Not Quite Dead Yet

by Holly Jackson

Psychological Thriller

Suspense

400 Pages

"I stayed up until 2am finishing Not Quite Dead Yet and I have zero regrets. The ticking clock premise sounds gimmicky until you're two chapters in and completely unable to stop."

Synopsis

Jet Mason has always been a later person. Later she'll figure out her life, later she'll deal with the complicated people in it. She's twenty-seven, wealthy, and comfortable in Woodstock, Vermont. There's time.

Then Halloween night changes everything. An unseen intruder attacks Jet in her home, leaving her with a catastrophic brain injury. The prognosis is blunt: within seven days, a fatal aneurysm will finish the job. Suddenly, later is no longer an option.

With her condition deteriorating and only her childhood friend Billy by her side, Jet turns her remaining time toward the one question that matters: who did this—and why? Everyone she trusted now looks different. Her family. Her ex-best friend, now her sister-in-law. Her former boyfriend. Someone wanted her dead, and Jet is absolutely determined to find out who before they get the chance to finish it.

Not Quite Dead Yet is Holly Jackson at her most propulsive—a ticking-clock thriller about a woman who refuses to go quietly.

Our Take

Holly Jackson built her reputation on plots that move fast and suspects that stay plausible right up until the end, and Not Quite Dead Yet delivers both. The seven-day countdown is a high-concept premise that could easily feel like a gimmick, but Jackson uses it to do something more interesting: it strips away every reason Jet has ever had to defer, deflect, or avoid. The ticking clock isn't just structural tension—it's character development at gunpoint.

Jet is a compelling protagonist precisely because she hasn't figured herself out yet. Watching her investigate the people closest to her while her own body works against her gives the thriller an emotional texture that outlasts the plot mechanics. Jackson doesn't just want you turning pages—she wants you invested.

Readers who loved A Good Girl's Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson herself or The It Girl by Ruth Ware will find this a satisfying escalation. Also a strong pick for fans of The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave. A Thriller Thursday selection that earns every sleepless hour it costs you.