This Story Might Save Your Life: A Novel
INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
"Both a riveting mystery and a love story, This Story Might Save Your Life is one of the best thrillers I’ve read this year." —Amy Tintera, bestselling author of Listen for the Lie
“A heart-pounding thriller and a heart-melting romance, this is the most compelling novel I’ve read in years.” —Annabel Monaghan, New York Times bestselling author of It’s a Love Story
Best friends Benny and Joy like to say they’ve been saving each other’s lives since the moment they met. Until the day Joy disappears and Benny is suspected of murder . . .
Benny Abbott and Joy Moore host one of the most beloved podcasts in the world. Each week, they delight listeners with a different “against all odds” survival story, gleefully finding the weird, life-affirming humor in near-death experiences. Since their first episode on Joy’s experience with severe narcolepsy, they’ve been the best friends everyone wants to befriend—and thanks to the meticulous management of Joy’s husband, Xander, they’ve built a lucrative empire.
The problem is, their next survival story may be their own. When Benny arrives at Joy and Xander’s one morning to record, he finds shattered glass and an empty house. The one clue shedding light on the couple’s disappearance is the incomplete, previously unseen first draft of Joy’s memoir. Benny is desperate to find them, even when the police soon zero in on him as their prime suspect.
Millions of devoted listeners think they know the “real” Benny and Joy. But as the hours tick by, and the odds seem increasingly stacked against Joy and Xander being found alive, not even the most devoted fans could guess the terrible secrets their favorite famous BFFs have hidden from the world—and from each other.
“I truly loved reading This Story Might Save Your Life. The pace was terrific, and it was so smart and engrossing. The pages practically turn themselves in this nuanced thriller. I couldn't put it down!”
—Nina Simon, bestselling author of Mother-Daughter Murder Night
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✨ Summarized by Bookclubs AI
Readers say *This Story Might Save Your Life* is a compelling, multimedia-driven thriller with strong, emotionally resonant characters—especially Joy,...
This review might save your time.
Not the worst book I've read, but definitely not good and I'm utterly disappointed after being so excited about getting to read it. What's marketed as a thriller, was more of a romantic suspense novel and I was not into it past part 2.
This book is basically just two adults who don't know how to be honest and hurt everyone's feelings, including their own, along the way.
That's it, that's the review.
Also, I thought their podcast concept was dumb.
Some books tell a story—this one pulls you into one. The unique format isn’t just there to be different; it actively shapes the experience, making you feel like you’re piecing things together as you go. That constant sense of discovery kept me completely hooked, and the pacing strikes a perfect balance—tight enough to keep the tension high, but never rushed. Every chapter feels like it’s building toward something, and more often than not, it delivers in ways you don’t quite see coming.
What really makes it land, though, are the characters and the twists. The characters feel messy and real, the kind you recognize in yourself or people around you, even when their choices are frustrating. And the twists aren’t just shocking for the sake of it—they feel earned, the kind that make you want to go back and see how all the clues were there. Just when you think you’ve figured things out, the story shifts again in a way that’s both surprising and completely fitting.
I loved this book. It was fun, I couldnt put it down! I did figure out where the story was headed fairly early on, but the journey was still fun!! I also have to give the author credit for the structure. I don't normally enjoy books that constantly jump between timelines and points of view, but it was handled so well here that it never felt confusing or disruptive. The characters were what really sold me, though. I became invested in all of them, and that's what kept the pages turning far more than the mystery itself.
*****Spoilers below.*****
One of the strongest aspects of the book was how it portrayed domestic violence. Rather than depicting it as an obvious, immediate evil, it showed how abuse can develop gradually. At first there was love and genuine affection, TRUST! The controlling behavior didn't appear overnight, it escalated through small comments, subtle isolation, excuses, and increasingly harmful behavior. I thought the book treated that progression with the care and respect the victum deserved. It also did not blame her at all!
By the end, I think most readers were rooting for Joy and Benny. Their chemistry was obvious, and I certainly wanted them to end up together. But I also appreciated that the story recognized they each had growing to do before they could have a healthy, lasting relationship. It would have been easy to rush straight into the happily-ever-after, but letting them become better versions of themselves first made the ending feel earned.
Was the ending predictable? Absolutely. Did I care? Not even a little. I was completely invested from beginning to end.
*****Spoilers below.*****
One of the strongest aspects of the book was how it portrayed domestic violence. Rather than depicting it as an obvious, immediate evil, it showed how abuse can develop gradually. At first there was love and genuine affection, TRUST! The controlling behavior didn't appear overnight, it escalated through small comments, subtle isolation, excuses, and increasingly harmful behavior. I thought the book treated that progression with the care and respect the victum deserved. It also did not blame her at all!
By the end, I think most readers were rooting for Joy and Benny. Their chemistry was obvious, and I certainly wanted them to end up together. But I also appreciated that the story recognized they each had growing to do before they could have a healthy, lasting relationship. It would have been easy to rush straight into the happily-ever-after, but letting them become better versions of themselves first made the ending feel earned.
Was the ending predictable? Absolutely. Did I care? Not even a little. I was completely invested from beginning to end.
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