This book started off really strong. I loved the premise (I’ve been very into the mystery/ rom-com vibe lately) but it kinda fell more and more flat toward the end. I still really enjoyed it overall, I just thought that some of the reveals for the murder part of the book felt too easy and the third act break up really made me mad.

I really enjoyed these characters. I thought Khin and Tyler were so entertaining and interesting. I definitely thought they had a lot of chemistry and really enjoyed their interactions. I really enjoyed all their conversation and watching them fall together was truly fun.

However, I did find that the end of this book fell flat for me. I thought that some of the decisions made were quite silly and I really really was not a fan of the third act break up at all.

Overall, I did have a fun time with this, and I really enjoyed the narrator for the audiobook. I would be interested in something else by this author though!

Title: I Did Something Bad by Pyae Woe Thet War
Genre: Mystery Thriller/Rom Com
Pub Date: October 8, 2024

Romantic Subplot
Super Slow Burn
Some Cute Banter
AAPI Author

I Did Something Bad is marketed as a rom-com but I feel like it definitely feels more like a mystery with a romantic subplot which I'm totally cool with BUT if you're looking for lots of romance and banter that's not really what you'll get here.

If you like dark humor then you'll probably appreciate the tone set by this very strange series of events. I was a little disappointed because I was looking forward to a cute rom-com but I Did Something Bad doesn't really fit into that category, more like it straddles a slow paced thriller and rom-com. There is some pretty cute banter, which I enjoyed, but it felt a little odd considering the accidental murder 😅

May is my favorite character 🫶✨️

Thank you so much, NetGalley and St. Martin's Press, for the digital review copy ❣️

TW: attempted SA

Not what I expected but ended up enjoying the story. This is a rom-com with a side of murder. The banter and characters were great and kept me coming back for more.

I did something bad is a fun read and also quite interesting - it's set in Yangon, Myanmar. Khin is a freelance writer who is assigned a profile on the hottest celebrity around, Tyler Tun. In this world, Tyler and his friend May are both Myanmar A-list actors, and everyone speculates they are more than friends. Khin becomes close to Tyler immediately, and then they accidentally murder someone (I won't go into all the details, but this is really the premise of the book.) Mostly, the murder seems to be taken less seriously than the budding romance between Khin and Tyler, but it does make for an interesting storyline. This is fun to read, and I learned a lot about modern Myanmar culture.

This was a great romance! Loved the plot of this book and the characters! I loved the mix between romance and thriller mystery that this book had and how it made for a unique and captivating story! Definitely recommend this one!

Oh, I am a fan of a romance x thriller/mystery. I am also a big fan of a celebrity romance. I Did Something Bad by Pyae Moe Thet War is a winning combination, and I will look forward to reading more from this author.

Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for sharing this book with me.

Thank you for the opportunity to review this advanced reader's edition. Unfortunately, I will not be able to give it the time required to write a thorough review and will be unable to read it for this purpose.

I Did Something Bad by Pyae Moe Thet War is a captivating mix of romance, suspense, and drama that would make an excellent Prime Video adaptation. The story follows Khin, a journalist, and Tyler, a Hollywood star, as they team up to cover up a murder while navigating their growing attraction. The chemistry between them, paired with high-stakes mystery, would translate beautifully on-screen.

With its blend of intrigue, moral dilemmas, and dynamic characters, this novel is the perfect fit for Prime Video’s diverse and engaging content. The setting, suspenseful twists, and romantic tension would make it an addictive series that keeps viewers hooked.

Khin is a freelance journalist who has been assigned by Vogue to get a scoop on Tyler Tun, a Hollywood movie star who has returned home to Myanmar to shoot a film. She’s determined to succeed because an explosive exclusive could grant her a position at Vogue Singapore and a ticket out of the city that feels too small since her divorce. Unfortunately, Tyler is very good at keeping his private life private and doesn’t show any sign of letting Khin in. One night on set, a strange man follows Khin into the surrounding park and threatens her, leaving Tyler to step up and things escalating quickly. Khin knows she can’t go to the police but needs to find out why this man was targeting her specifically. As Tyler and Khin try to hide their secret and find out more about her attacker, they grow closer, and Tyler begins to open up.

The premise of I DID SOMETHING BAD is unique and interesting. Khin is a freelance journalist who has been offered an opportunity to write an exclusive on a Hollywood movie star with the possibility of a permanent position at Vogue Singapore. I thought it was really cool to have the story set in Myanmar – a place I don’t think I’ve ever visited within the pages of a novel (or in real life either).

The novel is narrated in Khin’s POV. I liked both main characters: Khin and Tyler. They’re characters that are easy to love and are relatable. Their connection was well done with some chemistry and good banter. The romance is what I’d call a very slow burn that really culminates at the end of the book. I adored the idea of an article that reads like a love letter, and I loved that this was shared within the text. Such a beautiful and romantic touch.

There is a touch on the idea of a mystery, but I wouldn’t really call it that as it is very misleading to do so.

I really enjoyed the supporting characters, each adding a little something to the story through their relationships with the main characters.

The ending is really cute and makes a great resolution to this story.

I would like to thank Netgalley and the publisher, St. Martin’s Griffin, of this advanced digital copy for the opportunity to read this novel in exchange for an honest review! All opinions expressed are my own.

This was an interesting book and not what I was expecting to happen. The whole book is the two main characters falling in love as they cover up a murder.
3.5 stars

Have you ever been browsing at a bookstore, and a book that is face out calls to you? That's what happened with I DID SOMETHING BAD by Pyae Moe The War. I was just looking on the shelves at Barnes and Noble, and the cover caught my eye. Read the synopsis, and immediately knew I had to take it home. I also wondered why the title sounded vaguely familiar - it's because I had requested the audiobook a few days earlier.

This novel is very niche me. I absolutely enjoyed it. It's if Dial A For Aunties was actually a romance, rather than a cozy crime/mystery that keeps being shelved in romance. The criminal element keeps you on your toes, because every time you think our protagonists are safe, the bumbling detectives come back, because they've uncovered something new. So you keep holding your breath waiting for the shoe to drop, and it's great when you can let go with a sigh of relief.

It's also very much a book about Khin's personal growth - being stuck, and going with the flow. Given an opportunity she takes because she thinks she should want it (IT'S VOGUE), but finding out what she really wants along the way.

I enjoyed how this novel brings to light how women's health is effected around the world, and how our Khin tried to connect people to resources, even though it put her livelihood at risk. Tyler was cool too, you could tell he was smitten from the beginning even if he was being awful to her.

I read this in print and audio, and really enjoyed the audio. I can't wait to read more from the author.

3.5 stars! Thank you netgalley and st martins press for this eARC for an honest review. Enjoyed this rom-com involving a movie set and covering up a murder. Such an interesting plot for a rom-com! Easy to read and felt for the two main characters managing their unexpected romance!

Khin is a journalist hired by Vogue to get an exclusive on the famous but very private Hollywood actor Tyler Tun. For her article, she follows him to Myanmar, where he is on location for his next film. But one night on set, a strange man starts following Khin and things escalate quickly when Tyler tries to help. Now the mystery man is dead and Khin and Tyler don’t want to go to the police. Together, Tyler and Khin try to keep their secret while trying to uncover why this man was targeting Khim.
A little bit of mystery paired with a celebrity romance? Yes please. This book was filled with tension and made for a fun read. The romance definitely took a backseat to the mystery in this story, but I didn’t mind because the mystery was so wild. This was a unique story that I really enjoyed.
Thank you to SMP Romance, Macmillan Audio, and NetGalley for the advance copies.

I Did Something Bad is an entertaining romcom combined with a thriller / mystery. I say this because it's much more of a rom com.

I enjoyed the author's writing style and found myself immersed in the story as the thriller parts were introduced early on. Those parts were exciting and kept the book moving along at a decent pace.

I really liked the MCs as individual characters however, together I'm still unsure of. I feel like the romance wasn't very believable and found the lack of chemistry and sparks contributed to that.

Overall, it was an enjoyable read. Thank you netgalley and St. Martin's Press for this ARC in exchange for a review.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press | St. Martin's Griffin for the e-ARC to read and review. I'm a bit late in my reviewing here, as the book's already out, but I'm glad I got to experience this book. I really enjoyed that this book was a combination of a lot of my favorite interests: like mystery novels, celebrity magazine journalism (my early career!) and behind-the-scenes of movie shoots, with a dash of a romance story. I found "I Did Something Bad" to be a quick read and a good balance of all of those elements, so it wasn't TOO much of a murder mystery, or too flimsy a rom-com. I will say that even though those themes were balanced, I didn't feel super satisfied by any specific element: like I wasn't gripped by the police investigations, or hanging on for a very big celebrity drama moment; nor was I swept away by the romance by any means. They all came together well and then just kind of ... left?

I also, as a journalist who's written across genres, struggled with our main character Khin as a journalist. To be clear, the actual writing in this novel is very good - but Khin's interviewing and writing just, isn't? Like she's called in for a massive opportunity of a story and is super awkward about celebrity interviewing as if it's her first time talking to a star. She asks basic questions but also gets too involved. And we learn that she's responsible for some very controversial, high-profile serious reporting, yet she has little knowledge about safety or consequences. A real journalist would also not cross ethical boundaries as much as Khin did, with her romance, crime coverup, and overall carelessness - no matter what! We didn't even really see her on page wrestling with that much either, which could have added serious tension. Trust and integrity are pretty big themes throughout - even in interpersonal relationships, beyond reporting. It was just kind of... mentioned. I would also love to see which magazine in 2024 would have the budget to have a reporter on a pretty much 24/7 celebrity assignment for months with seemingly no other assignments. Maybe I'm just jealous that Khin wasn't writing clickbait web articles in between her profile research just to pay the bills, because I promise that's what the rest of us would have to be doing!

In the span of time that I requested this book to when I actually started it, I'd forgotten what it was about. I remembered the description saying something about a murder, but other than that, I had no clue. I decided to forgo rereading the synopsis because I wanted to go in blind.

Man oh man I knew from the first page that this was going to be a good one. The writing is so sharp and clear and moves the story forward at lightening speed.

And okay, I knew this book was about a murder but I was delighted by the love story that unfolds, mostly because I wasn't expecting it (y'know, because the murder). Khin and Tyler have amazing chemistry from their first meeting and it unfolds in such a natural and delicious way. And they are both super interesting characters outside of their relationship. I love them both. I was kicking my feet up and twirling my hair over them.

It's dark and funny and sweet and the writing is so good, I can't wait to see what this author puts out next!!

You’re reading a winner when before you’ve even finished the first chapter you’re thinking, When’s the movie coming out? This is like Crazy Rich Asians with a murderous spin. Clarissa Song, freelance journalist’s Khin Haymar’s demanding boss, dangles the assignment of a lifetime to Khin, an opportunity to profile Tyler Tun, Hollywood’s hottest male lead. Tyler’s making a movie in Myanmar. He’s being touted as the next James Bond. Clarissa wants scoops galore, like what is Tyler’s true relationship with May Diamond, his best friend for years? They’ve never made a movie together before: why now? Clarissa wants it all.

“Learn”—she leans forward to emphasize—“everything. By the time this profile comes out, I want you to know Tyler Tun better than his own parents. I want you to know if America’s favorite golden boy flosses every night, and if he does, I want you to know his favorite brand of floss.”

If Khin can deliver the goods, “there may well be a permanent position waiting for her at Vogue Singapore.” Clarissa couldn’t dangle anything that would appeal more. It would be Khin’s first celebrity profile. She’s recently divorced and would love a fresh start in Asia’s most exciting city.

Tyler is super private; when he and Khin eat dinner in a hideaway restaurant and she tries to break down his barriers, he doesn’t give anything away. Something they have in common is that they’re both Myanma people, i.e., citizens of the country formerly known as Burma. Tyler turns the tables on Khin, asking her, “Why did you write a piece about the city’s only underground abortion clinic in a country where abortion is illegal?” Khin mulls over why Tyler’s interested in her daring exposé, but quickly circles back to him.

“Why did you agree to this?” I ask.



There’s that stray puppeteer half smile again. “What do you mean?”



“This.” I move my head around in a circle. “Me trailing you for two months. You’re notoriously private—”



“Oh, am I?”

Khin asks if Bolu, Tyler’s publicist, “bullied” him into agreeing to an in-depth profile and Tyler demurs, just saying that Bolu can be quite persuasive. The ping-pong banter continues until Tyler says, “This one is important to me.”

“It’s . . . different. Special.”



“Special how?”



“Come on, Khin, we’re both Myanmar. Don’t make me go through the representation spiel. You’re too astute of a writer to need me to explicitly lay out what’s riding on this movie.”

Tyler demands Khin tell him a secret. “Tell me something that you would rather sell your soul to the devil than have someone find out.” Is Tyler looking for reciprocity, to protect himself from a no-holds-barred profile?

Filming is underway so there’s not a lot of time to puzzle over Tyler’s motives. They’re on location at Kandawgyi Park in Yangon. Khin’s “not thrilled at the idea of hanging out with the mosquitoes and bugs in the park until midnight,” but she doesn’t want to miss a minute of watching a big movie unfold. Ever the journalist, Khin wants to know why not recreate the scene in Central Park? Tyler says everything’s different “across continents”—the flora, fauna, trees, animals. Khin wonders if anyone will notice if they’re not “a professional botanist and/or ornithologist.” But Tyler says it does matter to him and to everyone making the movie. More than authenticity, he has a deep respect for the nuances of the Myanmar culture.

“We’re actually going to do all of the scenes that require Myanmar extras here, mainly because, unsurprisingly, it’s much easier to find the correct attire and props here than in LA. Turns out American costume departments, as lavish as they can be, don’t exactly stock an array of hta meins and htaik pones.”

It’s a long evening. When Khin has a thirty-minute break, she heads towards the lake. Writing is a solitary occupation and all the hubbub of movie making is getting to her. She reflects, “I already miss being able to hear myself think.” Engulfed in catching up with group chats, Khin is surprised to find that she’s all alone and has no signal. A man walks towards her: he’s “taller and stronger” than her. Khin hopes it’s nothing, but scarily he says he loves rom coms because “they always cast such . . . pretty gals.” He attacks her and she bites and scratches, sick with fear, until she discovers her pen in her pocket. She twists the top and plunges “the newly protruded tip into his ear.”

“You crazy Asian bitch! I’m going to—”



When he lunges for me, I kneel. And when I see him wobble forward, hands trying to grasp at air before clutching his chest, I summon the strength of every single barre class I’ve ever gotten up to attend, wrap my arms around his calves, and lift him up and over the rail and toward the lake below like one of those mothers lifting a tractor off of their child.

But he’s stuck, he doesn’t drop over the rail. If he goes overboard, he’s taking her with him. Suddenly Tyler appears. He hits the guy’s fingers with a rock: “There is a thud before there is a splash.” Khin’s attacker is dead in the lake.

Tyler wants to go to the police because it’s self-defense, but Khin is adamant that they can’t.

“Tyler, we killed a man. A white man. We both know what happens to Brown people who kill white people. Anywhere in the world. Even in this country.”



“It was self-defense,” he repeats, although his tone is more strained. I can’t believe what he’s suggesting, just like he can’t believe what I’m suggesting.

How will they protect the others on set from being charged? Was Khin deliberately targeted? Will the cover-up hold, or will the cover-up be worse than the crime? How can Khin keep writing “the exposé she needs for her dream job,” and how will the situation impact the trust that’s developing between her and Tyler.

What a title—because Khin really did do “something bad,” even if it wasn’t her fault. Set aside some time to finish writer Pyae Moe Thet War’s first novel—you won’t be able to put it down. If I Did Something Bad appears on the silver screen, who should play Tyler and Khin? Terrific debut!

*spoilers*

Sometimes you just need a cute romance with a hair of drama.

This one checked so many boxes. Romance with a famous figure? Unexpected drama where they’re the only ones that know the secret?

It started slow for me, but when it picked up it was tough to put down. Between watching them fall of each other and bond over a common goal, I just couldn’t wait to see them finally recognize their feelings.

There were just a few gray areas for me. How certain situations were handled were not my cup of tea. Though I wanted to see where the story went, they left me feeling unsure and uncomfortable.

But really, it was overall just cute fun to follow. I really didn’t know what to expect going in, but it did not disappoint with the overarching story. Definitely a unique romance!

🌟🌟🌟/5

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book, received from St. Martin’s Griffin through NetGalley. However, all thoughts and views reflected are strictly my own opinions.

This one is a slow burn romance mixed into the cozy mystery genre. I struggled to get into the story but once I did it was cute. I felt the blurb was a little misleading though about the genre mixture and it was a little slower than I’d prefer.

Just not my cup of tea but excited to see what later novels hold!!

I Did Something Bad is the debut novel by Pyae Moe Thet War. I knew nothing about this story going into it, including its genre. The book begins at a rather fast pace and leaves the reader wondering: is this a romantic comedy, a murder mystery, or a thriller? Ultimately, as the author notes in her acknowledgements, it is a romantic comedy…with murder.

Khan is a freelance author who's been given a high profile opportunity to shadow one of the hottest movie stars for a cover story in Vogue. Tyler is a Myanmar star in Hollywood who has returned home to film a new movie with his best friend, an important project for them to highlight their home country and diversify Hollywood rom-coms. Early on in the filming process, Khin and Tyler find themselves in the middle of a police investigation and are forced to test the limits of their professional relationship and learn to trust each other. In the end, Khin must decide what is most important, her feelings for Tyler, or capturing the scoop and cover story she needs to secure a coveted position at Vogue.

This was a really cute rom-com. The timeline was very short, I believe everything took place in the span of 1.5 months, which did make it a bit challenging to really convince me that these perfect strangers fell in love so fast and hard. That being said, their character development was great and I loved the subtle nods at culture and representation, especially given how few Asian love stories that take place in Asia exist in the American publishing industry today.

For fans of:
Romantic comedies with no spice
Amazing banter
Asian representation

Thank you to St Martin's Press and Netgalley for providing me a copy of this book; all opinions are my own. I Did Something Bad is out now!