Member Reviews

This was a huge who did it muder mystery. Everyone was a suspect, everyone had secrets, and no one was likable.

When a teenage girl is found dead in a field, it turns this small town upside-down. This one will keep you guessing until the very end. There were a couple of twists and offered paranormal POV. The short chapters kept it fast-paced, but the number of characters was a bit confusing.

All in all, this one kept me intrigued and guessing throughout. The ending was surprising, but I would have liked a little bit more regarding the killer and their actions. If you're looking for a muder mystery, that will keep you guessing. Check this one out!

Thank you @netgalley and publishers, for this advanced copy in return for my honest review.

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Shari Lapena gets you excited on page one with her mystery thrillers, her formulae does not change with her latest novel What Have you Done? She keeps you guessing until the end on with the question who did it? Told from numerous POVs this book is about a dead high school girl and the various suspects in a small town who might have had the motive to kill her. The POV of the ghost is interesting and similar to other novels, but it works. I enjoyed the short chapters and fast pace.

Thank you #netgalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

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Thank you so much for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I will read anything Shari Lapena writes. Her novels are always fast paced, entertaining and fun this one was no exception.

I enjoyed this book, but not as much as some of her other ones. This one had elements that I did not enjoy in books which I won’t list here because of spoilers. I also figured out the ending long before it ended. Another issue I had with it was the perspectives were kind of random? Like a lot of times it didn’t add to the story. Cameron’s POV could have been removed and the book would have been the same with learning about him through gossip.
This book was not perfect but it still was a good time.

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Shari Lapena's books always make for a compelling read, and this one is no different.

"Nothing ever happens in sleepy little Fairhill Vermont. Until it does."

Murder(s), mystery, and lots of suspicious characters make up this fast-paced thriller, and once you start, good luck stopping till you reach the end.

Diana's got a heart of gold and is loved by everyone who crosses her path, so who'd want her dead?

As the story unfolds, we learn that not everyone in Diana's life is who they appear to be, and Diana has been keeping a few secrets of her own.

Thank you to Penguin Random House Canada and NetGalley for the early copy of this to read.

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Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Random House for gifting me this ARC. I love Shari Lapena’s writing and I truly enjoyed the story, I just wish there wasn’t so many characters. I found there was a lot of jumping from character to character and I was confused at times. Lapena will always be one of my top thriller writers! Love her writing style and the level of suspense she always contributes into her novels.

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Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC (Advance Reader Copy) of What Have You Done by Shari Lapena. I have read some of this author's other books and I have always enjoyed them. This one once again captured my interest. This book was fast paced and kept me enthralled the whole time. Once I started it I wanted to finish it, but, life got in the way! The twists along the way make it a roller coaster ride. I would definitely recommend this book. A 5 star rating from me.

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What Have You Done? by Shari Lapena is a small town murder mystery that explores secrets, grief, and what lurks beneath the surface of people and places. Sixteen year old Diana Brewer is found murdered, sending her small town of Fairhill, Vermont into a frenzy of fear. Who killed Diana, and why? As Diana's ghost watches, we follow her mother, friends, teachers, and potential murderers. Fact and fiction are challenged, as Lapena shows how stories are shaped, voices are silenced, and everything comes down to the choices we make about who to believe.

This is a great book with gripping prose, a fast-paced plot, and so many nuances I was trying to track the ways Lapena might be bluffing or double-bluffing based on the expectations of thriller readers. I'll admit, I haven't read too many thrillers in a while, but this one reminded me of why I'll pick them up. I didn't guess the killer, but I saw all the details that Lapena planted once the culprit was revealed.

This really is a thriller that makes you think about the characters. There are so many people trying their best, and so many awful people making bad choices, that Lapena makes it difficult to suss out the actual murderer. The ghost aspect added a paranormal element that really didn't affect the plot, but had some significance.

I would enter this one with care. Besides an on-page description of the murder from the murderer's POV, this book also deals with pedophilia, sexual harrassment, sexual assault (not rape), and the failure of authority figures to protect girls from predators.

If I have one small critique, it's that I found the number of unlocked doors and cars very unbelievable, even for a small town, especially in this day and age.

*I received an eARC from Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

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I was too slow to on the draw when this one first came to NetGalley, so I “wished for it” and shared something on my stories illustrating my distress at missing the opportunity. But, my wish came true in June and I absolutely WHOOPED for joy! Shari Lapena has been an auto-buy author for me ever since I found The Couple Next Door in a thrift shop back in 2016. She has me completely hooked on her writing style - this one, as ever, did not disappoint.

What I love about Shari’s novels is that not a scene is wasted. Every conversation, every thought, word and page gets right down to business. Her words get the story moving right away and the short chapters hook me every time. I’ve seen other readers complain that there isn’t enough character development, and I think that's just not her style. You can have drawn out, character driven stories (which I also love), or you can have a fast-paced page turner that focuses on the details and clues of the crime. This author’s strong point is option B. Added to the domestic suspense genre, it’s just *chefs kiss*.

What Have You Done ticked all the usual boxes for me. The multiple POV was fun as suspicion was thrown on many people, and each of them seemed totally plausible. There is nothing like a small town tragedy to have everyone’s dirty laundry aired.

Huge, huge, huge thank you to Penguin Random House and NetGalley for this digital ARC - you absolutely made my summer.

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I have to say, Shari Lapena has quickly become one of my favorite thriller authors. From the very beginning, I was completely hooked. The story kicks off early one morning in a small town, where a young teen is discovered naked and dead in a farmer's field. With so many suspects in the mix, I found myself constantly trying to guess where the plot was headed, but the ending took me by surprise. A must read!

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There was so much to love about this book! It hooked me from the start and I didn't want to put it down. The writing was fast paced and I really enjoyed how each of the multiple POVs provided a unique aspect that kept you guessing as to their involvement.. if any! 🤔

If I had one complaint, it would be how the actual murderer was revealed. Don't get me wrong, I love a good plot twist but this one felt like a little bit of a let down. It actually hurts to say it because I really loved everything else about the whole thing!

This was my first book by the author and it definitely won't be my last.

Thanks to Netgalley and Penguin Random House Canada for the eARC of this book

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shari has done it again! she is quickly becoming one of my top thriller writers. this is a mystery revolving around the murder of a high school student in a small town where everyone is connected. i will say, i semi-suspected the killer throughout, but the motivation did come as a surprise. this is the definition of a page turner and i highly recommend for my fellow thriller lovers.

cw: sexual assault

thanks to netgalley for my ARC of what have you done? by shari lapena. all opinions are my own,

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A small town farmer discovers the body of a young woman in one of his fields. Detectives and Diana's best friends try to determine who murdered her and why. Told from the perspective of several characters and how their lives connect had me guessing to the end.

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I loved this book so much! The plot moved very quickly I didn’t see any of the plot twists coming which is always a positive! I liked the subplot of the main character’s best friends doing vigilante detective work to get down to the bottom of the who is responsible for the murder.

Highly recommend.

You can check out my video review on instagram here:
https://www.instagram.com/reel/C8Tf4oEgIYc/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

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Thank you NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read an advance copy of this book.
If you are a Jodi Picoult fan (I am), I think you will enjoy this book too. I was drawn in within the first few pages, there were a couple of surprises for me, which I like. I don’t normally like when a character continues to narrate after they have been “killed off” but I found it fit for this story. Good read!

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🌒Book Review🌘
What Have You Done - Shari Lapena @sharilapena
Reader: 👩🏼‍🦰

Fiction: Thriller Mystery

After a young girls body is found laying in a hayfield, the small town of Fairhill is speechless. Friends, family, even her boyfriend quickly become suspects. But who would have killed this innocent girl?

This is my third book by #sharilapena and cannot wait to read another.

Thank you @penguinrandomca and @netgalley for the opportunity to read this as an ARC. It was a pleasure!

Good Reads Rating: 3.89

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨
Spice: 🚫
Storyline: 🌾🪦🚨😢😳

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Crime procedural dramas are also fiction, but it's allowed for me to pick apart this book. One thing that irked me was the fact they didn't ping any phones or even attempt location tracking. It's not like the setting of the story was in ancient times.

Some characters I felt didn't add much to the story and could have been done without: Taylor and family, Sadie.

Overall, though, Shari wrote another book that I submerged myself in and couldn't stop thinking about.

Thank you to NG and Shari Lapena for the ARC of this book.

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Woah Nelly, strap in for a ride because this book just takes OFF! In typical Lapena style we get right into the action of the story with a body being found in a local farmers field. Rotating POV introduces us to various residents of the town all of whom seem guilty in their own way. I devoured this book in practically two sittings however the ending fell short for me, bringing it from a 4.5 to 3.75 star rating, rounded up.

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The synopsis completely sold me on this book, and I was excited to get into it. I loved that this was a quick read filled with all kinds of suspicious characters. Everyone seemed to have something to hide or someone they were desperate to protect. I thought the small town setting worked really well here. It felt a bit like a callback to simpler times as everyone seemed to know and trust one another, to the point where people didn’t lock their doors at night.

However, there were a TON of POV’s in this story. Each chapter had multiple POV changes and it took me a long time to fully adapt to it, as well as to get a handle on all of the characters. I’m not entirely convinced that all of the characters were needed. However, it did help showcase how Diana’s death impacted her friends, family and community.

I found the twists to be fairly good, but they weren’t overly surprising or unexpected.

Read if you like:

✨Multi-POV’s
✨Small town tragedies
✨Suspicious characters
✨Quick reads

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Penguin Random House Canada for the ARC!

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This is the fourth Lapena novel I have read. I am late to the author's oeuvre and admit I am devouring them like a bag of chips... can's stop after just one. I love how Lapena gets under the skin and into the psyche of her characters. Society has taught us to want to trust our neighbours but, boy, it doesn't take much for suspicion to bubble up, for people to start doubting how well they REALLY know someone. Lapena nails this! Her stories are gripping in that you can imagine the scenarios she writes about playing out in real time.

Utilizing the multiple point of view strategy, details about "who", "what" and "why" slowly come to light, leaving readers like me playing a guessing game for both perpetrator and motive. The number of characters with secrets in this story is staggering, and perfect fodder for a page-turning suspense read. To be expected, some of the characters' decisions are not best choices, but to be expected. As a slight negative, I am not really convinced the paranormal aspect was necessary for this story.

Overall, kudos to Lapena for once again giving us a novel with just the right pace of suspense to keep me up late into the night to finish it. I am looking forward to her next novel and happy that I have more unread books from her oeuvre to read in the meantime.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing an advanced reader copy.

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3.5 ⭐️
I was pleasantly surprised when I realized that Shari had branched out from her typical domestic thriller vibe to give us a darker version. One thing Shari does well is she grabs you quickly and keeps the action going throughout her novels. Although I did guess “whodunit”, I enjoyed the ride to get there! Shari is the queen of whodunit in my opinion, and this one didn’t disappoint! I feel honoured to have received an ARC of this book as she is one of my favourite thriller authors! Thank you so much to NetGalley and Penguin Random House Canada for this ARC in exchange for an honest review 🥰

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