Scan barcode
latelykelsey's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
This was a weird book lol. Like it centers around 3 (eventually 4) people who had some traumatic stuff happen at a group home and are all brought back together. And you think it is gonna be about figuring out what happened on this one night when someone is killed. But then one of the people (and the only girl in the group) turns out to be a assassin that was trained as a teenager? So it is part mystery/thriller and then this covert assassin was thrown in and it was a strange choice. And the actual thriller part was fairly predictable. But I will say that this moved fast, the entire book takes place over 3 days probably.
wisepippin's review against another edition
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
1.0
okevamae's review
4.0
A dark incident in the distant past connects five people, living five very different lives. And then, one of them is murdered, and someone tries to kill the remaining four. These former friends must reunite and face their past to find out who’s after them, and figure out how to save their lives and keep their secret.
This book was pretty good! I liked the characters, the plot was interesting with some clever twists, and the book was fast-paced enough to hold my attention and keep me moving through the pages quickly. I had a few problems with it, though. I had a little trouble suspending disbelief about one thing in particular. Not to be cynical or closed-minded, but kids in the foster system and group homes often have rough lives with limited opportunities, and all five of these characters went on to be hyper-successful – a tech billionaire, a federal judge, a famous TV producer, a rock star, and a highly skilled assassin. For some reason I had a hard time buying that extreme success rate. I’m not saying any of them should have been destitute or trapped in the poverty cycle for it to be believable. But not a single one of them lived a simple, low-profile life? Or rather, the only one who did was an ex-assassin? I also wasn’t a big fan of the fact that the main character of color was the dead one out of the bunch. I’m sure it was not intentional but it’s a trope I've seen often enough that it caught my attention.
Also, I don’t like that the flashbacks are in present tense, it makes it a little hard to track since the rest of the book is in present tense as well. There’s not even a break in the text to signal that it’s moved from past to present. I’m hoping that in the published version there’s at least a break in text, because as it is in the ARC it’s confusing.
All that being said, despite those issues, I still really liked it! Solid 4 stars.
CW: Drug and alcohol abuse, sexual assault, sexual assault of a minor (mentioned)
Representation: POC characters
This book was pretty good! I liked the characters, the plot was interesting with some clever twists, and the book was fast-paced enough to hold my attention and keep me moving through the pages quickly. I had a few problems with it, though. I had a little trouble suspending disbelief about one thing in particular.
Also, I don’t like that the flashbacks are in present tense, it makes it a little hard to track since the rest of the book is in present tense as well. There’s not even a break in the text to signal that it’s moved from past to present. I’m hoping that in the published version there’s at least a break in text, because as it is in the ARC it’s confusing.
All that being said, despite those issues, I still really liked it! Solid 4 stars.
CW: Drug and alcohol abuse, sexual assault, sexual assault of a minor (mentioned)
Representation: POC characters
ignited_redqueen75's review against another edition
4.0
What have we done …
Twenty-Five years ago, a group of foster kids forged a bond through their diverse backgrounds and abuse they endured while at Savior House, a group home for parentless teens. As adults they are now living separate lives:
Jenna is a stay-at-home mom with a past.
Donnie is a has-been rock star with a habit.
Nico is a reality TV producer with debt.
Ben a federal judge and Arty a tech mogul.
Now present day their past pulls them back together, black mail, gambling debts, attempted assassinations and mystery that unfolds involving all of them and two sociopaths that their idea of a fun time is asking “Do you know there are six types of screams?”
It will be a reunion none of them will forget.
I began this book with an audiobook but with it having three different points of view it was more than I could pay attention to and not feel lost. I bought the eBook and began reading from the start. It can be a bit confusing as the author snatches us back and forth from the past to the present, leading us to where this is all going. He does not give too much away or develops these characters too much in a way that I would have expected, however it was enough to keep me involved in the story.
There was enough action and mystery to keep me interested, the author outlines all loose ends and answers all the questions without it being predictable and that makes an impressive mystery thriller.
Despite the lack of character development and the confusing moments of back and forth the stories that unravel for each of these characters were tragic and heartbreaking. I love that despite growing up to having separate lives their bond remained, whether it was because of what they all endured or because of the secret they shared does not matter, it made sense.
Overall: Though the character development was not excellent it was enough to keep me engaged due to the tempo and mystery. The author concludes the story very well; however, I would love to see another book unfold involving the Jenna, I feel the author could have done so much more with just her character alone.,
4 out of 5 stars
jennthumphries's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
thephdivabooks's review
4.0
This is a departure in style for Alex Finlay, though he does tend to have some killer (pun intended) plots for his books. I found this to be more action-y, like watching a good action thriller. The book is more plot-driven than character-driven, though the characters were well-developed enough to keep me hooked.
Twenty-five years before the events of the book, Jenna, Donnie, Nico, Ben, and Arty lived at Savior House, a home that takes in kids whose parents have passed away or left them. While in some ways Savior House saved them—it gave them a place to stay when they had nowhere—it was also their tormentor. Girls at Savior House seem to disappear. Maybe they got placed with families like the administration said, but it seems unlikely. We learn about Savior House and their time there through snippets of story and memories. Savior House looms over the story as a dark entity. Even before we learn exactly what happened at Savior House, it’s clear this was not a happy home.
But it did bring our central five characters together. As adults, they don’t keep in touch as much as they should. Jenna is the central character of the book, and in my opinion by far the most compelling (though I think I would have also thoroughly enjoyed Ben if he had been alive for the book). Jenna was “recruited” (and I put this in quotes because she was definitely not old enough to consent fully to this) into a shadowy organization known as The Corporation. Among the many skills Jenna learned, she also became an assassin.
When the book begins, Jenna is retired from her life of crime and adventure, married to a lovely man with a teenage daughter. She’s happy. And that makes the events of the book particularly terrifying, because Jenna receives a calling card that must be from The Corporation.
I loved reading Jenna’s story. It was entirely unrelatable—something that can at times be frustrating—but in this case it worked because Jenna herself was relatable. She’ll do anything to protect her loved ones and the quiet, content life she has finally achieved. Jenna isn’t naïve though, she has safe guards upon safe guards built around their life to trigger if any threat gets too close. And sure enough, they all get triggered one by one.
The third-person narration worked well so we could get glimpses from a few different character’s stories. Donnie and Nico were less compelling and developed than Jenna, but equally as important to the broader story. They hold some pieces of the story we wouldn’t get if we only heard from Jenna.
The book moves fast and it becomes clear early on that someone is targeting this group from Savior House. While the characters seem like caricatures in their descriptions, they actually had some interesting development to them. Jenna is not your average former-assassin. Donnie may be a washed up musician, but he has more going on than you think. And Nico has a lot more details to uncover about what is going on in his life and his gambling addiction. The history of how he became the person he is fascinated me.
Though the book takes place in the present, this is a book grounded in the past. A lot of what we are trying to figure out is not just who is behind this, but what happened all of those years before? The past never stays in the past, after all. And secrets have a way of resurfacing.
Entertaining, lightening-fast, heart-pounding—What Have We Done may be different from Alex Finlay’s prior books but it is no less engrossing. A must-read if you are looking for a fast-paced thriller!
Twenty-five years before the events of the book, Jenna, Donnie, Nico, Ben, and Arty lived at Savior House, a home that takes in kids whose parents have passed away or left them. While in some ways Savior House saved them—it gave them a place to stay when they had nowhere—it was also their tormentor. Girls at Savior House seem to disappear. Maybe they got placed with families like the administration said, but it seems unlikely. We learn about Savior House and their time there through snippets of story and memories. Savior House looms over the story as a dark entity. Even before we learn exactly what happened at Savior House, it’s clear this was not a happy home.
But it did bring our central five characters together. As adults, they don’t keep in touch as much as they should. Jenna is the central character of the book, and in my opinion by far the most compelling (though I think I would have also thoroughly enjoyed Ben if he had been alive for the book). Jenna was “recruited” (and I put this in quotes because she was definitely not old enough to consent fully to this) into a shadowy organization known as The Corporation. Among the many skills Jenna learned, she also became an assassin.
When the book begins, Jenna is retired from her life of crime and adventure, married to a lovely man with a teenage daughter. She’s happy. And that makes the events of the book particularly terrifying, because Jenna receives a calling card that must be from The Corporation.
I loved reading Jenna’s story. It was entirely unrelatable—something that can at times be frustrating—but in this case it worked because Jenna herself was relatable. She’ll do anything to protect her loved ones and the quiet, content life she has finally achieved. Jenna isn’t naïve though, she has safe guards upon safe guards built around their life to trigger if any threat gets too close. And sure enough, they all get triggered one by one.
The third-person narration worked well so we could get glimpses from a few different character’s stories. Donnie and Nico were less compelling and developed than Jenna, but equally as important to the broader story. They hold some pieces of the story we wouldn’t get if we only heard from Jenna.
The book moves fast and it becomes clear early on that someone is targeting this group from Savior House. While the characters seem like caricatures in their descriptions, they actually had some interesting development to them. Jenna is not your average former-assassin. Donnie may be a washed up musician, but he has more going on than you think. And Nico has a lot more details to uncover about what is going on in his life and his gambling addiction. The history of how he became the person he is fascinated me.
Though the book takes place in the present, this is a book grounded in the past. A lot of what we are trying to figure out is not just who is behind this, but what happened all of those years before? The past never stays in the past, after all. And secrets have a way of resurfacing.
Entertaining, lightening-fast, heart-pounding—What Have We Done may be different from Alex Finlay’s prior books but it is no less engrossing. A must-read if you are looking for a fast-paced thriller!
ashbashstrong's review
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
3.0