Wow! What a read! Although the subject matter of this book might be triggering for some, I enjoyed how it was written- twisting and leaving possible clues along the way. There’s a lot more going on than just one innocent, young girl having been murdered. Shari Lapena has done it again.
Thank You to NetGalley, Penguin Random House Canada, and Shari Lapena for the opportunity to enjoy this ARC.

Nothing ever happens in the small town of Fairhill, Vermont. The teenagers get their kicks out of telling ghost stories at the graveyard. Their parents trust their kids will arrive home safe from school. Everyone knows everyone. But this morning all of that will change, because Diana Brewer isn’t lying safely in her bed, she lies in a hayfield, circled by vultures, her body discovered by a local farmer. How quickly a girl becomes a ghost. How quickly a town of friendly, familiar faces becomes a town of suspects. Someone in Fairhill did this, everyone wants answers, and one innocent question could be deadly.

I was so excited to get an ARC of Shari Lapena’s latest novel! I’m such a fan of hers! The story jumps into immediate action. There are a lot of POVS’s but I found them easy to keep track of with the short chapters (love). I like how Shari Lapena tells story’s from all different ages and how all of the characters intertwine. I will say, I was a little disappointed by the ending, I personally found it a little obvious. But, I love her writing and I found the story intriguing nonetheless! (3.5 ⭐️)

✨ Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest thoughts and opinion ✨

Available July 18, 2024

Shari Lapenas new book reaches a deeper / darker level than her typical suburbia suspense books.

A young girls body is found in the middle of farming fields. Everyone in the tight knit small town is shaken by the news. All signs point to her boyfriend, yet in typical Lapena fashion there are multiple suspects and the police are determined to crack the case.

This one was fast paced, dropping you straight into the deep end and setting a chilling tone from the start of the book.

I loved seeing the author branch away from her usual suburbia paradise setting and into the heart of a small town and all the complexities and differences that come with that.

Thank you to Shari Lapena, Penguin Random House Canada and NetGalley for the EARC!

Publish date July 30th

What Have You Done by Shari Lapena and it was pretty addictive!
I don't know how she did it but there was this dark vibe throughout, like old school noir kinda vibe and I loved it!
Nothing happens in this tiny, sleepy town... until it does. A girl's body is found in a farmer field being picked at by birds and now we need to find out who did this. You get multiple suspects and a devastated mother (her parts were kinda hard to read honestly, made me want to hug my kids). But I think my favourite part was actually the last line. Shari, you nailed it with that one!
And, once again, I wasn't let down with this author, definitely recommend.

What Have you Done is a fast paced read that has you guessing who murdered the popular teen Diana Brewer

Her family and friends are horrified and cant contemplate why anyone would murder Diana.

Murder just doesnt happen in the quiet town of Fairhall Vermont.

Everything points to her boyfriend .

Turns out there is a more than one suspect and its up to the police to prove it.

Twists and turns, red herrings and so many secrets in this town that I was supicious of everyone.

Shari Lapena has written a well paced, taut thriller that will make you not want to put the book down to the final page.

Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Random House Canada/Doubleday Canada for a thrilling read.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Canadian writer Shari Lapena releases a thriller annually. Sometimes, when an author releases books on a regular basis, it feels as though some of them are a stretch. And when you look back at Lapena's canon, this is, for me at least, true. However, What Have You Done? is a must-read for thriller readers.
I thoroughly enjoyed this story. Told by various viewpoints of people who live in this town, Lapena keeps the reader guessing through much of the novel until the murderer is ultimately revealed. I did peg the murderer about mid-way through after they mention something that I thought, hmmm. But she crafts a clever narrative with several threads that the reader has to consider as being potentially the one who actually did it.
At one point, murder victim Diana talks about how many different ways a woman can violated/abused. And through this investigation we see this. As women, we never need a reminder of this, but Lapena really cleverly outlines how victimized Diana was in life and now in death -- objectified, stalked, verbally abused, found not credible when she reports abuse and, ultimately, murdered.
A fascinating read that I couldn't put down. A great read for summer.

This was a quick fun read that I think fans of hers will really enjoy. There were just enough twists to keep you guessing until the last reveal, but enough hints throughout that it didn't feel like it came out of left field. The vast number of characters and secrets explored in this novel kept it interesting and unique from a typical mystery novel where you are only looking to uncover the one secret. All in all I enjoyed it for what it was, but I think it would probably be better received by someone who is a bit newer to the genre.

** Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Random House Canada for providing me with a digital advanced readers copy. All opinions are my own**

I have read a lot of Shari Lapena, and she never disappoints me. This was another solid thriller, set in a smalltown with lots of societal drama. There was a lot I really enjoyed about this story. The story opens with an engaging first chapter where we find a murdered girl discarded in a farm field. From there we are following multiple POV's of people who live in this town and have a connection with the deceased. The story has a lot of short chapters that all end with some kind of cliffhanger that propels the reader to keep turning the pages. Each POV reveals new information to the reader and there are multiple people who could have been the culprit. I didn't love the ending and the final reveal, but I could see the reveal coming when I reflected on the story. My favourite parts of the story were the multiple POV's (which there are a lot and that may throw people off), the multiple motivations which led to more than 1 possible culprit, and the isolated smalltown setting. I will continue to pick up Lapena's releases as they are all solid books for me. If you enjoy their stories, you will not be disappointed by this one.

This is a great thriller. It is full of mystery and intrigue. The book is well written and engaging. There are many twists and turns to keep you guessing until the end. I really enjoyed this book.

“What have you done” is Canadian author Shari Lapena’s 2024 mystery novel. It reads like a classic “whodunit” mystery where the reader is trying to untangle the web of lies suspects tell before getting to the end of the book.

The story follows the murder of a grade twelve girl, Diana, and is told from the POV of 14 characters, including Diana herself, watching in spirit as her loved ones grieve, associates lie, her mother unravels, and the cops try to catch her murderer.

Nearly every narrator is unreliable, each lying to others and sometimes themselves, secretly wondering if they contributed to the circumstances leading to Diana’s death, in turn protecting and investigating the people close to her in life.

As this novel is told from so many perspectives, it does require a dedicated level of attention to remember who is who, with the narrator’s POV often changing multiple times each chapter. I’m glad I read this book over listening to it for that reason.

Having so many narrators keeps the plot driving forward quickly, and Diana’s murder is eventually solved in about a week. However, it also makes it hard to connect to any of the characters and it wasn’t until Diana‘s funeral that I really felt connected to her as a character, as well as her mother and best friend.

I did feel that it ended a little abruptly and from the murderer’s POV. In the small community, where all of our narrators are suspecting one another, it would have been nice to see the fall out when they found out who it really was.

I did enjoy this book and would definitely recommend it to fans of the genre. However, I don’t love the authors pivot to this type of story with so many narrators. I really preferred her more family style stories that are more connected to characters and emotions and family, as in The Couple Next Door.

I really enjoyed this book. It was sad, intriguing and kept me hooked from the start. It kept me guessing all the way to the end.
There were some mixed media vibes with texts and secret journals throughout which I liked.
It was a really good read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Random House Canada for providing an arc in exchange for an honest review.
What Have You Done? releases July 30, 2024
One thing I love about Shari Lapenas writing is how easy and fast paced it is. The story is told by multiple point of views which makes you want to keep reading. This is for sure my favorite book she's written and if you love thrillers you should definitely check this out.

🔦 M Y S T E R I O U S M O N D A Y 🔦 featuring “What Have You Done” by Shari Lapena!

BOOK REVIEW: 🖤🖤🖤🖤/5

When a popular highschool student’s body is found in a farmer’s field, the list of suspects GROWS in the small town where everyone knows one another 👀!

Safety has never been a concern to the townspeople of Fairhill, Vermont until Diana is found dead, having been strangled and left for vultures in the field to feast on. Diana’s boyfriend was the last person to see her the night she was murdered and this puts him at the top of the suspect list. That is of course until word gets out about a teacher and a customer at her part time job that both showed Diana too much unwanted attention!

The people in Diana’s life all seem to be hiding something … but whose secrets could actually be a motive for murder?? Will their secrets help the investigation or put a wedge in between the police and finding Diana’s killer??

In typical Shari Lapena fashion, I was completely hooked by the first chapter! I became totally addicted to what was going on and desperate to find out the truth about Diana! This story is told by multiple narrators, is fast paced and full of cliff hangers! She scatters breadcrumbs of information around that had me jumping from one conclusion to the next! I have never missed a book by this author and cannot recommend her writing enough!

Thank you kindly to @sharilapena @doubledayca @penguinrandomca @netgalley for my advanced digital copy in exchange for my honest review! This book releases on July 30, 2024!

Shari Lapena has done it again! Fast paced thriller that I couldn't put down and left me guessing until the end. Thank you Netgalley for the ARC! I enjoyed every second.

Release date: July 30,2024

Traditional format 📕 (digital). So here I am again having read another Shari Lapena and wondering what the actual F is with this author’s endings? This is about the third book in a row where I want to scream at the ending and this one was exactly the same. I think it’s time for me to just pass on this authors work going forward because I just don’t love the mediocre (and frustrating) endings, they just aren’t for me.

This book was a page turner from the start. Quick paced as we follow the story of a murdered teen and the search for her killer. Multiple POVs, lots of back of forth with characters and lots of things happening in a frantic sold thriller. That’s until the last 10% of the book where once again I wanted to hurl my Kindle against the wall at the stupid ending. First off the plot twist was a let down and the ending ugh. So bad and disappointing.

I wanted to give this book 2.5 stars but I will round it up to 3 for a somewhat enjoyable read for 75% of the book. I think if you like books by this author you will enjoy this one too but just not for me as I found the ending of this one super frustrating and disappointing again like the authors last book.

Thank you to Penguin Random House Canada and Net Gallley for a digital ARC of this book in exchange for a review.

Shari Lapena is one of my favourite thriller writers and an auto-buy author for me. I love her style, how easy they are to read, and the twists she throws your way.

There were a lot of POVs and they changed quickly. This made it such a page turner, you kept wanting to read just one more section and *everyone* looked guilty!

What Have You Done hit all the marks for me.

5⭐️

Shari Lapena is one of my favorite go to authors for thrillers. This book was fast paced and decent for a summer read, but ultimately, it wasn't my favorite by this author. I found the plot a bit transparent and too light - suspense-wise even though I typically pick up grip lits for lightness. I liked how it jumped from point of view to point of view, but at times, it felt like the suspense was being spoon fed to me in a way that just didn't do it for me. An easy read and one that will definitely sell this summer. I'll still recommend it because I love the author.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced reader copy.

[arc review]
Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Random House Canada for providing an arc in exchange for an honest review.
What Have You Done? releases July 30, 2024

In a small town in Vermont, a farmer discovers the remains of a body being ravaged by vultures in his field.
What happened to Diana in the hours after her boyfriend dropped her off at home, and who killed her? Was it the controlling boyfriend who was moving their relationship along at a speed faster than Diana was comfortable with? Was it the gym teacher accused of inappropriate behaviour? Or was it the predatory civilian who was harassing her at her workplace?

This murder mystery is told through a rotating cast of 14 (!) characters, including teachers, parents, best friends, suspects, and the ghost of the dead teen.

Lapena’s novels are always quick reads, but the quantity of character pov’s are quite overwhelming.
If you have the tendency to pay attention to writing styles and the specific uses between first and third person, then it becomes extremely obvious where things are headed.

Finished this book in 1 day, once you start you cannot put it down. Good whodunnit story told from multiple perspectives and which I never guessed the culprits. 4.5 stars

Thank you to Netgalley, Shari Lapena and the publisher for this ARC.

I always enjoy reading Lapena books. They are quick, easy thrillers, but she definitely keeps you glued to the pages. This one was no exception. It was a good thriller about a small town. I liked the multiple POV's, the short chapters, and the cliffhangers. However, I didn't love the POV Lapena included of Diana, the dead girl. It didn't seem necessary. I also didn't love the ending - I guessed the killer, but it did seem to come a bit out of nowhere.

Overall, this was a solid read, and I would recommend to anyone looking for an easy to read thriller you will enjoy!

3,5 stars, rounded up.