I received this book from Netgalley. The first thing that attracted me to this book was the title and then the cover. Then I read the blurb and it sounded so good! One chapter in and I already don't like the main character. Not ideal when you still have an entire book ahead of you.

This book is such a slow read. I really struggled to get into it. I think one of the reasons I struggled with this book was because it was just a lot of Petal. She did a lot by herself without other characters and as I found her a bit annoying, I struggled to get interested in her story.

I liked the ending of the book. I do like that it was a bit of a surprise. I'd also like to know what the real reason for Petal's character change was but I guess I'll never know. Overall, the book felt a little long for what it was about.

Secrets and lies abound in this mystery! 'I Know What You Did' tells the story through the first-person narration of the main protagonist, Petal Woznewski. or Petta as she prefers to be called, is a self-proclaimed hermit who prefers the company of herself to other people. A simple job, junk food, the occasional smoke, and her sometimes boyfriend, Gus are all she needs to exist. The world has proven unreliable, so why risk getting hurt? One day, however, she is confronted with news that shakes her life as she knows it - someone's written a book that names her as the killer of her childhood best friend! While it would be easier to keep burying her head in the sane, Petta realizes it is time to confront her demons. With all not as it seems, she maneuvers through dangerous moments which change her in unfathomable ways.

I really liked Petta's character - as an introvert, I definitely commiserated with her more often than not. Though afraid, she pushed herself outside of her comfort zone when confronted with no choice. She struggled; but she never gave up. I enjoyed the realism of her. The plot of this was also very different from the regular mystery read, as there was literally a book within the book! Such fun.

I took away a star from the overall rating because the 'whodunit' aspect of it was quite easy for me to figure out. However, this did not take away from my overall enjoyment of the novel.

In the end, I give 'I Know What You Did' 4 out of 5 stars as it was a great read, fraught with enough thrill and mystery to keep me engaged. The debut work by Cayce Osborne, the author has a fan in me as I will be awaiting more of her work in the future!

*A great many thanks to Netgalley, Cayce Osborne, and Crooked Lane Books for this ARC. It is important to note that I was under no commitment to provide a positive review, and all opinions are undoubtedly my own.*

What would you do if you were reading a book, and the opening acknowledgement said " I know what you did ___" with your full and exact name filling that space? That is what our main character Petal is dealing with as she tries to figure out who wrote this book, and who could know her deepest, darkest secret.

This was an amazing debut novel from author Cayce Osborne. While this wasn't a very fast paced novel, it did keep me on my toes trying to figure out along side Petal, who knew her secret, and who would write about it. Osborne does a fantastic job presenting all of her characters, and making me question every single ones true motives. While I wouldn't classify this as a horror novel, I was definitely on edge and scared for Petal. I will say, I really appreciated that the author had Petal not do dumb things constantly, and did have her reach out for help as any normal person would! So thank you for that! Overall, I recommend checking out this thriller and seeing if you can figure out who the mystery author is before it's too late!

What a great read. I loved so much about this book. Petta (formerly Petal) is an obnoxious, pot smoking, commitment avoiding middle aged woman trying to be invisible in NYC and to forget her past that’s filled with the deaths of just about everyone she loved. That is until a random gynecologist tells her about a book she has to read. The book is dedicated to her and the author has named a murderous villain her name. She ends up back in Madison Wisconsin dealing with her ghosts while trying to figure out who wrote the book and what they have planned for her.

We find out what happened all those years ago throughout the book, while also reading chapters of the fictional book within the book.

I loved the premise but I also loved the writing, which was so much better crafted than the average mystery suspense. It’s at times very poetic and metaphorical, and at other times snarky and self deprecating.

Excerpt from when she’s finally bought this book with her name in it that keeps turning up everywhere that she doesn’t want anything to do with and has thrust it in the freezer:

I’d thought about leaving the book in there for eternity, letting it warp in the damp chill and become part of the lumps of frost that were taking over my small freezer compartment like tumors inside a body. Maybe I could hold out until a new bestseller knocked it off the shelves and it disappeared. My life would go back to being the same.

Could I deal with more of the same?

More barely surviving, more clawing through each day. I was running on fumes, and hadn’t realized it until the book crept into my life on little rat feet. My past had been feeding on me for years, leeching the nutrients from my blood until nothing but salty water ran through my veins. It was time to tie off my past once and for all, wrap a tourniquet around the place where the dead part of me met the living. Hopefully, whatever was left after the amputation could survive.

This was a fun romp by a new author and I’d happily read any more books she puts out.

I read a digital copy of this book via NetGalley. To be released summer of 2023.

I found the past year and coming into 2023, that I am reading and enjoying more mystery novels rather than romance as found I got bored of romance chick lit reads. This was a fun read and a bit of an I Know What You Did Last Summer type read crossed with Verity by Colleen Hoover. Almost thirty years ago, Petal lost everyone she loved when her parents killed themselves, and then her new best friend Megan died while they were in high school. After the tragedy happened, Jenny and Petal went their separate ways and never spoke to one another or about what happened that night their friend Megan died. Petal changed her name to Petta and moved on with her life, never looking back. Now years later, a new novel has been released and has also been picked up as a movie. The book talks about three friends who went out one day and only two came home. The dedication also reads "I know what you did Petal Woznewski". Petta is first told about the book by her gyno and then she sees it everywhere she goes. The name could be a coincidence but as she opens it and starts reading, tales of her life are fictionalised on the pages. Who is ME, Littleton? The other thing that strikes Petal as strange is that everyone else's names have been obscured except for hers, is someone trying to frame Petal for Megan's death after all these years? Now Petal, must head back to the hometown of Madison and discover who is behind the book and set the record straight of what happened the night Megan died. If you loved the 90s/2000s slasher films then you will feel right at home with Cayce Osborne's book "I Know What You Did".

4.5 stars, but rounding up because this was really really good. I love stories about a book inside a book, and this one was so intriguing and twisty and engaging. I stayed up way too late to finish this up, but no way could I find a stopping point once I was to the half-way mark. Ahh, the suffering I gladly endure in pursuit of my reading passion. I had no idea what was going on, what was real, who was real, who the bad guy was. Everyone was suspected at one point or another in my Scooby Doo mind, so I guess that means I "technically" figured it out. If you read a bunch of thrillers, I think you'll find this one of good ones that stands out a bit from the rest.

A decent four star mystery/crime novel with an interesting main character. The story kept me intrigued all the way through but I especially liked the use of humour around a quarter of the way in, which elevated the entertainment value for me as a reader. This lasted for a little while but didn't follow through to the end.

I liked the author's use of metaphors and similes which were very creative. But I felt the references to movie plots were overdone as I got a bit tired of them. I was very pleased the author did not make use of an unreliable narrator as this is a pet peeve of mine.

I was beginning to think that the final reveal was going to be a cliche ending but was pleased to find that this was not the case. I feel this will be an author to watch and I will be interested to keep an eye out for her next book.

I received this arc from netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

"But that was before the book began to stalk me. I know that sounds crazy paranoid, but it’s true."

Petal, or as she likes to be called Petta, learns a dark story from her teen years has been spilled. In fact, it's on the New York Times bestseller list--a published book by an anonymous author using a pen name. Only three people know of what happened that night. Petal, her ex friend Jenny, and Megan who is now deceased. But bits and pieces aren't adding up and many different culprits pop up from Petta's past as she desperately tries to uncover the origins if this story she hoped would remain buried.

This was captivating, addicting. I couldn't put it down. There some great and shocking twists. I couldn't decide who was behind the book until the every end it was revealed. I loved the excerpts from the book too. Excellent thriller.

This had a really original premise so I was exctied to see how it'd all pan out
The plot was a bit slow paced but it was certainly creative how everything was set up! Not terribly logical but creative. The main character does seem to exist mainly around her drug habit which featured strangely prominently throughout and its not the best image of a weed smoker but each to their own really. The ending is quite predictable just because who else could or would it be?! I'm also not convinced you can stop a murdering psychopath by doing what Petal did.... but.... it is fiction so whatever. This feels really critical but it is a well written book, and it is a completely original take on the "childhood secret forced someone to return to hometown where someone else tries to murder them" type book. I did enjoy it aside from the above little things that annoyed me but I'm sure plenty others won't think twice about them

This book kept my attention beginning to end. Loved it! The characters were well developed. The book kept me engaged and wanting to know what would happen. A bit slow at times, but overall I would recommend.

What would you do if someone wrote a book blaming you for a death that happened in your past - and used your full name to do so?

This book was exactly what I hope for when I pick up a thriller. The tension kept building. The new reveals didn't fully eliminate all the suspects. The clues were all there so the reveal at the end wasn't out of left field - but it also wasn't super obvious from the start. I started this after wishing everyone happy new year and didn't put it down until I finished it at 3am. It isn't the fastest paced thriller, but it was an enjoyable ride and I was never bored.

Petta (Petal)'s life is a bit of a disaster - she hides out in her little NYC apartment, eats junk food for breakfast, and generally doesn't have the most stable life. However, it's exactly the way she needs it to be for her to feel safe. She's snarky and I enjoyed her commentary throughout the book. When someone publishes a book that names her - with her full name - as her friend's murderer, she goes back to her hometown to find out who is framing her and clear her name.

Thank you to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for the opportunity to review this book ahead of publication. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.

When Petta starts hearing about a best selling book with the main character sharing her unique name she tries to disengage herself. As the book seems to be haunting her she reluctantly starts to read. The similarities to her high school days have her questioning who wrote the book, and why.

This was a twisty suspenseful book that had me guessing the whole time! While I enjoyed the book I felt like it was missing something and that the suspect list was short. I did love the surprise ending to the book within this book “No one suspected”. This read kept me on my toes.

Thank you NetGalley for the early access in return of an honest review!

bleh, this book was ok. it was kind of boring, and it kind of just kept going on and on. i was gonna dnf it but stuck it out until the end, go me !
the main character was so boring and her entire personality seemed to revolve around smoking weed, eating food, having a FWB who she ghosts constantly, and having dead parents lol. none of the characters had any depth, which im not a fan of.
2.5 stars rounded to 2.

Cayce Osborne’s debut novel is a fabulous suspense thriller featuring Petal/Petta, a character with flaws and issues just like the rest of us. She’s not a lovable, beige character and I love that about her. Cayce has written her brilliantly, her voice is unique among a plethora of books that have main characters with little or no substance, so unrelatable and one-note. Petta has depth and colour in abundance.

I Know What You Did had this self-appointed-crime-solving ‘expert’ guessing incorrectly at every turn. And I loved that I didn’t guess the ending… ‘Who wrote the best-selling novel?’ ‘What really happened to Megan?’ These questions kept me eagerly turning the pages and desperately trying to stay awake to finish the book to discover the answers.

The story within a story was very clever and really well done. The ‘authors’ voice was very distinct from Petal’s and made the distinction between the 2 stories easy to follow.

I hope Cayce is currently writing her next book because this reader is definitely eager to get her hands on it.

Thanks to NetGalley and Crooked Lane books for the arc in exchange for an honest review,

Petta Woznewski receives a book from her boyfriend, Gus, which purports to tell the story of an incident from her high school years which she has kept secret. Only her friend, Jenny, knows about it and she has kept it secret as well. But now it is out there for the world to read about and the book doesn't tell the truth about the secret. Petta has to find out who wrote the book and set the record straight.
I didn't like Petta much throughout the book. She was so angry and engaged in self-destructive behaviour. The story is told from her first person point of view so we don't get a break from her pessimism. Gus seems like a really decent guy and I wondered why he stayed with her.
Osbourne is a good writer and, given that this is her debut novel, I can see her getting better in the future. I will watch for more of her writing.
Thank you to Netgalley and Crooked Lane Books for an ARC of this book. The opinions in this review are mine and I was not compensated for them.

Petal (Petta) is content with her quiet life in New York, until she becomes the subject of a novel. Her full name is mentioned in the novel and the author seems to have included details that only her closest friends from her school days knew. It includes a dark secret she has buried for all those years. In attempting to find the author behind the pen name, she returns to her hometown and things really start to get interesting.

I enjoyed the secrets and the dark past entwined through this one and there were some interesting twists. I definitely would not have guessed that this was a debut.

Thanks to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for this gifted review copy.

So you are 44 and perhaps not thrilled with your life in New York City , but you are settled in and content with all of your dysfunctions. Then the title page of a best selling murder novel is dedicated to you and "what you did". Petal Woznewski feels compelled to go back to her childhood home of Madison, Wisconsin , and face one of the traumas that shaped her. The book was uncanny in some of the knowledge of their 14 year old selves, but Megan hadn't been murdered and only she and Jenny remained that knew the whole story. So who was behind this book and why had they changed everything but her name. This is definitely worth your time .

Also must say I hardly ever highlight passages of a book. The last paragraph of this book struck me- check it out.


Thanks to NetGalley, Caye Osborne, and Crooked Lane Books for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Strong thriller from an author I didn't know anything about. The writing was good and the narrative was very catchy. I love it!

Was so excited for this read. The title and cover looked like my kind of thriller and it did not disappoint one bit. This book was captivating from page 1. And it almost read like a true crime novel which made me dive deeper into it. Although it doesn’t come out til 2023, it’s by far one of my favorite 2022 books!

Thank you to #NetGalley, Crooked Lane Books and Cacey Osborne for the opportunity to read an advance copy of I KNOW WHAT YOU DID, to be published 18 Jul 2023. An excellent book from a debut author! The characters were real and believable; the plot was intriguing; the level of suspense moved the book along quite well. The protagonist was an independent woman living in New York City. She had high ideas about that level of autonomy and worked at maintaining them. When she accidentally discovers a book with her unusual name as one of the characters, she reluctantly sets out on a mission to determine the source. Individuals who enjoy the writings of Lisa Regan and Shari Lapena will likely enjoy this novel. #NetGalley #CrookedLaneBooks #CayceOsborne. #IKnowWhatYouDid