Linzie (suspenseisthrillingme)'s Reviews > Bright Young Women

January 1978. A serial killer has terrorized women across the Pacific Northwest, but his existence couldn’t be further from the minds of the vibrant young women at the top sorority on Florida State University’s campus in Tallahassee. Tonight is a night of promise, excitement, and desire, but Pamela Schumacher, president of the sorority, makes the unpopular decision to stay home—a decision that unwittingly saves her life. Startled awake at 3 a.m. by a strange sound, she makes the fateful decision to investigate. What she finds behind the door is a scene of implausible violence—two of her sisters dead; two others, maimed. Over the next few days, Pamela is thrust into a terrifying mystery inspired by the crime that’s captivated public interest for more than four decades.

On the other side of the country, Tina Cannon has found peace in Seattle after years of hardship. A chance encounter brings twenty-five-year-old Ruth Wachowsky into her life, a young woman with painful secrets of her own, and the two form an instant connection. When Ruth goes missing from Lake Sammamish State Park in broad daylight, surrounded by thousands of beachgoers on a beautiful summer day, Tina devotes herself to finding out what happened to her. When she hears about the tragedy in Tallahassee, she knows it’s the man the papers refer to as the All-American Sex Killer. Determined to make him answer for what he did to Ruth, she travels to Florida on a collision course with Pamela—and one last impending tragedy.

Sigh. I wanted to love Bright Young Women. I really did. And part of me did thoroughly enjoy the bright light being focused on the victims instead of the serial killer, but the execution of this book left me wanting. Perhaps thanks to its odd mix of a true crime story and a fictional “thriller,” I found myself having difficulty becoming invested in the plot. After all, the imaginary aspect to this novel lacked any real suspense or sense of foreboding, instead coming off dry and hard to wrap my head around at times.

But let me start with the positives. First off, I loved the two women at the center of this novel and their impactful dual POVs. Both were individuals content on keeping their heads down so to speak, until they were forced to confront the societal norms of the 1970s. Even better, Knoll managed to craft fully fleshed out personas rife with emotional backstories that felt true to the period instead of watered down by today’s standards.

I also enjoyed the brief appearances of true crime that bubbled up throughout the novel. Inspired by the gruesome murders of Ted Bundy, Knoll walked us through the events in a non-graphic manner while also imparting the horrors that happened over four decades ago. At the same time, however, the combination of mostly fictitious characters and very real events made it hard to swallow at times. I would actually have preferred for it to have been one hundred percent made up or honest true crime. But given this book’s ratings, it seems like I’m in the minority with this, so take my opinion with a large grain of salt.

My biggest pet peeve, however, was easily what I initially touched on. Told via multiple timelines and dual POVs, there was great promise for riveting suspense as the tale was unfurled. Instead, I was bored by many aspects of the plot, Ruth’s story arc in particular. I mean, I generally knew what crimes Bundy committed, so those facts were hardly gripping and the made up bits were missing the driving force expected of a thriller. On top of that, though, the way it was all delivered bordered on tedious with its slow pace and definite lack of tension.

All in all, the potential of this premise far surpassed the reality for me. I did enjoy the character building and thick backstories for both Ruth and Pamela, but the lack of anything that kept me spellbound made this nearly 400 page book drag on quite a bit. In all honesty, I felt I had to concentrate way too hard for what could have been one epic thriller had there been more chills and any real twists. Instead it leaned heavily on true crime and delivered a so-so drama of resilience and sisterhood. So if either of those things sound intriguing, this might be right up your alley. If, however, you’re looking for an actual thriller, you may come away disappointed. Rating of 3 stars (thanks in large part to the impeccable characters).

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Trigger warning: loss of a parent, gaslighting, sexism, kidnapping, homophobia, mention of: serial killer attack, rape, mental health problems, grooming, fatal allergic reaction, pedophilia, kidnapping, dementia

*Note on my TW: Nothing was particularly graphic, so don’t let this long list of triggers put you off unless one of the above resonates strongly for you.

**Synopsis provided by the publisher.