I enjoyed this story. The main character is a journalist who is covering a celebrity in hopes her article will
Land her a coveted job. There are sparks between Kinh and Tyler immediately. An intense situation brings them even closer. The interactions between these two characters were interesting and well written. This is more romantic suspense than rom-com, but maybe something in-between..

I’m not much of a murder mystery person but I was immediately sucked in. As soon as Khin was talking about Tyler, I was interested. When Khin met Tyler I was a goner completely invested in the unfolding of their relationship and the suspense of the murder made it even better.

This book had everything from murder, to suspense, to swoonworthy moments, to laugh out loud funny moments, and true heartbreak (I heard it breaking), but thankfully it was put back together before the end!

I Did Something Bad is a delightful blend of romance, mystery, and cultural immersion. The novel follows Khin Hlaing, a freelance journalist in Yangon, Myanmar, who gets tangled up in a murder cover-up with Hollywood heartthrob Tyler Tun.

The chemistry between Khin and Tyler is undeniable, and their banter is witty and charming. The author's portrayal of Myanmar's culture and customs adds depth and authenticity to the story.

While the plot may seem a bit far-fetched at times, it's ultimately a fun and enjoyable ride.

Fans of rom-coms with a touch of mystery will appreciate I Did Something Bad. It's a lighthearted and entertaining read that will leave you wanting more.

Thank you so much to the publisher for my ARC!

When Khin is asked by Vogue to write a cover story of a huge movie star, with the potential to turn her freelance career into a stable job, of course she agrees. She must spend the next several weeks with Tyler to try to get the inside scoop about the future of his career. However, one night on set of his latest film, a strange man follows Khin into the park and threatens her, Tyler gets involved, and things escalate quickly. They can't go to the police, but they work together to cover up what happened. As they spend time together, they learn more about each other. How far will Khin go to to get her story?

This story was so interesting but also swoony! Kind of a cozy mystery with some romance. I really enjoyed it.

I liked I Did Something Bad for the most part. I think that it didn’t really successfully be both a murder mystery and a romance. The romance kinda fell flat with everything else going on. That being said, I still enjoying reading the book even though I don’t think it worked very well in the end?

This was so good. Romance and thriller together? Sign me up! It kept me hooked from the 1st page. Definitely recommend!

This book feels like Finlay Donovan meets Crazy Rich Asians. It took me a minute to get into the story. I loved the strength of Khin and her ambition. The romance side told a sweet story. The secret/mystery had good tension that built.

Thank you to SMP Romance for the advance reader copy and to Macmillan Audio for the complimentary audiobook. These opinions are my own.

Khin receives the opportunity of a lifetime. If she does well writing a profile on move star Tyler Tun, she will get a full time job at Vogue Singapore. She wants to get a scoop and plans to shadow him for two months. But on the first day on set, a man dies when she tries to defend herself. And Tyler helps her.

This book is very much an example of the cover up is worse than the crime. I think the author needed to do more work early on explaining why Khin could not go to the police. In the beginning parts of the book, it all took a lot of suspension of disbelief. But as we learned more about her past and her previous targeting by the police, her actions made much more sense. I think the pacing would have worked better if those parts were explained earlier. The mystery could then have solely focused on who the man was.

And such a different choice would have left more room for the romance. I really wanted to believe in Tyler and Khin. But often, their romance played second fiddle to the mystery plot.

I loved the Myanmar representation in this book, and I hope to read more from this author. But I wanted a bit more here.

A romance with murder! How great is that? Not to mention the nicest movie star in the world in Tyler Tun. Lucky Khin, getting this celebrity profile when her personal life is crashing. I adored these two characters and having the suspense of a police investigation was the icing on the cake.

Being a journalist, Khin is tasked with interviewing Tyler Tun, a Hollywood star, for a cover story for Vogue. Watching the relationship develop between the two of them will keep you emerced in the story to find out what will happen next. The story has mystery involving a murder and what turns out to be more important to Knin, a dream job or trusting in romance.

I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving a complimentary copy.

*Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher/author for providing me with an E-Arc of this book. The following is my honest opinion *

3.5⭐ out 5

This story makes me very giddy. It was very cute and like a warm cup of tea. I really enjoyed the journey that Khin and Tyler went through. Khin, a journalist, is hired to write a profile on Tyler Tun, a famous actor. Khin has a two month time frame to get to know Tyler and get an exclusive that will open up opportunities for her. The book has cozy mystery element to it. I don't know how I feel about it yet. In part, I think we could have gone without it because there were many different ways for the main characters to bond. But I did enjoy the element.

It was a good read. Would recommend.

This book was A LOT different than I was expecting it to be and I’m pleasantly surprised! It was much deeper and darker in places which made the story more complex than I anticipated. Khin was such a relatable and well developed character. I truly loved her and enjoyed watching her realize how much she needs other people and doesn’t have to go it alone. And TYLER. Oh my goodness, I LOVED HIM. He and Khin had chemistry from the get go, but I also just enjoyed him as his own character. I also loved the setting of Myanmar and the descriptions of the food was amazing, but do not read on an empty stomach! I highly recommend this one for fans of movie star romances, strong female characters and a really interesting twist! Also, I would not say no to a sequel about May…
PS. Any book that not only mentions SVU, but specifically my guy Rafael Barba is A-OKAY in my world!
CW: stalking, mentions of abortion, violence

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an advanced digital reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review

I Did Something Bad by Pyae Moe Thet War was a fun adventurous rom-com.
A humorous and thrilling mystery that kept me glued to my Kindle.
This slow burn mystery is one to read.
The writing was just phenomenal and these characters…… AMAZING!
The mystery was well thought out and the characters were well developed.
This is the type of stories I live to read!
A wonderful debut!

Thank You NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

Freelance journalist Khin Hlaing is tasked to get the scoop on Hollywood's biggest star Tyler Tun. One night a man follows Khin and when he threatens her, Tyler steps in and the man ends up dying. In hiding their secret, the grow closer, but can they trust each other.

On vibes alone, I loved this story. I found it to be fun and entertaining. There are definitely a few darker themes but they are written in sort of a "if you don't laugh, you'll cry" sort of way. While the tone of the story was light and fun, I don't feel like it detracted from the seriousness of some of the topics. I liked Khin as a character. Her journey of starting over felt real and relatable. Tyler felt down-to-earth and I appreciate he accepted Khin for who she was (until he didn't).

My struggle with this book was in a few plot holes. It had the makings of a great story but there were a few things that really stood out and distracted me as I was reading (outlined below). Overall though, it had a satisfying ending and if you are looking for something light and fun, this could be a good fit.

While I received a digital review copy, I ended up listenign to the audio. I really enjoyed the narrator and thought she did a great job.

***Spoilers ahead***
-the death of the stalker: There's all this talk about Khin being responsible and how she needs to be protected. Tyler was actually an accomplice, not just a witness, and this is never brought back up.
-the third act breakup: They were never really together so it's not a true break-up, but their falling out was such a 180 for Tyler's personality. I get that conflict needs to be created, and I get that what he saw in her apartment would have him spinning...BUT his response felt out of left field and unbelievable.

Khin Hlaing is in limbo. Recently divorced, living in an impersonal condo, and feeling claustrophobic in the same city as her ex, the freelance journalist needs a change. A high profile cover story on one of Hollywood’s hottest actors tied to an opportunity for a full-time staff position at Vogue Singapore could be her way out of this rut.

Tyler Tun is known for keeping things private, but he has offered Khin two months of unfettered access while he is in Myanmar shooting a film and visiting family.

Ever the dedicated reporter, Khin starts being able to read his tells early on. She may just find her chance to learn about the real Tyler Tun. After an incident occurs on set that binds the two of them together, they start to grow even closer.

How and where should that line be drawn between Tyler and Khin’s professional and personal relationships?

And what will happen to them with that shared dark secret looming over their heads?

At a glance:
- Single POV
- Celebrity romance
- Myanmar setting
- Asian characters
- Secrets, secrets, secrets
- Freelance journalist who typically tackles heavier topics
- Popular movie star poised to become the next James Bond
- Supportive friends and family
- Recent divorce
- Slow burn
- Kissing only on page

I got engrossed in this one pretty quickly but struggled a bit trying to pinpoint the tone of the novel. I’m all for swoony romcoms, romdrams, or full-out dramas, but I had a tough time finding the balance in this one. In the end I wish there had either been more development in all of the areas or that some things had been trimmed back to let others shine.

I received an advance copy of the ebook from St. Martin’s Press. Review opinions are my own.

3.5⭐️

4.5 stars. I did a combo of this book, with the e-book and the audiobook. The narration by Jacqui Bardelang was awesome. It was very easy to tell the voices apart and the pacing was perfect.

I found this story to be refreshing in that it had a unique storyline. Both MC's are Asian, but the story takes place in Australia. The characters in the audiobook had neither an Asian accent or an Australian accent. Khin is a journalist who is writing an exclusive about Tyler, an American movie star. Khin is to follow him around while he works on his latest movie. On the set one day, Khin is accosted by a strange man and Tyler comes upon them. Things go from bad to worse and they are left in a situation that they are determined to hide from the police. The two get closer (and secrets are shared) as things get more heated and more and more people are drawn into the mess. Khin's knows they have no future together, but her article doesn't seem all that important anymore to her compared to her feelings for Tyler...neither does hiding the truth.

This was a fresh voice (the author's debut novel) for a romantic suspense. I really enjoyed it and hope to read more by this author. Thanks to St. Martin's Press, Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for the copies. All thoughts are my own.

I thought this was an intriguing read. I enjoyed the audio quite a bit as the narrator was wonderful to listen to. I loved the premise of a romantic suspense with a touch of murder. I liked the characters since it felt as though Khin and Tyler would never work in the real world because Khin is a journalist and Tyler is an actor and based on history, they shouldn’t be a match. But each were different than I expected and they really connected. I didn’t love that Khin didn’t just tell the truth but I guess then we wouldn’t have a story. How the rest of the plot unfolds was good and I definitely enjoyed the ending.

Thank you to the publishing teams for the review copies! I also want to highlight the excellent voice acting by Jacqui Bardelang—the audiobook was well-produced and enjoyable to listen to.

Overall, I Did Something Bad checks many boxes for a fun romcom but felt somewhat lacking in focus, particularly in terms of chemistry between the main characters. The standard third-act miscommunication felt especially off in this book; the accusations following a kind of insta-love didn’t seem fair, given the brief timeline and the initial setup of their relationship.

At times, the plot veered into a mystery that didn’t feel necessary for developing the romance, leading into some fun but forced romantic action/escapades, followed by a prolonged third-act miscommunication. The writing and dialogue occasionally felt underdeveloped and repetitive, which was particularly noticeable in the audiobook format, limiting my overall engagement with the story.

However, I really loved the secondary characters and the way the story highlighted the importance of friendships—how friends know you and have your back. I only wish the book had leaned more into the rich setting, fully developed the secondary characters, and taken more time to flesh out the central relationship.

Thank you to St. Martin's Publishing Group and NetGalley for this ARC!

3.5 Stars!!

I was really intrigued with the advertising for this one. A romcom with a murder mystery? It sounded so fun. The romcom part really worked for me. I loved the celebrity vs journalist plot. I was eager to see how they could figure out the murder and remove themselves from being suspects. However, I found that the romcom and murder clashed at times instead of flowing. The murder mystery plot seemed to get forgotten a bit in the middle, and then the ending just didn't work for me. The ending was wrapped up too quickly in my opinion and it made the mystery useless for the plot. It made me think that maybe this should've been a romcom only and the murder mystery could've been a separate book.

Overall, this was intriguing but something about it just didn't work for me.

DNF at 20% - I picked this one up because the premise sounding interesting, but it started off a bit ridiculous and was heading toward too insta-lovey, and I just found myself not wanting to continue reading. I think this is one of those books I could easily listen to while doing chores, but I just didn't feel invested in the story after "the incident."