Classic shari lapena suspense that never disappoints - I finished this in a day and loved it. I loved the POV of the ghost, thought it was a fun touch. didnt see the ending coming

Fairhill, Vermont is a quiet town where everyone feels safe and they don’t worry about locking doors all the time. So how did Diana Brewer end up naked and dead in a hayfield, circled by vultures?

Turns out there’s a lot that the parents of this quiet town didn’t know, and figuring out who murdered Diana will slowly uncover some devastating secrets.

Shari Lapena creates a dramatic, atmospheric story that will have you following every POV change in an attempt to figure out who murdered Diana.

I really liked this one and could have read it all in one sitting. Even though I did figure out the ending, there were so many moments I thought I was wrong and it really kept me on my toes the whole time.

I found this book a little rushed and with way too much many characters. The plot was good and Shari’s writing is always great.

I am late to the game in reviewing this but I just had to! I read it in 5-6 hours yesterday and I could not put it down. I have read all of Shari’s books and this was the second one where I read one in a day.

I was hooked from the beginning and of course trying to figure out who did it! I had my suspicion half way through :) I liked the twists and turns and suspense and also that this book wasn’t to gory or sexually explicit.

What Have You Done is set in a sleepy town in Vermont. Parents don't worry about the safety of their kids, doors aren't always locked and parents are sure their kids will arrive home safely from school or outings. When a teenager's body is found in a field, naked and dead, everyone in town is shocked. Diana Brewer is well liked, who would do this?

This was a fast paced, well written, quick read. Turns out there was a lot going on that parents didn't know about and there were several suspects. Was it the boyfriend? The stalker? The inappropriate teacher/coach? The story is told from a variety of POVs, even the dead girl's ghost. I was sure I had it figured out, but there was always a little more information that had me making an about face. One thing I realized is that it doesn't matter how big or small a town is, everyone will have their beliefs about what happened. They will take sides, and won't believe things even though there is proof. So, who killed Diana? You will have to read this one to find out.

Oh, this kept me guessing and on the edge of my seat the entire time!

I haven’t been much into thrillers over the last few years, but when I’m looking for one that’s guaranteed to hold my attention, Shari Lapena is one of my go to authors, and she never disappoints.

What Have You Done? is a gripping and atmospheric mystery that keeps you on edge from start to finish. Set in the small, seemingly quiet town of Fairhill, Vermont, the discovery of Diana Brewer’s body shatters the community's sense of peace. The author masterfully builds suspense, drawing you into a town where everyone knows everyone—but not as well as they think. As secrets begin to unravel, the sense of paranoia grows, and no one is beyond suspicion. The writing is compelling, with vivid descriptions that heighten the eerie atmosphere. The small-town dynamics, where long-held friendships are tested under the strain of a tragedy, are portrayed with nuance and authenticity. While the pace may be slow in places, it serves to deepen the mystery and character development. The unexpected twists and complex characters make this a standout read for fans of psychological thrillers. A solid 4-star read that will leave you thinking long after the final page.

Another small-town gossipy neighbourhood mystery in the bag. I do find that Shari Lapel does these types of stories well, with the multiple perspectives and a large cast of characters slowly being ticked off the suspect list until the culprit is finally revealed.

This story follows the investigation into the murder of a young girl in a small town. As soon as the news starts spreading, people start acting as though they have something to cover up. This leads to a very complicated investigation, complicated because everyone seems to be connected somehow. As each character either comes forward with what they think is useful information or is asked to come in for questioning, we find out a little bit more of the victims life and her last moments alive.

There is some ghost stories thrown into the mix with some other conspiracies and subplots, coming together for an overall well-done mystery.

I was able to put all of the clues together, despite all of the red herrings, and even though I was expecting that final punch at the end, it was so satisfying to read, just maybe not the author's best.

Thank-you to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for my advanced reader copy.

Plot: ⭐⭐⭐ ½
Characters: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Mystery: ⭐⭐⭐
Writing: ⭐⭐⭐
Overall: ⭐⭐⭐ ½, rounded up

This is a fast-paced, gripping murder mystery filled with twists and red herrings. The eerie atmosphere reminded me of The Lovely Bones, with its dark and suspenseful tone. Though full of misdirection, my hunch pulled through. A great pick for anyone who enjoys a twist-filled, fast-moving thriller.

"𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐭'𝐬 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐢𝐭 - 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞'𝐬 𝐧𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐨𝐟 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 - 𝐢𝐭 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐬 𝐝𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐰𝐡𝐨'𝐬 𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐭𝐡. 𝐓𝐨 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐯𝐞."

Shari LaPena is back with another overall solid domestic suspense novel.

LaPena’s skill at creating a story surrounding small-town secrets is on display in her latest. There are a lot of characters to keep track of, especially at the beginning, partly because of all the connections to popular girl Diana, the victim at the heart of the town and story; this really highlights the small-town nature where everyone is connected and knows of each other. One of my favourite things LaPena does in her multi-character books is have them all experience a moment (like a breaking news story) at the same time from their different points of view; it feels very cinematic and I can easily see it playing out on the screen. Riley and Evan, two of Diana’s best friends, were two of my favourite characters; both seem loyal to Diana (and in turn, each other) but also make hasty decisions like teenagers do. LaPena captures that teenage essence well, without it coming across as petulant or annoying to read. Her skill at dialogue continues to shine here The short chapters make it an easy read, even if the pacing is designed to be a slow burn. The final reveal was pretty obvious, and felt rushed with not enough detail for the motive to feel fully satisfying.

What Have You Done isn’t LaPena’s strongest work, but is still an enjoyable suburban drama that has me looking forward to her next. Thank you to DoubleDay Canada, and NetGalley for the ARC!

Shari Lapena is great at writing fast paced, whodunnit mysteries. What Have You Done has a great small town feel, where it should be a place you can leave your doors unlocked, but yet there is a killer among them. I enjoyed having the multiple POVs as the mystery unraveled and the truth was exposed. I guessed the outcome of this book at the beginning, but thought it was entertaining as it all came to light. I wasn't a huge fan of the supernatural elements and wished we got Cam or his parent's POV at the end after everything was revealed to tie things up a little more, but overall this was a entertaining popcorn book.
Thank you Penguin Random House Canada | Doubleday Canada for the copy through NetGalley in exchange for a review.

I was really loving this book most of the way through but once again with this author - something at the end has left me feeling unsatisfied. I will say this was the most I’ve been entertained by her books but the end felt lackluster and left me just feeling ok about the entire thing. Certain parts didn’t feel well placed and I just don’t think this will be memorable at all for me.

Shari Lapena delivers another gripping thriller with suspense, twists, and a supernatural edge. Fast-paced and engaging, though a bit rushed at times. A solid whodunit—I enjoyed it and remain a fan!

What Have You Done? by Shari Lapena is a psychological thriller about the death of a high school student.

First, let me thank NetGalley, the publisher Penguin Random House and of course the author, for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.


My Synopsis:    (No major reveals, but if concerned, skip to My Opinions)
The body of teenager Diana Brewer is found naked in a field.  The residents of Fairhill, Vermont are stunned.  Nothing ever happens here.  They have to call in detectives from further afield.  The town only has a police chief and one officer.

Diana's boyfriend Cameron is the first suspect, and will remain so for some time.

Then there is the gym teacher Brad Turner, who apparently had a complaint against him by Diana.  But Principal Kelly had vouched for him.  Mind you, he hadn't done right by Diana either.  Even Ellen, Brad's fiancé, is having doubts about him.

Joe Prior is a construction worker in town, and often visited the Home Depot where Diana worked.  He made her very uncomfortable.

Diana's best friends, Riley and Evan, are both grieving, both frustrated, and both anxious.  Parents and kids are all a little anxious right now.  Some of them have something to hide.


My Opinions:
Well, this was quite good.  It is definitely a a small town with a lot going on behind the scenes.  Some of the secrets and lies are rather benign,  others, not so much.

With so many secrets, suspects abound.  One of them is guilty of the murder.  Others have their own bad deeds to deal with.  I really enjoyed the twists.

The characters felt very real, very intriguing.  I thought it was interesting that the author added one other character to this story - the ghost of Diana.  It's definitely not a ghost story, and did not have that feel.  Diana was simply one more person in search of the truth.  It read really well.

Overall, it was a fast and entertaining read, although it may have been aimed at the YA crowd.

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗛𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗗𝗼𝗻𝗲
5 ⭐️

🤌 Ｆａｂ Ｆｒｉｄａｙｓ🤌

📖(𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶’𝘭𝘭 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘥):
𝙢𝙮𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙮 & 𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙧𝙞𝙜𝙪𝙚 • 𝙬𝙝𝙤𝙙𝙪𝙣𝙣𝙞𝙩 • 𝙨𝙘𝙝𝙤𝙤𝙡 𝙨𝙚𝙩𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 (𝙖𝙩 𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙚𝙨) • 𝙨𝙡𝙤𝙬 𝙗𝙪𝙧𝙣 • 𝙨𝙤𝙢𝙚 𝙡𝙖𝙮𝙚𝙧𝙨 • 𝙜𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙩 𝙬𝙧𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 • 𝙗𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙚𝙖𝙗𝙡𝙚 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙙 • 𝙩𝙤𝙥𝙞𝙘𝙨 𝙤𝙛 𝙜𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙛 • 𝙨𝙢𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙩𝙤𝙬𝙣 • 𝙢𝙪𝙡𝙩𝙞𝙥𝙡𝙚 𝙋𝙤𝙑𝙨 • 𝙖𝙛𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙡𝙞𝙛𝙚 •

This is the first book I’ve read by this author ✍️ and it surely won’t be the last! Looks like I’ll be adding a lot of backlists to my 2025 tbr!

What Have You Done was perfectly paced, and had me invested early on. WHYD felt almost like reading a true crime documentary, with a lot of a small town’s secrets being revealed.

Topics of grief are touched on, including heartache and loss.

The plot is the main focus, so there isn’t a lot of character development, but it still works very well!

An investigation into a tragic murder lays the groundwork for other crimes in this small town to surface. Which adds another layer to the story.

🕵️:
I had my suspicions on who the unaliver was. It wasn’t very obvious who, but my spidey senses were tingling, and I was right. Lol!

#️⃣:
#bookrecommendations #bookreview #bookishfeature #instagram #instagood #bookstagram #read #reading

Is there an author whose books you always read, but never really LOVE any of their work? I always find myself picking up Lapena's books, but I never love them. They're always enjoyable and good enough but nothing memorable or overly enjoyable. With this one, I was entertained the whole way through the book and I couldn't figure out who did what, but I was highly underwhelmed. I felt like there was way too many POV's and unnecessary additions to the plot that didn't add anything to the story.

Would I say it's worth the read? Probably, I'd say it's a quick, bingeable read, but you're not going to miss out if you skip it.

This was my first time reading Shari Lapena's work and I really enjoyed it. I love how the story is so well written and catches your interest early on.

A farmer discovers the body of a young girl in a field in a small community in Vermont. There are a lot of characters to keep straight which at times is confusing. The chapters are short and this helps the pace of the book. It is told from different viewpoints of the girl's family and friends. It seems there are secrets and lies connected to everyone . Many red herrings throughout if you like that sort of thing. A bit dark and maybe triggering with some of the detail. (Sexual assault).

Oh Shari Lapena...one of the queens of writing mysteries. Typically I don't like novels where there are many MANY characters but this one was not hard to keep up with. Solid 3.5/5 stars.