I Know You Did It

by Sue Wallman

A secret from her past threatens to detonate her present... On her first day at a new school, Ruby finds a note in her locker saying I Know You Did It. She's terrified that someone has found out she was responsible for the death of a girl called Hannah in a playground when they were both toddlers - a secret she has been keeping guiltily for ten years. When other pupils at the school start suffering serious accidents, the finger of blame points at Ruby. She knows she's not the perpetrator, but who is? And what link do they have to her past...?

Genres: Mystery, Thriller, Young Adult, Crime, Murder Mystery, Mystery Thriller, Fiction

341 pages, Paperback

First published May 6, 2021

About the author

From eight to eighteen years, I lived in Highcliffe, Christchurch, on the south coast of England. Before that we lived in various places, including a hospital in York where my dad was a psychiatrist.

After Oxford Brookes University (I was one of the first people to do their publishing degree), I became a magazine journalist. A couple of years later, I went to live in Paris where I was editorial assistant for an American newspaper. Eventually, I returned to England via travelling around South America. I now live near Kingston-upon-Thames, Surrey.

I love words. I've been a sub-editor, letters page editor and deputy features editor. In my spare time I've always written different types of fiction. In January 2007 I decided to stop faffing about and take seriously the one thing I'd wanted to achieve all my life. Five books and eight years later, I signed a book deal. Then, in May 2016, Lying About Last Summer, my debut novel, was published.

Reviews

[Mehsi · Rating 5 out of 5]

A girl, a secret, a new school… and murder! This was a really great thriller and I enjoyed it a lot!


I am always on the lookout for a new YA thriller to read and when I saw this one I knew I had to pre-order it and read it. I flew through the book, it was just so good that I didn’t want to stop reading.

Meet Ruby, a girl who, when she was small made a wrong mistake and that haunts her for all time. She is now at a new school and we see that things are OK in the beginning (well, except that annoying clique featuring Monique and Isaac), but quite soon things spiral down and the past is dug up again. We see all that happens and it is A LOT. But really, you aren’t prepared for happens next, and that is murder. I found Ruby a great MC, and I really felt for her. At times I just wanted to reach out to her and give her a big hug. Because she could use that. So much happens in her life and it was just too much.

I wasn’t always agreeing with how Ruby solved situations. I mean, if people already think you are a bad egg, maybe don’t use violence back? I mean, in some cases self-defence, but in some part it was just over the top. And that also made me wonder if Ruby was truly so innocent as she said she was.

The murders? Well, while they were shocking, I don’t know it also missed something as we are never near when they happen. We just hear that x person has died. I also had expected more murder given the blurb. That is all I will say. While I found it heartbreaking for Ruby that people point fingers to her as she was near those people before they went, I did think it was well-written how the murderer made sure that Ruby was nearby, that the cameras weren’t working, and others. I mean, dang. That is some next level revenge plan. Yes, I say revenge, because hello, why else would someone try to frame Ruby? I just didn’t know exactly who was making the plans. But I had ideas, and as the story continued I could see a clearer image on who it could be!
What happened when Ruby was younger? It was horrible, and so sad. BUT, I also couldn’t see why everyone was so hurtful towards Ruby. I mean, yes, she caused the death of a kid and that is HORRIBLE. But she was also barely 4 years old. She made a mistake. She did something that she shouldn’t have, but it was an accident. It was just heartbreaking to see how she feels constantly guilty. Is constantly afraid someone may find out and that the pain and hurt will start. People will hate her. I mean, that is just no life. At times it just seems too much in my eyes, and throughout the book I kept also waiting for that twist, because given how people reacted each time it just felt like there was more to the story than that Ruby told us. That it wasn’t an accident or something. But I will just say it, no. Hannah kept pushing and Ruby just pushed back. Sadly… a real push and in the wrong way.
I wasn’t a fan of Ruby’s sister. She constantly kept calling/constantly texting. And one time, well I just wanted to shake her. Ruby is having a hard time at school and her mom helps her out a lot, which is normal if you kid is 15-year old. Instead of being supportive the sister tells Ruby to not do things because their mom has troubles at work for all the free time she has to take due to Ruby. WTF? Your sister is bullied at school, things are going WAY wrong, and you say that? I mean really? If it was for something silly, sure, but this is serious, and it seemed like the sister didn’t give a damn.

The romance that is in this book? I loved it. It gave some light-hearted moments to the book and I was happy for those reprieves. I was definitely shipping the two together and hoped that they would get dating.

The ending was OH BOY OH BOY OH BOY, and I really loved it. It was exciting and a perfect ending to this story. I do hope that in the future people are a bit kinder to Ruby. Less judgmental over a mistake she made years and years ago. I would highly recommend this fast-paced and exciting read to all.

Review first posted at https://twirlingbookprincess.com/

[Martini_tnt · Rating 3 out of 5]

Całkiem fajny kryminał typowo młodzieżowy. Zakończenia można się domyślić ale czytało się to w miarę dobrze.

[MARIANna drożdzińska Fanklub oli · Rating 5 out of 5]

Zakończenie cud miód.

[Kornelia Stark · Rating 1 out of 5]

This just kept getting worse

To begin with, this was just like a typical Wattpad story written by a teen who has no experience in writing. It’s a book, where of course you have a new girl, she has a dark past, she has bullies and she has a boy that’s she likes very much.

Ugh. But the murders and the person who did it? It was so predictable and the murders were just so ridiculous I barely got through the end of the book. They just didn’t make sense to me and the brief conversation with each characters was even worse, the author clearly just made a couple of school characters based on the most popular stereotypes and didn’t really get into much detail about any of them, they were all very shallow. I thought I would never read a book that was that bad but, here we are. Please don’t read it.

[Karen Barber · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a rollercoaster of a read...
We know that Ruby is moving to a new school in year eleven, and that things were tough at her previous school - though we don’t learn all the details until later. Her first day seems to suggest a fairly typical experience and I wondered where the twist would come. Right at the end of her first day she finds a note pinned to her locker saying ‘I Know You Did It’...and then we learn that some believe her to have killed a girl.
With such a shocking start, how could you not want to know more? The story is not quite what it seems...and it is very clear that Ruby is struggling to work out how to move on from events in her past and the behaviour of some of those who should have helped her.
The incident in Ruby’s past is bad - but it definitely seems a tragic accident. Unfortunately, someone seems to believe otherwise and this appears to be behind some awful events taking place at her new school.
We follow Ruby as she tried to adjust to a new school. Clearly scarred by her experiences it’s hard not to feel sympathy for Ruby...particularly when we start to get suspicious deaths of students whose last known contact was Ruby.
From the moment we get the first death it’s fascinating to see the reactions of those around Ruby. A rather scary tale showing just how easily some can be manipulated...and just how dangerous unresolved anger can be. So many people could be blamed for how things panned out here, but this was a fantastic read.

[Jouri · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved Mara until the end 💖

[Livv · Rating 2 out of 5]

Nudziłam się przez całą książkę. Nie czułam totalnie żadnej grozy czy czegoś w tym stylu. Plusik za fajne rozwiązanie sprawy, bo w sumie do ostatnich stron zastanawiałam się kto jest mordercą.

[Sylvia · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75, rounded up.

Quick read with some good and some predictable twists. Great choice for reluctant readers with its fast pacing and easy to follow story telling.

[Amy Cottier · Rating 1 out of 5]

Feel bad rating this low but I think 1 ⭐️ is warranted when you have to force yourself to finish… found the plot a bit boring and the twist at the end just wasn’t it

[K. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Content warnings: death of a child (in the past), mental health, grief, murder, bullying, assault

I was hooked on this purely based on the tagline. And it was a lot of fun! There was, to be honest, eeeeever so slightly less of the thriller-y stuff than I anticipated. But I still had a lot of fun with it, and there's just something about UK YA that hits different, and I love that.

[claire (franchaela pilled) · Rating 1 out of 5]

1 / 5 ⭐

this is the thriller i'd write if i was 15, had never read a thriller nor written anything else before writing this book.

[Roxi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have a couple of Sue Wallman books on my shelf, but my husband bought me this one for my birthday... Why haven't I read any of her books before?! It was so easy to fall into the narrative of Ruby, a teenage girl with a dark secret, starting at a new school, when two of her class mates are murdered, and she's one of the last people to see them both alive...
🔪
I feel I had worked out quite early on who was responsible for the murders, and was quite smug, until the twist at the end. It was such a great read, I can't wait to read more of her books!
🔪
If you're already a fan of Sue's books, you don't need me to convince you to read this, though if you're like me, and new to her books, I'd highly recommend IKYDI, especially if you like Karen McManus, and Holly Jackson.
🔪

[Karolina♡ · Rating 1 out of 5]

Po namyśle daje tej książce dnf’a. Może kiedyś do niej wrócę (raczej nie).
To jak absurdalna ona była momentami. Jakby- nie wiem jak według ciebie wyglada szkoła autorko, ale na pewno nie tak.
Oczekiwałam jakiegoś thrillera, tajemnicy, kryminału. A dostałam jakiś fatalny okropnie napisany styl życia głównej bohaterki - która swoją droga była wybitnie irytująca.

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

This wasn’t a bad little book. It was quite an easy read and I liked the twist at the end. The author writes the perspective of a 15 year old quite well

[Caitlin · Rating 3 out of 5]

yea it was ok, nothing crazy like. Basic murder mystery with an "unsuspecting" murderer. It was a fun read tho. The writing style wasnt my fav but the perspective of a teenager was written really well. The plot felt a wee bit slow tho. Yea it was ok.

[Liz Ewijk · Rating 2 out of 5]

2,5 ⭐️ 🤗🤗

[Sunnyvoid · Rating 4 out of 5]

Trochę mało rozbudowana fabuła, oprócz lekkiego zwrotu akcji szału nie było. Mimo to książka nie miała zbędnych zapychaczy i fabuła ciągle szła do przodu, więc lekko wciągając, przyjemnie prowadziła do niezbyt odległego końca.

[Rosie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Specyficzna, fabuła momentami wydała się jakaś odrealniona, druga połowa książki była lepsza od pierwszej, a zakończenie z jednej strony spoko, a z drugiej trochę przyspieszone.

[Danielle · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars
It was a little bit boring but it was brought together at the end.

[Shannon Bavister · Rating 3 out of 5]

My thoughts: I Know You Did It is a teen murder mystery novel, and while it had many positives it slightly missed the mark for me.

There was excellent characterisation, a thorough backstory and a plot that flows well throughout. We are introduced to a whole range of characters each with their own set personality. We have the old best friend, the popular group, the ‘IT’ kids and those who just don’t seem to fit in.

I felt awful for Ruby and the story of the crime she committed at only four years old - a lack of judgment leads to a cynical path of destruction for Ruby and everyone is a suspect.

I did have an idea of who the culprit was before the end of the book and this always makes me feel slightly less inclined to give a higher rating. However, it was well written and developed well.

This is definitely a teen novel; and while I appreciate a great young adult book, this definitely sits just below the bar for me.

It must be noted that Sue’s writing is brilliant, and I definitely would be interested in reading more of her work!

[Beth Gouldthorpe · Rating 3 out of 5]

At first the book came across as just one of those boring high school things but as i continued to read a lot more made sense. I didn’t know how to feel when Mara was introduced I thought I liked her but I was sort of unsure. In the end I knew I should’ve hated her. I was also a massive fan of Georgia at the start but I did suspect her to be the killer- which she was- but I didn’t think she would’ve don’t that to Jim.
I do think it was very nosy of Scott to be up in everyone’s buisness but at the same time I love him and his relationship with Khalid- favourite couple in the book!
In all fairness I wouldn’t say that Issac and Monique deserved to die because they didn’t, no one deserves to die, but they were bullies who had no reason to get involved in Ruby’s personal life.
I also think that it was quite stupid that a mass majority of the school thought that Ruby was the killer- I mean just because she accidentally killer someone when she was four doesn’t mean she would do it again right?
One thing I hated was when Ruby started telling Mara the secret about the CCTV camera at Monty’s, Euan had trusted Ruby with that and I absolutely hated the face that she ruined his trust. Most definitely a Euan Stan.
Overall I think this book was pretty good, could’ve had a better starting point but the ending made up for it! I ended up being extremely invested in the book.

[Mahz °_° · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have a lot to say about this book.
ok so, first off lets talk about the good stuff.
1) Had a good and interesting plot - the perspective of an innocent suspect
2) completely shocking plot twist that caught me off guard
3) Characters were realistic, not 2D

However, there were some problems.

1) The plot could have been executed better. The book wasn't gripping enough for me to look forward to reading it. To be honest, things only started picking up in the last two or three chapters.
2) The writing is very basic. Soo many short sentences.
3) It just felt very meh and bland which is disappointing because I could really tell the author had great potential when I read those last two chapters. But the rest of the book? I thought this was a murder mystery? Why so slow paced?

So overall I would say that this book could've been amazing but it left me quite unsatisfied. It was like so much was going on yet the way it was written made it feel very uneventful. I chose this book because I wanted a thriller however I found this to be very much the opposite. A boredom simulator?
But as I have said before, the last two chapters were good. If only that sort of thrill and excitement could have been there throughout the WHOLE book.
I would say A Good Girl's Guide to Murder is the type of thrill and expectation this book should have had.

[Becki Sims · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this. I connected with the protagonist and really felt for her throughout the story. Definitely glad I picked this up from the library.

[Emma · Rating 3 out of 5]

Started out great, you can tell the author works in a school but sometimes it leaned over too far into the cultural references.
In the second half, the book kinda dragged and the shocking incidents were thrown away in end of chapter sentences.
I dont understand why Scott randomly told the protagonist so much, why we never found out how Isaac knew so much about Ruby's last school and the twists at the end were predictable and yet kinda out of the left field annoying.
It's such a shame because I enjoyed the book but it felt like there were two stories going on. Not sure if the editor made some calls here, but I think the plot was over stretched meaning that the clues were in your face.
I will always read Wallman's books - it's like a drug where I'm trying to chase that initial high, based on how good Your Turn To Die was, but if the future books are more like this one with convoluted endings, I may have to switch off at some point.

[Mia · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars
i LOVED the second half of this book, i read the majority of it in one day! once it reached 150 pages ish it really picked up and I was consumed! i just wish it was as exciting at the beginning. i felt as if not much was really happening and it was getting a bit bland (hence the lower rating) but then the interesting stuff started and it was a lot more enjoyable!

the TWISTS in this book WOW! I guessed part of one of the twists but the rest of it came as a complete shock - it didn’t even cross my mind!!

I also loved the romance sprinkled in, i love how it added an extra element, and he’s one of my favourite characters!!

overall I did quite enjoy this but it was a bit slow at the start, i do think this is my least favourite sue wallman book that I’ve read BUT i did really like it and would recommend it 🥰

[Inès Rouaghe · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book deserves a 1⭐️because I was very close to not finishing it which I rarely do. I don’t know where to start. Obvisouly Mara is the killer, she’s the only one who hated ruby enough for killing her twin. The love story is completely useless, the first half of the book could’ve been shortened. The investigation is everything but an investigation. The sister is useless. The ending is so useless. The only okay thing was when she started connecting the dots which lasted a total of 2 pages out of 290. This whole homeless story wasn’t a bad idea but the way everything was linked, the writing… I do not recommend. Also this book cannot call itself a thriller.

[D o s i a · Rating 3 out of 5]

Osobiście, lekka książka z elementami kryminalnymi i boziu, RUBY I EUAN TO BYŁO PIĘKNE OMG

[Lizzie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think that this was one of the best books I have ever read. I could not put it down. It is the perfect combination of mystery and suspense.

[Katie Burdett · Rating 3 out of 5]

What, this whole book is centred about like a 2yr getting murdered by a 2yr, what.

[Lewis · Rating 4 out of 5]

The ending was an excellent plot twist, and the characters were also developed intriguingly.