🎬 Read this if you like:
Gothika
Black Swan
⏰ Best time to read:
When you’re looking for an audiobook for long walks
📝 Themes:
Psychological Thriller, Unreliable Narrator, OCD, Immigration, Generational Trauma, Infidelity, Multiple Timelines
👍 What I liked:
The mother-daughter relationships in this book were a lifeline for me when I considered DNFing
❓ Synopsis: Annie is a wife, mother, daughter, and artist living in Washington DC. Annie is also first-generation Vietnamese-American, and she suffers from OCD. Things begin falling apart when Annie’s mother dies. Suddenly, Annie’s relationships falter, her OCD flares up, and her employer ends up dead. Is Annie guilty of something? Would she even know it if she was?
📣 Review: This was one of my most anticipated reads of spring, but it just didn’t live up to the hype. Nguyen is a super talented writer, and the premise of YKWYD is so good. But there were too many things going on while, somehow, nothing was happening. It took me ages to slog through this one—I even switched to audio halfway through, the narrator was fantastic!—then, I found the ending predictable. Still, I’d be willing to give the author another try based on the themes she tackles.

I have mixed feelings on how to review this book. I think if I had devoted more time to reading it in bigger chunks, I would have really really enjoyed it. Unfortunately, the way I read it was more broken up, which made the story feel that way as well. I do love an unreliable narrator, and the history of her family and her mother was really interesting. Overall, I did enjoy this book.

Hmmmm...

I felt like this was a little too deep of a story to be a psychological thriller. That's usually not how I like em lol I thought the writing was done well, but it also was a little too much of a slow burn.

Thank you to Lavender Public Relations, Dutton Books, and PRH Audio for the copies to review!

This was an incredible debut that while on the slower side, it kept my attention the whole way through. Annie Shaw is an artist that has everything going for her, and then when her mother dies, it all seems to start coming apart. Annie is unreliable at times which keeps you on your toes and questioning things, which I loved. The second half of the book is intense and does not let up. I absolutely loved this one and also thought the narrator was the right one for this story, and enjoyed listening to this one via audio. I definitely recommend this one and am very excited to see what Nguyen writes next!

2.75/5

The first third of the book was really rough to get through and I probably would’ve DNF’d but the ending definitely made the book better. Unfortunately, I probably wouldn’t recommend it to any of my friends…

Not my favorite thriller. It was obvious what was happening to the MC but the story seemed so long. Not really into domestic thrillers.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC! This book left me perplexed on how to describe the experience. I had a hunch about 65% through as to the ending and felt it was more of a cliche than an evidence-based conclusion, unfortunately I was right. Normally this would be fine but it felt convenient and easy, especially paired with how long this book was. While there was great development and a sense of who the FMC was as a person was well-established, there was too much going on for this to be a coherent thriller or suspense. This felt more like a lit-fic with slight suspense. I don’t love using mental health as a way to establish an unreliable narrator, so while some things were well-done and by no means was this a bad book - it was not for me.

Annie’s life unravels after the death of her mother. Her OCD and PTSD return, and the police suspect her in a crime. Her self-doubt forces her to distance herself from family and friends. Unsure of what is real and what is not, she struggles to uncover the truth.

You Know What You Did is told from Annie’s point of view. Annie seems to have a great life, but things really unravel after her mother’s death. Annie is an intriguing unreliable narrator.

You Know What You Did is intense and suspenseful. Recommended for fans of slow-burning psychological thrillers.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

2.5⭐️ rounded up

Suuuper slow burn. The first part of the book was pretty repetitive. I ended up liking the ending, but that was really the only ‘thrilling’ part. I would say this is more domestic drama than thriller.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Dutton for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

This book didn’t hit home the way I expected it to. Felt a bit outlandish, unbelievable. Thinking I will be a rare reader that doesn’t love it however. Sometimes a novel isn’t read at the right time. Maybe this was the case.

This thriller kept me on my toes not knowing what will happen next and with a lot of questions. The story follows Annie through her struggle after her mother dies. Annie is a Vietnamese American immigrant and I enjoy that this story captured some of the struggles of that comes with that. Annie also struggles with OCD and throughout the book questions herself because of this. One of her customers suddenly dies and Annie is a suspect. I think the story was intriguing and kept me reading to find out what really happened.

I liked this. I loved that there were morally grey characters. The writing was very good. I like how the author addressed mental health. I loved the characters however i felt the book itself was longer than it needed to be! It was extremely slow paced and I struggled to keep my attention on it. It focused more on character then plot. I felt the plot felt lackluster in certain parts.

Sadly I couldn't connect with this book and I found it to be pretty slow. I wish it had been different but hope that it works out for others and I appreciate the opportunity!

Annie recently lost her mom; she didn't have the best relationship with her so her emotions are all over the place. She begins to spiral into her OCD ways pushing her husband and daughter farther away. Her husband takes a job overseas for the summer and her daughter is away at camp so Annie is left on her own with her thoughts swirling. Her somewhat employer and friend Byrdie disappears and she cannot recall if she had anything to do with it; all the signed lead back to her, even the cops agree. She meets Gabe and has an instant connection with him; things go to far and he winds up almost dead but she doesn't remember what happened except for fleeing the hotel room; again all signs point to her. What is going on and why can't she remember? The twists in this story will have you wanting to read until it's done.

Thank you Netgalley, the publisher and author for my ARC!

I enjoyed this book but found it to be a little longer than necessary to accomplish the goal.

When Annie's mother passes away, her OCD and other mental health issues become unmanageable, and her life begins to spiral out of control

I really liked that the mental health representation and aspect of the book was handled appropriately and was very well written. One of my favorite pieces of the book were the glimpses into Annie's past where we developed an understanding of where he trauma came from.

It was enjoyable overall, but moved a little slowly at times, and I found the ending to be a little predictable. I would recommend it to people who are looking for a thriller that is going to make you think.

Every character in this book sucked.
The pacing was so slow only to end with an abrupt stop. The mystery wasn't very mysterious when you realize how fucked up the characters are. I feel like the author had very good ideas but the execution just didn't come through for me.

Thank you to the publisher for a copy!

The pacing was super slow. I also didn't care for the time jumping, at times it was confusing. Overall I wasn't a fan of this novel.

This book was such a ride. It was intense with full of suspense. We follow Anh Le (Annie) who is a wife, mother, artist. Her mother passed away, her marriage is falling apart, she can't seem to relate to her daughter, & her career isn't where she thought it would be. This story is the ultimate gaslight & I felt for Annie as she felt she was losing her mind through the book. I can't wait to read more by the author.

I really enjoyed this! The ending was unexpected and the suspense building is really well done! I enjoyed the character development and the writing style. I would recommend this! Special Thank You to K.T. Nguyen, Penguin Group Dutton and NetGalley for allowing me to read a complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review.

I struggled with this book because of the pacing of it. It was very slow throughout the first 75% of it and wasn’t until the end that things really picked up, and yet the ending sort of felt like a cop out.

It was interesting to learn of Annie’s relationship with her mom, and how it probably affected her OCD.

Overall it was okay, but I don’t think I’d read it again.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC in return for my honest review.

Pub date: 16 April 2024