Praise “Ashley Winstead’s mordant debut novel, In My Dreams I Hold a Knife, is the latest entry in the budding subgenre of 'dark academia,' where the crime narrative takes place on a college campus...At its heart, Winstead’s novel examines what it means to covet the lives of others, no matter the cost.”

There are certainly some thrilling elements in the book, but this is more of a true mystery that the characters and the reader get to unravel at the same time, which is something we do not see enough of. With her ability to weave multiple, distinct characters into a thoroughly well-crafted mystery that is absolutely full of twists, turns, and surprises, Winstead is without a doubt an author to keep an eager eye on! sᴏ ᴍᴀɴʏ ʟɪᴛᴛʟᴇ ᴛᴡɪsᴛs ᴀɴᴅ ᴛᴜʀɴs ᴛʜʀᴏᴜɢʜᴏᴜᴛ ᴛʜᴇ ʙᴏᴏᴋ, ɪ sᴛᴀʏᴇᴅ ᴇɴɢᴀɢᴇᴅ ᴛʜᴇ ᴇɴᴛɪʀᴇ ᴛɪᴍᴇ. ɪ ᴀʙsᴏʟᴜᴛᴇʟʏ ʟᴏᴠᴇᴅ ᴛʜᴇ ᴡᴀʏ ᴄᴇʀᴛᴀɪɴ ᴇᴠᴇɴᴛs ᴀʀᴇ ғᴏʀᴇsʜᴀᴅᴏᴡᴇᴅ ɪɴ ᴛʜᴇ sᴜʙᴛʟᴇsᴛ ᴏғ ᴡᴀʏs, ʙᴜᴛ ᴇɴᴏᴜɢʜ ᴛᴏ ɢɪᴠᴇ ᴀ ᴘᴀʏᴏғғ ᴀs sᴏᴏɴ ᴀs ʏᴏᴜ ᴍᴀᴋᴇ ᴛʜᴇ ᴄᴏɴɴᴇᴄᴛɪᴏɴ. I’m usually a fan of books in which a group of friends covers up a murder, so I was excited to read this. I studied myself the way I’d done my whole life, searching for what others saw when they looked at me….I could never tell which story was right - Exceptional Jessica, or Mediocre Jessica. My life was a narrative I couldn’t parse, full of conflicting evidence.”

Her brother Eric is adamant to find the real perpetrator! So their reunion turns into murder investigation against them. One of them is killer! And sooner or later the all secrets they have been hiding are about to reveal to change entire dynamics of their relationship. Nothing as it seems. They met the first week of college and they promised to be friends forever. To do something great with their wild and precious lives. In My Dreams I Hold a Knife was very entertaining but with extremely unlikable characters and more drama than plot. Plain jane Jessica Miller always felt like an outsider in their group, not good enough. Even though she dated one of the most popular guys at school, she felt like a fake. Now she is an Upper East Side girl named partner at one of the most sought after positions at a consulting company in NYC. She can't wait for reunion day...to show them all what she has made of herself....no matter what it took...she made it to the top...did the others?

All seven characters had full stories but the focus was on Jessica. Not without faults, a reader would be tempted to view her as superficial as she’s so focused on her image. A quote from the first chapter appears to support this theory: She whined all the time that NO ONE paid attention to her and that she felt “invisible.” Meanwhile, she seemed pretty visible in the romance department. She’d dated one guy in the group, while cheating on him with another. After my pre-writing, I wrote an extremely meticulous outline, chapter by chapter, where I color-coded the different storylines so I could literally visualize the plots weaving together. RT @ TheMysterious: We’re making plans to head out to @ HamptonsWhodun next month, Long Island’s exciting new crime fiction festival. Se… https://t.co/ra7RPgf7Fv Mar 30, 2023, 6:13 PM

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Told in racing dual timelines, with a dark campus setting and a darker look at friendship, love, obsession, and ambition, In My Dreams I Hold A Knife is an addictive, propulsive read you won't be able to put down. ICYMI: Our Mortal Editions are Exclusive Editions for YA and Adult contemporary books and can include any books that do not fall under the fantasy genre. I think I saw that the author has another book coming out next year. I can’t wait to read that one. I say: the character development is mind blowing, surprisingly honest and deeply layered. The pace is well balanced, intriguing. Haunting

It seems like so many of favorite books share the same releasing day! Happy book birthday to this stunning, smart thriller!🥳📚 I don’t think anyone is good or bad—I think we all hold a range of possibilities, and our circumstances tug, seduce, compel, or command certain things out of us. These interactions form patterns of behavior that concretize over time until, often, the way we behave is more a matter of habit. The Phi Delta Fraternity of 2008 and the NFL of Frankie’s expectations are not supportive places for LGBTQIA+ members. What was your impression of his attempts to navigate those attitudes? What would you do in his position?The story moves very slowly, but does contain lots of twists and turns. However, some didn’t feel realistic and others went a little too far. Kudos to Winstead, as it is difficult to see where the plot is headed before it actually goes there. Once it does, the pieces fall into place. Overall, this is a good debut thriller, and I would be willing to read more from this author.

As the story—which alternates between past and present and is narrated at one point by many of the friends—unfolds, secrets will be revealed, grudges will be unearthed, and old scars will be reopened. Those carefree days of college, where they felt on top of the world, were also some of the worst days for some of them. Well, consider me impressed. It's been ages since a psychological suspense novel has blown me away, but that's exactly what In My Dreams I Hold a Knife has done. Balance is not something I’m known for, actually. I could probably use some advice from my dear readers on how to reach it. I tend to become consumed by ideas or goals; I expect a lot from myself, and I’m very impatient about next steps, achievements. But I’ve made peace with this. I am an intense, ambitious woman. Synopsis: Ten years after graduation, Jessica Miller has planned her triumphant return to elite Duquette University. She’s ready, down to the envious whispers that are sure to follow in her wake.

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this was underwhelming really, i kinda didn’t care for who it was or the character honestly. everyone says how messy this book was but this book wasn’t messy enough in my opinion. everyone’s scandals were weak. maybe i watch too many teen dramas idk, her romance book had me gasping more than this. i read thrillers for real life gasping reveals and this along with most of the thrillers i read just didn’t make the cut. Each of the East House Seven carries some form of guilt over Heather’s death. Compare the ways they manage that guilt. Besides the murderer, do you think any of them should be blamed? The character development is so well done! The past fills us in on the present cast and we get a good feel for what has shaped them and who they really are. Sure they have changed in 10 years, who hasn't?! 🤷Yet who are they really? Deep down inside? Not the persona that they have displayed for all their fellow classmates, but they real person they are- when no one is looking. I’m telling you this is great, unputdownable, entertaining read while you’re lying on your couch, filling your mouth with greasy pop corn and enjoying each chapter. Six college friends reunite at homecoming weekend a decade after graduating — This crew is brimming with dark deceit and secrets, and are forced to confront the details of a murder they’ve all tried to leave behind.