What Have We Done

What Have We Done is a suspense novel that hits the ground running. The story begins with a scene that reveals a secret that five friends, who met at a group home in their teens, share. A secret that continues to haunt them for decades. 

Now adults, these friends have attained impressive and diverse jobs - from a hired killer who now has a family she wants to protect, a reality show producer, a district judge, a tech guru and a famous rock star (naturally). But now someone appears to be targeting them as one by one, terrible accidents befall them. After decades apart, the friends reconnect and try to figure out who knows their decades old secret.

The story jumps back and forth between the POVs of three of the friends (Jenna, Nico and Donnie) in the present and their past when they lived at Savior House, a group home for teens. The pacing started off strong, gets a little wonky in the middle with a lot of back and forth between the POVs and some decisions and physical altercations that felt a bit farfetched. The ending has a decent twist ... which this avid suspense reader identified early on. 

This was a compelling twisty read about revenge, long-held secrets and friendship. Readers will have to suspend disbelief in a few spots but overall, this was a good read with Jenna as the most intriguing POV of the bunch. I hope we see her in future books. 

Disclaimer: My sincere thanks to Minotaur Books who provided me with a digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

My Rating: 4 stars

Author: J.T Ellison

Genre: Suspense

Type and Source: eBook from publisher via NetGalley

Publisher: Minotaur Press (St Martin's Press)

First Published: March 7, 2023

Book Description from GoodReads: 

A stay-at-home mom with a past.

A has-been rock star with a habit.
A reality TV producer with a debt.
Three disparate lives.
One deadly secret.

Twenty five years ago, Jenna, Donnie, and Nico were the best of friends, a bond forged as residents of Savior House, an abusive group home for parentless teens. When the home was shut down—after the disappearance of several kids—the three were split up.

Though the trauma of their childhood has never left them, each went on to live successful, if troubled, lives. They haven’t seen one another since they were teens but now are reunited for a single haunting reason: someone is trying to kill them.

To save their lives, the group will have to revisit the nightmares of their childhoods and confront their past—a past that holds the secret to why someone wants them dead.

It’s a reunion none of them asked for... or wanted. But it may be the only way to save all their lives.