We Did Nothing Wrong

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3.3

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Author(s)

Hannah Jayne

Publisher

Sourcebooks Fire

Genre(s)

Thriller

Age Range

14+

Release Date

December 03, 2024

ISBN

978-1728262949

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Lia thought of the dark night, of the broken street light.

Had Diana gone out to meet her? Had she been waiting for her, alone in the park?

Or had someone been waiting for Diana?

Lia and Diana are the"it girls" of Empire Hill High. Their lives are perfect....until Diana disappears and the rumors start flying.

Everyone thinks Diana is a runaway, including the police. Lia is secretly convinced it’s all a prank. Then she finds a crushed red rose tied with a candy-cane ribbon where Diana went missing. And next to it, a note:

YOU

It’s the same ribbon Lia’s received on gifts from a “secret admirer.” Did someone come for Diana that night? And will Lia be next?

Editor review

1 review

overall compelling YA thriller

November 30, 2024

Overall rating

3.3

Plot

3.0

Characters

3.0

Writing Style

4.0

Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)

N/A

WE DID NOTHING WRONG is an overall engaging YA thriller. Lia (Delia) is considered a good girl by everyone around her - except that her BFF's boyfriend kissed her, and she kissed him back. When she plans to meet up with Diana to tell her, she is delayed in getting to the park by said boyfriend. Upon arrival, she finds that Diana is not there - and assumes she left her there. However, Diana's parents report her as missing the next day.

At first convinced that Diana is trying to punish her with the disappearance, Lia begins to change her mind as time goes on and strange things keep happening - but who could have taken Diana?

What I loved: The pace on this was overall fast, and it really dives deep into Lia's mindset as she considers Diana and where she could have gone. This limited perspective really keeps the reader guessing and builds the suspense as Lia becomes more and more desperate to find out what happened to Diana. The book really stays focused on elements that are critical to the plot and does not deviate from the main storyline.

Lia was an overall compelling character, and the story begins to get a bit more frantic and hazy alongside her as she begins to feel and notice things that other people dismiss. The end wrapped things up fairly well and the story was completed. Themes around friendship, loyalty, drama, and police investigations of missing girls were thought-provoking throughout.

What left me wanting more: The middle of the book felt like it dragged a bit as Lia gets confused, and it felt like the story was not moving forward as well as the rest of it. The ending then felt really fast and a bit too easy after all the build up, especially with a sort of smash cut to the final chapter. It would have been great to build up the suspense and scene more, possibly with some additional perspectives to heighten what was happening at key moments.

Final verdict: Overall, WE DID NOTHING WRONG was a compelling YA thriller that takes the reader into the mind of the best friend of a possibly missing beauty queen teen. I would recommend for readers who appreciate a fast pace and the feel of a slightly unreliable narrator.