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Bright Young Women
Bright Young Women | Jessica Knoll
13 posts | 19 read | 6 to read
January 15, 1978, is a night of promise, excitement, and desire. A serial killer's murderous spree in the Pacific Northwest couldn't be further from the minds of the vibrant young women at the top sorority on Florida State University's campus in Tallahassee.
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Nicki_K
Bright Young Women | Jessica Knoll
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This book is based on the real life murders of two sorority members by Ted Bundy,offering a different perspective than we have come to expect from books based on true crimes.I loved that we got to see crimes of Ted Bundy through a different lense than usual.We got to see these young women's lives in all of their richness and not just have them reduced down to being on a victim list of a serial killer. A well written and fascinating read.⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

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heyitsMacall
Bright Young Women | Jessica Knoll
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I loved this book and all its characters. A real life horror story. I do enjoy reading about female resilience and one of the background characters had my name.

14 likes1 stack add
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anushareflects
Bright Young Women | Jessica Knoll
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A retelling of the Ted Bundy murders from the POV of (two) victims and their friends. This was an interesting book for sure, offering a unique perspective of using the victims‘ narrative without ever taking Bundy by name throughout the book. Part historical fiction part imagination. But I felt the author spread herself too thin with too many details and side plots that the punchiness of the novel dwindled as the book progressed.

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Amiable
Bright Young Women | Jessica Knoll
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I think I forgot to post my brackets for April. Oops! And I‘m late with May. Oh, well. Here‘s where my FICTION bracket stands currently. I‘ve got a few good contenders for June already!

#2024ReadingBrackets

CBee I‘m excited that you liked Bright Young Women! I thought it was really well done. 6mo
Amiable @CBee It kind of gave me nightmares, though! Since I knew it was based on real life. I remember going through a true-crime phase in my 20s where I read about serial killers all the time. I don't know what I was thinking. I'd have to sleep with the lights on if I regularly read that stuff now! 😳 (edited) 6mo
CBee @Amiable we are so similar - I was the same and even wrote a research paper on serial killers for an abnormal psychology class! But now, it‘s harder for me to read about those things. 6mo
Amiable @CBee I think we gain more empathy and understanding as we get older because now we know what heartbreak and tragedy feel like. So we can put ourselves in the shoes of the victims and their families. It‘s not abstract “entertainment” thrills anymore. (edited) 6mo
CBee @Amiable well said 💯👍🏻 6mo
38 likes5 comments
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Amiable
Bright Young Women | Jessica Knoll
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Are there a few style issues with this book? Yes. But I appreciate the angle taken, one that focuses on the WOMEN —those who were victimized by The Defendant, those who survived and those who didn‘t. Their stories always deserve to be told, but too often are not. Why is it that things a woman sees and experiences with her own eyes are dismissed as less relevant than something a man says or believes? It‘s infuriating. This book will stay with me.

59 likes1 stack add
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Amiable
Bright Young Women | Jessica Knoll
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YES. THIS. So much this.

As a woman in my 50s who has witnessed and experienced decades of misogyny and mansplaining and “there-there-little-lady” pats on the head of condescension and dismissal of our thoughts and feelings and fears, so much of this book resonates with me. And angers me.

TrishB I think it‘s worse now than in my teens 😞 7mo
Amiable @TrishB It‘s absolutely feels like we are going backwards at a rapid pace. 😠 7mo
TrishB It definitely does. 7mo
See All 6 Comments
Megabooks 💯💯🙌🏻🙌🏻 7mo
quietlycuriouskate Wish I could say I have no idea what you are talking about, but alas... 😠 7mo
MemoirsForMe 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 7mo
55 likes6 comments
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Gissy
Bright Young Women | Jessica Knoll
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I read this book as part of #GabyReadsBookTroop (YouTuber) and I concur with their analysis that this is more like a HF because it is based/inspired in a true case but novel is from the victims POV😢It was interesting but sometimes I don‘t know what the author wanted to emphasize, the victims?, the main character? the legal process? In my opinion I don‘t see that integration so well but this is an unpopular opinion.⬇️

Gissy (Cont.) It seems that this book was well accepted in that book club🤷🏽‍♀️ 3.8⭐️

April 2024
#ReadAway2024 @DieAReader @Andrew65 @Ghabi4Roses
#BookSpinBingo #8 (late reading- this was the book assigned for last January in @GabyReads ) @TheAromaOfBooks
#ISpyBingo (doesn‘t shows full face)
Book Posted in #ItTakesAllKinds (day 3/05) #F&NFWithSameTopic @Eggs @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks
8mo
DieAReader 👋🏻Next up! 8mo
TheAromaofBooks Great progress!! 8mo
45 likes3 comments
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Hilary427
Bright Young Women | Jessica Knoll
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Another low pick for me. Interesting re-telling of a real life serial killer from the 70s, but from some of the victims, and the victims friends, points of view. Interesting and unique way of telling the story, but about 75 pages too long. (11)
⭐️: 3.75/5

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MysticFaerie
Bright Young Women | Jessica Knoll
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4.5⭐️/5⭐️

11 likes1 stack add
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Mirazzles
Bright Young Women | Jessica Knoll
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Just finished this one yesterday…I would give it 3.5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️ because I‘m still thinking about it the next day. I do have mixed feelings about it though.

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CallMeIshmael
Bright Young Women | Jessica Knoll
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There was a time when I was guilty of glorifying serial killers, I wrote papers about them, knew trivia, and developed a fascination. But that changed several years ago and this book cemented that decision. It‘s a fictional retelling of the Ted Bundy story without ever mentioning his name, instead it focuses on the victims and the victims who survived.

CallMeIshmael It tears apart the narrative of him that was grossly exaggerated back then and unfortunately we still do it today with unsavory individuals. We look past their crimes and see what we want to see and believe their pathetic lies. This book is a reminder of this and I highly highly recommend. 13mo
MicheleinPhilly Wow. I really didn‘t care for her previous book so wasn‘t planning on reading this. Your review is making me reconsider. 👍🏼 13mo
26 likes3 stack adds2 comments
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Floresj
Bright Young Women | Jessica Knoll
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Novel chronicles two women‘s investigation of who killed their friends (Ted Bundy). I loved his name was never used and the focus was on the women, their backgrounds, and their friends. Good read.