Bright Young Women: A Novel

Thank you to Simon and Schuster/Mary Sue Rucci Books for this book in exchange for my honest review.

What I loved about this book was the author’s ability to dive deep into the characters. I had an innate need to find out how they were and what happened to them. Also, I’m a true crime fan, so this was a well-known story for me, and I think the author told the story quite well.

However, there were quite a few grammatical mistakes in this pre-published book. Also, the author said all of the characters and situations were fictional, but she mentioned several of Ted Bundy’s real victims and their true crime situations.

I do like how the author set up the ending, though. She did complete the story quite well.

I was in a sorority in the early seventies. Pretty close to the timeframe of the Ted Bundy terrorization of the FSU Chi Omega house, upon which this story was based. I don’t remember too much about it. Was not on my radar, but I graduated in 1977 and for some reason, I missed it when it happened. But I sure did a lot of googling about it to learn more, as I was reading this book. Pamela Schumacher, the sorority President, was a serious-minded young women who really cared about getting justice for her friends. The stories were heart-breaking. Makes you think about the monsters out there, and learning lessons from the victims who will not die in vain. The past and present were very well-integrated to reveal the killer’s comeuppance, and the victims’ vindication. Although it was late in coming.

I have weird feelings about the mixing of fact with fiction in this book since it gives a bit of an odd tone. It also feels a touch on the long side for a story where the outcome is known, but it gets points for portraying Bundy as a rather dumb and insecure criminal in a system wrought with failure rather than the mastermind he’s glamorized as in popular media.

idk. I’m sure the goal was to give a voice to the victims but i don’t think it achieved that. if anything it sort of fed into the sensationalized narrative of the defendant. it was still enjoyable but nothing special.

Ugh…I wanted to like this book so bad but I didn’t. The idea was genuine to shed spotlight on the victims and survivors but the main character was so shallow and without a real personality it made for a terribly boring read.