An interesting book that grabbed my attention. I guessed the twist early on but there were a lot if times you had to suspend your belief to keep with it!

Thank you NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. A wonderful portrayal of characters and a thriller to keep you on the edge of your seat.

*Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this arc in exchange for my honest review*

Slow to grab my attention, but once it did, it had me on the edge of my seat. Good book!

Nothing is as it seems in this book. It starts innocently enough with a woman having amnesia, but does she really have it? This sets the premise of a very thrilling read that I couldn't put down.

Well written, addictive and unpredictable. This is a book I have really enjoyed and devoured. i definitely want to read more from this author. Full Review to follow.

One of my favourite things I love reading about in my list of tropes is books set around the world of cults and serial killers, as I do love my crime novels. This one sounded fascinating as it also included a couple of my other favourites including amnesia, death row, and sisters that look like they could be identical twins. This book is set in the late '60s to early '70s but feels like it could be set in modern contemporary times except of course for a few parts of the story that are talked about during those times which we know are historical events like the Vietnam war and certain criminal bills that have been passed by the Supreme court and presidents etc. The book starts with a car crash and our main character known as Reeta Doe waking up in a hospital bed handcuffed to the bed. Turns out she is a serial killer that the FBI has been trying to track down and finally she handed herself on a silver platter. Her latest victim Bonnie was found also in the car, tied up in the boot. The thing is though that Reeta Doe is suffering from amnesia and has no clue who she is or what she is supposed to have done, the only clear thing is she's not the same person that they are accusing her of being. What happens though when Reeta is given the death penalty for the crimes but things aren't quite adding up about her latest victim - the one who got away Bonnie. With a bit of research, Carol Joyce our reporter hopes to track down the truth once and for all. After Everything You Did is a fast-paced novel set-in a past/present novel setting as they talk about Reeta's life before the amnesia starting from a young child to the present time - during and after the trial with amnesia. I did like this book and the ending surprised me but made total sense. I just wished we had got a little bit more closure as, to be honest, we will never really know the "real truth". If you enjoy cult fiction and crime stories, then check out After Everything You Did by Stephanie Sowden. Fans of Chevy Stevens and Colleen Coble's will enjoy this read.

ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this story and wish I could’ve gotten to it sooner, but such is life! The whole concept being told from multiple points of view and with an unreliable narrator to boot, really kept me hooked! I liked all the cult culture discussed and the twists, some of which I never saw coming! The only thing that kept it from being a 5 star read for me, was the fact that it’s supposed to take place in Texas and other parts of the US but all the language is obviously written by someone in the UK. Take away all the added U’s in words and certain things we never say he, and it would’ve been much more believable for me.

My only complaints are that it was too long and the ending was a bit confusing. Other than those things I enjoyed going from past to present and learning about Reeta Doe. Her life was just so sad right from the beginning. I think the story being set in the 60's was a nice touch also.

How I loved this book. I was captivated from the first page and was so invested in the story. The ending was superb and I cant recommend it highly enough.

Thanks to NetGalley for the review copy. This was an ok book. I’m usually fascinated by crazy cults and serial killers so I was really looking forward to this one. However, I felt like it was just missing something.

I had really high hopes for this but it turned into a DNF. I couldn’t stand the characters. The blatant sexism and misogyny isn’t a good look on any character.
As much as I wanted to continue to find out what happened I could t with the characters.

WOW! What an experience. After Everything You Did is an incredible story full of suspense. It delivers emotion and heart and unveils a tremendous talent in Stephanie Sowden. I suggest you go in blind and buckle up for an intense ride.

1966. A young woman wakes up in an unfamiliar hospital bed. Bright lights, nurses — and handcuffs. She is told her name is Reeta Doe, and that she’s been in an accident. That she’s in Florida. That the FBI has been following her since Mississippi. That she has brutally murdered two college girls, maybe more, who look just like her. Reeta can’t remember a thing.
Sowden creates prose so rich with atmosphere that reading is a truly immersive experience. Flashbacks woven expertly into the narrative reveal Reeta’s past secrets. Depictions of a religious cult are especially unsettling and raw, yet you are transfixed by the imagery.
An impressive crime novel that intelligently explores the concept of nature versus nurture, You will be left haunted by Reeta’s story. Like I was.
Perfect for fans of Girl A and The Girls.

wow, what a book! the ending was amazing, genius! no happy ending here! it had everything, a love interest, brutality and shock, i definitely want to read more from Stephanie Sowden!

Clever, Twisty…
Who is Reeta? The trouble is that she doesn’t actually know herself. She’s been given the background. But, is it true? Surely not. Clever, twisty and breathless thriller which maintains a pacy plot throughout. Carefully woven storylines combine with a cast of well crafted characters. Grabbing the reader in from the off to become fully immersed in a tale of nightmare proportions.

3 Stars.

I'm torn on how I feel about this. From the moment I picked it up, I knew what the big twist was. I was engrossed at first and then I felt it got really slow and dragged on.

I loved the story of Carol and Ben and how complicated their love was. I also really enjoyed the setting of the late 1960's.

I think the big twist was rushed and could have been extended and replaced some of the parts that were dragging. It also really, in my opinion, didn't explain Reeta's behaviors towards the college girls. I don't see a brainwashed innocent girl turning into a killer, she wasn't using drugs like Manson's cult was.

A special thank to NetGalley, Canelo, and Stephanie Sowden for providing me with an ARC.

Thrillers can be so much more than just scary. When they're excellent, they can investigate our deepest fears, our societal issues. They can offer us a chance to question ourselves, to figure out where we draw the line. I'm glad to say After Everything You Did delivers on the promise of a good thriller. Thanks to Canelo and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

What happens when you wake up with no memories but everyone knows you've done something horrible. Can you just accept that about yourself? Can you admit to it if you can't remember it? These are just some of the questions After Everything You Did poses and I found myself thinking about them for a long time after the last page. This comes down to the question of evil, whether it is nature or nurture, whether it is something innate or something learned. It also comes down to the justice system. Right now, it is a life sentence, especially in America, as a prison sentence severely limits your chances in life, no matter your crime. While it is clear that violent acts deserve harsh justice, how do we deal with other kinds of crimes? And how do we deal with criminals forced by circumstances? After Everything You Did does not have all the answers, but it gets you thinking.

Reeta wakes up in the hospital, handcuffed to her bed. Even though she can't remember anything, everyone around her is convinced she is a killer, and a brutal one at that. As we get to know Reeta on her journey to know herself, we get flashbacks to their youth and to the killings, all of which comes together for a fascinating climax in which the truth finally comes out. Set in the '60s and '70s, After Everything You Did highlights the various social issues at the time, whether it is feminism, civil rights, Vietnam, or religion. Sowden sketches a vivid portrait of these decades, full of sharp edges but also full of the potential for kindness and family. I quickly found myself fascinated by Reeta, intrigued by her potential history, but this quickly turned into a more genuine interest for what Sowden was doing with her through this story. I'm going to get into mildly spoilery territory now, so skip to the next paragraph or keep going at your own risk. After Everything You Did engages with a topic I've been reading a lot about recently, which is cults. The podcast Trust Me has done an excellent job to contextualise how people are sucked into it, kept in it, and prevented from making independent choices. So how does this relate to crimes committed in the name of cults? How responsible can you be when it is how you've been conditioned? And who are you, after experiencing life that way? These are fascinating questions and I was very intrigued by the way Sowden handled it.

Stephanie Sowden's After Everything You Did is stunning and it is one of those debut novels that is both inspirational and intimidating to those who also want to write. Nothing is out of place in After Everything You Did, every flashback, every callback, it is all thought-out carefully. Sowden approaches her characters with a lot of understanding, which allows readers to really see them for who they are, at their core. This is also a daring plot to take on for a debut, to ask a reader to trust you in getting to know a killer. That Sowden can make us care for Reeta is the real genius of After Everything You Did. Despite all the things we find out(, or perhaps even because of them?), Reeta is the beating heart of this novel. While Sowden has a good twist coming at the end of the novel, it is not the one you begin to expect in the last 15% of the book, and this kind of elevated the novel for me. She didn't take an easy or "scandalous" way out with Reeta's story, which I think is what makes the novel as riveting. I can't wait to read more by Stephanie Sowden in the future.

After Everything You Did is a fascinating novel that is a perfect example of all the good things thrillers can be! Would highly recommend to anyone looking for something fresh and intriguing!

There with 2 major plots in this book and I definitely favored one over the other. While the one plot focused on the present of Reeta Doe and finding out her history, the other focused on her past and the cult. Honestly, I think this book was a little predictable. Pretty quickly into the book I was able to figure out exactly what happened. It didn't necessarily take me away from the book, but I found myself enjoying the other plot line a bit more. The author put a lot of great details in police procedural and I enjoyed the go between with the press. The way the author portrays the characters, you really couldn't help but emphasize with many and it felt like you were rooting for Reeta the entire time.

What a read this was, Stephanie Sowden is one talented writer - and as far as I am aware this is her debut novel.

After Everything You Did follows Reeta, who in the 60s wakes up in the hospital handcuffed to her bed with no memory of her past. She is apparently responsible for the brutal murders of a few college girls, and the presumed murder of another who is missing, that look eerily like her. Shocked of their claims she partners up with a journalist to help find out about her past life.

This book is a rollercoaster of emotions, revelations and twists and turns - I devoured this book in 2 days and honestly really want to re-read it, I cannot wait to see what Stephanie releases next because if it's anything like this, it'll be a best-seller.

After Everything You Did is a complex suspenseful thriller. The story begins with a young woman waking up in the hospital. She realizes she is handcuffed to the bed. As she tries to get her bearings she is told she is "Reeta." As she lays there the name doesn't feel right, she listens to the FBI but nothing seems familiar, no memories of the past, which they don't believe. Although she accepts what they tell her as fact she feels as if they are talking about someone else. While awaiting trial in jail, an inmate gives her a news article written by Carol Joyce. "Reeta" writes a letter to Carol to ask her for her help in trying to figure out who she is, what happened, and most of who is the man in the picture the FBI gave her. Carol believes there is much more the FBI has told her about the case. Carol will become an important person to "Reeta" and vice versa.

The story will include "Reeta" being raised in a religious cult with Brother Jeb, isolation, physical and sexual abuse among others. Unfortunately for "Reeta" this is the only life she has ever known. For her a life of choice or the outside world is unknown to her. I didn't find this inclusion of the cult as troubling as other reviewers. I actually thought it enhanced it.

This book starts in 1966 which made me think that this was based on a true story. The author uses the time period to tell the story which includes in 1972 the death penalty being ruled as cruel and unusual punishment. This is a fascinating story that will make you question and reread parts (especially the last few chapters) to make sure you read what you thought you read. There is a huge twist at the end that I did not see coming. I struggled with the ending and had to sleep on it until I felt I got it right. These are the books I love, the ones that leave you thinking about them well after you have finished.

I liked reading the book with the past interspersed with the present. It helps tell the story of how the characters got to where they ended up. This is a debut book which is very well written and I can easily see it as being a movie in the future.