You Know Her

By: Meagan Jennett

Narrated by Sophie Amoss, Xe Sands

ISBN: 9781250886316

Publisher: Macmillan Audio

Publication Date: 04/04/2023

Format: Audiobook

My Rating: 3 Stars 🎧

APRIL 2023 MUST-READ BOOKS

"This book will be the talk of the genre. If you read one thriller this year, read this one." ―Chelsea Cain, New York Times bestselling author of Heartsick

Killing Eve meets Sharp Objects in this lush, savage Southern Gothic about two women: a fledgling murderer and the cop hell-bent on catching her.

Two hours before he vanished, Mark Dixon stole a glass of wine. That's what bartender Sophie Braam told the cops when they questioned her about the customer whose mutilated body was just found. What she didn’t tell them is that she’s the one who killed him.

Officer Nora Martin is new to the Bellair Police Department and trying very hard to learn the ropes from Detective Murphy while ignoring all the men in the department snapping about a diversity hire. When she meets Sophie, they build an uneasy camaraderie over shared frustrations.

As winter slides into spring and bodies start piling up, Nora begins to suspect that something’s not quite right with the unnerving, enigmatic bartender. But will she be able to convince Murph, or will he keep laughing off the idea that the serial killer haunting their little town is a woman?

A crackling cat-and-mouse thriller set against the verdant backdrop of small-town Virginia, Meagan Jennett’s You Know Her probes the boundaries of female friendship and the deadly consequences when frustration ferments into rage.

A Macmillan Audio production from Farrar, Straus and Giroux.

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My Review

Meagan Jennett's YOU KNOW HER is a violent sinister crazy Southern Gothic small-town psychological thriller about two women: a female murderer and a cop hell-bent on catching her.

Meet Sophie Braam, a bartender at Blue Bell Bar in Bellair, Virginia, who hates certain men, a psychopath; she starts KILLING them. Mark Dixon stole a glass of wine. Later Braam killed and mutilated the body.

Meet Officer Nora Martin, new to the Bellair Police Department and learning the topes from Detective Murphy (a man's world).

She meets Sophie, and they bond over shared frustrations. Hence, the dance begins—Nora is drawn to Sophie. Think KILLING EVE.

Nora begins suspecting something is wrong with the enigmatic bartender as the bodies pile up. Can Sophie trust Nora? Could the serial killer be a woman? Will Murphy believe Nora?

Sophie thinks she can save Nora.

A wild cat-and-mouse thriller set in a small rural town of Virgina. Who will be left alive, and will they catch the killer?

I may be in the minority, but I did NOT care for this book. Not for me. I finally had to put the audiobook down and kept skipping ahead. I almost DNF and decided not to review it. Ultimately, I decided to give my honest thoughts.

YOU KNOW HER's protagonist, Sophie, is creepy, evil, full of rage, violence, vengefulness, and hatred—lots of unsettling imagery.

I was not a fan of Gone Girl as maybe why I did not care for this one. Sophie is full of hate menace —a sociopath. INSANE. Too over the top, disturbing, and too violent. Also very repetitive. Too much "bad" and not enough blending of "good/evil." Not enough character development. Also, it would have been better if it had some dark humor mixed in.

Reading the book versus the audiobook may have been a different experience. The book reminds me of Meredith Hambrock's Other People's Secrets character (Baby, another cynical bartender). Also did not care for it.

I am overly generous with a 3-star rating because I do not give less. The audiobook was terrible, as Sophie's part with the country twang was nerve-grinding. Drove me crazy—is narrated by Sophie Amoss, but I assume she was in character. I do like the narrator Xe Sands, so I had to keep fast-forwarding to her part (Nora), which was much better.

I would not want a drink served by the bartender, Sophie! I did like the cover and the description, but the book, not so much.

Thanks to #MacmillanAudio for a gifted ALC via #NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Blog review posted @

JudithDCollins.com

@JudithDCollins | #JDCMustReadBooks

My Rating: 3 Stars

Pub Date: April 4, 2023

Praise

A Paste Magazine Most Anticipated Mystery and Thriller Book of 2023

A CrimeReads Most Anticipated Crime Fiction of 2023

"Stellar debut... Jennett is a writer to watch."

―Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"Highly recommended, especially for anyone following the growing thriller trend of female serial killers."

―Booklist (starred review)

"A subversive serial-killer tale that dives headfirst into a furious mind."

―Kirkus

“You Know Her is a crackerjack debut thriller.”

―Bruce Tierney, BookPage

“Suspenseful and surprising, equal parts lyrical and chilling, You Know Her draws us relentlessly―and eagerly―into the cat-and-mouse duel between a young cop and a budding serial killer. A crackling debut.”

―Meg Gardiner, Edgar Award–winning author of the UNSUB series

"With a naturalist's soul and a killer's heart, Meagan Jennett has delivered a debut that seethes with graceful rage. Angry, smart, propulsive―You Know Her is an unforgettable crime novel."

―Ivy Pochoda, author of These Women

“You Know Her shines a light on the many ways women shoulder the emotional burdens of the world, but in this clever and sharp novel, it’s the men who pay the consequences. Incredibly dark, and with writing that drips pure emotion, You Know Her will haunt your dreams at night and have you checking over your shoulder during the day.”

―Julie Clark, New York Times bestselling author of The Lies I Tell

"A fierce, funny, incredibly timely, cathartic, gonzo feminist thriller. This book will be the talk of the genre. If you read one thriller this year, read this one.”

―Chelsea Cain, New York Times bestselling author of Heartsick

“There’s a killer mystery at the center of this novel that will keep you up turning pages deep into the night. Jennett mastered the pace and secrets of this thriller that you won’t ever be able to forget.”

―Debutiful

"Meagan Jennett doesn't mind bucking stereotypes -- in fact, her sensational debut novel You Know Her thrives because of it."

―Dawn Ius, The Big Thrill

About the Author

Meagan Jennett is an escaped bartender, who traded in crafting cocktails for crafting her own tales. Originally from Crozet, Virginia, she now lives in Scotland, where she is completing her Doctorate of Fine Arts at the University of Glasgow. WEBSITE