Holly Jackson literally went through with her plot, even though it was heart wrenching, which is what I love in a book.
While I didn’t like the fmc I have to say that the characters were so deep and realistic, as well as the setting. It felt like everything was happening real time and I was a part of the story watching it go down. Jackson’s writing is literally amazing.

Also
GUYS
BILLY….
*swoons*
I will get into this more when discussing the characters.
But he’s my MANSSSS 🤭

Also I need to say thank you for all the Noah Kahan references because that made my heart happy lol.

Just a warning it was SO slow at the beginning but the plot itself was action packed, interesting, and overall enjoyable. Even though I did guess the final plot twist, how the scene played out still shocked me.

⁺˚⋆｡° 💀 Characters 💀 °｡⋆˚⁺
➥ Jet:Ngl I hated her for most of the book, I was literally praying that she would please just die already. Instead of being like “oh I’m a pain I should turn my life around” when she was faced with death, she used it to manipulate people into doing what she wanted. On top of that, how freaking hard she had to be hit over the head to be so dumb to not realize that Billy was head over heels for her. I HATED her…but she got slightly better at the end.
╰┈> Cynic - Noah Kahan ♫₊˚.
➥ Billy: I loved this man. All he wanted to do was be loved back. He didn’t deserve her as she constantly took advantage of and manipulated him, but the fact that he wrote a song for her is what did it for me. He was so sacrificial and just so freaking sweet. The end y’all…the end…
╰┈> Fall Into Me - Forrest Blakk ♫₊˚.

⁺˚⋆｡° 🎤 Conclusion 🎤 °｡⋆˚⁺
All in all: you need to read this book.
If you don’t like it at the beginning I seriously urge you to see through to the end because it is seriously worth it. I’m so excited to be able to watch everyone’s reactions when this book comes out lol.
Please leave a like if you can! And please PLEASE read this book (you’re soul will be crushed mwahahaha–I mean…you’ll love it)

Happy reading!!


pre-read
Guess who just got approved for the ARC!!!

pre-release
One of my favorite authors…
Such an incredible plot….
I CANT WAIT ANOTHER SECOND TO GET MY HANDS ON THIS BOOK

[Ajla · Rating 1 out of 5]

- This should have been YA, because it certainly reads that way.
- A bunch of F-bombs doesn't make a book adult.
- Jet is a stupid name.
- She's constantly repeating how someone murdered her, how she'll solve her own murder, or some version of that, and it gets awfully tiring.
- Characters are one-dimensional and none of them sound like a mature adult, lead character included.
- Audio book narration is torture. Male voices are atrocious.
- For a thriller, there's really nothing thrilling.

[Fernanda (ivyfer_isreading) · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a classic Holly Jackson book. And by that I mean it is a fantastic thriller/mystery like only she can write.
I didn’t know it was her first adult novel, I just saw the author and requested an ARC immediately, and I don’t think I would have noticed if it wasn’t pointed out to me. If you liked her ya novels you will for sure love this one, it is in the exact same vein.
The characters are unforgettable, and I guess they feel a little more mature than Jackson’s previous protagonists, but that’s to be expected since they are in their late 20s. I’m starting to resonate a lot more with themes like death and loss of a loved one so every time the book reminded me what the ending we were walking towards was I kept shedding a few tears.
This was the first thriller I can recall that I didn’t clock the killer almost immediately, so congrats to the author for that, it made the experience a lot better.
We follow Jet after she is attacked one night and what seemed like a very long life turns into just a few days. She is dead set on using those days to figure out who might want to see her dead, and while doing that she discovers a few secrets about people close to her.
Not Quite Dead Yet is a great thriller, you will not be able to stop reading(I got through it in one day, and it was a work day so that’s impressive for me), with characters that jump off the page and an ending that you will not forget.

Thank you Netgalley and Ballantine for the ARC!

[manas (NEW YEAR) · Rating 2 out of 5]

men. are. always. ruining. everything.

[skylar ₊˚⊹♡ [hiatus] · Rating 5 out of 5]

˙ ✩°˖🫐 𝟓 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐬 ⋆｡˚꩜

"i think this has been the worst week of my life, because i’m going to lose you, and i don’t want to lose you. but, it’s also been the best week of my life, because i got to spend it with you.”

my rating wasn't surprising guys let's be fr. holly jackson puts something in her books man like how are they so good 🙂‍↕️ BUT UM HELLO???? IT WAS SO SAD. AS ALWAYS OML. she enjoys it atp but whatever. (dude. the amount of tears streaming down my face during the last chapters?? could barely read cause my vision was so blurry. my heart was actually beating SO FAST UGHH.)

౨ৎ (📓) jet. i saw that a lot of people thought she was annoying? i didn't see that at all. i mean come on if i was dying in a week i'd also use it to my advantage??? but i think the important thing about her character is that she wasn't really good at the beginning, but she grew a lot during her last week. like her letters??? yeah. she's stronger than me cause i would've just wallowed if i got that news. like wdym i'm gonna die...she handled it like the queen she is guys ☺️ i admire her a lot.

⊹ “i’ve finally been living. and that’s all because of you. you showed me. it’s the best thing anyone’s ever done for me, and i’ll never forget it. and i wanted you to know, that it was all you, before it’s too late.”

౨ৎ (🎼) billy. BILLYYYYYY ☹️☹️☹️☹️ let me just say he CARRIED this book like the strong, tall, perfect man he is. the yearning guys...THE YEARNING. HE WROTE A SONG FOR HER. he would actually do anything for her like when she was saying he always helps and he says "only you" LIKE WHAT??? ☹️😔💔 get you a man like billy that will help you commit crimes and comfort you 🙂‍↕️ like the towel scene oml. HE'S SO SWEET EUFHIEJFPOWJFPOWJFPOJ !!!! he's the reason this is five stars i'm just gonna say it.

⊹ "i see you. do you see me?"
"i've always seen you, jet.”

⤿ bottom line is that this was amazing guys. i didn't want to write a long review for yk..reasons (i'm lazy) but TRUST ME. in holly jackson we trust. the wait was so worth it.

────୨ৎ────

🪼┆𝐩𝐫𝐞-𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝
⤿ not quite dead yet by holly jackson

EEE I CAN’T WAITTT 🤭 holly jackson ml you never fail..i just know i’m gonna be curling my toes and pulling my hair in suspense at this 🙂‍↕️🤞

────୨ৎ────

🌀┆𝐩𝐫𝐞-𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞
⤿ 2/15/25

OMG OMG OMG WE HAVE A COVER GUYS!!! I FEAR I NEED HOLLY JACKSON WRITING INJECTED INTO MY VEINS…WE NEED IT NOW 💳💳💳💳💳‼️

[cherie ^_-★ (semi-ia + comment restriction) · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.75 stars ⭐
⤷ spoiler-free review!! ⋆౨ৎ˚⟡˖ ࣪

ˏˋ°•*⁀➷ my thoughts
ngl i wasn’t expecting much from this book since i wasn’t the biggest fan of the A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder series, but i actually ended up enjoying it! the premise was interesting and the plot twists were pretty good—i didn’t see any of them coming. i read a few reviews before starting this book and everyone kept saying how heartbreaking it was and i was like how sad could it be? well… 😅 i take it back! i had tears in my eyes at the end and had to pause for a good minute before i kept reading or else i would’ve BAWLED 😭

ˏˋ°•*⁀➷ characters
♡.ᐟ jet mason
jet was pretty insufferable, but then again, she was dying so i let it slide 😭 i got used to her snarky attitude after a while anyway 🤷🏻‍♀️ i just felt so bad for her 💔 she reminded me of pip with how ballsy she was, trying to solve her own murder—i could never 🙂‍↔️🙂‍↔️🙂‍↔️

♡.ᐟ billy finney
billy definitely carried this book 🥹 he was such an angel 😭 he was always by jet’s side and went to great lengths for her—even committing crimes for her 😭 and don’t get me started on how he yearned for her ughhh 😫 (fictional) men who yearn get me every! single! time!

“Only you.” 😭😭😭

♡.ᐟ jet + billy
i adored them 🥺 their relationship felt one-sided at first, but the way it grew as they spent more time together, solving her murder, made my heart ache 💔 i gotta say though, i kept forgetting they were grown adults—the way they spoke and behaved felt like teenagers to me, but it’s not like it bothered me or anything sooo 🤷🏻‍♀️

“Because Billy, this past week, I haven’t really been dying. I think, maybe, it’s the opposite. I’ve finally been living. And that’s all because of you. You showed me. It’s the best thing anyone’s ever done for me, and I’ll never forget it. And I wanted you to know, that it was all you, before it’s too late.”

ˏˋ°•*⁀➷ overall
while this book wasn’t super thrilling and the ending didn’t exactly blow my mind, i still had a good time with it and it kindaaa helped with my reading slump so i’m calling that a win!

QOTD: would you rather live for seven more days or go for an operation with only a 10% chance of survival? personally, i’d choose the former. like yeah, 10% is still something, but i don’t think i’d wanna take that risk yk? 😭

────────── ⋆⋅end⋅⋆ ──────────

pre-read
in desperate need of a genre switch

br with kitkat 💕

[ivy · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars ꕥ
↳ ᡴꪫ ⸝⸝ ‘not quite dead yet’ turned out to be a lot better than i originally thought it was going to be. i haven’t had the best luck with holly jackson books in the past, but this one (thankfully) broke the cycle. one thing that i can always appreciate and recognize about jackson’s books is that she always incorporates the building of character relationships into the plotline. unlike some other thriller authors, *cough cough* freida mcfadden.

१˒🎐⋆ i genuinely enjoyed jet’s relationship with billy and the other characters. jet’s fierce nature and willingness to make something of her life was an aspect that i really admired her for and contributed to my overall liking of her. she got attacked by a mystery killer and finds out in the hospital that she only has one week to live, due to a fatal brain aneurysm. jet decides to solve her own murder with her best friend, billy. honestly, if i was told this news, i would just lay in the hospital bed for the whole week and spiral into insanity. but jet, she got her ass up and started to solve her murder at whatever cost. and she was SO smart, more smart than i could ever be.

🛻 billy finney. ᝰ.ᐟ billy was SO CUTE. i adored him so freaking much because of his warm presence and loyalty to his best friend. i can’t even begin to comprehend the emotions he felt when he found out that his best friend (and love of his life), only had one week to live. i loved how he consistently put her first even if the things jet asked of him could’ve landed him in a hot mess.

◟✦ one thing that i really didn’t love was how everything was solved. sure, there were a lot of tiny things building up to the big reveal, but the big reveal LITERALLY happened in the last chapter. it was just a whole word dump by one specific character that we had to wait the entire book for.

‼️‼️ SPOILERS START HERE ‼️‼️

- ngl i thought jet would actually be able to live 🥲 when she started writing the letters, that BROKE me
- why did holly try to give luke a redemption arc 😭 like he was literally ABUSING his employees..
- honestly, i thought it WAS billy at times..

‼️‼️ SPOILERS END HERE ‼️‼️

𖠵 𓂃 although this wasn’t the most thrilling of thrillers/mysteries, it was still a solid book that i found myself invested in. safe to say i’ll be requesting the next ARC for holly jackson’s new release 🤪🫶🏻

[zeinab · Rating 5 out of 5]

── . ⟢ 5 stars ★
﹒⌗﹒ this review is spoiler free ⸝⸝

”i think life is about finding your person, your one person. and you better make sure that they really love you back,
so they don’t just pack their bags one night and abandon you. they have to love you back.”

𓏲thoughts⸝ ⸝⸝

➵ i am proud to report that holly jackson has done it again. i can happily say that i got what i came for and expected nothing less from this absolute masterpiece. every single one of holly’s books has been a win for me and with amazing reason. i’m utterly convinced that holly just can’t write a bad book even if she tried.

i am a firm believer that before writing this book, holly woke up one day and thought that her previous books have not left her readers in enough trauma and pain. and so she decided to reserve all the therapy spots for us again!! i am unable to describe the state of utter chaos and ruin this book left me in. it had me staring at the wall for ages wondering what the actual fuck i just read. and i don’t think i’ve ever sobbed this hard for a book in my life. that ending was criminal.

i went into this only hearing “girl trying to solve her own murder before she dies” and thought that it was such an interesting premise. did this live up to that? yes. yes it did. i will, in fact, be the first to say that this book delivered on all counts. hence, making it my favourite holly jackson book thus far.
and the plot twist?? holly never fails us. again though, this book was absolutely gut wrenching and i know that i will never be recovering. she better be putting some money aside because my therapy bills will be coming in any day now.

the pacing was so perfect. it felt satisfying and easy to get through which is my expectation especially for thrillers. i especially liked how she portrayed jet’s internal thoughts through the third person. she definitely nailed the show don’t tell as well. the suspense in her writing always has me on the edge of my seat. her books are probably the only ones i can read till three in the morning without batting an eye because the mystery is just too intriguing.


𓏲characters⸝ ⸝⸝

jet mason‧˚₊⊹

im going to preface this by saying that her dark humour was one of the best parts of this book. she also reminded me an awful lot of bel from trorp. in another life they would be best friends and i think that especially because they both had really good character development by the end of their books. i was hurting so badly for jet when she realised how close she was to death. but the way she didn’t let any of it stop her from uncovering the truth just tells you what kind of person she really is.

billy finney‧˚₊⊹

please protect this man at all costs. he was so sweet and wholesome and i fear that we need more men like billy in the world. i feel as though we never get to see book men with genuine kindness so i actually enjoyed every aspect of his personality. the scene where he played stick season at the bar lives rent free in my head. on another note, i honestly i felt so bad for him. the way he cared for jet like his life depended on it was so adorable. and don’t even get me started on the song he wrote for her. he’s such a gentleman i cannot.

jet & billy‧˚₊⊹

what i really liked about them is how contrasting their personalities were. she was the black cat and he was the golden retriever. also their banter was amazing. they had a relationship full of tension and angst and i am so here for it. love love love them so much.

𓏲quotes⸝ ⸝⸝

✧ ”was this what it felt like to be a man? walking on this creepy dark bridge, not scared for a second that she wouldn't make it out the other side, because it didn't really make a difference whether she did or not. the night belonged to her now too. a dead woman walking. and dead women had no use for fear."

✧ "i'm obviously coming in with you," he said. "i go where you go. best friend shit, yeah?"

✧ ”yes, she only had three days left to live. but those three days were hers, and she was not going to let hell take them from her. they were hers, and she was going to fucking live them, every small moment, stretch each minute into a lifetime."

✧ "didn't think I'd ever see you again.” billy nodded, chewed his lip. “do you see me now?” raised his arms. “yeah,” jet said, “i see you. do you see me?” “i've always seen you, jet.”

✧ "i think this has been the worst week of my life, because i'm going to lose you, and I don't want to lose you.” he cleared the lump in his throat. “but, it's also been the best week of my life, because i got to spend it with you.”

𓏲overall⸝ ⸝⸝

this book wasn’t just a story. it was a lesson. don’t put things off until tomorrow if you can do them today, because there may not be a tomorrow. that was jet’s issue, she kept telling herself she had time right up until she didn’t anymore. i’m so glad i picked this up. it was genuinely such a meaningful experience and i’m so thankful i got to follow jet on her journey. i definitely recommend it.

[Alyssa Nieves · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 stars, no notes!!! Possibly the best thriller I’ve ever read.

[Saranya ⋆☕︎ ˖ [hibernating] · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars!!!

01:55 ━━━━●───── 03:50
ㅤ ㅤ ⇄ ◀ 𓊕 ▶ ↻
Now playing- the last great american dynasty- Taylor Swift

A hauntingly beautiful thriller that asks: What would you do if you had seven days to live and solve your own murder?

A protagonist who is more alive in her final week than most are in a lifetime!!

Jet Mason- a messy, brilliant and heartbreakingly human. At 27, she’s stuck in the purgatory of postponed dreams, living in her wealthy Vermont family’s shadow. But when she’s brutally attacked on Halloween night and given just seven days to live, Jet flips the script. She refuses surgery, refuses pity and instead chooses to spend her final days unraveling the mystery of her own attempted murder.
It’s not just a whodunnit. It’s a ωɦ𝗒-ꭑ𝖾, ωɦ𝗒-𐓣ⱺω α𐓣ᑯ ωɦα𝗍-ωα𝗌-𝚰-𝖾𝗏𝖾𐓣-ᥣ𝗂𝗏𝗂𐓣𝗀-𝖿ⱺ𝗋.

Jet’s voice was really sardonic and heavy. Her investigation was not only a race against time, but also a reckoning- with her fractured family, her failed ambitions and the secrets buried in her small-town life.

What made this novel devastatingly powerful was its refusal to flinch. Jet’s body deteriorates- she loses the use of her arm, her pain intensifies- but her mind? It sharpens. The countdown isn’t just medical.

⊹ ࣪ ﹏𓊝﹏𓂁﹏⊹ ࣪ ˖
This book had all the ingredients for a soul-shattering experience: terminal illness, messy relationships, a dog with more emotional intelligence (Atleast Holly decided not to kill this dog 😭😭😭) and a protagonist who treats death like it’s a mildly inconvenient group project. And yet… I felt like I was watching it all unfold from behind a foggy pane of glass.

I struggled to feel truly emotionally connected. Jet’s chaotic sarcasm, sometimes felt like static on the other side of a glass wall, keeping me from stepping into her world. Billy mirrored that disconnect. I wanted to be swept away by their bond, to lose my mind over those tiny, tender moments. But instead of gut punches, I got soft taps.
⊹ ࣪ ﹏𓊝﹏𓂁﹏⊹ ࣪ ˖

The setting- Woodstock, Vermont is more than backdrop. It’s a character in itself... picturesque, claustrophobic and brimming with buried resentments. The town’s secrets mirror Jet’s own which is symbolic of privilege, corruption and the illusion of safety. The mystery is meticulously plotted, but it’s the emotional stakes that make this book unforgettable sobs.

THE BOOK ENDED ME. DESTROYED ME.😭😭😭😭😭😭
COMPLETELY. PERFECTLY.

This book made me cry like none. I could not stop crying. That ache in my chest, that lump in my throat...

𓍯𓂃𓏧♡
💔 The letters: OH GOD. I CAN'T TALK ABOUT IT. OH MY LORD.
🐾 Reggie: This little dog here, has a special place in my heart
🫀 Jet & Billy’s jagged devotion: Not soft, not easy, but real in its own twisted way.
😤As for Luke, Sophia and Diane?
Toxicity levels: radioactive.

Lastly, I'm so glad I could buddy read this with you, dearest Anha!! We should do this more! Love you to the moon and back<3<3<3
Anha's Review

Pre-Read
Hadn't thought I'd be reading it this soon, but my GR friends convinced me!!!
XD

Buddy reading with my favourite babe, Anha 💖💖💖

[Lizzy (reviewsshewrote) · Rating 2 out of 5]

good news: the dog doesn’t die

[Uswah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m not crying, YOU ARE. 👀
Okay fine… I. AM. CRYING. 😭😭

HOLLY JACKSON EXCUSE MEEE!?!?? UMMMM WHAT?? THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THAT “….breathe” MESSAGE 😭🫂 LIKE, HOW DARE YOU—IN THE BEST WAY???

Now that I’ve cried my weight in tears, let’s be clear: MOTHER. NEVER. DISAPPOINTS. 🙂‍↕️

Solid 4 stars from me. The writing? Chef’s kiss 👏 Plot twist? 🤯 DAYUMMM. Holly never misses. One second you're suspicious, the next you’re reeling like “HOW DID I NOT SEE THIS COMING??” My eyes were like 👀 “WHAAAAAAT!???” I’m still not okay 😭

Literally writing this while my tears are forming a small ocean 😭 I’m overwhelmed. Words are hard. Feelings??? ALL OVER THE PLACE 😭

This book?? A perfect mix of emotional wreckage and jaw-dropping twists. The kind of story that leaves you staring at a wall afterward, rethinking life. The hate??? I had a few “I will personally fight you 🙂‍↕️” moments. The love??? NOPE. That HURT. I was not ready 😭🫠

The letters part — oh no, no no. That was a “curl-up-under-your-blanket-and-sob” moment. That was just a cruel (genius) move to guarantee tears 😃😭 Like ma’am, I was ALREADY crying???

Excuse me while I go lie in bed and emotionally recover 🫠

“But if it’s a frog to you, then it’s a frog to me too.” 🥹🫠😭— For Her. Jet and Billy 🥹🫶

—————————————
Pre-Read

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for the opportunity to read an ARC in exchange for my honest review — all thoughts and opinions are my own.💙♥️💙♥️
EEEEEEEEKKKK!!! I’M SOOOO EXCITED 😆

[beril ❦]

OMG HOLLY JACKSON RELEASING A BOOK TOO?! 2025 IS GOING TO BE OUR YEAR ISTG— 😩😩

[jenoodle✮⋆˙ · Rating 4 out of 5]

╰┈➤ˎˊ˗ 𝐒𝐩𝐨𝐢𝐥𝐞𝐫 𝐅𝐫𝐞𝐞 𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰 🩸
‧₊˚ ⋅ 🕸️ 𝖳𝗁𝖺𝗇𝗄 𝗒𝗈𝗎 𝖭𝖾𝗍𝖦𝖺𝗅𝗅𝖾𝗒 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝖺𝗎𝗍𝗁𝗈𝗋 𝖿𝗈𝗋 𝗀𝗂𝗏𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝗆𝖾 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝖠𝖱𝖢 𝖿𝗈𝗋 𝗍𝗁𝗂𝗌 𝖻𝗈𝗈𝗄 𝗂𝗇 𝖾𝗑𝖼𝗁𝖺𝗇𝗀𝖾 𝖿𝗈𝗋 𝖺𝗇 𝗁𝗈𝗇𝖾𝗌𝗍 𝗋𝖾𝗏𝗂𝖾𝗐!

›  ֺ۪  𝑵𝒐𝒕 𝑸𝒖𝒊𝒕𝒆 𝑫𝒆𝒂𝒅 𝒀𝒆𝒕 ! ݁ ݂ ͡ 🌀‧₊˚
🤍๋ ࣭ ⭑๋ ࣭ 𝙘𝙪𝙧𝙨𝙞𝙣𝙜: 15+ (𝙛*𝙘𝙠, 𝙨𝙝*𝙩, 𝙘*𝙣𝙩, 𝙝𝙤𝙣𝙚𝙨𝙩𝙡𝙮 𝙖𝙣𝙮 𝙘𝙪𝙨𝙨 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙚𝙭𝙞𝙨𝙩𝙨 𝙨𝙖𝙞𝙙 𝙢𝙪𝙡𝙩𝙞𝙥𝙡𝙚 𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙚𝙨.), 𝙧𝙤𝙢𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚: 14+ (𝙉𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙮 𝙤𝙘𝙘𝙪𝙧𝙚𝙙, 𝙣𝙤 𝙠𝙞𝙨𝙨𝙚𝙨, 𝙟𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝙩𝙚𝙣𝙨𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙖𝙡𝙠 𝙤𝙛 "𝙨𝙘𝙧𝙚𝙬𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙖𝙧𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙙 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙩𝙧𝙪𝙣𝙠" 𝙇𝙈𝘼𝙊), 𝙫𝙞𝙤𝙡𝙚𝙣𝙘𝙚 15+ (𝘾𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙗𝙚 𝙖 𝙗𝙞𝙩 𝙩𝙤𝙤 𝙜𝙧𝙖𝙥𝙝𝙞𝙘 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙜𝙚𝙧 𝙫𝙞𝙚𝙬𝙨, 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙞𝙨 𝙖 𝙜𝙪𝙣 𝙞𝙣𝙫𝙤𝙡𝙫𝙚𝙙 𝙖𝙩 𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙥𝙤𝙞𝙣𝙩..) ˙ . ꒷🚨
✎﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏

now playing: 𝙛𝙖𝙢𝙞𝙡𝙮 𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙚 ⭑❗‧₊˚
⋆⁺₊❅. 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙖𝙣 𝙜𝙧𝙖𝙮 📷
0:45 ——◦———— 3:36
↠ⁿᵉˣᵗ ˢᵒⁿᵍ ↺ ʳᵉᵖᵉᵃᵗ ⊜ ᵖᵃᵘˢᵉ
꒷꒦︶꒷꒦︶ ๋ ࣭ ⭑꒷꒦꒷꒦︶꒷꒦︶ ๋ ࣭ ⭑꒷꒦꒦︶꒷꒦︶ ๋ ࣭ ⭑꒷꒦

‧₊˚ 🌊┊ ⤷ "𝙎𝙘𝙖𝙩𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙚𝙙 '𝙘𝙧𝙤𝙨𝙨 𝙢𝙮 𝙛𝙖𝙢𝙞𝙡𝙮 𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙚" ˚. 🆘🩸ᵎᵎ

🔨.˚○ • ° WORDS WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO DESCRIBE THE AMOUNT OF TRAUMA THIS BOOK PUT ME THROUGH. Listen when I looked and saw a new holly jackson book coming I was like YASSSSSS (Even though I only read the first good girls guide to murder) So I applied for the ARC in hopes of receiving it. And GUESS WHAAATTTT, lil lucky ole me did. I started reading this and it took me awhile I will admit. The start was SLOWWWWWW and I mean slower than my grandmas old Toyota from god knows when. So yes, I put it aside let it rot for a couple days. Until today. when I sat my butt down on my sofa. Opened my digital copy of this (already preordered the physical book btw-) AND READ. JUST READ. And holy smokes what a amazing decision that was because I binged this in 5 hours and finished the entire book. And I have far too much to say.

‧₊˚ 🌊┊ ⤷ "𝙄'𝙢 𝙨𝙤 𝙜𝙤𝙤𝙙 𝙖𝙩 𝙩𝙚𝙡𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙡𝙞𝙚𝙨" ˚. 🆘🩸ᵎᵎ

🔨.˚○ • ° Was this a adult thriller? Yes. Did I still read it as a teen and enjoyed it? ALSO YES. Now I want to say the plot of this book was beyond captivating I will admit we had some romance here, a little mystery here (nah wdym we had alot of that) BUT YOU GET THE POINT!!! From the start to the end I feel like everything was so planned out to have me gawking in the middle of the book, TO FULL ON SOBBING AT THE END BECAUSE GOD. When I say I barely ever cry in books. I swear this book made me cry even though it is not supposed to be emotional. I SWEAR I THINK I WAS JUST CLINGING TO THE LAST BIT OF HOPE I HAD. But yes, I ate the plot up. I loved the slow chemistry between the two main characters even though it got to nothing. AND EVEN THO THE MAIN CHARACTER GIRL ANNOYED ME AT TIMES. I still felt like this plot was cleverrrr oh my wordddd. So if you are reading this review to see if the plot is worth it.. YES MY DEAR BEAUTIFUL VIEWER. IT SO IS.

‧₊˚ 🌊┊ ⤷ "𝙏𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙘𝙖𝙢𝙚 𝙛𝙧𝙤𝙢 𝙢𝙮 𝙢𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧'𝙨 𝙨𝙞𝙙𝙚" ˚. 🆘🩸ᵎᵎ

🔨.˚○ • ° NOW THE CHARACTERS. This one is a very tricky one because some I actually despised but some I just....*inhale*....*exhale*

Billy.
MY POOR BABY. OH MY GODDDDD.
No one will understand the absolute bundle amount of love I have for this man. The amount of times I FELT PAIN FOR HIM, should be enough to send me straight to therapy for wanting to help fictional characters who are words on paper ;)
Did I also think he was acting way too young for his age at times? pssst- yes.

And I know the name choice isn't the best. I don't think none of the name choices in this book were good actually. It's giving white country bumpkin names. BUT ITS OK. ITS OK GUYS. I think that's the point. 🤓☝️(The story does take place in Vermont after all.)

‧₊˚ 🌊┊ ⤷ "𝙏𝙤𝙡𝙙 𝙖 𝙢𝙞𝙡𝙡𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙩𝙤 𝙨𝙪𝙧𝙫𝙞𝙫𝙚" ˚. 🆘🩸 ᵎᵎ

🔨.˚○ • ° Now while talking on things that bothered me, I WILL ADMIT. I FOUND THE MAIN GIRL A BIT ANNOYING. A BIT RECKLESS. Reminded me of her far far distant cousin *cough cough* Pip. BUT DID I HATE HER? Not really. She did have a great sense of humor I'll give her that. Lowkey was LOLing at how dark some of her jokes were LMAOOOO- I also didn't like the fact that the ending reveal was kind of like a whiplash with all the answers. (Well not like all but like most of them) BECAUSE IT JUST HAD ME GAWKING WHEN I WAS IN THE MIDDLE OF CRYING AT THE PREVIOUS PAGES. Like I get that was the point but SHEEEEESSHHH you couldn't have been anymore blunt Mrs. Holly Jackson??!??!!

‧₊˚ 🌊┊ ⤷ "𝙎𝙘𝙖𝙩𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙚𝙙 '𝙘𝙧𝙤𝙨𝙨 𝙢𝙮 𝙛𝙖𝙢𝙞𝙡𝙮 𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙚" ˚. 🆘🩸ᵎᵎ

🔨.˚○ • ° ANOTHER POINT I DO WANT TO MENTION IN THIS LOVELY RANT OF A REVIEW IS THAT- If you are a younger reader looking to read this do take note that there are some subjects like Tax and business related things THAT COULD BE VERY CONFUSING!!! (Unless you are just a smarty pants like me and could understand it) AND WHILE IT WASNT THAT MUCH OF IT! I do think that it is worth noting if you want to read it since some things in this book are for a mature based audience. ‼️

‧₊˚ 🌊┊ ⤷ "𝙂𝙤𝙙, 𝙄 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙢𝙮 𝙛𝙖𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧'𝙨 𝙚𝙮𝙚𝙨" ˚. 🆘🩸 ᵎᵎ

── .✦ 𝑪𝒉𝒂𝒓𝒂𝒄𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒔 🥶⊹ ࣪ ˖
📌˙⋆｡˚ 𝐉𝐞𝐭: LIKE I SAID ANNOYING A BIT. KINDA BITCHY. But can you blame her? She's dying in a week..(I would be mad at the world too) THOUGH I DID FEEL LIKE SHE IMPROVED A BIT TOWARDS THE END!!
📌˙⋆｡˚ 𝐁𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐲: An innocent baby that deserves the world. I loved him so much he was so kind and so sweet ESPECIALLY BEING DRAGGED TO COMMIT FEDERAL CRIMES.
📌˙⋆｡˚ 𝐋𝐮𝐤𝐞: WELL my guy Luke here is a tricky one because I actually despised him for majority of the book, BUT OH THAT ENDINGGGG. I love him now. What a diva.
📌˙⋆｡˚ 𝐒𝐨𝐩𝐡𝐢𝐚: LOWKEY GIVING IMMATURE TEEN BRAT STUCK IN A BODY OF A MID 20S WOMAN. Lowk hate her. (I can't tell if i hated everyone in this book or not.

💋 Yes there are some more characters that deserve honorable mentions such as the mom (I hate) the dad (I hate) the police (I hate) BUT BABES THE REASON I HATE THEM IN FOR YOU TO FIND OUT <3333

‧₊˚ 🌊┊ ⤷ "𝘽𝙪𝙩 𝙢𝙮 𝙨𝙞𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙧'𝙨 𝙬𝙝𝙚𝙣 𝙄 𝙘𝙧𝙮" ˚. 🆘🩸 ᵎᵎ

‧₊˚ ⋅ 🥁𝑶𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒂𝒍𝒍:
Would I say you read this book? YES. 100000% YES. Just please bare with me on the very slow start and annoying names. Because I am telling YOU RN. This book was a nutcase on drugs that was drenched in codeine. I cannot wait for my psychical copy to come in so I can have this art sitting on my shelf when I want to traumatize someone with a novel.

‧₊˚ 🌊┊ ⤷ "𝙄 𝙘𝙖𝙣 𝙧𝙪𝙣, 𝙗𝙪𝙩 𝙄 𝙘𝙖𝙣'𝙩 𝙝𝙞𝙙𝙚.. 𝙁𝙧𝙤𝙢 𝙢𝙮 𝙛𝙖𝙢𝙞𝙡𝙮 𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙚." ˚. 🆘🩸 ᵎᵎ

꒷꒦︶꒷꒦︶ ๋ ࣭ ⭑꒷꒦꒷꒦︶꒷꒦︶ ๋ ࣭ ⭑꒷꒦꒷꒦︶꒷꒦︶ ๋ ࣭ ⭑꒷꒦꒷꒦︶꒷꒦︶ ๋ ࣭ ⭑꒷꒦
💙🔪 𝓅𝓇𝑒𝓇𝑒𝒶𝒹: UHM GUYS DID I JUST GET THE ARC FOR THE NEW HOLLY JACKSON BOOK?!!?? 😱😱 YALL IM SO HYPED TO READ THIS RN. 🩸

[Josh · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5/5 ★

Jet Mason only has seven days, but that won’t stop her from solving her own murder.

In Not Quite Dead Yet, Jet learns she has only seven days to live after a brutal Halloween attack leaves her with a fatal head injury. With her condition rapidly worsening, she begins to suspect the people closest to her. Determined not to die without answers, Jet sets out to solve her own attempted murder before time runs out.

I definitely went into this one with high expectations, due to the high ratings, how much I enjoyed A Good Girl's Guide to Murder, and the amazing premise. It ultimately fell a bit short of what I hoped for, but I did enjoy my experience overall.

The premise was so unique compared to anything I’ve read. It truly felt like a race against time to solve the case because of Jet’s condition. I also loved the small town setting and the rich vs poor themes that played a big role in the story.

The overall mystery was fun to follow, and although it wasn’t drastically different from other mysteries I’ve read, it still kept me turning the pages.

I do have to say that this felt very YA to me, and Jet read much younger than how I picture a 27 year-old (my age). I don’t mind YA at all, but it did feel like there was extra profanity added in order to market this as an adult mystery rather than because it fit the character or tone.

This brings me to the first thing I didn’t love: Jet as a character. I know many readers are really enjoying her perspective and getting attached to her, and while I did care about her more by the end, she was genuinely annoying at times. The way she talked to people often made me cringe: constant swearing that didn’t always make sense, a sarcastic and rude attitude, and repeatedly using her limited time left as a way to cut corners and push for information. A big reason I didn’t rate this higher is that I never formed much of an emotional connection with her perspective or her relationship with Billy, which made the story feel more like a standard mystery. I started to understand her more toward the end, but it took a while, and I still never felt fully invested.

I also felt like a lot of breakthroughs in the case came out of nowhere. Someone would suddenly say something important that led to a new discovery, and they always seemed to head to the right place at exactly the right moment, which made some of the investigation feel a bit too convenient. If you get easily annoyed by amateur sleuths stumbling into clues with perfect timing, this might not be the book for you.

The other main flaw for me was the ending and a few of the twists. Some plot points lacked clear motivation, so even though they were surprising, they didn’t feel very believable. I’m not someone who bases my enjoyment solely on the twists, but I do prefer them to make sense, even if I see them coming.

Overall, I would still recommend this to most readers, but I’d suggest going in with neutral expectations so you’re not disappointed if it doesn’t become a new favorite.

[Linzie (suspenseisthrillingme) · Rating 5 out of 5]

GASP! BANGER ALERT! I’m literally sitting here with tears running down my face as I smile with glee. Part action-packed thriller and part poignant family drama, Not Quite Dead Yet just made my list for best book of the year. With a mind-bogglingly brilliant premise, a downright perfect protagonist, and a fast-paced plot that sucked me right in, I was a goner from the very first word. I’m not exaggerating. You see, starting off with a set of attention-grabbing scenes, it was only outdone by the heart-pumping climax and tear-jerker ending. No, I won’t be getting over this one anytime soon. After all, the whole thing gave me a very Don’t Tell Me How to Die feel in all of its sublime 5+ star glory even if the pace was way more propulsive. Ms. Jackson, you absolutely blew me away.

The characters were just as equally brilliant as the hypnotic plot, though. Well-developed and startlingly relatable, each felt as if I knew them inside and out and upside down. Jet, however, was the best of the bunch. Sarcastic, brave, and realistically flawed, she had me in the palm of her hand from the moment I met her. Coming in a close second was the sweet-hearted Billy, so it was no great surprise that I loved the found family/romance between him and Jet. Rounding off the cast was a whole host of highly suspicious individuals who exercised my side-eye expressions more than you could know. Who attacked Jet? Friend, family, or stranger? Guess you’re going to have to read this one to find out. Lucky you. I only wish I could start it again fresh right now.

All said and done, I’m now well aware that I need to go back and read Holly Jackson’s prior YA novels. I mean, if she was able to knock it out of the park this well with her very first adult thriller, then I’m sure her backlist is just as good if not better. With unforgettable characters and a plot that was as original as it was clever, the pot-boiling level of rising tension was only one of the aspects that had me flying through the pages at speed. Exploring love, friendship, and the lasting damage of trauma, not only did the dysfunctional family dynamics make me think, but so too did that mildly open-ended conclusion. Thrilling, addictive, and binge-worthy in the extreme, you need to buy this book now because you quite simply won’t be able to put it down. Rating of 5+ stars.

SYNOPSIS:

In seven days, Jet Mason will be dead.

Jet is the daughter of one of the wealthiest families in Woodstock, Vermont. Twenty-seven years old and back home, she’s still waiting for her life to begin. I’ll do it later, she always says. She has time.

Until Halloween night, when she is violently attacked by an unseen intruder, suffering a catastrophic head injury. Doctors are certain that within a week, the injury will trigger a fatal aneurysm. To her parents’ dismay, Jet rejects an extremely risky operation in order to guarantee herself at least a few more days.

Jet never thought of herself as having enemies. But now, in the one week she has left, she looks at everyone in a new light: her family, her former best friend turned sister-in-law, her ex-boyfriend.

As her condition deteriorates, she reconnects with her childhood friend Billy, the only one willing to help her. With Billy at her side, she’s absolutely determined to finally finish something:

Jet is going to solve her own murder.

Thank you to Holly Jackson and Random House—Bantam for my complimentary copy. All opinions are my own.

PUB DATE: July 22, 2025

Content warning: cursing, violence, kidney disease, aneurysm, fatal condition, brain injury, identity fraud, arson, financial crimes, mention of: suicide, infidelity

[chloé ✿ · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.75 stars

i am billy’s #1 fan!!

holly jackson will forever be an auto-buy author for me. i don’t care if her books are ya or adult, let me have them all and hoard them like the infinity stones, thank you.

alright. now that i’ve gaslit you all into thinking this was a 5-star read for me, let me defend myself for rating this at a mere 3.75.

first of all, i’m sorry.

i am slightly (maybe more than slightly) upset because this book suffers from the opposite of what turns me off about most thrillers. most thrillers redeem themselves at the very end for me. it can be mediocre through and through but a good ending can change everything.

i am so sad to say that i did NOT love the *very* ending of this book… to the point where i haven’t been able to rate this book for a week since finishing it. it really took away from the story from me and i almost wish the last few pages didn’t exist at all.

can someone please write an alternate version of the very very very end and erase what my brain already knows? thank you.

jet was… a character. love her or hate her, she certainly has a big personality. did i fully sympathize with her literally actively dying and navigating the last few days of her life? yes. would i have been friends with her in real life? likely not.

BILLY. OH MY SWEET, DEAR BILLY. need i say more? no. he’s a cutie patootie.

the reveal. did i guess it? yeah… but not until about two chapters before the reveal. so, i’ll take it.

overall, this was so fun… in a depressing, emotional, terrifying, and heartwrenching way. you feel me? absolutely worth the read.

[Dawn Solaris · Rating 4 out of 5]

★彡 4.25 stars 彡★

“Three suits, one gun, stained silver by the same moon.”

-ˋˏ✄┈┈┈┈ I solved my murder, y’all. I think she did it, and I totally can prove it. Holly, you have the right to remain silent and so do I… because I was your accomplice. I let you bury me six feet under and I did so with a simpering smile and laughing eyes.

Thank you for making me live every stage of depression over a single day, you cruel cruel woman (ᴗ_ ᴗ。)

Now, as much as I’m into melodramatics, I’m afraid I can’t, this time… I can’t even joke about this shit. I’m damned if I say it was like any other time I silly-cried over a book ~

After a whole day of distractions and ice cream, I think I’m functional enough for a review ( ◡̀_◡́)ᕤ

I DIED. I DIDN’T DIE. HE DIED. HE DIDN’T DIE. SHE DIED. DID SHE DIE? AND SO WE ALL DIED DEAD.

⋮ ⌗ ┆ ᎷᎩ ᏖᏂᎧᏬᎶᏂᏖᏕ ⋮ ⌗ ┆

: ̗̀➛ 🅣🅗🅔 🅢🅣🅞🅡🅨 & 🅣🅗🅔 🅕🅔🅔🅛🅢: Jet Mason has a time bomb on her head. And it’s tick-tick ticking through the last seven days of her once-bountiful life. She’s going to solve her own murder and she’ll make every minute count, so watch her do it ~

Okay, so if you’re looking for the next best thing to emotionally destroy you? Look no more, you have this creepy number waiting for you. It’s an emotional ride of plot twists, betrayals and goodbyes. It’s a very character-driven story, and while yes, I applaud Holly Jackson’s storytelling and undeniably good plot twists, I think it was the characters that took the cake in this one. The little friendships, the unspoken bitterness and honestly? That earth shattering romance.

This book was gonna be a whopping five star, I could feel it in my marrows. Until, the last 50 pages happened. Until I realised I saw it all coming. I knew it and it happened exactly the way I saw it in my mind. And that’s sadly a bad tell for a murder mystery. Don’t get me wrong, I can usually guess plot twists so this shouldn’t be a big deal. But, the identity of the killer felt much too obvious!

Just me? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

But you know what? I’m a basic bitch, so if you can create a story with big and impactful characters and throw them my way emotionally undo me while you’re at it then I’ll be a happy kid. That’s what happened here. Jet’s story was hers to tell and the way she served, the way she made me feel all of her stifled thoughts? It couldn’t be oriented any better, I swear (╥﹏╥)

: ̗̀➛ 🅙🅔🅣 🅜🅐🅢🅞🅝: There’s no one I respect more than Jet Mason. Jet Mason could step on me. Jet Mason could run me over with her baby truck. She could feed me to her pet wolves for all I care ৻( •̀ ᗜ •́ ৻)

Putting it in common human language, I love her. Okay? She’s that perfect balance of Pip’s sociableness and Bel’s crankiness. Whatever formula Holly used with her, I ate it up. She’s dying, but she might just be the most full-of-life character I know. That belligerent outlook on life now that it’s been snatched from her limp hands quite literally (⊙ _ ⊙ ) meshes so well with her oh-so sparkly personality, that you can’t help but get attached. Want to give up everything to keep her safe, keep her alive.

“The night belonged to her now too. A dead woman walking. And dead women had no use for fear.”

She’s frankly frightening, the tiniest bit unhinged and a hundred percent fun. She’s so many things wrapped in one name.

Jet.

“The world doesn’t revolve around you, you know!”

“Well, I’m the one dying this week, so it can revolve around me just a little bit, ’kay? Temporarily.”

I could sit here and litter this entire review with samples of how many times Jet has slayed. I could sing sonnets about how many times she’s traumatised teenage boys, and bullied construction dudes and it still won’t be enough in her service. Oh well, she wants the world to know about her banger sense of humour though-

“But I’m trying to keep an open mind.” She paused. “Well … someone bashed it open for me.”

You thought you were into dark humor before? Rethink it, loves ( •̯́ ₃ •̯̀)

“That’s my friend,” Jet said to a guy at the next table.
“Billy’s everyone’s friend.”
Well, fuck you, sir.

*hooting in the background*

It’s unfair for anyone to be that funny, thoughts or no. I assure you, this morbid looking book will make you cackle like a witch with bronchitis, AT LEAST 5 million times, give or take (ง •̀_•́)ง

And then in the same breath, claw your heart out like the sad little shrimp it is and FEAST on it

Finally, about the matter in question. The big elephant in the room? F*** THIS ENDING. F*** THIS SHIT. F*** WHATEVER THAT BS WAS. I DO NOT TAKE KINDLY TO MY HEART BEING PLAYED WITH LIKE THAT. SO YOU HAD TO KILL HER? YOU COULDN’T HAVE HER DRINK SOME SHITTY MAGIC TEA? WHY MAKE ME FEEL HER IN MY BONES? WHY MAKE ME SO ATTACHED TO HER IF YOU HAD TO KILL HER LIKE THAT? Did I mention, F*** THIS SHIT?!

Anyways, moving on (╭ರ_•́)

: ̗̀➛ 🅑🅘🅛🅛🅨 🅕🅘🅝🅝🅔🅨: What a precious baby poodle .·°՞(¯□¯)՞°·.

It is a truth universally acknowledged that no one does soft cinnamon-roll MMCs like Holly Jackson. She crafted him with such care, such meticulousness that you’d be blind to not see. I was already cooing at him from the moment he made an appearance. But Holly just HAD to do the unforgivable and give him curls TOO? A step too far.

HE HAS CURLS AHHHHHHHHHHH (∩˃o˂∩)

“Billy was soft. Used to cry when Jet stomped on spiders.”

I’ll wage a World War III on any entity that dares do any funny shit on my baby boy Billy I wanted to use less civil terms but even I don’t wanna get reported >ᴗ<

On top of all that glazed goodness, he writes songs for her. Writes songs about her. FREAKING USED TO BAND-AID HER WHEN SHE SKINNED HER KNEE. KEPT LOVING HER SINCE THEY WERE KIDS ᐠ( ᐛ )ᐟ

Make me say no more before I combust, kay? ₍^. .^₎⟆

Also, let’s talk about THE ending. From Billy’s perspective? I promise to be civil ( ˘ᴗ˘ )

╭∩╮( ＾◡＾)╭∩╮

Haha-hilarious of Holly to leave my boy ALONE IN THIS BRUTAL WORLD. You took his Jet, I’m gonna take your happy days, universe ( ° ͜ʖ͡°)╭∩╮

⋆⭒ ᏗᎴᎴᎥᏖᎥᎧᏁᏗᏝ ᏖᏂᎧᏬᎶᏂᏖᏕ ᏁᎧ ᎧᏁᏋ ᏗᏕᏦᏋᎴ ᎦᎧᏒ ⋆⭒

𖧧 This book is a bitch, did you know?

𖧧 Right, so… I feel the need to add this bit:

“Where’s that duct tape we took for the security cameras?”

“Why?”

“In case we have to tie someone up.”

Duct Tape was mentioned not once, but twice with quite the fanfare. Do with that what you will. Personally, I’m kinda perplexed about Jet’s lineage and family history ⚠︎

𖧧 Frogs will forever make me cry, thank you Holly

𖧧 Jet’s letter to Sophia needs to framed, by the way

»»——★ fιnαℓ тнσυgнтѕ ★——««

➳ So you think you’re brave. You think you can handle a darn tragedy. You think, “What’s a little murder book gonna do to me?” Yeah, so eat that train of thought and back off ten miles. You’re not ready ♡

and I speak from the other side ദ്ദി(ᵔᗜᵔ)

｡･ﾟ♡ﾟ･｡｡･ﾟ♡ﾟ･｡

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

“The night belonged to her now too. A dead woman walking. And dead women had no use for fear.”

If you’ve ever wondered what you’d do with just one week left to live, Jet Mason has the answer. Solve your own attempted murder!

Holly Jackson’s adult thriller kicks off with a bang and keeps the tension cranked up until the final page. Jet is 27, stubborn as a mule, and armed with enough gallows humor to make a coroner blush. She’s navigating a small Vermont town full of secrets, sketchy neighbors, and the kind of privilege that makes you want to roll your eyes so hard you sprain something.

The plot is fast, the voice is sharp, and every chapter feels like a dare, bet you can’t stop here! I loved how Jackson blends laugh out loud sarcasm with genuine, gut punch emotion, just when you’re smirking at Jet’s sass, she hits you with a moment that makes you want to hug her.

This is not a cozy, tea by the fire whodunit, it’s a high speed, slightly chaotic, “what the hell is going on?” roller coaster.

A perfect read for thriller lovers who like their mysteries served with equal parts danger, banter, and existential dread. And trust me, you won’t guess the ending!

I Highly Recommend.

[Madison Kait · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.75! i LOVE what holly jackson did with this, peak perfect holly jackson mystery but aged up & i lil riskier? if that makes sense???