"You Can Trust Me", by Wendy Heard was such a great book! I can definitely see this book becoming a movie one day. Not only was it a great thriller, but it also have me second guessing myself about the outcome of the story. It was also a breath of fresh air to read something a little different and not the same thriller/crime book sequence that most books seem to follow now.

I actually really enjoyed this book! I went into this one blind and I am so glad I did! It was a quick, bingeable read and it kept me guessing and intrigued the whole way through.

I really liked the friendship between Summer and Leo and the flashbacks in the book that provided a glimpse into their pasts. I definitely recommend this as a quick, summer thriller!

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (4/5)

Thank you so much Netgalley and Random House for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

#YouCanTrustMe:⁣
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Thank you @randomhouse and @prhaudio for my gifted copy! [partner]⁣
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“He’s completely charmed by her, and I get it. I’m charmed by her, too. I don’t know how I lived without her. She’s walking sunshine, a fire I can warm my hands in front of.”⁣
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You Can Trust Me was a miss for me, and that’s ok. I know so many people loved it, and it’s definitely a great poolside read. ⁣
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What I Liked: I really enjoyed the dual POV. We got to know each girl individually, and then as a friendship unit. I really liked their friendship aspect and the way they would do anything for their friend. The audio flowed really well, and if you do end up with audio, you won’t be disappointed.⁣
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What I Didn’t Like: Here’s the thing. If you are a lifelong grifter or someone that consistently runs cons on people you know red flags because you ARE the red flag. When a situation throws red flags, you run like hell in the other direction because you know there will always be another score to win. For them to just hiphop to a remote island with no cell service and didn’t even blink twice made me question how they survived the past years as a con. ⁣
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Overall, this was a miss for me, but I know many of you will have this in your beach bag for the next few months! Out now.

This was. a quick, fast-paced read with great characters, and I loved it. I was so engaged, I read it straight through in one setting. It being a little predictable did not deter the enjoyment I got from the extraordinary characters. Highly recommended

Thanks to NetGalley and Bantam Books for an advanced reader copy.

This book was great! It started amazing and had me hooked the entire time! It reminded me of a Robyn Harding book (YAY!).

I really found both summer and Leo very like-able. And trustworthy!

Thank you for the advanced copy!

Thank you to NetGalley, the author and Random House Publishing Group for the opportunity to read this e-ARC.

Summer and Leo are two grifters, who form a close bond - with Summer looking out for and feeling responsible for Leo. Surviving on the proceeds from crimes of pick pocketing and conning older wealthy men, they live out of Summer's vehicle, a stolen Land Cruiser, endlessly traveling up and down the California coastline.

When Leo hatches a plan to snag a billionaire for the weekend, she anticipates being able to bilk him out of gifts she can later sell and secrets.. yes, you guessed it, that can also be sold. What she doesn't bank on is that he wealthy older billionaire has dark secrets he won't reveal at any price...

Overall, I enjoyed this novel. It would make the perfect vacation read. I do feel however that the first half of the book was more enjoyable than the second. I really enjoyed mysteries and psychological suspense, so the initial slow burn drew me in but the second half felt like too much action. There was a lot going on and I felt it challenging at times to picture the scene as I was reading it.

This book revolves around two grifters, Summer and Leo. They have dark pasts. Their favorite pastime is stealing from the ultra-wealthy. Leo targets a billionaire, and he invites her to visit his private island. They have finally met their match. I found this book to be intriguing and at times, farfetched. All in all, the writing was good and I found it to be entertaining.

This was a fun, quick read, especially if you're into thrillers, con artists, eat the rich mentality, and free-spirited characters. Summer and Leo are a refreshing duo to read about, as it's been a while since I've read anything that had a sisterly/found family dynamic between two women with a bit of an age gap (rather than just turning it into a romance novel). So high marks for being entertaining and being quite easy to get through - amazing pacing and enough twists and turns that made me want to keep reading.

However, it's definitely a very average book in the sense of plot. Leo and Summer are both characters that I feel I could have liked more had they been a little bit more developed (which is hard to do in a standalone book). Summer is an easier character to like, which makes sense seeing as she is more of a "main character" in comparison to Leo, but also because Leo is kind of an idiot. Going off with a billionaire you JUST MET to his private island?? That's just ASKING to be kidnapped.

The "plot twist" surrounding Leo seemed a little far-fetched, but did make for an interesting if a little bit hilarious read. It's worth your time to read if just for a nice palette cleanser.

ᴛʜɪs ʀᴇᴍɪɴᴅᴇᴅ ᴍᴇ ᴏғ ᴛʜᴇ ᴍᴏᴠɪᴇ ʜᴇᴀʀᴛʙʀᴇᴀᴋᴇʀs, ʙᴜᴛ sᴛᴀʀʀɪɴɢ ᴛᴡᴏ ғʀɪᴇɴᴅs ɪɴsᴛᴇᴀᴅ ᴏғ ᴀ ᴍᴏᴛʜᴇʀ ᴀɴᴅ ᴅᴀᴜɢʜᴛᴇʀ. ɪ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ᴠᴇʀʏ ᴍɪxᴇᴅ ғᴇᴇʟɪɴɢs ᴀʙᴏᴜᴛ ᴛʜɪs ʙᴏᴏᴋ. ɪ ʟᴏᴠᴇᴅ ᴛʜᴇ ᴄʜᴀʀᴀᴄᴛᴇʀs ᴀɴᴅ ᴛʜᴇɪʀ ᴅᴇᴠᴇʟᴏᴘᴍᴇɴᴛ ᴛʜʀᴏᴜɢʜ ᴛʜᴇ sᴛᴏʀʏ. ғɪɴᴅɪɴɢ ʏᴏᴜʀ ᴄʜᴏsᴇɴ ғᴀᴍɪʟʏ ɪs ᴀ ᴛʜᴇᴍᴇ ᴛʜʀᴇᴀᴅᴇᴅ ᴛʜʀᴏᴜɢʜᴏᴜᴛ ᴛʜᴇ ʙᴏᴏᴋ ᴀɴᴅ ɪᴛ’s ᴠᴇʀʏ ᴡᴇʟʟ ᴅᴏɴᴇ. ɪ ᴇɴᴊᴏʏᴇᴅ ʙᴏᴛʜ ʟᴇᴏ ᴀɴᴅ sᴜᴍᴍᴇʀ’s ᴄʜᴀʀᴀᴄᴛᴇʀs ᴀɴᴅ ᴛʜᴇ ᴅᴇᴘᴛʜs ᴛʜᴇʏ ᴡᴏᴜʟᴅ ɢᴏ ғᴏʀ ᴇᴀᴄʜ ᴏᴛʜᴇʀ. ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴛʜᴀᴛ sᴀɪᴅ, ɪ ғᴇʟᴛ ʟɪᴋᴇ ᴛʜɪs ᴡᴀs ᴀɴ ɪɴᴄʀᴇᴅɪʙʟʏ sʟᴏᴡ ʙᴜʀɴ. ɪ ғᴇʟᴛ ʟɪᴋᴇ ɪᴛ ᴡᴀs ᴘʀᴇᴛᴛʏ ᴘʀᴇᴅɪᴄᴛᴀʙʟᴇ ᴀɴᴅ ᴅɪᴅɴ’ᴛ ɢᴇᴛ ᴇxᴄɪᴛɪɴɢ ᴜɴᴛɪʟ ᴛʜᴇ ʟᴀsᴛ 𝟸𝟶% ᴏғ ᴛʜᴇ ʙᴏᴏᴋ. ɪᴛ ᴀʟsᴏ ғᴇʟᴛ ᴜɴғɪɴɪsʜᴇᴅ ᴀᴛ ᴛʜᴇ ᴇɴᴅ. ɪғ sʜᴇ ɪɴᴛᴇɴᴅs ᴛᴏ ᴡʀɪᴛᴇ ᴀ sᴇǫᴜᴇʟ ᴛʜᴇɴ ɪᴛ ᴇɴᴅᴇᴅ ᴊᴜsᴛ ғɪɴᴇ, ʙᴜᴛ ɪғ ɪᴛ ᴡᴀs ᴀ sᴛᴀɴᴅ ᴀʟᴏɴᴇ - ɪ ᴅᴏɴ’ᴛ ᴛʜɪɴᴋ ɪ ɢᴏᴛ ᴀʟʟ ᴛʜᴇ ᴀɴsᴡᴇʀs ɪ ᴡᴀs ʟᴏᴏᴋɪɴɢ ғᴏʀ.

I really enjoyed this story of two young women trying to charm and grift their way through life. It had similar themes to The Guest by Emma Kline.

While The Guest is Hamptons-set, You Can Trust Me as a lazy, hazy L.A. vibe. In You Can Trust Me, the girls' friendship was a wonderful added element. The fact that one of them goes missing gave the book a needed focus and suspense.

I'm a fan of Wendy Heard's YA books and was excited to try this. She does such a good job writing about the perspective of young women, and I look forward to her next book!

You Can Trust Me by Wendy Heard
Published: June 13, 2023
Bantam
Pages: 292
Genre: Women’s Psychological Fiction
KKECReads Rating: 4/5
I received a copy of this book for free, and I leave my review voluntarily.

Wendy Heard is the author of acclaimed suspense and thrillers for adults and teens. Wendy has spent most of her life in Los Angeles, California, which is on fire more than she would honestly prefer, and can often be found haunting local hiking trails and bookstores. She loves all things vintage and has a collection of thrillers and adventure books from the 80s.

“And that is how it’s done.”

Summer has lived her life not knowing where her roots are from. Her mother believed they were nomads, and they traveled around. Leo ran away because she felt responsible for something terrible. She was searching for something, anything, that would make her feel connected.

This was an interesting book. I found the bond between Summer and Leo was well represented, and their connection was realistic.

Summer was a tough character. She had been through so much, and living her life as a shadow was starting to wear on her. Leo was eager to learn and please. She wanted to have fun and do exciting things.

The way this was told was clever. The alternating narrators and timelines helped move the plot along, and how things came together was very well done.

This was an intense, fast-paced thriller with a twist that will shock you.

This is definitely the perfect summer read! Read it on a plane, read it at the beach, read it past your bedtime because you just have to know what happens. I am a big fan of Wendy and I knew I would love her latest book. As soon as I got to the part where you realize that Summer is totally off the grid, doesn't even know her last name or have a social security number or anything, my mind exploded with the possibilities of where this story should go. My mind also exploded when you realize how parts of the story tie together. I was also very surprised at the ending! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher. I received an advance review copy for free and I'm leaving this review voluntarily.

I would like to thank NetGalley and Bantam for providing me with an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. Look for it now in your local and online bookstores and libraries.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Summer and Leo are grifters living in LA. Summer is a pickpocket, while Leo tends to go for the long con. She has identified a new mark in billionaire Michael Forrester. After charming him into inviting her to his private island, Leo disappears. Afraid that something is wrong, Summer goes looking for her.

This book was fun! Summer and Leo are sisters from other misters. Their lives are unconventional, but they care for and protect each other fiercely. This book kept me on the edge of my seat from beginning to end.

Summer and Leo are best friends and skilled con women who have figured out how to make it on their own and rely on no one but each other. They also have rules they use to be sure they are safe. So when Leo spends the night with her new mark - a billionaire named Michael - and doesn’t text or come home the next day, Summer is worried.

Summer learns they may have gone to Michael’s private island and manages to get her own invitation there for the weekend with one of his coworkers. Once there, Summer is determined to find out what happened to Leo.

This was a quick read but I also think it’s one I will quickly forget. There weren’t really any twists or surprises so I don’t think it will stick with me but it could work for an afternoon on the beach or by the pool when you want something that doesn’t take a lot of attention. Thank you to Bantam Books, Netgalley and PRH Audio for the free copies to review.

Summer and Leo are best friends and would do anything for each other. They still have bills to pay, so Summer uses her skills as a thief to earn money. Leo catches the eye of a rich man and goes to his private island with the thought of returning with pics and things that she can sell to make money. When she doesn't return, Summer goes looking for her. Will they both make it off the island, or are they both lost forever?

Summer and Leo or con artist summer is a pickpocket and Leo is down for the long game making men think she wants them in order to steal anything that isn’t tied down and that can be carried off without notice. Would you meet Michael Forster she definitely feels a real attraction for him and after her and summer are invited to a party at his hotel she stays the night and the next day he takes her to his island. When summer wakes up the next day she goes to wash clothes and wait for Leo to text but she never does and summer starts getting worried she goes back to the hotel and although they try to help they also don’t know what happened to her friend Michael has checked out and that’s as much as they know. Summer also met up Mark named Alan and she has a date with him that night. She almost Catos but then remembers he also knows Michael so decides maybe he can help her get answers and he does he tells her Michael is probably on the island he goes there every month on the eighth and he’s also they’re setting up for their investors weekend which summer finagles and invitation to. The first night on the island she sees Michael but no Leo… Where is her best friend her sister her other half? Times are going to get worse way before they get better and that’s if they get better at all. Let me just say I cannot stand a thief at all something about a thief gets under my skin and makes it crawl so to read a book about a thief and a liar and two girls that use people should’ve been one I skipped but because everyone said it was so good I decided to read it anyway unfortunately I have a couple of negative things to say for one everyone in this book is stereo typical Michael’s house manager Xavier who probably sees beautiful women every day of his life and we’re supposed to believe just seeing her cleavage and a little bit of flirting call him to act the way summer wanted him to not only that the rich beautiful wife of Steven was the score of the board ready to cheat and ready for chaos not to mention Michael the billionaire who had DPS sex practices and was up to no good on his private island. No having said that I was totally into the book until I started noticing how stereotypical these people were and how much of a whack of morals virtue and principles most of these characters head I am a big believer in karma in fate so when you do bad and bad happens to you I find it hard to root for that person and couldn’t find anyone to root for in this book now but I said that let me say I read the whole thing I was riveted stuck to the pages until about halfway through I still recommend the book because I said I’ve heard nothing but good things about it and the fact that I only found it OK it’s really the status quo when it comes to popular books. Because it did hold my attention for the most part. I received this book from NetGalley and Random house, valentine books but I am leaving this review voluntarily please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review.

This book has all the hallmarks of a perfect summer read: wealth, power, beauty, youth, and scandal. There is a lot going on, and it's action packed. Unfortunately, the dialogue was a struggle for me and some of the plot devices were seriously over the top. I was immediately taken out of the story, thinking how implausible it was. I didn't care for the ending, either. I think maybe my opinion is harsh because I read thrillers and suspense non-stop, and formulaic, predictable books just don't do it for me. That being said, if you aren't a prolific thriller reader, or just want a quick read to pass the time, you should give You Can Trust Me a try. Thank you to Netgalley and Ballantine Books for the chance to review this advance copy. You Can Trust Me is available for purchase everywhere you buy books now!

Many thanks to NetGalley, Random House Ballantine Bantam for gifting me a digital ARC of the latest thriller by Wendy Heard - 4.5 stars!

Lee and Summer are two of a kind, both on their own and escaping from their pasts. Now they live in Summer's old car and get by through pickpocketing and scams. When Lee meets billionaire, Michael Forrester, he seems smitten and invites her to a party on his exclusive island. Lee has her eyes on grabbing some photos or jewelry to sell. But when Summer doesn't hear from Lee, she knows something is wrong. She finds her own way onto the island and begins to search. No one has seen here and there is no way off the island until after the weekend is over.

Even though their profession isn't honorable, you will find yourself rooting for this female duo. They are tough and trying to do whatever they need to in order to survive after terrible pasts. I'm also a sucker for the locked-room mystery genre - they are stranded on an island with no means of escape and lots of untrustworthy people surrounding them. Another great book by Wendy Heard!

This is the thriller you need in your life! Wow, it was intense, and so dang exciting. I felt like I was in the story myself, and living among the uber-rich. The characterization is on point. This book is fast paced and you won't be able to put it down. Can't wait to read more by this author.

Thank you to Wendy and Penguin Random House for an advance copy of You Can Trust Me.

Best friends Summer and Leo have not had easy lives. Initially meeting on the street and teaming up to protect each other from the harsh realities of life, they’ve created an inseparable bond and spend their days together living out of Summer’s van, hustling wealthy men and pickpocketing their way up and down the California coast.

Then Leo sets her sights on billionaire Michael, quickly spinning him into her web and earning an invitation to stay the night and visit his private island. Due to the nature of their ‘work,’ Summer and Leo have always been good at communicating plans, so when Leo doesn’t respond to Summer’s texts for an update, she becomes worried that something may have happened.

Summer makes quick work of finding her own way onto Michael’s island to find her friend, but upon arrival no one has seen or heard of Leo. Sensing that something is very wrong with Michael, his friends, and his employees, Summer focuses on getting to the bottom of the disappearance of her friend, in a role reversal which turns the cats into the mice.

What a perfect warm weather / beach read! I devoured this book. It was sexy, thrilling, and addictive. No one in their right mind would actually envy Summer and Leo’s lives, but I found myself thinking how exciting it would be to be in their shoes - young, hot, thriving in their own way.

This is a book in which no one is wholly good, but it’s so easy to root for the morally grey characters anyway. I say this, being someone who ALWAYS roots for morally grey, however I do think that even if you don’t tend to gravitate towards those types of characters, you will in this one.

Lastly, that cover, am I right?! So gorgeous. This book could’ve been written about watching grass grow and I would’ve picked it up based on that cover.

Tropes: friendship, billionaire, kidnapping, isolated setting, tortured past