When Kacy has a breakdown following her very public sacking from her job in an art museum for theft and embezzling, for which she was framed by a so called friend, her husband Michael gets a job miles away in a community in Houston, Texas. Slow to adjust Kacy and Michael meet their neighbours Lena and Brady and become good friends. Until one night changed all this and makes Kacy wonder how she can trust anyone again.
This story is told by Kacy and 2 podcasters who give us their persoectives. In my opinion some of their dialogue takes away from Kacy as we're reading ahead before action may have taken place. Nevertheless this a fast paced read with plenty of twists, exactly what you expect from a thriller
Many thanks to Netgalley and publishers for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.
3.5 rounded up to 4

A remarkable domestic thriller showing how infamy can haunt a person well into a whole new suburban existence. The protagonist’s attempt to escape her past fails because secrets have a way of coming up to the surface...

Deliciously sinister and bone chilling. Kasy and her husband move to Texas to begin anew after her backstabbing friend framed Kasy. Except in Texas, Kasy befriends, literally, a back stabber who is a stone cold killer. I read feverishly through each chapter, waiting to see what would transpire. Where was the killer? Could Kasy outsmart the killer? Or was she jeopardizing her family by trying to bring the nightmare to an end? I thought the action was good, the tension was very thick, the plot devious. I also thought the backstabbing friend got exactly what she deserved. To find out which backstabber I'm referring, you'll just have to read the book. You Can Never Tell about people, really you cannot.

I’ve read a lot of similar mystery/thriller books and this one really is nothing special. The narrative is slightly different and refreshing, but the mystery itself is predictable and maybe because of the narrative not really thrilling.

The story is mostly written in first person POV from Kacy. She is listening to a true crime podcast and the hosts are telling the story of a crime Kacy is very familiar with. The true crime podcast chapters actually reveal too much in my opinion, I had already figured it out, or had at least an inkling, but these chapters really confirmed what I thought was happening. It takes away from the mystery and actually takes me out of the story itself, almost like a commercial break.

I’m not going to say too much about this, it’s easy to spoil it, even if it is easy to figure out, it’s better to figure out while reading it yourself. The main mystery is resolved in the end, but there are some smaller things that get picked up and raised a few time throughout the book that I feel needed to be either part of the main mystery or resolved separately, or maybe not raised at all. I also had some issues with the passing of time in this book. It’s something that doesn’t happen too often in mystery books for me. In some chapters you are jumping from today to 3 weeks on to skip 3 months ahead in the next chapter. I don’t like that. Mind you, most of the chapters are rather short so there really is no lead in for it. And other chapters span over a day or two, it’s too inconsistent for me. And for a mystery I like a lot packed in a short amount of time.

This wasn’t a mystery for me, reminded me of too many other books and was spoiling its own mystery, 2.5 stars

This was a great book! It kept me turning pages long into the night! I love that I was thinking it was someone else then come to find out it was a totally different person. I highly recommend it.

Looking for a thriller that has a very unique, intense plot? Search this book out now! It was a nail biter that had my mind engaged the whole time trying to figure out which twisted direction it was headed in. Kacy and Michael had just moved into a new neighborhood. They moved to start anew after Kacy’s reputation was shattered by a coworker who was a close friend. Kacy knew she needed to trust again and make friends in her new neighborhood. Kacy and Michael made friends with neighbors and life seemed to be going smoothly until kacy started receiving postcards with creepy messages. Was her old life coming to haunt her new life? Or did someone new in her life find out about her past? Then something horrible happened in the neighborhood that changed everything. I loved this book and hope to find more written by this author.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for sharing this title for an honest review.

This book starts a little slow but pulls you in from the start. Kacy and her husband Michael move to Texas after her career suffers a catastrophic blow in New Jersey. Kacy doesn't seem to fit in or find any friends until she meets neighbour Lena. They become quick friends.

Lena isn't like the other women in the neighbourhood and when Kacy's past starts creeping into her new life Lena will do anything to protect her. This story has twists and turns including a few chapters that are told from a true crime podcast perspective. I would recommend to those who like thrillers and mysteries.

This is the ultimate frenemy story about a woman who has the worst luck – or the worst judgement – in choosing friends. As she points out, in real life you can’t identify the evil witch. Bad people hide among us in plain sight.

Kacy Tremain used to work as a curator in an upmarket New Jersey museum with best friend Aimee. But when Aimee framed her for theft and embezzlement, Kacy lost her job and reputation, and was forced to escape with husband Michael to a small Texas town to start a new life. She joins the Bluebonnet Society and makes new friends – preppy Elizabeth, friendly Rahmia and her charismatic next-door neighbour Lena, married to Brady. Kacy is also blessed with a baby daughter. She thinks her troubles are over – until she discovers spy cameras in her house and dead bodies start turning up. This time Michael is also caught in the terrible fallout.

The story is told partly through a true crime podcast. Kacy is again in the public eye. She must dig deep to find the strength to defeat an enemy she thought was her friend, and to prevent her from avenging a wrong she has long ago assigned to her past.

In this book the identity of the murderer is not a shock. The tension comes from knowing that trouble is coming and wondering how Kacy will escape her nightmare. She must develop the strength to fight a resourceful enemy and protect her family in the nail-biting climax.

The murders aren’t graphic. The focus is on Kacy’s relationships with women who befriend her for the wrong reasons. It’s a quick, easy read and the ending resolves it all nicely.

Thank you to Crooked Lane Books and NetGalley for an advance copy of this novel.

I enjoyed this book. Because it seemed to be in the unreliable narrator category, it kept me guessing throughout if what was happening was real or just in the mind of the main character Kacy. I don't want to give too much away so won't disclose in my review. Overall the authors style was good and the story flowed well. If there is anything lacking, it was a bit more of the why behind the murders. As a Crime Junkie fan, I also enjoyed how the story was framed through the voices of the podcasters.

Great read. The past-tense main narrative is intertwined with a present-day retelling of the story via a podcast episode (MFM or Crime Junkie fans - read this!) and it’s REALLY well done. A crazy plot that still feels realistic, and suspenseful without being cheesy.

WOW! For a debut novel I am left in complete awe. Way to go Sarah Warbuton!!!!! First and foremost, I would like to thank you for allowing me to read You Can Never Tell, prior to the release date!

This novel is fast paced, thrilling and has you living at the edge of your seat. This was a complete nail biter!

Who can you trust these days if you cant trust your own friends?

The amount of lies and deceit that run throughout the narrative are captivating! Who did you love, who did you hate? These characters had it all ! Jam packed with tension and bad decisions .

I highly recommend this novel, I was thoroughly impressed !!!



“A breathless energy imbues the strong plot...Warburton delves deep into the psychological underpinnings of her believable characters in this highly entertaining domestic thriller. Readers will eagerly anticipate her next.”
—Publishers Weekly, starred review

“Besides enjoying the juicy premise and the edgy thrills, you’ll feel much more relaxed about your own family reunion.”
—Kirkus Reviews

"A compelling, confident debut and a smartly plotted mystery."
—CrimeReads

“A real page-turner...I would highly recommend this.”
—San Francisco Book Review, 5-star review

“Immediately compelling: an absorbing and fast reading experience making for a book that I didn’t want to put down.”
—FreshFiction

⭐⭐⭐.5
Kacy and Michael Tremain move to Sugar Land, Texas as Kacy’s reputation was ruined by being framed by a friend for embezzlement.
Although Kacy and Michael are happy in their new home and find they are about to be new parents, Kacy is still bitter by her friend’s .betrayal, Ashe decides she needs to get involved in her new environment and joins the neighborhood a fund raising association the ‘ Bluebonnet Society’.
Hmm I thought I accidently opened up another book as this story was slow and all over the place ~ wasn’t really sure what I was reading.
I hung in there and sure enough the mystery kicks in. Michael is accused of brutal murders.
What?
Things start to get nasty in this cutthroat social environment.
The last part when superfast and I was sure I would to have to reread.
Hmmm I cannot say that the “Crime to Char’ podcast was great but different!

Want to thank NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press ~ Wednesday Books for this eGalley. This file has been made available to me before publication in an early form for professional review purposes only.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for August 10, 2021

A little slow to start but once it started going I was hooked! Loved the characters and the authors modern style of writing. Would recommend to any crime addicts!

I loved this book so much!! The thrill really got me! I kept wanting to read more and more. I couldn’t put it down!!!

This was a slow burn and I wondered if I should stop reading. The true crime podcast is what kept me going - what a smart way to incorporate a modern media thing into the book. The book was predictable but the writing was fresh and I didn't mind the ride. Very satisfying and right in time for a good park read!

The story begins with a slow pace where a couple come to a new neighbourhood for a fresh start. As the focus is on the present, the past encounter is only mentioned in a paragraph. This makes the climax predictable and artificial. Overall a good read and definitely better than the previous book.

This book was book was good, but didn’t really wow me. I recommend it to anyone who enjoys the true crime genre. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free copy in exchange for review.

Thank you so much to #Netgalley and Crooked Lane Books for the ARC of You Never Can Tell.

This started out like a lazy roller coaster. Slow in the beginning but still kept you excited enough for what was to come. Peppered in the story were some true crime talk (which was a big plus for this true crime junkie!)

This story centers around Kacy and Michael. Kay's best friend had put blamed on her for a embazzelment that took place at North Atantic Museum. The couple moved to Texas to start over. Their neighborhood seems good with nice neighbors such as Lena and her husband Brady...but as the story goes on.....all is not what they seem.

The story was a little predicatable, but really it was still a good read. I liked Kacy a lot and her relationship with Lena almost seemed to good to be true at times. I really loved that there were bits and pieces of a podcast throughout the book. To me this added to the story, not take away from it!

All in all a good if somewhat predicatable thriller!

Very unusual beginning of the book. There is a little bit of true-crime podcast and plot story. The plot is everything that you can imagine and more.

After being accused of art theft by her best friend Aimee, Kacy Tremain and her husband moved from New Jersey to a charming Texas suburb to escape their past. Elizabeth, who is trendy and enigmatic, Rahmia, who is chatty but indecisive, and Lena, who is red-headed and unapologetic, are just a few of Kacy's latest mates. Good friends, on the other hand, aren't always as they seem.

As she navigates her new town's unexpectedly competitive club scene, Kacy starts to get teasing postcards and, worse, discovers cameras concealed in her home's wall. Lena and Brady reassure her that the cameras are most likely reminders of the former owner's paranoia. Kacy and Michael discover that they are going to be parents after the cameras are taken down and Kacy's fears are allayed.

Michael makes a surprising discovery about Brady's past months after their daughter is born. When Lena suddenly disappears, Kacy and Michael begin putting the pieces together the truths about their neighbors, which turns out to be much worse than anyone could have imagined.

You Can Never Tell is a gripping psychological thriller that is interspersed with transcripts of a chilling true-crime podcast the drama's tangled knots. The fact that was inspired by the real story of Moors Murder makes this book more intriguing.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I've been on a fantasy kick recently so this thriller was a perfect way to pull me out of some made up worlds. I really enjoyed this story. I feel like so many domestic thrillers have the main character and their spouse's relationship just fall apart and I'm glad the story really stayed away from that. There was a lot of getting to know the characters but the plot was pretty predictable. I feel like there were a number of different ways this could be taken that would have made it less predictable. Still a fun ride though! Thank you so much to Sarah Warburton, Crooked Lane Books and Netgalley for the free copy in exchange for a review! I'd give it a 3.5/5.