In My Dreams I Hold a Knife: TikTok made me buy it! The breakout dark academia thriller everyone's talking about

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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! 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. Jessica has planned carefully for her ten year college reunion. Homecoming was going to be HER night. There’s a lot of darkness in this book. If you could shield a single character from the secrets and horror, who would it be?

Describe the development of Mint’s anger. Was there ever a moment when someone could have intervened? How could he have channeled his anger in a healthier way? 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? I think the fact that we can recognize a range of possibilities within ourselves and within one another is the reason we find storytelling so compelling. We want to trace the good in the people we might otherwise call bad, uncover the bad in the people who appear good. We’re all hungry to explore our complexities through book characters, so in that way, I do think they follow the same rules (the interesting ones, at least!). The license book characters have is they get to explore the outer limits of our good and bad tendencies, extremes most of us wouldn’t be able to get away with. So in that way, reading a book is like watching an experiment unfold: What could happen if I leaned into certain possibilities within myself? Deeply drawn characters and masterful storytelling come together to create an addictive and riveting psychological thriller. Put this one at the very top of your 2021 reading list."—Liv Constantine, internationally bestselling author of The Last Mrs. ParrishAfter 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. Newsflash: In My Dreams I Hold a Knife is one of the best, most addicting thrillers I’ve read all year!! Jessica is very determined to prove herself the most successful member of the class during Homecoming. Why does she need to prove herself? How do you navigate the dangers of comparing yourself to others, especially people in your graduating class or distant social media friends? 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.” The mystery surrounding Heather’s death shapes the plot but the thoughtful prose created the essence of the book. I was invested in the writing just as much as discovering the guilty party, landing me squarely into the 'I can’t believe this is a debut' camp.

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. I am going to say something bold: I’ve failed at almost everything I’ve attempted in my life. At the very least, I’ve failed to do things the way I expected. In fact, I started writing this book after being crushed by my failure to achieve something I really wanted. This book was born out of failure. Courtney thinks disdainfully that the East House Seven are all so obsessed with each other that they’re practically in love. How does that level of friendship develop throughout the book? Is it healthy?For anyone struggling with sexual trauma, allow yourself to feel the way you feel. Don’t get tamped down or hushed up by the world. Be full of rage, if you are full of rage. Allow yourself time to stop the world if you need to. Know you are loved in the full complexity of who you are and that you are not alone. Also, Courtney being frenemies with them was so confusing. Like, they put up with her and act like they want her around but then also think she's a huge b*tch (because she IS) and like secretly hate her. So why hang out with her? They don't have to. She has other friends. I'm confused. 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. Beautiful writing, juicy secrets, complex female characters, and drumbeat suspense—what more could you want from a debut thriller? I'm Ashley Winstead's new biggest fan. If you liked Marisha Pessl's Neverworld Wake or Laurie Elizabeth Flynn's The Girls Are All So Nice Here, trust me—you will love this." Part murder mystery, part coming of age, these flawed (and somewhat unlikable characters) will challenge you in the best way possible, and perhaps convince you to feel for them just a bit by the end? I cannot wait to discuss this one with more readers, and I believe it will be in my Top Ten Reads of 2021 wrap-up as well. Highly recommended to other thriller readers who may be feeling jaded towards the genre like I was.

The gender stereotypes in this felt a little dated to me. The women were catty, shallow, and jealous, competing fiercely over looks, clothes, guys, and which sorority was the best. 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. With her debut novel In My Dreams I Hold A Knife, Ashley Winstead has woven an intricate mystery full of twists and turns that will surprise most readers, and she has devised a clever and original method for her characters to reveal details from the past and put the pieces together to solve a ten year old crime. But not everyone has moved on from the murder, someone has been compiling evidence long after the police have given up on the case. And they plan to force a confession from the killer and to reveal everyone’s secrets. I think I saw that the author has another book coming out next year. I can’t wait to read that one.A college reunion at the prestigious Duquette University...home of the infamous East House Seven...a tight little knit group that ruled the halls, ten years ago. They were the definition of cool, everyone wanted to be them....Oh how the mighty have fallen...when one of them is found brutally murdered in their dorm and one of them is accused...😳 And they would have done that if secrets wouldn't tear them apart. If one of them wouldn't murder another one. In My Dreams I Hold a Knife is Winstead’s debut book. She followed that with The Last Housewife (2022) It looks like she’s also publishing romance, including Fool Me Once (2022). I guess she likes balancing the light with the dark when it comes to writing.