This book was a wild ride and the perfect (to me) summer read. It had beachy vibes, but also was very suspenseful! It also had that locked door/private island setting which never disappoints.

Summer and Leo are both basically homeless/runaways. But they come together and live like nomads. Scamming, pickpocketing, doing what they must to survive.

When Leo goes missing after a night with a tech billionaire, Summer is determined to find her, no matter what it takes.

Fast paced and a quick read.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing - Ballantine for an ARC in exchange for my honest review!

⭐️⭐️⭐️

𝙄𝙣 𝙖 “𝙩𝙝𝙧𝙞𝙡𝙡𝙚𝙧 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙖 𝙨𝙝𝙖𝙧𝙥 𝙩𝙖𝙠𝙚 𝙤𝙣 𝙬𝙚𝙖𝙡𝙩𝙝 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙥𝙧𝙞𝙫𝙞𝙡𝙚𝙜𝙚”, 𝙩𝙬𝙤 𝙗𝙚𝙨𝙩 𝙛𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙣𝙙𝙨 𝙜𝙧𝙞𝙛𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙞𝙧 𝙬𝙖𝙮 𝙩𝙝𝙧𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝘾𝙖𝙡𝙞𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙣𝙞𝙖 𝙚𝙡𝙞𝙩𝙚—𝙪𝙣𝙩𝙞𝙡 𝙖 𝙨𝙘𝙖𝙢 𝙜𝙤𝙚𝙨 𝙖𝙬𝙧𝙮.

I requested this book because I thought it would be the perfect summer read, and while it was, it definitely was not what I was expecting.

I did really enjoy Summer and Leo’s friendship, but I never felt like I knew enough to really care for them. They both have a backstory, but I didn't care for the actions/decisions they made. Summer is a pickpocket artist and Leo has wealthy men fall in love with her so she can steal from them financially.

I did like that this book was set in California, I think the setting was perfect for the story. It was interesting trying to piece together what happened on the island and what happened to Leo. While I do think this is the perfect summer read to pick up by the pool/beach, there were some moments I did not find too thrilling.

I liked the beginning of this book a lot more than the ending, the ending felt over the top. The way everything wrapped up felt so cheesy and I really wish it took a different direction - it had potential.

Overall, I liked the beginning, the concept, and their friendship. However, the ending wasn’t for me and I felt like the characters were tough to resonate with and root for - at times they felt like teenagers with their decisions. This is a good summer read, it just wasn’t a favorite of mine.

Thank you so much NetGalley and Bantam for the eARC and PRH Audio for the ALC in exchange for my honest review!

When I think upon my read of this book my first two thoughts are propulsive and fun. This book serves as a great vacation read as you get pulled in quickly and do not want to put it down.

Two nomad friends may try to scam the wrong man and find themselves in unfortunate situations on a privately owned island by a wealthy businessman. This book is best read "blindly" without knowing too much information. While there was a thrilling aspect to this book there is also an exploration of found family and what it means when those you love abandon you early on in life.

I will be picking up Wendy Heard's upcoming and backlist releases going forward.

A big thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for allowing me to read an advanced copy!

I have been all aboard the con artist train since the trend started. I have loved reading about their conniving ways. This book was presented as a con artist type, but it was not that. It is more of a fast paced popcorn thriller that was an easy read. Two friends who have been manipulating the elite for their own benefit get caught conning the wrong people. I would recommend this as a great beach read!

You Can Trust Me by Wendy Heard. Pub Date: June 13, 2023. Rating: 3 stars. Set in summer, this is the story of two girls who travel as nomads in California and get caught up in a wealthy man's world. Summer and Leo are two females who crave freedom, are mysterious and know how to pickpocket with the best of them. They eventually end up on a private island of a billionaire and upon the arrival, weird things start to happen. This thriller is fast paced, but I found it to be far fetched and repetitive at times. A solid read for summer vibes. Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group- Ballantine for this e-arc in exchange for my honest review. #youcantrustme #netgalley

Summer and Leo are as free and untethered as the California breeze. They live out of Summer’s Land Cruiser and don’t stay in any one place for too long. Thanks to Summer’s expert pickpocket and thievery skills that she learned growing up on the road with the hippie mother who left her behind years ago, they are a seemingly unstoppable (and inseparable) force against the world. When Leo intentionally crosses paths with a billionaire that catches her attention in attempts to score big… their games quickly become deadly.

I enjoyed this one a lot! It had lots of great, thrilling twists I didn’t see coming and it kept my attention the whole time. The plot was unique, well-written, and got right down to business which I love in a book. This was my first time reading Wendy Heard but I’ll definitely look out for more from her in the future!

Thank you so much to PRH/Ballantine Books, Wendy, and NetGalley for the advance reader’s copy!

Free e-ARC from NetGalley!

This was a great quick thriller- an excellent beach or poolside read, for fans of Promising Young Woman with Glass Onion (the movie) vibes. Summer and Leo are found family sisters living on the road, making money scamming dudes and some light stealing. When Leo disappears to an island with her new billionaire mark and doesn’t return as planned, Summer must make her way there and figure out what happened to Leo. I admit, I didn’t love the way all the twists and turns went- I found this book to be stressful because I was so invested in the characters. They were all really well written and I was dying to know what was going to happen next. Definitely recommend for this summer!

Thank you to NetGalley, Wendy Heard and Ballentine Publishing for the free ebook in exchange for an honest review.

I was pleasantly surprised how much I enjoyed this book. It was totally the perfect book for my beach vacation and I flew through it. I saw a few of the small twists coming, but overall I was surprised throughout and really enjoyed it.

A gripping and exciting thriller filled with dark twists and turns. I was engaged the whole time and it was a pretty quick read. Overall, I really enjoyed this one!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ You Can Trust Me is a fast-paced popcorn-esque thriller that was the perfect thing to listen to on my last long car ride.

Summer and Leo are twenty-something con artists with tragic pasts who’ve been each others’ found family for years. When Leo seemingly disappears while swindling a new target, Summer will do whatever it takes to find her.

I loved the characters, especially because it can be hard to find “bad guys” you actually want to root for! Summer and Leo’s friendship added so much dimension to the plot and the multiple timelines and POV kept me very invested.

The story reminded me a bit of the movie “Heartbreakers” and the book Lucky (which I found incredibly underwhelming). If you’re looking for a fun summer read with fleshed out characters and a propulsive plot, this just might be the book for you!

This book is the perfect summer book. Multiple POVs is my favorite type of style writing. It was a predictable plot line but I still really enjoyed it. I love thrillers whether they are predictable or not.

Summer and Leo are career criminals. It sounds harsh. Really they are more like drifters or dreamers with sticky fingers. Summer was raised by her mom who was a gypsy. She traveled around, never worked an honest day in her life and raised her daughter to do the same. One thing Summer always understood growing up was to take care of yourself always.

But moving around is a lonely life. So when Summer meets Leo, she finds a best friend and sister in her. Leo isn't as talented at stealing. But she's gorgeous and does a good job capturing men's hearts, and then their wallets.

When Leo catches the eye (in a carefully orchestrated scenerio), she knows she's hit the big time. And better yet? He's rich and attractive. On the night of their first date, he whisks her away to his private island and she feels like a princess. At least at first.

She doesn't return home and Summer has no choice but to follow her to the island on the coat tails of a very average employee.

You Can Trust Me is a bit of a friendship novel, a bit of a missing persons thriller, and there are surprises around every corner. All in all, a great beach read!

Special thanks to Random House Publishing and Netgalley for an advanced e-galley in exchange for my honest review. This one is available now.

A fast-paced, twisty read following two women who scam their way up and down the California coast. The characters, their backstories, and their actions keep the reader hooked with one surprise after another. Loved the story line, loved the little surprises, great summer read.

Thank you to #NetGalley for the ARC of #YouCanTrustMe

What a ride! Very fast paced, thrilling thriller. Be prepared to forget all your chores while reading this one and stay up way to late. Awesome! Thank you netgalley and publisher for this arc in exchange for an honest review

Enjoyed this twisty, original thriller with interesting, stand out characters. I will definitely read this author again.

You Can Trust Me is a unique and gripping thriller that I fell into and could not stop reading. Summer and Leo are two women who live in a Land Rover, traversing the coast of California while trying to live off the grid. Summer was taught from a young age to be a pickpocket, and she meets Leo on the streets and takes her in, teaching her what she knows. They continue to con people and pick pocket, until one day they go after someone they shouldn’t. When Leo goes missing, Summer is determined to find her. Mystery ensues.
I am a sucker for a great con-artist story, and this is definitely one of my favorites this year! The character dynamics and the story start off at a great pace and keep you on your toes. Highly recommend for a fun summer read!
Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin Random House for the opportunity to read this in exchange for my honest opinion.

Summer and Leo are nomadic besties who live their life out of a Land Cruiser and spend their time traveling up and down the California coast. They don’t hold real jobs which seems to work for them because Summer is a great pickpocket, con artist and thieve. While Leo has her own strengths and that’s the ability to schmooze wealthy older men out of their money. One night Leo meets self made billionaire Michael Forrester and she ends up hitting it off with him really well. However, when she doesn’t return home the next day it sets off alarm bells for Summer. When she finds out he’s on a private island for a retreat she’s determined to get on the island and find her best friend.

Ok first off, can we just talk about the amazing kick ass and take names later bestie duo there is in this book?!?! I loved Summer and Leo’s characters so much even though they did some not so good things. I loved the friendship and bond as basically sisters they shared.

As for 𝒀𝒐𝒖 𝑪𝒂𝒏 𝑻𝒓𝒖𝒔𝒕 𝑴𝒆 as a whole it’s a fun fast paced, keeps you guessing thriller. With the secluded island, beaches and hot weather this is a perfect fun summer read. This was really fast paced and I ended using finishing it quicker than I thought I would. Oh and let’s not forget about the plot twists especially the one involving Michael damn that was wild. Overall, a solid fun read. I’ll definitely be reading more by this other. If you love secluded thrillers grab this one for sure.

Excellent beach read!! This has the characters, the creepy, the plot that keep the pages turning until well past my bedtime. Some of the things were a smidge far-fetched, but it's fiction and I've never lived the high life in LA, so it may very well happen. You Can Trust Me shows how you really can't trust anyone and has plenty of twists, so you see coming but many that you don't. Solidly written and plenty of attention to detail. I didn't notice any major holes - everything clicked into place quite well.

I received a copy of this book for my honest review. This isn't typically my genre, but it was a good read!

Summer and Leo are best friends, as close as sisters. They live in Summer's car, travel around California, and make money by taking it from others. They are looking for their next big payday in billionaire Michael Forrester. Leo gets Michael to take her on a date, but then she goes completely off the grid. Summer can't find her anywhere. The last clue leads to Michael's private island and Summer will do anything to find her best friend.

This is a fun quick read full of suspense, friendship, and sneaky women doing whatever they have to do to survive in a world run by men. I loved the bond between Summer and Leo. Their friendship goes above any connections or relationships they form with anyone else. I also loved the twists and turns.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballentine for the ARC of this book.

Okay I love when women have names that are traditionally for men--it is one of my favourite things!! Leo and Summer are best friends and have set out on a road trip to travel around California (this is also a dream of mine!). Leo is looking to make some money so she sets out to take pictures of a wealthy billionaire and sell paparazzi photos of him but then goes missing. Her best friend Summer then retraces her steps to find Leo.

This book. I love the premise. It kind of reminded me of the McAffee founder true crime story. This book will keep you guessing as you flip pages as fast as possible so you can know what's happened!!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the eARC!