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."

I loved the idea of this book, and while I found the murder aspect to be a bit glossed over, I loved the main characters and their story.

The premise of this book was cute and had potentially, but ultimately, I struggled to finish this one. I found the characters to be irritating and not very likeable (probably because they made dumb decisions and their actions felt reckless and far-fetched). I didn’t mind the budding romance, but the storyline was so unrealistic and the ending was frustrating enough to make me drop this to 3 stars.

I love the idea of this book. A rom-com with murder? Great! However, I think the author tried to use too much humor to downplay the death. Meaning, the MCs were cracking jokes about the death either that night or the very next day (too soon, either way). The situation simply wasn’t taken seriously enough. The FMC was almost assaulted and committed a crime, but she’s more concerned with having the hots for a movie star? #priorities

Thanks to St. Martin’s Press for the advanced copy.

There was romance there was mystery and there was murder...

Khin is a freelance journalist who has just been handed a job that could change her life and secure her a position at Vogue Singapore. All she has to do is shadow a movie star for 2 months and write an article about him... seems easy enough right? Tyler, the movie star in question is not what she expects at all. Why is a previously very private celebrity even agreeing to any of this? He has his reasons... Her first day on the job takes a turn when a man attacks her and he ends up dead. But who is this man? Why did he sneak on to the movie set? And why does it appear that he was very interested in Khin?

This was like rom com with a side of cozy murder mystery. The murder was never really the focus of the story it was more about Khin learning that she needs to accept help and can in fact depend on others and that no matter what she does life just isn’t perfect and sometimes things just happen and plans fall apart but it’s not in fact the end of the world it’s just life. She drive me a bit crazy with her inability to accept that she needed help and that she should take what was offered.

The only downside to the book really because it was fun but it was the end. Well more like it was ye olde 3rd act break up. It was kind of ridiculous because Khin was hired to do a job at no point did she stop doing that job even when her feelings for Tyler changed. So him getting mad about the literal job she was hired to do was kinda dumb. I mean I guess the break up helped move Khin along in her journey but it just didn’t make sense. Otherwise I really enjoyed this book.

I Did Something Bad by Pyae Moe Thet War
Pub Date: 10/7/24
3.5 stars

Khin is a reporter who’s just been giving the job of a lifetime for an amazing magazine: an exclusive with Hollywood star Tyler Tun. For a month, Khin will be on set in Myanmar with Tyler as he films his newest movie so that she can learn everything about him, interview him, etc. However, things quickly take a turn for the worst when a strange man follows Khin and she acts in self defense, with Tyler as her sole witness. Scared to go to the police and worried this man was targeting her, Khin and Tyler have to figure out how to navigate their respective careers to protect each other.

I loved the concept, until I started reading it. Then it just felt familiar. The first 15% was quite similar to other books I read, and this made it hard for me to get interested in the book. Then it took its turn, and things do pick up in a good way. But I could never fully get into this book and found Khin’s fears unrationzaled (although having never been in such a situation myself, they could’ve been completely valid and I not know). The conclusion tied things up a little too nicely for my liking as well, but overall it is a well written book. It just wasn’t a win for me.

I Did Something Bad follows journalist Khin, who is assigned to report on world-famous actor Tyler Tun. While Khin is initially looking for a Vogue-worthy scoop, she soon learns that Tyler is holding something back. After a late-night encounter with a stranger gone wrong, Tyler and Khin swear each other to secrecy. Is Tyler truly as golden as he seems or does he have a dark secret?

I Did Something Bad is a lighthearted and fun rom-com with a touch of murder. Khin and Tyler have a hilarious and relatable banter between them. I enjoyed the deeper thread of Khin’s abortion story coverage, as this is an issue that women face all over the world. Tyler is very sweet and earnest. Tyler and Khin also both have strong connections with friends and family, which was beautifully portrayed. I liked learning about Myanmar as well!

Readers who enjoyed Finlay Donovan Is Killing it (Elle Cosimano) and Dial A for Aunties (Jesse Q. Sutanto) will love I Did Something Bad. I’m looking forward to reading what Pyae Moe Thet War writes next!

Thank you to Pyae Moe Thet War, St. Martin’s Press, and Netgalley for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

It’s mind boggling that this is the debut novel written by the author. The writing is captivating, well executed and seamlessly engaging. I would definitely pick up future books by this author.

Early on I knew I was going to like this book. I was easily pulled into the story as it flowed off the pages. The story drifts off in an unexpected direction that had my mind boggled at first but quickly weaved effortlessly into the story.

The characters were well developed and the chemistry between the two main characters, the storyline and the setting were uniquely written. This felt distinctly different from many other rom-coms I’ve read. It was an unexpected pleasant surprise. I find myself wanting to read more about Khin and Tyler (and May!).

Thank you to NetGalley. The publisher and the author for my early advanced digital copy.

"I Did Something Bad" opens with a Devil Wears Prada-eque editor hiring journalist Khan for a coveted role. Typically focused on more challenging stories, she is to cover actor Tyler Tun for two months with a no-holds-barred cover story article.

Surprised and drive, Khin gets started - and some unfortunate circumstances make the coming weeks like nothing she could have guessed.

A bit celeb drama, a bit romance, a bit mystery - just made this a great book to read. I liked the character development and dimensions as the book progressed.

Thank you to Netgalley and to St. Martin's for an ARC.