I cannot believe that this is a debut!

Holy smokes, I'm going to keep my eye on you Stephanie Sowden!

This book features an intriguing and unique storyline, some very well-written characters, masterful plotting and a surprising and satisfying ending.

I can't ask for more in a thriller.

Thank you to the publisher for gifting me a copy. It's my absolute pleasure to write an honest review.

As an avid reader of mystery/thrillers it's hard to find a book with a plot twist that I can't predict, but 'After Everything You Did' had a true surprise ending.

The story begins with Reeta Doe, a young woman who has just woken up in a hospital, handcuffed to her bed. She's told that she's committed a horrible crime, but she genuinely has no memory of anything at all - for all intents and purposes she's simply dropped onto the face of the earth at that moment. And so the story continues, with frustrated attempts at piecing together the puzzle of Reeta's identity, interspersed with snippets of the past.

While the twist was enjoyable, I did find my attention wavering more than once. In my opinion, there were too many plot twists, too many time jumps, and too much focus on building up the backstory of side characters.

However, my main criticism of this novel is that aside from the chapter subtitles sharing the date (1966), there is really no other sense of place in the narrative. In fact, the story could just as easily have taken place in modern-day America, as there were no chronological signifiers until well into the middle of the first half.

Additionally, I felt that the dialogue took some time to warm up and feel natural. At times it felt as though the characters were being given dialogue straight from a detective TV show rather than reality.

That being said, this is still a solid mystery/thriller novel with a twist I genuinely did not see coming. The closest comparison would be Abigail Dean's "Girl A", though "After Everything You Did" definitely has a unique plot.

3.5/5 Stars. I enjoyed After Everything You Did by Stephanie Sowden. It had an interesting plot and the characters were well written. Thank you netgalley and publisher for the early copy!

Wow! I cannot believe this is a debut novel. I was hooked from the first chapter.

Two girls are found in a car crash both injured. Reeta wakes up to handcuffs and investigators from the FBI telling her that they have been trailing her for a while. She is told that she is responsible for the murder of two young college girls while two others are still missing. However, Reeta wakes up with no memory of her past. We follow the story of Reeta as those around her try to help her uncover her past at Pine Ranch and try to explain how she was capable of such brutal actions.

Again, wow, this book was great. I thought I had the twist guessed, but was pleasantly surprised that there was an even bigger one in the mix. I do think the ending could have been slowed down a bit, otherwise, it was a wonderful read. The writing in the book made you fall in love with the characters. I cannot wait to read Stephanie Sowden's future work.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

After Everything You Did - Stephanie Sowden

1966, Reeta wakes up in hospital with no memory of her identity, her past or the multiple murders she is about to be accused of.

She knows nobody except for Carol, an investigative journalist determined to uncover the truth. The strands of the novel reveal the snippets that Carol's research can uncover and fragments from Reeta's life.

It's a very interesting premise, and I had high hopes. I like the idea of an amnesiac character, but the book didn't really work for me as a crime thriller. I felt like it was more like a scrapbook of character snippets and events.

I found it fairly slow and lacking tension or momentum, but it kept me interested enough to carry on reading. There are revelations, eventually, although these are all condensed into a small chunk of the novel.

An interesting premise, some fresh character elements but it didn't really live up to its potential for me.


Thanks to Netgalley and Canelo

Great book!

The hook is immediate. A young woman wakes up in the hospital surrounded by FBI agents with no memory of who she is and why she is there. But she is hurt badly and she is informed that her name is Reeta Doe and she is responsible for brutally murdering four young women and was involved in a car crash while running with another in her trunk.

And so begins a great emotional journey. This is not a James Patterson beach read that you read while on vacation, drinking margaritas. There is meat and depth to this one. It's a period piece which begins in 1966 and you can smell the cigarette smoke, and be angered by the racism and antiquated procedural work by law enforcement during this time period.

Reeta is a kind hearted soul and she seeks the help of a newspaper reporter named Carol who she wins over as they try and make sense of the charges. There are of course many twists and turns for both Carol and Reeta.

A great debut book for Stephanie Sowden and you can't help to root for Reeta Doe. It's not a perfect book because as mentioned above there is a ton of meat to this one. Which makes this a longer read. There is a religious cult in the book (not a spoiler) which takes up a ton of real estate. I didn't skip over any parts but definitely think that part in the book could have been reduced a tad.

Definitely recommended overall.

Manually posted to Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4456656206

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

When Reeta Doe wakes up in hospital, she has no memory of who she is or where she's from. So when she realises she is handcuffed to the bed, and an FBI agent tells her she is a serial killer, she is blindsided.

When Reeta insists she can't remember anything about her past, one of the FBI agents on the case speaks to his old flame, a journalist named Carol, to enlist her help in digging up what information she can find. Carol quickly becomes invested in Reeta's case and is increasingly convinced that the sweet, kind, caring girl she has come to know can't be responsible for the brutal killings she's accused of.

But if Reeta isn't responsible, who is? Or is Reeta more devious than anyone suspected?

I loved the premise of this one, and was quickly sucked in to the plot. I loved that the whole way through you are in two minds about whether Reeta really committed the crimes she is accused of - you can't help but root for her while also being wary that she may well be pulling the wool over your eyes...

Loved the twists and turns and really clicked with this author's engaging writing style. I loved the way we gradually come to know Reeta through her backstory, and the contrast between past and present Reeta is brilliantly done. The only thing I wasn't a fan of was the ending - the run up was great, and the last revelation clever, but then the final act just left me feeling cold and spent. I wanted more for Reeta.

This was the first book I had read by this author but it won't be the last. A really promising new voice in fiction, and am excited to see what this author does next.

Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher, who granted me a free ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

After Everything You Did is a debut crime thriller book by Stephanie Sowden. In this fast-paced and immersive read, a sense of identity is a strong theme inherent to every memorable character. There are multiple timelines and points of view at play, which is depicted exceptionally well. The level of detail is terrific, for it delivers the critical aspects of a crime thriller (case numbers, extracts from a published article) which adds to its overall uniqueness. The elements of the past are undoubtedly harrowing and dark so brace yourself when you time travel. Stephanie has done an incredible job in delivering not only a complex plot and well-rounded characters but presenting such an unexpected ending that it will be a strong after-effect that lingers long after you have finished the book. A 5 star read! I cannot wait to read more from this author.

A thank you to NetGalley and Canelo for giving me an advanced review copy. This honest review is left voluntarily.

Reeta Doe wakes up in the hospital handcuffed to the bed with no memory of who she is or what has happened. The FBI tell her she’s been in a car accident and she has brutally murdered two college girls. Two more are still considered missing, one survived.

Reeta has no idea what they are talking about and cannot answer their numerous questions. Her only saving grace is a journalist named Carol who becomes heavily invested in Reeta’s story. She is determined to get to the bottom of what happened and figure out who Reeta really is.

This book totally surprised me. I was hooked from the beginning but I didn’t expect to get so emotionally invested in the story. I really enjoyed the rollercoaster ride. The plot twist was crazy. I can’t wait to see what this author comes out with next!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this arc.

I had an idea of where this was going, then the book took that idea and was like, but what if we twist it again? I've read enough mystery/thrillers that I can usually ferret out the whodunits, so I always appreciate when a book is unpredictable/manages to surprise me.

This was a gripping story that I finished in a few hours. It centers on Reeta, who wakes up in a hospital room with no idea of who she is or how she got there. She’s told that she has been killing young girls and the FBI had been tracking her. Desperate for help, she reaches to a journalist named Carol and the rest of the story takes the reader through Reeta’s current and past circumstances, all of which provide great characterization and create evoke feelings of both sympathy and doubt.

The story takes place in the late 1960s, which is important to know because police work was obviously less sophisticated then. It was fascinating to read about how things were done during that time. The chapters alternate between the POVs of Reeta, Carol, and FBI agent Ben, and all were sympathetic and well-drawn characters. The flashbacks to Reeta’s childhood in a religious cult was interesting to me, even though I normally am uninterested in that type of storyline. I had a lot of ideas of twists that could be coming and was mostly surprised by the actual twists that occurred. The ending contained a big surprise that I imagine I’ll be thinking about long after today.

Overall, this is an extremely well written story that was both fast paced and sad, while very compelling. I was shocked this was a debut novel and am really excited to see what else this author comes up with. Thanks to Netgalley for providing me this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

An absolutely riveting tale that had me gripped from the get go.

#NoSpoilers but this is a dark story that takes no prisoners and cuts no corners in wrenching every emotion out of you.

The tension never lets up and just when you think you’ve got it all worked out the author proves you wrong and builds to an incredible ending.

An accomplished debut. I’m looking forward to reading more from the author.

Highly recommend.

Reeta wakes up in hospital after a car crash with no memory of who she is, no clue where she came from or why she was in that car, to find the FBI at her bedside arresting her for multiple brutal murders. I mean, I was sucked in straight away! This novel is such a page turner - I needed answers!

I loved Sowden's storytelling, unpicking Reeta's past and blending it with the trial where she faces the death penalty. I truly don't want to give any spoilers, but let's just say that this is a fascinating story with twists and turns that will keep you hooked. A debut novel? Incredible. I can't wait to read more of Sowden's work.

After Everything You Did is a gripping, emotional, powerful thriller. It is a book that I will continue to think about long after having finished it. The characters are extremely well-developed and the story, while upsetting, is also filled with a kind-of hope. Reeta wakes up in the hospital with no memory of her life before that day. She is then faced with the challenge of trying to remember her past, in which she allegedly murdered multiple girls. The story alternates between Reeta, Carol (a journalist), and Ben (an FBI agent) in the present and Reeta as she grew up. While not necessarily full of twists/reveals, the reader is still captivated by the story as they try to put together the puzzle of Reeta's life and answer the question "what could make a young girl go on a killing spree?" This is one of the few books in which I do not think there could be a satisfying ending - it's a reminder that some stories simply do not have that sort of closure. I definitely would recommend After Everything You Did for not only those looking for a good thriller/mystery but also those looking for a heart-wrenching, powerful piece of literature.

A very powerful story line abouta young girl who is suffering from a total memory loss, or is she..despite questioning by doctors and FBI agents she cannot recall any details of the murders she has committed and location of 2 missing bodies.as the story evolves a religious cult becomes part of the story.A very surprising end leaves the reader shocked.
.

This was such a good read, it had me gripped right from the beginning and kept me compelled to read it the whole way through, I read it in one sitting. It was tense, fast and suspenseful and full of unpredictability and twists. I loved it.

I received an advanced reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review

I loved this one. Very fast paced, had me turning pages as I tore through it – I had to see how it would end. The characters were well rounded and the narrative felt believable. Gave me chills. Solid five

What an intense wild ride this thriller was. Imagine waking up in a hospital bed not remembering anything and being told your a murderer. Her only hope to figure out what really happened is to rely on a journalist who can help her piece things together. I love storylines based on memory loss and this was a standout debut novel.

This book was dragging me right in,with its serial killer with no alleged memory of who they were,or if they had committed the crimes.
Were they faking? Would we ever find out why?

Several more things come to light as we go back to Reeta's past that had me flipping pages so quickly,that my poor brain could only just keep up.
A one sitting read for me,that continued to throw surprises right up to the end.


Quite the ride

The perfect thriller. This book has an incredible story and the perfectly drawn main character makes it even better. I would highly recommend it, I really enjoyed the pacing and the ending.