Knoll’s takes us on an interesting journey with her character-driven partially fictionalized interpretation of the notorious Ted Bundy, his crimes against a college sorority, and two women on opposite sides of the track seeking justice. While this was a fictional true crime novel there were real events and facts mixed throughout.

I solely chose the book based off the cover and title one of my many bad habits I know. But I think I enjoyed this book a lot more than I expected because I never knew it was based on real events. I like surprises obviously and didn’t read the synopsis lol. Plus the author never mentioned who the killer was which kind of kept me on my toes. But now I understand why she never said his name.

This could’ve been a 5⭐️ read but I really felt it dragged a lot for a thriller and I kept feeling as though something was missing. It’s like the author said a lot but didn’t really give enough. The dual POVs and multiple timelines really overshadowed and slowed down the pacing.

The authors writing style was very unique and might’ve been overly descriptive at times but I loved her approach with the book. She gave us a chance to see things unfold from the victims perspective but again I didn’t feel that was enough. Pamela’s timelines were more in depth and interesting than Ruth’s. I get Ruth was a victim but her timeline didn’t really mesh well with Pamela’s. So, that causes you to pose the question what was the point of Ruth’s inclusion since Pamela basically carried the story.

Overall, this was an okay novel the beginning had a great build up but could’ve had a better ending. There are also a lot of criminal elements and trigger warnings surrounding murder, rape, and the serial killer’s heinous crimes. I liked the book so I do recommend however I wouldn't call Bright Young Women a thriller novel, because it only gave off a few intensely suspenseful moments. Special thanks to the author & @simonandachuster @bookclubfavorites for my gifted copy‼️