A review by babewithabookandabeer
You Know What You Did by K.T. Nguyen

dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

5.0

Thank you Dutton Books for my Netgalley copy of YOU KNOW WHAT YOU DID by K. T. Nguyen out 4/16/24!

When I saw this was for fans of Celeste Ng or Lisa Jewell, I knew I had to request this debut! It follows Annie Shaw, an artist with her dream career, devoted husband and whip-smart teenage daughter. When her mother, a Vietnam War refugee, dies suddenly, her life starts to unravel as her obsessive-compulsive disorder comes roaring back.

One of her prominent clients goes missing and the investigation zeroes in on Annie. She begins to question her own mind, hyperfixate on her traumas she endured as a child, and as she pushes everyone away around her, wakes up in a hotel room next to a naked, lifeless body.

This book had twist after twist, and while the narrator was frustrating at times, I couldn’t put it down. This is an amazing thriller, that details the hardships of OCD paired with the wounds of the refugee experience. What legacies do we leave for our children? Is the bond between mother and daughter unbreakable or does it have its limits? Can we ever escape the trauma we endured? 

The ending is wild and my skin crawled on more than one occasion. I will definitely keep my eyes peeled for K. T. Nguyen’s follow-up novel!