You Did Nothing Wrong by C.G. Drews delivers a suspenseful psychological gothic horror that will keep you on edge as you try to piece together what is actually happening from our unreliable narrator. Perfect for a dark, rainy night.
by C.G. Drews
Genres: Horror
Source: Publisher
Purchase*: Amazon | Audible | Libro.fm *affiliate
A relentless, horror-inducing psychological suspense for fans of The Push and Baby Teeth by New York Times bestselling author CG Drews.
Single mother Elodie’s life has become a fairy tale. She’s met Bren, equal parts golden-retriever devoted and sinfully handsome. He’s whisked her and her autistic son, Jude, to the crumbling family house he’s renovating. She has a new husband, a new house, and a new baby on the way. Everything is perfect.
Then Jude claims he can hear voices in the walls. He says their renovations are “hurting” the house. Even Elodie can’t ignore it–something strange is going on. The question is, is it with the house, or with her son?
Then the one secret Elodie has been hiding is revealed, and no one is safe anymore.
A pulse-pounding, clever take on the haunted house novel, You Did Nothing Wrong examines the complexities of motherhood and the twisted bonds of family as it races to its shocking ending.
You Did Nothing Wrong tells the story of single mother Elodie who recently married Bren, a handsome, caring man and the two of them move into the home he is renovating with Elodie’s autistic son, Jude and are expecting a new baby of their own. From the outset, we don’t quite know what to make of our unreliable narrator, Elodie, and her son who hears things in the walls.
The tale that unfolded was a suspenseful gothic horror, perfect for fans of Mexican Gothic or Baby Teeth. Drew delivers an atmospheric tale with twists and dark secrets. Everything seemed perfect at first. Elodie is young, having given birth to Jude at sixteen, and her home life wasn’t a happy one. She is determined to make a fresh start with Bren. What looks like the perfect couple soon crumbles as Elodie seems unwilling to address that Jude is different. Things are happening to the house. Jude can hear noises in the walls and claims their renovations are hurting the house. Bren appears to be a saint, showing patience and understanding with both Elodie and Jude, but even he has secrets.
I love an unreliable narrator and the suspense and tension that come from trying to piece together what was real. The horror elements were creeptastic and as we got to know Elodie and Bren, my jaw dropped.
You Did Nothing Wrong is perfect for a chilly winter’s eve. Clear your schedule because once you start, you won’t want to set it down.
About C.G. Drews
CG Drews is the award-winning NYT Bestselling author of Don’t Let The Forest In, Hazelthorn, and You Did Nothing Wrong. Their work has been translated into over 12 languages, was nominated for the 2020 CILIP Carnegie Medal, and won the B&N 2025 YA Book Awards, and are also Indie Next Picks and Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selections. CG lives in Australia under a pile of unread books.
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About Kimberly
Kimberly is a coffee loving book addict who reads and listens to fictional stories in all genres. Whovian, Ravenclaw, Howler and proud Nonna. She owns and manages Caffeinated PR. The coffee is always on and she is ready to chat. BlueSky | Facebook | Instagram
Jenna @ Falling Letters
Good to know you enjoyed this one! I haven’t read anything by Drews before as I don’t read much YA but I do love a haunted house story so I will be checking this out.
Kimberly
This was adult. I haven’t read anything else of hers.
Jenna @ Falling Letters
(oops, sorry, I see now my comment was poorly phrased 😅 I realize this adult – if it was another YA I’d probably pass it by).
Sophie
Horror is not my jam Kimberly but I hear only good things for that author!
Rachel @Waves of Fiction
Yep, this was a story I didn’t want to put down. I wasn’t thrilled with the ending, though, but I have mixed reactions to the endings of horror books.
Katherine
The fact there’s a crumbling house hooked me. The fact there’s a child makes me a little nervous but this does look fun.