For years I’ve been searching for the right term to describe a novel like K.T. Nguyen’s You Know What You Did.

It’s easy to bandy around terms like “domestic thriller,” “suspense,” but their broadness doesn’t capture the nuance, the distinct brand of books like this.

Instead, for a while now, I’ve turned to the terms “popcorn thriller” and “instagram thriller,” at least in my household, where I can trap my wife while she’s putting in her contacts and force her to listen to me explain what exactly I mean.

The rest of the world, thankfully, escapes this torture, so I’ve been left searching for a more universal description.

Until…last week.

I can’t remember who gave me the idea; it was likely my wife, this time five months pregnant with nowhere to go while I rambled on about Nguyen’s debut novel; but someone said, “Sounds like a Reese thriller.”

Et voila! The Reese thriller.

What I love about this is, if you’ve read more than 2 of Reese’s Book Club selections, you know they contain that vibe. That certain je ne sais quoi that goes beyond normal descriptors like thriller, domestic thriller, suspense.

Thus, likely, when I say that You Know What You Did is a Reese thriller, you know what to expect: Domestic suspense, potential unreliable narrator, murder, relational drama. And a perspective we don’t often get in publishing. In the case of Nguyen’s debut, it’s the reality of being a Vietnam war refugee. Not just the experience, but the generational trauma that haunts a family decades following it.

Important to call out that YKWYD was not a Reese’s Book Club selection, which is maybe why I liked it. No shade to my Nashville neighbor Reese, but our literary Venn diagrams don’t often overlap, the last being RF Kuang’s Yellowface, which was a top 10 for me last year. Similar to YF, YKWYD does two important things that most thrillers miss out on:

1. Round characters
2. Clear motives

So often I’m annoyed by modern thriller writers (not naming names, sorry) for sacrificing character development and unforced story for the sake of plot, pace, and surprise. But I so appreciate Nguyen for being able to do it all. I couldn’t put this down in the third act, doing something I’ve never done: reading the ebook while making my morning coffee.

An absolute Certified Unputdownable™️, this was easily 👁️👁️👁️👁️/5. I’d highly recommend for any beach vacation you have this summer.

Unfortunately, this book was not for me. The book was a little slower than what I like for thrillers, and the reveal/ending was predictable so it did not feel like a good pay off for the slower pace. I did enjoy seeing the generational effects of the mother daughter relationship, and seeing Annie's relationship with her daughter evolve. I was a little confused by the timeline because the book jumps back and forth and at times I am not sure whether I am in the present, past, or future. Overall, I struggled to finish this and was left underwhelmed by the ending.

This is a psychological thriller, who-done-it kind of book so I really can’t say much in way of the storyline, but I will say the outcome is not what I was expecting. Unfortunately, I found it a little confusing at times. I would say this is best read when you have longer time spans to read vs reading 15 minutes here and there. Overall, I think this was a good story, especially knowing it’s the author’s debut book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Dutton for the complimentary copy of this book. As always, the opinions expressed within this review are completely my own.

I love a good unreliable narrator, but this book was disturbing. It had a lot of gross things included and some animal death. I have a hard time reading books that contain animal death and wasn’t expecting it, so I think it should be listed as a trigger warning.

Thank you Dutton / Netgalley, #partner, for the advanced e-copy of You Know What You Did in exchange for my honest review.

You all know how I love my debuts and this one was so incredibly written, with a personal touch that I think really enhanced the authenticity of the writing. This is one stressful, addicting book and I loved it!

Once I saw the comps for this book, it being for fans of Lisa Jewell and Celeste Ng, I just knew I had to read this one, and I was not in any way disappointed. This book grabbed me from the get-go and I found myself on the edge of my seat the entire time. It’s not too often we read about obsessive-compulsive disorder, a disorder I find utterly fascinating in and of itself, so right away I was so intrigued with Annie’s character. I loved that the book is told completely from her perspective. It definitely made for some stressful times, for sure, but I don’t think the book would have had the same impact any other way. You really feel that anxiety that she feels in certain situations – it truly comes off the page and this is where knowing the author herself has OCD comes into play. That authenticity really shines through.

I also loved that at times, Annie come across as unreliable so you aren’t ever sure if she is completely trustworthy. This makes you wonder if the story you are getting is believable or not and I just loved this as it really kept me on my toes, wondering what was really happening and needing to filter out what was real and what if anything was not. This is not a fast-paced book by any means and yet I could not put it down once I started it. I was so invested in Annie’s story, needing to know how things would be resolved. I loved the fact that the phrase “you know what you did” is repeated through-out…it comes into play in a big way and had me questioning just what Annie had done and when we would find out.

I cannot recommend this book enough. It’s the perfect mix of a psychological thriller with just a hint of horror elements mixed in. For a debut novel, K.T. Nguyen knocked it out of the park with this one and I cannot wait to see what she writes next!

Annie is a Vietnamese artist tormented by memories of her troubled childhood which resulted in a mother with mental illness and it manifests itself in OCD in Annie and a difficulty connecting with her own teenage daughter. Then, when a patron of her artwork is murdered, the question is asked….did Annie do it or has her mothers ghost come back to get her revenge on Annie for the wrongs she felt done to her before she died.
Annie is an unreal character due to her personal demons and her mental illness but it got a little repetitive as her inner monologue constantly behaved as if she was a killer.
While I was initially intrigued by the story, and the many different ways the author was able to use the phrase “you know what you did “ eventually I started to get bored. It took too long for the thriller part to kick in and when it did it felt like it didn’t connect with the rest of the story. It just didn’t flow. Maybe it’s just that it took too long to get there that I lost interest in what happened by that point. Either way, it could have been better but it ended up being just meh.
Thank you to Dutton Books and NetGalley for this eArc in exchange for my review.

Dang. What did I just read?!! This books unreliable narrator kept me on the edge of my seat and guessing the whole time! It's a super psychological, super twisty read! Really enjoyed it.

4.5/5. Page-turning book trying to figure out what’s going on! Eventually I had a guess that turned out to be right but still run to read. Interesting look at someone with OCD and how it impacts daily life.

YOU KNOW WHAT YOU DID by K.T. Nguyen is a fever dream of a suspense!

A large portion of this story explored themes of intergenerational trauma specific to immigrants to the US. This was a fascinating dive that helped me to understand some behaviors that I have seen, though not to the extent of this book! I have been thinking lately of the privilege of life beyond surviving (think literal human life or death), and what the cost of survival often demands. This book touches on this in a very surreal-feeling narrative full of mystery and dread.

I won't even say anything about the plot other than it feels like being a witness to a serious breakdown/train wreck. It is very character driven, taking the reader down multiple timelines of present and past but with enough plot points to keep it moving forward. I wonder if the audiobook would be harder to follow (though I don't usually have issues), so I am glad for the visual chapters to help me! That final conclusion was definitely not what I was expecting!

A well done book for me! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Thank you to @duttonbooks & @netgalley for this title that was published on April 16th, so it is available now!

My first DNF in awhile. This one just wasn’t for me. A story about a woman struggling with OCD. The writing made for a very rambling, long story that went nowhere. It took me multiple weeks to make it 35% of the way through, and that’s when I needed to call it.

This was a fast and accessible book to read. It did tend to drag at times and was repetitive in many parts and some of the reveals were a little underwhelming. It was a little too predictable in the end for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Dutton for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Annie is a first-generation Vietnamese American artist with OCD. Her mother, a Vietnam War refugee, coped with her own trauma by hoarding, and despite hard work, there was never enough food on their table. When Annie meets the wealthy Duncan Shaw at the Rhode Island School of Design, she’s eager to be taken care of. Years later, Annie and Duncan are married, with a daughter Tabby. A few chapters in, Annie’s life starts to unravel after her mother’s death. Her daughter seems to hate her, her husband is always working, her art career stalls, and her dormant OCD symptoms resurface.

K.T. Nguyen excels in portraying Annie’s struggle with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), particularly her paranoia about germs, dirt, and contamination. I can relate to a lot of Annie's thoughts. The novel isn’t mere entertainment; it delves into generational trauma and mental illness. Annie becomes a person of interest when her employer disappears and is later found murdered. Blackouts plague her, and she can’t defend her innocence and starts to question herself. Did she do it? Read it and find out.

The story weaves between Annie’s present-day struggles and flashbacks to her childhood and early life with Duncan. The layers add complexity, and sometimes leave you puzzled about the timeline. Yet, there’s healing in Annie’s journey—a flawed human’s growth that’s both challenging and rewarding.

K.T. Nguyen’s exploration of trauma, mental health, and the human spirit was an interesting and good debut from a compelling new voice.

Review posted on Goodreads and Amazon on 4/25

I received this as an ARC, I enjoyed this book. I really liked the writing style, K.T. Nguyen does a great job of immersion you in the story so you feel like you’re experiencing everything alongside the main character. She does a great job of making you question the main character while also feeling bad for her. There were a few parts where the plot dragged for me and the twist didn’t really shock me that much. I still enjoyed the story overall and I think K.T. Nguyen has a lot of potential. I will definitely be open to checking out more of her work in the future.

This is a story about a women named Annie who is a daughter of a Vietnam refugee who struggles with OCD Who’s life is very chaotic. Annie wants more than anything to become successful but at what cost.
Annie husband had to go out of the country and her mother passed leaving her alone with their spoiled daughter soon things really start to unravel and Annie OCD is in full swing and Annie starts making unwise decisions.
Annie now is full of secrets and lots of bad things happen
If you like a thriller that is full of secrets this one’s for you. But it can be a dark read for some check triggers

You Know What You Did is a compelling mystery with strong mental health representation. I felt every bit of Annie’s growing unease and self-doubt as the story unfolded. While I had my suspicions, this story did indeed keep me guessing until the very end.

Thank you K. T. Nguyen, Dutton, and NetGalley for providing this ARC for review consideration. All opinions expressed are my own.

You Know What You Did is a solid psychological thriller debut.

Annie has a history of OCD - when her Mom (who lives in a guest house on the family’s property) dies, her OCD seems to kick in again. She’s had a complicated relationship with her immigrant Mother, and her old paranoid behavior resurfaces.

Tbh this was a disturbing read for me and I suppose this was intentional for readers. It’s hard to put into words without spoilers but it’s lots of gross out stuff and insects. 😩It was an easy mystery to me to figure out early on as I read many thrillers.

If you enjoy unreliable narrators, this IS a great thriller for you.

I will def read more of this author’s work! Thanks for the early copy.

This debut, coming of age thriller really was a good read but slow at times. The unreliable narrator (a first generation American), has OCD which makes everything in the story not what you think. This booked hooked me at first but I found it slow at the end.

The very first page of this book hooked me in with an intense scene that made me want to keep reading to find out more.

The main character, Annie, just lost her mother and is trying to cope meanwhile her obsessive compulsive disorder is making her spiral. The author did such an amazing job at portraying the thought cycle of OCD that I started to resent Annie half way through because of her repetitive and intrusive thoughts. But then as the plot thickened and the truth came out, I was back on her side and satisfied with the ending of the story.

Overall a great book with unexpected twists and turns and well written characters!

Maybe I’ve read too many of the same kind of book but I hard a time feeling like this wasn’t just another of the same.

Annie is drowning. Her mother has died and she now has to deal with everything she hoarded in the carriage house. Her OCD is spiraling out of control, and then her most prominent patron disappears. Her husband, frustrated with Annie's inability to deal with anything in her life, takes an assignment in a war zone. She can also do no right in the eyes of her young teenage daughter.

This book was...a lot. It was really good, but Nguyen draws you in so firmly into Annie's chaos that you almost feel like you are the one making the horrible decisions while your brain screams at you that this is wrong, stop doing this. She masterfully captures the feeling that someone with OCD must be feeling. I felt anxious a lot of the time reading this, it's that well done. You feel for Annie, but still want to shake her as she does things that both you and she know are going to have dire consequences down the line, whether with her husband, the police, or the people around her.
Sometimes I felt like I was losing the threads of the story as Annie continues to spiral down, but Nguyen brings us back in firmly in the end, so you finish the book feeling satisfied that the journey was all worth it. I really enjoyed this book, it was very well written. What a fantastic debut, I'm looking forward to more from KT Nguyen!