After Everything You Did is a complex suspenseful thriller. The story begins with a young woman waking up in the hospital. She realizes she is handcuffed to the bed. As she tries to get her bearings she is told she is "Reeta." As she lays there the name doesn't feel right, she listens to the FBI but nothing seems familiar, no memories of the past, which they don't believe. Although she accepts what they tell her as fact she feels as if they are talking about someone else. While awaiting trial in jail, an inmate gives her a news article written by Carol Joyce. "Reeta" writes a letter to Carol to ask her for her help in trying to figure out who she is, what happened, and most of who is the man in the picture the FBI gave her. Carol believes there is much more the FBI has told her about the case. Carol will become an important person to "Reeta" and vice versa.

The story will include "Reeta" being raised in a religious cult with Brother Jeb, isolation, physical and sexual abuse among others. Unfortunately for "Reeta" this is the only life she has ever known. For her a life of choice or the outside world is unknown to her. I didn't find this inclusion of the cult as troubling as other reviewers. I actually thought it enhanced it.

This book starts in 1966 which made me think that this was based on a true story. The author uses the time period to tell the story which includes in 1972 the death penalty being ruled as cruel and unusual punishment. This is a fascinating story that will make you question and reread parts (especially the last few chapters) to make sure you read what you thought you read. There is a huge twist at the end that I did not see coming. I struggled with the ending and had to sleep on it until I felt I got it right. These are the books I love, the ones that leave you thinking about them well after you have finished.

I liked reading the book with the past interspersed with the present. It helps tell the story of how the characters got to where they ended up. This is a debut book which is very well written and I can easily see it as being a movie in the future.

Well this took me by surprise! Half way thru I didn't think it was going to be fore me but I got sucked in and couldn't stop reading!

Reeta Doe finds herself handcuffed to a hospital bed with no recollection who she is or of any memory whatsoever.. She is told she is responsible for the murder of several college girls and one who has miraculously survived. The first part of the book focuses on her trial along with Carol, the journalist, who wants to help Reeta find her memories but at the same time have an exclusive connection to the story that has made national attention.

Intermixed between the trial we are swept back to take a look at Reeta's past, a place called Pine Ranch. This is where I lost some steam....I'm not a huge fan of cult books and was a little disappointed it went that direction. However, my disappointment was short lived because I was sucked in immediately and thought it was done very well and held my attention. My only quibble was how quickly the timelines changed. Normally I'm a big fan of different timelines but this didn't work for me as much. I would be so involved in the past and as soon as it switched to present I lost momentum. I felt like if it didn't flip timelines so quickly it would have worked more for me. But that's just me!

The ending! OMG there was just so much packed into that entire last part it was amazing. Confusing but amazing! I will admit I read a few times and may still not fully get it, but that's ok! I'm super glad I stuck thru this when I hit an element that usually doesn't interest me because this truly was a very good book.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for my advanced copy!

I cannot praise this book enough! I finished it within 2 days.

Reeta wakes up handcuffed to a hospital bed with no recollection of how she got there. Seemingly she was found in the driving seat of a crashed car with a severely injured woman locked in her trunk. Reeta has no memory of the accident nor the woman and is disturbed when she is arrested for kidnap and assault together with the murders of a string of other women.

Throughout the book I was routing for reeta hoping that she wasn’t the serial killer she was being portrayed to be by the media and detectives. The story is told from many different viewpoints from the present day but also navigates back to the young Reeta. Amazingly written and held my attention even after I’d finished it!

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I devoured this story. It is so easy to be captivated by it. Reeta is one of those characters that can really get your emotions going. You get lots of suspense and tension throughout this book.

Stephanie Sowden is a new writer to me but, on the evidence of this impressive novel, I look forward to her future output. It is a clever, surprising and enthralling tale with twists and turns aplenty and a stunning reveal. Well -written and with fascinating characters, it deals basically with the story of Reeta, a killer who remembers nothing of her killings and whose life is gradually revealed. Excellent stuff.

We start with a woman waking up in a hospital. She's been in a car crash. One which she has no memory of. In fact, she has no memory of, well, anything. They tell her she had a woman in her boot. And that she is responsible for the abduction and murder of other women. She has no idea. They want to know where the missing women are. Or where the bodies are buried... They call her Reeta but have no idea of her surname...
Only one person is willing to help her and that is probably only cos there is something in it for her. A journalist's interest has been piqued by the case. An investigative journalist, Carol, and boy is there something rife to investigate here... Reeta is all for it, even though there's a chance what she discovers will be devastating... She just wants the truth. Bare in mind that there are still some who think she already knows what that is...
Well... at the end of the day, I really didn't think we were going there. The author led me a merry dance all the way through this book, delivering a plot that was, at times, a bit crazy, but which never crossed that line of complete implausibility. Shocking yes, most definitely. And. at the end of the day, rather sad too. And all ticking along rather nicely in the middle third, albeit a tad on the slow and repetitive side, until, well, the author delivers a bit of a sucker punch which did floor me, even though I was kinda expecting something.
It was hard to connect to Reeta. Maybe cos I didn't know who I was connecting to as she didn't know herself mostly. I did have some inkling about something, and that did kinda pan out a bit as I was a bit confused by her personality. But I can't really go into anything here.
The writing was good, well plotted and executed. Especially given that this is a debut. Pacing was mostly ok, apart from what I have already mentioned, but it did escalate nicely towards the end. An ending which left me with probably too many unanswered questions for my liking. But that could just be me.
All in all, a good solid read which did leave me interested to see what the author serves up for next time. My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

Have you ever been mistaken for someone else?
What if that someone else was a multiple murderer, and nobody believes that you aren't that person. That you didn't do those things. That you know nothing except that you were in an accident, and when you woke up you were told you were this person, and with every word you say, you move deeper into a prison system which has already convicted you without trial.
That's what's happened to our protagonist.
Waking up in hospital as a patient, remembering nothing - her life a blank, she's told she is Reeta, abductor of multiple girls with long blonde hair - girls who looked just like her. Killer of two, failed murderer of a third, and suspected of two more.
How can she convince them she's not, if she doesn't know who she is either? And, who’s actually going to believe a multiple murderer when she says she has amnesia?
Enter Carol. The one person who might see through the face everyone else has placed on her, to believe that maybe the person is telling the truth - at least, about her amnesia.
The only way to find out, is to investigate Reeta. Her life, her background, every stone Carol can find needs to he turned over, the shadows brought into the light.
Only then can the truth - whatever it is - be told.
This is a seriously brave plot to work in a debut novel - it's one even the most seasoned writers have trouble with. So I'm already rooting for this one! I go in with respect to the author, hoping for a good story, that holds up.
Right away, we have the angry cops - one clearly prone to aggression - and nobody believing the convenient amnesia story, even her lawyer. A lawyer already old before his age, thanks to this case. They all think her a soulless monster - and the damage done to the two murdered girls they've found certainly matches up with that prognosis.
But still, Reeta pleads a blank. She doesn't know who she is, or remember anything. She's told she was found wrapped around a tree with her next victim in the trunk, but even that means nothing.
Reeta is written well. Sympathetic, tough, intelligent, but not overdone. Sowden resisted the - understandable - urge to perfect this character. She’s still human - albeit a human with no memory of her life.
Carol is the product of an affair her wealthy (white) mother had with a (black) labourer - and a female journalist, in the 60s. So she's already got my interest. Sure, she also stabbed one of the agents on this case in the back on a previous case (which ended their relationship), but nobody's perfect.
Carol’s background and job as a female reporter does mean a couple of racist and sexist terms that I certainly wouldn't be willing to say out loud appear in the text (though I note that the n-word is not spelled out), but I think the context is there and the point is made.
Other racism, not to mention misogyny, is that of the time - and while mentioned, is not explored. Our main characters are simply neither of those things, which is a good way of doing this. These are the days of LBJ and women *gasp* attending college with *bigger gasp* black people, who are *clutches pearls and faints* allowed to sit in the same places as white people! So these brushes aren't pretty to see, even in passing, but they are pretty true to form.
It's a good choice, I think, made by Sowden to not take the usual anmesiac killer route of spending her time trying to blur the lines of whether this woman is or is not Reeta with no memory. Instead, we get an exploration of creepy cults, abuse, and nature vs nurture.
I really enjoyed reading this one. Sowden has put a lot of time and work into making everything fit together, and it makes for a pretty neat jigsaw when you get all the pieces in.
If you like plot that will pull you along, deep characters, and a twist that is not what you think it will be - this is a good one for you. I’m looking forward to more from Sowden - if this debut is anything to go by, the next one will be excellent!

Another thriller that held my attention and made me read way too long at night when I should have been sleeping!

Tons of view points in this one, and at times it got a little confusing but altogether it worked out. A chilling story of a girl with no recollection of the crimes, mixed in with a cult storyline, this definitely made for a fabulous read that left me wanting more when the story came to an end.

This book comes out on April 7th!

Thanks to love book tours, canelo crime books, NetGalley, and stephanie sowden for the ARC!

After Everything You Did - a story that spans several decades beginning in the 60’s and going through to the early 80’s. Two woman are found in a car crash on the side of a highway blood mattered in their blonde hair. The difference one woman is found in the boot with her head half caved in by a hammer.

Reeta wakes up in the hospital with no memory of anything - as she tries to move around she soon realises that she is handcuffed to the bed and the FBI have been chasing her for the murders of four college girls and one attempted murder. How can this be? Reeta has no memory of these unspeakable crimes, in fact, she has no memory of anything. Relentless questioning ensues and Reeta is unable to tell the FBI what they need to know, or is she faking it?

Carol, a journalist is Reeta’s only hope at gaining insight into her past and what she may or may not have done. Carol becomes Reeta’s unlikely alley and friend despite what seems to be a brutal open and shut case of multiple murders.

This story captivated me, the author has done an excellent job of writing from multiple POV - multiple time periods and not holding your hand the whole way through. You get to know the murdered girls through stories that Carol gathers and tells Reeta hoping to get her to regain her memory (to no avail), you get to know young Reeta through a series of past stories and the religious cult that she grew up in.

The abuse endured and the abandonment of logical thinking to allow people to blindly follow a man that believes himself to be a man of God leading them into heaven. It is truly shocking the abuse that is passed off as ‘acts of god’. The saddest thing about these stories is you know that people are brainwashed by this type of sect when they are at their lowest and have nothing left to believe in. Reeta’s upbringing is nothing short of tragic although she can not remember it - each step towards her past brings more and more tragic and horrific events into her world that maybe she doesn’t want to ever remember.

Reeta who is now disfigured from the crash, shy and mild in manner cannot reconcile herself with the horrific stories of brutalisation she is being accused of. Neither can she deny them as she simply has no memory. Feeling that if she is in fact the person they say she is, it is only right to leave it to the courts to decide her fate. Reeta is jailed and sentenced to death.

A friendship between Carol and Reeta blossoms as Carol tries throughout the years to prove who Reeta really is, despite the evidence. The author does an excellent job at allowing you to draw your own conclusions and the ending is something else. I think I read it four times to make sure I was right and to be honest i am only 90% sure of what I think. That is the beauty of what Stephanie Sowden has done, she has created a story that you have to think about and you really need to pay attention to the details to be sure you know, what you know or think you know.

I loved this book it truly is a 5 stars from me - I began reading it and then found it impossible to put it down. It was a wonderful look through the past as well - touching on topics that are uncomfortable and relevant. If this is Stephanie’s debut novel I can’t imagine how much better it gets from here. Well Done.

Thank you to Canelo, NetGalley and the author for an advanced copy of this fantastic book for my honest review.

What did I just read?

Why did it take me so long to pick this one up?

Lucky for you, this insane thriller is due out next week, April 7, 2022 and I promise you, you do not want to miss this one!

This was a book that pulled you in on page one and did not let you go until you conclude. Reeta, our main character, wakes up in a hospital bed with no idea who she is or where she is. She is told that she is a serial killer and is under investigation.

Ummmm.. What???

Reeta knows she needs help, there is no way she could be a killer. Reeta reaches out to Carol, a journalist, to help her uncover the truth.

Could Reeta really be responsible for the murders of all these young girls?

You are going to have to tune in on April 7, 2022 to find out!

This is a fast paced, suspenseful thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat the entire time. This book is an easy read that you can easily finish in one sitting. Five Stars!

Thank you Canelo and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. IYKYK, my reviews are always honest.

Writing: 5/5 | Plot: 5/5 | Ending: 5/5

5s across the board. Enough said? You wish!! I've always got more to say.

THE PLOT

Reeta wakes up in the hospital with no memory of her past or who she really is—but apparently she's a stonecold killer responsible for the brutal deaths of four college girls that look just like her. Told across 20 years, Reeta and Carol—a journalist and an unlikely ally—try to find out the truth.

MY OPINION

Oh wow. A massive round of applause to Stephanie Sowden on a beautifully written debut. As with all books penned by extremely talented writers, this is so much more than just a mystery/thriller. This is a beautiful and heartbreaking exploration of racism, feminism, the counterculture movement, the death penalty, and other important topics that marked the 60s and 70s.

Sowden expertly injected realism from the time period into her characters; showing you what the world looked like just years after Jim Crow laws were struck down, when women were attending college in record numbers, when the death penalty and Vietnam war were at the center of a counterculture movement crying for peace. If you're unfamiliar with this time, or it's just been a hot minute since you've taken a history class, you will certainly learn the pained experienced of the marginalized while reading. Well done, Sowden.

Beyond the masterfully crafted historical/social commentary, I absolutely loved the story. I'm a sucker for a religious sect and this was it in all its glory. Once again, Sowden realistically depicted the leaps in logic that lead narcissists to exploiting religion and all the messy, disturbing, consequences that follow.

I was a bit confused at the end, but I think the author intended it that way. If you read this book, I'd love to hear your thoughts on the ending. Feel free to send me a message.

All in all, a beautiful story in every regard. Historically accurate, beautiful "show not tell" writing, strong character development, and well-plotted, this is a book I won't soon forget. A reminder: this isn't an in-your-face-thriller relying heavily on cheap shock value to keep readers engaged—I came for the thrills but stayed for the valuable story and intelligent writing.

PROS AND CONS

Pros: everything... this is a true 5 star read through and through (FOR ME)

Cons: nothing

My thanks to NetGalley and publisher Canelo for the ARC.

This is an intriguing story, well-written with good characters; it's reasonably fast-paced but I did find some of the narrative to be rather repetitive. Overall I enjoyed reading it.

Two blonde-haired young women wake up in hospital: one is handcuffed to the bed's railing, she's treated harshly by staff but has no memory of any life before that moment, although she's told her name is Reeta. She'd been driving when her car crashed in Florida. The other young woman, Bonnie, was found in the trunk of the car suffering from head injuries. Despite having no memories Reeta's told she's responsible for the deaths of four female students across five Southern States and the FBI agents want the location of two bodies yet to be found. Bonnie was her latest victim.

The narrative gradually builds up the picture of Reeta's past life, as well as the FBI's attempts at releasing her memories; she can't believe she'd be capable of carrying out such brutal murders, but then again - how would she know?

Now............enough said or I'll risk spoilers. Suffice it to say that there are shocking aspects to this story as well as a major twist.
Well worth reading.

This was an incredibly fast-paced and heart-racing good book. It is dark and full of suspense and written so well you really relate to the torment and anguish the main character is going through. Highly recommended.

How do you prosecute a person who can’t remember what they did?

That’s exactly what happened to Reeta Doe. She woke up in a hospital and found herself handcuffed to the bed. Reeta had no memory of who she is or what happened to her. The FBI told her she had been in a car crash but they told her next shocked her to the core. She was accused of brutally murdering two college girls. Two more girls remained missing. But Reeta doesn’t remember any of it. No matter how many times the FBI questioned her, she can’t answer anything. She was eventually convicted with the evidence found by the police however Reeta was convinced there was more to her story and contacted Carol, a journalist to help her recall her memory. What they discovered was even more sinister than they ever imagined! Two words: Pine Ranch.

This was such a gripping read that surprisingly left me quite sad in the end. I was hooked from the beginning and I didn’t know if I was rooting for Reeta or not despite knowing what she had done. When they uncovered Reeta’s earlier life, it made me so sad and infuriated! Just a bunch of men who needs women to feed their egos and buy into their fantasies. It did help me understand why Reeta did what she did.

Just as I thought the worst was over, I was hit by a major plot twist towards the end! It was the perfect twist and it actually added more depth to the story. There were some chapters that were a little laggy but I definitely enjoyed Reeta’s character development! I couldn’t help but feel sorry for her.

I really enjoyed reading this overall! I wish I could tell you what this story entails but I don’t want to give too much away. Thank you Netgalley and Canelo for the arc.

After Everything You Did - an easy 5 star read.
Oh, what a clever thriller. All the ingredients are right up my street; the FBI, the era, the plot, cults.
The characters! I cared for them. They were richly drawn, fully fleshed out.
A brilliant debut and I can’t wait to see what Stephanie does next.

I was totally intrigued by the blurb so I just had to read this book.

Who is Reeta Doe? Why did she do these despicable things?

I was gripped at first but as the book went on I found it quite repetitive. There was some parts of the storyline that seemed promising but then just fizzled out, leaving me with questions.

The ending was ok but I felt it was all too rushed and confusing.

This was a book I really tried to like but I think it just went a bit flat.

A young woman wakes up in hospital after a horrific car crash. She is told her name is Reeta and that she brutally killed two female college students. Police suspect she killed two more but their bodies have not been found. Oh, and there was an injured young woman in the boot (trunk) of her vehicle.

Police question extensively about the whereabouts of the other two bodies but Reeta cannot remember a thing. It is as if her life started when she woke up in hospital. In due course she is convicted of the murders and sentenced to death. Reeta doesn’t feel like the bad person everyone is saying she is. She wants to know more about her life and contacts Carol Joyce, a journalist who wrote about the case. Carol agrees to visit her and to research her earlier life. The police are on board as they are hoping it will jog Reeta’s memory. It doesn’t.

It was a good story and the writing was fine but I felt the book got bogged down in the middle when it explored Reeta’s early life (only life really) in the Pine Ranch cult. Sometimes I don’t mind a cult story but this one annoyed me. These cults are invariably lead by charismatic men who invariably prey on the young women among the members, filling their heads with nonsense about how they will become the mother of the ‘second coming’ of Christ. How do people not see through this rubbish? Anyway, there was too much of it in the book and it was boring. I know it shaped Reeta but even so.

Towards the end the author pulls out an excellent twist which I did not see coming. Of course it made perfect sense and rendered the story even more tragic than it was. But the very end - I found it to be too ambiguous and I wasn’t really sure which way to take it.

Although the Reeta character was very well fleshed out the other characters, not so much. The pacing was patchy and the story lagged at times. Full credit for an innovative plot and excellent twist. It will be interesting to see what the author comes up with next. Many thanks to Netgalley and Canelo for the much appreciated arc which I reviewed voluntarily and honestly.

After Everything You Did is a clever and compelling debut thriller. It is so much more than I imagined, in a good way. The story had me hooked from the beginning and that ending was - oh my god! Cannot wait to see what Stephanie Sowden has in store for us next after this.

A woman wakes up in the hospital, handcuffed to bed and with no memory of who she is or what she has done. The FBI tell her that they have been following her and she is now under arrest for murder of multiple women. She cannot remember anything and enlists the help of a journalist to help her.

That is pretty much all you need to know, but the story does go pretty dark and messed up. Set in the 1960's there is no phones or internet to help her and I loved that about this story. Highly recommend.

Thank to Netgalley and Canelo for my advanced copy of this book to read. Published on April 6th.

Thank you Netgalley, Stephanie Sowden, and Canelo for my gifted copy!

Synopsis:
A woman wakes up in a hospital bed - handcuffed and with no memory of her former life whatsoever. Police explain to her that her name was Reeta, she has been in a car crash. And that she's killed two girls, and abducted two others. Soon, she's brought to prison, and her only hope is a journalist who doesn't give up on her. Soon, their clues lead to a cultish farm, and a man the old Reeta seemed to worship...

My thoughts:
Well, the synopsis on Netgalley didn't say anything about cults, and if it did, I wouldn't have requested this book because that trope's just not my cup of tea. Overall, the book was well written, even though I found my mind wandering or skimming overly wordy descriptions. I was about to DNF at some times because if it isn't my kind of book, it just isn't. BUT I'm glad I pulled through because the twist was absolutely MINDBLOWING. The ending, however, was really confusing, and there were some questions left unanswered.

This was my first book by this author.

Parts of this book reminded me of:
- The Mad Girl by Andrew Colvin

After Everything You Did had me hooked on the very first page. I loved the premise and thought that the characters were well written. This was Stephanie Sowden’s debut novel, and I am excited to see what she does next.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

After Everything You Did will be published April 7th