Jessica Knoll

Jessica Knoll
Alma materShipley School
Hobart and William Smith Colleges
Writing career
Notable works
Websitewww.jessicaknoll.com

Jessica Knoll is an American magazine editor, novelist and screenwriter. Her books include Luckiest Girl Alive (2015), The Favorite Sister (2018) and Bright Young Women (2023).

Career

Knoll grew up in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and attended a Catholic school in Malvern, Pennsylvania.[1] Knoll studied at the Shipley School in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania,[2] then at Hobart and William Smith Colleges in Geneva, New York.[3]

Knoll began her journalism career as an intern for Parenting magazine in New York City.[3][4] She was an articles editor for Self and a senior editor for Cosmopolitan before becoming a novelist.[3][5][6]

Knoll's 2015 debut novel, Luckiest Girl Alive, became a New York Times best seller and was included in Reese's Book Club.[7][4][8] The book focuses on the story of TifAni FaNelli,[6] a survivor of sexual assault and a school shooting.[9] The book was shortlisted for the Edgar Allan Poe Award for Best First Novel[10] and was nominated for the Dublin Literary Award.[2][11]

In April 2015, Lionsgate announced that they had obtained the film rights to Luckiest Girl Alive, with Reese Witherspoon's Pacific Standard company set to produce.[12] Knoll is the screenwriter the film adaption,[5][9] Luckiest Girl Alive, and also served as an executive producer.[13] The film was released on Netflix on October 7, 2022, starring Mila Kunis.[14][15][16][17]

Knoll's novel The Favorite Sister was released in 2018.[18][19] She is producing and adapting the novel for a television series with Bruna Papandrea’s Made Up Stories.[20]

Knoll wrote the screenplay for Til Death, which made The Black List annual survey of the "most-liked" motion picture screenplays by studio and production company executives in 2019.[20]

In 2023, Knoll released Bright Young Women, a fictionalized feminist retelling of the crimes of serial killer Ted Bundy which does not mention his name and is focused on the victims and survivors.[21][22][23] Erik Feig’s Picturestart and Fifth Season acquired the rights to the book to develop a television series, for which Knoll will write the screenplay and will executive produce.[24]

Her novel Helpless was released in July 2026.[25][26]

Publications

References

  1. ↑ Fiorillo, Victor (15 December 2022). "From the Main Line to Hollywood, a Q&A with Luckiest Girl Alive's Jessica Knoll". Philadelphia Magazine. Retrieved 2 July 2026.
  2. 1 2 "Jessica Knoll". Dublin Literary Award. Retrieved 2 July 2026.
  3. 1 2 3 Mensah, Katelyn (11 October 2022). "Who is Jessica Knoll? The author behind Netflix's latest movie Luckiest Girl Alive". The Tab. Retrieved 2 July 2026.
  4. 1 2 Alter, Alexandra (29 March 2016). "Jessica Knoll Reveals the Rape Behind Her Novel, 'Luckiest Girl Alive'". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 5 July 2026.
  5. 1 2 Whittaker, Alexandra (8 October 2022). "Jessica Knoll Went From 'Cosmo' Star to Screenwriting 'Luckiest Girl Alive,' and She's Got A+ Stories". Cosmopolitan. Retrieved 2 July 2026.
  6. 1 2 Avanzas Álvarez, Elena (12 May 2015). "A Guide to Millennial Femininity". Los Angeles Review of Books. Retrieved 2 July 2026.
  7. ↑ Begley, Sarah (23 April 2015). "Reese Witherspoon Is Building the Ultimate Book Club". TIME. Retrieved 2 July 2026.
  8. ↑ Cowles, Gregory (22 May 2015). "Inside the List". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 5 July 2026.
  9. 1 2 Perez, Lexy (6 October 2022). "How 'Luckiest Girl Alive' Author and Screenwriter Jessica Knoll Reimagined Her Personal Story for the Film". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2 July 2026.
  10. ↑ Brosnan, Joe (22 April 2016). "Luckiest Girl Alive by Jessica Knoll". Criminal Element. Retrieved 5 July 2026.
  11. ↑ "7 Irish Authors on International Dublin Literary Award Longlist". Writing.ie. 21 November 2016. Retrieved 5 July 2026.
  12. ↑ McNary, Dave (10 April 2015). "Lionsgate Sets Drama 'Luckiest Girl Alive' with Reese Witherspoon". Variety. Retrieved 2 July 2026.
  13. ↑ Pullar, Jess (10 October 2022). "This Is Where Jessica Knoll, The Woman Behind 'Luckiest Girl Alive' Is Now". Marie Claire. Retrieved 2 July 2026.
  14. ↑ Welk, Brian (22 February 2021). "Mila Kunis to Star in 'Luckiest Girl Alive' at Netflix". TheWrap. Retrieved 2 July 2026.
  15. ↑ George, Crystal (6 September 2022). "Luckiest Girl Alive release date, cast, trailer, synopsis, and more". Netflix Life. Retrieved 2 July 2026.
  16. ↑ Roeper, Richard (7 October 2022). "'Luckiest Girl Alive': Mila Kunis moving as shooting survivor struggling to move on". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved 2 July 2026.
  17. ↑ Horton, Adrian (7 October 2022). "Luckiest Girl Alive review – Mila Kunis runs out of luck in flat Netflix drama". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2 July 2026.
  18. 1 2 Cadden, Mary (14 May 2018). "'Real Housewives'-type show is star of Jessica Knoll's juicy 'The Favorite Sister'". USA TODAY. Retrieved 2 July 2026.
  19. 1 2 Crous, Marisa (12 June 2018). "Book review: The Favourite Sister Jessica Knoll". News24. Retrieved 2 July 2026.
  20. 1 2 Grobar, Matt (3 May 2022). "Sony's 3000 Pictures Acquires Film Rights To 'I Think My Mother-In-Law Is Trying To Kill Me'; Jessica Knoll To Adapt Reddit Short Story & Executive Produce". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 2 July 2026.
  21. 1 2 Duggan, Sarah (5 February 2024). "Book Review: Jessica Knoll's Bright Young Women reverses the serial killer narrative". The AU Review. Retrieved 2 July 2026.
  22. ↑ Tierney, Bricker (17 September 2023). "Author Jessica Knoll Hated Ted Bundy's Story, So She Turned It Into Her Next Bestseller". E! Online. Retrieved 2 July 2026.
  23. 1 2 Rancilio, Alicia (19 September 2023). "Jessica Knoll's novel 'Bright Young Women' is an ode to victims and survivors of Ted Bundy's crimes". The Independent. Retrieved 2 July 2026.
  24. ↑ Petski, Denise (5 October 2023). "Jessica Knoll's 'Bright Young Women' Novel In Works For TV From Made Up Stories, Picturestart & Fifth Season". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 2 July 2026.
  25. 1 2 Rabb, Maxwell (25 June 2026). "Jessica Knoll's Erotic Thriller 'Helpless' Treads the Muddy Waters Between Desire and Control". Harper's BAZAAR. Retrieved 2 July 2026.
  26. ↑ Simon & Schuster Books (15 June 2026). Jessica Knoll's Inspiration for HELPLESS. Retrieved 2 July 2026 – via YouTube.
  27. ↑ Cadden, Mary (16 July 2025). "Thrilling 'Luckiest Girl' asks: Is she?". USA TODAY. Retrieved 2 July 2026.
  28. ↑ Weinman, Sarah (11 May 2015). "Not another Gone Girl knockoff". Macleans. Retrieved 2 July 2026.
  29. ↑ Oswalt, Patton (19 September 2023). "Enough About the Serial Killer. Let's Talk About His Victims". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2 July 2026.
  30. ↑ Abu-Jaber, Diana (21 September 2023). "Review | 'Bright Young Women' dismantles the mythmaking around Ted Bundy". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2 July 2026.
  31. ↑ Graybeal, Mallory (14 November 2024). "Book Review: Bright Young Women By Jessica Knoll". Her Campus. Retrieved 2 July 2026.
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