Thank you very much to Penguin Random House for inviting me to read this title early!

I wanted so badly to like this more than I did! There were so many parts of it that I found interesting and compelling--the view of generational trauma (not only between Annie and her mother but between Annie and her own daughter as well!), the incredibly messy portrayal of OCD that goes so much further than it typically does in media, and the examination of grief and guilt and anger and how difficult it can be to separate them when the lines start to blur.

Unfortunately, I thought that the story was pretty disjointed. Annie was obviously meant to be an unreliable narrator, and she was, but I think there were just way too many threads on the board for me to properly become invested in any of them. A lot of them didn't feel like they came together in a cohesive way and the end felt more over the top cartoon villain than anything else.

At the end of the day I think this would have made an incredibly compelling domestic drama, showcasing two parents who are unraveling for different reasons and the struggles that are born out of that. I think the thriller aspect kind of muddied the parts of the book that were the best!

I believe this is a debut, so I definitely wouldn't write off this author entirely! I see a ton of room to grow and I would absolutely pick up a future release.

You know what you did K.T Nguyen⁣
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Solid ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ ⁣
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In the beginning it felt like a slow read to me just a tad. But as I got more into the book I couldn’t stop reading. So many details! If you like psychological thrillers don’t miss this debut from K.T. Nguyen. ⁣
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Annie’s perfect life on the outside is not so perfect inside, after her Mom passed her OCD is triggered again. This book takes you for a ride! You don’t know what is really happening and what is being imagined! ⁣
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Until Annie is at the center of a murder investigation. ⁣
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This story spirals quickly at about 3/4 of the way through all the way to the end! Heart pounding and page turning this was one I didn’t see coming! ⁣
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I will be reading future books from this author! ⁣
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Thank you NetGalley and K.T. Nguyen for the advanced copy!

What did Annie do? If the police are correct, more things than she can remember. This debut explores the trauma of exposure to war, the mother-daughter bond, the purpose of therapy, infidelity, and loss. Annie's once picture perfect life is disintegrating before her eyes. Her mother dies. Then there is more death. Is she responsible? Or is she being framed. You will want to keep reading to find out what is really happening. I did not guess correctly! Surprise! The narrative is told in multiple time lines including one entitled "Hotel." That is the one that kept me on my toes the most.

Thank you to Penguin and NetGalley for a DRC in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 stars. Compelling in its exploration of mental health and generational trauma but average in its prose and ending, <i>You Know What You Did</i> was an overall solid debut from a promising author.

The main character Annie Shaw the daughter of a Vietnamese immigrant, a refugee from the Vietnam War. Annie had a great life until her mother moved in. One morning, she finds her mother deceased Annie's life and mental state begins to suffer.

I was immediately drawn into the story. I enjoyed the entire book and especially the ending. I thought that I was ready for it, but it took me by surprise. If you are a thriller/suspense reader I recommend this book to you. I cannot wait to see what K.T. Nguyen comes up with next.

My thanks to Penguin Group Dutton, The Author, K.T. Nguyen as well as NetGalley, for the opportunity to read an early copy of You Know What You Did.

Annie “Anh Le” Shaw is living a much different life now as a married woman and mother than she lived growing up. When her mother, a Vietnam War refugee, suddenly dies, Annie's begins to struggle. Diagnosed with obsessive-compulsive disorder, she begins to have symptoms and soon, more in her life begin to die. Is her brain making the deaths happen? Is something else going on? When her patron dies, the investigation begins to eye Annie. When she wakes up next to a lifeless, she has no idea what happened, only that her daughter needs her.

SLOW BURN ALRET! I do not do well with slow burns. Having said that, I did enjoy this book despite my struggles with the slowness. This book does have many twists and turns toward the end. I did not see that reveal coming at all! Total shocker for me! This book touches on many things: culture, the relationships between mothers and daughters, mental illness, deception, the refugee experience, secrets, and marriage.

I did enjoy the eerie vibe and tension in this book. I also enjoyed the portrayal of the various relationships in the book. I just wished it had a slightly faster pace.

You Know What You Did
by K. T. Nguyen
Pub Date: 16 Apr 2024

You Know What You Did is a very suspenseful story with a lot of mystery and thrills. The first part of the book was a little slow but it did pick up afterwards and got very intense. Topics covered were immigrant experience, mental health, intergeneration trauma as well as the bonds between mother and daughter. A very emotional mystery/thriller.

Synopsis: With dizzying twists, You Know What You Did is both a harrowing thriller and a heartfelt exploration of the refugee experience, the legacies we leave for our children, and the unbreakable bonds between mothers and daughters.

Many thanks to #NetGalley #YouKnowWhatYouDid & #PenquinGroup for providing me with an E-ARC of this book.

This one has a prologue that will have you wanting to know the full story immediately. It was definitely an attention grabber. Our MC Annie struggled with some heavy topics such as OCD, the death of a parent, a teenage daughter being a teenage daughter, and a husband that was not supportive enough for her struggles. This twisted story was pretty dense and packed in a lot to give you the full understanding of our main character Annie, and her upbringing with her mother and how it has affected her in the past and her today. Towards the end, when all the points came together, I was validated in my suspicions throughout the book. I guessed pretty early who our villain was and I liked how the book ended.

I mostly listened and at times tandem read with the ebook. The narrator was very good and I enjoyed listening to her. I think that the audiobook gave me the feel and atmosphere of the mystery/thriller which was a win for me; however, it was a slow burn! I will say I did have to slow it down while listening to make sure that I didn’t miss any key points because it had a lot of information and things going on to give the full picture as we follow Annie’s story.

This is a debut novel, and I would be interested in reading this author’s future psychological thriller works!

Annie is an artist in a perfect house with a perfect family. Until recently, her mother lived on the property, hidden away in the carriage house with a severe case of hoarding. She seems to become untethered after her mother dies, and Annie's compulsions seem to take over her life.

In "You Know What You Did", the walls around Annie creep closer and closer. She is trapped in a living nightmare, weird things happening around her, making her question her sanity. As readers, we're asking the same questions. The eeriness of Annie's life and the horror of her rituals propel this novel. We're turning the pages wondering what/who is behind the deranged madness of Annie's days. It is really creepy.

We do some jumping back in time, to the early days of Annie's relationship with Pulitzer Prize winning journalist husband Duncan. To Annie's mother's fraught escape from Vietnam in the 70s and her struggles as a single mom to get by, a new immigrant to the U.S. We see Annie's fraught relationship with her own teenaged daughter Tabby.

That might seem like a lot to fit into a novel, but Nguyen skillfully weaves it all in. The pieces all fit, the emotions are real as we're propelled to a twisty and exciting conclusion. This is so well done it's hard to believe this is Nguyen's debut novel.

My thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Group Dutton for the ARC. "You Know What You Did" will be released on April 16, 2024.

You Know What You Did features three generations of Vietnamese/Vietnamese-American women. When the story opens, Artist Annie Shaw's elderly mother has died. There seems to be a question about what caused the death and just what kind of mother she was. Join Annie as she transcends into darkness (and her OCD) while she searches for answers about herself, her mother and her life.

*Special thanks to NetGalley and Dutton for this e-arc.

Overall, I give this book 4 stars. The beginning was very slow, and I felt like it repeated a lot of the same things. The slow burn aspect of it was nice though, and I truly didn't see the ending or the twists in this story coming. With so many different people being introduced and involved - you never knew who to point the finger at! For her debut novel, K.T. wrote a twisty, page turner one - definitely stick with it in the beginning - it ends up being worth it!

Up until about the 50% mark, the book just repeated the same material. There was just so much repetition. I was bored. I'm not a fan of slow burns. It's always a gamble for me on whether or not a slow burn will be worth it in the end. Sometimes it is, sometimes it's not. In this case, this book is worth it to get to the end! The twists at the end just kept coming! The slow build-up was worth it as the plot started to thicken and the characters began to reveal their true intentions. The unexpected twists and turns in the final chapters kept me on the edge of my seat, completely changing my perspective on the story. It just goes to show that sometimes patience truly pays off when it comes to reading a book. I recommended this book, but do need to note the slow start.

Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin Group Dutton for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I thought this book was very interesting. New author to me. I enjoyed this book very much. I thought at first it was a thriller but I changed my mind after 1/2 way thru.
The story has alot of jumping around at the beginning but it seems that it all even out at the end. This woman Anna had a very rough life when she was young. Her mother was single. I'm really did think this book was interesting because Anna was from a different country and their rules and lives are quite different than being born in the United States.

This was a slow burn thriller bordering on horror that didn’t lack in intensity despite its sedate pacing. It was the type of read that made me uneasy the whole time and part of that was being inside Annie’s mind the whole time was unsettling. I mean that as a compliment though, the authors ability to make me uncomfortable and unsteady is a gift, this was just a lot at times. Annie isolates herself when she struggles with her mental health and it gave the whole thing a claustrophobic feel to it. With slow mounting suspense and dread it managed to keep it attention easily, but it is a heavy read with plenty of depth and substance. If you like character driven psychological suspense that you can really sink your teeth into this was good!

Happy Friday everyone! Hope you all are doing great and have fun things planned for the weekend 😊

First thing I need to say is thank you to @Dutton and @NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book. It intrigued me, and I needed to have it in my life.

However, You Know What You Did is a tad bit triggering for me. When it comes to hoarding, I can handle it - to a degree. BUT when you throw OCD and Mental Health issues in on top of everything else, it becomes very triggering for me, especially when you know people who do deal with OCD and take medication for that and their mental health issues. I see the struggles they deal with. And to put it in a book and make it seem like the MC goes crazy and can't remember if they take their meds or what not is not something I can personally jive with. And that’s okay. Not every book works out the way we hope it does to where it can be enjoyable to read. This one just didn't work out for me the way I had hoped. But I'm forever grateful for the opportunity to read it. And I hope if you do read this review as to why I decided not to continue on reading that you still give this book a chance as it may work out for you 😊.

I do love this cover though. And that’s what captivated my interest to begin with.

I am giving 2 stars for the cover

Annie “Anh Le” Shaw grew up poor, as the first generation daughter of a Vietnamese refugee. Annie seems to have it all now: a dream job, a beautiful home and picturesque family. When her mother suddenly dies, Annie’s perfect life comes crashing down around her. The Obsessive Compulsive Disorder she thought she had left in the past creeps back up on her, with its disgust-driven fixations seemingly coming true. Annie is losing grip on reality, and when it seems like things can’t get any worse, she wakes up in a hotel room with a dead man. And Annie can’t remember if she played a role in it or not. Her mind is fractured and she doesn’t know what to believe but she knows she will do anything to protect her daughter, even if it means losing herself.

This was a unique story! I think it was the first I have read where the main character suffered from OCD, especially with a disgust-driven, contamination-base. In KT Nguyen’s own words, “the imagery is vivid and raw and very necessary to realistically portray how this chronic disorder can affect people’s everyday lives”. I thought the author did a very respectful job in her portrayal of Annie and how her disorder crept into every aspect of life. When her mother passed away, despite their at times tumultuous relationship, Annie was sent into a tailspin. Trying to decipher reality from what she was seeing in her in her mind was a difficult task, but I enjoyed trying to figure it out! The ending was one I did not see coming (even though I probably should have! Lol) I love Annie’s relationship with her own daughter, even though it was also difficult at times (not unlike Annie’s with her own mother), they still looked out for each other and came together. The only thing I would have liked more of is Annie’s mother’s story. There was a small section devoted to her journey to the United States that really set the background for why she was the way she was. Otherwise, this was a highly immersive, intriguing thriller. I look forward to seeing what this author comes up with next!

Thank you to Netgalley, Dutton and KT Nguyen for the ARC! “You Know What You Did” releases April 16, 2024! This review will be shared to my instagram blog @(books_by_the_bottle) shortly :)

A debut novel that delivers just the right amount of tension in its examination of intergenerational trauma as experienced by a daughter of a Vietnamese immigrant/refugee who suffers from OCD. She is an untrustworthy narrator but not intentionally so. Instead she self-deludes and misperceives while struggling to discern reality and keep her difficulties under wraps in a desperate bid to feel like she belongs in a milieu where she fears being ever the stranger. Constantly fearful of causing other people’s deaths unintentionally, she is forced to confront this fear head on to protect her teenage daughter from whom she is emotionally estranged from far greater dangers than her child may comprehend. A tour de force.

This book was okay. It started off slow I thought it would be hard to get into and keep reading. But the middle of the book it started getting really good. Towards the end it was a shocking ending and it ended up being okay. I didn’t like that Throughout the book lots of going over the same stuff. I’ll give it a three because I ended up liking the story and its shocking end. But I didn’t like the going over the same issues so much so many times. And that it took a while towards middle and end to be good.

Well YOU KNOW WHAT YOU DID by K.T. Nguyen is a suspense thriller not like I have read before. It brings together so many different things I do not see in others as much like OCD (I mean other thrillers have mental health issues that typically impact the reliability of a narrator but I am not used to OCD in them), the entire immigrant experience from multiple generations, and a twisted slow-burn that definitely pays off (whereas most thrillers I read tend to be a little more fast-paced). The first 35-45% of this is pretty slow, but informative, suspenseful, and still engaging/addicting. But THEN the action and twists and turns start flying all over the place! Nguyen does a great job at upping the pace in tandem with our MCs OCD escalation, kind of on par with the temperature of the shower our MC takes slowly getting hotter and hotter with each act of bathing. It was a great parallel!

And I have mentioned genres like mystery, suspense, thriller.... but we definitely get some HORROR up in here! So I really think this book can speak to a lot of different genre enthusiasts.

But I am definitely knocking off points for Cody Rigsby and the #BooCrew shoutout because I can't think of anyone more annoying on Peloton. That's the tea!

This needs to be your next thriller book pick!! You will never believe this is Nguyen’s debut novel.

We are following the main character, Annie Shaw, her devoted husband Duncan and their daughter Tabitha. They live a beautiful home together and are happy. When Annie’s Mother, a Vietnam War refugee, comes to stay with them in their guest house, Annie sees and watches her mother displaying some rather disturbing behaviors. She is beginning to become upset with her mother when she is criticizing Tabby about what she is wearing and her makeup choices. When Annie goes to check on her elderly mother one foggy morning, she finds her deceased. Annie's life and mental state begins to suffer. Annie suffers from obsessive compulsive disorder and has carefully curated her life from the horrors of her upbringing and generational trauma. Annie begins to see the world around her crumble and she doesn't quite know how to navigate this new reality.

Annie is reeling from her daughter not wanting to spend time with her anymore, and her husband pushing for her to get the help she needs. She begins to start losing pieces of her memory, due to her excessive drinking and finds herself in the middle of a murder investigation. Did she do this? But worse, is her mother's ghost haunting her?

In my opinion this was a terrific book. The author has a beautiful way of making you feel immersed in the book. I enjoyed the entire book and especially the ending. I thought that I was ready for it, but it still took me by surprise. I would diffidently recommend this one to all of the thriller/suspense readers. I can’t wait to see what K.T. Nguyen come up with next.

My thanks to Penguin Group Dutton, The Author, K.T. Nguyen as well as NetGalley, for the opportunity to read and review an early copy of You Know What You Did.