Bright Young Women centers around the murders of young women in Colorado and Florida at the hands of a serial killer. In the novel he is called The Defendent or Co-ed Killer, instead of his name or any name. The intent of the author is to focus on the lives of the victims rather than the killer. 

Jessica Knoll is a good sentence level writer and I support her goal with this novel. At times I thought she succeeded and at other times I felt the writing pointed us more to the killer and wanting to know what was true. I listened it the audio version and heard the tone, so I wonder if the print version might have been better for me. 

Clearly the women were victims and deserve to be seen as whole people and not just in light of the crimes committed. The women were bright academically and as vibrant humans. Yet I found the characters relationally stunted and unlikeable. Being inside their heads, we saw them making decisions that they didn’t want to make because they felt stuck or making choices they were expected to make. I did find that Pamela’s friendship with Denise was realistic. That part was the best for me. I also liked the psychological storyline and references to attachment theory. Tina seems to take advantage of others. Her backstory is trauma filled but that’s not really a justifiable excuse. My feelings about this story are complicated so read at your own risk.