I don't know how to begin to describe this literary deconstruction of a psychological thriller. Told from twelve different points of view, all of whom link in some way to the victim at the centre of this story, this book looks at what it means to experience gender-based violence, class and privilege in many different and unique ways. Each point of view is a story in itself but also ties to the others.
The writing itself is fluid and sparse but utterly engrossing, i really couldn't put this novel down and it'll stay with me for a long time.

2.5 -This was such an unusual book and not quite what I was expecting. Based on a true story, it follows a number of different perspectives in the aftermath of the death of a student called Sara Morgan.

All the characters have some sort of direct or indirect relation to Sara and the tragic events that ended in her death. We see a small snapshot into the lives of the people around her and how they have been impacted. The format of the book is very unique but the insights into everyones lives is very brief and so we don’t get a huge in-depth look at each person and how they have ultimately gone about their lives after Sara’s death.

Good premise but it just didn’t quite deliver for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bloomsbury for an ecopy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This type of story is all the rage this year. Sadly this means that Nothing Can Hurt You doesn't feel very original. The writing isn't particularly good or bad, it just isn't for me. There is this attempt at moral ambiguity which is entirely convincing. This novel just didn't grab my attention.

A strange book. So many characters to keep track of and then it just stops! I was left wanting more.

Apparently based on a true story, this has been touted as ”The Virgin Suicides meets Little Fires Everywhere.” It is closer to the latter, lacking the depth and complexity of The Virgin Suicides but with a bit more substance and intrigue than your average thriller. It has an intriguing format: a series of interlinked short stories that present an engaging mix of characters tied together through the death of a college girl, murdered by her schizophrenic boyfriend. The murder is perhaps the least interesting part of the story; I was drawn into a number of the short stories and their characters to the point that I was disappointed when they were left behind. A series of letters from a 15-year-old girl to a serial killer in prison were particularly chilling and could be the premise of a novel in its own right. Other reviewers have mentioned being confused by the number of characters but I really enjoyed the way each story overlapped to show the ripple effect a person’s life and death can have. I found this to be a quick read but lacking the oomph to be really thought-provoking. Caught between 3 and 4 stars.

Many thanks to Bloomsbury and Netgalley for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 stars.
As a fan of true crime and mysteries, I was drawn to this book as it is based on a real case.
But it wasn't the mystery or thriller that I was expecting and that is alluded to by its description.
It is more about the effect that this murder has had on the individuals who came into contact with the victim and/or the killer.
What really frustrated me was the amount of characters that are included, as it was difficult to work out/remember who was who. And as a result, you don't truly feel like you know any of the characters all that well by the end of it.
It was, however, a quick read and interesting subject matter.
Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to Bloomsbury Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC.

Nothing Can Hurt You tells the story of various characters who are haunted by the action of one character.

It was an incredibly gripping read and, at times, I had to check whether I’d stumbled on an eye witness account as opposed to a work of fiction. Each character had a story to tell and each was as gripping as the other.

My only problem is that there were so many characters to follow I almost wish we’d just had one to focus our attention on.

Regardless, it was an exciting read and I am looking forward to reading more of the author’s works in the future.

I found this book difficult to get into at first, due to the format and my prior expectations. I had seen the book described as a thriller, which I would disagree with.
The novel is based on a true story, and is about the murder of a college girl by her boyfriend. The story is told from the surrounding cast of characters point of view (best friend, acquaintance, reporter, half sister etc) and examines the impact of such a horrifying act of violence echoing down the years.
It's interesting and beautifully written, which is a good and bad thing. Each individual story is so good, I could have read a whole novel just from that point of view. It was almost frustrating to move on to another character. I wish there were less characters, with longer focus on them.
However that was not the point of the book. The author is portraying the way a murder can affect a vast amount of people in such different ways for so long. I would absolutely recommend this book and look forward to reading more from the author.

Great book. Really enjoyed this one. Just wish it hadn’t been a true story. It made it so much more poignant. It was well written. Full of body, once you start you just want to not put it down.

A young woman, Sara, is killed in the woods; her boyfriend, Blake, confessed but with a plea of temporary insanity, which led to his acquittal. Exploring the ripples of violence stretching far beyond Sara's murder, there's a lot of voices that piece together the sprawling picture, at times it was a bit difficult to follow. Haunting, intriguing.

Ooh, I loved this. The different perspectives building up to a pitch was really engrossing and it was great,

This book is not entirely what I was expecting; this one has been marketed on Goodreads as a thriller which it's definitely not. Instead this is a wholly original character study based on a real life crime.

Sara Morgan was a college student who was murdered by her boyfriend, Blake, but questions arise when Blake is found not guilty due to temporary insanity.

This novel follows a number of people who knew Sara or Blake, or were involved with the case, as their lives continue on after the murder. There are multiple POV's and we only get a slight snippet of each persons life.

I love the concept of this book, however, there are so many people that I felt there was never as much depth as I would've liked. As the book switches POV's often we never truly get to know any one person which ultimately left me unable to connect emotionally.

Overall, an interesting concept but it was unfortunately lacking slightly in execution.

This book is based on a true story. This is a tale of a young college student who is murdered by her boyfriend Blake Campbell. Blake is acquitted of the murder following a plea of temporary insanity.

This book is not your typical thriller as we already know at the outset who the murderer is. Instead this book takes us on a journey of all the individuals impacted by the murder from the person who found Sara’s body the young attorney involved in the case.

Each chapter gives each persons point of view on how the murder impacted them and each felt unique, but at times I did get lost as there were so many characters.

I did struggle to give this book a rating, but seen as though I read it in a couple of sittings I’ve rounded it up to 4 stars from 3.5

I’d to thank NetGalley for giving me a copy of this book in return for an unbiased review.

I was not able to keep reading this. It struck me as gratuitously unpleasant.

But I can see that it is well-written and perhaps if I had stayed with it longer, I might have come to appreciate it and it is for this reason I don't feel it would be appropriate for me to deduct stars.

With thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for letting me see an advance copy.

Nothing Can Hurt You is the usual type of book I read but I just couldn’t agree with this book. Didn’t finish.

3.5 rounded up

Nothing Can Hurt You is a wholly original novel centred on the murder of a young college student, Sara, who dies at the hands of her boyfriend when he's on LSD. But it's not a mystery/thriller like you might expect: we know who did it and (more or less) why; the book takes us on a journey of the fallout of the murder of a young woman with everything to give. Goldberg changes the focus of the story, chapter by chapter, following a different person (each with a link to the person of the previous chapter) impacted by Sara's death, 12 characters in all.

I didn't quite get that this was the scathing social commentary on the murder of/gendered violence against young women - sure, it had some small elements of that - but nevertheless it made for an engaging and pacy read.

A strange read this one. I have no idea what kind of book I would call it. True crime almost as it’s based on a real case. A time at the college where the author herself attended apparently although the book is only inspired by that memory and not a true description of it. Author’s have minds which go much further, examine the ‘what if’s’ and this is what we have here.

Sara, a college student is murdered by her boyfriend. A friend says he and the boyfriend had done drugs the day before it all happened. The boyfriend turns out not just to be mad, bf a schizophrenic who pleaded insanity when charged. Sara is found dead in the woods and it’s one of the most gruesome scenes the police have ever seen.

So, why did this supposedly nice guy do it? Was he really a schizophrenic and if so what had he been like with Sara up until then?Blake was apparently from a nice family and had a really good lawyer.

This divided the community. Blake and Sara were the perfect couple weren’t they? What happened?

This was very deep. Justice, right and wrong…..what is it all about?Is anything ever clear cut? This has Netflix special written all over it.

Based on a true story, "Nothing Can Hurt You" examines the ripple effect of the violent murder of a young woman on those on the periphery. Each character, through whom the story unfolds, has a distinctive voice. I found some of the passages and observations very moving and eloquent. Nicola Maye Goldberg has produced a relatively quick read with some heavy hitting themes. Her novel provides some stark truths about gender-based violence and the assumptions we make about victims and perpetrators.