We Did Nothing Wrong

by Hannah Jayne

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  

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?

Genres: Thriller, Mystery, Young Adult, Suspense, Audiobook, Fiction, Horror

297 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 3, 2024

About the author

Hannah is the author of the UNDERWORLD DETECTION AGENCY CHRONICLES from Kensington books and the upcoming young adult thrillers TRULY, MADLY, DEADLY and SEE JANE RUN available from Sourcebooks, Inc. When she's not battling the demons of the Underworld or tackling a murderer at Hawthorne High, Jayne kicks her feet up in her San Francisco bay area home and attempts to share couch space with two enormous cats.

Now that you're here, kick up your feet and stay awhile...

Reviews

[deadlybatz⛧☾༺♰༻☽⛧ · Rating 4 out of 5]

such a good book!!!

Delia and Diana have been friends forever, they live across the street from each other.
Delia is kind of jealous of Diana for how perfect and easy things are for her, the boys love her, she's super pretty and popular and her bf is cheating on her with her best friend Delia.

One night Delia texts Diana to meet up at their meet up spot since they were small, she wants to explain whats going on with Eli so she knows, but Delia is late because Eli (Dianas bf stopped by) and they were kissing, by the time she got to the spot she was late and waiting for Diana to text her but no response came after an hour so Delia went home. Next thing she knows Diana is missing and no one knows where she is or what happened to her but Delia is determined to find her and get to the bottom if it.

I will not spoil anything more because ill give it all away lol.

[Hannah (The Curiouser & Curiouser) · Rating 1 out of 5]

All I read about was Lia making everything about herself and not caring about Diana's parents dealing with the fact their daughter was missing.

[❀Heather❀Brown❀ · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this one but I didn’t really get into the book until about halfway through. Then the action really began. Would have been better with more action and less building up to it. Will def read this author again tho. Great ending!

[rhi rhi (a literal angel) · Rating 3 out of 5]

౨ৎ | ‘they weren’t two peas in a pod. they weren’t two halves of the same whole, as everyone wanted them to be.’

— ★ 3.5/5

the beginning was slow and the fmc really annoyed me. like the rage that went through my body whenever i heard her inner thoughts is insane.

the characters were not likeable like none of them. and the parents in this book were dumb too, like just listen to your child for gods sake.

anyway!!! i hated the people but the plot was good and the plot twist was semi surprising (i did have an inkling but wasn’t sure).

[Ben J · Rating 2 out of 5]

There are five stages of grief: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and then finally acceptance. The girl, Lia was constantly stuck on the first stage ever since her best friend Diana disappeared. I get Diana was her best friend but Lia cannot accept at all that Diana is hurt or dead. Lia just constantly assumes that Diana ran away to be with her online boyfriend or just to get away from their small town.

This wasn’t the only thing I didn’t like about this book. Very little happened in the book from page one to page two hundred and thirty. Before that it was very slow and pretty much all that happened was Lia constantly insisting her bestie was alive. Like nothing else happened. I thought this was a thriller. Nothing was creepy or unnerving about this. It was just so generic.

In conclusion, it’s not great and not very worth it. It’s just kinda boring. 😑😴🥱

[Isaac and Owen Yoran · Rating 2 out of 5]

Okay, this was an…interesting book, to say the least. The cover immediately grabbed my attention, and the description made it seem captivating and different. Unfortunately, it was none of that. The main character is just kind of annoying, and while I understand her distress, it’s practically the only thing in this book. Lia, the main character, contemplates everything way too much, resulting in constant repetition that probably lasts a good third of the book. She’s not very smart and frankly an annoying character. It doesn’t help that the girl who has gone missing isn’t likeable either, so you’re not even rooting for her to be found. If anything, you want the body to be found so something could happen. I appreciate the depth of Lia’s emotions, but shes so fully entangled with Diana’s identity you don’t really know much about her. There were some twists, but nothing really happened in the book. If you’re looking for a slow read and have lots of time, you may enjoy this book more than I did. It was an incredible slow burn, but it was interesting enough that I kept reading. While it was a good idea, this book was not for me.

[Alexsis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you Sourcebooks for the gifted copy!

Easy read. I was worried it was going to be like the stereotypical YA thriller/mystery, but it turned out not to be. I would say the twist was great because we really only saw one moment or two moments that gave a “hint”.

I think the ending was rushed a smidge, but I am thankful it didn’t drag on. Great read overall and perfect if you want to squeeze in one more book in a month. I finished it within a day.

[Jennifer Cutler · Rating 1 out of 5]

Completely predictable. Completely forgettable.

[Kayla Corrigan · Rating 2 out of 5]

The narrator was such a pick me girl that it ruined the plot. Everything seemed to be predictable. Also how can you be in love with a boy after one kiss???

[Izzys_Internet_Bookshelf · Rating 1 out of 5]

1/5

I enjoyed the fact that the book itself was a very easy and fast read. In the beginning I was really excited about the story but as it went on in the middle I felt like some characters just got lost in the background, for example, she was in a band and there wasn’t a lot of mention of it after the introduction. Lia having to correct people that she goes by Lia and not Delia annoyed me, a LOT. Diana, even though she had the least time and character growth because she was missing, was ironically my favorite character in the book, because she was the one who out of the main three (Eli, Lia, and Diana) did nothing wrong to me. She was just a wrong place wrong time situation. The reveal of who the antagonist was had me wanting the throw my phone across the room though, because we never really meet the guy until the last few chapters, so the shock factor is gone. It’s like “OH MAN NO WAY ITS THAT GUY.” To “who is this guy again? What ties does he have to the main story, because being the one to send Lia the weird letters?” It was a weird read in my opinion.

[yaiza · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to Netgalley and Sourcebooks Fire, and of course to the author, for allowing me to read an ARC of this book💕

This book has been quite the surprise because while I obviously knew it was going to be a YA thriller, I found the main character to be a fresh take for this genre! The way the author portrayed the reactions of the characters to the disappearance truly highlighted the fact that they were teens, and that this mistery was way too big for them to handle, specially for Lia.

📍This story takes place in Empire Hill, the high school Diana and Lia attend. The girls have been neighbors and best friends since they were toddlers, but high school is tough for everyone and Lia wants to be her own person, separated from Diana. We follow the girls and their friends as tragedy strikes, and suddenly nobody’s able to tell who’s the friend and who’s the foe, and trust seems misplaced even in the most familiar, loved faces.

✍️The author presents a story with a slow start, but as soon as the pace picks up, it’s impossible to put down. Diana disappears right at the beginning and we see Lia trying to cope with the situation: at first, she thinks her friend is pranking her because she’s found out about Lia’s secret relationship and wants to somehow punish her for not being honest; but as the days go by without Diana, Lia’s initial theory starts to crumble and we see her spiraling. Since the story is told by Lia’s POV, we follow her descent into absolute hysteria as she anxiously looks for clues while also desperately wants to believe her friend isn’t truly missing. The author masterfully explores the mind of a seventeen-year-old who kept a secret from her best friend and decides that it’s a big enough offense for her friend to disappear as a way to teach her a lesson, refusing at first to play detective because she’s terribly scared of facing the reality of her best friend being in danger, of never seeing her again. Lia isn’t naive, she knows something has happened to Diana, but as you read you understand she just can’t face the truth, and I loved how the author let Lia get crazier every chapter as her world came crashing down around her.

👥Diana and Lia are the main characters of this story, two best friends whose interests are so different it’s starting to push them apart. Diana is a pageant queen, she’s the most popular girl at school and everybody loves her, but underneath the bubbly personality there’s a girl who wants to become a Supreme Court Justice and is willing to go the extra mile to get what she wants. And Lia is a super smart girl who has a bright future as a scientist ahead of her, who also plays the bass with her band, but despite her merits, Lia feels overshadowed by Diana and is constantly trying to distance herself from her friend. Both girls know their friendship has changed and we see them trying to come to terms with it, but as the story progresses we, along with Diana and Lia, realize that sometimes miscommunication is the biggest enemy of every relationship. Nonetheless, I have to say there’s a cheating plot that involves one of the girls, and that I absolutely despised it as I felt it was not needed for the story, and the ending would have had the same impact!

🖇️I loved this story mainly because I loved Lia’s reaction to her friend’s disappearance, she was worried right away but she tried to dismiss it and play it cool by convincing herself that it was all a big prank. Lia didn’t turn into a detective overnight, she kept acting like a teenager and she was still a child when things got serious, as she started doubting everyone and seeing Diana everywhere. I think the author brilliantly told a YA thriller in which the heart of the story are the teenagers, their friendships, their mistakes, their fears, while also including a cautionary tale that those who blend in the most might hide the darkest secrets.

[Hadley · Rating 4 out of 5]

This Book was really good, and the ending was crazy!!! I do wish Lia hadn’t made Diana’s disappearance all about her self, although it definitely added to the plot line. But overall this book was really good!

[Kinzie Miller · Rating 4 out of 5]

Way to make everything about yourself when your best friend is missing

[molls · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐️

idk how to feel. it was good don’t get me wrong, but i feel like there was no build up—or it was too much build up. there was so many points in the book where nothing was happening and lia was just going on about how good eli’s hair felt or how annoying diana was. but anyway it was a fun read.

also i can’t even count how many times ‘angst’ or ‘good girl’ was used

[Carla · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have mixed feelings about this book. I think it’s a good introductory YA thriller for young readers. It was very slow and at times tedious to get through. It wasn’t until about 65% that anything really started to happen. I also felt like I was left with a lot of unanswered questions at the end. The motivations of the capture were never really explained. It also didn’t feel like the concept was original. This type of plot has been done many times before.

Overall, I think young YA readers will enjoy this book as it feels very immature. I wouldn’t recommend the book to readers who regularly read YA thrillers. You’ll get bored.

[Spiri Skye · Rating 4 out of 5]

the way the main character reacts felt realistic but also younger than what I’m used to with YA thrillers. I like how she was more anxious than full on detective mode though. Didn’t really like the whole cheating plotline and some things weren’t addressed much like her yellow sweater but overall a fun and addictive YA thriller

[Marina Wilson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. I mean for half of the book I really disliked the main character, and at about 80% the book started to make me feel not well, but that ending 10/10! I’m crying like a baby right now!

[Maddie · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

We Did Nothing Wrong follows Lia who makes plans to meet up with her best friend Diana at midnight. Diana never shows up, which is unusual for her. Soon she is declared missing. Lia is convinced that Diana is pranking her. But soon she realizes that Diana really is in trouble and will do anything to get her friend back.

I thought this book was a pretty standard YA thriller book. I did have a pretty hard time getting into this book. I feel like we kind of just got thrown into the middle of the book. So it was a bit hard to figure out what was going on at first. But once I got into this book I really liked it. I did not see the plot twist coming. It was a very fast paced book. I would highly suggest.

Thank you so much, Hannah Jayne and Sourcebooks Fire for the ARC of this book.

[K. · Rating 2 out of 5]

Content warnings: kidnapping, confinement, death, cheating, vomit

2.5 stars

I'm so disappointed that The Girl in the Headlines by the same author is an absolute banger that I have a hard time keeping on the shelves at work and this was........bleh. Like, it's always going to be difficult for me to care about a protagonist when her best friend goes missing right when she was supposed to meet her and she wasn't there because she's in a clandestine relationship with the best friend's boyfriend. Like...it's hard to support a protagonist when she's sneaking around behind her best friend's back.

Anyway. Ultimately this was eh. But I suspect it will prove forgettable before too long.

[Hailey Henderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Idk what to rate this this. I’m tettering between 3-4 ⭐️

Being YA, it was a bit juvenile and annoyed me at times.
But we are coming from an unreliable, juvenile narrator so it’s understandable.

it was a good read and it kept my attention.
I honestly thought I figured out the plot twist the ENTIRE book. It wasn’t like a punch in the face or a big shocker, more just like wtf 😳 so it was kinda cool.

Decent recent. I do suggest for a quick little mystery

[Jarad Jaent · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this story and was unsure how it would end which kept me engaged. I think it could be predictable to some and some of the characters were a little dumb / annoying but they are teenagers so it made sense. overall a good quick read!

would write home about.

[Hope Figuero · Rating 3 out of 5]

I needed an audiobook to listen to and this one sounded appealing. I should have known that 30 minutes in I should have abandoned because the main characters were so unlikeable and the plot was lacking, but I kept going thinking maybe it would get better. I finished it but would not recommend it.

[Victoria Etter · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was enjoyable but not WOW. Finished it in 24 hours!

[Elizabeth · Rating 1 out of 5]

I tried to like this and finished it because I wanted to see how it would end... Unlikable main character, same for the girl who goes missing, and the ending didn't do anything for me...

[Emily Barnes · Rating 2 out of 5]

I did not like the writing style at all, I almost DNFed several times. I honestly have no idea how I finished it. Literally nothing happened that wasn't in the synopsis of the book until the last like 40 pages. I challenge publishers to not give away half the book in the summaries and actually make an interesting teen thriller for once. Just so disappointing.

[Alexia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Merci à netgalley pour ce service de presse !

L'intrigue était intéressante. Le plus gros problème reste les personnages. Les réactions de chacuns n'ont pas de lien. Certaines réactions sont disproportionnées alors que d'autres sont complètement ridicules.😅

[Eline Van de Veken · Rating 3 out of 5]

Niks speciaals, gewoon YA thriller dat snel en makkelijk las. Ik wist wel echt al van het begin wie het ging zijn. Het hoofdpersonage was lowkey annoying…

[fioni · Rating 1 out of 5]

not even done with the book yet but i already know my rating lol

[HaileyAnne · Rating 1 out of 5]

Lia and Diana have been best friends since they were kids. Lia is a top student and bassist, while Diana is a pageant queen. But their friendship isn't as perfect as it seems. When Lia is late to a nighttime meeting in the park, she assumes Diana left. But the next day, Diana is nowhere to be found. Everyone, including Lia, thinks she ran away. Then Lia finds a sinister note from her recent secret admirer. Did Diana really run away, or did someone take her?

I didn't have super high expectations for this book, but it just was not for me. I thought Lia was really unlikable, and don't even get me started on Diana. There are twists that I don't want to spoil, but I found Diana to be a pretty unredeemable character. I read it really quickly because it is suspenseful, but I just didn't really care.

[Heather Popiel · Rating 2 out of 5]

Found this very boring!