Monday's Not Coming: A Psychological Thriller by the Author of Allegedly

Debut novel? Wow! Tiffany Jackson does an amazing job with this story. The story snatched me in and never let go. The ending isn't what I expected but neither are things in our everyday lives. My book club loved this book and most finished in one day. Tiffany Jackson will always have me as a fan.

A triggering read, but I appreciated the author shedding light on how black women and children go missing and no one bats an eye until it's too late.

Chills

A brilliant story of friendship and sadly child abuse. Monday Charles is missing and no one seems to care except her best friend, Claudia. They were like sisters and Claudia was lost without her sister. Claudia did everything she could to find her friend. When she finally finds out the truth she starts to disassociate. This is a brilliant story because it shows how the justice system, the education system, and even your support system can fail you. The justice system failed because they knew the conditions these children were living in and left them there anyway. They did the bare minimum when it came time to check on the children. The police also didn’t care to do a welfare check when Claudia reached out to them. The education system failed because how can you miss a dyslexic child for so many years? Also, teachers are mandatory reporters, so how could they know what Monday was going through and not report it? The support system failed because they saw what Claudia was going through and left her to spiral. The book showed the true power of friendship and how blood is not always thicker than water. Claudia was the only one in Monday’s corner. The only one who truly cared for her. The one who loved her unconditionally. Her soul sister. My only issue with this book was the time jumps. I often got confused with what timeline I was in. Brilliant book!!

Monday’s Not Coming is a haunting, deeply visceral read that I am still processing. It is an incredibly heavy story, but one that is absolutely worth reading. From the start, the frustration is palpable. It is heartbreaking to watch Claudia search for her best friend while everyone around her—her family, the school system, the community, and the authorities—fails to listen or take her concerns seriously. The way the story highlights these systemic failures adds such an infuriating, realistic layer to the mystery. Also I love the realistic set up of how hard and traumatic high school can be for teens struggling to fit in. The character development here is stellar. I was completely drawn into Claudia’s perspective, and the twist toward the end was both brilliant and devastating. Learning that she had been blocking out the truth and reliving her trauma in a way that felt like a "Groundhog's Day" loop of grief explained so much about her journey. It was a powerful, heartbreaking way to show how the mind protects itself when faced with the unimaginable. This book made me feel everything—sadness, anger, and deep empathy for these characters. It is an intense, in-depth read that will stay with me for a long time. I even believe this storyline of Monday’s fate was based off true events.