An enjoyable read. Everything You Did by Stephanie Sowden had an interesting plot and the characters were well written.

The end of the story: a car crash. Two women who almost are look a likes.
The beginning: waking up, in hospital. Having no idea who she is?
She is told her name is Reeta Doe, and that she’s been in an accident. Nothing more.
This seemed to be promising ... and it was! What a wild story! It grabbed me and didn't want to let me go (well, besides some real-life-chores...)
After everything you did offers lots of suspence and tension!!
Thanks #NetGalley #Canelo for the ARC

3 for neutral. This was one I was not able to get into enough to finish. I will update if able to finish at a later date!

This is a powerful debut novel! Reeta Doe wakes up in a hospital bed, handcuffed and shackled with no idea who she is and the supposedly horrific things she did. This is a really good book by a really good writer. Stephanie Sowden is definitely an author to watch! Highly recommended.

Interesting but not really my cup of tea. Well written I just personally couldn’t get into the story. Amnesia after an accident and rushing to find the truth. Predictable and honestly it was a struggle to keep my interest. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

What would you do if you woke up in a hospital bed with no memory of your previous life and you were told that you are guilty of committing multiple, heinous murders? That is exactly the predicament that greets Reeta Doe.

I devoured this book. A compelling story that was beautifully and thoughtfully written with characters that live in my mind as real people. 'After Everything You Did' gripped me from its striking opening to an ending that knocked me off my feet.

Stephanie Sowden is an author to watch and I cannot wait for what she does next.

As far as psychological crime thrillers go this is one of the best I’ve ever read.
I was beyond hooked by the characters and the plot.
Set in the 1960’s and continuing into the early 70’s, set against the backdrop of bullying policing methods, naive, or no scientific investigation it is a gripping read.
Stephanie Sowden is a new name I shall be looking for in future.
Loved it.

An intriguing, enjoyable read that I *thought* I had figured out, until I got to the twisty, complex reveal. The author manages to invoke empathy and yearning to understand, creating a split between good and bad.

A good thriller like this was just what I needed to spice up my boring work week!

The blurb hooked me but the rest of the story kept me on my toes and I could not wait to finish this

Y’all this debut novel is so, so good! It has both a cult and a serial killer in it, along with so many fast-paced plot twists. At the very beginning, there is a car crash with two women, both maimed and their identical long blonde hair is matted with blood. The story goes on to explore identity and nature vs nurture. I will be thinking about this story for a long time and highly recommend this for people who love thrillers!

Pub Date: 4/7/2022
Rating: ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️/5

Thank you @canelo_co & @netgalley for allowing me to read this book ahead of publication in exchange for my honest review.

Stephanie Sowden's "After Everything You Did" is one of the most compelling and confident debuts I've read in the past year. From its tense opening to its twisty conclusion, the author expertly guides us through the haunting life story of Reeta Doe, who we first meet as a victim in a terrible car crash, critically injured and with no recollection of who she is or how she got there. When she finally comes to, she's handcuffed to her hospital bed, a police guard assigned to her room. Shortly after, she finds out that she's a suspected serial killer, accused of brutally murdering several young female college students. After a full recovery that leaves her with no memory of her past, and irreversible facial disfigurement, she's taken directly to jail to await her trial. Only the interest of Carol, a respected journalist, relieves the torture of being accused of something she can't remember doing. Carol is determined to investigate Reeta's case to find out the truth about the strange young woman. The story unfolds from several viewpoints as Reeta's life as a member of a cultish sect led by a charismatic but unbalanced leader, is patched together. The central question being, is she a killer, deserving of the death penalty? Or is she a victim, guilty only of being in the wrong place at the wrong time? This is a substantial, detailed and suspenseful story told by a writer who is definitely one to watch in the future.

It ends with a car crash. Two women, both maimed, their long blonde hair matted with blood.
It begins with waking up, in an unfamiliar hospital bed. Bright lights, nurses – and handcuffs.
She is told her name is Reeta Doe, and that she’s been in an accident
And so begin this wonderful story of which I devoured in a few hours. I have to say that Reeta was a character that really got my emotions running, I was very invested in her and her story. I really thought I knew where this was going but guess what, I was wrong. This book had me from the moment I started it. It is extremely well paced, the characters are very believable. Lots of suspence and tension and totally engrossing, a five star read that I highly recommend.

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

I did not enjoy the storyline, premise, or characters. I rushed through the book in order to finish and skipped pages and chapters.

Reeta Doe wakes up in a hospital with no memory and is told she is a murderer. During the novel we learn about her past life and her present.
The book does not disappoint at any point. It is an addictive book, one of those that you "have" to continue reading one more chapter because you can't put it down. Without a doubt Stephanie Sowden is a new author to follow.

My goodness me. What an intelligent, transportive and beautifully written portrayal of trauma, identity and memory. You can tell that the writer has really researched the time and setting of the novel, as well as the cultural issues at the time. The pace really picked up at the end, which I really like in literary suspense and it had me hooked right up till the final word. Stephanie is a talent to watch and I can't wait to see what she writes next.

Imagine waking up in a hospital bed, battered and scarred, not knowing who you are or how you got there. As you slowly become more alert, you realize you are handcuffed to the bedrail. No one seems to care that you can't remember a thing or to be forthcoming with any information. They seem to believe that you are lying about your conditions and can't wait until you are well enough to be released and will have to pay for your crimes.
What! Talk about a nightmarish situation, especially when FBI agents arrive and tell you that you are a serial killer. Hard to imagine not being scared out of your mind. With no memory and no family or friends to help you, it looks as if prison is the only thing ahead. Reeta Doe is a woman with no past and no future, but is she a victim or a cold-blooded killer?
I really enjoyed this debut. I was pulled into the story on the first page and the plot never let me go. I went back and forth about how I felt about Reeta and her situation, and holy mind-blowing ending that I did not see coming. This author is now on my watch for the next book list as After Everything You Did was one cray cray ride.

This ARC was provided to me via Kindle, Canelo and by #NetGalley. Opinions expressed are completely my own.

What a debut! I was on the edge guessing the whole time and loving every moment.

What a ride!

This book starts with Reeta Doe who wakes up in an unfamiliar hospital bed in handcuffs and accused of murder. What follows is a gripping tale of did she do it? Is there a case of mistaken identity and how far one will go to prove their innocence..

I was engrossed from the very beginning and I also became very emotionally invested in this story. The author did an exceptional job with this story and the plot twist was just amazing . I cannot wait to read more books by the author. Highly recommend if you need a thriller you will think about for days to come.

A huge thanks to the publisher for my complimentary copy. All opinions expressed are entirely my own

I cannot believe that this is a debut!

Holy smokes, I'm going to keep my eye on you Stephanie Sowden!

This book features an intriguing and unique storyline, some very well-written characters, masterful plotting and a surprising and satisfying ending.

I can't ask for more in a thriller.

Thank you to the publisher for gifting me a copy. It's my absolute pleasure to write an honest review.

As an avid reader of mystery/thrillers it's hard to find a book with a plot twist that I can't predict, but 'After Everything You Did' had a true surprise ending.

The story begins with Reeta Doe, a young woman who has just woken up in a hospital, handcuffed to her bed. She's told that she's committed a horrible crime, but she genuinely has no memory of anything at all - for all intents and purposes she's simply dropped onto the face of the earth at that moment. And so the story continues, with frustrated attempts at piecing together the puzzle of Reeta's identity, interspersed with snippets of the past.

While the twist was enjoyable, I did find my attention wavering more than once. In my opinion, there were too many plot twists, too many time jumps, and too much focus on building up the backstory of side characters.

However, my main criticism of this novel is that aside from the chapter subtitles sharing the date (1966), there is really no other sense of place in the narrative. In fact, the story could just as easily have taken place in modern-day America, as there were no chronological signifiers until well into the middle of the first half.

Additionally, I felt that the dialogue took some time to warm up and feel natural. At times it felt as though the characters were being given dialogue straight from a detective TV show rather than reality.

That being said, this is still a solid mystery/thriller novel with a twist I genuinely did not see coming. The closest comparison would be Abigail Dean's "Girl A", though "After Everything You Did" definitely has a unique plot.