The premise for WHAT YOU DID had the potential to be a great read.
Your best friend since college has accused your husband of rape, who can you trust? which side of the story do you believe?

This story covers a range of sensitive issues such as rape and domestic abuse. Which in my opinion isn't executed that well, majority of the characters and the decisions they made were pretty annoying and made me roll my eyes.

Besides all that I didn't hate the book, it was a pretty average book and was easy to get through.

I really enjoyed this book it was full of suspense & twists with s few red herrings & kept me guessing.  I’d recommend this to anyone.

I really loved this book! In general, I love books that we have reunions of old friends and then we piece together the different layers of what happened then verses now. This book had those elements, added drama, and a LOT of thrills. I highly recommend this book.

Wow!  What a ride this took me on.  Will definitely be buying a finished copy for my shelves. 4 stars.

I had a hard time following this book, seems to be a great story line but it was just hard to follow

3.5 stars - This was a solid suspenseful domestic thriller.  It definitely kept me guessing until the end. The characters were interesting although I found Ali a little too naïve to be believable.  And I would have liked to know more about the relationship between Cassie and Jake.  I felt like the side story of Cassie and her boyfriend, Aaron was not really necessary to the plot.  But overall I enjoyed this book and would recommend it to anyone who is looking for a quick and fast paced read.

I'm a huge fan of mystery-thrillers and after seeing so many five star reviews of this one I just needed to read it myself. I'm really glad I got the arc, because it was as good as everyone says it was. I couldn't put it down.

An interesting domestic thriller with a few surprises. The story revolves around a group of college friends that reunite after 20 years and a devastating event occurs that causes accusations to fly. 

It took me several weeks to complete this book. I enjoyed it but I struggled to pick it up after putting it down. It didn't have the "thrilling" aspect that I enjoy. There really wasn't anything special about the story that made it stand out from the many other books in the domestic suspense category. 

Overall, an okay book but nothing memorable or special.

The prologue opens with a woman coming round after being brutally assaulted in the garden of a house.  We are then drawn into this book as in the first chapter we learn that she is staying in a house with friends and it is obvious that it is one of them who has raped her.  Twenty years on from university the six friends and their families decide to celebrate by having a reunion at the luxury home of Ali.  She organised the reunion and is a volunteer at a women’s refuge and is married to Mike, has two children and a very comfortable lifestyle.  Karen is a single mum struggling to make ends meet and she arrives with her 18 year old son Jake.  Callum and Jodi arrive, the6 are married and Jodi is pregnant after years of trying for a baby.  The sixth member of the group is Bill, who has just returned from Sweden and has recently split up from his partner.  The group reminisce their university days and have been drinking heavily when Karen staggers into the kitchen with her rape allegation.  As the story progresses we are taken back to events that happened in their university days and all the secrets and lies that have laid dormant for twenty years, indiscretions and crimes also are revealed.  This was a brilliantly well written psychological thriller, with a dark and disturbing storyline which has me hooked from the beginning.  A highly recommended read.
Thanks to Netgalley and Thomas and Mercer for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.

Six university friends meet for a reunion with tragic consequences. Someone seems to be lying but who??
Lots of truths are exposed during the investigation, many are hurtful and damaging. But the truth must out regardless of personal ties.
This was a riveting and interesting read. Lots of red herrings. There's a sensational twist at the end, I didn't see it coming. An excellent read. 

I must thank NetGalley for an ARC of the book to read in return for an unbiased and truthful review.

Thank you to Netgalley and Amazon Publishing UK for an ARC in exchange for an honest review of the book.

This was a real page-turner for me. As the novel opens, we find a cast of mostly unlikable yet very human characters who are faced with a crisis in their otherwise (seemingly) ideal lives: at a 20-year reunion at the protagonist's beautiful new home, her best friend says she was raped--by the protagonist's husband.  As one thing leads to another, secrets are exposed, life-long friendships are questioned, and things generally go to hell in a hand-basket. 

Overall, I enjoyed this book and found it to be well-done. I do have two criticisms, though. The first has nothing to do with the book but with the cover art: it's awful! When I first glanced at this (admittedly, on a small screen), it looked like either a semi-wrecked airplane or--worse--some odd shaped sanitary pad. 

The other criticism is more subtle and hard to define. I think there's a statement being made here about men and women and the cruelties both sexes are capable of. There are quite a few mentions of feminism at the beginning of this book, mostly mischaracterizations by people who are opposed to or critical of the protagonist's work with sexual assault and domestic violence survivors. I get it on one level: many people are opposed to the big F word because they seem to not understand what true feminist ideology is. Maybe that's what the author is trying to point out. Yet there was a constant niggling for me, something that felt off. While I know many people have been convinced feminists are something they aren't, did it seem at times like their criticisms were actually legitimate in this book? Why did everyone simply conflate all of feminism with people who work with rape and domestic violence? And are we so backward (in the US or UK) that we allow those notions to persist? I just don't know what the author's intent was here or if it came out clearly by the end. Ultimately, we discover the violence and cruelty some men are capable of, but that always seems juxtaposed at each turn with the deception women are, too, capable of. Is the author trying to show that the fraught terrain of patriarchal society makes women into these self-serving creatures? Or, is there some kind of equity being suggested between women's schemes of entrapment and callousness and men's ability to exploit, rape, beat, and even kill women? 

I didn't mean this review to turn into the meanderings above; however, I find myself still trying to tease out these strains and figure out whether or not I'm just thinking too much about all this. Aside from this personal conundrum, I emphasize that this is a strong effort and a book I enjoyed reading.

After twenty years, six university friends have a reunion. They met at Ali's house where shocking events mar the event forever. Karen accuses Mike of assaulting her and Ali has to decide if her best friend or her husband is lying. The book switches timelines from the present back to 1993 where darker memories from the university days are brought to mind. Would someone be willing to kill in order to protect those memories? 
I found this book unputdownable as the plot moved quickly and kept me guessing until the very shocking ending. McGowan is an excellent writer and her characters are well-drawn. I have read most of her Paula Maguire series except for The Killing House and have enjoyed that series immensely. I look forward to reading the rest of her novels and I would highly recommend this book to those who love psychological thrillers. I would like to thank NetGalley and Amazon Publishers UK for a copy of this book for an honest review.

I thought this book started really well and was enjoying it even though I felt very little empathy with any of  the characters. They were all shallow and self centred with the exception of Bill who seemed to be the only one with any sense of decency. I wasn't really surprised by the reveal although there had been a red herring or two along the way!

Ali is hosting a school reunion with friends. That night her best friend Karen makes a shocking accusation,  that she has been raped by Ali's husband Mike. Mike denies any wrong doing. To further complicate things Ali is chair of the local womens refuge. Who does Ali believe..........
This is my first book by Claire McGowan, and I really enjoyed it. I was really left guessing until the end. The book is well written with great pace. 
Thank you to netgalley, Claire McGowan and Thomas and Mercer for the advance copy if this book in exchange for an honest review. I look forward to reading more books by this author.

This year has been a great year for good mystery, suspense and thriller books! Just about every single book I’ve picked up has been a winner! I love that. This book is one of the good ones.

I really liked this book. I see there are a lot of mixed reviews on this one, but I thought the story was well written and suspenseful. Original storyline, with characters that were unlikable always make it more interesting. Everyone had secrets and no one was who you thought they were. So many secrets...
From the very beginning of this book I was hooked. It started off so dramatic with the assault on Karen during a weekend get together of long time college friends. You thought you knew who did the assault, but weren’t so sure as the story and characters unfolded. So many different secrets and twists are slowly revealed. And that ending just threw me completely! I certainly didn’t see that ending coming. 
I requested this book from NetGalley and received it as a ARC. Not realizing I already had the book I picked it as my Amazon first reads with my Amazon prime membership. Ugh, I hate that when that happens. I liked the book so much I purchased the Audible version, so when I couldn’t read I could listen, and the narrators did a great job reading this story. I highly recommend this book or audible book to anyone who enjoys a good suspense/mystery. This is the first book I’ve read by Claire McGowen and I know I want to read more from this author.
A special thank you to the Amazon Publishing UK via NetGalley for the advanced readers copy in exchange for my honest review.

Excellent tale of deceit and murder. When Ali has a reunion of her 6 closest college friends, the night will change their lives forever. Ali and Karen have been best friends as long as anyone can remember, but when Karen stumbles into Ali’s kitchen terrified and claiming she had been raped by Ali’s husband, their friendship is more than tested. Throw into the mix an unsolved murder from their college days and everyone is suspicious. Ali is torn between believing her best friend or believing her husband. As Ali digs deeper into the facts she realizes she can’t trust either of them. Well written, edge of your seat page turner with a surprising ending.

What a good read. Who would you trust your loving husband or your best friend? It’s a book of who done it. It was full of twists, turns, mystery and suspense and I really enjoyed it. Would recommend to all of my psychological thriller lovers out there. Thanks NetGalley.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book - it kept me hooked and eager to finish it! 

A very easy read and lots of twists and turns to keep me guessing! 

I think the different points of views helped to explain the story further and helped to tie everything happening up nicely.

I hope to read more from this author!

"You don't always remember things right."

A group of 6 friends from Oxford are having a reunion to celebrate 25 years of friendship. Ali Morris and Mike Morris with their two kids, Cassie and Benji, host the reunion. On the day, Ali gets a call from her feminist charity she is a member off, and leaves home to attend the issue, after Karen, her best friend, arrives home with her son, Jake. When Ali returns home, Jodi, pregnant, with her husband, Calum arrives. Soon, the last one of them, Bill shows up on his motorcycle. The part begins and they reminisce the good old times. Soon, everyone starts to get drunk and high as Ali, Jodi and children go to bed. Soon, Ali is awakened by screams. Karen, bruised and bleeding, accuses Mike of raping her while Jodi witnesses it. Calum is slumped on the couch and Mike, on the swing set. Bill joins them in the room as the children wake up, and calls the police. In a single night, her family's life turns upside down and the plot moves on.

The book turned out to be slow-paced. And the character's seemed really frustrating. The situation is really tense, I agree, but for middle-aged buddies, they were quite immature. Ali being a feminist and the kind who is very well-known in media, couldn't smell the fish under her nose and I smelt that fish in Chapter 1 and I am only a couple of years older than her daughter who also questioned her about why she couldn't figure it out. I don't know whether to worship her for her faith and trust or just scream it at her face that she is a fuckin' idiot. Mike seemed like a good character and even Jodi turned out to be the only character who acted like an adult and wow, she is truly something! Calum, don't even get me started. Bill is quite a soul but no, he let me down. Jake, Cassie and Benji also turned out to be good characters. The point is, everyone seemed good except those who matter. Throughout the book, I was on the verge to drop it and just not give the feedback. The only thing which kept me going was the fact I cannot have a half-read book on my conscience and it seemed far better to finish it now. It turned out to be a conflicting read but not a bit surprising. This book turned out to be total let down with it's predictable, slow-paced and did not live up to the hype.

You see, I am huge of The Fall. I really like Claire McGowan and I am pretty excited to read The Other Wife but this book just wasn't it. It didn't feel like it is by Claire. One of the positive things I have to say about this book is that I enjoyed reading the last chapter and epilogue, not because the book finally came to end (okay, maybe, a little) or because I felt something was missing but because, it had a hint of essence of Claire's work.

Recommended: It wasn't for me, maybe it is for you. I see that some found it to be a delightful read. Maybe, you would too.

Thank you Netgalley and Amazon Publishing UK for providing me with a review copy for honest feedback.

I love this author and this newest novel did not disappoint! I kept catching myself holding my breath as I was reading. It was quite the thriller that clearly kept me on the edge of my seat! Can't wait to see what else this author comes out with.