The Library Ladies Review
I’ve been on the Holly Jackson hype train for a few years now, having read most of her books and enjoying all of them to varying degrees. But imagine how surprised and excited I was when I found out that she had written a new thriller for an adult audience instead of the expected YA crowd. “Not Quite Dead Yet” is her adult debut, and boy does it have a banger of a premise: a woman named Jet is brutally attacked, leaving her with a brain aneurysm that is going to eventually kill her in a few days’ time, and she decides to use her final days to figure out who killed her. If that doesn’t grab ya, I don’t know what will. And WOW. I absolutely loved this book.
As a mystery and thriller, I was pretty much hooked from the moment I picked the book up until the moment I finished it. Jackson has crafted well-done mysteries in the past, but this one, for me, is her at her best. I think that perhaps because it’s for adults this time around, she has a little more freedom to explore the darker tendencies, and in “Not Quite Dead Yet” explore she does. I thought that the mystery about who attacked/will ultimately kill Jet was well done, with a town full of secrets, a family full of problems, and a very plucky but addled amateur detective at the forefront. The idea of having to solve one’s own murder is horrifying, and we have lots of clues, lots of suspects, and some well-done misdirection and reveals as well. While I could guess a few things here and there, I was mostly kept in the dark, and Jackson really keeps things tight lipped and well-hidden until she’s ready to start explaining. Jet and her friend Billy follow leads, find suspects, and look for clues, all while her health continues to deteriorate, and the very enjoyable mystery mixed with a building dread of her dying at any moment made for a LOT of suspense as I read.
Jackson has always had a knack for writing witty dialogue and interesting and well-rounded protagonists, but she really takes the cake with Jet, who is snarky and steely and a pain in the ass while also being incredibly vulnerable and easy to care about. The messy family dynamics, her chronic illness and the way it affects her relationships with those around her, the way she has to peel back really dark and upsetting truths about people and things she thought she knew, it’s an amazing emotional journey, and the fact that she is going to die soon and knows it makes it all the more emotional. Her relationship with childhood best friend Billy was also one of the strongest pillars of this story, as her ‘rough around the edges’ personality combining with his gentle soul as they desperately search for answers makes for a wonderful duo. Sometimes with foregone conclusions when it comes to characters stories, I don’t find myself getting too attached, but Jet? Good lord did I absolutely adore Jet, and that made all the emotional beats resonate even more.
“Not Quite Dead Yet” is a fantastic mystery with a deep emotional well it pulls from. I absolutely loved it. I hope that Holly Jackson writes more adult thrillers because this one was tops.
Rating 10: A suspenseful mystery with some perfect twists, and enjoyable main character, and a deeply emotional core, “Not Quite Dead Yet” is a fantastic adult debut for Holly Jackson.
The Book Duchesses Review: Not Quite Dead Yet
It’s always exciting when an author you love writes a new book. Holly Jackson wrote the Good Girl’s Guide to Murder series, and I loved that. Not Quite Dead Yet is her adult debut and had such an interesting concept, so I had to read it. Today I want to tell you about this book and what I thought.
Not Quite Dead Yet is a book I was very excited about. The idea of trying to solve your own murder in the seven days before you die really caught my attention. The start of this book really had me hooked. Jet suffered a horrific injury, and I have to say that I’d I would want to see the culprit who did it locked away behind bars before I died as well.
I’m conflicted about this one though. While I loved the concept and I kept on wanting to read to find out what happened, I wasn’t as invested as I had hoped. I think this book wanted to do too much. Besides Jet coming to terms with her condition and being assaulted, there was also a lot of family drama. This made the pacing feel off for me at times. I mean, this story already had a lot to do with just Jet dealing with the consequences of her assault and finding the person who did it to her.
I will say my favorite thing in this whole book was Billy. He was such a caring and helpful character. He was really in Jet’s corner and would clearly do anything and everything for her. It was clear Jet was very important to him. The last 5% really did hit me in all the feels and I can say that I didn’t expect the twist at the end. Not everything was wrapped up, but Holly Jackson really made me feel for these characters at the end. All in all, Not Quite Dead Yet was an entertaining read.
Radio Times Chats with Holy Jackson on Her Latest Novel
Interview by Helen Daly
Writing murder thrillers is not a task without peril. “For my third book in the Good Girl’s Guide to Murder series,” says author Holly Jackson, “I was quite surprised I wasn’t arrested in the middle of the night for the types of things I was googling.”
Some strange and gruesome research was required to create the trilogy of books – subsequently adapted for TV by the BBC and Netflix. But for Jackson’s latest novel, Not Quite Dead Yet, her research took a more medical turn…
The story revolves around Jet, who finds herself with only a week to live after a near-fatal attack. With time running out, she embarks on a race against the clock to solve her murder before a brain aneurysm claims her life.
“I was walking the dog and thinking about the types of crime thrillers I wanted to write, always mindful not to repeat what others had already done,” Jackson reflects.
“Then I saw a news report about a bar fight between two men – one walked away with a slow brain bleed, felt fine, didn’t go to the hospital and died a few days later. It resulted in the other man being arrested for manslaughter. The idea of a time-delayed murder, where you know you only have a few days left, intrigued me. What would you do with that final time?”
From this seed of an idea, Jackson delved into research, a process she describes as tricky – “How do you google, ‘How can you make someone die but they’re not quite dead yet?’” She received invaluable guidance from a family friend, a neurosurgeon, allowing her to assert confidently that Not Quite Dead Yet is “medically viable” (though admittedly not highly probable).
Jackson is best known for her work in the “young adult” sphere, with the Good Girl’s Guide to Murder series skyrocketing her profile. Her book tours are now an occasion where her fans, mostly young, line up for hours to speak to her about the world she created in her bestselling novels – bringing the author as many gifts as they do thoughtful questions. So it was perhaps a surprise to see Jackson making a move to the adult fiction world – but she’s hoping to bring her fans on the journey with her, reckoning that the older ones will happily follow along with Not Quite Dead Yet.
“Having written five YA thrillers has really forced me to level up,” Jackson explains. “At signings, I see fans with books full of Post-It notes and annotations, which means I have to work harder to keep them guessing. A lot of people say my YA books are too dark or too grown-up, and I can see where they’re coming from. So, the move to adult fiction felt like a natural step – it’s not too far removed from what I’ve been writing. The main difference? I could use as many swear words as I wanted.”
Beyond her novels, Jackson is busy on the set of the second series of “A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder”, where she’s serving as writer. “It’s been incredibly rewarding to be in the driver’s seat this time,” she says. “I’m the person who best understands what it is that fans love about the books, so I can ensure that that’s preserved, while also having fun with the adaptation. I’ve always wanted to write for the screen as well as books, and with season two, this is my take on what the show should be. I’m confident fans will love it – I’m really proud of it.”
As for what lies ahead, Jackson remains tight-lipped about future projects (though her prolific output suggests there’s no shortage of new material on the horizon). She hints at the possibility of another book series – which will be exciting news to her followers – and she plans to continue exploring both YA and adult fiction. One thing is certain, however: a return to Little Kilton, where her Good Girl’s Guide to Murder series takes place, is not on the immediate horizon. “If I wrote another book about it, lead character Pip would be going through hell again. So, for now, I think it’s time to let her have some peace. But you never know – it might happen if I have the right idea…”
Holly Jackson is the author of the #1 New York Times bestselling series A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder, an international sensation with millions of copies sold worldwide as well as the #1 New York Times bestseller and instant classic, Five Survive, and her forthcoming novel, The Reappearance of Rachel Price. She graduated from the University of Nottingham, where she studied literary linguistics and creative writing, with a master’s degree in English. She enjoys playing video games and watching true-crime documentaries so she can pretend to be a detective. She lives in London.