What an awful book. I really didn’t like this at all
The writing style was poor and the characters were horrible

What You Did was the story of a group of college friends reconnecting as adults. It follows the wife of a man who is accused of sexual assault after one of the women is attacked in the garden during their get together.

I found the story to start off strong but went downhill the further into it that I read. All of the characters were incredibly unlikeable in their own ways and though I accepted them as is it still didn't stop me from wanting to pull them from the pages to yell at them.

The jumping between perspectives and from present day to the other events that took place in 1996 felt quite unnecessary to the overall story. In the end it was a quite run of the mill predictable thriller.

A very good book with many twists and turns. I enjoyed the up to date story mixed in with something that happened 20 years ago when the characters first met at university. A very unexpected ending indeed. Kept me interested and would recommend.

Ali is excited to be hosting a reunion with her college friends. Everything must be perfect. But what happens when the alcohol becomes too much and a crime happens within a circle of friendship? Read What You Did to find out. Secrets are dug up and a crime that happened 25 years earlier, may have a new victim.

I thought this book was well written. I gave it 4 stars as I felt there were some parts of the book that were a bit slow. Otherwise this book kept me captivated and I found it to be a great thriller. You never really know how the book will end until it does!

Did not finish- too many characters, very slow. Did not get past the first 20 percent of the book. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free copy in exchange for review. I may try to reread again but not for a while.

I read this in one sitting. It’s a pacy thriller with plenty of action. The story centres around the actions of a group of old university friends on one particular evening. The secrets they have kept and the lies they have told flow from there.

The story rang true for me in the sense that people will do a lot to protect their middle class life. I ended up having some sympathy for Ali who attaches herself to Mike to get away from her violent father. There was a sense of ‘people don’t change’ running through the novel which was well explored throughout.

A 4/5 for me because despite my liking for pacy novels this raced at the end and really needed another couple of chapters to fully explore what happened next. The friendship between Ali and Karen that survives at the end is unbelievable and needed further explanation. Given the author’s exploration of rape it would have been good to take this through trial and explore the complex issues that would have likely been raised there.

Overall this is a good read. There was plenty of action and a lot of suspense. I thought though that it was a bit slow in places and predictable. I also did not particularly like any of the characters.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

This book begins with a reunion after 25 years between old uni friends - two couples and two singles. It started well, and I quickly connected with Ali, the main character. The book was told from different charcters perspectives at times, and whilst I didn't dislike this I am not sure it added to the book. The ending I think was obvious rather than a twist, given there weren't many suspects and I think that was the only thing that let it down but still a reccommended read.

Thank you Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read What You Did by Claire McGowan. This book is filled with suspense from start to finish. A rape takes place at the Morris house after a group of college friends reunite after 25 long years. After Mike Morris is accused from his wife's best friend and secret lover, Karen, the Morris family's “perfect” life flips upside down. Ali Morris’s perfect bubble she lived in her whole life, slowly begins to unravel as she learns about the lies she’s been told and the secrets kept from her. Ali does what any good wife and mother would do; try to protect her husband and children. I was not expecting the ending and could not put the book down! Highly recommend!

This book kept me intrigued throughout. There were so many threads woven together but as a reader I just wasn't sure how they all fit into the overall picture.

After Karen claims that Ali's husband Mike has raped her, we get various perspectives from their old university friends, who were there that night, and even the children. It is clear that each person knows a little bit of the puzzle but we are left guessing what. I liked that at one point I had guessed the ending but there were so many parts to the story that I had also guessed multiple other options!

An east yet engrossing read in the mystery/suspense genre.

This is my first book by Claire McGowan so wasn’t sure what to expect. Although I enjoyed the story with some twists and turns to keep you reading it started off well but then got a bit slow going in places. The genre for it is psychological thriller but I don’t think it is really, it’s more of a suspenseful read. The end was also a bit surprising. All in all a good steady read.

A college reunion a n assault a rape .Accusations are made disbelieved a book of twists and turns a book that keeps you guessing.A true page turner from a terrific author. #netgalley#amazonbooksuk

I received an advanced copy of this book in return for an honest review.
I liked this story and thought the whole 'where would your loyalty lie ' question a great plot for a book.
My only main issues were that I didn't really like any of the characters and the book was quite transparent . I knew from around a quarter of the way in what the ending would be. An ok read.

Thanks Netgalley and the publisher. This wasn't a bad book but for me a bit slow paced. It had some twists and suspense but not big enough for me. It's about a husband and wife who have a reunion dinner party that everyone there seems to over indulge in alcohol and things just go downhill from there. It comes down to who is telling the truth!? Ali's husband or best friend Karen?

A college reunion doesn't go exactly as planned. One attendee staggers into the host's house, bleeding, clothes torn, with an accusation that she was assaulted .... by the host's husband.

Who is lying? Who is telling the truth? Why would this woman accuse her husband for no reason at all? Who does she trust ...her husband.. or her best friend?

All this chaos brings the past to the forefront. There are darker memories too. Memories that have lain dormant for decades. Memories someone would kill to protect.

This psychological thriller wasn't really a thriller. The suspense never reached a level of ... I have GOT to find out what happens next. It started with a bang and then fizzled a bit. None of the characters have any redeeming qualities.

I have read other books by this author and was not disappointed. I'm hoping this one was just an anomaly. I will be happy to read her future books.

WARNING: A sexual assault is mentioned in the first few pages of the book and later goes into detail. This may be a trigger for some women.

Many thanks to the author / Thomas Mercer UK / Netgalley for the digital copy of this psychological drama. Read and reviewed voluntarily, opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.

Hmm I’m torn on this one. On one hand the premise sounded intriguing but on the other, it did not deliver. At times it was well written but other parts I just skipped past. Not for me sadly.

Excellent book with a clear cut depiction of characters. The storyline is fluid and constant, and my concentration never waived. Highly recommended.

I thought this one sounded fairly interesting, but after reading reviews from other readers I've decided to sit this one out. Too many books, too little time!

At the start of this book and even up to around the half way point I loved it and was so glad as my last few books have been quite poor but then it just fell apart.
The six main characters were the most unlikely lot and the plot melted into rubbish. To make matters worse the author introduced other useless people in what I suppose was a method of trying to give more depth but from the unlikely sets of parents to the silly detective they all added nothing.
The crime set in the situation it was set in could have made for a great story but unfortunately it lost all logic along the way.

Excellent read - highly recommend:

Ali and Mike host a reunion with 4 other ex Oxford University friends and one of the party, Karen, her best friend, staggers into the house in the early hours of the morning claiming that Mike had raped her. Karen, who works with abused women and is a firm believer that if a woman reports rape that she likely has been raped struggles with the idea that her husband has raped her best friend.

This book also switches between the present and 1996 when the group were at University and an unsolved crime took place at a graduation party where each of the 6 friends seemingly alibi the whereabouts of each other.

I really enjoyed the book and was surprised by the ending. I did fine Ali a little naïve throughout the book but I would highly recommend this book.

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