What Did I Do? by Jessica Jarlvi is one of those books that the cover just screamed read me when I saw it and having read another book by the author it wasn’t a hard choice to pick this one up. Jessica’s first book When I Wake Up was one that I remember being easily pulled into so I was hoping for more of the same, unfortunately that wasn’t the case this time.

The story in here is told from multiple points of view including an unknown voice and varying timelines in the beginning. Sometimes this type of set up is one that works wonderfully and others not so much. This time was definitely a not so much example because everything seemed to be so scattered and disconnected it can be easily confusing and hard for readers to connect to.

Kristin was a character that seemed to be hiding from her past and on the run with a new boyfriend in Sweden. She jumpy and skittish so we know that there is something in her past that she’s avoiding. Unknown phone callers and glimpses of things that make her think she’s been found have her on edge. Meanwhile Frank has lost a son and is searching his missing daughter, Sophia. And then an unknown female is forced into prostitution and desperate to escape.

The question for the reader becomes how do all of these varying stories connect and will they all tie together by the end. The problem though is maintaining interest to make any sort of ending actually exciting by the time it comes and for me that is where it failed. Hopefully though in the author’s next attempt her book will go back to the instantly engaging type of story I’d found in the first.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

An interesting one this. Lots there at the start but a plot which for me didn’t last until the end. Or maybe it did and I didn’t fully appreciate it. The main character has OCD which was a nice touch and not just a plot device. Can’t say I liked any of the characters mind - not a nice word or nice persona amongst them. There seemed to be lots of characters as each chapter switched from one to the other which wasn’t always easy to follow. The time lines also felt mixed for me.

Kristin's life spirals out of control and the unravelling is the high point if you like, of the book, the denouement less so. So, a mixed bag this one for me but the writing and turn of phrase is such that I will be back for more.

Although I was extremely tempted to give this 5 Stars, I was let down by the epilogue... half of the epilogue is the beginning of the book and it was like ‘meh’. The actually ending of the storyline itself was actually quite intense. I knew there was something fishy with the ‘specific’ character but I never guessed everything revolves around them, that’s for sure.

The writing style is most definitely the most gripping part of this book. The author certainly has the gift of the writing and knows how to manipulate her readers.

It’s gripping and gritty, dark and intense; you’ll find yourselves thrown completely off the map in places and you’ll also feel quite confused with the character changes in each chapter and who is who. Also, I have no idea how to pronounce ‘Birgitta’... I spent the majority of the book stressing on over the pronunciation and it was irritating. It’s great to finally read a psychological thriller book that’s not set in the UK! This is a mix between America and Sweden, though more on the Sweden side.

I’m a little confused with the ending and with what Peter really thinks as it wasn’t well defined and left me with a tonne of questions.

Great read; be prepared to pour your heart and soul, and all your brain cells, into reading this book.

Kristin is running from her past. A dead husband, a dead brother, a mother crippled when she was pushed down the stairs. How could she have caused so much damage? Now she's on a mission to find herself. To figure out how so much tragedy centers around her.
A great psychological thriller. Surprising, entertaining, titillating.
Great characters. At first it seems like a lot of characters to deal with, but it all comes together.
4 Stars

This book so many twists and turns I found it a bit hard to follow. The first half of the book was very hard to follow trying to figure out where the characters in the past points of view related to the current characters points of view. I think the author could have done a better job at joining the past and present characters in my opinions to make it less confusing.

You are led to believe that Kristin is mentally unstable and she probably is but not to the point her parents think she is. She just happens to know more about one of her parents then she wanted to and in fear for her life ran. Unfortunately, her family finds her and it leads to an explosive ending and tell all between the entire family.

It is a good book, but to be honest, I highly doubt I would have bought it in the bookstore once I had read a few pages here and there in the book. The description is good and true, but I think the author could have tied some plot lines together better and left some plot lines out all together. This is my opinion though, you may find you enjoy the book and completely disagree with me.

I was drawn to the cover of this book and thought for sure I would love it. However, i had a really tough time following this story. There are so many characters to keep track of that i was easily confused and I just could not connect to any of them. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for this book. All opinions expressed are my own.

This was an Ok read I felt it could perhaps have been better but it still made for an interesting book ..Many thanks to the author and also net galley

I found it very difficult to warm to this book and the characters, and found the changing timelines confusing. I also found the plot unbelievable and the characterisation poor. The author is obviously full of ideas and plot twists however and maybe I will find her next book more appealing

I reviewed What did I do? as an ARC free from net galley in return for an honest review.

The first half of this book was actually quite hard to read, the time line is off, you have no idea what's happening, and I had no idea who was who in the narratives. In time this does fall into place but I had to push myself to read on. In the second half of the book I thought I knew who was behind it but I soon changed my mind and guessed before the big reveal.

I enjoyed the story but feel that it dragged in places and yet lacked detail in others. I liked the crime and the suspense but failed to connect with any of the characters.

I wasn't sure about this when I started reading but tried to persist, making it almost half way before deciding I really didn't care enough to keep reading. Characters were not at all engaging. Shame.

I tried, I really tried, but I was very confused by this book. This is the story of a girl, tormented by memories or beliefs rather that she was a murderer. Her family try to look for her after she fled to Sweden. The story is told in flashbacks as well as the current time. I thought there were too many characters and in the beginning there was no connection but all is revealed in the end.

I had a really hard time staying engaged with this story. Based on the description, I really thought I'd enjoy it. I wanted to, but it just didn't live up to my expectations. The number of characters made it challenging to follow at times, and it was hard to feel a real connection to any of the characters.

Can’t seem to stay out of Sweden lately, literally as in books. Then again I really liked Jarlvi’s debut When I Wake Up, so I would have checked this book out irrespective of geography. So here I am, the first person reviewing it for GR. What Did I Do wasn’t a sophomore slump per se, though I did like it less. The story has to do with a young woman from a well to do and supremely messed up family, in fact every existing member of her family suspects her of various crime, including murder. Naturally she flees them and the country, coming back to her native Sweden, but like an odious smell they follow, weaving their webs and plotting their traps. But you don’t really get to know all of it, Jarvi weaves her own web quite cleverly, dispensing tantalizingly small amounts of information in alternating perspective chapters, so that you’re left to try to figure out what exactly is going on. And you do figure it out, but slowly enough to satisfy a proper suspense fan. So, yeah, it’s trickery, but at least that way you get to be surprised by the prerequisite twist ending. It is somewhat melodramatic though, particularly the soap opera worthy denouement, but it’s an enjoyable enough trip to get there. Jarlvi’s clipped sentences occasionally take the dispassionate Scandinavian writing to new levels of indifference, but the narrative becomes considerably more engaging from about midway on. The main protagonist, the did she or didn’t she star of the show, has OCD, which was a nice addition and depicted well and reasonably, not exploited for a plot driver or comic asides. Majority of the characters were quite despicable, but then again they were trapped by their own obsessions and lack of moral centers. This turned out to be a fun murder mystery suspense thriller story with all the genre accoutrements, nothing special, but it does succeed at drawing the reader in, plenty entertaining and a quick read. Thanks Netgalley.

This is the second book I have read by Jessica Jarlvi, I enjoyed the first one so I was thrilled to receive an advanced copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
I really liked the story, but it was very confusing. There were so many characters and strorylines that I found it difficult to keep up at times....that being said it all came together at the end and completely made sense. I look forward to her next book!

This book will definitely keep you on the edge of your seat. I was obsessed with finding out what happened and could not put it down until the end. But by then it was too late.. was questioning my own sanity.

I was amused by this book but it took me a while to fully get into it. I don't think I will read it again