I began this book and instantly thought I'd read the plot before, then I realised it was based on Ted Bundy. The purpose of the book is to focus on the women involved, rather than glorifying Bundy himself. At the beginning this purpose was repeated by the protagonists multiple times early on in the book, which i felt was slightly repetitive. That being said each chapter had a good hook to keep the readers interest, and I overall enjoyed the book and would recommend it to others.

A gripping read based on the true story of a well document serial killer. However this fictional account focuses on the young women whose bright futures were stolen from them, their friends and their families. A worthy 5 ⭐️ rating.

This one left me a little conflicted. It is a good book. It’s well written, engaging, and gripping. I was totally hooked from start to finish, and I was really invested in Pamela’s story.

And it’s a story of sisterhood and feminism, of challenging biases, of triumph over evil, in the end. It critiques a court system that looks favourably upon handsome men and reduces female victims to their relationship history.

What I didn’t like was that this was based on a true story - I think if I’d realised that before, I wouldn’t have started reading it, but I didn’t realise until about a third of the way in, and I was already hooked - although it was probably apparent to others!

So I sort of liked it and didn’t like it at the same time - if you’re someone interested in true crime, definitely check it out!

This novel takes a harrowing and disturbing true story and transforms it into a gripping narrative of resilience, sisterhood, and the unwavering strength of women. I was initially drawn to the premise, and what I found within the pages of this book exceeded all expectations.

Bright Young Women is as captivating as it is chilling. In January 1978, there's a break in at the top sorority on Florida State University's campus in Tallahassee, which results in violent crimes against 4 girls of the sorority. But Pamela Schumacher, the sorority president, ends up seeing the culprit and can identify him. What follows is a resilient pursuit for justice and how the world kept trying to take that away from her.

On the other side of the country, Tina Cannon finds peace in Seattle after years of hardship. Her life takes a dramatic turn when she encounters Ruth Wachowsky, a young woman with painful secrets of her own. When Ruth goes missing in broad daylight, Tina becomes determined to uncover the truth behind her disappearance, setting her on a collision course with Pamela and the All-American Sex Killer.

What sets Bright Young Women apart is its refusal to give the serial killer the recognition he craves. Instead, the story focuses on the exceptional women who were on their path to achieve incredible things but whose lives he cut short. It proposes a new narrative inspired by evidence that’s been glossed over for decades in favor of more salable headlines—that the so-called brilliant and charismatic serial killer from Seattle was far more average than the countless books and movies have led us to believe. The anger of the author towards The Defendant and what the media did with the cases is truly palpable and reflects through each page, as it should.

Jessica Knoll's writing is absolutely amazing. She skillfully weaves together multiple perspectives and timelines, keeping me on the edge of my seat with suspense, dark secrets, and spine-tingling revelations.

This is not a book to rush through; it's one to savor and contemplate. I alternated it with multiple lighter reads to be able fully grasp this book. It's a story that will stay with me forever, as I reflect on the themes of resilience and the enduring spirit of women determined to overcome societal constraints.

Please read trigger warnings before picking this book up.

Wow, what a brilliant book. Based on the Sorority House killings of Ted Bundy, Bright Young Women gives a voice to the women who are so much more than victims or survivors.
It is emotional, compelling and compassionate - high in the top 10 books I have read in 2023.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for allowing me to read Bright Young Women.

Bright Young Women is a novel inspired by the real life murders of young women in a sorority house in Florida in the 1970’s. Pamela wakes up and senses something is amiss; sure enough she witnesses a man leaving her sorority house and shortly after finds the chaos and violence he has left behind.

The rest of the book jumps timelines between 1978 onwards where Pamela, a pre-law student fights for justice for her murdered and disfigured friends. We also meet Tina, desperate to solve the case of her missing girlfriend, Ruth, who disappeared at Lake Sammamish the year before and is more than likely another victim of this murderer. Lastly, we jump forward to the present day, and find Pamela and Tina still on the hunt for answers.

If you read that and thought “well that sounds like Ted Bundy”, you’d be correct. Unlike a lot of true crime though, the narrative is flipped, and the focus of this book is the resilient, capable, and intelligent women trying to catch a serial killer.

It’s a really frustrating read in places; the misogyny of the time is depicted almost too well; Bundy wasn’t a criminal mastermind, far from it. He just existed in an era where law enforcement neglected a lot of clues and cared little about missing or murdered young women. He got lucky.

The author doesn’t mention his name at all actually (there’s a brief “Ted” used at the end but I think that’s an error in my arc copy as it’s not on the audio version), and I enjoyed being with Pamela, Tina, and Ruth without any real focus on him or his brutal crimes.

I felt a bit bereft after I finished it, thinking of the victims; I wanted them to still be living out their bright futures as they should have been able to. This is an incredibly thoughtful and thought-provoking take on what is an over-saturated area of true crime. It reads like literary fiction; sensitively and beautifully written, but also incredibly engaging. I think both fans and non-fans of true crime will appreciate this one, but be aware there are descriptions of violence throughout.

A favorite of 2023 for me. With huge thanks to @netgalley and @panmacmillan for the opportunity to read an early copy.

What a book! I was immediately drawn in by the premise: two women become allies against the violence of one man, uniting in a mission to seize the justice that they, and their friends, deserved. This book focuses around a serial killer dubbed "The Defendant" who offers eerily similar features to Ted Bundy.

Firstly, I absolutely loved the narrative structure of this book. It's got quick pace, brilliant perspectives that allow you to empathise immediately with the women and their terror, and I adored the quick intersections of the modern narrative. Throughout, Pamela's interventions from the modern age provided small glimmers of hope that keep you reading to find out more.

I loved the framing of the book that emphasises that the men should not be given the power and notoriety/fame that comes with famous serial killers. By constantly drawing us back to the women and their thoughts and emotions, Knoll perfectly aligns this narrative to this reclamation and I loved the direction this took.

In terms of the characters, I found all of them to be brilliant in their own way - I loved how flawed each woman was, as it made them feel so much more real and intricate. That said, the confidence and intelligence of each women, particularly Pamela who I took a liking to the most, stood out in this book and certainly made it the thought-provoking and excellent book it was. I highly recommend this to everyone, and cannot wait to see what Knoll releases next.

Thanks to Pan Macmillan and NetGalley for early access to this book.

Pamela is the president of her sorority at Florida State University. A position she takes as seriously as she does her studies. On one of their usual nights out she makes the decision to stay home to study. She is startled awake by a noise in the wee hours and decides to see what caused it. She then sees a man fleeing the house and, when she goes upstairs to see where he came from, she is shocked and devastated by what she sees. Two of her sisters are dead, including her best friend, and another two have suffered what looks like life changing injuries. With her being the only credible witness, albeit only having caught a fleeting glance, she is thrust into the limelight...
Meanwhile, across the other side of the country, Tina hears about what happened and knows that it is the same man who she thinks responsible for the disappearance/death of her own best friend Ruth. She ups sticks and travels to Florida, to team up with Pamela... to try and bring justice for the women...
All through this book, the perpetrator is only referred to as "The Defendent" but, as more and more of his "story" is told, it becomes clear that this book is pretty much based on a reimagining, fictionalised version of the horrific crime spree of serial killer Ted Bundy.
As the title suggests, the main theme of the book is sisterhood. That of Tina and Ruth initially and then Tina and Pamela. How Pamela fights for the police to take her seriously regarding what she saw that night. It's also a play on words as I understand that the judge in Bundy's trial referred to him as a "Bright Young Man"...
Apart from a general time line, I am not particularly familiar with the whole Ted Bundy case and victims so I am not sure how much is fact and how much fiction, and indeed how much faction! So I bow down to those who know better to comment on that. Suffice to say that irrespective of what is/was real and what the author made up, this book is compelling reading. The focus is well and truly on the victims side of things, rather than aggrandising the killer. Indeed, he is actually cut down to size in this book, his intelligence questioned to the detriment of the law enforcement's comments that he just outsmarted them... It also questions the media's involvement in the proceedings and the spin that certain journalists put on things. Everyone know's the killer's name, but who can name the victims?
It's not an easy read by any means. But you get the gist of that from the opening few chapters. It's very character driven and contains some very well created characters. Some based on real people. It's gritty and brutal and, remembering the time in which the story is set, contains some rather horrid outdated themes. The usual suspects, I am sure you can imagine. But it's an important read and one that will stay with me for a while.
My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

Absolutely incredible. I couldn't put it down. To hear the perspective from the bright young women who were the victims of a killer is just fascinating. I didn't want this book to end.

good? rehashes the ted bundy case with an interesting lens but is shaping a lot of accepted fact with a focus that isn’t totally groundbreaking. sexism is bad murderers are gross guys etc.

Thank you to Netgalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

A reflective, thought provoking adaptation of some of Bundy's terrible crimes. Well-written and a good read.

This is actually a five star read for me!

This is a fictional true crime novel based on the real life events of the murders at the sorority in a university in Florida committed none other than one of America's most infamous serious killers, Ted Bundy. Pamela Schumacher the sorority house president is awoken by a sound in the early hours of the morning and caught a fleeting glance of a man leaving the house hurriedly. She discovers two of her sorority sisters were dead and the other two were maimed and brutally beaten. This crime soon send shockwaves across the nations as people will remember this even for generations to come. Meanwhile Tina a woman from Seattle knows that the same man who committed the murders in the sorority is responsible for the disappearance of her friend Ruth who disappeared in Lake Sammamish Park back in 1974 and team up with Pamela to catch this man.

I have watched countless movies and read books all based on Ted Bundy but this is one of those books where the author did not use Bundy's name but instead referred to him as the "The Defendant". This is also one of the books where the whole story is based entirely on the victims and not on the murderer which actually increased my rating of the book. The book was fast paced and quiet a page turner and, in my opinion, I liked this book more than her debut books the Luckiest Girl Alive. I simply couldn't put the book down as I really wanted to know what really happened to Tina's friend Ruth. The names of the victims in this book have been changed (the victims of the sorority). I read in one of the reviews about how the judge referred to Ted Bundy as a "Bright Young Man "and this story is basically about young women who are bright ones recognizing their own worth and intelligence hence "Bright Young Women," The story is told from the perspectives of Pamela and Ruth, who was dealing with her own issues and who is ready to accept her own fate. I also like how the author managed to draw the reader into that period, making us feel like we are in that era and also a part of the story. The story was captivating, there is a bit of tension and suspense in the book. I like how the author made the "The Defendant" unworthy and focused more towards the victim which is the reason why I enjoyed the book.

If you haven't put this on your TBR list, go ahead and put this book on your TBR list. This book is a must read. A page turning, captivating, truly emotional book that will keep you up all night. Worth five stars!

Many thanks to Netgalley and Pan MacMillan for the ARC. The review is based on my honest opinion only.

Favorite quote

"He wants to extinguish us--we are the ones that remind him that he's not that smart, not that good-looking, that there's nothing particularly special about him."

Let's not forget the names of the real victims

Lisa Levy and Margaret Bowman - The Sorority Murders
Janice Ott and Denise Nasuland - Lake Sammamish Park disappearance

Bright Young Women tells the story of women impacted by the deaths of women close to them at the hands of a serial killer referred to as the ‘Defendant’. It is is told in a punchy, straightforward style from the POV of a witness and a victim and shows the various injustices they lived through due to sexism. I was not particularly familiar with the true crimes this is based on so cannot advise whether it would be more or less compelling if you are knowledgeable of them - I found this to be an interesting read.

TW; Murder, graphic injury, sexual assault / rape, grooming, relationships with a minor,

Beginning in 1978, this fictionalised account of the notorious attack on a Florida State sorority house by a now infamous serial killer, is this time told through two main POVs; the eyes of ‘Pamela Schumacher’, president of the sorority in question and Ruth, a young woman who was at Lake Sammamish the day that she died - 4 years before the attack on the sorority sisters.

Whilst anyone who has any knowledge of true crime will likely be able to discern who the perpetrator in question is, he remains nameless throughout the book, referred to only as ‘The Defendant’, and I loved the way that this removed the satisfaction of his name being on everyone’s lips even to this day. It felt like some, minor, reclamation of power - even after all this time it silences him as he silenced so many others.

We follow Pamela right through from the night of the attack, to standing in the witness box in court as part of the trial. How she, a survivor of a hideous crime that led to the death of two of her sorority sisters, is referred to solely as ‘ma’am’ whilst the judge converses with The Defendant as ‘partner’, ‘compardre’, etc, even knowing the extent of his

I adored this book (well, as much as you can ‘adore’ a book about a brutal killer who maims and murders a series of young women for sport) - but the way this book takes an infamous case and turns it on its head by presenting it from the perspectives of the women whose lives were not only turned upside down, but whose experiences and voices were consistently dismissed, belittled or even disbelieved is magnificent. It’s done tactfully, and the author nailed the tone of how readily women were overlooked in this era. Pamela is the epitome of a ‘bright young woman’, a sorority president with impeccable grades and studying at Columbia Law, testifying on the horrific murders of two of her sorority sisters (and the brutal attacks on two others) and yet on the stand it is The Defendant the judge deems to be a ‘bright young man’, and calls his death sentence a ‘tragedy’ and ‘total waste of humanity’, claiming ‘no animosity’ towards him.

I will say that not being a total true crime buff I don’t think I’d realised how much this was true to the original case, with fictionalisation being a fairly thin term - maybe I wouldn’t have enjoyed it quite so much if I’d realised how close to reality it was? But I did love the way the storylines wove together, giving backstories to the the tales of the women who found each other and kept each other together throughout some of the most unimaginable times - and their search not just for peace, but for justice.

A massive thank you to the author and publisher for this e-ARC!

An absolutely incredible read, without a doubt a five star read. A really emotional, but totally absorbing book telling the stories that always should have been told instead of about the (extremely mediocre) T*d B*ndy. Everyone should pick this book up when it’s published!

Thank you to Netgalley, the amazing author and the publisher for the ARC in return for an honest review.

“They will call you hysterical no matter how much dignity you have. So you might as well do whatever the hell you want.”

‘Bright Young Women’ tells the story of the infamous Ted Bundy murders, deemed a “bright young man” by the judge on his case, refocusing the story from his victims perspective- as should be the case. The main issue I had with this book is it felt wrong for this to be fiction, considering so many of the details much up so closely to the real events- mainly the names of the women are changed and details of their lives and conversations are imagined. All this book did was frustrate me, I found myself spending a lot of time googling wanting to know the real story. My time would have been better spent picking up a true crime novel.

The story focuses on two fictional character POV’s; Pamela - the president of the sorority where ‘The Defendant’ rapes and kills two of the sorority sisters after escaping prison. Her journey starts from the attack, through to her standing trial against him in court. I enjoyed her arc the most and her journey of empowerment. The second POV tells the story of Ruth - who was the weakest of the two voices, in my opinion - a victim of the Lake Sammamish Park abductions. I struggled to be interested in her story arc, and her difficulties with her family relationships and budding romance with Tina (who is in both POV's, adding to my confusion). Unfortunately, I only became interested in her story when she eventually encounters ‘The Defendant’. To be honest, I really struggled to tell the two POV’s apart in places, the characters were written without much depth to them. Historically, I have struggled with multiple POV’s, and that was very much the case with this book. The change in POV kept pulling me out of the story and I had to really concentrate to understand what was happening- it really ruined the flow of the story for me.

This book has an interesting premise, but unfortunately executed poorly. I enjoyed elements of the story, but I’d be quicker to recommend picking up a true crime novel if you’re specifically interested in this case. It's a shame really - as i do think this story places the spotlight in the right place - with the 'Bright Young Women' and not on 'The Defendant'. I applaud Jessica Knoll for that. Thanks to Netgalley for the advanced copy- my first!

Bright Young Women takes one of the most infamous cases in history and completely reframes it in this poignant, devastating and raw reexamination of the treatment of the women in the case.

I absolutely adored how Knoll ensured to never use the name of the defendant within the pages of the book. It reversed the power dynamics associated with the case, where the ‘superstar’ name has been allowed to entirely remove the humanity of the victims. They have been relegated, forgotten and often cast into oblivion in favour of the flashy story of the misunderstood murderer. It is a move deeply entrenched in prejudice, misogyny, racism and homophobia. This book excavates those factors and digs into them deeply, exposing the horrific reality of which victims are ‘worthy’ of justice. Knoll has crafted a book that is devastating in so many ways, but also carries within it a core of hope and strength.

This is embodied in our protagonists: Pamela, Ruth and Tina. All have their lives deeply affected by the actions of a monstrous man, but they are not solely defined by these moments. They are fierce, intelligent and deeply loving people that deserve to be remembered for everything else they achieve & their moments of love, light and laughter. Knoll works hard to present them as three-dimensional characters whose voices leap off the page and straight into your hearts. Though you know one of their fates from the start, it does not stop you from falling deeply in love with them. They are all so authentic and brilliant, with a lot of consideration into their personal, platonic and romantic relationships. Knoll clearly demonstrates how they are the centre of their own web, with a community of people around them who love them.

Bright Young Women hits back hard at the decades of repression and silencing of the victims of one of the most infamous serial killers. They have always been the footnotes of his story - until now.

DNF at 41%

I was looking forward to this as this was a blend of fiction and true crime. But I expected this to be "based" on the crimes that Ted Bunny committed. Not the same exact ones that included the names of the victims. That didn't sit well with me.

Another issue is the pacing. What started off with a bang went out with a fizzle soon after and now we're reading about the details of the people in the lives of the victims. This just isn't for me. But you can feel differently especially if it's been a while since you read about Bundy.

Thanks to Netgalley and Pan Macmillan for the e-copy.

5 stars. Devoured this book. As soon as I started reading I recognised certain aspects before realising this is based on the some of Ted Bundy's crimes.

The book begins by us meeting Pamela. An intruder breaks into her dorm house killing her best friend Denise, another girl Robbie and injuring two other girls. Tina then appears who shows her a photo of the intruder when no one else seems to believe it could be anyone else other than Roger - Denise's ex.

Will anyone believe her and that this is linked to another disappearance of a girl before from out of state? Between Pamela, Tina and Carl a journalist they travel to other Columbia and Seattle to try and piece everything together.

I really enjoyed the writing style and characters were very believable.

I will be recommending to others and keeping my eye out for other books from this author.

I was very looking forward to this one however I struggled with this book and unfortunately DNF at 40%. I was very excited to start this one after being accepted for the request and I found the blurb to be very interesting however the twisted timelines and dual POV was very hard to follow. None of the characters drew me in and I wanted to like this one so bad after finding it its based on Ted Bundy but this felt like a miss for me.