This was a very engaging and fast paced thriller that kept me on the edge of my seat. I really enjoyed reading from both of the main characters who had such distinct personalities.

Summer was such an interesting character to follow as she is trying to find her friend. I do wish that there had been a bit twists to this as it felt like a pretty straightforward thriller. But I did just devour this in a few days.

Overall, this was fun and fast paced and exactly what I needed!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the e-arc.

This book was not at all what I expected it to be. I was pleasantly surprised. Wendy has a talent for detail. I got very engrossed in this story

I love books like You Can Trust Me by Wendy Heard. I will always want to read books that keep you guessing. This one centers around two grifter, Summer and Leo. I’ll let the synopsis do the talking….

Synopsis:

Summer and Leo would do anything for each other. Inspired by the way each has had to carve her place in a hostile and unforgiving world, and united by the call of the open road, they travel around sunny California in Summer’s tricked-out Land Cruiser. It’s not a glamorous life, but it gives them the freedom they crave from the painful pasts they’ve left behind. But even free spirits have bills to pay. Luckily, Summer is a skilled pickpocket, a small-time thief, and a con artist—and Leo, determined to pay her own way, has learned a trick or two.

Eager for a big score, Leo catches in her cross hairs Michael Forrester, a self-made billionaire and philanthropist. When her charm wins him over, Leo is rewarded with an invitation to his private island off the California coastline for a night of fabulous excess. She eagerly anticipates returning with photos that can be sold to the paparazzi, jewelry that can be liquidated, and endless stories to share with Summer.

Instead, Leo disappears.

On her own for the first time in years, Summer decides to infiltrate Michael’s island and find out what really happened. But when she arrives, no one has seen Leo—she’s not on the island as far as they know. Plus, there was only one way on the island—and no way off—for the coming days. Trapped in a scheme she helped initiate, could Summer have met her match?

Clear your schedule when you get this one because you won’t be able to put it down. I loved it.

Out on June 13.

Summer and Leo live life on the road. Flitting from north to south of California, they make a living conning people, a dangerous game. Will one of their latest marks be the thing that tears them apart?

***
*3.5 stars rounded up*

This book really had me, lost me, drew me back in, and then sort of lost me again. A great, quick read for by the beach or pool. Summer and Leo are compelling characters, and the mystery, sinister vibes, and glamour of their current situation will leave you hooked.

While you'll likely see the real twist coming about halfway through, there's more to come if you stick it out. You may not feel completely satisfied with the ending, but it is definite which I tend to enjoy more.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Two young female grifters, Summer & Leo, get caught up with a billionaire scam gone wrong. This is a fast paced thriller with twists around every chapter.

Really enjoyed the back and forth timeline/character structure of the chapters making it a total page turner. The story was definitely not formulaic with your typical thriller. No spoilers but thought the ending was a bit wacky turn of events.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House for the ARC for honest review.

Didn’t love it, but didn’t hate it. I was captivated from the start, as it started off pretty strong, but the. I felt it lost momentum and lost my Interest. I can totally see why people will love this one though!

Can you really trust me?! Such a unique read and characters that you can relate to from the start. It’s so good and a great summer read!

I feel like I've been having bad luck with thrillers recently, but this one was great! I could not stop reading once I started, I read the last 70% in one go. I loved the friendship Summer and Leo had. And the slow reveal about Leo's past was heartbreaking. I did call the twist quite a bit before it was revealed but it was still well done.

Inhaled this book and loved it!!! Summer and Leo, two women who are living life in a vehicle, pick pocketing and small thievery to survive life. Both have secrets from their past, summer doesn’t know her last name from the gypsy type lifestyle she was raised in but they have each other until Leo goes on a date with billionaire Michael and summer must go after her. Has Leo decided to leave their lifestyle behind, wanting more from life or was Michael not the man they thought he was. A secluded island, rich flaunty parties, mysterious paintings—-what a thrilling ride!!

Thanks to Netgalley and Random House Publishing for my advanced electronic reader copy in exchange for my honest review!!

Thank you @randomhouse and @netgalley for the advanced copy!
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⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
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I love female con artists. Although they’re not too likable with little to none redeemable qualities - you can’t help but root for them!! There is always a cause and reason for their targeted marks. Their past did not set them up for the best quality of life
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𝘌𝘢𝘨𝘦𝘳 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢 𝘣𝘪𝘨 𝘴𝘤𝘰𝘳𝘦, 𝘓𝘦𝘰 𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘤𝘳𝘰𝘴𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘪𝘳𝘴 𝘔𝘪𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘦𝘭 𝘍𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳, 𝘢 𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧-𝘮𝘢𝘥𝘦 𝘣𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘪𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘱𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘱𝘪𝘴𝘵. 𝘞𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘮 𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘴 𝘩𝘪𝘮 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳, 𝘓𝘦𝘰 𝘪𝘴 𝘳𝘦𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘥𝘦𝘥 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢𝘯 𝘪𝘯𝘷𝘪𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘷𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘪𝘴𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘧𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘊𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘯𝘪𝘢 𝘤𝘰𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢 𝘯𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘧𝘢𝘣𝘶𝘭𝘰𝘶𝘴 𝘦𝘹𝘤𝘦𝘴𝘴.
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𝘐𝘯𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘢𝘥, 𝘓𝘦𝘰 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘴.
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𝘚𝘶𝘮𝘮𝘦𝘳 𝘥𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘪𝘯𝘧𝘪𝘭𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘔𝘪𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘦𝘭’𝘴 𝘪𝘴𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘥. 𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘴, 𝘯𝘰 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘓𝘦𝘰—𝘴𝘩𝘦’𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘪𝘴𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘴 𝘧𝘢𝘳 𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸. 𝘗𝘭𝘶𝘴, 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘪𝘴𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘥—𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘯𝘰 𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘰𝘧𝘧—𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘥𝘢𝘺𝘴.
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I have a feeling this one will be an easy summer read that most will enjoy! I loved how smooth it paced between both POV’s. The anticipation was built just right between their timelines. I was soooo worried about Leo. Summer goes through hoops to find out the truth! She was willing to do anything for her friend.
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Overall, an amazing read! This was my first book by Heard and will not be my last. Highly recommend by the pool

A billionaire sociopath puts two women in his crosshairs. Leo and Summer think they are charge of their fates but a sinister plot is working against them. The story is told from the voice of Summer and Leo from the past and the present. The author uses simultaneous timelines until they merge into one. The villain, Michael, is expertly crafted to lure in unsuspecting readers. This will become one of summers top books.

4 Stars

Summer and Leo are nomads- they live out of their SUV, travel and fund their lifestyle with petty crime. When Leo sets her sites on a Mark Z type of entrepreneur and ends up on his private island, things get weird.

Told from alternating voices and time frames, this book flew by. I read it in one sitting and miss my friends Summer and Le0- this is one of those books that pulled me in and made me really care about the characters. I can't wait to check out more of Wendy Heard's books.

Thank you #netgalley and #BantamBooks for a complimentary ARC.

*3-3.5 stars

Two lovely young women, as close as sisters, are living off the grid in California, sleeping on a mattress together in their car. One named Summer is a masterful pickpocket; the other, Leo, knows how to manipulate wealthy men into getting what she wants. When a tech billionaire 'likes' one of Leo's Instagram posts, they hatch a plot to get to meet him in person. It works all too well...

Building intrigue drives this story and we are suckered in by these beautiful people in a gorgeous setting surrounded by wealth. Although their very different backgrounds are revealed in flashbacks, I found myself losing track of who was who in their alternating chapters. I'm not sure it's wise to make 'heroes' of people who live by ripping off other people but it made for a real page-turning thriller. Perfect summer beach-read material.

I received an arc of this novel from the author and publisher via NetGalley. Many thanks for the opportunity. My review is voluntary and the opinions expressed are my own.

I agree with the reviews that if you like White Lotus you are going to love this book and it is the perfect beach read for the summer. This was delicious

I love thrillers and this is a hot one. Summer and Leo are off on an adventure in California - stealing, scamming their way along the rode. Then they are invited to a private island for fabulous partying - and Leo is all for it. But - she disappears. Summer is left alone. Can she find Leo?

This books has huge White Lotus vibes. Did you love that show as much as I did?

Ok, the thriller genre used to be a favorite of mine. I love edge-of-your-seat reading experiences. I relish twists you don’t see coming. I found that thriller books have a formulaic predictability and stayed away from them for awhile. However, when I read the synopsis for this one, I figured it was time to jump back in and give thriller another go. I am so glad that I did!

Multiple perspectives, timelines that aren’t super in-sync with each other, harried past, secluded location, study on classism. All things that added up to a super enjoyable reading experience. Was I able to guess the twists? Yes. Was I upset that these twists were what I thought they’d be? Surprisingly no. The characters could have been a bit more distinct in their voices, but I didn’t care all that much. The writing style is super accessible, which lends itself to being hard to put down. I caught myself thinking about this book when I wasn’t reading and wanted to return again and again.

Wendy Heard taps into a fear that many people have, even if they don’t live in a van, and that is the fear of being left behind, the fear of being forgotten, and the fear of rejection. All these fears, on top of the actual action, made this story one that could be translated and internalized for a wide readership. I would, and have already, recommended this book.

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Bantam and NetGalley for this ARC.

I never thought I could like con artists as characters but I really liked both Summer and Leo. I loved the character development and learning about their pasts.

This was an unputdownable thriller that I finished within a few days! Looking forward to reading more books by Wendy Heard.

First and foremost this cover is IT 🔥 I would buy this book for that alone, but also for the contents in the book because it was done well!

If you are a fan of con/scam artist books, revenge, found family, badass females, look no further!

Here’s what I loved 😍

- I loved Summer + Leo. They are best friends and live quite the unconventional life. They are hustlers. Summer has always lived a nomad type lifestyle, and Leo has something from her past haunting her.

- The island location. Take me there! I mean minus that crazy people ya know?

- The dual POVs and timelines. I loved the back and forth. I also loved how it would jump around timelines. It does this without being confusing.

- The pacing was spot on. You will keep turning the pages until the very end!

This one is out next TUESDAY (6/13) and you will want to snag it! I’m snagging a finished copy because of this COVER!

This one surprised me. It’s a fast paced bingeable read. I finished it in 24 hours. A page turner with two tough as nails females and an island with a very nasty billionaire. If you like fast paced and fierce women then this might be your cup of tea. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest opinion.3.5⭐️

Woohoooo... let me just start out by saying that cover is hot damn!!

Wendy Heard definitely knows how to write her thrillers and this one is nothing short of her talent. The story alternates between Summer and Leo mainly in the present time. These two ladies are con artists where the target seems not be who he should be and it takes a dark turn.

I was taken right away by Summer's character. She is quite the strong voice and intriguing. Both of their stories contain flashbacks and we are taken into the lives of both Leo and Summer.

Boy, did this story take you on a ride. I felt like you never knew where it was going and Heard throws out those twists and turns nicely. Ive always felt Heard has such strong characterization in her stories and boy did she hit the park with these characters.

I continue to be pleasantly surprised at Heard's talent and can't wait to see what she comes out with next!!

4/5 stars

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House Publishing for my arc in exchange for an honest review.

Pub date: 6/13/23
Published to GR: 6/5/23.