Ali's best friend is raped in her garden during a college reunion and she says it's your husband.  But it can't be, can it?  There are lies and layers of lies to be unraveled in this fascinating domestic suspenser.  This one hooked me from the very beginning and kept me excited till the end. A very good book that really got me hooked.

What do you do when you have to choose between your husband and your best friend?  Who do you believe?  This is Ali’s dilemma when something unspeakable happens at the reunion of old university friends held at her house.  I loved this book despite the fact most of the characters were despicable, self serving drips - the sort you’d love to shake!  Two time lines and several points of view.  There were one or two surprises along the way.  Wouldn’t really describe this as a thriller but more of a domestic drama.

With thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for the Arc, which I have enjoyed reading.
This is the first book I have read by Claire McGowan and it was an absolutely fascinating and enjoyable read. It had everything you want in a psychological thriller, pace, suspense, a past history, sexual assault, rape, teenage angst and enough twists and turns to keep any reader happy.
The six main characters met at Oxford University and have a reunion many years later. Two couples are still together and two are single. The events of that evening’s reunion has repercussions for all of them.
Highly recommended.

Just loved this book. the characters sucked you right in and took you on the ride of your life.  I will be looking for other books by this author.  A definite read for anyone loves suspense

The synopsis of this book sounded so interesting to me and I knew I had to read it. After finishing this book, which took me awhile because I had no connection to the story or the characters, I can say that I just did not like it. The beginning of the book was easy to follow. I wanted to put it down and not finish it, but I try not to DNF books. I just could not get into the whole story and the characters were blah. I wouldn't recommend this book if you are looking for a good mystery.

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.

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.

While Ali furiously and meticulously preps her home, her meal and her kids for the BEST possible reunion experience after many, many years of missing her friends... what could possibly go wrong? In this case, everything. 

After a night of hardcore drinking and dabbling with drugs the unexplainable happens leaving the entire house shook. Karen runs into the house screaming, a trickle of blood down her leg, grass and dirt stained from head to toe claiming that Mike raped her. With Callum passed out on the couch, Mike unconscious on the backyard swing set, Bill and Ali both awakened from bed and Jodi in the kitchen pregnant and confused— no one has a clue what REALLY happened. 

Just how drunk were these house guests ? What did Ali & Mike’s daughter hear outside and who did their son see lurking in the shadows out his bedroom window? Exactly where was Jake at the time his mother was attacked?

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. 

With one person fighting for their life, one in prison, one confronting a past that has been buried for far too long, and another so scared they can’t sleep at night... you won’t soon forget the outcome of this story! 

Told in multi-perspectives...you will see how secrets begin to shatter the life that every single one of them has built to date. “I couldn’t believe the way everyone had kept secrets from me all these years...Although, of course, I’d kept secrets of my own as well.”

4 well- deserved mind boggling stars ⭐️

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.

Spoiler—Do NOT read ahead—

I don’t believe that the current ( not past) romance between Ali & Bill was necessary, nor did it add anything of value to the plot.

I also find it hard to believe that a main character so in tune with her inner feminist could be so naive at her husband’s indiscretions.

This was my first Claire McGowan novel but it won’t be the last! I thoroughly enjoyed this book.

Thank you Netgalley for providing me with an e-arc.

I wanted to love this. I really loved the idea of it. But there was too much going on., almost like the writer got paid extra for all the added drama. It seemed like random things were just thrown into the story for no reason. The writing was good, but the story line jumped around, I couldn't' follow what was happening, and the characters were all terrible people. 

I finished it, by bribing myself. If i read this whole one I could start my favorite authors new book.

I could not put down What You Did by Claire McGowan. The story begins with 6 college friends who reunite 25 years after graduating. Within a short time, though, one of them is raped, and one is accused. That act sets off a series of revelations spanning their 25 year relationships. There were some great, intricate twists in this story. But ultimately I rated it 3 stars because a lot of the revelations I saw coming from a mile away! The main character, Ali, was just either really stupid, or so self-centered that it just took the story down a little, for me. Overall, this was just a good story, not great. It reminded me somewhat of The Husband’s Secret by Liane Moriarty. I would read more stories by Ms, McGowan, she has potential. 

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an e-copy in exchange for a review. #netgalley #whatyoudid

Keep your friends close and your enemies closer. But what if you can’t tell which is which? What if you don’t know who you can trust?
It’s the 25th anniversary reunion for the group of 6 that created a bond while in university, a bond that is still strong today. But is it?
Mike and Ali seem to have it all. They’ve been together since university and have the perfect marriage. Two kids. A beautiful house. And money. Ali feels like she has it all and is content being an activist for rape victims. She has the life she has always wanted and naively believes that nothing could shatter that. 
With Mike and Ali hosting the weekend reunion, soon arrives Karen, Bill, and married and a couple soon to have a baby,  Jodi and her husband. 
But the exciting and anticipated reunion would not end well as one guest in a drunken stupor, bloody and hysterical, runs in with a claim of rape. By Ali’s husband. But that can’t be. It couldn’t possibly be true. But who is lying? Her husband or her best friend?
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?
I read some negative reviews for this book and I am quite surprised as I really liked this book. I hadn’t read any by this author before, but I liked it so much that I downloaded more by her. People have stated that the characters were not likeable and they couldn’t connect with them. Sometimes for me that makes a difference but in this book, I did dislike pretty much every one of the six with one exception. Although I would not want any of them as friends, it didn’t take anything away from my enjoyment of the book and without the characters as they are, it would be a totally different story.
While most of the story centres around the reunion and it’s outcome, the story of their college years is mixed in along with some teenage angst. Ali, being a crisis and rape victim activist has some very set beliefs in rape that are challenged when her husband is the one accused of rape. 
I went through a bit of a reading slump for a couple of months prior to reading this, but this novel whipped me back into my love of reading. It is entertaining, gripping and full of twists and turns you don’t suspect. 
4 1/2 stars for me! And my next read will be “The Other Wife”
Thanks to net galley and the publisher for allowing me the privilege of reading “What You Did” by giving me a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

I was unable to read and review the book by the publishing date due to other commitments.  I will update the review immediately upon completion of the book.  Thank you NetGalley and publisher.

A tight group of college friends reunite twenty five years post grad. What could go wrong? What You Did, by Claire McGowen is a very cleverly crafted tale of secrets, lies, and deceit, fraught with anger, accusations, murder, and heartbreak. Sounds fun, right? Actually, it is truly an intriguing and enjoyable read.' I enjoyed it very much and give it my highest recommendation,

This was a good story that kept me guessing until the end. Only a few small things that bothered me which is why I deducted a star.  Would recommend!

*I received an e-arc of this book from Netgalley in return for an honest review.  Thanks Netgalley!

The book had some good moments, but overall, it really wasn't a good match for me. It seemed like some cliche drama that involved physical danger and twists. I think it was well written but just not fit for me. I am sure other people would enjoy this book.

I was at a 3-star rating for this book until the author managed to surprise me twice near the end. That’s something that doesn’t happen often, so I’ve bumped the rating to 4 stars out of appreciation. 

The basic plot of What You Did centers around a group of six friends who get together for their 25th graduation anniversary. During the drunken night of celebrating, one of the women is sexually assaulted. What ensues is a mess of she said-he said drama that threatens to ruin everyone’s friendships — and lives. 

The worst thing about this book is that a woman who worked with abused women refused to believe that her best friend had been raped. On the one hand, this did show the reality of how hard it would be to accept that your spouse had done something like that. But it also felt really unlikely that she’d toss out everything she believed in so quickly. 

The book doesn’t get too graphic in its depictions of the assault, but it’s a constant part of the story. So, this is probably one to skip if this topic is a trigger. 

I saw many of the twists coming a mile away, but I didn’t guess the final two reveals. 

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing a copy. This review contains my honest, unbiased opinion.

A group of friends from Oxford gather for a weekend reunion after 25 years and on the boozy first evening, one of them is raped and accuses the husband of another. What ensues is an unraveling of relationships, and exposition of old secrets and--most dramatically--the revival of the mystery of the murder of one of their old classmates all those years ago on their last night at university.

Well-written, tightly-plotted and entertaining. This was my commute audiobook, and it kept me engaged, and made me curious about this author's other work, which I have some of and now plan to read soon. Didn't commit any of the cardinal sins of mystery-suspense no heavyhanded dialogue that is all plot exposition, and no clumsy foreshadowing. And the characters were interesting, with the 'working-class-kid-breaks-into-well-heeled-clique' trope thrown in to fuel and explain some of the characters' decisions. A good, light read.

A decent story with some great twists and turns to keep you zooming through the pages. In a genre that’s been well written there are better novels, but this was good for compulsive readers.

A good thriller with some twists, enjoyed reading this.
Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC in return for an honest review.

This book is chock full of enablers and sociopaths and if that isn’t the kind of book you can just fly through... well we can’t be friends. 

The relationships explored in this book is an interesting dive into dysfunctional group Will definitely read more Claire McGowan!

I feel like this book started really well but then started to dwindle and got very disjointed. The ending was was very lacklustre and I feel a lot was left out.

This was a very engaging and suspenseful novel! It had many twists and turns along the way! I really enjoy this author’s style of writing!