An intriguing and gripping story, I loved the characters and can't wait to read more by this author.

Charlie was the sole survivor in an incident known as Scarlet Christmas which occurred at her elite graduate school at, as the description suggests, Christmas time. She was a witness but her memories of what happened are spurious to say the least. Mostly blanks, as she blacked out during said incident. Now 10 years later she is a successful editor-in-chief of a major magazine and pipped for great things. Until that is, an old classmate makes a film of what happened and her past threatens to derail her present and kibosh her future. But she is not the girl she used to be. She has overcome much in her life and is stronger. But is she strong enough to survive this, and at what cost...?
Well... wasn't this a cracking debut book. Chock full of secrets, lies and dysfunctional behaviour as one of the victims relatives, a twin sister, starts to make a film that threatens Charlies "account" of the incident. How things start to not quite add up when questioned further and deeper and how Charlie tries to keep ahead of that narrative.
This book gripped me from the off. I connected with Charlie right from the start, although not all positively. Obviously she is unreliable (not a spoiler you find that out very early on) and they are always hard to get to grips with. But she and I rubbed along nicely.
Pacing was a bit slow in places and not cos the narrative dictated. But it did get going soon enough and not slow enough to really irk. Just a bit hit and miss along the way.
Storyline was cracking and contained everything you'd need from a book of this genre. Albeit a tad on the busy side on occasion. And the ending, when it came wasn't as shocking as it could have been and did kinda tie everything up a little too neatly.
But, all those niggles were relatively minor compared with the enjoyment I got from reading this book. It's a good solid read and a very worthy debut. I really can't wait to see how she handles that tricky second book! My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

I enjoyed it. I love an unreliable narrator. Set in New York and London and in dual timelines this is Charlotte ‘Charlie’ Colbert’s story. In the present she is editor in chief of C Magazine which is the Sunday supplement of The Chronicle, Americas 4th largest newspaper. Whilst English, she is a product of Carroll University School of Journalism. Her ideal life is shattered when the sister of one of those involved in an event in Charlie’s past, nine years ago at graduate school, states she has new evidence and will be producing a film when “the truth will finally come out”. A really well written thriller with plenty of suspense.

Briefly, Charlie is a survivor and a victim following an incident whilst at Carroll. Whilst she has remembered is that she was present but she cannot remember what happened. What she believes is that she lied to the police and was actually responsible for what took place. She is one disturbed lady to the point that she will walk up 20 flights of stairs just to avoid the elevator. She is undergoing therapy in the hope her recollections of the incident will come back.

I started off not really liking Charlie but she did grow on me a bit and I had some sympathy for her as slowly but surely her memories start coming back. It’s a very character driven story and very tense as you are completely in the dark about the truth until they are revealed, and there’s a shocking reveal! So did she tell the police the truth or not? You will have to read the book to find out! Very entertaining read.

I don't normally start a review with a focus on the negative but the overwhelming feeling I came away with after reading this book was ... that didn't make sense, did it?

Nine years ago, Charlie was a witness to a massacre at her graduate school. Even though she doesn't remember much about that night, that's why she is in therapy after all, she does know she lied about what she saw. Huh? Anyway, Charlie's life is now very different. Editor-in-chief of a magazine, engaged and living the life. Until one of her old classmates wants to make a film about the events from a decade ago. Charlie realises if the truth comes out, (you know, the one she doesn't remember), she will probably lose everything. That just can't happen.

The story alternates between events in the present and the past. With the help of a therapist, who should quite frankly be struck off for life, Charlie tries to remember what happened on that fateful night before someone else discovers her secrets. I honestly found it remarkably hard to muster up any kind of sympathy for Charlie. She annoyed me, I didn't like her, and that felt wrong considering her victim status.

Obviously, the reader has a long (loooooong) wait to discover what happened on the night that was dubbed Scarlet Christmas. When that moment finally came, it felt messy somehow. I can't quite explain it but it seemed to come from nowhere and my brain found it hard to compute what happened. It was almost as if someone told the author to think of a twist and boom, there it was but it came across somewhat disjointed. And by that time, I must admit I also just really didn't give two hoots anymore. That was before I reached the ending which, for various reasons I can't divulge, I absolutely hated.

'Everybody Who Can Forgive Me Is Dead" definitely had potential but the book description didn't quite match my expectations. I expected Charlie to be on the war path, so to speak, ruthless in defending her current life style. Instead, nearly a decade later she's only trying to learn about what happened that night. Surely you'd want to know sooner? The premise was intriguing but the execution left a little to be desired. Many a time the story dragged, there was very little (if any) character development, but mostly, I'm still stuck with that feeling that things didn't all make sense. Yet, I was entertained for a few hours and I did want to find out the truth. But as a whole, it didn't really work for me.

Everyone Who Can Forgive Me is Dead kept me hooked through the pages, staying up far too late into the night to uncover its secrets.

This is captivating writing - the type of all consuming, must read writing that forces you to keep turning the pages. It goes behind the headlines and the true crime industry into the real life people caught up in an infamous case that they have either used to define their life or tried to eskew entirely, or fallen somewhere between the two. Hollander asks probing questions about the impact of trauma upon every aspect of your life and how you can use it within your life, particularly in a true crime context. Some of these moves are manipulative and exploitative - all to do with controlling the narrative yourself before it is twisted by everyone else. Charlie is the pinnacle of this, who is trying to work out herself what really happened and to what extent she is complicit. To start with, you know so little and Hollander leaves these breadcrumbs that build up this staggering picture. It is all so character driven and complicated by the messiness of human relationships - it is just so human.

Hollander marries this with the use of unreliable narrators and flashbacks. You are as in the dark about what really happened as the rest of the world until the very end of the book. It just works to completely hook you in and keep you guessing. It is dark and delectable and completely compelling. At the same time, it makes you another one of the voyeurs picking apart this narrative and determined to discover the truth. Hollander has created something so interesting here with that innate contradiction.

Everyone Who Can Forgive Me is Dead is an explosive, exhilarating read that simmers away in your brain and consumes your every waking thought.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This was an interesting one because when I first started reading it I actually really disliked the MC and felt like it would stay that way throughout the book, but I totally came around and ended up sympathising with her big time by the end of it all.

While I did predict a few little twists in the book, there were a couple that totally blindsided me, especially the big reveal at around 50% in - I did not see that coming at all!

All in all this is a very easy to read thriller that manages to keep your interest throughout - while slow to start, the last 20% is so amped up that it hugely makes up for it. I enjoyed it a lot and will look out for other books by this author in future.

What a fantastic debut thriller!

This one is full of suspense and it gripped me from the first page. In its dual timelines, the author gives only bits and pieces away and there are plenty of plot twists too. I enjoyed it very much and I'm looking forward to reading more books by this author.

Thanks to NetGalley and Little Brown Book Group UK for an eARC of this book. Expected publication 6/2/24

I’ sorry this one was just not my cup of tea. Premise sounded interesting but just did not deliver. A slow burner. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the chance to review it.

I banged through this like a grasshopper on acid, I found it hugely addictive and compelling.

It has the kind of plot I like- an old tragedy causing current issues and the characters were all intriguing. There was enough mystery to keep you wondering and it is extremely well written.

A tense psychological thriller with that just one more page feeling. Recommended.

Great book title - although incredibly misleading. I love an unreliable narrator and books that have then v now timelines but this one unfortunately didn’t work for me. The whole story just felt a bit flat. It’s pretty slow paced and the night in question isn’t brought up till much later in the book. You don’t know what the perceived chain of events are never mind what Charlie is worrying about/the truth of how things played out. It just felt very dragged out and a bit of a slog with not much pay off.

Thanks to netgalley for providing an ecopy of this book in exchange for an honest review

The survivor of a spree killer ends up in a deadly game when the film about the killings begins.

I liked this and it was good to have some very unlikeable characters.

I would have liked a bit more pace.

Really enjoyed this book and was surprised to see that it's a debut. Will definitely be keeping an eye out for future releases from this author. I liked the way the narrative skipped between the present day and the characters' pasts at college. It reminded me a lot of The Girls Are All So Nice Here by Laurie Elizabeth Flynn. It's twisty but I did find the big final twist a little too convenient. That's the only negative thing I have to say though. Would recommend.

A gripping read. Nine years ago Charlie was present when there was an attack at her graduate school. She has no recollection of that fateful day but believes overtime that she had something to do with it.
Present day, Charlie is living her dream life, married to a man she adores and is editor in chief at well known magazine company, When rumours of a film being made about the night of the attack Charlie panics. her whole life could come crashing down. She knows she lied to the police at the time, and the other survivors have no idea as to what extent she was involved.
There are twists and turns, truth and lies. This is a compelling read and a great debut book. I look forward to reading more from this author

Even though I only read this book a week ago, I can't remember anything about it. I had to literally read the synopsis to remember what it was about. That's not a great sign of a book. Well, I ended up remembering, but few of my memories were good. The book was slow and the ending unsatisfying. There was so much buildup to the story and when I FINALLY got to the climax & the 'solution', I was angry at myself for not DNF'ing it when I wanted to at 15%.

In part, I loved this book. It was twisty and intriguing and atmospheric. The protagonist is likeable, but human, and most of the surrounding characters are three-dimensional and believable.

However, the book also felt a bit… confused. The narrative of the Scarlet Christmas tragedy never really becomes clear, and I still can’t work out how one of the victims ends up dying. Perhaps that’s just me being dim, but I got the overriding sense that even the author was unsure on aspects of the plot.

It’s a great premise for a book and a good read if you want to lose yourself in something for a while, but I thought it could have been executed better.

An instantly gripping and chilling read, Everyone Who Can Forgive Me is Dead is a book to watch out for in 2024.

I really enjoyed this book. 9 years ago Charlie Colbert's life changed forever. On Christmas Eve her elite graduate school was the scene of a terrible attack during which some of her classmates died. Charlie survived but she has never told the truth about what happened that night. Now a film is going to be made and Charlie is terrified that the truth will come out. This is a great story that will have you on the edge of your seat to the end.
Thanks toNetGalley for a preview copy.
Copied to Goodreads.

3.5 STARS
Really liked the name of the book so was looking forward to reading it.
The 10th anniversary of an event the media christened ‘Scarlet Christmas’ is approaching. Charlie Colbert is a survivor who has never told her side of the story. Not only did she survive, she is the current editor in chief of a high profile magazine, and is about to be married to one of New York's most eligible bachelors.
The characters were developed and unlikeable which is not a problem for me.
I found the pacing a little slow at times and wasn’t really grabbed by the plot.
Overall a good debut.
Many thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley UK for the ARC.

Charlie is a survivor of an attack at her school where several students died. She now has a successful career and is engaged to a wealthy successful banker. The tenth anniversary of the event is imminent and one of her former classmates is making a film about the night. Charlie is worried as she lied about what she saw, but has memory loss and can't be sure. She tries to stop the production and recover her memories. The full details of the night aren't revealed until late in the book and this changes the preconceptions that have built up through the book. This is cleverly done. A good beach read.

Nine years ago, Charlotte survived a killing spree at her elite graduate school that was later dubbed the 'Scarlett Christmas'. Jump to the present day, and she has come a long way since the harrowing experience. She is editor-in-chief of The Chronicle, has a wonderful fianceé and has cultivated a life many would dream of. All of this is at risk when the sister of one of the victims announces she is producing a film for the 10-year anniversary with new information that Charlotte had hoped would remain secret.

I thought this was a fantastic debut novel. The suspense and mystery slowly builds up as Charlotte recalls the events leading up to the Scarlett Christmas in her therapy sessions. She knows she doesn't remember the full story, and we're kept guessing as to what her involvement is. It is well-paced and has you fervently turning the page to find out what the hell happened - who died and what did Charlotte do? The plot twists were 90% great, the remaining being the one at the end that was predictable to me (my only criticism).

I really liked Charlotte and sympathised a lot with her situation - shame not everyone did (looking at you Tripp). I'm glad that she got a happy ending with a (hopefully) exciting future with an old flame.

Overall, I would definitely recommend this book. An engrossing mystery with brilliant plot twists and a satisfying ending.

Thank you to Little, Brown Book Group and Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. I will be posting this review 2 weeks before the publication date as requested.