A small New England town gets thrown into turmoil when a teenaged girl is found naked and strangled in a field. Several narrators, including possible suspects, give hints but also throw red herrings into the mix. Readers will go back and forth trying to decide whodunnit. This is a fast-paced and thoroughly enjoyable read. It’s my favorite Shari Lapena book to date. For fans of Kimberly McCreight and Heather Gudenkauf.

This could have easily been written for upper YA audience. The writing style and most of the characters being high school aged as well as the more basic storyline and casual plot with very little danger/gore led me to believe this was Lapena moving into a YA thriller but apparently not.

It's still a good story if a bit predictable and basic. Not my favorite from the author but also not the worst book I've read.

Very fast paced if you need something to finish in a day.

Thank you to the publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

This was a good mystery. It didn't feel very suspenseful, but that is great for readers who want a mystery without the scariness of many thrillers. The ending of this book caught me by surprise, which does not happen often. I enjoyed how the narration changed point of view through many characters giving the reader a look at how various people handle the grief and loss. I also enjoyed the dead girls role within the book, giving it a different feel to many mystery/thriller books.

I LOVE Shari Lapena! This book kept me reading and I almost finished in one sitting. I saved the last few chapters until the next day.
Just when you think the murderer is named, bam it is not who you think it is!

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Spoilers ahead




Ok, I did really like this book, but... wasn't sure where she was going with the supernatural aspect. I suppose it gave the murdered girl a voice?

Very dark and sinister. A well done thriller that slow builds into a crescendo. Lapena is a master on her field and this book only adds to her mastery.

I love this author! She really takes the reader on a ride. I did not see the who-done-it coming, but looking back, there were definitely signs. Love the quick chapters and the multiple characters telling the story.

Highly – highly recommend What have you done? “Nothing ever happens in sleepy little Fairhill, Vermont. Until it does” This book was totally a page turner from the first page to the end. The book had me second guessing myself and being the detective to try and solve the case. Thank you Net Galley for my advance read! Highlty reccoment #WhatHaveYouDone #ShariLapena #NetGalley

I sailed through this story and enjoyed it thoroughly (although I wanted to be wrong about how I thought it might end and I wasn't :( ). It's great when a mystery opens to allow a number of characters to be "it". This did just that taking you on different paths as you read.

The story of a young teen girl found dead is a hard tale to read, especially as a mom of one. It did make me cringe while reading because this could easily be anyone's daughter but the writing and characters were spot on.

Definitely recommend.

This heartbreaking, heart stopping .novel is not only about the murder of a teenage girl. It's about abuse - abuse of power by teachers; abuse of power by boyfriends and men; abuse of power by other students. It throws a light on the problem of girls/women not being believed about the abuse. My heart aches for these girls. This would make a great discussion book. Kudos to the author - unputdownable!

Shari Lapena is one of my favorite contemporary thriller readers. I trust her work to be easy reads - her sense of urgency keeps the pages turning easily. This was great!

I have spent the last two weeks reading Lapena's entire back catalog and thoroughly enjoyed this conclusion! It was, as always, twisty and suspenseful and I devoured it in two days. Lapena definitely relies on what I consider lazy writing conventions at times (having the voice of the dead girl chiming in felt like a bit of a gimme in terms of exposition, but then that voice ended up being unreliable enough to keep things interesting). I enjoyed how many plausible red herrings this book had, and I always love when a small town gets rocked by tragedy. I think the ghost element could have been left out, but I always enjoy how many perspectives Lapena is able to include in her books. This one ranks highly for me out of all the books she's written!

Shari Lapena has been called “the queen of the one-sit read,” and that was EXACTLY the kind of book I was needing to take my mind off the news! Thanks to Penguin Group Viking and NetGalley, I received a copy of her latest, “What Have You Done?” in exchange for my honest review. The setting for this one is a small town in Vermont. Very bucolic and rural, and in the opening of the book a farmer finds a body in his field, and all hell breaks loose as the story races along through 50+ (short) chapters, told from multiple points of view – including the victim herself, Diana Brewer.

The CIP data (retired librarian here) includes Library of Congress subject headings including “Family Secrets–Fiction,” “Psychological Fiction,” and “Thrillers (Fiction),” and while I have to admit I was unaware that last one was an actual specific heading, when I think about it, I have definitely read some nonfiction thrillers in my day. In any case, I always look at the CIP information and these subject headings gave me optimism about this being a grabber and one I wouldn’t want to put down…and I was RIGHT!

There are tons of lies as the townspeople struggle to make sense of what happened to Diana. People find out that others they have trusted since forever are lying, and people are blaming each other, suspecting each other, and all kinds of secrets come to light. It is impossible to say much about the actual story, and the ending is sort of – wow. And while I am often not a big fan of characters speaking from the grave, it didn’t bother me in this one.

If she wasn’t already crowned the queen of the one-sit read, Ms. Lapena will definitely be after this one. I loved it. Highly recommended. Five stars.

Nothing ever happens in small town Fairhill, Vermont. Until Diana Brewer is found murdered in a hayfield. Someone in town did it, and everyone wants answers.

I don’t always love whodunnit murder mysteries, but l really enjoyed this one. There were so many possibilities of who and what happened that it keeps the reader on their toes. There’s a few twists too. I like that the murder victim has a perspective and we get to hear from her and her story before the murder. This was a very engaging story with very likeable AND unlikeable characters. It’s one you’ll want to go back and reread when you find out the truth.

“How many ways, I think can a girl be assaulted? I never got to live my life. I never got to live to be old enough, to be unattractive enough to be left alone. To finally just be.”

I’m a Shari Lapena fan from day one so I knew I’d love this book. What I didn’t expect was for it to have me in a chokehold like it did! I could not put this one down. It’s everything I want in a summer thriller - dark, twisty, thrilling, but not too gritty and easy to get through.
This story centers around a small community and the different lives that are impacted as secrets come to the surface after the body of a high school girl is found and the search for her killer begins.
Such a great read - highly highly recommend it be added to your summer TBR!

I found this piece to be exceptionally well-crafted, and I'm eagerly anticipating the opportunity to delve into more works by this author. Given its potential popularity among our library patrons, we're certainly looking forward to adding it to our collection

Everything seems perfect in the small town of Fairhill, Vermont until a farmer finds the body of a Diana Brewer in his field. Once Diana is found the town starts to fall apart at the seams. Lies from neighbors, loved ones, people you've trusted your whole life make their way into the light. They all want the truth, but who are you willing to blame to find it out?

This was a knockout book. An Unwanted Guest has been my favorite from Lapena for some time, this may push it down a notch. The small town cast of characters have been hiding quite a few secrets from each other. To find the killer, you must first untangle the web that's been spun. The lies are everywhere and they all seem to connect somehow. Thank you Netgalley for the advanced copy of this book.

Possible spoilers!!

I have read everything and loved everything written by Shari LaPena, so I was really excited to get this advanced copy. I actually started reading it and then put it down almost immediately because I usually can’t read things where children/teens are harmed because it makes me too sad. However, I just had to pick it back up because I knew it would be a captivating read, and boy am I glad I read it! It kept me hooked and the end really surprised me. I got cocky about halfway through, certain I had figured it out, but I wasn’t even close! Thanks NetGalley for the chance to read this!

It has been a very long time since I've read a very good thriller like this one. In fact, it gave me a book hangover and I'm afraid any future thrillers will not live up to the standard this one has set. I don't know why I haven't read more books by Lapena, but she's going to be an auto-read for me now.

Right from the start, the reader is thrown into the plot of the murder of a high school girl who everyone supposedly loved. Her body is found in a farmer's field, naked and being picked apart by vultures. From there, the story snowballs into the introduction of all the characters and points its finger at some very obvious suspects. Just when you think you have it figured out, the author throws a curveball that will have you questioning your sleuthing skills.

Read if you like:
Multiple points of view
Small town setting
Fast-paced/short chapters

Unexpected and Snappy, you won't be able to guess the Twisty ending.

SHORT CHAPTERS ALERT!!!

Although it wasn’t the short chapters that kept me going. The writing and story itself was very fast paced. Each chapter left me on a cliff hanger so I said to myself WHY NOT JUST KEEP READING.

There were multiple characters to follow here, but it wasn’t confusing to follow. You definitely get to know each characters’ story, which I had some beef with all these men. I liked the ending when you find Diana’s killer, but I was left wanting some like epilogue of each character. I also didn’t think Diana’s POV was necessary where she was like some spirit. It didn’t really add much to it.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC!

The body of a local girl is found in a field and sets off a mystery that engulfs the whole town. Multiple points of view, including the victim Diana, slowly reveal just what happened. As with other Lapena novels, red herrings abound, although this ending feels a bit forced. Still a suspenseful ride that will satisfy fans.