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_meganrose's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Men and their fragile egos are an absolute disgrace. The actions. The inactions. The manipulation. The willingness to be manipulated. An absolute disgrace and I hope that everyone who played a role in the holes that enabled such a horrible human to do what he did live/lived the rest of their lives with a never-ending pit of shame consuming them. That, of course, would take having enough emotional intelligence and humility to recognize their mistakes. But I digress.
I respect that the author refused to use his name. Because quite frankly, it has always bothered me how he has been romanticized and portrayed in media. Only recently have I started to hear criticism on this, which means we are at least moving in the forward direction as a society (I hope).
4 stars because the perspective was refreshing, the belittlement of such a despicable human being was well overdue being warranted, and I couldn’t put it down.
That being said, it wasn’t an enjoyable reading experience so I don’t feel right giving 5 stars. This is no fault to the author. The darkness of this book was heavy and will haunt me.
I respect that the author refused to use his name. Because quite frankly, it has always bothered me how he has been romanticized and portrayed in media. Only recently have I started to hear criticism on this, which means we are at least moving in the forward direction as a society (I hope).
4 stars because the perspective was refreshing, the belittlement of such a despicable human being was well overdue being warranted, and I couldn’t put it down.
That being said, it wasn’t an enjoyable reading experience so I don’t feel right giving 5 stars. This is no fault to the author. The darkness of this book was heavy and will haunt me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Cancer, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Gore, Homophobia, Incest, Sexual assault, Blood, Excrement, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, Lesbophobia, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Terminal illness, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Vomit, Medical content, Medical trauma, Stalking, Abortion, Murder, Outing, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, and Sexual harassment
jourdanicus's review against another edition
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
I feel like I got scammed by this book. I must have misunderstood what it was about before I started it. Though I could barely drag myself through finishing it, there was some good writing there. But...lifting half the plot from a very real event that is still affecting people today? I'm pretty sure the woman Pamela is based on (or ripped off of...) is still alive and has written her own memoir... It seems really bizarre to fictionalize something that happened to REAL PEOPLE who are still around and have given interviews about their experience, etc. Like, can you plagiarize off of real life? If so, this did.
It's pretty unfortunate, I think this book could have been much stronger if the author had developed her own plot. She made some okay observations about gender dynamics but even those seemed a little anachronistic - like the time setting was poorly researched. There also really seemed to be a "women = good and justified in everything they do, men = bad rapists, murderers, or rapist-murderer apologists" vibe that was very much giving black-and-white thinking.
This book was probably not great to follow The Stranger Beside Me. If anyone somehow liked Bright Young Women, or especially if you also did not like it, try out Ann Rule's very timely, well-researched, sensitive, nuanced, non-fiction book instead.
It's pretty unfortunate, I think this book could have been much stronger if the author had developed her own plot. She made some okay observations about gender dynamics but even those seemed a little anachronistic - like the time setting was poorly researched. There also really seemed to be a "women = good and justified in everything they do, men = bad rapists, murderers, or rapist-murderer apologists" vibe that was very much giving black-and-white thinking.
This book was probably not great to follow The Stranger Beside Me. If anyone somehow liked Bright Young Women, or especially if you also did not like it, try out Ann Rule's very timely, well-researched, sensitive, nuanced, non-fiction book instead.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Rape, and Murder
Moderate: Toxic relationship and Violence
plant_mum's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Great book because it evokes such strong emotions. Reading this really upset me - it makes you wanna smash things (e.g. the patriarchy)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual violence, Grief, and Murder
gabydoesgrowth's review against another edition
challenging
dark
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Misogyny, Rape, Kidnapping, Grief, Murder, and Pandemic/Epidemic
feelincelestial's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Bright Young Women successfully pulled me out of a reading slump. It’s very engaging and well paced. There are a fair amount of side plots and a heavy focus of character development, which I enjoyed. Some of the storylines and details seemed superfluous to me, but I loved the characters and the focus on the women whose stories are often undercut by the tragedy of their final moments in the true crime world. Though the MCs are fictionalized, their plights are relatable and their personalities strong enough to completely pull the focus away from ‘The Defendant’.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Kidnapping, Grief, Murder, and Lesbophobia
cagey11's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Misogyny, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Violence, Grief, and Murder
livbell's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Blood, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
The description of the night of the event is very graphic.basicwinebitch's review against another edition
I read about half or 60% of this book for a book club, it was the first time I read a thriller but it was too stressful and anxiety inducing for me.
I see the good points of this book - it centers the female experience of victims, family and friends of a serial killer targeting women and I really like the choice to never use the man’s name.
However, this book is a fictionalised story of the real murders and I personally don’t feel right about that. I think you could choose to tell the stories of these real women in a factual way, or write a fully fictional book about the topic but to so closely base a fictional book on the real events and real people does not feel right to me. It leads to people discussing real people and their decisions in a way we would discuss a made up character but these are extremely traumatic events.
I see the good points of this book - it centers the female experience of victims, family and friends of a serial killer targeting women and I really like the choice to never use the man’s name.
However, this book is a fictionalised story of the real murders and I personally don’t feel right about that. I think you could choose to tell the stories of these real women in a factual way, or write a fully fictional book about the topic but to so closely base a fictional book on the real events and real people does not feel right to me. It leads to people discussing real people and their decisions in a way we would discuss a made up character but these are extremely traumatic events.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Hate crime, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual violence, Violence, Medical content, Murder, Gaslighting, and Abandonment
sabeenreads's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual violence, Violence, and Murder
gabs_parr's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
This book, a fictionalized account from the survivor’s and victim’s perspectives, changes the zeitgeist of how we think and discuss Ted Bundy and similar serial killers. It is natural to have a fascination with these killers. This novel shifts our attention from the serial killer to the women affected by him.
Every reference to how handsome, charming, cunning, or promising “The Defendant” was made me feel just as sick to my stomach as it has in real life when I’ve seen the same true remarks made about Bundy. This novel did not shy away from how hard women had to fight to be believed and how inadequate the media and law enforcement truly was when dealing with this case. Rather than admit to their wrong-doings, the authorities would rather spin a tale that Bundy was a mastermind of some kind, though his school records would indicate that he’s anything but… with this kind of misogyny and idiocy abound, it’s really a miracle he was ever convicted at all. In relation to the media portrayal, the character of Carl was really well done. He really showed that even amongst men who were supposed to be helpful friends, these women still faced an uphill battle of perception.
I loved the way Knoll knitted the two main female character together using the Tina character. It was a brilliant throughline. And the side drama of Ruth wrestling with her sexuality and family life was an excellent addition to the story. Sexuality changed everything for Ruth. It was because of the rejection of her family and her fight with Tina about her family that she went to her father’s ceremony solo, thus ending up at the lake alone on that fateful day. Pamela was an extremely strong and lovable character. She is relatable, smart, confident, and incredibly brave.
Something that I was really reminded of while reading this book is that women do not need to be nice to men. We do not owe men our time, our smiles, our attention, our help, nothing. If that makes us “bitches”, then so be it. It’s better to be an alive bitch than a dead nice lady. Ted Bundy was able to lure so many of his victims away because he made them feel bad for him and made them feel like they owed him help. They didn’t.
This book is a must read for all fans of true crime, thrillers, or mysteries.
Every reference to how handsome, charming, cunning, or promising “The Defendant” was made me feel just as sick to my stomach as it has in real life when I’ve seen the same true remarks made about Bundy. This novel did not shy away from how hard women had to fight to be believed and how inadequate the media and law enforcement truly was when dealing with this case. Rather than admit to their wrong-doings, the authorities would rather spin a tale that Bundy was a mastermind of some kind, though his school records would indicate that he’s anything but… with this kind of misogyny and idiocy abound, it’s really a miracle he was ever convicted at all. In relation to the media portrayal, the character of Carl was really well done. He really showed that even amongst men who were supposed to be helpful friends, these women still faced an uphill battle of perception.
I loved the way Knoll knitted the two main female character together using the Tina character. It was a brilliant throughline. And the side drama of Ruth wrestling with her sexuality and family life was an excellent addition to the story. Sexuality changed everything for Ruth. It was because of the rejection of her family and her fight with Tina about her family that she went to her father’s ceremony solo, thus ending up at the lake alone on that fateful day. Pamela was an extremely strong and lovable character. She is relatable, smart, confident, and incredibly brave.
Something that I was really reminded of while reading this book is that women do not need to be nice to men. We do not owe men our time, our smiles, our attention, our help, nothing. If that makes us “bitches”, then so be it. It’s better to be an alive bitch than a dead nice lady. Ted Bundy was able to lure so many of his victims away because he made them feel bad for him and made them feel like they owed him help. They didn’t.
This book is a must read for all fans of true crime, thrillers, or mysteries.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Homophobia, Misogyny, Sexism, Murder, and Lesbophobia
Moderate: Cursing, Fatphobia, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Kidnapping