Reading Bright Young Women felt like being held underwater—relentless in its tragedy, suffocating with the weight of the societal issues packed into it. Jessica Knoll doesn’t just tell a story; she forces the reader to confront the raw, painful realities that shaped the lives of these women. Listening to this book was an emotional rollercoaster—I felt everything from rage to sorrow to admiration.

That being said, I wish Knoll had chosen just five key issues to focus on and developed them fully. While the novel’s message is powerful, the sheer number of societal critiques made it feel overwhelming at times.

At its core, Bright Young Women reclaims the narrative from the headlines, shifting the focus from the infamous killer to the women whose lives he destroyed. No longer footnotes in the story of a murderer, these women are given depth, agency, and voice. And as for ‘The Defendant,’ Knoll strips away the media’s fascination with his so-called charm, revealing him for what he truly was—an insecure, pathetic man who lashed out at successful women he could never measure up to.