WOW!! I couldn't put this book down! It's incredible what a good actress is capable of, and Claire, the main character of Believe Me, put all her training to use in this wicked tale!

I loved this story because there was never a dull moment, and I was quite surprised throughout the book. The story starts strong, and builds in intensity to the shocking conclusion. There were a few moments that I thought the subject matter might be beyond my comfort level, but Delaney handles those provocative issues with care.

The chapters are short in Believe Me, and there are a limited number of characters, so I didn't have to go back and reread. This would make a great vacation read, but it also added a lot of spark to my midweek reading! I highly recommend!

Read all my reviews at: https://brainfartsandbooks.wordpress.com

Ok JP Delaney. You got me. I mean you really, really got me. I don't think I would have ever guessed that ending. My mind was completely frazzled (in a good way) by the end of the book. Claire is a completely unstable character throughout the book. That's for sure. One minute she is helping to catch cheating husbands and the next she is working for the police. Until she isn't. Until all the people who could possibly give her an alibi disappear. And now she is in trouble. Sure, Claire is beautiful and manipulative. But is she crazy? What or who is telling the truth? She reaches out to the only person she has contact information for to help her. However, he could be a killer. Is she falling for him? Claire's mind bounces around from place to place in this slightly claustrophobic story. And because all the facts aren't laid out in front of the reader, it's really hard to tell what's real and what's not. Kudos to JP Delaney for completely messing with my brain and making me want to read this book all over again. Well done.

Thank you to Netgalley, JP Delaney, and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine Books for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

WOW! Just when I thought I knew what was happening, I was so wrong! What a thrill ride! Until the very end too. Great read.

I am usually so good at figuring out who the killer or villain is long before the reveal, but I was not expecting the ending of this book. I won't say the beginning is slow, but I did expect it to be a little more fast paced. It does, however, pick up halfway, and it definitely threw me for a loop (or two). Very well written and kept me up well beyond my bedtime. I absolutely am looking forward to recommending this one!

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC for my Kindle.
A psychological thriller with twists and turns that not only kept me guessing, but also, kept me thinking what was "real" and what was "acting." It's a little dark, but in all, a good book.

Good book. Lots of twists and turns that kept you guessing, and changing your mind about “whodunnit” right up until the end. Hard to put this one down.

4 dark, sultry stars to Believe Me!

Claire is British and living in the United States as a struggling actor. Not only does she need money, she needs a green card, too.

Her ship comes in when she is hired to become a decoy for a law firm of divorce lawyers. Her aim, to catch husbands cheating on tape...with her.

All seems to go as planned until the wife of one of the target’s is murdered. Claire is now asked by the police to ensnare the husband in a confession for the murder.

Believe Me is both enthralling and icky for different reasons! It reminded me of reality shows where women have gone undercover to trap men in theses types of scenarios. Throughout, I never knew who to trust, including Claire.

If you enjoy darker, twisted thrillers, Believe Me should be on your radar!

Thank you to J.P. Delaney, Random House/Ballantine, and Netgalley for the ARC. Believe Me will be published on July 24, 2018!

My reviews can also be found on my blog: www.jennifertarheelreader.com

Wow! What an exciting read! Hired to play the part of an available woman to catch cheating husbands, everything changes when one of the “marks” turns up dead after a job. With the twists you won’t know what just happened!

Using the loosely translated poetry of Baudelaire and an unemployed British actress without a green card to tell the story, Delaney delivers a suspenseful and surprising thriller. This is a quick read that takes off from the beginning and doesn't stop. The characters are well developed and unreliable so you care about them but never know what is real and what is not. A little murky towards the end but overall a great read.

Copy provided by the Publisher and NetGalley

When I started Believe Me, I had no idea of the emotional impact it would have. The writing is so good I was taken by surprise each time the plot took a new turn. There were several times all I could think was how did I not see that? The characters were skillfully crafted and believable. This is one of the best books I've read this year.

Believe Me is another psychological thriller in a similar vein to Delaney's previous work The Girl Before. I received this pre-release Kindle Edition via Netgalley. The story centers around a struggling British actress Claire who seeks a green card while living and studying in New York. The only work she can find to pay for her upkeep and acting lessons is to act as a sexy decoy to a legal firm that specializes in ensnaring straying husbands. She plays her role superbly but finds the tables turned and becomes the unwitting victim of her own trap when she comes up against a brilliant and handsomely seductive professor whose expertise is the poetry of Baudelaire. Baudelaire's darkly erotic volume of poetry Le Fleurs Du Mal (first published in 1857) forms the undercurrent of the story in which one is never sure who is who. Like The Girl Before the central male character is a wealthy, handsome, over achieving seductive narcissist/sociopath and the heroine is drawn to him like a bee to honey. The story is well-paced and a good solid whodunnit. This was my introduction to Baudelaire who is considered to be an influence in the symbolist and modernist movements and his poetry added a special sinister effect to the story line. (less)

I loved the twisty nature of this book. An original twist with blending script style into the novel. Unknowingly, it gave me clues (looking back) on what was going on. Great read and I can't wait to check out more from this author. #awesome #twisty #thriller #amazeballs

This book was utterly ridiculous, but I couldn't put it down. It takes a LOT of suspension of disbelief to get through the first half--which was incredibly irritating for me--but I'm glad I stuck it out. The events in the second half of the book are a little easier to believe, and somewhat explain the first half, however it's still insane...in a compelling, trainwreck kind of way.

I love an unreliable narrator, and this book takes that concept to the extreme. I've read a lot of these twisty, psychological thrillers, so I've become pretty adept at figuring out where the story's going to go. I can usually catch loose ends or little clues and pull the thread until I find the solution, but with this one, EVERY SINGLE THING I THOUGHT WAS WRONG. And it kept happening! Props to the author for that, seriously.

I didn't particularly like any of the characters, but that didn't stop me from devouring Believe Me in the space of a few hours. This is probably the weirdest review I've ever written, because while I wanted to hate this book almost the entire way through, I can't! I think I actually may love it?

The one thing I genuinely didn't care for was the screenplay style used in many of the dialogue scenes. I get what Delaney was going for, but the device became a distraction and took me out of the story. That's the only reason I'm not giving the book five stars.

Other than that, I'd recommend it for fans of thrillers, suspense, and mystery. You'll probably hate it at first, but if you give it a chance, I swear that it's worth the time and investment. I know this is an awful way to sell the book, but when you read it, you'll understand what I mean. And I hope that if the author sees my review he takes it as a compliment, because that is how it's meant. I'll be picking up Delaney's other novel, The Girl Before, ASAP as well.

I'll give this book a good rating even though the premise is ridiculous. The writing is very good and the story is addictive. I would recommend it to my friends. I'll keep an eye for the next book from this author.

I've been enjoying thrillers lately. This one did not disappoint. I kept turning page after page and when I thought I'd figured it out I found I hadn't. I recommended this book to anyone who enjoys thrillers. I would like to thank Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a review copy in exchange for my honest and unbiased opinion of it.

Even now that I'm done with this book, I'm not sure what or who to believe. That's the power of JP Delaney, who weaves story lines and emotions like it's child's play. The premise is so unbelievably unrealistic, but Delaney's writing is so good that you forget and become completely immersed in this twisted, romantic psychological thriller.

****4.5 stars****So, Believe Me by JP Delaney was a whole new morsel of a novel for me. I wasn’t sure it was possible to have such a love-hate relationship with a book. It’s a fast-paced dark, creepy, sadistic thriller that just leaves you like WHAT!!! Just when you think you’ve figured out what happening you haven’t figured out squat. I received an advance copy from NetGalley & Random House Publishing in exchange for an honest review.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Highly recommended read! Thanks for providing through Net Galley. Five Stars *****

I thoroughly enjoyed Delaney’s previous novel, “The Girl Before” and was very intrigued from by synopsis of his new book, “Believe Me”, however, it did not live up to the hype.

For me to immerse myself into a story, it must make me feel something - be it sadness, joy, anger, sympathy, fear... anything to draw me in. Unfortunately, I felt nothing but irritation as this novel progressed. The writing style was halting. Was this a script or a novel? I found the characters unlikeable as well.

The plot was good; an actress from across the pond, with a tainted past, trying to make a new name for herself - a murder - a sting operation - a veritable whodunnit. This novel has all of the elements. Why didn’t it come together for me? Maybe I need to re-read it...

See link to goodreads review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2409723378?book_show_action=false&from_review_page=1