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 based on a true story. Sara Morgan is killed and her boyfriend Blake Campbell confessions to the murder. He acquitted of the murder following a plea of temporary insanity.

This book asks all kind of questions regarding Sara and Blake. Where they the happy couple they appeared to be, was Blake insanity plea right or was Blake acting all long. 

The book is told through multiply POV, all the POV had some part to play either in Sara or Blake’s life or investigating the crime. 

I was very confused who was who in this book as it kept skipping to another POV without being clear whose POV is was. 

Overall it was quick read showing how Sara and Blake affected people’s lives around them before and after the murder.

I received a ARC from Netgalley and Bloomsbury Publishing Plc (UK & ANZ) for an objection review.

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.

Thanks to Bloomsbury Publishing Plc (UK & ANZ) and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Well, where to start? Firstly, kudos should go to Nicola Maye Goldberg for ripping up the rule book of the mystery genre to give us a truly original novel about the nature of gendered violence. As well as making the salient point that women are more likely to be victims of violence than men, its impact a ripple effect of immeasurable proportions, Goldberg makes the more important observation that some women have more claims to 'victimhood' than others. Witness the fascination with the death of Sara Morgan amongst the protagonists of this story, to the complete neglect of the six victims of serial killer, John Logan. Women, it seems, are subject to a stringent moral examination before victimhood can be conferred. There is more than a hint in 'Nothing Can Hurt You', that some women simply 'ask for it'. This perspective cuts across gender to give a more nuanced configuration of the concept of victimhood and its selective application to those women caught in the crosshairs of violent men. These are undoubtedly great strengths of Goldberg's imaginative novel. There is, however, some problems in 'ripping up the rule book' of a particular genre, in that the end product can be hazy or imprecise. This book is 'sold' in the blurb as literary fiction, mystery/thriller. Indeed, it does seem to straddle the genres. The precis, however, hints at a mystery that is simply not present in the book. Specifically, the question of whether Sara Morgan could have been a victim of John Logan. This is misleading, as the book is more an examination of the effects of gendered violence, than the violence itself. Moreover, this is a short book. What I refer to here is the possibility that some issues are too lightly touched upon to leave an impact on the reader. Sara Morgan's murder and its aftermath are refracted through a number of perspectives, the aptly described 'concentric circles of violence rippling out from Sara’s murder'. The issue with these vignettes is that they are all too cursory dealt with. They lightly touch the page as opposed to making a lasting imprint. Indeed, I have forgotten much of what was said in the book already, having finished it only a few hours ago. So, either the multiple perspectives of key protagonists needs to be cut down to be examined in more depth, or the novel needs to be lengthened to examine the immensely important 'concentric circles of violence'. The blurb also needs rewriting to more accurately describe the content of the book, which is largely a study of the human condition, not a mystery or thriller.

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.