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To All Those I've Killed Before

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If you got away with murder, would you spend your final moments confessing your sins or let the truth die with you?

At just forty-one years old, Rachel Marless is given months to live. After accepting the devastating news, she makes a decision: She will spend her final days imparting wisdom, advice, and confessing a long list of misdeeds to her only niece, Linnea.
Linnea is a freshman in college and can’t believe she’s losing her favorite aunt before they’ve had time to travel the world together. From the moment she receives the news of her aunt’s diagnosis, Linnea vows to spend each Tuesday afternoon with Rachel. Every week, she listens to her aunt’s stories and learns devastating secrets about the woman she thought she knew better than anyone.
Aunt Rachel has done awful, unspeakable things in her life, but nothing will be as bad as her final confession.

Can Linnea handle the truth, and will Rachel live long enough to tell it all?

220 pages, Paperback

Published August 10, 2025

219 people are currently reading
6577 people want to read

About the author

J.L. Hyde

11 books1,340 followers
Hi Everyone!

Thank you for stopping by to rate my books or see my reviews. I don't spend much time on Goodreads, as it's not great for the mental health of an author to obsess over their own reviews.

I simply rate books as I finish reading them, and if you'd like a full review, check out my Instagram - @bookandbeerreview - where I keep it light, funny, and never disrespect fellow authors!

Happy reading!

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5 stars
882 (49%)
4 stars
631 (35%)
3 stars
223 (12%)
2 stars
45 (2%)
1 star
6 (<1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 288 reviews
Profile Image for J.L. Hyde.
Author 11 books1,340 followers
July 16, 2025
I can't believe I'm saying this, but I'm about to release my TENTH novel! Time flies when you're writing about murder.

This is by far my most personal book yet and the only one of my novels to have a trigger warning. It was a rollercoaster of emotions to write and I sure hope you all love it.

It should be available on all platforms by August 10th!
Profile Image for Kait Lawson.
206 reviews614 followers
July 16, 2025
HOLY. SMOKES! This is 196 pages of goodness! JL Hyde has done it again (no surprise there)

The premise of this book is such a blast! A 40 year old woman named Rachel has unfortunately just received a lethal diagnosis. To clear her conscious before death, she decides to share all the secrets of her life to her niece who is like a daughter to her.

because of the story telling premise - you are quite literally on the edge of your seat to her Rachel share with her niece Linnea - every nitty gritty detail.

It has kind of a female vigilante feeling to it. It’s not as unhinged (or gruesome) as the mind F*** series - but if you loved that series you will love this book even more.

I found myself absolutely enraptured in finding out what happened, to the point where I was reading while I made my self scrambled eggs 😂😂😂 TRULY unputtdownable.

It’s a master piece with twists ALLL the way up until the last page.

Jamie has written another smash!!! This is not only one of the best books of the year - this will go down as one of my favorite thrillers of all time.
Profile Image for kayliesbookcorner.
82 reviews623 followers
August 3, 2025
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ — Fast-paced, twisty, and totally addicting!

JL Hyde does it again!!!! 👏🏼 Her newest book completely hooked me from page one. This is one of those rare books where the storytelling format is the hook — every chapter felt like sitting in on a confession you weren’t supposed to hear, and I loved every second of it.

This book was super fast-paced (I flew thru it as I do all JL Hyde books) and the twists kept coming all the way to the end. I also loved how layered it was — part emotional family story, part dark and twisty thriller. The final reveal actually made me gasp 🤯

Highly recommend if you love character-driven thrillers, morally gray women, and stories that make you question everything right up to the last page!
Profile Image for Halie Reads.
229 reviews98 followers
December 22, 2025
This was a really fun, quick read !

This was my first book from this author and I definitely want to read more. Hyde was able to keep my turning pages from beginning to end, and created a riveting story with fun twists along the way ! Some aspects of the twist were guessable but I didn’t uncover the entire truth until the end.

Definitely recommend to any thriller lover.
Profile Image for Alicia.
30 reviews
January 19, 2026
i love womanhood
*look what you made me do by taylor swift starts playing*
Profile Image for Katy Fann.
204 reviews51 followers
August 17, 2025
3.5 ⭐️ What a ride! I always enjoy JL Hyde’s writing, and I loved the little nod to Summer of 99!
Profile Image for Ashley Watson.
606 reviews71 followers
January 20, 2026
This was such a quick, gripping read and I was hooked from the start. I can’t say much without giving everything away, but wow this story packs a serious punch.

An aunt who is sick begins confessing her deepest, darkest secrets, and the way everything slowly unravels is both chilling and emotional. The tension builds fast, and just when you think you have a handle on things, the truth comes out and holy hell… I did not see that coming.

If you love short, intense stories with twists that hit hard, this one is absolutely worth your time. Highly recommend
Profile Image for Kim Seay.
52 reviews20 followers
September 6, 2025
WOW!! What a page turner! This mystery suspense book checked all the boxes for me! Great character development, suspenseful, kept me guessing and that ending… 🙌🏻 This is my second book by this author and it won’t be my last! I literally enjoyed every page in this book and highly recommend if you enjoy mystery suspense!
Profile Image for Caleb N..
Author 1 book59 followers
November 26, 2025
Remember that book Tuesdays With Morrie? Well, take that narrative structure, add a killer and some truly lovable characters, and you have To All Those I've Killed Before.

Listen, I read a lot of books, and when I say this one is as fresh as they come, believe me, I'm not lying. I did NOT see the ending coming, and it had me in chills.

This is the second book by JL Hyde that I've read and loved, and I can't wait to read more. The woman can write!

Grab this one and settle in. You can thank me later!
Profile Image for Taylor.
16 reviews
November 16, 2025
As someone who has been getting really into thrillers and suspense lately, I was hoping for a bit more intensity and a few extra twists. The storyline itself was solid and the concept had a lot of potential, and I was never really bored. But the ending fell a little flat for me, I was expecting something more dramatic, and it just didn’t quite deliver. Overall, it was a good read, just not as gripping as I hoped it would be.
Profile Image for Ryan.
70 reviews
November 29, 2025
Nope. The idea was interesting, but the execution was not there.
7 reviews
November 13, 2025
read for a book club. it wasn't a very big mystery. it also wasn't a comedy, romance, or thrill. not being entertained, I kept asking myself what is the point of this book? and I found it to be a social commentary that said men that are capable of harm are better off dead. and I didn't appreciate that. anyway, I didn't enjoy it.
Profile Image for Brooklynn Titus.
58 reviews2 followers
August 16, 2025
Reading this was the absolute best way to spend a Saturday. So quick and easy to read in a day. I was HOOKED right from the start. So good!!
Profile Image for Traci Co.
127 reviews19 followers
December 21, 2025
This is my first book by this author and I loved it! I don’t think I’d consider this a thriller, though. I wasn’t on edge so much as being on a journey with this family, especially the niece and aunt. The characters were snarky and witty through most of the story. There were dark moments, indeed, but with the premise of the book being what it was, that wasn’t surprising.

I think the relationships of the key characters and the surprise twisty bits make this a great read. It’s smooth, well-paced, and entertaining.

I’m going to be digging through Hyde’s other books to see what else I might enjoy!
Profile Image for Brianna Shrout.
368 reviews24 followers
January 20, 2026
I have to say I did enjoy this book! The writing style took a bit to get used to and the constant flipping of POVs in third person was a bit frustrating. And I still have questions on if everything actually happened the way Rachel told it or not. But I would definitely read another one by this author.
Profile Image for Allie DeRosia.
125 reviews
July 30, 2025
I don’t know if I have ever devoured a book like this one. Character rich, relationship that felt tangible. I was on the edge of my seat the entire time. JL Hyde does it again and does it better than ever.
Profile Image for Chelsey Ulrich.
245 reviews9 followers
August 15, 2025
OH MY GOSH. READ THIS BOOK! This one can easily be read in one sitting. Super short chapters and under 200 pages. I couldn't put it down.
Imagine you're a young college student and you find out your favorite aunt only has a few months to live. And she wants to spend every Tuesday afternoon with you telling you her secrets - the good, bad and ugly. This shocks you because you really looked up to your aunt. But NOTHING prepares you for her last confession..
Profile Image for Linda Karbo.
39 reviews1 follower
August 15, 2025
Quick, quippy, gut-wrenching, and addictive.
A super fast, can’t put it down read told through short chapters filled with big storytelling.
Profile Image for Jenny DeRobertis.
46 reviews
October 30, 2025
AMAZING! I finished this book in under 24 hours because I literally could not put it down! 190 pages… Read it!
16 reviews
August 15, 2025
She does it again!!! Man I wish I had an aunt Rachel!!!
Profile Image for adoseof.adri.
147 reviews309 followers
December 13, 2025
Oh this was a MYSTERY, ok! Fast-paced, interesting characters, great twists. First book by this author but definitely not the last.
Profile Image for Ashlie Hendy.
31 reviews
January 10, 2026
A travel day meant I was able to devour this book, so glad I didn’t have to take many breaks because it was excellent!
Profile Image for Mady S.
191 reviews472 followers
July 29, 2025
My go to author when I’m in the mood for a fast paced thriller where I can never ever guess what kind of twists and turns there will be. I finished this within a day and enjoyed every minute of it! 3.5/5, rounded up!
Profile Image for Lina.
85 reviews
December 27, 2025
Hmm, this was clever but very boring and predictable.
December 20, 2025
Honestly, I’m not sure how to really feel about this book.

The idea was interesting and storyline kept my attention, however, I felt like it was a little manipulative of Rachel to confess her murders to her 18 year old niece. She even justified it by saying her niece was tough and could handle it, however, I just don’t think it was appropriate. Especially because even if her niece felt uncomfortable by the situation, she wasn’t going to voice that to her dying aunt.

Also the ending was confusing to me. Why would she lie to her niece and say that all the men she spoke about represented her father when they actually did exist and she actually did kill them? That made absolutely no sense to me.

I also found it convenient that every man Rachel killed happened to be a horrible, evil person who deserved to die. Seemed like a lazy way to justify her cruel actions.

I’ll leave this rating at 2.5 stars for now.
Profile Image for Tabathareads.
418 reviews8 followers
December 8, 2025
This was a phenomenal read. This is a new to me author but the cover and synopsis hooked me instantly and I am so glad they did because I absolutely inhaled this book. It is fast paced, emotionally charged, and the writing style was pure perfection. I was completely swept up in Rachel and Linnea’s Tuesdays together, and every revelation landed with so much weight and intensity.

The author blends heartbreak, tension, and character depth in a way that kept me fully invested from start to finish. The ending was incredibly strong and left me completely satisfied. No notes. I will absolutely be reading this author’s backlist.
Profile Image for Jessica Wilczynski.
480 reviews6 followers
January 5, 2026
Rachel is forty years old and she has just found out she has months to live. She moves in with her sister Kim and her husband so they can care for her. Her niece Linnea has taken this news very hard and she wants to spend as much time with her aunt as possible so they decide to make Tuesdays there day. Rachel feels like Linnea as a college freshman is ready to hear her confessions but Linnea knows her aunt and how wonderful she is but these confessions absolutely shock her. She wants to know everything!

I read this book in one day! Once I started reading I could not stop until I found out what happened. The twists and turns were so good! It keeps you guessing until the last page!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 288 reviews

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