I'm Not Done with You Yet
Ratings11
Average rating3.6
Some friends—and friendships—are worth killing for in this dark, twisty suspense novel by national bestselling author Jesse Q. Sutanto. Jane is unhappy. A struggling midlist writer whose novels barely command four figures, she feels trapped in an underwhelming marriage, just scraping by to pay a crippling Bay Area mortgage for a house—a life—she's never really wanted. There's only ever been one person she cared about, one person who truly understood her: Thalia. Jane's best and only friend nearly a decade ago during their Creative Writing days at Oxford. It was the only good year of Jane’s life—cobblestones and books and damp English air, heady wine and sweet cider and Thalia, endless Thalia. But then one night ruined everything. The blood-soaked night that should have bound Thalia to Jane forever but instead made her lose her completely. Thalia disappeared without a trace, and Jane has been unable to find her since. Until now. Because there she is, her name at the top of the New York Times bestseller list: A Most Pleasant Death by Thalia Ashcroft. When she discovers a post from Thalia on her website about attending a book convention in New York City in a week—“Can’t wait to see you there!”—Jane can’t wait either. She’ll go to New York City, too, credit card bill be damned. And this time, she will do things right. Jane won’t lose Thalia again.
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It's just twist after twist after TWIST. Holy crap, what an awesome story.
First half was a slow burn, a depressing and tough slog. Then several good twists followed by an unclear ending.
In Jesse Q. Sutanto's psychological thriller, Jane will stop at nothing to reclaim her lost friend and literary muse, Thalia, no matter the cost. This was a consuming book that I just couldn't put down.
Summary:
In this suspenseful novel by Jesse Q. Sutanto, Jane, a struggling writer stuck in an unsatisfying marriage, harbors an obsession with rekindling her lost friendship with Thalia. Thalia was her only true friend during their Oxford days nine years ago. Jane's life was at its peak back then—filled with cobblestones and English air, so different from her home in Oakland, and the warmth of Thalia's friendship. However, a fateful, blood-soaked night severed their bond, leading to Thalia's mysterious disappearance.
Jane's quest to find Thalia takes a surprising turn when she discovers that Thalia is now a best-selling author with a book convention appearance in New York City. Determined not to lose her friend again, Jane impulsively heads to New York.
As she joins the convention, Jane resolves to make things right and resurrect their friendship. However, beneath the surface, dark secrets and hidden motives begin to unravel, raising the stakes in this gripping tale of friendship, obsession, and suspense.
Review:
The first 20% of the book was grating. I didn't like Jane. She is emotionally stunted, stuck in the mind of a short-tempered and somewhat petulant teen. Her view of the world was tinted by her upbringing, filled with emotional neglect and Jane's mother's middling expectations for her life.
Deeply unhappy in her life and marriage, she clings to memories of Thalia, a classmate and dear friend in her writing program at Oxford. Jane is hung up on the high she feels around Thalia, the pages of prose inspired by her that initially earned Jane respect from teachers and interest from students. Thalia shined even brighter as a writer, but Jane loved her for it. In Jane's eyes, Thalia was a treasure – but one to be hoarded. I don't want to give too much away, but the cat-and-mouse game was quite fun.
While there were some issues with pacing in the first and last quarters of the book, I enjoyed it! I'm not a suspense thriller reader, by any means, but now I'm down to read a few more books in this genre. Similar book recommendations are welcome!
4/5 stars
