I received a copy of What She Did by Carla Kovach from NetGalley. It was a decent crime thriller that kept me guessing for the most part until the end. Once it was revealed who the killer was it was a quick ending but seemed to still get dragged out longer than necessary. Kovach laid out a decent plot and story line. I'd be interested in reading her crime series to see what other stories she's created.

When Marissa was a child, she witnessed the murder of her mother which left her traumatized and left her finding it hard to trust anyone. Present day she lives alone in a flat and WFH as a Financial advisor. Her business is doing quite well but needs to drum up a bit more business. Her friend decides to recommend her to a Developer called Ben. At first, he is a friendly chap but after a business lunch he seems to be quite controlling which brings it back to her childhood when she went to live with her aunt and Uncle who used to mentally and physically abuse her.
So, when she finds out that her uncle has brought the cottage which was her childhood home. She is devasted and then finds out that he has been murdered, all things go on in her head as sleepwalks and thinks that she is the one that did it and the only person she can talk to is Glen who she befriended at a residents meeting.
Thank you Bookouture for a copy of Carla Kovach latest novel. I really enjoy her books and I found this quite different to her others. It has an interesting plot, with twist and turns and going back in time of Marissa’s childhood to find out what kind of person she is and why she is like the way she is and why she locks herself away. I did find that her character was a little bit over the top in my opinion. But as I haven’t been in that situation I don’t know. I felt though the ending was a bit rushed. 4 stars from me.

This is definitely a four star book! Maybe a bit more. There were some vivid characters profiles and a sick killer that actually kept himself hidden from my eyes throughout most of the book.

Marissa, a badly victimized female lead, was at once vulnerable and in her own mind mentally unstable to the point she wasn’t sure if she was capable of murder. Seemingly, alone in the world with both of parents dead and nearly incapable of trusting anyone to the extent that she was socially isolated.

A set of events and new people in her life set her spiraling to the point she doubts her sanity and sees stalkers around ever corner.

Is Marissa a killer? Is she being stalked? Is Ben guilty of these events in collusion with her new hateful neighbor? You need to read this one. It’s worth your precious reading time.

Overall this was a good story however my only criticism was the main character. I did not like her at all. Really unrelatable. Other than that i enjoyed this story.

Thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to give an honest review

Thank you to NetGalley, Bookouture and Carla Kovach for an ARC in return for an honest review.

I am a huge fan of Carla Kovach’s books, I have read all the DI Hart books so far. I was really eager to read this stand alone book and my god..it did not disappoint. It is a completely gripping psychological thriller which was actually a little scary at times. Carla has this extraordinary talent for writing amazing page-turners. I don’t have one negative word to say. I was unable to put it down. I can’t recommend it enough.

Unpredictable, Menacing Suspense….
Unpredictable, menacing and often uncomfortable suspense where, perhaps, not everything is as it seems. A well done storyline which is compelling and sinister in equal measure, well paced and with twists and turns aplenty. A solid read.

A really enjoyed this book and the characters. She was a strong character who tried to find the answers when she was being framed. A great book.

This psychological thriller had a very interesting plot and numerous twists and turns that kept it interesting until the very end. I figured out the perpetrator midway, but was unsure of the connection, which was held until the very end of the story! Kudos to the author for building such suspense. The story is told in two timelines, the protagonist's past and present, which served to provide credibility for her current state of mind and an excellent way to relate the life-long and far-reaching effects of childhood trauma and abuse.

I was frustrated with the protagonist and found her to be unbelievable. Her actions seemed to compete with her inner dialogue; for instance, she has an extreme fear of being hurt by others, yet she goes into the night alone, looking for assumed stalkers? The protagonist's inner dialogue was very repetitive and after a while, I found myself skimming over those passages. At times I felt the story moved painfully slow, and the introduction of key elements was sometimes confusing. Despite these setbacks, the book's twists and turns were worth the read and I would certainly read another book by this author (this was my first).

Thanks to the author, Carla Kovach; the publisher, Bookouture; and NetGalley for the advanced reading copy I received in return for an honest review.

Oooo, yes! This thrilling book starts off very quick with the main character's past and present issues. I really enjoyed the two timeline perspectives in What She Did, showing how the past defined and developed into the present. This quick read will have you wanting one more chapter, after one more chapter! I did not see the twists coming, and the author really kept my attention throughout the entire book.

The story of Marissa, a woman who lives alone and hides herself away, traumatised since a child, having witnessed the murder of her mother. Her aunt and uncle bring her up but add to her misery with their abuse.

When the police knock on her door to tell her that her only remaining relative as been murdered, her life spirals out of control as she faces past demons and struggles to cope.

This was decent enough if not flawed. It’s told from Marissas perspective. An unreliable narrator as she struggles with her demons, it did give an insight into her mindset but there was a repetition to it that wore thin very quickly and really disrupted the flow of the story. I mean how many times can we read her thinking about the same thing in the exact same way? It really gets on your nerves and takes you out of the book completely.

The reveal at the end I kinda guessed but I don’t mind that. It’s a very small story in its scope and particularly nasty in parts. It less than 300 pages but felt longer. It did seem it took an age to get to its conclusion.

The story itself varied from intriguing to boring. The whole thing really was a mixed bag hence my 3 stars.

Thanks to the publisher for an ARC through Netgalley.

Stand-alone book from this fantastic author. It is well written full of suspense and with lots of twists and turns. A page turner which I read over 2 days. Brilliant would highly recommend

I received this book as an ARC from Netgalley and this is my honest review.

Ive read a few of Carla Kovachs books before, all from the Gina Harte series and I’ve really enjoyed them. This book is a bit of a departure from those books, more psychological thriller than crime but she pulls off the change in genre well. There’s a suspensefulness about this book that is built upon by the flashbacks rather than detracting from it, I did have a slight suspicion about the ending but there are definitely enough twists and turns to keep you guessing. If you like the authors previous books then I think you will enjoy this, stellar writing as usual and a good story as well.

Book publication 20th September 2021.

Imagine being a child and witnessing your mother be murdered because that’s exactly what happened to Melissa. Things start getting a bit weird Melissa starts receiving mystery letters and people in her life start dying. For some reason Melissa has no memory of the night of these murders! can she be the killer?

This is a really good psychological thriller by Carla Kovach. Having only followed her crime series I wasn’t even sure what to expect from this book however I was more than pleasantly surprised. Although I must say I had guessed who or What was responsible for the murders.

Melissa’s character is really interesting especially because she clearly has PTSD from the death of her mother. Furthermore she grew up with her arms an uncle who never wanted children and that was not a safe house for a child to be in. So no wonder when things start to go a bit crazy in her life she finds herself terrified that she doesn't even know herself. Is she a killer or is someone trying to convince her she’s a killer? Well that will get answered and if you are an avid reader of this genre I’m pretty certain you will work it out quite early on but it really didn't make it any less an enjoyable read.

Without saying team match the book goes back and forth from present day to melissa's childhood teens and early 20s. For such a young woman she has gone through far too much her! So no wonder she is absolutely terrified about the situation she finds herself in. I really enjoyed the way it has been written because as a reader we are unsure ourselves. That is what makes it so fun to read because either she's killing people and can't remember or someone's killing people for her but why? Believe me there were a few twists that even I didn’t see coming and I loved every second of it. Let’s leave at that

Would I recommend this book? Yes I really enjoyed it find it to be a very easy read and a great psychological thriller. For once I actually felt like I got a thriller and a psychological experience was reading a book in this genre and often you either get one or the other and not both. Carla kovatch is a fantastic writer and I will be a huge fan of her books I think until she stops writing which I hope is never!This was an easy five stars



Thanks to netgalley, Karla Kovach, and bookture for the digital advanced copy of this book in exchange for my fair and honest opinions.

Marissa witnesses the brutal murder of her mother, as a child hiding under her bed petrified of the unknown intruder. She then has to go and live with her Aunt and Uncle, who only want her there for selfish reasons. After years of abuse and misery she escapes and starts her new life alone and I dependant. But things are not easy and soon she realises someone is watching her and is out to get her! When her uncle and her nightmare neighbour are both murdered on nights when she has been sleepwalking, she's faced with the terrible realisation that she might be being framed, or even worse! Is she responsible for these murders? She has to find out what's going on.

I was gripped by this book straight away, I liked Marissa and couldn't put this down. It has everything you need in a good thriller, suspense, a great mystery and plenty of trists. I'm a big fan of Carla Kovach, but was a bit unsure of this book when I saw it wasn't her usual Gina Harte series. I needn't have worried because it was excellent and I would highly recommend it to everyone.

I am a big fan of Carla's Gina Harte series so I was very excited to read What She Did which is a standalone. Carla is an amazing writer and she really pulls us into the psychology of the main character. I must admit at times I was really feeling with Marissa and she made me so anxious! At other times I was back to my old self and wanted to shake Marissa when she made weird decisions.
I did guess the end because I noticed some red flags from my own experience but it didn't take away from the story at all.

I really recommend What She Did to fans of psychological thrillers as well as the Gina Harte series. I'm actually more on the cosy mystery side of murders but I make an exception for Carla Kovach because she's such a talented writer.

Thank you to the publisher who provided me with an e-copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I love the Gina Hart series of books also written by Carla so when I saw this one too I wanted to read it and was hoping that it would be just as good or if not better, I didn’t want to be disappointed and I wasn’t. Very fast pacing from the start which got me gripped straight away.
I did at one point want to reach into the book and give the main character a bit of a shake and tell her to wake up and things were under her knows if she just looked but there were also under my nose too and I never twigged on who it was till the very end, a gripping book from start to finish and I really enjoyed it.

I'm a sucker for a good twist of a story and this one sure had it! Great writing, a fun story, characters I didn't love (which is how I enjoy it! and some twists and turns to rival a roller-coaster! This book was mega-fun!

Marissa lives in a flat and works as a financial adviser. She still has nightmares about what happened to her as a child. Alternate chapters take us back to when she lived with her aunt and uncle just after her mother had died, both who abused her. In the present, she longs to live in the cottage where she lived with her mother but sadly she cant afford it and has to put up with an obstreperous neighbour who is noisy at all hours and goes out of his way to make her life uncomfortable. One day she wakes up with scratches on her arms and a bauble in her hand that she remembers from the past. When she sees that there has been a stabbing at the cottage, she wonders what she could have done in her sleep whilst sleepwalking. It can't have been her can it? She meets a friend via the residents association and through Glen finds some comfort. Her other friend Jasmine is being very cagey about Ben- someone Marissa is working with but Jasmine is warning her off him. When Marissa see the tow of them having a row could there be more going on and is it Ben who is sending Marissa strange notes and possibly stalking her?
Oooh! This is one of those reads where you feel pleasantly uncomfortable for the main protagonist. Did she or didn’t she? I had a feeling that there was more going on but not quite what- to me a sign of this being very cleverly written with a real skill of deception - in a fiction writing way! A gripping, enticing novel brilliantly written. Highly enjoyed.
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Having previously read all of this author's Gina Harte series I was excited to see that she had written a psychological thriller. I couldn't wait to get stuck in as soon as I downloaded the book and I wasn't disappointed.

Marissa's mother was murdered in front of her when she was a very small child and since then her life has been one of abuse and misery. It is understandable that she keeps herself to herself and doesn't trust easily. Now, however, people who have hurt her in some way are being murdered. Unfortunately these killings are coinciding with Marissa suffering blackouts and waking in odd places. At the same time several new people have come into her life and I can honestly say that until the end I had no idea whether it was one of these or Marissa herself who was carrying out the killings. There are some really tense moments throughout the book such as when Marissa wakens with blood on her face and the police at her door and at times I thought my nails would be bitten to the quick. Give this book a try but be ready for a late night.

Marissa lives alone in her tiny one-bed flat. It’s quiet and safe; all she’s ever wanted since the night her mother was killed in front of her. But when the police knock on her door with the news that her last remaining family member has been murdered, she comes face to face with the trauma she has spent a lifetime running from.

I have to say that I found this book a little lacking, mainly as I found parts of it very repetitive and this always causes me pain. I thought the story itself was good, the flashbacks assisting in telling the tale. Most of the characters are strongly presented but Marissa herself I found myself exasperated with as she seemed to make decisions that were not sensible for what was occurring in her life and made her quite unrealistic to me, this is just a personal opinion. I have read other books by Carla Kovach and have thoroughly enjoyed them, this one not so much. Even so I will still read more of her books in the future. Thank you again to Netgalley, the author and publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review