Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to preview this ARC of What You Did by Claire McGowan.

Ali is thrilled to have some of her best and longest friends all under the same roof again. But everything crashes to a terrible halt when her best friend accuses her husband of rape. Being an advocate of battered and assaulted women, Ali is confronted with the tug of wanting to defend her husband, while also believing her friend, who is also a clear victim.

Despite how difficult the subject matter is, I really appreciate books like this. They shine a lot of important topics and on the fact that NOTHING is ever cut and dry. Even though the ending was a bit underwhelming, I thought this book was very well done, and would be fantastic for a book club.

It was suppose to be so much fun. A reunion weekend for 6 university best friends, but when Karen stumbles into the house bleeding and claiming to have been viciously attacked by Ali’s husband Mike all hell breaks loose. Everyone seems to have different accounts of what happened. Who should Ali believe, because someone is lying, but who?
Although I found this book a touch confusing at the beginning because a lot of characters were introduced very quickly I found it very entertaining. The chapters weren’t too long and everything was wrapped up nicely and I wasn’t able to fully figure out the whodunit before the end. Definitely worth checking out!

The premise of this novel was promising enough that I gave it a try. It started off as promised, a reunion 20 years after graduating from Oxford amongst six friends. One was assaulted by the end of the night, with the shadow of a dark secret that happened on graduation night 20 years ago hanging over them, who dunnit? The story was told mainly from the point of view of Ali, the wife of the alleged perpetrator and then intertwined with all the other players as the story slowly unfolds. This means, besides Ali, all the other characters did not really have a chance to develop or their sides of the story told properly. But despite having the main focus, Ali felt two dimensional and the reasons given why she did what she did just felt unbelievable and bland. The big reveal was quite predictable and the ending was hasty.
Was What You Did as good as it's hyped up to be? Not really. Was it really bad? It's not so bad that I want to put it in the DNF pile.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

For some reason I find books that are in part about fractured friendship groups being brought back together really fascinating. What You Did is based around a pretty horrifying situation. We mainly follow Ali, whose best friend accuses Ali’s husband of raping her. It is an unthinkable thing to consider and the ramifications of this accusation shape the rest of the book.

There is a lot going on in this book. The relationships between all these characters are convoluted and more complex than they first appear. The reader also gets to hear different points of view which further dirties the water and calls into question just what is going on. I think What You Did started off pretty well and had me intrigued rather quickly. I also think it brings up the crucially important issue of acquaintance rape which is not something often spoken about, and awareness is always a good thing.

However, despite it’s promising start and compelling premise, What You Did kind of fizzled out for me. To be honest, the vast majority of the characters are very difficult to like or really empathise with in any way. That is not necessarily a problem, I’ve enjoyed plenty of books with unlikeable characters but in this case it just didn’t work for me. The story took some odd twists and turns which also didn’t totally come off.

Despite not loving certain aspects I have to admit I did still found What You Did very readable. It’s a bit of a hit or miss in my opinion. There were some interesting plot points which hooked me in but there was too much that didn’t quite work for me to really love it.

As with my previous review where I suggested that going on holiday with your closest friends and their families might possibly not be the best idea, similarly here, a reunion weekend with your besties from college, with all your family et al in tow – over 20 years on – is probably not going to work out to be the jolly get together you were expecting.

So we have 6 friends, 2 of which are married couples (Ali and Mike; Jodi and Callum), the other 2 still single (Karen – who’s remained Jodi’s close friend – and Bill), together with a combination of 2 complicated teenagers and 1 younger child. It really is a recipe for disaster. They’re having a reunion at the home of Ali and Mike who finally seem to have reached the pinnacle of success with a beautiful home and enviable positions in their community. But right from the start I had the feeling that something was a bit ‘off’. Why was Ali so very over-anxious for everything to look so perfect and in-place? If these were such old, dear friends would they care what room she put them in, or if a napkin was the wrong colour?

Things start to go wrong almost immediately when Mike mixes the rooms up, and Karen’s surly son (father unknown, never disclosed) wants to sleep in his tent in the garden!). And it goes downhill from there with the adults degenerating to a level around about that of the average college student. Imbibing as much alcohol as they can possibly manage … and then some, and then moving on to narcotics. As one does when your children are hanging around somewhere in the vicinity, liable to be watching, recording every move in order to bribe you with it at some later stage. But I digress – this doesn’t move in that direction!

At some point before the drugs come out, Ali and Jodi decide to call it a night. But then, a while later, while everyone is in a bit of a stupour, not knowing where they are or what time it is, there is screaming and Karen comes stumbling inside claiming she’s been raped … by Mike, Ali’s husband. If Ali thought that incorrect room assignments were the worst of her problems, she’s about to be mistaken!

The author then proceeds to lead her readers on a rather clever, merry dance into the past as we see how the relationships between these 6 ‘friends’ actually started and evolved into what exists today. Between groups of people, especially when men and women are involved, the balance is never equal. There’s always someone who’s weaker and someone else who holds the power – who these people are might differ over time as circumstances change, but it all boils down to who needs something from the others. It’s intriguing to delve into this tangled web and discover where the power lies.

An absorbing 4 star read!

“I didn’t know what to say, and so I left, feeling deeply ashamed of the person I’d become. Or maybe it was even worse than that. Maybe I’d been like this all along.”

What You Did has a familiar sounding premise... a group of old friends reunited, a shocking event happens, flashbacks to
a university ball twenty-five years earlier where something else terrible happened (has there ever been a fictional university ball where something terrible didn’t happen?). I feel like I’ve read several books where the plot sounds very similar to that; however, What You Did feels a bit different and is very well executed.

Karen stumbles in from the garden of her old friend Ali’s house, distraught and traumatised. She’s been raped - and the man she accuses is Ali’s husband. And right there, everything changes for everybody.

This plot line could go badly wrong in the wrong hands, but I feel it’s sensitively and responsibly handled. Ali’s confusion and grief are utterly believable - she knows Karen, she knows women rarely lie about rape, but she also knows her husband - who can she believe? Trying to make sense of what’s happened and find an explanation she can live with, Ali finds herself thinking and acting in ways she can’t quite believe.

Although we see the story mainly from Ali’s viewpoint, the lasting, devastating effect on Karen isn’t downplayed either. Then there are the other, secondary victims - Karen’s teenage son, Ali’s son and daughter, who are affected in different ways.

Where does the truth lie?

An excellent and thought-provoking read which I’m not convinced even necessarily needed the historic-terrible-thing-at-university-ball plot thread in order to work - but it doesn’t do any harm to have it there, either. Recommended.

*RANT ALERT*

During the story, one of the characters tells Ali, the lead character, that shes a f*cking idiot, they got that spot on!

All the way through I just wanted to shout out the same.

I truly tried to empathise with the characters and be open minded as I felt it had real potential but this was a real rough struggle to get through.

Dont get me wrong, it hits on some real tough hard hitting subjects with rape, deceit and delusions but OMG do the characters really have to act so damn stupid all the time.

A big fat no from me...

I enjoyed this book, but I wouldn't say that I loved it. It was definitely a page turner, every time I turned around I was like "can I read?!" But on the other hand, the characters were frustrating to relate to, and enjoy. While I don't necessarily need to love every character I'm introduced to, I actually feel annoyed by these.

Ali has the perfect life. A beautiful new house, a great career, and a happy marriage to her college sweetheart. She reflects on her perfect life as she prepares to host a reunion for four other college friends. But what starts off as a happy reunion turns into Ali's worst nightmare. She wakes up the next morning to her best friend accusing of being raped. Not only was she raped at Ali's house, her friend accuses Ali's husband of the horrific crime, which forces Ali to choose between her best friend and her husband.

What You Did forces Ali to take a closer look at herself and the relationships with those closest to her. This involves her reliving her university days, seeing them outside of her rose-colored glasses. Claire McGowan seamlessly transitioned between present and past and truly brought the characters to life. No detail was left overlooked, and it really made me think how I would react if I were Ali. A must read!

Four stars for What You Did by Claire McGowan. I expected this to be a middle-of-the-road, forgettable thriller. I was extremely surprised by how much I enjoyed this book. It was a page turner that I flew through in about a day.

Ali’s picture perfect life in suburbia is shattered when her college friends come to visit for a 25th reunion party. Before the end of the night, her best friend has been raped and her husband stands accused. Ali’s loyalties are divided between her family and the truth.

McGowan makes a very smart decision in having Ali be the victim of past domestic abuse and a volunteer at a battered women’s shelter - it allows Ali to grapple with feelings from all points of view - how should she feel and how does she feel; how should she react and how does she react; who should she believe and who does she believe. It’s all very compelling while under woven with some underlying mystery and a few (sometimes outlandish) twists and turns.

Absolutely incredible best book I have read this year it had me gripped from start to finish it makes you questions all the answers you would have in those circumstances it makes u question ur own beliefs I could relate to each character and I was interested in all of these sides to the story the ending is fantastic and it’s not what you expect at all

What You Did by Claire McGowan is a thriller, and my first book by this author. Wow this book has more twists and turns, which kept me reading. It has some really messed up parts, but isn't that usually part of a thriller. I will be reading more books by this author. I recommend this book for people who enjoyed thrillers and are not put off by rape and domestic abuse.

I reviewed a digital arc provided by NetGalley and the publisher. Thank you.

An excellent thriller which centres around the reunion party of 6 old friends. One of the girls is raped at this party and this sets the scene for the story. What follows next is the aftermath of this assault. This is a well thought out story which deals with a difficult subject. Secrets and lies are uncovered which makes it a compelling read. The chapters are short which makes it easy to dip in and out of. All in all a a highly enjoyable read.

Thank you to the author, publishers and Netgalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

What You Did by Claire McGowan will keep you guessing up until the final page. This is a compelling read about a crime that threatens to tear a group of friends apart.

Ali and husband Mike are hosting a twenty-fifth reunion weekend for a small group of their friends from Oxford. But things take a very dark turn when Ali's best friend Karen accuses Mike of raping her in the garden after the rest of the group has retired for the evening. Not only is the act, and the following accusation, horrific, but secrets that have long been hidden within the group begin to come to the surface, specifically details surrounding the mysterious death of a fellow student. The group begin to question not only their friends, but also themselves in a way that they have never done before. How well do we really know those in our inner circle, and what are we willing to conceal under the guise of friendship?

This is an intriguing whodunit, and I found myself tearing through the pages to uncover the truth.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Amazon Publishing UK for this ARC.

A solid, sad, psychological thriller that will hook you from the first page. A great choice for book clubs!

This was a wonderful weekend read. I couldn't wait to get back to it whenever I had to go and do something else, and that says something about the writer. Claire McGowan knows how to keep up the suspense until the very end. The plot twists and turns as more details from the past emerge, leaving the reader wondering how the whole thing will end.
I liked the way McGowan revealed more and more about the characters and why they behaved the way they did as the story progressed, and I found that much of the story is understood in retrospect.
I look forward to reading more by Claire McGowan.
With thanks to NetGalley for providing an ARC.

What You Did is an excellent thriller based around 6 old uni friends Ali and Mike,Jodi and Callum and Karen and lastly Bill,they all meet up at Karen and Mike's home one weekend but things take a nasty turn when Karen staggers in from the garden crying that Mike has just raped her.What follows is a well written thriller where once best friends become enemies and a secret that has been kept between the 6 of them for 25 years ago at uni comes tumbling out and marriages start to crumble in the whole messy process.The story is told in flashbacks to their uni days and although i found it dragged a little in the middle it still held my interest till the end which was a surprise.An excellent 4 star read.

A fantastic read that begins straight away from page 1.. The story is based upon 6 friends that met 25 years while at Oxford University and are having a reunion at Ali and Mike’s home. The characters all have distinct characters and Claire brings them all alive perfectly. An amazing thriller that kept me guessing all the way as to who was responsible for the rape, what had it to do with the murder of Martha 25 years ago and what was the motive behind everything going on. I love the character of Ali and felt very sorry for her and although she made silly decisions I could fully understand her motives. What put the icing on the cake was the twist at the end that was so unexpected.
Great book and I look forward to reading more of this type of book from Claire in the future as she has a great skill .

A group of friends get together for only the second time since they graduated from Oxford University. The last time they saw each other at university a girl was raped and murdered. This time at their 25 year reunion Karen, one of the group, is raped and strangled, although she fortunately survives. Is all as it seems? All of the group have their secrets and hold their cards close to their chest. Told mainly from the view point of Ali, the hostess of the party, but occasionally swapping to the view points of others in the story, this book moves along at a nice pace. There are various twists and turns which do not seem outside of the realm of possibility, although there are times I'd like to question Ali for her reasons for acting in a certain way. A good book. Recommended. I'll be looking to read others by McGowan.

#WhatYouDid. #NetGalley
This story pulled me in on page one as the 25th college reunion of six friends ends with a rape. The assault, described in all its brutality, occurred in the lush gardens of the hostess, Ali and her husband’s home. The victim, Karen, is one of the guests, but the truth about the event doesn’t come out until the surprise ending of the book.
The characters are all well developed. Ali is a naive woman who wants everything in her world to be beautiful and perfect. This assault doesn’t fit into her life style. And as the rape is described, in all it’s brutality, Ali’s life turns upside down. But future events and truths that are revealed makes her world get even darker! Karen, who is far from perfect, made me feel sorry for her, and for other reasons than the assault. I found that I was sympathetic towards some of the other characters, but was also repulsed by some.
The truth of that eventful night and past lies covering 25 years slowly emerge among many twists and turns in the story. I thought I had it all figured out a couple of times, but soon discovered how wrong I was.! Overall, I enjoyed the book, but felt it was a little slow at times. I still consider it a good book, well worth the read and gave it four stars. I also would recommend it to those who love mysteries with shocker endings.
Many thanks to the author, Claire McGowan, to NetGalley and the publishers for my copy. All opinions expressed are my own.