Plot Twist, Please

This Thriller Made Us Suspect EVERYONE… | Not Quite Dead Yet by Holly Jackson

• Susannah, Beth and Cass • Season 1 • Episode 25

Share episode

Use Left/Right to seek, Home/End to jump to start or end. Hold shift to jump forward or backward.

0:00 | 45:29

This week on Plot Twist Please, we’re diving into the rom-com murder mystery Not Quite Dead Yet by Holly Jackson. When Jet Mason learns she only has days to live after a brutal attack, she decides to spend her final week solving her own attempted murder. We unpack the twists, suspicious characters, small-town secrets, and debate what we would actually do in Jet’s situation. Did the twists fool us… or did we see them coming?

📚 Spoiler alert: we’re covering the whole book!
 ✨ Today’s drink: Energy Drinks!
 🎧 Tune in, sip with us, and remember — keep your glass, your bookshelf, and your TBR full.

___________________________________________________________________________________


Welcome to Plot Twist, Please – the ultimate bookish podcast for readers who love deep discussions, honest book reviews, and trending BookTok favourites. We talk fantasy books, romance books, thrillers, YA series, and everything in between whilst sipping on our favourite cocktails. From old favourites to the latest viral reads, we’re here for all the plot twists.

✨ Weekly episodes featuring book recommendations, character analysis, and spoiler-filled discussions. If you love BookTok, BookTube, and Bookstagram, this is your space!

📚 Follow for more bookish content and reading inspo
🎧 Available on all major podcast platforms

For inquiries or requests, email hello@plottwistplease.com

INTRO 
Music by TossedOnion - Just Vibin' - https://thmatc.co/?l=0191967D

Music by Anja Kotar - July (strings version) - https://thmatc.co/?l=3E25A972

Support the show

SPEAKER_00

Welcome back to Plot Twist Please where you sit, flip, and spill the tea on books and booze. I'm Susanna. I'm Cass. And I'm Beth. Today's drink is a Nope. What the?

SPEAKER_01

You scripted this. And you're already. So great start, guys. We are not drinking today. We can't blame that. But we're getting into the rom com murder mystery. And like any we have ever read, Not Quite Dead Yet by Holly Jackson. You may continue.

SPEAKER_02

Today's drink is nothing. Oh, we are drinking. It's energy. Energy. I'm drinking a yerba mate mint enlightened mint beverage.

SPEAKER_01

I've got the Red Bull Spring Edition cherry and secure, which is very good. This one's very light.

SPEAKER_00

I've got a new flavor from Alani New, which they kindly sent me, which is Lime Slush, and it's probably honestly my favorite that I've tried. So good.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, it's really good. I drank that and I was sad to drink it.

SPEAKER_00

I don't even know what it reminds me of. I want more.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02

So I'm hoping like Costco or something. Tyler says it reminds him of a lime Ricky pop shop. I could see that.

SPEAKER_00

I've never had one of those, so I don't know. All I can it's lime slush, lime slushie is the only taste like the other two. Yeah. It's very good. Before we get into anything, we need to talk about the Sarah J. Mass Avatar 6-7 reveal. Two books in one year, right?

SPEAKER_02

Yep. Well, yeah. Tech so well, the first one comes out October 27th, right before my birthday. And then I think the next one is January 12th. January, yeah.

SPEAKER_00

Another thing she mentioned was that like there's two different mates. Like, just because you're mated to someone doesn't mean that they're they're your true true mate, which I thought was kind of stupid, but that's my opinion.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, there was definitely some I don't want to say controversial, but I know like some people I think have talked about like some of the things that she was saying contradicted things she'd said at other points. And in other books, yeah. And in other books, and then yeah, but what I found it interesting though was like her talking about different things in the book that people were going through was because of things that were going on in her own life. Yeah. So like she was having a hard time and Nesta was having a hard time, like type of thing. And yeah. Um so I thought that was kind of like that.

SPEAKER_02

I wouldn't be upset if we got another Nesta book.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, I'd be okay with that.

SPEAKER_02

I'd be fine with that.

SPEAKER_00

I don't want her and Cassian not to be mates though.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, that would be really sad.

SPEAKER_01

That was I thought it was either mentioned or something that she said at some point, I don't think I don't know if it was actually in the podcast that they are mates. Apparently she has confirmed that.

SPEAKER_00

Okay, allegedly. Well hopefully, but then she's like true, true mates. And I'm like, come on, bro.

SPEAKER_01

I think she's leaning towards like a towards the Elaine aspect of it. Yeah, I hope the next book is an Elaine book. I don't know because uh like I'd be happy with the Nessa book, but at this point, like I just like just excuse me. Wow. Just get stop beating up my couch, just get Elaine, give her some more personality so we're not all just like everyone's just a hating on her. I know there's something with Elaine for sure. Maybe she'll be the baddest of them all. She might be the best character if she like if SJM does this right, she could be the best character. Yeah, with the best character. She might just shock us all.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah. Did you know that she writes in her bedroom? Like she has a desk in her bedroom. One of the things that have really inspired her to write the upcoming books is the soundtrack from Robert Paddingson's Batman movie. Really? Yeah, she just really connected with some of the songs from there. And she will literally ball her eyes out as she writes these scenes. So, like her husband will walk in and she'll be crying, and he just like slowly backs out. He's like, This is what we're doing. Like, I'm not concerned. He's like, Okay. Are you okay, honey? It's like we've seen this before. She's in the zone. Like, I'm just gonna disappear.

SPEAKER_02

Slowly, but he Homer Simpsons his way out of there.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, but she doesn't like write in cafes or anything. She doesn't like to do that, I think, because she's such a popular author, kind of famous. Yeah. So like she doesn't want to be writing in.

SPEAKER_01

I also feel like you need a vibe. You need like I think you set the tone for yourself.

SPEAKER_00

I'm surprised about the Batman soundtrack, though.

SPEAKER_01

That's not a good thing. I mean, I thought it was a good soundtrack, but that movie was shit. That's it.

SPEAKER_00

So as always, full spoiler warning ahead. We are getting into Not Quite Dead Yet by Holly Jackson, which was our book club book of the month for February, right? Yes, I think so. We're talking plot character vibes, all the plot twists, and we will be switching up how we do our episodes. So in the past, we have gone into the synopsis, like every aspect of the book. We have made out of the yeah.

SPEAKER_01

I would say like a full book summary instead of a synopsis.

SPEAKER_00

But we figure since you're listening to this episode, you already have read the book. So more than we need to. Did we, before we get into things, want to talk about what we're reading right now? So I'm reading Daggermouth, which is our book club book of the month for March. Cass is also reading Daggermouth. Correct. Beth is finished, naturally.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah. I'm reading Her Saint, which is a dark academia book. Is that the Her Saint His Sinner? Yeah.

SPEAKER_02

Oh.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah. Is it good? Who's the?

SPEAKER_02

I'm actually really enjoying it. I feel like that's on my TBR, probably. It isn't. Is that where you got it from? Yeah. Oh my god. I have so many on there that I don't even know what's on there.

SPEAKER_01

Like when I'm like uninspired, uh, Harmony West. Yes. We had we've recently added some more of her another series. No, that was Penelope Douglas. No, no, there's another one of Harmony West's that you had sent me or something, and we had both decided to.

SPEAKER_02

Oh yeah. The um it's not out yet. Sweet obsession.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah. Yeah. It comes out the end of the year. So then that's what like so. I went in to see if it was there yet that I could like add it in my TBR. And then I'd seen that one, and then I saw that you were following, like, you had already saved to your TBR, and then I was like, does it go? That's only 200 pages. So Oh, perfect. Yeah, that's like I'm in.

unknown

All right.

SPEAKER_00

Synopsis time. Our brief synopsis.

SPEAKER_01

An actual synopsis.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, just a quickie.

SPEAKER_01

All right. So Margaret Jet Mason, a 27-year-old from a wealthy family in Woodstock, Vermont, is violently attacked on Halloween night and left with a catastrophic head injury. Doctors tell her that the injury will cause a fatal brain aneurysm within about a week unless she undergoes a risky surgery with very little chance of survival. Instead of taking the surgery, Jet decides to spend her final days investigating who attacked her. With the help of her childhood friend Billy, she digs into the secrets of her small town and begins to suspect everyone around her, including family, friends, and her ex-boyfriend, as the clock ticks down on her life.

SPEAKER_02

Let's talk about the plot twists, please, in Not Quite Dead Yet. So because this book absolutely thrives on making you suspicious of literally everyone, let's talk about the plot twists that happened.

SPEAKER_01

Alright. So, quick plot twist recap. Jet learns a head injury from her attack will likely kill her within days, turning the mystery into a race against time. As she investigates, multiple people close to her start looking super suspicious, revealing hidden grudges and secrets from the past. Several clues point in different directions, constantly shifting who seems guilty. And the final reveal shows that the truth was much closer to Jet than she expected. That and well, than any of us expected.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01

And earlier interactions in the story take on a completely different meaning once the truth comes out.

SPEAKER_02

So Billy's dad was the perpetrator. But he also had an affair or an ongoing longtime affair with Jet's mom. And Luke was the byproduct of that affair. Who then actually killed Sophia? No. Who killed Sophia? Emily.

SPEAKER_01

Sophia's the sister-in-law.

SPEAKER_02

Oh yeah, no, Emily, the sister. Luke literally drowned her. And then Billy's dad covered it up.

SPEAKER_00

Billy's dad has always kind of been like on the lookout for Luke, so he'd cover up any and take care of any problems that Luke found himself in. Yeah. So he did cover it up.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, he like kind of tied her hair in the drain to make her body down. Yeah, to make it look like her hair got caught and she drowned accidentally.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah. Yeah. One of the things that Jet was hiding from Billy was that Jet was under the impression that she was part of the reason why Billy's mom left. Yes. Which this is super messed up for Billy's mom. You know that your husband is possibly a monster and you leave your son with them. Yeah. Like she didn't just leave and take her son. She just left him there. Left him there. But the one thing that because I guess like she had like her calendar or whatever or her agenda, and she would make like little notes when they pop into her head, and one of the notes was that he was still wet. First, you think she's talking about Luke because Luke was in the pool with Emily. So then you realize she was talking about Billy's dad. Yeah. That he was still wet. Yes. And he should, he would shouldn't have even been near the pool. Right. That's one thing I don't like Billy's mom for. But it wasn't there a suspicion that Billy's dad, there's something going on with Emily.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, the mom had some suspicions and thought that's why he she was going over he was going over the overall. Yeah. Yeah. But it wasn't because of that. It was just because of Luke.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah. Those were our the major plot twists throughout the whole story. The main whole focus of this book is the countdown element, as she has literally seven days to solve her own murder. So, how did the seven days to live timeline affect the pacing and tension of the story? It kept the tension high. Yes.

SPEAKER_01

Especially like when she would like have a nap or go to sleep and she would wake up and something would have changed in that time. Like, was it the one time she woke up and like her one eye was blown out or something like that?

SPEAKER_02

And then she woke up the other day, the one day, and like her arm like was just not working anymore. So it was a big driver in the plot. Yes. And I thought it was really well paced.

SPEAKER_01

I really liked it. I think it added to the story. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02

And the tension was really good because you're like every day, you're like, It's one day less. What's happening?

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, you're like, it's one day less for like this girl. Well, and I think in in well, I think in my head, when it first started happening, you're kind of like, okay, seven days, and then she's just gonna drop dead one day, and that's it. This aneurysm is just going to explode, and that's it. But you don't think that there could be signs. So when the signs started happening and she starts like being like her body is starting to like it's happening! And you're just like, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. There's still time.

SPEAKER_00

What are you doing? Yeah. I actually got really anxious when like I they paced it very well, but I got super anxious when she would take naps or when she would just like to be like, You're wasting time fun. I know you have a murder to solve. Like, what are you doing? Yeah, you don't got time to live. It was so stressful. It was, yeah. But for the length of the story, like and the short amount of time that it took place over, it was very well written. I didn't feel like it was rushed in any way. No, I thought it was really well done. Me too.

SPEAKER_02

I actually really enjoyed it right from the start. I know some people struggled with Jet's character in the first chapter. You and it was hard to kind of figure out the ages of these people.

SPEAKER_01

Um but I didn't find it that way, but there was a bit of immaturity to the characters, yes, for sure. Like neither of them, like Jet or Billy, seemed their age.

SPEAKER_02

But I think when you get more into Jet's like actual story and how with her sister, with her sister, and just like her family, and how she was kind of treated differently, her immaturity does make sense. Yeah, yeah, yeah. So, do we think Jet's limited time made her investigation feel more intense or reckless? It's a mix of both. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01

Well, because her body is shutting down, she does have this imminent death coming for her, and when she's using the sledgehammer to break out the I'm just but I'm just like, all of these men are standing around watching her. None of you are like, hey, no, this is wrong. But you know, rather than you kill yourself faster, she's got a literal ticking time bomb in her head.

SPEAKER_00

Well, all those men didn't want her to even use a sledgehammer to know, but she's gonna do it anyways. I'd just be I'd be like, No, I'm not gonna.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, if they knew Jet, they'd be like, we can't stop her.

SPEAKER_00

So yeah, might as well help her. I do think because of the intense time limitations, it did make her more reckless. Yes. So those two kind of work in tandem. She doesn't have time to not be reckless.

SPEAKER_01

Well, no one really could get too mad at her because they knew that. And like that was like the thing where it was like, I don't have time to deal with like the red tape.

SPEAKER_00

I do wish most of the other characters, because they knew that fact, that they would have just let her do whatever and dealt with the consequences after she passed.

SPEAKER_01

Well, I think you know, I think her like her parents really just didn't know what to do with it, and they just wanted her to spend the time with family and like relax.

SPEAKER_02

Which she did not do. No, yeah, and that was another thing. I was like, oh my lord, you're dying, and you've spent zero time with your family. Yeah. Like, I don't think she really liked her family that much. No, they never really got along. So, like, I get that aspect of it, but it's just like I did feel for her mom a lot, yeah, losing one daughter and then losing another.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, I did. She just, if you know your kid, you know, like what she how what she was saying and how she was going about it was not the right way to go with Jet.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah. But I think that just shows that they didn't know her that well. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01

And like her mom could have been like, Well, okay, if you're not gonna sit and relax, then I'm coming with you. Yeah, yeah, that would have been the best. I'm gonna I want to be with you for the last days of your life. Yeah, and so I'm going to figure this out with you.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah. Would you have let if you were in her mom's shoes, would you have let Jet stay with Billy instead of being at home?

SPEAKER_02

I don't think Jet would have felt the need to stay with Billy if her parents was on board.

SPEAKER_01

Like if I would be on board. Like if Ainsy was attacked like that, I don't think I would be so upset at losing my daughter. Like, I think I would too would want to be on the hunt. Yeah. And I'd be like, yep, we're going to figure this out. This is what you need, I need it. Like, if if you're doing this, I'm doing this. If you're doing illegal shit, I'm doing illegal shit. We're all doing it. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01

Because like, what are they gonna do? You're dying, and I'm the mother of a dying child. Yeah. So try me. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00

But because we know how it ends, and the mother had her own things that she was hiding, perhaps that's affected why she didn't want to get involved in Jet's murder.

SPEAKER_01

But if anything, that would actually be smarter because you keep your enemies close so you can control the narrative. She could control what Jet would have been finding out. Yeah. That's true. Bringing it back to her personality. I think we talked about how some people found it hard to kind of get into her absolutely as the main character.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah. I didn't actually I didn't find that either. I actually really liked her from the get-go, but I didn't mind that.

SPEAKER_01

Sarcasm is our love language. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00

I do like sarcasm. I just like but is it your love language? It's not my love language. It's definitely my love language.

SPEAKER_01

There's no such thing as too much sarcasm in my life. No. That's fine. I thrive on the sarcasm. But I can see how for other people who are not me or you would find her sarcasm annoying.

SPEAKER_00

She was sometimes I liked it. Sometimes I was like, oh yeah, that's funny. That's witty. Other times I'm just like, okay, like it's enough.

SPEAKER_02

Like I loved that she even though she was actively dying, still did not take herself that seriously. Yeah. Yeah. Like she handled that.

SPEAKER_01

Well, dark humor is also another thing that we let we enjoy. Anything dark with you guys. Yeah, fair. You enjoy. I prefer, I think, dark humor over just dark.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah. They did describe her as flawed as well as sarcastic. And then also, I think it's pretty evident that she's self-destructive. Yeah. She's been self-destructive the whole time. I think even before her accident, that's probably why she was a little bit more emotionally immature because she was self-destructive. Yeah. She didn't really have a lot going for her. She didn't have a job. Yeah. Um, I think she had some health issues, and that's prevented her from having a job in the story.

SPEAKER_02

It was some sort of disease that affected their kidneys, and they couldn't have too much salt.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02

Which becomes another part of the story.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah. And she had to keep taking time off, which is why she couldn't work. And I feel like that experience and her health issues really affected how she grew up and her personality. Yeah. And maybe just prevented her from maturing because she couldn't really do much.

SPEAKER_01

But I also think she was living her life for her sister. So she wasn't living her life for herself. Right. So I think like she was living this life that wasn't actually her, that she never really got to grow into herself.

SPEAKER_02

Um, to just clear everything up, her sister died in a drowning incident in a in the neighbor's pool. Did you find all those qualities about Jet make her more relatable or harder to root for? I thought it made her more relatable.

SPEAKER_00

I never didn't root for her. Even though I didn't like her personality all the time, I found it pretty exhausting. But that's just because I'm like very introverted and just, you know, I can't imagine being around someone like that all the time. Yeah. But I think it made her more relatable because there are a lot of people like that out there. And she was a very flawed character who was going through some really real things. And then on top of that, this murder. Yes. So it was just, I think it was her way of coping with the whole thing. And even though it's not necessarily a way I would cope with it, I'd probably be more on the mom's like, chill and relax and be with family and enjoy the kind of time you have left.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00

I'm dying either way.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah. How do you guys think her perspective changes once she realized that she was gonna die soon?

SPEAKER_02

I think it changed everything for her. She didn't give a fuck. But she also True. But she also it almost gave her a purpose in her life. Yeah. Which she didn't feel like she had before. Maybe that's why she was.

SPEAKER_01

But it wasn't she wasn't doing anything for anyone else. She wasn't doing what anyone else wanted. Like she was just like, I'm doing this for me. For me. This is I'm the one who's dying. Yeah. This is what I want. I don't care what any of you are murder.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02

This is what I'm doing. Yeah.

unknown

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02

So I think it definitely changed her perspective on a lot of things. On life. Yeah. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00

And then she just, the end, like once it got closer, she realized she didn't want to die. Yeah. And that was, I think, the most heartbreaking thing of the whole story.

SPEAKER_02

Like, I found myself going, Oh, she'll probably survive. Like, maybe this like morale. Through the whole ending of the Yeah. And then, but I'm also really glad the author chose to stuck with the original narrative of the story because it almost would have been like super predictable if you were like, okay, ooh, this miracle drug is gonna save her life and suddenly it's fine. Yeah, yeah. So I kind of like that she stuck with that narrative and that Jet did actually die in the end. R.I.P. Jet.

SPEAKER_00

Cass is happy about Jet dying. Me?

unknown

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01

No, I liked that. I'm happy she stuck with that narrative. I'm just happy that it made sense with the story.

SPEAKER_02

Like, I'm happy that it she didn't like try and flip the narrative to like appease certain readers. Yeah. Like that to me would have been almost not authentic to the actual story. I agree. Yeah. That's what I meant. I wanted her to live, but yeah. I was devastated. I know I was too. I was just like, I somehow was like, maybe she'll she'll still live, but poor Billy.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah. Yeah. Oh. I'm pretty sure I commented in the fable chat at one, like in one of the chapters, being like, I'm gonna be so upset if she actually dies. You did. I remember that. Yeah, you did say that. So the book constantly makes you question everyone around Jet. Yeah. It does. From pretty early on. Oh, yeah. And was questioning her mom? Yes. There's so many times for it that I was like, I don't know. Her mom really pushed for her to just stay home and hang out.

SPEAKER_00

Start with the ex for me, the ex-boyfriend, because I think that's a good one.

SPEAKER_01

That one just seemed too obvious. That was like, that's not him.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, but I like I go for the most part. The ex-boyfriend? Yeah. Yeah, right away.

SPEAKER_02

But I feel like they set you up to make you.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00

I know, but I'm gullible.

SPEAKER_02

The most relatable character, like the most obvious character, is usually not the one that it is.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah. Then you kind of wondered about her brother and her brother's wife. Oh, yeah. Used to be a friend. Sophia.

SPEAKER_02

She was a sneaky bitch. Yeah. She sucked. Because she was trying to kill the dad.

SPEAKER_01

Well, not kill him, just in the intent was bad either way. Yeah. Yeah. It was just like, well, I just thought if I did this, like he would step down finally.

SPEAKER_00

That was the one dying and needed a transplant to live.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah. But that was the one thing I didn't like about the book. I I wish that Jet would have told the parents what Sophia was doing to the dad. Yeah. Yeah. That was the one my only complaint, because I'm like, we're just gonna let that slide. Yeah. For context, I think for switching out his actual like kidney medication, she would go in the house, take the pills with her, come back hours later. But she was like opening the capsules and replacing them with literal salt. That is just so he's consuming.

SPEAKER_01

She could there's so much uh like an easier way, I'm sure she could have done that.

SPEAKER_00

Just like put more salt in his food or like something like that.

SPEAKER_01

But she didn't live there, right? So there was no that's true, or baked. She wouldn't, but she was, she was delivering baked goods, but that's when she would switch out the capsules. Yeah, but I mean like make the baked goods like extra salty, yeah. Just no more baked goods, just like salty dishes, and then guilt him into eating them.

SPEAKER_00

Like, I'm gonna be really upset if you don't eat all these.

SPEAKER_01

I'm just saying she could have gotten something else that had a similar capsule and then brought the capsules with her rather than having to go take the capsules out and then bring them back.

SPEAKER_00

The fact that the parents didn't even look at their video cam or acknowledge the fact that hey, this is some weird button. That's what you're saying. Nobody questioned it.

SPEAKER_02

Parents are a little stupid. And then Jet literally found out the reason, and then that was it.

SPEAKER_00

And didn't say anything, didn't say anything, and like she could probably still do that after the fact too, like keep up with it.

SPEAKER_02

She could have left it in one of her many notes she left.

SPEAKER_01

She brought it up to Luke, but not the parents.

SPEAKER_02

Well, Luke's just as vile, so I don't know. Speaking of, that's actually my number one. He was my number one suspect. Yes, him and the mom.

SPEAKER_00

He just was so quick to anger, and that was like a red flag for me. Just the way he repeated like Jet. Yeah, I mean, I think he did, but I also had some his. Own issues with her.

SPEAKER_01

It just you could never tell if it was like sibling rivalry or if they genuinely didn't like one another. Yeah. Like it was hard to tell it too. It gave me bad vibes. Does he legitimately hate her?

SPEAKER_00

Yeah. He was just rude. And I like I think I mentioned to you guys once I could not imagine speaking to my brother that way or him speaking to me that way and just being okay with it. Nah, crazy. So did you find that the story successfully misdirected you? Yes. I I had no idea.

SPEAKER_02

I thought I knew. And even up until the very ending, I was like, oh. I mean, I did suspect. Did you? I did not. I did not.

SPEAKER_01

Just because, like, in Karen Slaughter's book that what was it called that we read? We were all guilty here? Yes. Yes. The deputy was like so involved. Billy's dad was so involved. He was there at the very beginning. He was so involved through the whole thing. He kept helping her.

SPEAKER_02

I just figured because he was like a second father to her. In my head, I was like, oh, that's it.

SPEAKER_01

Nah, if I can suspect her actual biological mom, I can suspect her like her mom was being weird though. She was being weird.

SPEAKER_02

She was being weird. She was doing weird things. But Diane.

SPEAKER_01

He just came off as like so helpful and so nice, and like she'd known him for so long.

SPEAKER_02

But I was like, but I'm like, oh, he's just like his dad. Billy's just like his dad.

SPEAKER_01

I'm just saying, all those things is why I suspected something. I whip at one point thought it was Billy.

SPEAKER_00

I a hundred percent.

SPEAKER_01

I mean, we did, but also that ties in with Billy's dad.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02

But when she found the tools in his apartment, I was like, oh, Billy.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah. And then he's just like, it wasn't me, I swear. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01

And I was like, I don't believe him now. Yeah. I did. I had a moment where I was just like, I know. And that's when I was like, that would actually be a really good story. Yeah. You like reconnect. It doesn't even have to be like a ro like a romantic tie or anything, but you like reconnect with your best friend. They're helping you solve your own murder to find out it was them. Yeah. Like crazy.

SPEAKER_00

I thought it was Billy the whole time. I thought his niceness was a facade. And everything that went wrong happened when he was around.

SPEAKER_01

So how does the small town setting influence the mystery?

SPEAKER_02

It's the biggest plot driver. Because you know everything. Everyone knows everyone. Everyone knows their business. Everyone's involved with each other somehow.

SPEAKER_01

Well, and even like they were talking about what was it, like the deputy chief or whatever they had hired outside of their little town to someone from a different town, and it was all like the shame.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01

Right? Like, it was like, how dare these people like vote for this guy who doesn't even live here? Yeah.

SPEAKER_00

It was so like interconnected and everyone connected to everybody. And spider web. Yeah. And it honestly, throughout the whole story, you could have thought it was anyone because they all had their own.

SPEAKER_02

Oh, I was suspicious of every character that we were introduced to.

SPEAKER_00

That's what I think she did really well. Yeah. Yes. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02

I was like, okay, it's gotta be this person.

SPEAKER_00

Mystery. Oh, wait, mystery. Like every chapter, your suspect changed off even on the littlest detail.

SPEAKER_01

I feel like I would you always kind of had your top like five, but it was constantly changing numbers. Yeah. You're like, wait a minute. Nope. This one's more like suspicious.

SPEAKER_00

I would say Billy was definitely on my list the longest and at the top, but I just have trust issues. Luke was at my at the top.

SPEAKER_02

The brother.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah. Yeah. The mom was probably my number two. Billy's dad was like my number three. Or Sophia. She was also up there too. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02

Sophia was high up there for me.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah. Their animosity didn't necessarily make sense to me, and like, I don't know, that story just didn't add up.

SPEAKER_02

Do we think the story is actually about murder or more about long-buried secrets and family dynamics?

SPEAKER_00

The latter. Although I wouldn't blame someone for murdering Jet. She was annoying.

SPEAKER_02

I didn't find her that annoying.

SPEAKER_00

Maybe she like someone just took her sarcasm too seriously and just like I've had enough.

SPEAKER_02

I think it was equally about all three of those things.

SPEAKER_01

See, and I would say it leaned more towards the secrets and family.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, the murder was the um the catalyst to everything that came after. Because once she was attempt like attempted murder, then you got into like her family dynamics and like all the family secrets and all that stuff.

SPEAKER_00

So she reconnects with a lot of people from her past in the story, but what relationship in the story did you feel felt the most meaningful and unresolved?

SPEAKER_02

Phillies.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00

I don't know. To me at the end, that felt resolved.

SPEAKER_02

Kind of, but like he loved her. She loved her, and she didn't really realize she loved him until like the day she was dying.

SPEAKER_01

See, annoying. But annoying. But it's kind of like Billy mentioned that, and like, if she wasn't dying, they would never have gotten that week together. And it was like, and for like, I think he said something, but like it being like the best week of his life.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01

Like, right?

SPEAKER_00

But yeah, they she wouldn't have never realized her feelings if none of that had happened, and the relationship would have been unresolved even if she was alive.

SPEAKER_01

The relationship with her mom is pretty unresolved. Yeah. Because they were fighting and then they never really talked things out. It's just kind of it just stayed like that.

SPEAKER_02

And then well, she did end up writing a bunch of letters to. Yeah, which were funny.

unknown

Her family.

SPEAKER_02

The Sophia one?

SPEAKER_00

Yeah. Yeah. I'd say that was really unresolved.

SPEAKER_02

I burst out laughing when I read that one.

SPEAKER_00

What are your guys' opinions on um someone dating? Like, let's say you're friends, you guys were friends, you had an older brother. How would you feel if Cass was dating your older brother? I think it depends on the secrecy of it.

SPEAKER_01

Were they secret about it? Could I always feel a vibe? Was it, you know what I mean? Like, was I like you can't date my brother? Or was I like, hey, you want to date my brother? So then we could be sisters? Yeah. I think that kind of depends on it. To me, I think there wasn't really any like that vibe beforehand. There wasn't any kind of conversation. I think for Jet, it was like she felt like she was dropped by Sophia, and then all of a sudden she's dating her brother. Yeah. Who she doesn't really get along with.

SPEAKER_00

Do you think Sophia was using Jet as an opportunity to get to know Luke and kind of weasel her way in and create a relationship with him?

SPEAKER_01

I'm gonna say yes. Yes. She gave you that vibe, that kind of personality.

SPEAKER_00

I would say, as someone who has been in that kind of relationship, like I in high school, one of my best friends, I dated her brother. So did my other friend before her actually dated her brother as well. Damn.

SPEAKER_02

So he was going through the whole friend group.

SPEAKER_00

He wasn't that great. He really wasn't. He ignored us like half the time. But I felt like while I I was in grade nine, so I was like really young, but I did feel like when I went to their house to hang out with my friend, I would be more concerned about like what my boyfriend was doing. So that relationship kind of fizzled out, I think, because I was more focused on her brother. She never said anything to me, but I I felt that internally, like I wasn't prioritizing that relationship as much.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, there'd have to be a balance for sure. Yeah. Yeah, I think it takes special people. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01

I'm not special.

SPEAKER_02

I think it can work for some people. Well, define special, Susie. That's so rude. Do we find the looming deadline changed how she treated the people around her? She was much more brash.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah. I think she at that point. I don't think I don't necessarily think she was pretending beforehand, but I do think she was trying to be someone she wasn't. The floodgates just opened. Yeah, and then she was like, Yeah. She's like, I'm dying in seven days. Here's how I feel about all of you. So Jet refuses the risky surgery and instead chooses to investigate her own attack. Was that decision for you guys understandable?

SPEAKER_00

Yeah. Having the surgery is a scary thing and it's uncertain.

SPEAKER_02

She had like 1% chance of survival. Yeah. Yeah. So see whether she was dying that day in the hospital or seven days later. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00

The book is very dark and Jet has a lot of like sharp humor. Sharp humor.

unknown

Sharp?

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, she's a shark. I think it makes sense. She has sharp humor and a lot of sarcasm. Do you think that balanced the story or undermined the seriousness of what? I think it balanced it.

SPEAKER_02

I think it added comedic relief to a very devastatingly dark story.

SPEAKER_01

At times I would almost say it did undermine the seriousness of the world. You think so? Yeah, because I think I think the humor is part of the reason why I was like, she's gonna live. Yeah. You know what I mean? Like, but I think that's why it shocked you in the end.

SPEAKER_02

She did it so well that you were like, She's gonna live. That's true. And then at the end, she's like, nah.

SPEAKER_01

It was like you can't have this much humor in a book and then they die. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02

That's why that's why I thought it she it did a lot of things.

SPEAKER_01

But I could also see how some some people may not like Jet's character and may not like this book because if you don't like her humor and the sarcasm and the fact that she doesn't take the seriousness of the situation that seriously, I could see how for certain people that might bother them.

SPEAKER_02

I think she took it seriously. I think her way of coping is dark humor.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, yeah. Yeah, I'd say we enjoy. We like, I'm just saying not everyone. Not everyone was like, that was my issue too. I was like, I wanted at least a one moment where she was this real. Yeah, like a real like open up, tell us how you're actually feeling instead of covering it up. Like a breakdown of she kind of did when she was in jail. A little bit. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01

I mean like before that. That's like at the very end of the book almost. Well, yeah. Yeah. I mean, you only had seven days to really like come to terms with it. That's a lot. Yeah. It's fair. I feel like I'd cry like at the very beginning, and then it'd be dark humor.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02

That'd be a mess. So let's play a game of would you survive this thriller?

SPEAKER_00

Okay.

SPEAKER_02

So you've just survived a brutal attack. Doctors tell you that your head injury injurly. Injur injury will likely kill you within seven days. There's a risky surgery that might save you, but the odds are very terrible. Meanwhile, the person that still attacked that attacked you is still alive and out there. What would you do? So, question number one the big decision. You have two options. Take the risky surgery immediately and hope you survive, or B, refuse the surgery and spend your final days finding out who tried to kill you. I would be A. You would choose A.

SPEAKER_00

I I would trust the medical professionals. And if I'm not meant to be here, I'm not meant to be here. I'm also very lazy. So I don't want to spend the time trying to figure out who killed me. I'm also very bad at mysteries. Escape rooms can't do.

SPEAKER_02

The thing in this book, though, is the doctor didn't seem confident in that surgery. That's true. But like she was also like she didn't think she the doctor was not confident in that decision either. So when Jet chose to live, she was like, Oh thank God.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00

That's fair. I think I would give in to the peer pressure of the mom pressuring me to get the surgery.

SPEAKER_02

Probably.

SPEAKER_00

I have no backbone.

SPEAKER_02

No, you don't.

SPEAKER_01

So I can't say for sure which I would do. That's a tough one. It is a tough one. Because, well, like you said, the doctor was very nervous about doing the surgery. And I don't know if I think if the doctor was confident, I probably would try it. I would probably go for it. Yeah. Because I would want to live.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01

But if the doctor was like, don't do it. Yeah, like she was not a positive. I think I'd be like, Yeah, I feel like I'm gonna die here either way. So I'm gonna take what time I can.

SPEAKER_02

And that's basically what Jet's thing was. Like I either die here today on the table or I have seven days to write this.

SPEAKER_01

At what age do you age out of make a wish?

SPEAKER_02

I don't think there's enough time for her for a make a wish.

SPEAKER_01

So is closure worth risking your last chance at survival?

SPEAKER_02

Well, for you, yes, because you need answers. I do need answers. But I also need to live. I know.

SPEAKER_00

I would say no. I'd be kind of delusional and be like, I'm the one percent and I'll survive. But also, I have my faith as well. So I can just be like, Well, if I'm gone, I'm gone. Yeah. So I think that's a matter to take into hand too. Like, yeah, that's a tough one.

SPEAKER_02

I did that's yeah.

SPEAKER_00

Amateur detective. You start investigating, everyone in your life suddenly feels suspicious. Who do you confront first?

SPEAKER_01

My mom.

SPEAKER_00

Sorry. Let me give the options. The ex who left on bad terms, a family member with secrets, your best friend who knows too much, or a random townsperson you have a weird gut feeling about. I'd go to the ex first. Yeah, yeah, and then my mom. But at that point, you don't know your mom has secrets. No, but my mom knows a lot. I'd go to the ex as well.

SPEAKER_02

I would definitely go to the ex first.

SPEAKER_01

Well, especially because like he was trying to talk to her. They obviously still had a good relationship. She had a good relationship with his brother. Yeah. I feel like I would talk to him first because there was a reason why he was trying to talk to her, right? And then she didn't seem concerned about him at any point that it like the potential was him. She's like, no. Yeah. You know what I mean? Everybody else kept being like, but he had the red wig, he was there, he was upset. This happened, like all signs point to him, and she's like, Yeah, but no.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah. Yeah. I think I would do my ex for sure. And then probably my best friend.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah. Then my mom. But there it's your ex-best friend, technically.

unknown

True.

SPEAKER_01

I think I would do my ex, my mom, my ex-best friend, and then the random town person. I support that. What do you?

SPEAKER_02

I don't know. If it was my ex-bom. What do you know? If it was my ex-best friend, I would be suspicious.

SPEAKER_01

I'd want to talk to my mom first, just see what she knows, what she's willing to divulge. If your mom was like, I'd probably and I'd probably she'd probably work me up, so I'd already be mad going to my ex-best friend. She would fuel your fire. Exactly.

SPEAKER_02

If my current best friend was on the list, I would talk to her first because she would fuel me up. Then I go straight to my ex-best friend and be like, you did this.

SPEAKER_01

I would already be there.

SPEAKER_02

You'd be with me.

SPEAKER_00

I'll meet you there. Exactly. So with that, is instinct or evidence the better guide when time is running out? Both.

SPEAKER_01

Because I think her instinct is really what led her to figure all this out. Yeah, to the evidence to help her figure things out. Is that fair? The clock is ticking. You're getting worse physically every day. Do you A tell everyone the truth about your condition so they help you? B, keep it a secret so the attacker doesn't know you're investigating. Or C fake being fine and manipulate people into giving you information. C.

SPEAKER_00

A. I tell people everything. I do B. Well, we're we're different on all accounts there. Yeah, I'm an overshare, which y'all are.

SPEAKER_02

You very much are an overshare. So we need to work on that.

SPEAKER_00

I am working on that. A little bit.

SPEAKER_01

The only issue is that in this situation, a lot of the people that you suspect are at the hospital and know what's going on.

SPEAKER_00

I know. Like I know better in my head to not overshare with people, but for some reason my mouth just doesn't listen and does it anyway. So as much as I wouldn't want to, it's it probably would happen.

SPEAKER_01

So I think I would try to keep it a secret. Like if you say the conversation with a doctor was just like you and the doctor being like, yeah, you know what? We're gonna go ahead with the surgery. I would go sit my ass in that hospital for like six hours. I'd tell my mom the next day she can come pick me up. I'll find somewhere to sleep, she'll come pick me up or whatever. And then it's like, yep, I made it. Whoa, wow. Miracle. And now I'm busy and I can't stay at home, mom. I've gotta go find out who tried to kill me. Exactly.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah. My option is the Scorpio and me. The risky trap. You think you know who attacked you? Do you A, call the police with your evidence? B, set a trap to force a confession, or C, confront them alone because time is running out.

SPEAKER_00

C.

SPEAKER_02

B. She went C.

SPEAKER_01

She's gonna confront them and get stabbed.

SPEAKER_02

What? I get real angry. I for sure thought you'd be calling the police. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00

Safety Susie. Yeah. Well, I mean, overshoot. Maybe you're okay. I'm gonna I'm gonna go confront them. I'm gonna call the police, hide my phone in my pocket, get a conference, like a confession, and then yeah. I'm still technically aware.

SPEAKER_01

That's still that's still that's technically B, because that's what I was thinking. Like there's gonna be, I'm gonna set them a trap, like set them trap somehow. I'm gonna have my phone recording.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01

Okay, B then.

SPEAKER_02

So follow-up in thrillers, confronting the killer is always a bad idea. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00

Oh, I didn't see that.

SPEAKER_02

So why do characters keep doing it? Because characters like to self-destruct. Yes.

SPEAKER_00

Drama.

SPEAKER_02

The drama for the plot.

SPEAKER_00

For the plot. So, final question. Be honest. Would you survive this thriller or would you become the main character who cracks the mystery? The person who ignores obvious red flags, the first victim in the opening chapter.

SPEAKER_02

Um, I have zero survival skills. So I would be the first victim in the opening chapter, in full honesty. That would be me. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01

Because I just need to know and I'm determined enough to do it. I feel, yeah. That's it. Or I'd be in La La Land because I just don't want to deal with it. Fair. Fair.

SPEAKER_00

That's a better answer than Cass and I anyway.

SPEAKER_02

So we're both just like, yeah, we suck. We'd be dead.

SPEAKER_00

And then you'd have to solve our murder.

SPEAKER_01

You'd be our belly. I'd be so mad at you guys. Final thoughts. Did you call it or were you fooled? I was fooled. Yeah. I didn't know. I did not see. Like I said, I suspected him, but I did not get the scope of what was happening. Right.

SPEAKER_00

Just call me a jester because I was fooled. I was fooled.

SPEAKER_02

I was fooled. I read for the vibes. I'm almost always fooled. Fooled. Book ratings. Okay. Spice and chili peppers, none. None. Zero. There's no spice. Nilch. Zilch. Nilch. Writing. Four.

SPEAKER_00

Four.

SPEAKER_02

I think it did four.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah. Yeah. I think that's an accurate one. Plot. Four. I was gonna say four point five. Oh, it's gonna do four point five too.

SPEAKER_01

The my biggest thing is I didn't like the ending. Why? I didn't like that. She didn't get to find out what happened. It ha it comes after her death. Billy somehow figures it all out, confronts his dad. It all comes to light. Yeah. I didn't like that. I agree that she needed to die. I agree that she needed to die. For the plot. For the plot. Always for the plot.

SPEAKER_00

But after all of that work, she doesn't even get to find out who did it.

SPEAKER_02

That was sad.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah. And her death scene was really sad. It's kind of just like a waste of seven days.

SPEAKER_01

Well, that's just it.

SPEAKER_00

It's like she did Billy. So much work. Yeah. I think her time with Billy was the main thing. It's less about solving the murder, and the the real gift was.

SPEAKER_01

I would be so mad though if I did all of that work and I didn't even get my answers. Oh, I'd be so coming back. Yeah. From the I think I think the chapter should have shown her as a ghost watching Billy figure it out and confront his dad. That'd be a from her her perspective. Yeah. That'd be good. I think that actually would have added to the I I would have been happy with that ending. Yeah, I would have. Same ending, but her. Okay. Her perspective into it. Fair. Just give me up with that right now. Great idea. Love that. Perfect. Someone fix it. All right. So lines beloved.

SPEAKER_00

I forgot to do that last time. I was very disappointed. Is that a thing we do? We did.

SPEAKER_01

There's the one that we you guys did it, and I said this is how you felt when we we did our because that was like that I've been doing it ever since.

SPEAKER_00

But last episode I forgot.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, the ha I hated it. Every minute of it. It's just so hot.

SPEAKER_01

It's just too much. It's not too much. It's too much. Negative. Alright. I've got this is from Demonic Delights, a dark paranormal romance by Margot Smith. Nice. Page 92. Start crawling. I order her, and she obeys with the nonchalant fine. She moves forward in small, careful movements, methodically using them opposing hand and knee, keeping her back perfectly straight. A clever girl, I think, letting her get a little ahead of me and walking level to her cautiously swaying hips. It is when the thought morphs to my clever girl that I wince and shout, faster. At the same time, I raise the hand in which I'm holding the cane and I bring it down much too sharply with an intimidating whoosh.

SPEAKER_02

You and I are on the same vibes today.

SPEAKER_01

Oh no. Oh, okay. But you'll see.

SPEAKER_00

Mine's a completely different vibe. So yeah.

SPEAKER_01

Are we which way are we going? You're going. Oh, me. Okay. I was gonna say I thought you were gonna be like the little breath of fresh air between dark and dark.

SPEAKER_00

Oh no. I'm gonna be the light at the end of the tunnel.

SPEAKER_01

I prefer my tunnel to get darker. Yeah. Not lighter.

SPEAKER_02

Perfect. Go on. Okay. Mine's from Eldrith Manor by our girl Lee Rivers. Page 97. A maniacal laugh bubbles from my chest. This is the part where you run. Cracking my neck from side to side. I give her a minute head start. I can hear her harsh breaths, but not her footsteps. I'll find her within seconds.

SPEAKER_00

Nice. Nice. That was good. Yeah. It's a good one. Not as not as like as dark as the cane whipping, but I don't think he whipped her with the cane.

SPEAKER_02

He just.

SPEAKER_01

Oh, he did. Oh, he whipped her with the cane. Yeah. Oh, okay. She was having to, it was her punishment. She was having to crawl around the living room with a glass of whiskey balanced on her back. And if she spilled any.

unknown

What?

SPEAKER_01

That's intense. That's scary.

SPEAKER_00

I don't like that. She liked it. She's missed that. That's her kink. All right. So mine's from our book that we're reading now, Daggermouth. Okay. Which you guys have already read past me, so it's not a spoiler. If you are reading Daggermouth right now and you're not on page 425, don't listen to this part. Just skip it to the end. I don't want to hide from you anymore. He breathed. His eyes never wavering from I don't want to pretend I'm anything less than completely desperately in love with you. I want you to know me, all of me. Even the parts I'm ashamed of, even the parts I thought would make you turn away, because you're right. You're not fragile. You're the strongest person I've ever known. And I trust you with my truth, with my heart, with everything I am. Is that Jameson? No, it's um uh the other guy. Oh, uh Callum. Yeah, it's Callum to Lera.

SPEAKER_02

Big fan of Grayson.

SPEAKER_00

Beth knows something that we don't know. Just gonna put my that's why you look like that. You gave something away.

SPEAKER_02

Someone's dying, I know. Oh, it's gonna be Callum or we are for sure. Just not prepared. I guess I'll find him today. What would you look at that?

SPEAKER_00

I've got a call. That's all we have for you guys today. Thank you guys for tuning in to this podcast episode. And seeing farewell, Abita saying good night. Ado, ado to you, and you and you. You can find us on Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube at Glau Twist Please Pod. We're also anywhere you can get your podcast. So make sure you're following or subscribed so you never miss an episode. If you love this one, hype us up a little. Leave us a comment, drop a rating or review, and tell us what you would like us to read next.

SPEAKER_02

Thank you so much for joining us on this episode.

SPEAKER_01

And as always, keep your glass, your bookshelf, and your TBR full. Cheers. Cheers.