Plot Summary
This one had me scrambling through pages like a woman possessed—ironic, really, given our protagonist Jet Mason is trying to solve her own murder while still technically alive.
Jet, 27, wakes after a vicious attack on Halloween to find her life hanging by a thread. With a rupturable brain injury giving her mere days to live, she skips the hospital bed and heads straight into amateur sleuth mode—determined to discover who “killed” her. Alongside childhood bestie Billy, she navigates the secrets buried deep in the town of Woodstock, Vermont. The deeper they dig, the messier it gets—family betrayals, poisonings, criminal cover-ups, and just enough emotional fallout to leave you blinking back tears between plot twists.
Themes
- Mortality & urgency – With time quite literally running out, the story asks how we’d spend our last days if the end came with clarity and a countdown.
- Friendship & redemption – Jet and Billy’s rekindled bond carries the emotional heart of the story.
- Secrets & consequences – Everyone in Woodstock is hiding something, and not all of it relates to Jet’s attack.
- Grief & fractured families – Jet’s chaotic familial ties are a key source of pain, drama and motivation.
What Worked
What Worked- The premise: Solving your own murder with a ticking clock? It’s original, eerie, and executed with emotional punch.
- Pacing: Once this story found its rhythm (around 60% in, if I’m being brutally honest), I couldn’t flip the pages fast enough.
- The setting: Vermont in autumn felt both haunting and beautiful – eerily cosy, perfect for a post-Halloween thriller.
- Billy: Just… Billy. Soft-hearted, loyal, tragically underappreciated. He kept me anchored when Jet’s internal monologue became grating.
- The ending: Devastating, satisfying, and yes – I cried. Holly Jackson remains the queen of emotionally wrecking twists that feel earned.
And What Didn’t…
Let’s be frank. Jet Mason was not my cup of tea. Her voice read like a snarky teen, not a 27-year-old woman with a terminal head injury. I cringed every time she vowed to “find her killer” as if announcing it over cereal. The monologue dragged, and her logic, especially when refusing to involve the police despite good reason, made me eye-roll hard.
Despite the adult framing, the book felt unmistakably YA in tone and structure. Several side plots fizzled out, and the sheer amount of unresolved drama left me slightly unsatisfied.
And don’t get me started on how she’s traipsing around town piecing together clues while actively dying. Suspension of disbelief was working overtime.
Who Should Read This
Who Should Read This- Holly Jackson loyalists, this is classic Jackson: twisty, emotional, and addictive.
- Thriller readers who love murder mysteries with a supernatural spin.
- Fans of YA who don’t mind a slightly older protagonist.
- Anyone who enjoys speculative mysteries, dark humour, or heartfelt friendship arcs.
- If you’re expecting a gritty adult crime thriller à la Gillian Flynn, this probably isn’t it.
Conclusion
Did I love the main character? No.
Did I cringe? Yes.
Did I still devour the book in one sitting? Also yes.
Holly Jackson has a knack for creating addictive narratives with punchy dialogue and layered mysteries. Despite its tonal confusion and overly juvenile voice, Not Quite Dead Yet had enough heart and unpredictability to keep me hooked. It’s the kind of book that makes you sigh, shake your head, and then search for your next Jackson fix.
Thank you, Penguin Random House SA, for the opportunity to read this book.
About the author:
Not Quite Dead Yet by Jackson, Holly | Penguin Random House South Africa
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