Helpless

by Jessica Knoll

From the  New York Times  bestselling author of  Luckiest Girl Alive  and  Bright Young Women  comes the highly anticipated, heart-pounding thriller with twists you'll never see coming…

Faye Heron has it beauty, a glittering Hollywood career and a powerhouse marriage to her producer husband. Her life is the kind most people can only dream of.

When a beloved former college professor suddenly passes away, Faye is drawn back to campus, and back to Henry Spalding, the man she’s spent twelve years trying to forget.

Henry was her first love, her most intense love. Their love was the kind that consumed… and that Faye chose to walk away from. But she never forgot. Now, Henry is married man. A father. Their reunion should be nothing more than a polite nod to the past. Instead, it awakens something dangerous.

Henry is full of apologies for how they ended. But as Faye is pulled deeper into his orbit, she begins to wonder if she’s walking into something that she won’t be able to escape from this time.

What starts as an innocent chance to reconnect unravels into a sinister game of obsession and control, one that forces Faye to confront the truth about their past and uncover a sprawling, years-old mystery.

Because Henry isn’t just one of a kind. He’s the kind who doesn’t let go.

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

320 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 7, 2026

About the author

Jessica Knoll is the New York Times Bestselling author of THE FAVORITE SISTER and LUCKIEST GIRL ALIVE—now a major motion picture on Netflix starring Mila Kunis. She has been a senior editor at Cosmopolitan, and the articles editor at SELF. She grew up in the suburbs of Philadelphia and graduated from The Shipley School in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, and from Hobart and William Smith Colleges in Geneva, New York. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband and bulldog, Franklin. BRIGHT YOUNG WOMEN, her third novel, publishes on September 19th.

Reviews

[Nilufer Ozmekik · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jessica Knoll’s writing is something I keep returning to because she always surprises me. What makes her so unique is that each of her books feels like it could have been written by a different author, yet they all intersect at one powerful point: the awakening, rage, and rising fist of women taking back their narratives.

I loved Luckiest Girl Alive for its cutting corporate-world commentary, and I adored Bright Young Women even more. So when I started this book, I’ll admit—I was confused. I caught myself thinking, Why am I reading an erotic, obsessive romance wrapped in a mystery full of dominance, dysfunctional family trauma, and psychological obsession?

But I told myself to keep going, because this is still among my favorite genres. And I’m glad I trusted the process. Without giving anything away, there is a twist at the end that will absolutely divide readers into two fierce camps: those who love it, and those who absolutely hate it.

As for me? I’m on the lover side. I spent most of the book questioning what was real, who to trust, and what truly happened in the past. The final reveal made the entire narrative click for me—smart, bold, and a genuine rug-pull moment. While this isn’t my favorite Knoll book overall, it’s still uniquely compelling, psychologically twisty, and populated with characters who are perfectly hateable yet strangely sympathetic once you understand the trauma they carry. They aren’t toxic for no reason—they were shaped by everything they endured.

Here’s a spoiler-free plot outline with my own commentary to help you decide if this book is for you. (My vote: yes! You may question my recommendation during the first act, but once the second act begins, everything escalates beautifully—especially if you appreciate daring twists.)

Our main character, Faye Herron, is a powerful Hollywood producer, married to another successful producer. She becomes a rising star after writing a hit TV episode inspired by her ex-boyfriend Henry Spalding, portraying him as a villain for millions of viewers. Years later, when her beloved college professor passes away, his nephew Campbell reaches out and asks her to speak at the ash-scattering ceremony. Faye agrees, even though it forces her to confront painful memories tied to that chapter of her life.

Returning to her professor’s secluded home also means facing Henry Spalding—the ex whose heart she broke and whose image she publicly destroyed. Yet time has changed them both: Faye is married, Henry is married with children, and logically, the past should be behind them. But as soon as they’re in the same room, undeniable chemistry resurfaces. A few drinks, a hotel room, shared vulnerability—and suddenly, Faye wakes to find herself kidnapped and taken to a remote mountain cabin.

Is Henry exacting revenge for the humiliation she caused him, or is something even darker at play? He insists he’s protecting her. He insists she’s safer locked away. But from what? And why? As Faye uncovers deeply buried secrets about their shared history, she begins to realize that nothing she believed about her past—or herself—is entirely true, and the danger surrounding her is far more complex than she imagined.

Overall: I loved the originality of this story. I even enjoyed the steamy scenes and found myself oddly rooting for these flawed, damaged characters and their intoxicating, toxic dynamic. They are far from healthy—but in a strange way, they fit each other perfectly. If you’re craving a fast-paced, steamy, psychologically sharp mystery that becomes smarter and bolder as it unfolds, this is absolutely worth adding to your TBR.

A huge thank you to NetGalley and Scribner for providing this clever, twist-filled mystery’s digital reviewer copy in exchange for my honest thoughts.

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[Liana Gold · Rating 3 out of 5]

Definitely not what I expected. I was surprised this story came out of Knoll. It almost felt like it wasn’t written by her.

REVIEW TO FOLLOW


Obsession, toxicity, unreliable narrator and sinister plot

This would be my third book by Jessica Knoll. Having recently read “Bright Young Women” and previously read “Luckiest Girl Aline”, I’m very fond of her work, particularly how she uses her own words to give a voice to the voiceless. I'm hoping for a memorable dark thriller but the reviews are a little on a lower side. Got me curious!




Many thanks to NetGalley, Scribner Publisher, and the author Jessica Knoll for sending me this ARC.

Publication date: July 7, 2026

[chantalsbookstuff · Rating 3 out of 5]

Liked everything, apart from her very peculiar sexual nature.

[Dee (in the Desert)]

nope - keep your "50 shades" filth... so disappointing

[emilybookedup]

leaving a rating off for now bc i’m still unsure what i feel/think of this one after finishing 🤔

this felt like a mix of a dark thriller and a dark romance… somewhat THE LAST HOUSEWIFE x VERITY vibes but without the cult aspect?!! idk! it’s so hard to explain. i love her past work and was definitely expecting more mystery/thriller than we got. it was more of a dark romance that should come with A LOT of trigger warnings (parts made me feel very icky tbh).

what i loved: the ending and the audiobook narration. Marin Ireland did a great job and helped me stay hooked to figure out how on earth this was going to end. i really liked the last chapter, and it’s one of those books that gives you a shock on the final page. most times those make for my favorite thrillers—i hate when everything is tied up in a lil bow.

all that said, i am just so unsure on this one! it felt like two books in one and i’m not sure which would have been more successful, but selfishly i wanted more thriller AND more leaning into the lake house/campus setting (which are two of my faves).

this comes out in July—thanks to the publisher and Libro FM for early ARCs / ALCs!

[Kelly Ferguson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I won this ARC through Goodreads. So thank you Goodreads for pulling my name on this one. 4.5 stars

Honestly, I absolutely loved this book and with that being said I’m so confused the ending! I have so many unanswered questions!! I need a follow up a book two or maybe just Cliff notes. After I finished I had to go back and reread parts to see if I had missed something! One fourth of the way through this book i won’t lie I was like Faye is insane!!!! What is going on? Does she not remember what just happened? Why she’s there who brought her there? But then the next breathe was holy heck thats hot!!! This is my first erotica thriller is it wrong that I like it so much? It kept me on my toes and still has me questioning things. If life wasn’t so crazy at the moment, I definitely could’ve finished this in one sitting. This book is out July 7th 2026 and I highly suggest you get yourself a copy and cozy blanket and something you enjoying drinking!!!

[Elise · Rating 1 out of 5]

hot mess express. should have DNF but wanted to see if would get better. spoiler it didnt

[Lindsay L]

DNF - not clicking with writing, storyline, characters. Writing feels very choppy and awkward. Not for me…

[Kimberly · Rating 2 out of 5]

The relationship portrayed in this book was painfully toxic. I love a book with some spice but this was a 2 1/2 year sexually abusive relationship that the FMC still fantasized about. Also, I just can’t with the Mary Magdalene and Jesus kink.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

[haleigh · Rating 3 out of 5]

advance copy won in goodreads giveaway

“everyone wants erotic thrillers right now. everyone.”

a psychosexual thriller about a woman who has been consistently victimized by those who hold power over her. i thought it lost it in the middle and had turned into some generic booktok dark romance slop, but it came back around in the end. jessica knoll, i’m sorry i ever doubted that you would write anything other than a nuanced work on power & how the trends of popular culture uphold and revere subjugation.

i wish this was a bit longer to flesh out part 4, which was the most interesting part of this book, but i loved the full circle moment

side note: also to the other reviewers going “oh this is so spicy” “the spice in this is actually problematic”, i need you to engage more critically with what you’re reading

[Katie B]

Thank you Scribner and Netgalley for the free digital copy!

I finished this one last night and I’m still processing how I feel about this book. It wasn’t a total miss. Having read all of her books, the author often goes into dark and uncomfortable territory but with a purpose. Unfortunately with this book, I just don’t know what I was supposed to take away from it.

This isn’t a typical fun and entertaining thriller as it goes into graphic detail. I say that not as criticism but more so nobody is caught completely off guard. I went in blind and that worked for me as I was genuinely surprised in the direction the story started going in. It being so different than what I normally read is kinda what sustained my interest for a big portion of the story. But at some point, maybe the last quarter or so of the book, I had enough of the characters and didn’t care from that point on. While I get they weren’t supposed to be likable people, there needs to be something that keeps me invested. I stopped caring and by the time the ending rolled around it didn’t land as I was already checked out.

My advance copy didn’t come with an Author’s Note so I’ll keep my eyes peeled for interviews in which she discusses the book. Getting some insight into what she was going for here might help me view her book in a more favorable light.

Ranking her books, LUCKIEST GIRL ALIVE is my top pick and HELPLESS was at least a better read than THE FAVORITE SISTER. Coming in 2nd is BRIGHT YOUNG WOMEN, although I didn’t love it as much as many people did.

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is one of those books that is hard to sit still with while reading. For most of it, I was fully locked in. The writing is sharp, addictive, and has that slippery quality where you can’t quite trust anything you’re being told. Jessica Knoll is a gifted writer—there’s no question there. The tension is real, the psychological layering is compelling, and the way she writes obsession feels unnervingly intimate.

But it is also deeply uncomfortable in places. The sexual content tied to coercion, assault, and fantasy blurs lines in a way that will not work for every reader. It pushes into erotic thriller territory, but not in a glossy or “fun thriller” way, more in a disorienting, uneasy, sometimes disturbing way.

And then there’s the ending. This is where I fully struggled. It leans heavily into ambiguity and a final page twisty reframing, but instead of feeling clever or mind blowing, it felt like it withheld too much. I wanted clarity. I wanted resolution. I wanted to know what was actually real versus what was constructed or unreliable and I didn’t get enough of that. I’m also not even sure I fully understand what happened so there’s that too.

So I ended up in a weird place with it:

* Completely absorbed while reading
* Uneasy at points
* Impressed by the writing
* Frustrated by the payoff

It’s compelling in a “I can’t look away” way, but not entirely satisfying in a “this clicked together” way.


Perfect for Readers Who Love

* Unreliable narrators and psychological distortion
* Dark, obsessive relationships that feel destabilizing
* Erotic thrillers that lean unsettling rather than glamorous
* Stories where memory, truth, and perception blur
* Fast, compulsive writing with a disorienting edge

[lauren h · Rating 1 out of 5]

1⭐️

Firstly thank you NetGalley for the arc.

Having read and enjoyed both Bright Young Women and Luckiest Girl Alive, I went into this read with high expectations. Unfortunately it did not do it for me.

This book follows a very famous and accomplished Faye who is attending a funeral for her previous mentor/professor PT. At this funeral she is confronted with her old life/acquaintances and her ex-boyfriend Henry. She ends up being kidnapped by Henry and taken to his lake house where she is being blackmailed for having incriminating evidence on Henry.

I can’t go into more without heaaaavy spoilers. I was super intrigued by the concept and find Jessica Knoll writes incredibly crass characters that speak to the darkest parts of the mind. But truly there wasn’t a single enjoyable character in this. I believe it’s an attempt at writing “everyone sucks here” but it made it painful to read having zero care for what happens to anyone.

I also found it was more erotic thriller than traditional thriller and some of the content I would raise a trigger warning for (including SA fantasies) which was deeply uncomfortable.

Not for me but I would definitely consider reading more from the author given I enjoyed 2 other novels.


*my review is my own and in no way associated with any company/anyone else*

[Jim Holscher · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thank you NetGalley And the publishers for the digital arc of this one.

This hurts! I am a huge fan of Bright Young Women, Jessica Knolls last work. This one did not hit the Mark at all for me.
Here we are following a writer who has a full marriage when an ex boyfriend shows up who really sparks things for her. That is before kidnapping her! There is a lot going on in this one and some of it was interesting. It all was lost, however, under a sludge of grossness. This really swerved heavily into porn. The multiple descriptions of hard core sexual acts left nothing to any readers imagination and was gratuitous to the point of revulsion. I guess we’re supposed to say “if men can write hard core porn it is refreshing when women do too”. Except it isn’t. It’s just as gross, demeaning, and objectifying as when creepy guys do it.
2 stars

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book went so many different directions and I was into it. It kept me on my toes. You know what else I was really into? Yep, so freakin hot.

[Leslie Ann (lalasbookishlife)]

What did I just read?! 😳😱😲🤔

[Sheila · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars--I liked the book.

This reminded me of the erotic thrillers from the 90s (think Josephine Hart. In fact, at one point the protagonist mentions she read In the Cut; I definitely see the influence, but I liked Moore's book more than this one!).

I was enjoying the plot and was going to give this 4 stars ("I really liked it") until the end. No spoilers but I didn't like the direction of the story and felt disappointed. Knoll knows how to keep a reader engaged, though.

[Tatianna]

Baby's first physical arc from a major publishing house omgggg thank you Simon & Schuster 😭

[Lauren E · Rating 4 out of 5]

Helpless had me completely hooked from the start. The tension, the obsession, the mystery, the twists—I flew through this book because I absolutely had to know what was going on. Jessica Knoll knows how to keep readers questioning everything and everyone.

And then came that ending.

This is one of those books where the ambiguity is the point. The story ultimately becomes less about solving the mystery and more about questioning the reliability of the story itself. Did that really happen? Did any of it happen the way we were told? I finished the last page and immediately wanted to discuss theories with someone.

That said…I am respectfully demanding an epilogue. 😂

Give me opening night of the movie adaptation. Give me an award show acceptance speech. Give me a few sly Easter eggs hidden in the background. Give me something that offers a tiny bit of closure about Henry and maybe a breadcrumb or two toward solving the mystery. Not enough to ruin the ambiguity—just enough to satisfy the part of my brain that’s still trying to connect all the dots.

A wild, addictive, mind-bending read that will leave you thinking long after you finish.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Shannon · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had a feeling this one wasn't going to sit well with me and I haven't historically been a big fan of this author but it's been getting lots of buzz and my interest was piqued. This dark domestic Hollywood thriller has a screenwriter getting kidnapped by her ex and forced to perform untold acts in order to survive. This book explores dark topics like intimate partner violence and power imbalances, the inequality of women in the workplace (especially the Entertainment field) and the darker side of sexual fantasies. Good on audio but not a book I will feel compelled to recommend or read again.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Closer to 2.5. The last like six pages just totally took a whole star off this.

[Jen Ryland (jenrylandreviews & yaallday)]

I have absolutely loved her books in the past but I should have not just auto-requested, as this was not for me. Are erotic thrillers coming back, because this is the second one I've read. I'm not opposed to them. We'll see.

Faye goes back to her former college campus for the funeral of a professor and comes face to face with her old college boyfriend, Henry. She's now a married Hollywood writer and producer but it's a bit awkward that in her twenties, she wrote about Henry in a not too flattering way.

Complete chaos ensues. Secrets are spilled. Spicy scenes are included. I feel like I'm not opposed to the overall concept, but for me this got a little weird, with pretty much every single character a villain in their own way. I wanted someone or something to root for.

Thanks to the publisher for providing an advance copy for review!

[Victoria Tezangi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I couldn't put this book down and finished it in one sitting! Helpless by Jessica Knoll kept on the edge of my seat guessing everything, doubting everyone and wondering where things were going to go next. Throughout the book I couldn't predict the next page let alone the ending in what was a captivating and very sexy thriller.

Faye is a very successful actress, writer and director with a life that appears to be pretty perfect from the outside. She's an attractive woman with a fantastic career and an equally successfully husband. We see her return to her college town at the start of this book for the funeral of her beloved professor and while attending bumps into her ex Henry and we are thrown into a twisty and uncreditable journey. Faye and Henry have had no contact for a very long time after Faye wrote an award winning TV episode based on her relationship with Henry and his controlling behaviour. While at the funeral the pair are awkward around each other but Henry approaches Faye in what looks to be an attempt to move forward but it looks as though nothing is that simple and their story continues to unravel chapter by chapter in a story about revenge, love, and obsession.

Every single chapter in this book had me hooked. I didn't know what to expect page to page with new secrets being revealed and new plot lines beginning. The chemistry between Faye and Henry was next level! They were toxic and so unbelievable bad for each other but they gave this book a level of sexy I was not expecting at all. As characters I didn't really like anyone in this book which felt like the whole point. They were all so unlikeable and grey but I was obsessed with learning more about them and seeing where things were going to go. This was an erotic phycological thriller that had twists at every corner, no one you could trust and an ending that had me wanting even more.

[Kristine · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am a huge fan of Jessica Knoll! I flew through Luckiest Girl Alive before the movie came out and loved both the book and the film. Bright Young Women is one of my all time favorite thrillers—it was absorbing, emotional, and completely gripping. So I couldn’t wait to delve into her latest novel, Helpless, and it did not disappoint.

Helpless follows Faye, now a successful Hollywood hyphenate writer-director-actress, who returns to the update New York college she attended over a decade ago after her favorite professor dies. She’s both dreading and anticipating crossing paths with the professor’s nephew Henry, her college boyfriend. Not only did things between Faye and Henry not end well, but she wrote an episode of a TV show she starred in about the demise of their relationship, which didn’t portray Henry in the best light. Both Faye and Henry are now married to other people, and Henry seems willing to leave the past behind—until he drugs and kidnaps Faye. His reasons for doing so aren’t what Faye first assumes, kicking off a power play between the two that harkens back to the dynamic at the core of their college relationship.

I don’t want to spoil too much but I will say that dynamic between them is sexually charged and layered. I flew through this book in a couple of days; I did not want to put it down! There are several big twists that kept things very exciting, but the heart of the book is really Faye working through her relationship with Henry: what her desire for him and their sexual dynamic says about her; whether she wants to stay in her marriage; and whether she truly still loves Henry or just how he makes her feel. If sexually explicit content isn’t your thing this might not be for you, but I love dark thrillers in general and Knoll’s writing specifically and I really enjoyed this one.

[♡Heather✩Brown♡ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hottest day in 23 years and we had no power all day — KILL ME NOW IT WAS TORTURE. Just got power back at 11:14pm. Ughhhhhhh AC feels so goood.

#ad much love for my finished copy @dartofrog + @scribnerbooks #partner
& @simon.audio #partner for the ALC

Helpless
< @
Releases: July 7, 2026

Absolutely loved the little travel bag and the goodies inside - I read this book while smelling like a queen 💁🏼‍♀️ and that hairbrush is so adorable 🥰!!!💖

I don't know if I changed or Henry did, if we both did just enough that our edges stopped fitting together and instead poked and prodded.

What we had is in a junkyard, buried under several hundred tons of scrap metal and hazardous waste. I'll poison myself trying to find it.

I don't know why people call it an unburdening. Nothing about me feels lighter for saying this. I want to weep from the exhaustion of carrying something so huge and shameful, which now feels close to colossal for putting words to it.

When a beloved professor dies, Faye and Henry are forced to confront the lives they’ve built since their relationship ended more than a decade earlier. But cracks in those carefully curated facades leave an opening for them to walk right through. Though they chose different paths, each achieved the future they once believed they wanted together. But a chance reunion at the funeral alters everything they thought they knew about moving on.

Some connections never truly disappear. The spark they once shared wasn’t extinguished by time - it was simply buried beneath years of self-preservation. Seeing each other again brings those long-suppressed feelings roaring back, proving that what they thought was over was only waiting for the right moment to reignite. Their collision wasn’t unexpected; it was inevitable.

You’ll be completely hooked to this story by page 70.

I enjoyed this one! And if you’re like me and not into the smutty stuff - rest assured - it wasn’t as bad as I thought it’d be. Though you will be cringing a few times, it’s brief and the story moves right along.


🎧: Also listened to the audio while following along and recommend it. Marin Ireland does a phenomenal job narrating this book. She’s easy to listen to and brings the story to life. She’s another one of my favorite narrators.


𝕄𝕖𝕞𝕠𝕣𝕒𝕓𝕝𝕖:
Sitting on a stick of dynamite 🧨 😫
Personal trainer for your thumbs 🤣
His medal is in the mail 👏🏼👏🏼🤣
Oscar-winning pedos 💯
Let’s see what you look like when the Botox wears off 🤣🤣

I loved that I had absolutely no idea where this story was going or what was happening. The pacing was perfect and the secrets only reveal themselves at the perfect timing. It’s told in four parts and spreads out over the course of a weekend.

For an erotic thriller 4 stars! If you enjoy hostage thrillers with a mix of complicated relationships then you’ll love this one.

[thatmillennialbookgirl · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Everyone wants erotic thrillers right now" one of the characters in Helpless says. And while I know that this might not be everyone's cup of tea, l am certainly in the camp of YES. Give me more. Twenty more books exactly like this, now!

Helpless is a propulsive, steamy, and twisty thriller unlike anything I've read in a while and just what I needed to pull me out of a mini slump. It had me guessing til the very end and when I finished Part 4 I was just staring at the book like WHAT. I'm still not sure how to feel about the ending- if you've read it message me or comment (without spoilers!) because I have THOUGHTS. The ending was similar to a book I read earlier this year and I’m not a huge fan of that particular plot device but by that point I was hooked anyway.

If you're someone who likes books with unlikeable characters, sexy stories mixed with danger (such as Verity), and are interested in a book exploring control and power dynamics, I think you'll love Helpless! If you have triggers please take care and look up content warnings before reading.

I attended Jessica Knoll's event at @quailridgebooks this week and it was fascinating hearing about Jessica's inspiration for the book and her writing process. I'll read anything Jessica writes!

[Rachel · Rating 2 out of 5]

lame ass ending. “Lol gotcha it was a movie all along.” Bored now.

[Erica Scoville]

this was a book and i read it.

[Cortney - Bookworm & Vine · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a wild ride! 3.5 stars rounded up

[gottalottie · Rating 1 out of 5]

not good as a thriller or dark romance, cringey