The reason that this book did not get a five star from me was because I felt that the story line and pacing was a bit too slow. At times it was repetitive and could have been cut down some. This took me much longer to read than a normal thriller would.

The setting is a familiar one, where old friends gather after some times apart, secrets are revealed, repressed anger or passions come alive once again and trouble is brewing on the horizon. The fact is... some of these people KNOW what happened, but are they brave enough to tell? Ali faced with the battle between believing her best friend or her husband, you’ll be surprised which side she chooses. I'm not sure where to start with this one. I feel like I should get a few start for being able to finish it. The protagonist is one of the most unlikable characters I've ever read about in a book. That in and of itself is not the problem - the problem is that I don't think it was the author's intent. As her family and best friend go through the unthinkable, she worries about her beautiful home and her beautiful things, and that's just a start. Claire McGowan is a well-established author who penned her first book in her native, Rostrevor when she was only nine years old. When penning her first novel, McGowan was still in primary school, and she admits that the novel was not interesting at all. 19 years later, McGowan wrote her first novel, The Fall, which ensured that she made a name for herself in the Northern Ireland’s list of top notch writers. According to McGowan, her first novel, The Fall was completely a surprise to her because when penning it down, she completely had no idea that she was working on a crime fiction novel. This is mainly because Claire McGowan believed that crime novels were mainly whodunits and detective novels. However, later on, Claire McGowan discovered that there were so much involved in the crime fiction genre.

Publication Order of Anthologies

Rachel lives a quiet life in the peaceful countryside, content with her perfect man and her lovely dog. But when she stumbles upon a body in the woods one day, all that shatters. She knows what she has to do: run. Don’t get accused of murder. But when this victim is identified as her boyfriend’s estranged wife, Rachel realises she’s already the prime suspect. Although we see the story mainly from Ali’s viewpoint, the lasting, devastating effect on Karen isn’t downplayed either. Then there are the other, secondary victims - Karen’s teenage son, Ali’s son and daughter, who are affected in different ways. I wasn't sure at first about the inclusion of the 1993 storyline. It felt a bit like flogging a dead horse - yes, lies have been told before, we get it. But it evolved into becoming an integral element of the novel, and it did end up adding a lot to the readers experience. I have read other books by this author and was not disappointed. I'm hoping this one was just an anomaly. I will be happy to read her future books.

At first, it was hard to Ali; I know women like her, who would turn a blind eye to any transgression a spouse has done as long as she is able to live in her plastic delusional bubble that her family is fine; that nothing is wrong with anyone and anything. Cassie, her brother Benji and Jake, Karen’s son, were the only characters I really liked. They were the only ones who could see how tragic the events of the night and the few days after were and they were not thinking about the consequences for themselves. Was What You Did as good as it's hyped up to be? Not really. Was it really bad? It's not so bad that I want to put it in the DNF pile. This psychological thriller wasn't really a thriller. The suspense never reached a level of ... I have GOT to find out what happens next. It started with a bang and then fizzled a bit. None of the characters have any redeeming qualities.As the mystery unravels there are many more surprises and twists to come. Can you really trust your friends? Are your friends who they pretend to be?

Enter their 4 best friends from university: a second couple Jodi & Callum ...both married and pregnant and then the two single outcasts of the group, Karen and Bill, that have been pushed together more than a few times but just don’t feel that way about each other. Karen’s son also tags along, Jake, who is supposedly best friends with Ali’s daughter Cassie, but their bond to one another seems a bit TOO close for comfort. Meet Ali & Mike, college sweethearts that seem to have it all...the million-dollar home, a boy & girl, genuine love for one another and while her husband is a prestigious lawyer Ali works to make female empowerment more prevalent in today’s world. She is a hardcore feminist who believes that women need to be heard, especially in cases of domestic violence and sexual misconduct. However, despite it’s promising start and compelling premise, What You Did kind of fizzled out for me. To be honest, the vast majority of the characters are very difficult to like or really empathise with in any way. That is not necessarily a problem, I’ve enjoyed plenty of books with unlikeable characters but in this case it just didn’t work for me. The story took some odd twists and turns which also didn’t totally come off. Bardsley, meanwhile, is an in-demand TV scribe. She is a writer and AP on Boiling Point, the Stephen Graham-starring BBC TV series based on the Phillip Barantini indie pic that debuted last weekend. Other credits include upcoming Apple TV+ period drama The Buccaneers, Netflix drama Everything Now from The Crown maker Left Bank and Channel 4’s Screw. Deadline revealed last week that she is also working on a TV adaptation of Lucy Clarke’s The Hike with Studiocanal’s Urban Myth. All this chaos brings the past to the forefront. There are darker memories too. Memories that have lain dormant for decades. Memories someone would kill to protect.When the ensuing chaos forces her to re-examine the golden era the group shared at university, Ali realises there are darker memories too. Memories that have lain dormant for decades. Memories someone would kill to protect.