This was a solid, standard thriller. The middle dragged a little at times, but the ending felt like a decently-paced climax. The reveal felt a little out of nowhere. I also don’t know if we really got closure on the sort of main mystery/ initial incident of the death of her mother. Was it actually natural? Was it supposed to be something more like the other deaths? Not entirely sure. 

The pacing of this book is slow and the repetitive memory recall: Bones snap. Steel crunches. The sick thud of a skull slamming against the dashboard. Screams. A child cries that echos in nearly every chapter is no longer acting as an intriguing hook for the readers but an annoying directionless loop. I do not agree with Annie's mother's choice of words for her granddaughter but I do a agree with her observation that Tabby is spoiled and too American. Her sense of entitlement is normal for a teenager buy she lacks discipline and respect for her parents and authority. IF it was the goal of the author to make the daughter annoying, she succeed.

Annie's character is dealing with a secret trauma, on top of the loss of her mother and the psychological abuse she embedded within Annie throughout her life. Annie--from her Americanize version of her name Anh to her desires to be seen more than a first generation Vietnamese woman and a daughter of an odd, Vietnamese immigrant who made a name for herself at the hands of rich older white women who allowed her to take her art and make it a living. Or as a woman who married off well--both with her husbands looks, his money and status. Whether subconsciously or consciously, Annie is trying to hold on to this identity she has created for herself as a creative, a wife, and a mother.

In the same breath, readers are left to wonder if Annie's guilt over her mother's death is because she died at Annie's hands or if it has anything to do with something else entirely. I mean, I feel like I could go on and this is just 50+ pages into this book. 

Annie feels shame for her:
Mother's compulsive hoarding
Her mother's strict views
Not having the same mother daughter relationship as her close friend
Over not wanting to take care of her mother
Over not being able to have a close relationship with her own daughter

I am sure the list goes on.

4 stars 🌟 this book was so wild. You have an unreliable narrator, and a lot of mother daughter relationship toxic themes throughout the book.
There's representation for OCD and a very specific type, I can't remember the name rn. However Annie the FMC is triggered back into her old OCD habits after her mother dies. 
There's multiple flashbacks to events Annie has memories of and they always end with You Know What You Did. So the whole time I'm reading this I'm thinking about what the hell did she do?! Haha. 
I started feeling like wow this woman is really mentally unstable to the point she can't remember what even happened.
The ending threw me for a loop! I seriously didn't see it coming and that made this book so good. It's got a lot of triggers especially for immigrant parental relationship with their kid. There was some stuff that Annie went through with her mom that sadly I've seen so often in my own family with how women are perceived and should act especially in Asian culture. Please keep that in mind when going into this book.

I picked this up because it is the Literally Dead Book Club pick for June.
"You Know What You Did" follows a woman named Annie Shaw. Despite humble and often challenging beginnings, Annie seems to have the perfect life now with her wealthy husband and sassy teenage daughter. Somewhat unexpectantly, Annie's mother, a Vietnam War refugee, passes away, and Annie's life seems to be coming apart at the seams. People around Annie seem to be disappearing or turning up dead, and she cannot believe she is the catalyst for all of this, but she also does not know if she can trust her own mind.
This was a highly enjoyable mystery. Annie's story felt very relatable, but unique at the same time. All of the relationships in her life seem to be complicated and rife with turbulence. For example, despite loving her mother dearly, and appreciating the sacrifices she made for Annie, Annie and her mother had a complex relationship that became very difficult at the end. Annie knows what her mother would want, and she still hears her mother's voice criticizing her every day. This is really compounded by her increasingly difficult relationship with her own daughter.
I really enjoyed the idea that Annie was an unreliable narrator. Annie really struggles with some mental health issues, and throughout the book, Annie herself does not trust her own mind. I really enjoy this trope because it really forces the reader to trust their gut and analyze every angle of every situation.
The ultimate twist and resolution of this story was fine, but I was kind of disappointed. The person responsible for what was going on felt very cliche to me, and easy to predict. I was also left feeling lackluster about where Annie ultimately ended up. It was poetic in a way, but it almost did not feel authentic to her character.
Overall, I had a fine time with this debut, and I will be curious to keep K.T. Nguyen on my radar in the future. 

Thank you to Penguin Group Dutton and NetGalley for the Digital ARC of You Know What You Did. 

I love a thriller. I especially love a thriller that’s dealing with larger issues beyond the crime(s) themselves. The way Nguyen writes about the immigrant experience, PTSD, mental illness, mother/daughter relationships, and generational trauma is important and timely. At times, the messaging can be heavy handed if the reader considers themselves slightly versed in the topic(s) above, but overall the writing was a welcome addition to the thriller as a whole. 

Where the novel lost me was in the pacing and time jumps. A lot of the chapters in the middle section of the book generally ended on the same note or even the same sentence. Some chapters felt like lateral moves as opposed to steps in the plot. It was also difficult to keep track of where in the overall story a certain chapter was taking place. Both of these aspects messed with the pacing and took me out of the story. 

Overall, I would generally recommend this book to someone who enjoys thrillers and family dramas, but I would warn them of the pacing issues in advance.