Reviews with content warning for Bullying - What Have We Done

Twenty-five years ago, five teenagers did something terrible but necessary (in their eyes). After their group home was dissolved, the five were separated and went to successful but troubled lives. Jenna is a stay-at-home mom, Nico is a reality TV producer with a massive gambling debt, Donnie is a rock star, Ben is a respected judge, and Artemis is a billionaire. Their lives are good until suddenly, one day, Ben is killed. Shortly after, Donnie and Nico are injured in accidents that turn out to be hits on their lives.

On the other hand, Jenna is set up for an attempted assassination. With the assassins hot on their trail, the three must go back to where it all began-the group home that they lived in. There, they must face the past and what they did that night. Because all is not what it seems, and the enemy might be closer than they think.

I accepted the publisher’s invitation to read this book because it was a thriller and a mystery. Since I enjoy both, I figured I would like What Have We Done. And I did. But I was captivated by how the author spun Jenna, Nico, Donnie, Ben, and Artemis’s stories. I couldn’t get enough of their backstories.

What Have We Done is told from several different points of view. The main ones are Jenna, Nico, Donnie, and the psychotic twins. This book also goes between past and present but does it fluidly. There were only a couple of times when I couldn’t immediately figure out what was happening and who the chapter was focused on.

The characters in What Have We Done were well-written and well-fleshed out. But I couldn’t connect with Donnie or Nico. They were just too damaged and a little self-centered (ok, a lot self-centered). Jenna was the one I connected with, and I couldn’t wait to read her chapters. I loved seeing her rely on her former assassin skills to outwit the twins. Plus, when her family was threatened, she didn’t run. Nope, she made her husband run with their daughters while she laid a trail away from them.

I do want to mention the psychopathic twins. I shouldn’t have laughed at them, but they bungled everything. They couldn’t kill their objectives (but had no issues killing other people). They were almost cartoonish in their mannerisms. The scene at the very end of the book with Jenna, her ex-handlers, and the remaining twin was pretty awesome!

Of course, I liked seeing them get their just deserts.

The main plotline with Nico, Donnie, and Jenna investigating Ben’s death and trying to figure out if someone found out about what they did twenty-five years earlier was exciting and action-packed. Donnie was a little useless in this storyline (he was busy telling his story to a ghostwriter). Nico and Jenna were the ones who pieced together everything that was happening. I saw a twist in this storyline coming, but it still surprised me.

The alternating storyline at the group home (with Ben, Nico, Donnie, Jenna, and Artemis) was alarming. I was horrified at what those kids were going through and the rate at which the girls in the home disappeared. Some were explained (like Jenna), but the others weren’t until the end of the book. It wasn’t until a crucial scene towards the end of the book that things were revealed. And let’s say that it made me sick. But, this plotline has a huge twist revealed during the showdown as adults. My mouth dropped when that confession was made. I did not see it coming, which both saddened and disgusted me.

The end of What Have We Done was exciting and a little bloody. I will not get into it, but Donnie, Nico, and Jenna figured everything out. The book’s climax was pretty good, and I liked the confession.

I would recommend What Have We Done to anyone over 21. There is violence, language, and sexual situations. Also, see the trigger warnings at the top of the review.

Many thanks to St. Martin’s Press, Minotaur Books, NetGalley, and Alex Finlay for allowing me to read and review What Have We Done. All opinions stated in this review are mine.

Content Warnings

noladawnreads's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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louisekf's review

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

4.25

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gimmebacon's review against another edition

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dark tense fast-paced

4.0

Ok, I really liked this! The action starts right away and for the first third to half of the book you’re thinking, “I have no idea what’s happening but this is just so exciting; I’m just really happy to be along for the ride!” You start making connections as pieces to the puzzle are revealed only to realize you’re wrong. So wrong! The twists in this book just keep on twisting. And then another twist!
In the audiobook, the different points of view each had their own narrator which really helped bring the characters to life

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amobrien's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

This is a fast-paced multi-POV thriller and while it is certainly entertaining, I found the characters to be a little hard to believe. They all seemed to have interesting individual lives and I feel like they had so much potential, but they were written one-dimensionally. My favorite perspective to read from was Jenna as we were able to see a bit more from her than the other characters, next was Donnie and last was Nico. If you love a good action story with some mystery, you might really enjoy this, but I prefer more character development in my stories so I found this to be lacking at times.

Thank you Netgalley for providing a digital ARC.

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onemorepagecrew's review against another edition

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3.5

What Have We Done by Alex Finlay was a decent, fast-paced mystery with multiple POVs that kept my attention, but ultimately landed in ‘liked not loved’ territory. The story centers on a group of friends who met in a group home during their childhood and are now living a wide variety of adult lives. They come back together when they realize someone is trying to unalive each one of them.

The timeline jumps between their childhoods and their adulthoods, but not in the conventional way with clean chapter breaks. There were times when it would jump and I wouldn’t realize it for a few paragraphs. Not a negative, just something that took some getting used to. My favorite character was Jenna – I loved her dual-life of contract unaliver and low-key mom/wife. I wish there had been more about her early adulthood and how she got into that business, or even just more chapters that centered on her character. The others were just okay, and I was less invested in them.

It's worth noting that the childhood timeline is heavy. It sets a grim scene with abuse, abandonment, and generally awful experiences. I don’t know if I would call this a thriller, it felt like a time crunch mystery with a bit of tension and physical combat. If you like a dual-timeline mystery where both timelines have puzzles to solve, this is worth a read. I’d recommend physical or digital editions to keep track of the characters and timelines unless that’s easy for you to do on audio.

Thank you to Minotaur Books and NetGalley for providing an advanced digital copy of this book, I appreciate you!

Content warnings: Child abuse, Child death, Bullying, Addiction, Violence

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kaylasbookgram's review

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dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

What Have We Done follows Jenna, Nico, and Donnie as they try to figure out who is trying to kill them and why. They are all linked by meeting at a group home at teens and one big mistake that was made 25 years ago. Will their secret come to light or will they be able to keep the past in the past.

This was my first book by Alex Finlay and I enjoyed it. The beginning was a bit confusing to me but once you got through the 3 POVs a few times things began to line up and make sense. This is a great who dun it mystery thriller.

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justacatandabook's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

As kids, Nico, Benny, Jenna, and Donnie bonded at Savior House, a group home for kids. Their time there was full of trauma, as kids disappeared regularly, and they were bullied by the owner's son. However, they've all gone on to lead "regular" lives--with several of them even becoming famous. But soon they realize that someone is coming after them and has succeeded in killing Ben, a judge. As attempts are made on the others, the survivors must reunite and try to figure out why they are being targeted, even if it means returning to the horrors of Savior House.

I have come to really love Alex Finlay's books and while this one was a little different from the others I've read, it did share one trait: it was a total page turner. You have to suspend a little disbelief to fully enjoy WHAT HAVE WE DONE--it reminded me a little bit of a hellbent Rio Youers thriller at times. But it's a fun, crazy read and offers a great mystery.

DONE opens up with the Savior House kids committing a terrible deed as teens--jumping to their present-day lives, we see how that act (and their time at the home) has formed them into adults. We also can't help but wonder if the recent killing is related to what they've done. Not all of them are the most lovable characters, but each is interesting in their own way. We learn about Benny, a distinguished lawyer and judge, through his friends' memories. Nico is a producer for a reality show about coal miners (yup). Jenna has an interesting past and is concentrating on motherhood. And Donnie is a washed up rock star. While they might not all be close now, we see the power of their childhood friendship and how strong kids can be. The book covers some serious topics, including a range of abuse.

There's a lot going on in DONE and sometimes it seems like a little bit much. The short chapters always kept me reading, but the multiple POV and flashbacks to the group home could be overwhelming. Still, this was an exciting read that kept me guessing until the very end.

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley and Minotaur Books in return for an unbiased review.

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