What I Know, formerly titled 'Good Girl', is a ominous and sinister mix of domestic noir and psychological suspense and is my second sortie into Miranda Smith's writing.

English teacher Della is concerned that Zoey, a new student in one of her classes, is showing psychopathic traits, although none of the other teaching staff appear to share her unease. But Della, knows what to look out for in terms of alarm bells as her apparently pleasant and genial teenage brother, himself a diagnosed psychopath, tried to kill her when he was just 13. Della has been on her guard ever since, and when a student is viciously attacked and Della is sent a detailed account of the crime, she’s more convinced than ever that Zoey has a terrible evil lurking inside of her.

What I Know is a distinctive and original thriller with plenty of grit to keep those who appreciate bleak storylines captivated. It is a deliciously dark read and I particularly liked that Miranda Smith gave me the fodder to ponder the nature of evil whilst also featuring a plethora of twists, turns and misdirection to keep me flipping the pages.

The author knows how to structure a book for maximum uneasiness, alternating the chapters between past and present and it worked brilliantly. Wonderfully addictive and engrossing, I read What I Know in one go. Miranda Smith's writing is assured, the tension is taut throughout, and the pace never flagged at all. A fantastic read from a brilliant author I'm delighted to have discovered.

I received a complimentary copy of this novel at my request from Bookouture via NetGalley and this review is my unbiased opinion.

Well tickle me pink not just one psychopath but two. Both are manipulative, highly intelligent and full of superficial charm which they can turn on and off like a light switch. Both also are a major part in Della’s life, one is her brother and the second is now her student.

Narrated by Della in a dual timeline of past and present we learn of how having lived with her brother may be obscuring her judgement with new student Zoey. Or like before is she spotting what others are missing?

Now this may seem a bit odd but stick with me. I normally love female psychopaths, I do get a bit fed up with women generally being victims. So what really surprised me was that the better psychopath for me in this book was Brian. I found the past chapters had more depth and held my attention more and Brian was just so well drawn out I could picture the devious little murderer so clearly it was frighteningly good.

There is so much I loved about this book, the back and forth between the past and present narratives, Della’s strength of pushing against popular opinion and the use of her being a teacher opened up the whole high school clique narrative of using charm to gain popularity to cover misdoings.

This isn’t your standard thriller with twists and turns, no this is more than that, this is a genre defying study on how to spot a psychopath. What makes someone a victim? Della is alive but still very much a victim of her brother’s behaviour. Is Zoey like Brian or just a damaged teenage girl?

Della is a highschool English teacher, she's married to her childhood friend and lives a peaceful existence in Tennessee.
Her life was not as serene as it is today. She had the most traumatizing childhood. Her older brother, Brian, was a textbook psychopath, who later became a serial killer.
Today she is welcoming a new student in her classroom, Zoey.
From that very moment, Della had a bad feeling about her and soon started relating Zoey's behavior to that of her ultimate nemesis, Brian. She expresses her concerns to her colleagues, her husband, and even her therapist, but no one seemed to believe her.
is Della so unfortunate that she actually encountered two psychopaths in one lifetime? or is the traumatizing events in her childhood clouding her judgment, making her see criminals everywhere.

What I know, (Good girl), by Miranda Smith, is a gripping and elegant thriller. The story is narrated from the point of view of Della and revealed layer by layer in two timelines.
The writing is bewitching and the plot is cleverly woven to create an atmosphere of paranoia and suspicion through the entire book.
The characterization was brilliant! In my opinion, the author did a great job portraying Della in every aspect. She had a terrible past, not just because of the killings, but her parents often insinuated that all her worries were a form of sibling jealousy, and her attempting to get their attention. I felt connected with her and thought her internal struggle was natural and believable. Brian's gaslighting followed her to adulthood, making her self doubt and guilt while searching for evidence in both past and present, absolutely profound and genuine.

Many thanks to the author, Netgalley and Bookouture for my digital ARC. I'm definitely adding it to my favorites for this year.

For the most part, this was really good and intriguing. I really liked the past and present glimpses.

But, I found it to be a little far fetched at the end. I especially wasn’t a fan of the final confrontation. It seemed so anticlimactic.

I felt bad for Della, though. She had a rough life. And now, she was almost reliving her past. Part of me kinda hoped she wasn’t right. That maybe her past had made her crazy after all. Wouldn’t that be an exceptional twist?

So many parts were maddening. People in disbelief. Della’s mother acting like a complete idiot...

Overall, I enjoyed it. I’d have wanted a few minor changes, but still a good read.

I really enjoyed this book from beginning to end. My only complaint was that is was a tad bit predictable, but I enjoyed that there was never a dull moment. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free copy in exchange for review.


4.5/5

⭐⭐⭐⭐ How far would you go to follow your gut ? What I Know follows the story of Della a high school teacher who must suddenly relive painful parts of her past as she chooses to follow her gut feeling in hopes of preventing evil. She once stayed silent for too long and is determined to not make those same mistakes twice, no matter the danger. What I Know is a psychological thriller that keeps you on your toes from start to finish.

First, I want to thank Miranda Smith, Bookouture and NetGalley for providing me with this book so I can bring you this review.

Miranda Smith has an incredible gift and talent writing in this genre. What I Know totally blew me away how Della’s past mirrored Zoey’s present. This book was filled with a lot of tragedy, heartache, suspense, a lot of secrets, ton of mind blowing shocking revelations that were numbing-at least to me!

Originally this book was going to be called Good Girl and it had a different cover. I did like the cover as it was really cool. However, after reading the book I realized the title didn’t make as much sense as What I Know did. Therefore, I am so glad they changed the title. The cover now is so much more twisted than the first and reflects the book so much more now.

Immediately, I was drawn into this book by its first line and was hooked line and sinker from then on.

There are so many similarities yet so many differences in Della’s past with her brother Brian and the present day with Zoey. It is very eerie in a weird way but also so very cool as well. I loved this aspect.

It was fascinating to see the mindset of a troubled Brian at a young age to the sick, twisted, evil, man he grew up to become. A man that his sister and Amber didn’t recognize. Miranda did an amazing job putting the emotion into that storyline with everyone behind it. I can't imagine it was an easy one to write as there were scenes that were not easy to be read. It actually might be a trigger for some readers. That being said it was a very powerful storyline and some very intense scenes.

The book went from the past to modern day. This way you got a better feel for what Della’s relationship was with her family and especially her brother.

I love how Miranda thanks all of her book bloggers for and reviewers for promoting her books. It gives me great satisfaction knowing that our uplifting words of support are appreciated.

Della is a teacher, married to a physician, no children. They were childhood friends, actually Her husband was her brother's best friend when they were young.

Today in early class, Della welcomes a new student, Zoey, even though there's only a few more weeks before summer vacation. Della feels something 'off' about Zoey ... her eyes seem cold and calculating. Zoey reminds her of her brother.. Her own brother, the town’s darling, couldn’t keep his true nature hidden for ever. Della has been watching out for people like him ever since, determined to stop them before it’s too late. And Zoey fits the bill.

Again, no one agrees with her ... no one sees the evil .... just like when she was a youngster and she tried to warn people about her brother.

She swore she'd never let what happened before, ever happen again. She needs proof ... that Zoey isn't the sweetness and light teenager that everyone else sees .. and they don't hear what she says to Della when no one is around.

This extremely well written psychological thriller bounces back and forth .... when Della was a young child living at home with her parents and brother... the torment .. knowing what she knows but having no one believe her ... to today knowing what she knows but having no proof. The plot is tightly woven with skillfully drawn characters. It's like getting two stories for the price of one. I couldn't wait to find out what her brother did ... and I couldn't wait to see how far Zoey will go. The ending came fast and furious ... totally unexpected.

Many thanks to the author / Bookouture / Netgalley for the digital copy of this compelling, suspenseful psychological thriller. Read and reviewed voluntarily, opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.

This enthralling game of car and mouse is voiced entirely from the perspective of our main character Della and has chapters that flipped back and forth between the present and the past. From the moment that young Zoey joins Della's English class, Della does come across as rather judgemental and appears to take a instant disliking to the new student. Della insists that she senses something evil about the girl, the same evil that she sensed in her brother Brian all those years ago. But no one had listened back then until it was too late and now history was repeating itself. Even her husband Danny who had also known Brian thinks that she is seeing similarities between Brian and Zoey that aren't there. I had high hopes for Danny after I had read the first interaction between him and Della. I thought he was going to be one of the rare breeds of men to feature in the world of psychological thrillers, someone who would actually believe and support his wife. But no, he had to disappoint me and play the devil's advocate, he just sat on the fence and stayed there, that said, he wasn't as bad as some fictional husbands/partners. So was Della right about Zoey or was her judgement being clouded by events from the past? In the chapters that were set in the past, we follow Della's life at home with her parents and Brian between the years 2000 and 2006. We witness the malicious way that Brian treated Della, her struggles to convince her parents especially her mother that there was something seriously wrong with Brian and what drove her to make the biggest decision of her life. I could fully empathise with Della throughout the chapters that were set in the past, I know what it's like to be the black sheep of the family, the least favourite who was always in the wrong. I don't know anything about the inner machinations of a school but the author's descriptions of the bureaucracy and the protect the reputation of the school at all costs attitude came across as very believable.

What I Know which was originally titled Good Girl is a captivating tale of regret, suspicion, denial, manipulation and deception that holds the reader's attention throughout. The tension built in both time frames as the stories unfolded and Della struggled with her conscience and tried decide what to do for the best. The characters were well rounded and believable and there was some unexpected twists and turns. I really enjoyed this book and would happily read more of this author's books in the future.

5/5 Stars - A completely intense thriller that will leave you wanting more!

This book has such a great set-up: the narrator has experience with pure evil through her brother, which is slowly revealed throughout the book And that males her wary of others. So is she overreacting when a new student reminds her of Brian? Or is the girl really evil? What’s the truth? What’s just in Della’s mind?

I loved the guessing.

And as things slowly ramped up I got more and more sucked in to see whether Della could prove her suspicions or whether she wouldn’t be believed (again). It’s hard not to give away too many details, because there are just too many great details that the author squeezes in to make the story extra creepy and gave me shivers.

I also thought Della was a really well drawn character, with her insecurities really jumping off the page, but her strength in wanting to know the truth and do the right thing to atone for her past also really swinging through. Her story was so tragic but with such a strong woman coming out of everything, I was really rooting for her.

I loved this book, from start to finish and I will absolutely be reading more from this author. She’s clearly a fantastic storyteller, and I can’t wait to see what she comes up with next.

4.5 Stars!!

Miranda Smith does it again!!!!! I couldn't put down "Some Days are Dark" and was reading well past my bedtime and we have a repeat performance with "What I Know"!!!!

Della grew up with a sociopath brother who did unspeakable things. No one believed he was anything other than an angel while they were growing up. Fifteen years later, one of her new students, Zoey has the same blank eyes. Della is convinced that Zoey is going to go down the same path as her brother. Is Della going crazy? Or is Zoey really what Della thinks she is?

This book will have you on the edge of your seat! Run out and grab yourself a copy!

A special thank you to NetGally, Bookouture, and Miranda Smith for providing me with an ARC.

This is a quick read! Della is an English teacher narrating a present and past storyline. In her present, an off-putting new student arrives. Zoey seems popular with the other teachers and soon the students, too, but Della finds Zoey to be disturbing - reminding her of her past, when again she had been the only one to truly see the darkness within someone close to her. The past sections detail those experiences.

The book is engaging - with a straightforward plot that moves along at a fast pace. It sort of feels a bit like the equivalent of watching a Lifetime movie - entertaining but not terribly deep. Della is sympathetic - even when it seems like no one else believes her fears are truly warranted. And while the present storyline with Zoey isn't quite as strong the tale of Della's past, it's an engaging and summery sort of read - I would definitely read more from Smith in the future.

What I Know, formerly titled Good Girl, is a dark and satisfyingly sinister cross between domestic noir and psychological suspense and is Ms Smith's second foray into the thriller genre. It asks the question: is it usually the outwardly creepy individuals who end up being the craziest psychopaths or those who are intelligent enough to be able to fit into their surroundings and with their peers with ease, much like a chameleon, without people suspecting a thing?

English teacher Della is convinced she recognises the trace of psychopathy exhibited by a new student in her class, Zoey, who, dangerously, doesn't appear to have aroused the suspicion of any of the other staff or her peers. Della, however, is more attuned to what to look out for in terms of red flags as her brother who was an attractive seemingly affable teen, himself a diagnosed psychopath, tried to kill her when he was merely a boy of 13. But although Della has determined enough red flags are present to warrant her concern, when she shares those concerns with her colleagues they scoff and laugh. Has this just let a dangerous presence off the hook to continue the trail of destruction happening throughout the school which Della contributes to her or was it a false alarm all along? Only time will tell.

This is a refreshingly original thriller with enough grit to keep those into bleak storylines captivated as well as enough gossip and school chaos to satisfy those who enjoy women's fiction. It is a deliciously dark read and I particularly liked that it managed to be thought-provoking as to the nature of evil whilst also featuring a plethora of twists, turns and misdirection to keep you glued to the pages from beginning to end. The author knows what she's doing in terms of structuring the book for maximum tension; she alternates chapters between past and present and it works exceptionally well. Smith addresses the age-old question of nature vs nurture and whether psychopaths are born or made. Admittedly, I wish she had delved a little deeper on the subject, but I guess this is fiction. Recommended. Many thanks to Bookouture for an ARC.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publishing house and the author for the opportunity to read a complimentary advance reader copy of this book in return for review based upon my honest opinion.

When Della’s new student reminds her of her brother, she knows she needs to keep an eye on her and try to make sure history does not repeat itself. Della tried to leave her past behind her, to live a new life but her instincts tell her something is off, should she follow her intuition or is her past colouring her thoughts? No one else sees what is wrong with Zoey, everyone thinks she is great. Is her new student Zoey really a good girl or just good at hiding her bad side.

This was a great summer read, I loved the way it was told, the author went back-and-forth between Della’s past and the present. The story kept me on the edge of my seat and I couldn’t wait to get to the end I will definitely be watching for more books from this author

Tense chilling edge of my seat thriller.I picked it up to read a few pages got completely involved read late into the night.If you love thrillers grab this one.#netgalley#bookouture

I really enjoyed this book by Miranda Smith - it tells the story of Della - a school teacher, a wife and family woman. At school we met a new student called Zoey - a student who intrigues Della - something seems quite off with this student but Della cant quite tell what. Things seem to start happening at the school and Zoey always seems to be in or around the action - however everyone thinks Della is being paranoid and should just be a good teacher. However Della cant leave it alone - is her past coming back to haunt her a little

I received an electronic version of this book by the author and the publisher, in exchange for an honest review.

AMAZING read, and a great psychological thriller, that kept me at the edge of my seat, and reading throughout the night. While the main character had a past, it truly isn't her past that comes to light, it's all about her brother, and the horror that she saw in him as she was growing up. As a teacher, when she sees another person with the same type of personality and the same dead/horror filled eyes, as she saw in her brother, she knows she has to do something.

This book is jam-packed from the beginning to the end, and I would recommend this to anyone.

Thank you for writing this book and for allowing me an early release for an honest review.

I gave this book four stars because it kept me wondering. It kept me glues wanting to find out the result of the little that was told to us through out the book but I did feel like the end was a little predictable. This book was written in two tenses. The first being an adults current life predicament with a tie to her past, and then some chapters were written in the past about her childhood. Despite some predictability, there were surprises in the book and I would recommend this book.

Della is a high school teacher with a past -her brother is a psychopath who tried to kill her various times growing up. One day a new student, Zoey, joins her class -and she gets the exact same feeling from her as she did from her brother. When another student is attacked, Della knows she must do something.

What I Know was so good!

The story is told in present form but we do get some chapters in past form to explain Della's past. The book is not only about the mind of psychopaths -which Miranda does a wonderful job explaining- but also about the suffocating experience of knowing someone is bad news yet no-one wants to believe you. What would you do if you were in Della's shoes?

There is something about Miranda Smith's writing that just captivates you from the very first page. Ironically this makes it so difficult to review her novels because all I can say is "you will love this book!"

Disclosure: I would like to thank the publisher for my advanced reader copy of the book. This is my honest review. I received an uncorrected copy of this book when it was called Good Girl.

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Told between the past and the present....Della is a high school teacher who is convinced that new student Zoey is bad news after a fellow student is attacked at a party. No one believes her that Zoey is just not what she claims to be. Sweet and smart to everyone but Della. But Della has a past and Zoey knows it. Della’s brother Brian is in prison for murdering several girls while in college. Is Zoey like her brother? Or is Della reading more into it because of her past?

I really liked this book. I did like the past chapters much more than the present and I actually would love to see a book detailed more about Brian’s life and POV..... I did find Della a little annoying in parts when no one believed her, but I fell in love with her character during the past chapters and you understand why she is annoying in the present. This was a fast read and chapters flowed. Writing was very well done!

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for my copy!