Jane Morgan is quiet, angry and filled with resentment for her Chinese single mom and her poor upbringing. Although her father is well out of the picture, she prefers "passing" for White, thankful for his DNA contribution. Going to Oxford to earn her MFA as a graduate student is the perfect escape for this self-proclaimed sociopath, but once she gets there, she immediately realizes her mother was probably right all along, in that voice that constantly whispers in her brain that she doesn't belong. Then she meets Thalia Ashcroft, a golden ray of sunshine and captivating beauty that rescues her from embarrassment on her first day. Jane is smitten by her and the pair become fast friends. Maybe this will be okay after all? But then the pair is joined by Ani Pranajaya, a beautiful, wealthy Indonesian socialite who not only gloms onto Thalia and tries to claim her all for herself, but this girl fully embraces her Asian roots and flaunts them! She is a billionaire after all, or at least her family is. She manages to make Jane feel even smaller.
Soon Jane is trying to separate them, wanting to get back into the cocoon of friendship she first felt with Thalia, but then more problems present themselves. First, there's Antoine, a handsome Frenchmen who steals Thalia's heart. Jane only thought Ani was her worst problem. But then Ani's devastatingly handsome and charming brother, Ivan, comes for a visit and he's worse than Antoine! When Thalia reveals to Jane in confidence that she not only comes from humble beginnings, but because of family health issues, she is going to have to leave Oxford after this semester, Jane comes up with a bold plan to keep Thalia here with her, if only as a friend and not as the all-consuming relationship she'd prefer. Needless to say, things don't go according to plan and nothing would ever be the same.
I'm Not Done With You Yet is separated into three parts, with (almost) each chapter being narrated by Jane, although some are from present day in San Francisco, while others are in the past, 9 years earlier at Oxford. Suffice it to say that after the events unfold at Oxford, Thalia disappears completely, not only leaving Oxford, but all social media. Jane has obsessed over Thalia all of this time, and while she has become a middling writer with a couple of poorly-received books having been published, she could never recapture the magic she had when Thalia was her muse and her writing was absolutely brilliant. And then one day she sees that Thalia Ashcroft is releasing her first novel, complete with a fat paycheck and movie rights and all! If only Jane could see her again and find out what happened, maybe things would be better. But what if Thalia's novel is about their friendship?
As it turns out, seeing Thalia again might seem magical at first, but nothing is at it once seemed and Jane will find herself way out of her depth once she reconnects with Thalia and also -surprise- Ani. Jane and Thalia appear to fall back into step with each other, but then a suspicious death puts the pair at odds. Again. As Jane struggles to not only figure out who she is, as a writer and as a person, she'll also fight to control her raging anger that has been a problem since well before Oxford. She'll also have to deduce who Thalia and Ani have become during the past 9 years, and do it quickly, or she could find herself arrested for murder.
I'm Not Done With You Yet is deliciously brilliant and I read it in a handful of sittings. There are shocking twists and turns and they just keep unfolding right up to the end. If you enjoy thrillers about unexpected friendships that turn dark and dangerous, you'll love I'm Not Done With You Yet. Highly recommended.
