Shari Lapena writes a solid thriller about a murder and who did it. The story hooked me from the start but I found towards the end it got a little messed up. In some parts it felt like a YA book.

The story takes place in small town America. I liked the characters and the POV of so many of them, adding to the suspicion of each person. The author did a great job of making it easy to keep track of all the different characters in the book. I think the ghost aspect could have been left out. It didn’t really appeal to me. It's interesting how fast people will lie to protect their loved ones when facing danger. These lies quite often cause more harm in the end than the truth.

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys mystery/thrillers. It had a lot of twists and turns to it. Thanks NetGalley and Penguin Random House Canada for an advanced copy of this book.

Don't Try This in a Small Town
Review of the NetGalley Kindle ARC ebook (downloaded July 5, 2024) in advance of the Doubleday Canada hardcover/ebook/audiobook release (July 30, 2024).

This latest suspense thriller from Shari Lapena takes place in a Vermont small town & farming community. The strangled body of a popular 17-year-old daughter of a single parent mother is found in a farmer's field. She had been dating a popular high-school football player and to the best of everyone's knowledge the couple were thought to be close. No one appeared to have a reason to murder her.

But both the school and the town hold secrets and gradually potential suspects come to light as the State Police interview school teachers and students, families and friends. The POV changes constantly as we hear the innermost thoughts of the characters. They all seem innocent of the murder at first, although other crimes of commission or omission are gradually revealed. Someone must be lying though, and author Lapena does the misdirection very well to keep you guessing until the final twist.

There is a paranormal aspect which is introduced quite early, so I would say this is not a spoiler. The spirit / ghost of the murdered girl observes the action periodically and comments on it. The trauma of the actual assault has blocked their memory though, so they are not able to reveal the culprit. I've only read a non-paranormal Shari Lapena [Not a Happy Family (2021)] previously, and I don't think it is trick she otherwise has used. Some readers may find it to be not very realistic though. I could see for story purposes that it does allow for an otherwise untold POV, which becomes more significant as the book progresses.

My thanks to author Shari Lapena, publisher Doubleday Canada and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this preview ARC, in exchange for which I provide this honest review.

Shari is the best at keeping readers on the edge of their seat! I enjoyed that the book had many POVs and key characters. Sometimes this can feel overwhelming, but I found it kept me even more engaged in this novel. I would definitely re-read, and will continue reading all of Shari’s books.

In a small Vermont town a teenager’s body is discovered in a farmer’s field. The police investigate, the people that know Diana Brewer speculate, everyone knowing a little piece of what might have happened. There are serious allegations and many red herrings. This was a great non-stop read! Shari Lapena has another hit on her hands! I recommend anything by Shari Lapena.
5 out of 5 stars.

This was a quick read with short chapters that kept me engaged. I enjoyed the multiple POVs (even a ghost which at first I was like meh but I actually liked it). I had a hunch of who the killer was, but Lapena took me on a rollercoaster ride with a few suspects, and even though I had it partially figured out I still enjoyed the book! I did find the ending kind of end abruptly I was hoping for more.

Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Random House Canada for access to this title. All opinions expressed are my own.

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

This book and my bookmark never became acquainted. From the moment the body of teenager Diana Brewer is found in a farmer's field, I couldn't stop reading. The story shifted from the many people around Diana and even Diana's hovering spirit, herself. Shari Lapena convinced me every chapter that I knew who the killer was and EVEN when I was CLOSE, she still made me doubt myself.

It's been a long time since an author was able to pull the wool over my eyes.


That's why I have no problem throwing out the 5-star crown like it's glitter on art day.


This is sure to tug the heartstrings of many a mystery reader when it hits bookstores.



Expected Publication Date 30/07/24
Goodreads Review 11/07/24

Another simply excellent book by Lapena. The suspense begins immediately and doesn't end until the second last page. I love her writing and how she maintains both the story line/s and the suspense throughout. There is always a surprise (or two) in each Lapena book and this one doesn't disappoint. Clearly and well written for the intended audience.

A popular senior high school student dies in her home one night after telling her boyfriend that they are finished a couple. He is too possessive and controlling. If he didn't strangle her, who did? And the story evolves. The horny gym teacher and coach, an overly interested man who knows where she works and lives, a stranger? The story unfolds and demonstrates again that many people in this and every small community have secrets that they do not want revealed. But to what extent will their conscience allow them to remain silent?

A wonderful study in sociology. When and how should a young woman reveal sexual abuse? How much do you keep hidden? To what breadth/extent is any relationship worth it? When do you do what you know to be the right thing and what you believe? This book leads to these and many other questions of everyday life. Thank you Shari Lapena for bringing these issues to the forefront.

*Thank you to Shari Lapena and Penguin Random House Canada for this eARC in exchange for honest review*
🌶: 0
This was a good popcorn thriller. It has classic Shari Lapena writing with twists and both likable and unlikable characters. It is a multiple (3rd person) POV with some sprinklings of 1st person now and then, and it's done well so it isn't confusing switching around. I will say I suspected who the killer was about halfway through but that may have been luck because it's really set up to accuse most people as it twists and delves into the events leading up to the murder of teen Diana. Is this my favourite Shari Lapena? No, but I had a great time with it and flew through it. Easy to read, keeps you guessing & interested, which is all I can ask for in a thriller.

What Have You Done? By Shari Lapena is a hard to put down mystery of who murdered a young girl who seemingly is beloved by all and has everything ahead of her.

I really enjoyed this thriller. I quite literally sat down and finished it in one day because I was so hooked into it. There are quite a few different point of views going on all at once, but I actually didn’t find it overwhelming as they each added to the story and added to the confusion and uncertainty of who was guilty and who did what. Just when you think you might have an idea of what might have happened, a certain point of view will throw that on its head because something will be revealed about one character or another that makes them seem that much more guilty. It felt like there were some unreliable narrators which added to the mystery and made it difficult to trust any of them which added to the experience for me.

I personally could have done without the victims post-death point of view scenes as I don’t think they really added anything to the overall story. I feel like it was meant to generate sympathy perhaps for those young girl who has been murdered at the prime of her life and has to deal with that knowledge, but it really just took me out of the story and suspended belief in a pointless manner in my experience. I don’t think it added enough to the book to make it necessary.

The characters all together were very interesting. I felt for them as they dealt with the death of someone they loved, I wanted some to be innocent because I liked them, while others I disliked immensely because they were the scum of the other and I wanted them to receive their comeuppance. All to say these characters made me feel which to me always means good writing and well fleshed out characters. The mystery itself of who killed the victim was also super interesting, especially as details came to light that make the reader question everything and just gives overall background to the victim herself, as well as the many people in her life effected by her death, or otherwise bringing out their guilty consciences as far as the secrets they wanted to keep from the investigators as well as their community members.

There were a lot of things I enjoyed about this book all together. The diversity of point of views was actually a win, the fact that one person was telling there thoughts essentially through a journal entry periodically throughout the book, and the way everything wraps up in the end. I very much liked this book and definitely recommend it to thriller fans. I can’t wait for the next.

This was a fast paced, punchy whodunnit, but I didn’t really care about any of the characters. I guess the focus here is on plot. Typical thriller; full of misdirection but I figured out the real killer within a couple of pages, and I was sad to be proven right. Maybe I’m reading too many of this genre.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

First of all I would of course like to thank Penguin Random House Canada for providing me with an ARC of What Have you Done by Shari Lapena in exchange for my honest review.

Years ago I read The Couple Next Door and I still think about it a lot. Any time I see someone reading it I get excited for them, so the opportunity to read an early copy of another Shari Lapena book? Yes, please!

We are in a sleepy small town in Vermont where nobody locks their doors, kids hang out in the cemetery telling ghost stories and nothing ever happens, until it does. A young woman's body is found in a field and immediately the entire town begins to turn on each other and question who in their small town could be the culprit? An outsider? Her overly jealous boyfriend? More and more suspects pop up and it seems everyone has reasons for keeping secrets.

This was such a ride. I could not put it down and loved the way that the story unravelled from so many different perspectives as the entire town is thrown for a loop. I love the way that Shari Lapena writes her stories keeping things hidden until the perfect time to shock and explain things. I felt like I was trying to solve the murder right along with the detectives called in. I highly suggest picking this one up when it's published on July 30 2024 either at your local bookstore or your public library. It's going to be a great summer read.

Summary: In Fairhill, Vermont it is a beautiful day and a farmer is driving his tractor over his fields when he sees vultures circling. Assuming it is a dead animal, he gets closer only to discover the naked body of a local teen, lying dead from strangulation. The investigation commences and potential suspects abound – the controlling boyfriend, the creepy track coach and a local construction worker with a predatory eye for teenaged girls. The community is shocked and grieving, but someone knows more than they’re telling.

Thoughts: I don’t know if I have ever read a book so quickly! Lapena has a gift for writing compelling characters that take up space in your mind. Almost anyone who has ever gone to high school has known a Diana Brewer – beautiful, popular and smart – the person everyone wants to know and everyone wants a piece of them. When she is murdered, there is no shortage of male suspects. This is because girls and women like Diana are always a target of male attention, whether they like it or not. Yet Diana isn’t perfect, because no victim ever is, and this makes her very relatable.

The reader is always guessing and second-guessing who the guilty person is, because they all seem to have motive, questionable alibis and secrets. In the course of the investigation, lots of unsavoury information is revealed about characters that unsettles and upsets their families and people around them. This is addictive thriller reading at its finest. Highly recommended.

This is one of those books that I was fortunate enough to be granted an ARC copy by the author (Shari Lapena), her publisher (Penguin Random House Canada), and the fine folks at NetGalley in return for an honest review.

I will be honest that this is the first book by this author that I have read, so I didn’t know what to expect in terms of writing style, and while the quick, punchy chapters keep you reading well past your bedtime. I found it did read a bit more of a young adult read, however it was still quite compelling.

In the early morning hours, a farmer in rural Fairhill, Vermont finds the naked dead body of a popular high school student lying in his fields. In this small town, someone surely knows something. Everyone is a suspect and no one is safe. Told in alternating viewpoints through Diana’s friends, family, and teachers, secrets are hiding around every corner. While the multiple POVs give the reader the story from everyone's viewpoint, I found the necessity of the random interjection of the dead girl's POV (from the viewpoint of the ghost) to be unnecessary. Another thing that I found to be disconcerting was the fact that everyone was identified by their first name except for the Principal (who was only identified by his last name at least 99% of the time).

All in all, I would give this book three and a half stars (which rounds to four stars, begrudgingly) as while the story is fast paced and the multiple red herrings do keep the reader guessing, I found the writing to be more of a young adult level of story.

As with all my literary ramblings, these are just my five cents worth.

Loved it ! Thank you to Shari Lapena for the advanced copy. Even though I tried to figure out who was the main suspect, I was not able to. Gripping thriller from page one.

This book was a quick, easy read. It held my attention the entire time.

I really enjoyed the numerous character POVs as it gave us lots of characters to be suspicious of.

There is a ghost aspect, which I don't usually love, but thankfully it wasn't related to the twist and I didn't mind it at all.

I definitely recommend this book if you're looking for something fast paced and to the point.

If you’re looking for a fast paced read — this is the book for you — focused on the crime itself and the possible people involved this book is full of mystery and suspenseful moments .

A high school girl’s body is gruesomely discovered naked in a farmer’s field having been partially eaten by animals. This has happened in a town where nothing bad happens, people keep their doors unlocked and are close knit so… Who killed Diana Brewer? And why?

Even though the characters ( victim, her friends etc) are not overly developed but the crime and possible suspects are more focused on in this book— it still keeps you captivated to the point I finished it in one day—I enjoyed the change of POVs throughout the book— but the paranormal aspect for me could’ve been there or not . Overall, I thought it was done very well— and the ending was a bit unexpected for me.

Thanks to Netgalley and Penguin Random House Canada | Doubleday Canada for this ARC. This is my honest review.

Synopsis
Beautiful high schooler Diana Brewer was smart and kind, but someone wanted her dead. The safe and social small town of Fairhill will never be the same as secrets revealed uncover a rot at its core.

Thoughts
Due to time constraints, I read this book in two sittings rather than one but both sessions were engaging and I was captivated from the first sentence. As the story played out, there were many possible solutions to the mystery; it was my misfortune that I tuned in early and targeted the killer. One plothole threatened to derail my enjoyment, but the story moved me onwards keeping me well entertained.

Characters
It's surprising with a huge cast that all the characters were unique enough to be easily identifiable. Though the study of the characters' impulses rarely scratched the surface, the plot assisted in filling in the missing details. As a result, at the end of the story, I still knew who everyone was and how they fit.

Plot & Mechanics
Despite its very adult nature, the story almost read like a YA (young adult) mystery. I felt this dichotomy should have been resolved. The point-of-view switched between the main characters, which sometimes felt heavy-handed. I award full marks for tying up every storyline and the plausible ending.

Recommendation
This suspenseful thriller transfixed me, leaving me thoroughly entertained. I recommend What Have You Done for those readers who enjoy a good twisting mystery. Be forewarned: adult concepts and profanity.



Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Random House Canada for the opportunity to view this eARC. My opinions are my own, honest and true.

What Have You Done? - Shari Lapena
Pub date: July 30th 2024

Thanks to @penguinrandomhouse and @netgalley for this ARC copy!!

Shari Lapena is one of my auto-buy authors for sure. I have almost read all of her books (Everyone Here is Lying is the only one I haven't read yet but I already have a physical copy at home). When I saw her new book on Netgalley, I requested it immediately and I was so thrilled to be accepted.

I liked this book, but all the different characters were a bit difficult to remember. I don't know if there were too many but I couldn't remember who was who.

The pace of the book was not as fast as I would've liked but it was still ok.

AND, I guessed the huge twist of who did it before the reveal. I just knew it was that person!!! Lol 😂

I give this book a ⭐⭐⭐⭐

#whathaveyoudone #sharilapena #books #bookstagram #bookstagrammer #readsof2024

this book was insane in the best way possible, i didn't see the twists coming or ANYTHING. seriously worth the read the minute it hits the shelves

This book is perfectly paced, captivating, and showcases thoroughly developed characters! I enjoyed the twists and turns which kept me guessing right up until the end.