Not Quite Dead Yet is author Holly Jackson’s newest release. Jackson is most well-known for her series A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder. Not Quite Dead Yet, a similar book, is wonderfully written with mystery, intrigue, and an abundance of fall vibes.
The novel follows Jet, who recently quit her job and lives with her parents. On Halloween night, Jet ends up getting attacked in her parents’ house. She later finds out that she only has a week to live because of the attempted take on her life. After finding this out, this leads Jet with the sole purpose of finding out who tried to murder her. With the help of her childhood best friend, Billy, Jet works to solve the case.
The premise of this book was already such an interesting concept, and the way Jackson executed it made it even better. Jackson was able to create compelling characters whom you are rooting for, but still have an abundance of flaws.Â
The main character, Jet, for example, is someone who has a hard time thinking about people other than herself and often has selfish tendencies. Even with all of her flaws, you are still rooting for her, though. I think Jackson does a really good job of creating very realistic characters who are fully fleshed out.Â
While the characters in this book are really good, I think that the most impressive part of this novel is the way the plot is structured. In mystery novels, it can be difficult to make a surprising ending that is still realistic. A lot of times authors will make it extremely clear from the beginning what the ending is. On the other hand authors will also tend to create endings that are impossible to guess. They will just pull an ending out of thin air that no one could have ever predicted. Holly Jackson, however, is someone who is able to find the perfect sweet spot for mysteries. She is able to find a good balance between foreshadowing and keeping things hidden. When the mystery is revealed it is both a shock but also something that still makes sense to the story. She does an excellent job of wrapping up every loose end and connecting every clue.
The book also features a slight bit of romance, which is a little underdeveloped in my opinion, but because it wasn’t a big part of the plot, I don’t think that takes away from the book in the slightest. Having the romance be a subplot, I think, is actually more beneficial for the story because of the small time frame Jet is given at the beginning of the story. If you are looking for a mystery book with a lot of romance, I don’t think this would be the best choice.Â
Overall this book is a perfect option for anyone who loves mystery and thriller books. It was a great balance of plot and character development, with a really compelling storyline. This was such a great fall read perfect for the mysterious and spooky nature of the autumn months.