I thought I Did Something Bad was a fun, fresh and engaging rom com. This felt like something fun to read, despite some of the subject matter being on the heavier side. I could totally see this novel becoming a perfect movie to watch during girls night in!

I picked this up thinking it would either be a play on Taylor Swift’s song or a romcom meets mystery. It was heavier than I expected so not really a romcom and not really a nod to the song. This felt a lot like Finlay Donovan but without the humor. I liked the set-up of journalist meets movie star and suddenly become mixed up together in a murder. I didn’t buy why they made the choice they made as to hide it but once I got past that, the romance was enjoyable if a little fast. However, this author took a chance on including a really polarizing topic as a side plot and unfortunately, I’m on the opposing side of where she obviously lands on that issue which greatly affected my thoughts on this book. I also didn’t love the careless way divorce was discussed. I think someone else without my opinions would enjoy it more.

I received a copy of this audiobook from NetGalley. The thoughts and opinions in this review are my own.

Content Notes: Strong language, extremely vague closed door (I’m not sure anything happened)

This was a cute book. I loved the characters and I love watching their relationship grow. The story had some funny parts sprinkled with mystery and romance. This book was enjoyable. I listened to it he audiobook and enjoyed the narrator.

I thoroughly enjoyed the story. It had sprinkles of mystery, drama, romance, and thrills. The characters were likable and projected heavy chemistry between them, and the ending was satisfying.

I posted to Goodreads and plan on posting to Amazon on release day.
Review:
I enjoyed the pacing and story line of this debut book and really enjoyed the mystery/adventure portion of covering up the murder. While there is a slow-burn romance in the book, the rom-com vibe didn't fully come through for me. All in all the book still sucked me into the storyline and kept me engaged waiting to see what the next turn was.
Khin is a journalist writing a scoop on Tyler while he is shooting a film with his best friend. Khin takes the freelance piece motivated by a position with Vogue, but Tyler is private and Khin has her own baggage. Then there's the murder that gives them a shared secret.
Tyler falls first and hard for Khin. The movie star and journalist dynamic is also a fun one because it adds another layer of the characters opening up and the tension building between them.
Thank you NetGalley for the advanced audiobook.

I really wanted to like this, but there was a lot that didn’t work for me.

The romance felt very contrived, there was a lot that was shown and not told. The third act breakdown felt a little ridiculous to me given the nature of Tyler and Khin’s relationship in the beginning.

The wrap up of the suspense plot was not for me as well.

2.5 stars. Lottttttttttssssss of agenda pushing in this one, the romance felt very unrealistic and the light-hearted tone (despite what was happening) made me feel disconnected from the characters.

Khin was just assigned to Tyler, an international superstar and follow him and worry about him and hoping to dig some secrets to make her article a standout.

Khin is attacked by a man and Tyler comes to the rescue. They agreed to hide what happened and they try to figure out why this man attacked Khin. This is where the story started falling apart for me. It made zero sense that they didn't go to the police.

Tyler and Khin are forced to spend a lot time together with the article and they start falling for each other. I didn't really buy their romance.

Khin must decide if she really into Tyler and Tyler must decide if she is just doing this for the article. I really enjoyed Tyler and thought he was a great character.

Overall, a decent debut and I enjoyed the narration by Jacqui Bardelang.

Thank you @macmillan.audio @smpromance @netgalley for a copy of this book.

I could not hit pause on this audiobook! It had me on the edge of my seat, from the mystery to the romance, and I would listen to Jacqui Bardelang read the phone book. I had to rewind when she switched to an Australian accent because it was so good that it caught me off guard! The chemistry between Khin and Tyler was sizzling--we love a man who falls first. All around a fantastic read!

I Did Something Bad was a really interesting debut. It's a cozy mystery in the vein of Arsenic and Adobo and Dial A for Aunties (though not as funny) about a journalist who finds herself in the right place at the wrong time with the wrong person and mayhem ensues. It was an interesting concept for a mystery, but my issue is with the fact that it's listed as a romance on NetGalley, because the romance here was minimal and left me wanting. The narrator, however, was fantastic, and made listening to the audiobook a real treat.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio for gifting me with an ALC to review! All opinions are my own.

4.5 stars! Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for this advanced copy! You can pick up I Did Something Bad on October 8, 2024.

I loved this romance/mystery blend of a book! Pyae Moe Thet War did a fantastic job balancing the budding romance between Tyler and Khin with their antics to cover up an accidental murder. The more we uncovered about the victim and why they were following Khin, the closer her and Tyler grew, and the more I fell in love with both characters. I really appreciated War's depiction of Khin's journalistic activities as well, and how the cover story became more than either Tyler or Khin had planned.

The narrator for this book also did a fantastic job! The switch between Khin and Tyler felt really natural, and it almost felt like I was watching a drama rather than listening to an audiobook. Can't wait for everyone to pick this up in a few weeks!

The narrator: Very entertaining and easy to listen to. I had the best of both worlds as I was able to have an audio copy and a digital copy of this book. Switching between the two was convenient and enjoyable. The narrator made listening to the story fun and interesting.

The story: This is one adventurous romance. Khin is a journalist who is assigned to write a cover story for Vogue on the hottest movie star, Tyler Tun. When a man ends up dead the two of them team up to cover it up. They work together to find out more about the man. As they do, the feelings between them begin to grow.

I loved the thrilling storyline and side plot of mystery. The romance between Khin and Tyler seemed real and genuine. It developed naturally over time which makes it very realistic. The spice in this one is low which is what I prefer.

Overall a very entertaining and unique romance.

Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for an audio copy in exchange for my honest review.

I Did Something Bad by Pyae Moe Thet War is not your typical romance. There's a dead guy in it, for one, not to mention a cover-up, a Vogue expose, and no shortage of commentary on illegal abortion in Myanmar, where the story takes place. I'd say it was one part romance, two parts murder conspiracy & complications thereof.

Khin, a freelance journalist, has been offered the job that could make her career (so far): writing the cover story of Tyler Tun for Vogue. He's a global mega-star actor, and he's filming a new movie in Myanmar with his best friend Mai. She's to shadow him for two months, and if she can get a major break for the piece, she's all but guaranteed a lead journalist job for Vogue Singapore. As a recent divorcee, the opportunity is too good to pass on. When she meets him, she can tell he's hiding something, but they get on well enough. Then on the first day of shooting, Khin is approached by a drunkard 'white guy' who assaults her. She shoves a monogrammed pen in his ear and drops him off a bridge. Tyler finds her and steps in to help at the last minute, and she somehow talks him into pretending nothing happened. When the police show up on set the next day, they team up to get the story straight.

To be honest, it felt like this book was a little confused. I'm not sure what exactly it's trying to be. It reminded me in some ways of Finlay Donovan is Killing It, except the stakes didn't really seem that high, and it didn't have a really high degree of humor. There were detectives, but they were pretty despicable. It was a little odd that they seemed almost more concerned with the article she'd previously written about outlawed abortions than the dead guy in the lake. The romance wasn't incredibly strong either. I liked Tyler, but nothing about their connection felt very profound.

I was lucky to receive this title as an advanced listeners copy through netgalley from the publisher. I will say I especially enjoyed the voice she chose for Tyler, but I kind of hated the voice she chose for best friend Mai. It wasn't enough to detract from the story though.

Overall it was an entertaining story, it just didn't blow me away in any of the several categories it spanned. I'm not really sure what kind of reader I would recommend it to.

Cue Taylor Swift's "I Did Something Bad" please! This was such a fun mystery and I loved the narrator who really brought this book and the characters in it to life. If you enjoyed the Finlay Donovan series, this one is definitely for you!

I love the trend of adding a little murder and mystery to rom-coms. It meshes my two favorite genres, and the outcomes are always a lot of fun!

I enjoyed Khin and Tyler's slow-burn forbidden romance. Although from two totally different worlds, they complimented each other well. I liked that Tyler treated Khin as his equal and wanted to get to know her too, instead of their business arrangement being all one way.

The murder cover-up required some significant suspension of belief, but added some interesting suspense to the story and the relationship between the main characters. It's far-fetched in a fun way, and the way the situation resolves is a relief.

War's next book looks so much fun, and I'm excited to read her work again in the future.

3.5 but rounding up to 4 stars.

The relationship dynamic and shenanigans were so much fun! I really enjoyed how much of both main character's jobs we got to see, the premise of her shadowing him and working on an article while he films a movie really worked for me.

I’d recommend this to people who liked Dial A for Auntie's by Jessie Q. Sutanto but wanted it to focus more on the romance and a little less on the murdery hijinks.

Also, the audiobook narrator was excellent.

Overall, this book was a lot of fun and I will definitely read more from Pyae Moe Thet War.

3.5 ☆
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The cover art for this book is beautiful and caught my attention. In this book, we meet freelance journalist Khin, who is assigned by Vogue to get the scoop on Hollywood's #1 hottest movie star, Tyler Tun. Tyler has done his very best to keep his private life private. Then, one night on set, a strange man follows Khin into the surrounding park grounds. When he threatens her, Tyler steps in, and things escalate quickly. When she learns that this man seems to have targeted her specifically, she needs to do everything she can to find out why.
The pacing of this book felt slow to me and could have been faster. It wasn't holding my attention as much as I wanted it to, to the point that I wasn't even interested in why the man followed Khin.
The audiobook was good; the narrator did a good job. She was easy to listen to and understand. I do wish it had been a dual narrator.
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Thank you, Netgellay, St Martin Press for the eBook and MacmillanAudio for the audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

Thanks to St Martins and Macmillan Audio for the eARC and ALC.

4.31 stars rounded to 4

I love so much about this book. It seems like it’s going to be another fun but cheesy cozy mystery, but it’s more of a rom com with substance than a cozy. For one, the mystery is back burnered a bit and not the primary driver of plot. It also has multi-dimensional characters that feel real.

Here’s what I loved about it:
💙 The characters and their romance!! Tyler is such a unicorn - a celebrity x golden retriever mix (haha). I found Khin and her struggles/situation so relatable and couldn’t help but root for her. Their relationship gradually evolves from acquaintances to friends to lovers and it all feels so natural and real.
💙 The setting! I’ve never read a book set in Myanmar and absolutely loved it! The author does so much to bring it to life. There’s the physical setting that’s brought to life by the on location filming for Tyler’s movie, plus tons of scenes set in local parks or while commuting. It definitely feels like you’re in a big city but one with greenery and a focus on sustainability.
💙 There’s also the political side of Myanmar, highlighted by Khin’s article in Time Magazine about a secret abortion clinic. This story line masterfully advances the plot, adds dimension to multiple characters, and builds awareness about the current state of women’s rights in Myanmar.

Things that didn’t work for me:
🫣 It definitely suffers from the “that’s a little too convenient” issue that so many cozies and adventure romcoms face. I’ve learned to accept it with the genre but worth noting if this is a sticking point for you.
🫣 Idk how i feel about the trend of using Taylor’s lyrics as your book title. It feels a little grabby/bait-y. But when it’s a lyric that’s already a common phrase, as is the case for I Did Something Bad, I’m more ok with it. I didn’t even put two and two together that it’s a song title until the story mentioned Taylor Swift as well.

🎧: I’ve never heard Jacqui Bardelang narrate before but I enjoyed her performance! It was appropriately emotional with good pacing, cadence, and enunciation. Solid, would recommend.

5 ⭐ .5 🌶 5 🎧

A rom-com, but make it murdery.

I couldn't get enough for this book, and to find out it's Pyae's debut novel and that she herself was born and raised in Yangon, Myanmar had me giddy as heck. I loved all of the little nods to feminism and racism that she added to this story, it had some very powerful moments that had me in my feels.

I adored Tyler and Khin so much, and all of their friends and family too. May was a-may-zing (sorry, couldn't help myself) and Nay and Thidar were incredible too. This story had some of the bestest best friends. Tyler was such a sweetheart, once I got over my initial suspicions I fell pretty hard for him. Khin broke my heart a time or two... She just had so much baggage and watching her run from it, before finally unpacking it had me all up in my feels.

The ending was perfect. I was so sad to see it end, but I'll definitely be keeping an eye on more from Pyae.

I absolutely loved the audio. Jacqui Bardelang was fantastic and her accent was so enjoyable to listen to. I honestly want to listen to this story over and over again.

I Did Something Bad by Pyae Moe Thet War
Narrator: Jacqui Bardelang
Rating: 3.5 stars
Pub date: 10/8

Thank you so much to St. Martin’s Press for my advanced copy and to Macmillan Audio for my complimentary audiobook. #macaudio2024
Khin Hlaing is a freelance journalist hoping to land a dream job at Vogue Singapore by scoring an exclusive story on Hollywood movie star, Tyler Tun. But when a run-in with a shady guy on set leads to a deadly accident, Khin and Tyler are suddenly in way over their heads, trying to cover up a murder while sparks fly between them.

The book does a great job balancing all the tension—there’s the obvious stress of the murder cover-up, but also Khin’s pressure to deliver the story of her career, Tyler’s mysterious past, and of course, the growing chemistry between them. The slow-burn romance feels real, and watching Tyler slowly open up to Khin is satisfying. While the book is marketed as a rom-com, it leans more toward romantic suspense, so don’t expect many laugh-out-loud moments.

Khin’s perspective keeps the story moving, and though I would’ve loved to get Tyler’s POV, it works this way. There are a few times when the story feels far-fetched, but if you suspend your disbelief, you’ll enjoy it. Also, while there’s a lot of slow-burn tension between the characters, there isn’t a lot of actual romance.

Overall, it’s a solid read with a good mix of romantic tension, drama, and mystery. I listened to this on audio, and I loved the narration by Jacqui Bardelang. She did an amazing job bringing all the characters to life.