Nothing ever happens in small town Fairhill, Vermont. Until Diana Brewer is found murdered in a hayfield. Someone in town did it, and everyone wants answers.

I don’t always love whodunnit murder mysteries, but l really enjoyed this one. There were so many possibilities of who and what happened that it keeps the reader on their toes. There’s a few twists too. I like that the murder victim has a perspective and we get to hear from her and her story before the murder. This was a very engaging story with very likeable AND unlikeable characters. It’s one you’ll want to go back and reread when you find out the truth.

“How many ways, I think can a girl be assaulted? I never got to live my life. I never got to live to be old enough, to be unattractive enough to be left alone. To finally just be.”

I’m a Shari Lapena fan from day one so I knew I’d love this book. What I didn’t expect was for it to have me in a chokehold like it did! I could not put this one down. It’s everything I want in a summer thriller - dark, twisty, thrilling, but not too gritty and easy to get through.
This story centers around a small community and the different lives that are impacted as secrets come to the surface after the body of a high school girl is found and the search for her killer begins.
Such a great read - highly highly recommend it be added to your summer TBR!

I found this piece to be exceptionally well-crafted, and I'm eagerly anticipating the opportunity to delve into more works by this author. Given its potential popularity among our library patrons, we're certainly looking forward to adding it to our collection

Everything seems perfect in the small town of Fairhill, Vermont until a farmer finds the body of a Diana Brewer in his field. Once Diana is found the town starts to fall apart at the seams. Lies from neighbors, loved ones, people you've trusted your whole life make their way into the light. They all want the truth, but who are you willing to blame to find it out?

This was a knockout book. An Unwanted Guest has been my favorite from Lapena for some time, this may push it down a notch. The small town cast of characters have been hiding quite a few secrets from each other. To find the killer, you must first untangle the web that's been spun. The lies are everywhere and they all seem to connect somehow. Thank you Netgalley for the advanced copy of this book.

Possible spoilers!!

I have read everything and loved everything written by Shari LaPena, so I was really excited to get this advanced copy. I actually started reading it and then put it down almost immediately because I usually can’t read things where children/teens are harmed because it makes me too sad. However, I just had to pick it back up because I knew it would be a captivating read, and boy am I glad I read it! It kept me hooked and the end really surprised me. I got cocky about halfway through, certain I had figured it out, but I wasn’t even close! Thanks NetGalley for the chance to read this!

It has been a very long time since I've read a very good thriller like this one. In fact, it gave me a book hangover and I'm afraid any future thrillers will not live up to the standard this one has set. I don't know why I haven't read more books by Lapena, but she's going to be an auto-read for me now.

Right from the start, the reader is thrown into the plot of the murder of a high school girl who everyone supposedly loved. Her body is found in a farmer's field, naked and being picked apart by vultures. From there, the story snowballs into the introduction of all the characters and points its finger at some very obvious suspects. Just when you think you have it figured out, the author throws a curveball that will have you questioning your sleuthing skills.

Read if you like:
Multiple points of view
Small town setting
Fast-paced/short chapters

Unexpected and Snappy, you won't be able to guess the Twisty ending.

SHORT CHAPTERS ALERT!!!

Although it wasn’t the short chapters that kept me going. The writing and story itself was very fast paced. Each chapter left me on a cliff hanger so I said to myself WHY NOT JUST KEEP READING.

There were multiple characters to follow here, but it wasn’t confusing to follow. You definitely get to know each characters’ story, which I had some beef with all these men. I liked the ending when you find Diana’s killer, but I was left wanting some like epilogue of each character. I also didn’t think Diana’s POV was necessary where she was like some spirit. It didn’t really add much to it.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC!

The body of a local girl is found in a field and sets off a mystery that engulfs the whole town. Multiple points of view, including the victim Diana, slowly reveal just what happened. As with other Lapena novels, red herrings abound, although this ending feels a bit forced. Still a suspenseful ride that will satisfy fans.

The story was good and suspenseful. The ending was a bit weird. The different POVs kept the story going and the reader guessing.

What Have You Done?
by Shari Lapena
Pub Date: July 30, 2024
Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.
When I saw Lapena had an upcoming release- I requested this immediately.
The new unputdownable novel from the “queen of the one-sit read,” and New York Times bestselling author of The Couple Next Door

Nothing ever happens in sleepy little Fairhill, Vermont. But this morning that will change. And one innocent question could be deadly. What have you done?
So Good! I was hooked from the first page. A well know teenager named Diana is found dead in the field of a local farm. There are many possible suspects. As you get deep into the story, you're taken on a wild adventure to find out the truth of what really happened to Diana that day. I really enjoyed trying to figure this one out. This is a solid thriller that you won't want to put down!
I highly recommend this! 5 stars
A very smart and thought-provoking murder mystery from a must-read author for me.

I received a free eARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I was looking for a quick read palate cleanser after being in a bit of a rut. It’s perfect for that, but also? I finished it like 2 days ago and it’s almost completely fallen out of my head! It’s similar to LePena’s other books - lots of characters sharing perspectives, pretty large pool of suspects, and extremely short chapters.

The central mystery revolves around the murder of Diana Brewer. In the opening scene, a farmer finds her body in his field. And although the vultures have picked at her corpse, it’s clear she didn’t die of natural causes. We hear from various characters - Diana’s best friends, her possibly too controlling boyfriend, her track coach, her track coach’s fiancée, her English teacher… and also Diana herself. As a ghost. It’s kind of a weird choice, and every time her perspective came back it was sort of jarring. She’s blocked out the trauma of the night she died, so she’s as invested in the case as everyone else. Her perspective doesn’t really add much (she mostly mopes around feeling sorry for her mom and her friends).

Like most of LaPena’s other mysteries, there’s not a ton of character development here. We’re just churning through plot and suspects. And because the chapters are short and the perspective jumps around, it does keep you guessing. I thought I had it all figured out, but there’s a last minute swerve I should have seen coming but didn’t.

Shari Lapena is a great writer for thrillers she keeps the chapters short as to keep the reader entertained and throws in multiple points of view. I also think that her books could be YA as there is really nothing too graphic in the book. Great transition author

The writing in concise and keeps me entertained without being too dramatic or too convolved in terms of the story line. I could have done without the ghost POV from Diana, it didn't add much to the story because state that as a ghost she was confused. The last chapter to me was a bit "did it really happen" which is not a favorite plot point for me but at the same time it does show the tendencies of the characters to manipulate the truth. SO overall still a needed win

Thank you NetGalley for this eARC in exchange for an honest review

This was a solid, binge-worthy thriller! Loved the multiple POVs, especially hearing from Diana's ghost throughout. I really enjoy Lapena's efficient writing - there's no fluff or filler getting in the way - just nonstop momentum and one bazillion red herrings that kept me guessing until the end. Highly recommend for existing Lapena fans and new readers alike!

I've read every Shari Lapena book and she is the queen of domestic thrillers. She has a way of keeping you invested in the story until the mystery unfolds.

This one wasn't my favorite, as I felt the set up felt repetitive. Yet, I still wanted to know what happened to Diana. I think the ending was a good twist though!

A fast read, but again - not my favorite by her.

She is my auto buy author and this book can really go to show you why. From the very first page it's interesting. You just don't know what's coming and it's so much going on on each page that it's hard to worry about until you get there. This book didn't disappoint

Shari Lapena's latest is another thriller taut with suspense. It's about a murder in a small town in The United States, and the people surrounding the murder who are all suspects at some point. I will say, the person who in the end is found guilty was a huge surprise to me--hard to do! So I applaud the author for that. I was turning the pages SO fast. My main complaint is that this is supposedly set in the United States (Vermont) and there are several terms that are Canadian/UK--enough I started to keep track! Every time I came across one it kind of pulled me out of the story. Still a good book.

I did not like the ghost aspect of this book. The different perspectives were different, but I could've done without the ghost.

I always enjoy Shari Lapena's novels - but I will say, this felt incredibly different than what I've read from her previously. Told from the perspectives of those close to Diana, the victim of a chilling murder, Lapena pulls readers in with what feels like a insight into so many of the novel's characters. I will share that I guessed the twist early on - but still ended up feeling satisfied with the way in which the book ended, which I think is rare and impressive.

This book was excellent! It’s one of those rare books that keep you guessing amid the twists and turns and has a complete satisfying ending. This author has never disappointed me and I cannot wait to read more of her work.

I enjoyed The Couple Next Door a bit more than this one – the more mystery/thrillers that I read, the more I notice an often repeated premise.

That said, this is a good domestic thriller with interesting characters.

Set in a small town in Vermont where nothing ever happens, until it does.

The characters are well described and the story moved ahead at a decent pace. They do come across as quite naive for our present day however they are living in a small, relatively safe town.

I was hoping that I hadn’t guessed the killer – but I did!!

There was a supernatural element to this novel which I really loved - I would have enjoyed more of this part of the plot carried forward.

There were a few too many unanswered questions. Could a teacher now really get away with inappropriate behavior? Maybe we aren’t doing enough to keep our young people safe??

All in all this is a fun and quick weekend domestic thriller. Ms. Lapena is a talented writer and I will look forward to perhaps more insertion of the “supernatural” in her next novel.

I received an ARC of this novel from the publisher #Penguin Group Viking through NetGalley. It was my pleasure to read and review this title.

*Will post to Amazon upon publication