Okay, so I’ve heard a lot about this novel, and I, like every other American citizen, am a little obsessed with serial killers. However, this novel made me realize a lot about that obsession, both good and bad.

Alright we can start with the good for this novel. Jessica Knoll’s writing is so descriptive. Not only that, but she’s descriptive in a way that  makes me think, “Wow, I’ve never thought of it that way before.” I really like that. I love that she makes me think of things in a new light. I also can appreciate how much time, effort, and hopefully research (I say hopefully because I can’t be certain that she actually did research for this novel) went into Bright Young Women. I found both Pamela and Tina extremely relatable in many aspects, but there were also things that I didn’t like about this novel. 

Starting with the characters, I just never felt connected with them. I never felt that emotional pull that I want to feel with characters going through an extreme tragedy. Pamela survived something terrible. Tina did, too. So, why did I have no emotional ties with them? Why did I not care what ended up happening to them? I can’t tell you exactly what it is, but I can tell you that I felt the exact same way with Jessica Knoll’s other popular novel, Luckiest Girl Alive. 

So, I know I said her descriptive writing was a good thing, and it is, but it’s also a bad thing as well. The reason for that is because it pulls you away from the actual story and characters (maybe that’s why I didn’t sympathize with them?). I loved her descriptions, but sometimes it was just too much. Especially with the serial killer. 

Jessica Knolls just kept mentioning how small he was. That he was a small man. I get that. I get that you want to make it a point to show that he wasn’t what everyone made him out to be. But let’s be honest here: this is just another story about Ted Bundy. It makes me so so sad to type this because Jessica Knolls did change the narrative a bit to bring it back to the victims and survivors. At the end of the day, though, she is still bringing back this old case that really needs to be put to rest. Ted Bundy was just another man who took advantage of women, and while I am obsessed with serial killers, I’m coming to find that, at least to me, they’re all the same. They’re just simple men who are evil, dull, and want to hurt people because of what they lack within themselves. Jessica Knolls did do that for me, though: she made me realize that I don’t want to read about evil men anymore; they’ve had enough of my time. They’ve had enough of the survivors’ time. We can remember the victims without the killer. 

Overall, while I think this is a really well-executed novel, I don’t think it pulled me as much as I hoped it would. I think many people (women especially) will find this novel refreshing in the way that it changes the focus from men to women. Although, I also think my serial killer era is over and I no longer want to hear about Ted Bundy ever again 🙂 

Source: Personal Copy