This book was amazing, to put it simply. The writing style, the creative twists, I loved every word of this one and will be recommending it to my friends!

Dealing with mental health issues is no fun. But what happens when your mental health is playing games with your reality? Did you do what they say you did? Why don't you remember it? That is what Annie is dealing with in this book. I could relate to her and was kept guessing until the end of the book.

I had high hopes for this book, based on the book’s description. Unfortunately, I only got about a third of the way through it before I lost interest. It felt like the main character was going round and round in circles but had no storyline. The character had potential for depth but fell flat. It was dry and mundane.

I sadly ended up DNFing this book at 20% through. This story was just incredibly difficult to get through, and I found myself really pushing myself to pick it up and read it. The writing is where, personally, this book dropped me as the voice of the main character felt very juvenile and there was no balance whatsoever of telling and showing. It felt like I was being spoon-fed a story, and wasn't being left to make connections and assertions of my own as a reader. The characterization of the teenage daughter was truly abysmal and surface-level, I really assumed we left the trope of the bratty, spoiled 15 year old who has no personality outside of hating the world and her parents in the early 2000's. It was incredibly jarring to see such a bland character trope play such a large role in the story, and I just could not take that character seriously. The marriage troubles within this story also were rather frustrating to read, and I just wanted these grown adults to communicate. On top of that, I think that chapter headings would have fixed SO much of the structural issues of jumping back and forth and forward in time. There are mainly three points in time that where the plot is taking place and there is absolutely no real distinction between them. It could be such a powerful and intriguing concept jumping around time like this but it's executed and edited so poorly that you're constantly being taken out of the story because you're trying to figure out what is happening, and not in an intentional way that other thrillers attempt to do. It appears messy, and I really wish an editor took to that aspect of the book because this ends up reading as a very early first draft. In the end, I found the characters frustrating and one dimensional, and the aspects I did find captivating such as the exploration of motherhood, the refugee experience, and mental health not playing as central a role as I would have liked. If I had perhaps grown to care about the characters and enjoyed the writing, I would have definitely found these themes worth reading on to explore, but because the foundation was so lacking I could not continue with the story,

This book is an excellent portrayl of what it must feel like to be living inside someone's head who is trying to deal with mental instability. The story had me intrigued from the first page and the pace of the book never slowed. I enjoyed the thrilling aspect of who done it while figuring things out at the same time as the main character. If you enjoy complex thrillers that make you think you will enjoy this one.

This thriller is so much more than just a fast-paced page turner. K.T. Nguyen’s book explores the refugee experience, as well as generational relationships. It made me consider how deeply ingrained our past is in our present. Who we are and who we care about is often directly tied to our parents.

As one terrible tragedy after another happens around her, Annie is conflicted about who to trust. She even questions herself and begins to second guess what she sees. Her OCD flares up again, and she struggles to manage that while also trying to unravel the mysteries that surround her.

Annie is intent on protecting her daughter with her whole self. But how can one protect from what one doesn’t see coming?

This slow-building thriller follows Annie, a Vietnamese-American, who is grieving the death of her mother and trying to connect with her angsty teenage daughter. She is also dealing with some intergenerational trauma which causes some tension in her marriage.

This novel is very visual on some forms of OCD, especially hoarding. There are also some very descriptive scenes involving animals (iykyk). I found it a little hard to connect with any of the characters and didn’t feel the want to pick this up as much as I would have liked. However, there are twists throughout the story that keep you wanting to see how it ends. I did not guess the ending! 3 stars.

Artist Annie Shaw seems to have it a dream career, devoted husband and whip-smart teenage daughter, even a lavishly restored Virginia home complete with a cottage for her elderly mother, a Vietnam War refugee.

A really well-done mystery with a gothic tinge. I really enjoyed it!

The book is about how the actions of our parents haunt us. Annie grew up with her mother constantly telling her something bad would happen. This caused her to live her life imagining the worst.

At times this is a hard book to read. Annie keeps making mistake after mistake. And the way she interacts with Tabby makes your heart hurt because you know she doesn’t mean it.

Like most thrillers, this story has many twists and turns that make you question what is going on. Is Annie telling the truth or is she another unreliable narrator in a thriller?

I enjoyed this book but it was not always easy to read because there is a lot of trauma going on. I am a big fan of mother/daughter relationships and all of the ones in this book are strained. The synopsis mentions three generations of Vietnamese women coming to terms with their past and while three generations are in this book I don’t think that’s the focus. I think maybe the book would’ve been more interesting if you have POV chapters for Me and Tabby.

Thank you to NetGalley, K.T. Nguyen and Penguin Book Dutton for the opportunity to read You Know What You Did. I have written this review voluntarily.

I was so creeped out and I loved it! The first generation immigrant mother-daughter relationship (with toxicity way turned up) was interesting to explore. The OCD manifesting in disgust made it extra creepy for me,

This was a very dramatic and thrilling read. I went in not knowing what to expect, but it was such a wonderful ride! I found the writing style to be very interesting. The three generations of women perspective of the book was a great twist and added a new level of interest for me!

Synopsis:

Annie Shaw seems to have it all: a blooming painting career, a devoted husband, a clever teenage daughter, and a dream house. However, when her mom, Me, unexpectedly dies, she finds herself trying to hold together a carefully curated life as it unravels. Annie has spent her entire adult life trying to build a new life away from the poverty and isolation of her childhood with her Vietnam War refugee mom. As she attempts to keep her life and her daughter's life idyllic, her obsessive-compulsive disorder comes roaring back. After years of successfully keeping it at bay, Annie's OCD begins to overtake her life as her fixations seem to come alive. When her art benefactor goes missing, Annie is considered the prime suspect. As she works to clear her name, she pushes everyone further away until she wakes up in a hotel room, naked, beside a man's lifeless body. The police have more questions, but Annie's fractured mind makes it impossible to uncover the truth. Annie is willing to do anything to protect and shelter her daughter, even if it means losing herself in the process.


Review:

Let's begin with what I enjoyed.

Nguyen's novel is a fast-paced and compulsively readable thriller. As a reader, you are invested in the plot and the characters and want to figure out what is actually happening. Her writing style is easy to read and enjoyable. Perhaps the most interesting part of the novel is reading about Annie's relationship with her mom. We get the present-day chapters as we watch Annie try to cope with her mother's death and the mounting pressure from the police. We also get chapters from Grace Falls, Ohio in 1984. In the past chapters, we gain an understanding of Annie's childhood and Me's struggle with OCD. These chapters add another dimension to both Annie and her mother. Giving the readers insight into her mother's background explains a lot about Annie and her problems.

One of the most compelling parts of the novel is certainly the commentary about intergenerational trauma and what we inherit from our parents. Me's life in a war-torn Vietnam and her escape as a refugee left her feeling powerless and without control for much of her life. To compensate for the lack of control she feels, she becomes a hoarder and tries to control every part of Annie's life. Reasonably, Me wants to have some power and say in what happens in her life, and while she may have gone about it in an unhealthy way, we are unable to judge her trauma response. Me's OCD impacts Annie's life and creates similar responses in her adult life. Where Me attempts to control her life and those around her, Annie's compulsions revolve around cleanliness and routine. Annie's OCD swallows up any form of logic and reason and leaves her flailing in the void. She cannot function in places where she feels that she may be contaminated in some way. Her compulsions exhibit themselves by carefully being in public and removing all of her clothes prior to moving throughout the house so she can avoid further contamination. Annie's compulsions seem to be the exact opposite of Me's, which I find intriguing. Me's life as a refugee has long-term implications, which were passed down to Annie. As Annie tries to control her environment, she indirectly impacts her own daughter. On her website, she mentions how trauma can seep across generations and borders, and that is exactly what she reflected in her debut novel.

Lastly, the OCD representation was enjoyable and important. There are many misconceptions about OCD, and I admit, I was not entirely sure of the intricacies of OCD. When many people think of OCD, they think of being clean and tidy, but that is not always the case. People with OCD often have fears and anxieties that are kept in check by compulsions. Readers get to see two versions of OCD: hoarding and contamination. I thought this was an interesting choice as it provided different insights into OCD and how it can present itself. Overall, the OCD representation was handled with care and felt personal. I'm not sure what Nguyen's relationship is, but clearly, she holds space for people with these compulsions.


Now, onto what I didn't enjoy.

While the book is well-written, there are some areas of the plot that are convoluted and confusing. We have various times and settings used throughout the novel: present-day, the Hotel, Grace Falls in 1984, Hong Kong in 2002, and Vietnam in 1978. While all of these are cleared up and connected at the end of the novel, it can be rather jarring to read at times, and maybe that was the intention - to leave the reader feeling as confused as Annie. However, it did not work for me. It felt like I was hopping around without much clarity as to why.

I also did not love the connection of all the events. It felt kind of lame and unexpected. Obviously, it was meant to be unexpected, but it felt so out of left field that it didn't make much logical sense with the rest of the plot. Again, maybe that was the author's intention, to create confusion for our main character, but it felt so random.


Overall, I enjoyed the novel and think that it is a solid debut thriller. I will be keeping an eye on Nguyen and her upcoming publications. I rate this book a 3.5 out of 5 stars. I had a good time reading it and felt like the commentary was timely and eye-opening, but I could have done with a more concise plot.

A massive thanks to Penguin Group Dutton for an ARC copy of this incredible book.

This is an absolute must read from me, I read the entire thing in one sitting!

An incredibly thoughtful, so well written look at intergenerational trauma. I was so captivated by both the story and the writing style I couldn’t put it down.

Such an amazing debut from K.T Nguyen, a must watch author for me moving forward!

So this book had me feeling all sorts of anxiety! It kept me guessing until the end!!

I just reviewed You Know What You Did by K. T. Nguyen. #YouKnowWhatYouDid #NetGalley

While I enjoyed this book to varying degrees, I am having a terrible time with the process of revisiting and gathering my thoughts for a review. The themes of Intergenerational trauma and mental illness in this one may hit a little too close to home for some readers. It did for me. Annie appears to living a beautiful life--one worthy of being featured as a magazine spread, as evidenced by the journalist who is visiting to get some accompanying photos the piece. A gorgeous home, a handsome, doting husband, and an art practice that while not yet a flourishing career, may be poised to take off. However, Annie's mother just died and theirs was a terribly complicated relationship. Things begin to unravel for Annie soon after her mother's death; neuroses, once under control, are resurfacing to a debilitating degree, and what's even more terrifying is that people around Annie are starting to die. I found Annie difficult to empathize with. Grief can cloud your thinking, and compounded with mental illness it's a combination not conducive to making great decisions, but I more and more began to find Annie's choices mind-bogglingly frustrating to the extent that the story became physically painful to read. Of course, I am coming into this book with my own experiences and I know that's not entirely fair. to the story,

As a Vietnamese - American, I am always always excited to see Vietnamese/VA authors expanding into different genres. I very much enjoyed this book, as I love thriller/mystery and it wasn't a typical whodunnit. I look forward to reading many more books by this author!

I was fortunate enough to be giving this arc from netgalley and it did not disappoint. What a ride it was diving through this thriller. It involves 3 generations of a Vietnamese family but largely focuses on Annie. Annie who deals with. Mental health struggles trauma and grief among other things. This was a beautifully written book that I really enjoyed.

What I “love”most about reading is when I “take something away” from the book like when I learn something, so thank you @ktnguyen_author for teaching me something and when something in the book touches my heart so thank you @ktnguyen_author for sharing with us “real life” in a fiction world.

5 Stars! I thought it was a great read! Twisty…Mental…Psychological…yet exposed us to TRUTH and how we are ALL influenced by our upbringing and childhood as well as our current surroundings.

Just when you think you have it all going for you, family, job, beautiful home, “life” happens, tragedy strikes Artist Annie Shaw. She loses her mother, which sends her spiraling down a hole stricken with OCD, it’s back!
Her husband, Duncan, most patient man in the world and her amazingly smart and independent daughter Tabby, see it coming. Things swirl in Annie’s mind, are they real?
Annie was raised by a mother, a Vietnam refugee, who struggled with her own enemies given her situation, having to save her children from war, poverty and a world fighting for power. Annie was horribly affected by her mothers mental state, abused mentally, probably.
One of Annie’s art guarantor’s goes missing. Annie is questioned as to the last time she saw her and was with her. She questions herself as they dig deeper and put pieces together between other horrific events.
Annie is determined to not let any of what’s happening affect HER daughter like she had been affected.

What I appreciated was the full circle moment @ktnguyen_author brought to “You Know What You Did”…
We learn from what we see and what we experience in life. Annie knows what she needs to do !

I recommend this psychological thriller to anyone and it’s a great suggestion for a Bookclub discussion.

Thank you @netgalley @duttonbooks @ktnguyen_author for this eARC for my honest review.

First off, I believe mental health is something that should be talked about so much more in books so I appreciate Nguyen’s portrayal of OCD in the main character. However, it is very heavy to read about and honestly gave me a little bit of anxiety while I was reading it. Should come with a trigger warning for those who have/are experiencing MH problems, especially OCD.

However, I found this one hard to get into and didn’t really look forward to reading it until the last little bit and by then I was just invested enough to know how the story ended.

I felt like it jumped around a lot too and found myself confused at times about who the MC was referring to.

Also the end was a bit abrupt. It was like Nguyen was trying to tie everything together in the last 10% of the book. While I enjoy a twisty turn, surprising ending, this just felt rushed and really out nowhere.

For a suspense thriller, it started out a bit slow for me but I pushed thru and found myself second guessing everyone and everything.