In Not Quite Dead Yet, Holly Jackson delivers a haunting, emotionally charged mystery about a girl racing against time. Jet knows she is dying — and she knows someone is responsible. With only days left, she becomes determined to uncover the truth about what happened to her before it’s too late. As suspicion swirls and secrets unravel, Jet pieces together the people and moments that shaped her life — and may have led to her death. What unfolds is a twist-filled story layered with heartbreak, love, and the aching desperation of unfinished business.
This book was so well written. Holly Jackson builds tension slowly and carefully, almost deceptively, and then pulls the rug out from under you again and again. The pacing felt intentional, emotional, and sharp — every chapter mattered. The plot twists kept coming; just when I thought I had everything figured out, something shifted. Even though I correctly guessed some of the major twists before the final reveal (which is why I landed at four stars instead of five), the journey there was still incredibly compelling. The clues were layered intelligently, and nothing felt random or thrown in just for shock value.
More than anything, I loved Jet. Watching her growth throughout the novel was one of the most powerful aspects of the story. She begins raw, scared, and desperate for answers, but as the clock runs down, she becomes braver, softer, and more reflective. There’s a heartbreaking clarity she gains about her life, her choices, and the people she loves. Knowing the entire time that she was going to die made everything feel heavier — and it absolutely wrecked me that she didn’t get to figure out who killed her before she passed. That lack of neat closure made the story feel even more tragic and real. Life — and death — don’t always give you the answers you want. And those letters? I was in tears. Completely undone. They felt intimate and final in a way that lingers long after you close the book.
Billy was such a genuinely good man — steady, loyal, and loving in that quiet, unwavering way. I wanted so badly for him and Jet to have the long life together they deserved. Their relationship felt tender and real, deeply human without being overly dramatic. I genuinely wish him all the best — which feels dramatic to say about a fictional character, but here we are.
Even though I anticipated some earlier twists, that final moment still had me reeling. I did not expect that ending. It was bold, slightly unhinged, and honestly kind of iconic. I closed the book just sitting there thinking, wait… what just happened? Overall, this was a great novel from Holly Jackson, and I highly recommend it if you’re in the mood for a thriller that will keep you guessing and leave you in tears.
