You Can Never Tell by Sarah Warburton

A chilling thriller that explores the twisted side of suburbia.

I enjoyed reading this book. It shows your how to be cautious with your friendships and neighbors. It certainly kept you on the edge of your seat trying t find out what was going on. Great character planning. Well-written. I recommend this book.

Thanks to Net Galley for sending me an advanced reader’s copy for my review.

You Can Never Tell tells the story of Kacy, a shamed museum curator (framed for embezzlement by her former best friend) and her husband. They move from New Jersey to Texas, to escape the shame and situation with almost having the embezzlement charges pinned on her. Once in Texas, Kacy settles into her new life, trying to blend in with the different women she encounters, and make a new name for herself. She also looks to fill her time, since she is unemployable in her chosen field. When different things start to happen, Kacy turns to her neighbors, but especially next door neighbor Lena, for support. When something terrifying happens, Kacy doesn't know where to turn, and the story unfolds with all the twists and turns you would hope for in a domestic thriller.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. I felt like it was different enough to be engaging, and the twists were ones that I didn't always expect. I've read a lot of domestic thrillers, and while this one is not exactly plausible or realistic (how much bad luck can one family have?!) it quickly gained my attention, and made me want to continue reading through to the end. I loved reading about a main character who grapples with the same things I do, at times (forgiveness, doing the right thing, etc.) and Kacy was the perfect embodiment of that kind of flawed, but relatable character. She did always want to do the right thing, even if she struggled with her feelings on it, at times. This story would be perfect for those who love a good domestic thriller, and surprise twists and turns along the way.

Thank you to the author, publisher and Net Galley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

You Can Never Tell started out a little as a slow burn but as I got more into it, I really enjoyed it. I loved the alternating chapters between the story and the podcasts. Sarah Warburton is a new to me author and I am looking forward to reading more by her.

Helen and Julia have a crime podcast and they are covering a story in Sugar Land, Texas. Listening to the story of her life is Kacy. She moved to Texas with her husband after a co-worker framed her at a museum in New York. As a new person in the neighborhood she is nervous but she tries to fit in. She makes friends with her neighbor Lena. Then their husbands become friends as well.
This book is so suspenseful you cannot put it down. Truly a page turner.

A couple resets in Texas. The wife disgraced and accused of embezzlement from a prestigious gallery. No charges but the accusations still overshadow her days. Reestablished with new friends life reestablished the neighbors are in fir the shock of their lives. Unknown to them their neighbors are serial killers. Kacy and her husband have been living next door. Her husband is held and barely escapes from Brady the male half of this duo , while Kacy thought this women was a real friend. Lena it turns out was the driving force and continues to taunt her neighbors from the road. Interspersed throughout the narrative is a podcast that redefines what a true friend would commit to given dire circumstances. Chilling and fun.

Honest disclosure--I may be suffering from thriller burnout. I absolutely adore a good mystery, and although this book kept me interested throughout, I was missing a really good twist or something to make it stand out above everything else in the genre.

Kacy Tremain and her husband Michael were living a great life in New Jersey until Kacy's best friend and co-worker Aimee frames her for embezzlement. Without enough evidence to convict her, Kacy is blackballed from the industry and she and Michael move to Texas to start over. Kacy is depressed, but is able to connect with a couple of women in her new subdivision, particularly her next-door neighbor Lena. The two become very close and along with their husbands, become an inseparable group. That is, until one night Michael comes home from spending time with Brady and they head straight to the police station--Michael accusing Brady of murder. Who can be trusted?

I felt like there were so many opportunities to give this book the twists it needed to be unique and memorable and it fell short every time. It's mostly just a straightforward book and we never find out the motivations behind either of the "bad guys" despite Kacy being desperate to know (me too Kacy, me too). I realize that in real life we usually don't get to know why evil people do the things they do, but a novel has the opportunity to make that clear for the reader to give closure and satisfaction and this one didn't do that. The opening prologue basically gives away the entire plot, I just kept waiting for something else and it never happened.

I loved the crime podcast parts of the book, they gave some interesting flavor to the story, but again, they just didn't go far enough. I listened to this book as an audiobook and the narrator Jorjeana Marie does a great job, especially with the podcast. I found it entertaining to listen to and it definitely kept me interested throughout.

Overall, this is a good domestic suspense, it just doesn't have many surprises. If you like a book with a fictionalized true crime aspect, this might appeal.

You Can Never Tell. It's true. Kacy thought she was good. She thought people liked her. But when a friend turns on her, everyone too easily believes she is guilty. So she and her husband move thousands of miles away to start over. At first, she has trouble dealing with her past and the fear that it will follow her. Over time she makes friends with some very different women and finds that no one judges her by the past she ran from.

The Houston suburb is supposed to be safe. So why are there so many deaths? Interspersed with scenes from a podcast about the crime our characters are experiencing, we know there are killers. Slowly the details are unveiled and Kacy has to start to wonder. Is she some sort of psychopath magnet? I enjoyed the way the story unfolded. The author didn't try to make it any more sensational than it would be to find serial killers in your friend group. I could imagine knowing the characters. It was nice to read a story about people who acted like people.

You Can Never Tell by Sarah Warburton

I must say I was a bit perplexed when the book opened to a letter to a child from a parent telling her about her serial killer Godmother. Then quickly followed a podcast and the two hosts discussing the murders. I don’t recall reading a book where I started out knowing who the killer was, but not how it happened. As a fan of true crime books, I was definitely intrigued.

Kacy and her husband move to Texas after an incident at Kacy’s old job at the museum. Kacy is trying to start over. They become friends with their neighbors Brady and Lena. Little do they know, they befriended serial killers!

I kinda felt sorry for Kacy. She seems to have horrible luck with friends. This books was predictable, but still worth a read!

Thank you to Crooked Lane Books and NetGalley for the #gifted arc!

I was given an e-copy of this book by NetGalley for my honest review.

If you like psychological thrillers, this book is for you! It's a fast paced read with a shocking twist at the end.

I highly recommend this 5 star book.

I really enjoyed this book because it was interesting and always kept me guessing. I really enjoyed the true crime podcast aspect because the hosts were entertaining and they provided clues to what was to come. I didn’t really connect with Kacy and I still think that Michael is very sketchy.

You Can Never Tell is Warburton’s latest psychological thriller inspired by elements of the Manchester Moors Murders in the 1960s and her love of true crime podcasts, and despite all the thrills, kills and terror, this is still a story about friendship and empathy that will keep you up at night. The disturbing tale picks up after Kacy Tremaine, an art museum curator, and her engineer husband, Michael, move from New Jersey to Sugar Land, Texas into an upscale Houston suburb to escape the betrayal and humiliation Kacy suffered after the scandal of being framed for embezzlement by her co-worker and supposed best friend, Aimee. Not only did she love her job as a curator but she also had her solid reputation ruined beyond repair prompting the couple’s desire to start afresh. Against this evolving backdrop, Kacy experiences heightened anxiety from the insecurities most people encounter in moving away from the family, friends and familiar places they’ve known all their lives.

Fear of exposing herself to more hurt keeps Kacy initially homebound in her new community. However, the amicability and openness of those who are living around her enable Kacy to step out of her comfort zone and make new friends amongst her neighbours, namely building relationships with Elizabeth, Rahmia and her neighbour Lena. When baby Grace makes her debut later that year, Kacy’s relationships deepen with friends who are mothers, allowing her to settle into a state of suburban bliss. But good friends are not always what they seem and facades are a common occurrence. They have secrets, none more horrific than those of Kacy and Michael’s new best friends—most aptly described as your friendly neighbourhood serial killers, a charismatic couple nobody would ever suspect of such dastardly deeds.

Once the couple’s secret is out, Kacy’s world is turned upside down. She sees danger peeking around every corner and the threat of a vengeful killer coming after her, Grace, Michael, her parents, not to mention the trust she once placed in people swiftly evaporates. With a newfound inner strength born out of her new role as a mother, Kacy takes matters into her own hands to protect those she loves, willing to risk her own life to do so. This is a compulsive and engrossing serial killer thriller from start to finish with intense drama, devious twists, rampant toxicity and sinister secrets. With gradually heightening suspense, it is a taut, emotionally fraught and enthralling first-person tale in which the culprits/s are kept under wraps superbly. Woven through Kacy's perspective is Warburton's fictional podcast featuring two unapologetically irreverent women to underscore the novel’s central theme of friendship. A compelling, creepy and refreshing take on the thriller novel.

This is a wild, over the top thriller set in a suburb many might recognize. Kacy's been struggling since she moved with her husband Michael from New Jersey to Texas. She can't find equilibrium and doesn't relate to the other women she meets until .... Lena. Her next door neighbor and her husband Brady seem like good eggs and the two couples bond until....Kacy has a baby. You'll see little bits of Lena's jealousy about others such as Elizabeth who becomes a good friend to Kacy as well but you won't expect what's really going on until you will. The characters are well done- Kacy and Elizabeth are both very sympathetic- and the plot, well, the plot will pull you in. It's hard to review without spoilers but know there's turns around each corner. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. I read this in a gulp.

This was a very different kind of thriller, a thriller which reveals the killers early on in the story, where the readers know who the killers are but the protagonist doesn't. Now I've seen great reviews for this one and I really tried to like it, but it just wasn't for me.

Some things that I LIKED ✔️
• Action packed
• Great character development
• Emotional and realistic
• The presence of a true crime podcast

Some things that I DISLIKED❌
• Slow paced with no twists or turns
• No 'big reveal' or something like that, it's just that you know who the killer is quite early, and the protagonist doesn't, and you just get to see the events unfolding, and the killer gets caught and boom! that's it. Nothing else to the story.
• I really wanted multiple/double POVs in this story instead of a single one because it would've helped me to know the mindset of the killer, as I already knew who it was.

That's it. I guess, um there's not much to this story and it's just the protagonist being naive and doing stupid things and you just have to get along with it.

Nevertheless, it was an okay read for me and I was anxious to see where the story was going and how it was unfolding and that's what urged me to go on.

If you're a lover of action-packed, tense thrillers with serial killers and a true crime podcast, this one is for you! 🔎

Thank you so much to the publisher @crookedlanebooks and @netgallery for my gifted eARC!

Kacy is framed for embezzlement by her best friend Aimee. She loses the job she loves, her best friend, and must pick up and start over across the country. Her life has changed in so many ways.

Kacy & her husband, Michael, move to Sugar Land Texas to start fresh. Although Kacy can no longer work in museums doing what she loves to do, she stays home while Michael works. She slowly opens up to the idea of socializing again and making new friends.

Kacy begins to open up, meet some women in her neighborhood, goes to counseling sessions every week, and even joins a women’s social group called The Bluebonnets in her development. One day Kacy meets her neighbor, Lena, and the two of them become good friends. Lena & Kacy spend time together, and Kacy finds herself enjoying the company.

Kacy receives mysterious postcards with cryptic messages from her ex-best friend, Aimee. Aimee seems to be taunting Kacy from afar. Soon after, Kacy & her husband, Michael find hidden cameras throughout their house. Someone is watching their every move-but who? Weird things keep surrounding Kacy & Michael-like finding out that the previous owner of their home was found dead inside of it. Kacy begins to question who she can trust, if anyone.

One night Michael makes a discovery about Brady, Lena’s husband, which turns Kacy & his world upside down. This discovery leaves to a trickling of events, and Kacy must chose to trust her gut instincts or pay the price.

I really did look forward to reading this book, I was somewhat disappointed by the lack of twists. I was able to predict what happened from the beginning. It was a slower paced read for me, but still enjoyable and read worthy.

I did like how the author alternated between the story and snippets of a true crime podcast that was discussing the case. This made it interesting and somewhat eerie, especially since it’s inspired by the Moors Murders.

Who doesn’t love a neighborhood full of gossip, drama, secrets, and a murderer(s?) on the loose?!

Kacy is the ultimate friend. She's loyal, but also naïve. That's why she's had to move with her husband from New Jersey to Texas after her best friend sets her up.

But now she's in a neighborhood with socially active women and starts to let her guard down as she develops new friendships. Her neighbor Lena is like minded and takes her side with some of the pettiness that happens within their group.

As we learn about Kacy's life in Texas, her friendships, and her pregnancy, the book is interspersed with transcripts of a podcast about a local crime. Some of the podcasts are predictors of what is to come, but also provide speculation about motivations for the crimes. So, you can pretty much guess what's coming!

The book moved along at a good pace. The ending was a little over the top with Kacy playing detective, but at the same time it had a tense denouement and tied together perfectly.

Thanks to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for an advance reader's copy.

Wow this was terrible. Predictable and annoying at times. The descriptions of home interiors and “styles” was like some kind of terrible Pinterest hell from 2009.

The relationships made absolutely no sense in this book. Even the ending was a big let down.

Just not for me I guess.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Crooked Lane Books and Dreamscape Media (excellently narrated by Jorjeana Marie) for gifting me both a digital ARC and audiobook of the thriller by Sarah Warburton - 4.5 stars!

Kacy was framed for a theft by her supposed best friend and subsequently fired from her dream job at a museum; devastated, her and her husband, Michael, moved to Sugar Land for a new start. Kacy was slow to trust in making new friends but she slowly met people in the neighborhood, becoming fast friends with next-door neighbor, Lena. Lena was on her side when it appeared that her old friend was continuing to taunt her from far away. When the couple found hidden cameras in their home, Lena's husband, Brady, helped them detect and remove them. But when Michael makes a discovery after being with Brady, they both realized they didn't know their neighbors as well as they thought.

I loved how this book alternated the story with snippets from a true crime podcast telling about this crime. It led even a more creepy vibe to the entire tale, because there were enough really true details to make it seem so real. The characters felt real and you could feel for Kacy, wounded from her last friendship and slow to trust yet needing friends in her life. A must read!

This domestic thriller was quite the surprise! How well do you know your neighbors? Makes you question who you trust! I highly recommend this read!

You can never tell what's going on in suburbia! Thank you to Crooked Lane Books for my NetGalley copy - pub date is coming up on August 10!

Kacy and her husband move to the suburbs to escape a crisis, and at first, all is well. She makes some new friends, including the extroverted Lena. But things start to get unsettling when she finds cameras in her house, and nasty postcards arrive to taunt her. Then Lena goes missing, and Kacy has to figure out what secrets the suburbs are hiding.

This thriller is based on the Moors Murders, which I hadn't heard of before. I liked Kacy as a protagonist - she's easy to root for as she tries to rebuild her life. There are lots of "oh, honey" moments as she makes some questionable decisions. The narrative is interspersed with a podcast discussing the events - honestly, I would skip these sections as they took me out of the narrative, and I don't think they add much to the story. Lena is a great foil to the innocent Kacy, and it was fun seeing their relationship develop.

If you like suburban thriller-dramas, this is a good addition to the genre! It may be somewhat easy to figure out what is happening (at least for the reader, not so much for Kacy), but I enjoyed seeing the story to its conclusion.

This was a fast paced domestic thriller that attacked pretty and perfect suburbia. A pretty normal couple Kacy and Micheal start the book with their relocation to Texas after a toxic friendship with a co worker named Aimee leaves Kacy unemployed and blacklisted from her musuem connections. She then strikes up a nice new friendship with the lady next door Lena and her husband. But the couples lives are far from perfect in their new perfect neighbourhood. They get drawn into some more toxic and dark relationships with dire consequences for them both.

A great thriller with twists and turns and a compelling plot line. It only gets 3 stars however as I found the plot too obviously predictable from the very beginning and Kacys naïveté of the situation got annoying after a while. But loved the splicing of the true crime podcasts sections in here. It made for a great and fun and quick read. Would recommend to thriller fans.