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coyotecasket's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
I did enjoy this book, but it was just okay to me. I enjoy books with multiple POVs, but this one fell a little flat for me. The author kept explaining the same events multiple times with different characters and it became very confusing to me. Also, the characters all seemed a little flat to me. We didn't really get what the characters very feeling, only what they were doing. It was very much "this happened, then this happened" instead of "this happened and these are the emotions I'm feeling as this chatacter" Something else that bothered me is that all of these characters are supposed to be from foster care and all of this... yet all of them basically won the lottery of life. We have a billionaire, a pretty successful Rockstar (washed up sure but he was making it big at one point), a producer of a hit show, a rich judge, and an ex assassin who married well. Im not saying this doesn't happen to foster care kids or that they can't be successful, but all 5 of them seems very far-fetched for me. Capitalism ya know. Furthermore, in a lot of the circumstances, it was obvious that the author was speaking from an outsiders perspective and didn't really understand how an addict or someone going through what the characters were going though would act.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Adult/minor relationship, Abandonment, Sexual assault, Bullying, Alcohol, Child death, Drug use, Rape, Death of parent, Drug abuse, and Pedophilia
motherofbears's review
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Not what I expected but the pacing is pretty great and the mystery worked well. Solid.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence and Police brutality
Moderate: Alcoholism, Child death, Injury/Injury detail, Abandonment, Bullying, Child abuse, Rape, Sexual violence, and Alcohol
spaghettii's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Bullying, Addiction, Alcohol, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Mental illness, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual violence, Stalking, Sexual harassment, Abandonment, Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Terminal illness, Trafficking, Violence, Alcoholism, Car accident, Chronic illness, Cursing, Death, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Sexual assault, Torture, Child abuse, Child death, Death of parent, and Gore
chymerra's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
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
3.0
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
Graphic: Gun violence, Violence, and Addiction
Moderate: Bullying, Child death, and Murder
Minor: Rape, Sexual assault, and Trafficking
melissathereadingnerd's review against another edition
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Content Warnings
Minor: Rape and Trafficking
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