I’d like to thank Bookouture and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read ‘What She Did’ by Carla Kovach in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

Marissa is five years old when she has her life irrevocably changed after watching her mother die at the hands of an unknown man. She’s sent to live with her only relatives, Aunt Caroline and Uncle Simon, who mistreat her as she clearly doesn’t fit into their lives. Now an adult, Marissa sleepwalks and can’t remember where she’s been which doesn’t help prove her innocence to the police when her uncle and then her disagreeable neighbour are found dead.

‘What She Did’ is a thought-provoking psychological thriller that tells of a young woman who runs her own financial business from home but has few friends and struggles to trust men. The story moves from Marissa as a child to the present time as she lives alone in her flat but wants to buy the cottage she lived in with her mother. Despite enjoying all nine of the books in the DI Gina Harte I’ve found this novel to be so different that I’ve struggled to get into the story. I found it hard to empathise with Marissa and her problems and although the plot was original with surprises, intrigue and twists and turns, the ending was a bit rushed and unsatisfactory. Maybe there’s going to be a sequel which would be interesting as I’d be keen to know how the character of Marissa will be developed. So although I kept turning the pages, I didn’t enjoy this book as much as I’d hoped to.

A good psychological thriller where you are never quite sure who are the good guys and who are the bad guys as there are plenty of twists and turns to lead the reader down the wrong path. Carla adds another level to it all with the main character Marissa being a somnambulist thus making her unsure of what has happened as she then has no recollection . The question of whether it is nature, nurture or neither is not resolved until the end! This is certainly a book to make you think about various aspects of people's characters!

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC to review.

★★★★ 3.5 stars (rounded up)

I am excited to be taking part in the #BooksOnTour #BlogTour for Carla Kovach's standalone thriller WHAT SHE DID.

As a fan of the author's DI Gina Harte series, I was excited to read her standalone thriller WHAT SHE DID and yet I didn't know what to expect. But this book is so different it almost feels as if it were written by someone else. And the protagonist in this book is a far cry from that of the strong and assertive Gina Harte.

Marissa Baxter didn't have the best start in life. She was five years old when she witnessed her mother murdered from her hiding place under the bed before being sent off to her aunt and uncle who made no secret of the fact that they didn't really want her but welcomed the child benefits. At their hands she suffered abuse and neglect. Her aunt Caroline, her mother's sister, would lock her in the cellar for the slightest offence and her uncle Simon began sexually abusing her when she was about ten years old, not stopping until she was old enough to start crushing sleeping pills into his beer. Throughout her childhood her only friend was a cat called Riffy that she adored and who Simon used to threaten to harm should Marissa reveal that they were anything but a happy family to Social Services.

Today, Marissa is a 28 year old woman living alone in an apartment on an estate in Stratford-upon-Avon. Since leaving the farm and her uncle Simon behind ten years ago, she has worked her way up through financial services specialising in mortgage and insurance. And all the time her focus has been on one thing - to save enough money to purchase that little cottage by the river in which her mother and she lived as a child before they fled one night. That cottage epitomised safety and happiness for Marissa and the greatest of memories of her mother lived there...and one day Marissa vowed that she would again. In the meantime, she would visit the cottage and just watch it and dream of another time.

It is on one of her visits that she catches a glimpse of something from her nightmares at one of the windows. Simon. He is in her cottage. The one that was hers and her mother's. He knew how much it meant to her and he now he has come to steal those memories away by tarnishing it with his evil. Marissa was too late. He had bought the cottage before she had a chance to.

Putting thoughts of Simon from her mind, Marissa meets with a potential new client Ben Forge, recommended by her friend Justine, but the experience proves to be a disconcerting one as the man attempts to charm and woo a frightened Marissa with wine and a string of suggestive nuances. She flees the meeting telling herself she will never agree to lunch or dinner with the man again. And when she tries to question Justine about him, she gets a vague answer about being careful with him and not to let him too close. What did Justine mean? What is she not telling her?

And as if that wasn't enough, new neighbour Dan Pritchard moves into the apartment across from hers. And he is far from a welcoming person. He continues to play music at a loud volume, watches Marissa from the communal window and grins at her like the proverbial cheshire cat. Every encounter with him is distasteful and aggressive, adding to her already anxious state, as she shrivels further under the weight of worry. Home no longer feels like a safe haven which is only exacerbated by Dan's aggressive behaviour and the creepy notes that she begins to receive. Added to that, she gets the sense that she is being watched and catches glimpses of a hooded figure looming in the background outside her flat. But every time she tries to catch up with them, they disappear. She doesn't even know if it's a man or a woman, though she suspects it is someone to do with her past.

Then one day, there's a knock at her front door. It's the police. They have come to tell her what she already knows...what she saw on the news that morning. That her uncle Simon is dead. Stabbed. And something even more concerning...last night, the night of Simon's murder, she had been sleepwalking and had no recollection of where she had been or what she had done. But in her hand was a broken bauble that had been her mother's. That could only have come from Simon's house. What has she done?

In all her misery, there is a light shining in her corner. A neighbour across the estate, Glen, who heads up a neighbourhood committee to help better things on the estate for all residents. In him, she finds a friend. A soul mate of sorts. He is there when she needs him to be, on the other end of the phone when she feels she can't face another encounter with Dan. After all the misery in her life, Marissa needs someone she can count on because Justine seems to be avoiding her and Ben is creeping her out and Dan is just aggressive. But there are some secrets she must keep to herself. Glen cannot know about her past or Simon or her sleepwalking or anything like that. He would run a mile if he knew.

But someone knows. Someone has been following her. Someone knows her secrets. Someone knows about her mother's murder. They know something about her father. And they know what Marissa is trying to hide. But who are they? And what has she done?

WHAT SHE DID is a dark and disturbing tale that delves into the life and mind of a very damaged young woman. After all that she had endured, is it any wonder she's a bag of nerves? Marissa is not an easy character to connect with as some of her behaviour and her mindset is very odd and doesn't tally with the image she is trying to portray of herself. But it is easy to sympathise with her after all she has been through. And yet she is such an unreliable narrator you begin to question if she is really telling the truth? As for the other characters, none of them have many redeeming qualities at all, except for a couple of fleeting faces who tragically don't seem to remain in her life, sadly.

The story unfolds in the present day with the past peppered in the odd alternate chapter throughout as we are given a rare glimpse into Marissa's past, the successful young woman she grew into before the nervous wreck she became. It is narrated solely by Marissa in the first person.

The pace is steady but does drop off at times, mostly due to the repetition of Marissa's nervous thinking and behaviour. I had to wonder what she was doing at times and why. She is a very troubled and troubling character, to say the least, which leaves the reader questioning her behaviour and motives. WHAT SHE DID is quite unsettling in places and while there are no graphic scenes, the nuances as to what takes place as to the sexual abuse is very clear and quite disturbing to read.

While for much of the book I was as clueless as Marissa appeared to be, I did manage to work out who was behind the mysterious occurrences. But it was the final twist at the very end that was one that leaves you wondering that was a brilliant touch.

I would like to thank #CarlaKovach, #NetGalley and #Bookouture for an ARC of #WhatSheDid in exchange for an honest review.

The author most definitely sets the staging perfectly in this psychological thriller, transporting us back in time and witnessing five-year-old Marissa laying terrified under the bed she shares with her mother, too scared to make a sound, as she witnesses the murder of her beloved mother.

The novel moves between the present and Marissa growing up living with her Aunt Caroline and Uncle Simon’s house following her mother’s death. They made it clear that they never wanted her there and despite the horrors that took place in their house, she never said a word to her kind-hearted social worker, the fear of being placed in a children’s home being too great.

But Marissa as an adult, has a lot that is holding her back from behaving like the adult she clearly wants to be. If I’m being objective and true to myself, I found the character a little annoying. I certainly didn’t care for her despite what she had been through. It felt that the reader was being constantly reminded what an awful childhood Marissa had had, repeating feelings and why she would be sad over and over. But don’t let this put you off of the suspense that is portrayed very well throughout.

Likewise, I couldn’t understand why Marissa would believe that Mr Forges, who was a new source of work and had taken her to lunch once, would be the person that she steadfastly believed was the person behind all of the awfulness that was happening to her other than to be the decoy for the real stalker.

The ending is worth hanging on in there for even though it is a little far-fetched.

This is my first book by this author although I have heard much praise of the Gina Harte series.

At age 5, Marissa witnesses her mother being murdered. She then goes to live with her aunt and uncle who are pretty mean to her. Marissa grows up to be somewhere in between a shrinking shrivelling violet and a "feel the fear and do it anyway" type of person. She still has bad dreams and sleepwalks occasionally. When her uncle and her neighbour are murdered, can she say for certain that she didn't do it?

This book gripped me from the start. However, by about 20% I really began to dislike Marissa, the main character. Irritating, whiny and needy, she made silly decisions that resulted in her saying or doing things that really boggled the mind. I struggled to continue reading. It all becomes a bit random then with characters having links to her and her dead mother, etc. Characters seem to be brutish, lairy and act towards her in a manner that is wholly unacceptable in real life, but it is only towards her! I skim read the rest of the book and liked the ending and the twist but all in all, not really for me unfortunately.

I really tried to like this book but I just couldn’t get into it. I’ve read a few books by Carla Kovach before and this just seemed very different from her usually work. Almost like it was written by someone else. I will give this book a second try once it’s published.

Fast paced read that makes you want to keep reading. Some many questions that you want answers to and Kovach does a great job at keeping you guessing.

I liked the thriller aspect of the book but I didn’t like the format. I hate when books rely on flashbacks and this one was full of them.

Wonderful thriller that will have you reading till the end to see how it turns out. Great twists that compliment the storyline and characters that are believable.

I really like the Gina Harte series by Carla Kovach but this book was so different. It almost felt like it was written by someone else. Kovach writes strong, professional women but the protagonist in this book is quite the opposite.

Granted Marissa Baxter didn’t have a great start to life. She witnessed her mother’s death when she was 5 years old and was then packed off to an aunt and uncle who made no secret of the fact they didn’t want her. At their hands she suffered neglect and abuse. Despite all that she now has a career in financial services. But oh my - she is such a timid little creature. It all goes downhill for her when her abusive Uncle Simon moves into the cottage she has her eye on, she gets a new client who is super creepy and a new neighbour move into her apartment building who is mean and aggressive.

Marissa the mouse shrivels under the weight of all this worry. She has the feeling she is being watched and she gets some creepy notes and hang up calls. I agree this would all be very daunting but the book got quite repetitive in the middle and I got tired of reading about Marissa’s tears, trembling and vomiting from stress. Eventually some of the people troubling Marissa get murdered and she starts sleepwalking again so now she has the added worry of the police arresting here for murder. To be fair she does have cause for concern but I won’t go there because - spoilers.

Anyway, it became obvious what was going on pretty early in the book. None of the characters were particularly likeable and there was not much pace or suspense to the story. It just felt kind of flat to me. Thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for the much appreciated arc which I reviewed voluntarily and honestly.

What She Did had me gripped from start to finish. It is so well written that I became engrossed immediately and the twist at the end was fantastic - I did not see it coming.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for my ARC.

This book will keep you intrigued, the twists and turns make for a brilliant read! A great psychological thriller full of suspense, you won’t want to put it down!

Thanks to Bookouture, NetGalley and Carla Kovach for the opportunity to read and review this book.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This book was fabulous! It filled me with horror at the thought of being a sleepwalker and not knowing where I’d been or what I’d done while sleeping.

The situations experienced by Marissa - when she forgets what she’s done or thinks she remembers something - were so well-written and I found myself believing that Marissa really was losing her mind little by little. I love an unreliable narrator and Marissa’s confusion certainly showed through.

This had an unexpected ending which just tied everything together so nicely.

Definitely worth a read!

Thank you to #NetGalley for allowing me to read #WhatSheDid by #CarlaKovach

Marissa lives alone trying to hold her life and sanity together, the result of a nightmare of a childhood.
Justine the one true friend she has introduces Marissa to a new client, but he just doesn’t seem right.
Then her one last relative is killed followed swiftly by her neighbour from hell Dan.
What is happening, she has blackouts but surely she couldn’t kill anyone, she’d remember, wouldn’t she ?

3.5 stars (why aren't there any half stars??)

This is the story of Marissa who lives alone and has to cope with a tragic past. As child she witnessed the murder of her mother. She had to suffer through a horrific childhood with her aunt and uncle as foster parents.
As her uncle gets murdered she has to face up her past again.
I really enjoyed the story of present time Marissa. It is very twisted and fast paced.
However those flashbacks to the past. Halfway through, for me, it was enough. They were a bit overdone.
But the twist in the final pages nearly made up for this! I could really not see that coming!!

Thanks #Netgalley #Bookouture for this ARC

would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this book

i think this book should come with some warning as it could trigger episodes of memory from ones own childhood thats traumatic...

having said that this is quite a atmospheric book that is chilling in places...well written and very dark at times

I love Carla Kovach, but it wasn’t Gina Harte and for that reason it wasn’t as easy for me to get invested. It was quite slow to start, but really well written and a fantastic ending to boot! Well recommended!

Marissa has had a tough life starting with the unsolved murder of her mum and things don't improve for her over the years.

Now Marissa is being stalked, has a neighbour from hell and two people she knows are murdered.

I thought I knew the direction the authour was going in and was proven to be wrong .

What an ending.

Put What She Did on the top of your TBR pile today.

Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for a fast paced hold your breath read.

If you are looking for intense suspense, Carla Kovach does not disappoint.
This book opens with a young child hiding under her bed, shivering in fear while her mother is brutally murdered.
Marissa is a young woman who lives alone. Due to social awkwardness as well as understandable fear of trusting, Marissa enjoys her quiet apartment, helping people obtain insurance and mortgages.
Until Dan moves in next door. And brings strangers, loud parties and anger to her door.
Desperate for help, Marissa attends a building meeting. Glen offers to help, lending her support and friendship.
The plot also tells us what happened to Marissa after her mother's death - living with her mother's sister and her husband. The cruelty and abuse.
This story just drew me in. Marissa is a very realistic character- you can't help but cheer her on, hope she screams at her neighbor. Her growth makes sense - though I hoped Marissa would take a different path.
Great read!

Wow! That was one powerful read. What She Did promises you ‘a twisty crime thriller that will keep you up all night’. Finding myself thinking about the characters in the wee hours, visualising them and examining their motives for murder, I think it’s safe to say the book delivered. Marissa is damaged. Having witnessed the murder of her mother at just five years old, only to end up in the care of her aunt and uncle and abused in the worst possible way, how could she not be? A note here to say how sensitively that subject is handled. A sign of a good writer is that she knows she can trust her readers to get the picture without providing the graphics. The overriding damage is to her self-esteem and her ability to trust in people enough to share her vulnerabilities. She imagines she will be judged. You can easily identify with why she would feel that way, understanding that she would find it difficult to forge friendships - that kind of damage goes right to the core, after all. She’s likeable, with a strength of character she doesn’t realise she has. Her reason for not revealing the physical and emotional suffering she endured just makes you want to hug the child who was growing then into an uncertain teenager. She does find a way out – the incident around her fleeing the clutches of her vile uncle is fundamental to the plot so I’m not revealing. Her belief in herself is rocked further when she finds herself cruelly robbed of those few real friends she’s been able to make. I loved Reggie, another woman damaged by her formative years, who copes by being flamboyant and larger than life. I felt Marissa’s pain at her loss and again understood the processing of her emotions.

Years later, Marissa has achieved all she wanted. She has a safe place to call her own, albeit a temporary place while she works hard to achieve her dream of owning the little cottage where, as a toddler, she made brief fond memories with her mother. She has a good job, thanks to her caring friend, helping her to achieve her goals on the work front. Her ghosts still haunt her, but she has a future. And then her life begins to crumble. She is losing sight of her dream, the cottage, which her vile uncle has moved into. She thinks she is losing her mind when a neighbour, a drunken party animal and openly aggressive towards her, moves into the flat opposite; when a man she felt attracted to and is contracted to work for turns out to be a manipulative wifebeater. Even her childhood case social worker reappears in her life

When her uncle and the obnoxious neighbour are murdered, the obvious link to both is Marissa. She believes she didn’t do it. Even knowing she’s been sleepwalking – she assumes due to drinking alcohol which she can’t handle, she believes it wasn’t her. We believe that she believes it wasn’t, that she is being honest. We understand why she would wonder whether she’s being paranoid, why she would think someone is out to get her, but do we believe it really wasn’t her? Who is it who’s stalking her? The only person she feels she could talk to is Glen, the organiser of the residents association, but he’s been so kind to her. She doesn’t want to sour that tentative relationship too.

The story is packed with delicious red herrings and superb twists, hence my trying to analyse the characters in the dark hours. The final twist is masterful. A cleverly written and well plotted story, What She Did is a book I would highly recommend.