A great, thought-provoking, psychological thriller! Even though I guessed the twist 20% of the way in, I had a lot of fun reading this book. The plot was unique and twisty, and the writing was so good I was even starting to question my own theory about who the bad guy was. 

I love a thriller that has some depth to it, and KT Nguyen certainly delivered. Mental health, particularly OCD and PTSD, are major focuses of YOU KNOW WHAT YOU DID, as well as white supremacy/patriarchal issues (immigration, war, race, etc). 

This isn’t exactly a book I would recommend as a weekend binge (which is definitely also a type of thriller I enjoy!), but is a bit of a slow burn that moves in fits and starts and benefits from savoring it over several sittings. Highly recommend!

this book is complex in the best ways, it is everything I could have asked for. I have been itching for a good horror (or horror-adjacent) book and this was it.

Annie is an unreliable narrator and I found myself both caring deeply for her but also disliking her (which was a perfect balance). I was compelled to know what was going to happen next and what information was being withheld, I was on the edge of my seat the whole time.

I did feel like the resolution was a little lackluster though, and if I would tweak anything about this novel, it would be that.

I did like, however, that the ending gave her a secret to keep (in the most vague terms possible lol)

I will be back for more of what this author does in the future.

I cannot say I would recommend this to just anyone (if you are interested, consider looking at a list of trigger/content warnings), however, if you are a horror or thriller fan, this might be a great fit.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishing team for granting me a free and advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. 

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.