This is a fast-paced, flashy debut novel which impressively combines the rom-com and thriller genres. Khin Haymar is a freelance journalist who has been assigned by Vogue to get a scoop on Hollywood’s most beloved movie star, Tyler Tun. If Khin plays this right, she stands to gain a permanent position at the company. Khin begins shadowing Tyler on set for her piece; however, one evening, things take a dark turn as a man follows Khin and starts threatening her. Tyler quickly steps in to defend Khin but things spiral out of control and after this fateful night Tyler and Khin are bound by a terrible secret and their need to protect one another...
This crossover between rom-com and thriller worked really well as it allowed War to create three-dimensional, emotionally engaged characters alongside a narrative arc with excellent pacing. War also managed to pair light-hearted romance with subtle but meaningful social commentary, touching on the themes of women’s independence, female friendship and gendered violence.
I had the pleasure of reading this on a long plane journey and I found myself unable to put the book down. The chemistry between Khin and Tyler was believable and enticing and the thriller angle had me racing through the pages to find out how the story ended. A rom-com thriller novel is not an easy feat but War has executed it perfectly! Brava!
Reviewed by Helen.
I Did Something Bad was published on 07/11/24 by Renegade Books
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