Not Quite Dead Yet by Holly Jackson was our January book club pick, and we wrapped up our discussion over drinks and dinner at Bloom Boutique Bar & Eatery. The atmosphere was amazing with all the florals. I enjoyed their Bis-Coffeetini which was Tito’s Vodka, espresso, biscoff-infused coffee syrup and biscoff dust. AMAZING!
We also used the discussion questions from Bookclubs.com, which gave us plenty to talk about and some very different opinions around the table.
I went into this book with pretty high expectations, especially since I’ve enjoyed Holly Jackson’s previous work. Unfortunately, this one ended up being a mixed experience for me, and I think both the format and overall tone played a big role.
What Not Quite Dead Yet is About
Not Quite Dead Yet follows a woman in her late twenties who survives an attempted murder and becomes determined to uncover who tried to kill her. As she pieces together the events leading up to the attack, she realizes the danger may not be over and that the truth is far more complicated than it first appeared. The story leans heavily into mystery and suspense, with secrets, shifting motives, and twists designed to keep readers guessing about who can be trusted.
My Reading Experience
I started this book as an audiobook, and in hindsight, that was a mistake. The narrator’s voice was distracting, with an irritating tone and noticeable vocal fry that immediately set the wrong tone for me. It made it harder to connect with the characters and influenced how I felt about the story from the very beginning.
Although the main characters are adults in their late twenties, they often spoke and behaved in ways that felt much more like teenagers. While this makes sense given that Holly Jackson is primarily known as a YA author, the book still very much read like young adult fiction despite the characters’ ages. The dialogue and emotional reactions often felt immature, which pulled me out of the story more than once.
I also struggled to find any truly likable characters. While flawed characters can absolutely work, in this case it made it harder to feel emotionally invested in anyone’s outcome.
What Worked with Not Quite Dead Yet
That said, the twists were entertaining and kept the conversation lively at book club. Holly Jackson clearly knows how to build suspense and layer surprises, and even when I wasn’t fully connecting with the characters, I still wanted to know how everything would unravel.
Final Thoughts
Overall, I recommend skipping the audiobook and sticking to reading this one instead. You may enjoy the twists more without the narration influencing your perception of the tone. If you enjoy fast-paced thrillers and don’t mind a story that still feels very YA in style, even with adult characters, this can still be a fun book club pick.
Overall rating 3.5 ⭐️
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