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I Did Warn Her is a deliciously dark, twist-filled thriller that had me flying through pages with a growing sense of dread. Sian Gilbert delivers a tense, layered story of jealousy, power, and the slow unraveling of a friendship that was never as innocent as it seemed.

From the start, I was hooked by the voice—sharp, observant, and laced with venom. This isn’t just a tale of two friends; it’s a slow-motion car crash of ambition, manipulation, and long-held grudges. The dual timelines and shifting perspectives kept me constantly guessing, and just when I thought I had someone figured out, Gilbert would twist the knife a little deeper.

The atmosphere is spot-on—claustrophobic, glamorous, and simmering with menace. It’s the kind of book where the setting becomes a character in itself, amplifying every unspoken tension. And the ending? Let’s just say it’s perfectly brutal.

If you love psychological thrillers with messy women, buried secrets, and an undercurrent of mean girl noir, I Did Warn Her delivers. It's smart, sinister, and utterly satisfying.

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If you enjoy a locked room mystery this is for you. Lots of finger pointing in this who done it ride. Rich obnoxious people and a crew with all the secrets.

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Thanks to Harper Audio & NetGalley for providing an audio ARC in exchange for an honest review.

As was the case with the previous book by this author: great voice acting. There is one clunky actor who was mostly just narrating and not acting, and it probably wouldn't have been such a big deal except that she was blown out of the water (pardon the pun) by the other performers.

BIG drama. BIG mean girl vibes. Most of the male characters are creeps, even the ones that are coded as "nice guys." Pretty much every female on the ship (sorry; "SUPER YACHT") is a reprehensible bitch, except for one whose backstory is completely ridiculous.

There are so many SUPER YACHT stewardesses that it's tough to differentiate them at first (thank fuck for the ensemble cast), and the fact that they, for some reason, *all look almost identical* does NOT help. Also, what an odd choice? It put me in mind of Fembots, TBH.

There is one twist that exists merely to move the plot in a particular direction and it kind of destroyed my already-tenuous suspension of disbelief. The plot is also kind of convoluted. Lots of misunderstandings and assumptions, '70s sitcom style but without the laffs.

Still, it kept my attention and I wanted to find out who dunnit, so I kept at it; hence: 3 stars. Probably 2.5 more accurately.

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While I haven't watched Below Deck, I've been around enough ships to have an idea of what goes on amongst the crew. "I Did Warn Her" takes the cliques and competition and backroom shenanigans to an extreme when one of the stewardesses turns up dead. Add to that a new stewardess who was a last-minute replacement, a guest companion searching for clues about her friend's disappearance a year earlier from the same ship, and secrets the dead stewardess supposedly knew about her crew mates and you have the makings of a twisty story. Every character has something to hide, and just as you think you know who did what, you discover you're wrong. The first few chapters move a little slowly, mostly filled with tension and pettiness between the stewardesses, but the action ramps up quickly.

The full-cast narrators do a wonderful job with handling the alternating POV's with each chapter, though at first it was a little confusing when different narrators would voice the same character differently (even with completely different accents), but this seems to be a flaw in general for full-cast narration, and it doesn't take long to adjust to it.

Thank you to the author, Harper Collins, and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book and provide an unbiased review.

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I enjoyed this audiobook, but must admit that my enjoyment was dampened quite a bit by how terrible everyone was. If you wanna read a pacy locked-room mystery with shallow, back-biting characters, this is the book for you. 3/5 stars.

Thanks to NetGalley and HarperAudio Adult for inviting me to listen to the audiobook.

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I'm a big Sian Gilbert fan, so going in I knew I would enjoy the book. That said, a few too many characters muddled the plot just a bit, and the fact that they were all meant to look alike didn't help. Still a good read, just not my favorite of hers.

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Completely bummed is an understatement. 😩

I loved Sian Gilbert’s debut She Started It because it was twisty, sharp, and totally my kind of thriller, so I went into this one with high hopes… but unfortunately, it just didn’t work for me.

There were so many characters-- like, SO MANY-- and I constantly found myself wondering who the heck was who. Real names, nicknames, and aliases all tossed around made it nearly impossible to connect with anyone or care what was going on. I wanted to be hooked. I wanted to be shocked. But instead, I just felt overwhelmed and kind of… bored.

This book had all the makings of a solid thriller, but it was just too much-- too messy, too many threads, and by the time the ending rolled around, I was more relieved to be done than surprised. 😬

I really wish I felt differently, and I know a lot of readers might still love this one-- especially if you’re into character-heavy stories but for me, this was a miss.

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With a limited number of people all on a private yacht together, this had a locked room mystery feel. This is usually my fave, but the execution of the story didn't seem to play out very well. Even though there weren't a lot of characters, most of the characters looked and acted the same and it was hard to distinguish between them. The characters were also very unlikeable. Sometimes this played well into the story, but other times their cattiness got old. The narration did make this story a little more enjoyable with all the different voices.

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This twisty locked-door mystery unfolds aboard The Ophelia, a billionaire’s lavish yacht with a crew of model-gorgeous stewardesses harboring secrets, rivalries, and a history of suspicious deaths. Sasha is a last-minute hire who quickly finds herself caught up in missing jewelry, shady guests, and a murder that turns everyone on board into a suspect.

Told through multiple POVs, it offers plenty of intrigue and some great twists I didn’t see coming. The audiobook has different narrators for the various perspectives, which I appreciated in theory, but in practice, their voices sounded quite similar, making it tough to keep track of who was narrating at any given time. Still, if you love a closed-circle mystery in an ultra-glamorous (and dangerous) setting, this one delivers plenty of drama on the high seas!

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Below Deck + murder = a book I can get down with. This was a fun one that moved decently quick and had an interesting cast of characters, many who are unlikable. I enjoyed seeing all of their terribleness come out as they tried to cover their own secrets.

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Below Deck meets Murder Mystery = AMAZING combination. There is nothing more gripping than reading about how the other half live and the people who work for them. I found myself listening to this audiobook every single second I could fit it in, and flew through it in 2 days. The narrators were the perfect fit for each character. I wish I could reread this for the first time! Thank you Netgalley, Sian Gilbert and Harper Audio for gifting this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

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Calling all fans of privileged chaos, locked-room mysteries, revenge-fueled twists, and nonstop suspense—this one has it all.

As a devoted Below Deck viewer, I found this story just as addictive. It has all the secrets, drama, and social tension—complete with mean girls, scandalous moments, and, thanks to Gilbert, a murder or two to really turn up the heat.

Told with a voyeuristic lens and steeped in atmosphere, this sharp, fast-paced thriller delivers the ultimate escapist experience. The characters may not be likable, but that only adds to the intrigue in this deliciously entertaining, high-stakes ride.

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4.5 rounded up! I absolutely loved this thriller! It was below deck meets murder mystery and I had a fun time! I found it to be super layered because even though the story is “locked door” and only takes place on the yacht, there was a lot of background information that came to light regarding the previous charter and it enhanced our plot. I love an audiobook always, but I wish the narrator did a better job of distinguishing the different voices. Not only did everyone look alike, but I found that the characters sounded alike too and it made it confusing to follow who’s point of view we were listening too. Definitely will be recommending this to family friends and followers

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This was a thoroughly enjoyable book full of twists and turns. The description of it being a below deck murder mystery was accurate. Within the story, no one is as they portray themselves to be, and everyone has ulterior motives, which keeps the listener guessing as to what will happen next.

I did find it difficult to distinguish between the characters as many of them were described as nearly identical. However, this did not detract much from my enjoyment of the book. I would definitely recommend this title to mystery fans.

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Marketing this book as "below deck with a body count" is entirely spot on. I'm in the camp that I love an unlikeable character and lucky for me, this book is filled with them. While I did enjoy the story as a whole, I had major issues with the pacing. I felt like this could have been maybe 50 pages shorter? By the time we got to the twist, I had a hard time getting back into the story and really caring about who dun it.
2.5 stars rounded up to 3
I received a complimentary copy of this and thank you Netgally and HarperAudio for an advanced listening copy.

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Seriously this one gave me vibes of The Woman in Cabin 10. Not just the water but the style and pacing.

I'm always a fan of locked room mysteries or the equivalent of them. One mystery happened on a previous trip, but after Sasha joins the crew, the intrigue multiplies.

There are plenty of POVs to help figure out what is happening and that means there are plenty of suspects. The rich behave badly and at times the crew isn't much better. I loved that the characters were unlikable and that made me wonder which one might bite the bullet next.

There is a full cast reading the audiobook. Fiona Hardingham, Imogen Church, Emma Fenney, Karen Cass, Sara Novak, and Jodie Harris all did a great job and I appreciated they sounded different. It made it easy to follow the story and the POV of that chapter. Imogen Church is one of my favorite British narrators so it was great to hear as part of the ensemble, but every time it came to be her turn again, I smiled.

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This is an isolated mystery set on a mega yacht, featuring ample drama. I appreciated the writing style and audiobook. I also enjoyed the unique setting, which differed from other books I've read.

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Thank you @williammorrowbooks for a #gifted copy!

If Below Deck had a dark twin with a body count, it would be I Did Warn Her. This twisty thriller had me hooked from the moment Sasha stepped aboard The Ophelia, a billionaire’s floating palace with secrets as deep as the ocean it sails.

This one had a model-perfect crew, shady billionaires, stolen jewels, and more than one dead body. The vibes? Luxury meets lethal. The crew may be gorgeous, but no one is innocent, and the tension ratchets up with every chapter. I was constantly wondering who’s hiding what and who’s next?

The slow-burn paranoia creeps in as the champagne runs dry and alliances start to crack.

If you love locked-room mysteries, rich people behaving badly, and Below Deck drama turned deadly, I Did Warn Her needs to be on your summer TBR.

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Sian Gilbert sure knows how to write a mean girl and I am here for it.

The characters were awful self centered and cruel and then before I knew it they started to grow on me. I enjoyed her take on a trap room mystery and I thought she executed her twists pretty well.

All in all I really enjoyed this book and the characters. The narrators did a wonderful job of portraying the characters and bringing them to life. It was fun, thrilling and even emotional. I’d definitely recommend this one!

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This was just a great, fun read. It follows the stewardesses of a super yacht, the Ophelia. Sasha joins the crew at the last minute. She is blonde and beautiful but soon realizes that she looks just like the other stewardesses on the yacht. What’s going on? Why are Jade, Imogen, Evie, and Lola being alternately nice and mean to her.? Sasha just knows that she needs to leave her old life behind and this is the first step to something better. Soon it becomes clear that things onboard are not as wonderful as they should be. Who was the stewardess who left the boat early? What is Drew hiding? Where is all the guests’ missing jewelry? When the yacht’s owner brings along two women, things get interesting. This is a fast-paced read and would be perfect for the beach. If you want to read this for book club, try to have meetings by the pool, drinking something cool and refreshing. Put it in your bag and thank me later!

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