I didn’t care for this at first. The characters were not very likable and it seemed like a dark, gross and depressing story. But as Annie’s mind became more fractured, bizarre things began to happen. It was hard to tell Annie’s “fact from fiction” and I wanted to know what was going on. In the end, I stayed up very late to finish it because I couldn’t stop reading.
Advanced reader copy courtesy of the publishers at NetGalley for review.

I really tried to give this book a chance. I first considered dnfing around 25% but I decided not to give up so soon. Finally at 64% I dnfed. The plot progression is so painstakingly slow. I was bored.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced eARC.

I could not get into this book. It was a struggle to get past the beginning. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.

While this book covered many important topics and was well-written, it overall was just not for me. I appreciated the way the author covered difficult topics from OCD to being a Vietnam War refugee to the complicated relationships between mothers and daughters. The characters were generally unlikable but I enjoyed the way the reader was left questioning whether the Annie was a reliable narrator or not. The book was quite long and became repetitive and a bit outlandish at different parts. Some of the deaths in the book were too upsetting for my taste. If you enjoy books where you question who can be trusted, you may enjoy this read!

Thank you to NetGalley and Dutton Books for this eArc in exchange for my honest review!

I'm sorry I just could not get into this book. It was all over the place and I could not stay engaged, I had to push myself to finish it.

Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Group, Dutton for the arc in exchange for my honest review.

This book was just not it for me. There are a lot of reasons why, but I think I’ll set this review up as a what I liked/what I didn’t like format.

LIKED:
- I think Nguyen did a remarkable job forcing readers into the headspace of someone living with contamination/disgust based OCD. It was so uncomfortable being inside Annie’s head; I felt frustrated because I knew I couldn’t rely on her depiction of events, but was so embedded into her thought process that it was hard to see things clearly.
- The overall concept was cool. I liked the idea of a Vietnam war survivor struggling to make a new life in a new country after losing basically everything, and the exploration of how that could manifest mental illness.

MISSES:
- Wow, the teenage daughter was repulsive. As someone who has worked with teens for 10 years, I just could not handle what a rude, thoughtless jerk the 15-year-old daughter was…and how her parents basically just excused it nonstop or blamed it on the mother’s mental instability. Absolutely not. Me and that kid would have been having lots of touchy-feely heart-to-hearts to unpack why she was so hateful.
- Dialogue, in general, was really cringey. The way people spoke was just not natural a lot of the time, to the point where it was distracting (and sometimes funny.)
- The pacing is all over the place. It was hard to follow some events. Parts of the book were really repetitive. The last third of the book felt really disconnected from the rest of it.
- The twist at the ending was not a good payoff for me. It felt really outlandish and almost cartoonishly evil. That’s just not my taste when it comes to a thriller.

All that said, I dislike a lot of thrillers (despite loving the genre!!!) and could see this working well for fans of Lisa Jewell, Ruth Ware, and Alice Feeney.

I am super grateful to the publisher for allowing me early access to this novel & all of the opinions in this review are my own.

Thank you Dutton for inviting me to review this novel! I appreciate the depth given to the main character (annie) in terms of themes on immigration, intergenerational trauma, mental health, and grief; a deft writing style allows these features to be a part of character in ways that help develop and enhance a twisty plot. This is a read worth sticking with if you find the start slow, the story does move faster later in the book and the exploration of suspense, mystery, and character details come together for a fast paced conclusion!

A novel that captures the complications of the mother-daughter relationship. Annie’s own mother has just passed away, the intro setting up a link between the two for a secret her mother concealed for her daughter, hence the title that constantly haunts Annie. Even though that seems like a complicated relationship, the one between Annie and her own daughter is apparent to mirror the same. So do we ultimately just become our mother? What a scary thought

A twisty thriller that kept me intrigued the whole time. The author has in depth details and descriptions, leaving the reader guessing what is real or not. The first half of the book felt more literary, exploring generational trauma and mental health. This thriller part doesn’t really pick up till the back half. But that’s part of the reason I enjoyed it. Please have trigger warnings on this one.

Nope this wasn’t for me didn’t care for it didn’t finish to predictable. Thank you NetGalley for your advanced copy

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Random House/Dutton for the ARC in exchange for my review.

This is a debut novel that really did keep me guessing. Trigger warning-this book deals with OCD in a couple of different forms. There was a lot going on in this one. There are childhood flashbacks to Annie’s past with her mother as well as some from her mother’s perspective. These help to unfold the story, but I do felt this could’ve been slightly shorter. At almost 400 pages, some parts felt a bit repetitive. Annie is definitely as unreliable narrator and with some crazy stuff going on, you never know quite what to believe. The twist at the end I honestly didn’t see coming then was kicking myself for not seeing it sooner! @ktnguyen_author covers not only OCD, but mother/daughter relationships, marital relationships and that of Vietnam refugees-all in a book filled with missing bodies and murder! This comes out April 16th, so definitely check it out!

You Know What You Did is a thriller told in a single-person POV by Vietnamese American Artist Annie Shaw. In the beginning, she seems to have a pretty decent life with her career, dog, husband, and daughter. When her mother dies, things start to fall apart pretty quickly for Annie. The story dives into the struggles of Annie's past and present, battling OCD, generational trauma, and emotional abuse. A further look into the story reveals none of her relations left her with any support. I found this story to be a little confusing initially and had a pretty slow start. I did rate this 3.5 stars, rounding up to 4. The story picks up about the halfway point and does have a nice twist at the end.

Thank you, NetGalley and Dutton Books, for providing me with an e-copy in exchange for my honest review.

Annie's life goes from having it all to doing anything she can to protect her daughter. It all starts when her mother suddenly dies. Her OCD comes back and things she didn't think were real are happening. Annie becomes the center of a police investigation and more and more incomprehensible things keep happening to Annie. Or is she doing them to herself...

First off, thank you NetGalley and Penguin Group, Dutton for granting me access to this book in exchange for an honest review.

Navigating the unsettling world of psychological horror, "You Know What You Did" delivers a chilling, harrowing narrative that unfolds with a slow burning intensity. Exploring themes of OCD and the enduring impact of generational mental disorders, this debut thriller immerses readers in a deeply disturbing journey. I would categorize this as more of a mystery rather than a twisty and unpredictable thriller.

The author skillfully crafted characters and infused their experiences with raw emotions, which truly enhances the story. However, the first half of the book dragged, and the loss of the beloved dog was particularly heart-wrenching. It left me questioning if I could endure further. Fortunately, the narrative gained momentum, compelling me to continue as I sought resolution. Although the ending felt somewhat foreseeable, it remained a gratifying conclusion. Personally, I rated it a solid three stars, but I recognize that others may find it more appealing. Therefore, I urge readers not to rely solely on my review when considering this book ⭐️⭐️⭐️.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an E-ARC of You Know What You Did. I found the pacing of this book a bit slow, I read about half of it before I decided not to finish.

You Know What You Did is a thriller that delves into OCD, generational trauma, and emotional abuse. Vietnamese American Artist Annie Shaw seems to have a good life with her husband and daughter. But shortly after her mother dies, things seem to fall apart. Annie's unraveling is relentless and at times it was hard to read her struggles. As Annie becomes a suspect in the disappearance of a well know art patron, we are left, along with Annie, to try and figure out what happened and if she had a role in the events. Annie is an unreliable narrator in the present, but it is the disturbing events of her past, as well, that were gripping. Annie's relationship with her mother, who was a Vietnam War refugee as incredibly fraught. All of Annie's relationships are complicated and seem to leave her with no support.

I was caught by surprise at the twists and the ending. The story provides a remarkable portrayal of a woman who has been left with little to hold onto.

Thank you NetGalley and Dutton Books for providing me with an e-copy in exchange for my honest review.

Thanks for the opportunity to read and review this book before publication. My review will post to my blog on April 11, 2024. I will also post a featured review to Instagram that day and post my review to Goodreads, The Storygraph and retail sites as well.

Review:
If you've followed me on Bookstagram, my podcast, or my blog for any length of time, you know that I tend to gravitate toward thrillers - the twistier, the better. This is a blessing in that there is no shortage of thrillers out there, but it's also a curse in that after a while, I get burned out, and it seems that nothing shocks me. I think I may be in a bit of a thriller slump because this is the second book that got me really excited based solely on the synopsis but left me feeling a little underwhelmed by the time I finished it.

"You Know What You Did" follows Annie "Anh Le" Shaw, a first-generation Vietnamese American artist who seems to have it all - a successful career, a beautiful home, and a loving family. However, when Annie's mother, a Vietnam War refugee, passes away suddenly, her carefully constructed life begins to unravel. Annie suffers from OCD - specifically disgust-driven/fear of contamination where everything seems dirty and disgusting, and she can't seem to get clean enough. Her OCD has been under control for a while thanks to therapy and medication, but after her controlling and abusive mother passes away, Annie finds her OCD coming back.

Not only is Annie dealing with the death of her mother, but she's also experiencing some trouble in her marriage, and her relationship with her teenage daughter is rocky at best. When a woman whom Annie has been working on commissioned art pieces for is found dead, Annie finds herself at the center of the investigation. She is sure she had nothing to do with the woman's death, but then again, there have been times in her life when she has blacked out - could this be one of those times?

As Annie's OCD worsens and more weird and unexplainable things begin to happen, Annie can't help but wonder if someone is out to get her and if that someone might be the spirit of her dead mother. Things are further complicated when Annie wakes up in a hotel room, naked and next to the lifeless body of a man. With her mind fragmented and the police closing in on her, Annie is faced with a desperate need to protect herself and her relationships at all costs.

Nguyen's writing expertly captures the complexities of Annie's character as she grapples with the resurgence of her obsessive-compulsive disorder and the disturbing fixations that plague her mind. The author suffers from the same condition, so she knows firsthand the complexities of this type of OCD. I was both fascinated and frustrated by Annie's condition. I can't imagine having to live with something like that.

Nguyen also does a great job of taking a deep look at the experience of refugees, the lasting impact of trauma, and the unbreakable bonds between mothers and daughters. Annie had a turbulent childhood and has vowed that she will never treat her daughter the way her mother treated her, but when old wounds are opened, and her relationship with her daughter gets even more strained, it's difficult for her not to revert to known behavior. Nguyen's depiction of Annie's struggles with her identity, her heritage, and her mental health is both poignant and thought-provoking, adding layers of depth to the story.

While this novel covered some important and interesting topics, I also felt it was lacking in some areas. There were scenes that seemed to drag too long, and at times, Annie's OCD struggles seemed to take precedence over the forward movement of the plot. I felt like we had a pretty good idea of what Annie was struggling with and some of the lengthy descriptions of her struggles could have been shortened or omitted later in the book to help keep a steadier pace. There were also a few "b" plots that could have been omitted (for example, Annie's friend's cheating husband storyline felt unnecessary to the overall plot). I also didn't find any of the twists or reveals particularly shocking. If you follow true crime at all, it's pretty easy to peg what is going on fairly early in the book. I liked how it all ended, but again - it wasn't particularly shocking.

Overall, I liked the book, but I didn't love it. I enjoyed the OCD aspect and most of the characters; I just felt like it all could have been a little tighter. While I wasn't surprised by the big final reveal, I think lovers of mysteries will enjoy this one.

When a story is being told from a single POV and that person happens to be unstable, I absolutely love it. Meet Annie, who has OCD, PTSD, anxiety, with a touch of pathological liar thrown in. And she has truly earned each illness the hard way. Her childhood, her mother, the recent death of an acquaintance, and being a suspect of said death. But she’s worked hard and turned her life around.
In the process, she discovers a new strength in herself: the desire to be with someone she’s attracted to instead of the boring love life she has with her “sort of a schmuck” husband. She has affairs when her husband is traveling for work. She’s feeling independent, strong, and considering how to leave her husband when she wakes up next to her dead lover. Not just dead, but covered in venomous spider bites dead. Here's where the roller coaster really hits the big hills and valleys!
With a twisty plot, colorful characters, and a guessing game of events, K.T. Nguyen is establishing her place as an up-and-coming author. Keep writing, please! Love this debut novel.
Thanks so much to Penguin Group Dutton for an ARC in exchange for my honest review. The publishing date is April 16, 2024.

Love the suspense and drama to this read! I enjoyed it! There are some triggering topics like OCD so be mindful if this is something that would affect you.

She is a master queen of Psychological Thrillers. This book had me addicted from the start! It was so intense that I could not wait to see the twist. She knows how to deliver the breath taking, draw dropping twist that we all know and love and never expect the ending. I believe this book is her best one yet but I say that everytime I read one of her books. Thank you for allowing me to read your book in advance.

Dawn Angels

This book definitely picks up in the last third. It’s a little slow to start. Overall, I enjoyed it.