bonding with your interview subject

Khin Hlaing is a freelance journalist having a bad year. Her marriage dissolved within a year, and she’s had to start over and recover from her disappointment quickly. But maybe things are turning around, because an editor at Vogue called her up to offer her the chance of a lifetime. Tyler Tun is an A-list actor, one being considered for the role of James Bond. He’s going to be on an upcoming cover of the magazine, and they need a cover story to go with it. Khin would spend 2 months with Tyler, as he films his latest movie in Myanmar. And if things go well with the cover story, there may be a full-time job with Vogue Singapore in Khin’s future.

As Khin starts to spend time with Tyler, she understands why he is the Hollywood heartthrob. He is smart and confident, good looking, and kind as well. He can tell when those around him notice who he is, but he tries to stay as incognito as he can, especially when he is out with his family. He works hard and reaches out to help others. But he’s also hard to get to know, and Khin needs to get past his armor if she wants to get a story worthy of a Vogue cover.

But when Khin gets to spend the day on set watching Tyler film his latest romantic comedy, she doesn’t know that someone followed her on to the set. It’s a public park, and when Khin wanders off towards a lake, the man who snuck onto the set comes to talk to her. He gets aggressive, and since she thought the park was closed, she didn’t bring her phone. He keeps coming closer to her, and she has nowhere to run. He gets her trapped on the bridge, and the only thing she can think to do is to do is stab him in the ear with her pen. Tyler sees what’s going on and runs over to help her. The man ends up going over the bridge, falling into the lake. And when he doesn’t resurface, Khin panics.

Tyler tries to calm Khin, saying that it had been self-defense. She is torn. Part of her wants to go to the police and tell them what happened, but if she does that, then there is no Vogue cover story or job. And the movie may get shut down, which would be a problem for Tyler’s shooting schedule. But this is a big secret to carry, and just as Tyler and Khin were developing feelings for each other.

As the weeks go by with the filming, the police show up to investigate the death in the park. They focus on Khin in their questioning, but she refuses to say anything incriminating. She decides her best way to try to find answers she can live with is to investigate the man herself. She is a journalist, after all. But that distracts her from her story on Tyler. As Khin tries to balance the life she wants with the decisions she’s been making lately, she finds herself more confused than ever. Will she ever be able to write her story, or maybe find love with Tyler, or will she end up spending the rest of her life in prison?

I Did Something Bad is part rom com, part mystery, and a fun ride for a debut novel. Author Pyae Moe Thet War brings together adventure, romance, and celebrity culture to a story filled with secrets, lies, and big life decisions. I listened to the audio book for this one, and narrator Jacqui Bardelang brought Khin’s voice to life so beautifully. I thought she was an excellent choice for this story, and I truly enjoyed her narration.

I love the cover for I Did Something Bad, and I was looking for a story with a strong hero (or maybe an anti-hero, based on the title). I did think Khin was a strong character, and I loved the setting in Myanmar. But I did find the story got a little muddled between romance and mystery. I enjoyed it, and I think others will as well, but I did think it could be a little stronger if the story was a little more focused. Mostly, I just liked these characters, and I was rooting for them to find the answers they needed to come back together in the end. That was enough for me to keep reading to the end, and I’m really glad I did.

Egalleys for I Did Something Bad were provided by St. Martin’s Griffin and a copy of the audiobook was provided by Macmillan Audio, both through NetGalley, with many thanks.