NOTE: I rated this book 4.75 stars and it probably would have been 5 stars but a HP reference early on left a bad taste in my mouth. Dear authors and publishers everywhere, WE DON’T WANT THIS!!

I think this is marketed under the thriller genre and it definitely is, but it read more like literary or contemporary fiction in my opinion, it’s a good mix. There’s also a great sense of humour and a healthy dose of satirical criticism of the publishing industry thrown in.

Fruit Fly follows two characters: Mallory - an author with one hit to her name and no ideas for the next one Leo - a young man struggling with addiction and trading sex for his next hit Reddit tells Mallory the ingredients for a bestseller today are sad, gay, dark. So naturally she decides to make a Grindr account to seek out some inspiration, leading her to a party and more importantly Leo. Leo’s tragic backstory and life on the margins of society is just what Mallory needs to return to the limelight, so she goes undercover as his therapist while adapting his story for her new novel.

I love Fruit Fly because it kept me on my toes!! I could not have guessed where the story would go, largely because Mallory and Leo are both unpredictable for different reasons but both out of their own kind of desperation. Leo is living under a bridge with a crippling addiction and no savoury way to fund it, so he goes through waves of withdrawal and using that trigger erratic behaviour. Mallory feels her career slipping through her fingers and takes risks to follow this new pursuit secretly from under the thumb of her controlling husband. They are both victims of circumstance and it’s like a car crash you can’t look away from because they KEEP doing awful things! These characters are not even in the same orbit until Mallory starts living a double life and I loved watching them think they were both playing the other (is that a micro trope?? If so it’s a fave).

This book is a phenomenal deep-dive into addiction, family violence and cycles of abuse - the central theme being exploitation vs inspiration. In one word: binge-able! I have never struggled with substance abuse so I can’t comment on whether the experience Leo portrays is accurate, but it felt raw and unfiltered and didn’t shy away from the harsh reality. I think fans of any genre will enjoy and take value from this story.

I want to preface by saying I really liked CG Drews's last two books. They spoke to the darker parts of me —the ones I’ve worked hard to leave behind and contain. The way Drews writes anxiety resonates with me.

In Don't Let the Forest In and Hazelthorn, the overwrought prose felt fresh and atmospheric. The plots were refreshing even when reveals were predictable. But this book just didn’t connect with me the same way.

You Did Nothing Wrong features adults, so I hoped for more complexity. Elodie could be a complex character, but her thoughts are only ever intense and dramatic— ruminating, obsessing, looping, and paranoid. We start at 90% intensity, so when it hits 100% it doesn't feel very different. It's intense, but not deep. Being trapped in her head also robs the other characters of their complexity, because we only see them through her worsening anxiety and paranoia.

The setup has starts and stops rather than a steady build of tension — which is disappointing for a haunting story. Around two-thirds of the way in, you can see what's being set up. When the story finally kicks in, it's derivative and not particularly refreshing. By the latter half, the prose began to wear on me because it felt repetitive.

I also felt that Jude, her autistic son, isn't portrayed in a meaningful way, especially once the plot gets going. Jude is barely a person. He ends up feeling like a narrative device, a catalyst for plot. There's an afterword from the author reminding the reader: “If you were once the autistic child — you did nothing wrong.” It's a lovely sentiment, but it feels misplaced given what transpires in the book.

This book ended up feeling derivative of other horror, and ironically, of her own work. — Btw, this book could be triggering due to the cruelty portrayed. Definitely check the content warnings.