This was a fast paced thriller that was a quick and easy read. I devoured this book in a single setting and didn’t even notice that time was passing. I loved the characters and thought the story had some good twists. The book is told in a couple of timelines and from both Summer and Leo’s perspectives which I liked. It gives some of each of their backstories and their take on the current adventure. Leo and Summer are thieves living off the grid and grifting their way up and down California. Leo has her sights set on a billionaire named Michael who can set them up for a while. But when she doesn’t come home and her phone appears to be off Summer gets worried. As she works to track down Leo’s movements Summer learns that you truly can’t trust anyone.

This book was very well written! The twists kept me on my toes throughout the whole story. I loved the story of Summer and Leo - I was rooting for them to survive the whole time. Do they? Read to find out!!!!

Ooh, that cover is gorgeous! Very interesting premise - two young con-artists are excited about the possibilities when a billionaire invites one of them to his private island for a night. But instead she goes missing and it's up to the other to find her. This book is so well-written, I couldn't turn the pages fast enough. It's full of suspense and twists. I loved the bond between the two women. I don't have words good enough for this book. A solid, enjoyable read for me.

I saw so many of my favorite authors posting about this book, immediately requested it, and I am so glad I did!
This book has so many of my favorite things all in one nail-biting, f*ck the patriarchy and eat the rich story. I was so attached to both Summer and Leo from the very beginning. They have been compared to Mia and Lucia from The White Lotus, and the comparison is spot on. With Summer's blank past and Leo's tragic one, I was pulling for them and their schemes from the first chapters. When Leo doesn't come home after a date with a potential mark, the action starts escalating and doesn't let up until the very final page. There's so much more I love about this book that I can't say because it will ruin some great reveals, but thriller lovers, pre-order this one now!

I went into this book totally blind, and I’m so glad I did! At first, the story of nomads Summer and Leo living in their van and surviving in swindling and pickpocketing was not my cup of tea. I found them both pretty unlikeable at first. But as their backstories were revealed, I grew very invested in them. The story really picked up about halfway through and was a real page turner. I did not expect it to go in the direction it did at all! I will say I figured out part of the twist before it was revealed, but it was still really well done and had me on the edge of my seat. Really great entertaining thriller!

This book centers on 2 women - Summer and Leo - who are grifters. Summer's an expert pickpocket and thief. Leo is better at the long con where she gets men to buy her fancy gifts and steals from them. They orchestrate a meeting with a billionaire who whisks Leo away to his private island. However, when she fails to check in, Summer has to infiltrate the island and figure out what happened to her friend.

Both women alternate as narrators for the book which was done really well. It starts with them alternating in the present, but then splits to what Summer is doing after Leo disappears, and Leo narrating the events leading up to her disappearance. The author does a great job of this and I appreciate not having to wait until the end to find out what happened to Leo in entirety. Instead, we get a little bit throughout the story which (for me) increases the suspense.

The ending was a little strange but ultimately worked. At first, I was ready to yell about how something was too big of a coincidence to be believable but then the author had an explanation which I did not see coming and overall worked. The final resolution left me with a few questions and slight eyebrow raises but overall, tied everything up in a satisfying way.

Overall, this was a solid thriller. This was my first book by this author and I look forward to reading other books by her.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for this advance review copy.

If you’re in the mood for an entertaining, easy to read thriller then this is your book! I found it to be interesting and unpredictable. I enjoyed the way the characters developed over the course of the book and I also liked the secrets that were revealed.

This was the first time I have read a book by this author, and I’m able to now say I liked her style of writing.

Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC.

4 stars / This review will be posted on goodreads.com today.


At first this book felt more like a chick novel than what it turned out to be - dark, malevolent, frightening. Thelma & Louise gone wrong, as though that’s even possible.

Summer and Leo are traveling partners. Summer grew up the child of a bohemian mom, never attending school and not even having a last name. Summer found Leo living a similar lifestyle, though not succeeding at it. Together they have come up with ways to stay alive. Similar to Fagin’s boys, they live life off others.

But while Summer excels at emptying a room of its pockets, Leo excels in one on one wealth gathering. Leo finds her marks and seduces them into giving her what she wants. They are the perfect, conniving pair. As a minor Instagram model, Leo sometimes has men ‘like’ her photos. That’s how she finds Michael. And that is how Michael finds her.

Being swept away by a handsome, charming billionaire is everything Leo had wanted. Maybe more than she thinks. Summer gets concerned when Leo is suddenly off the grid, missing. The beautiful billionaire is hiding something. Summer is sure of it. And she’s going to set out to find out Michael’s secrets and her best friend in the process.

Truly this novel starts out as a lark, an illegal one at that. But at a certain point it absolutely makes a turn into very scary territory. It’s taut with tension and wondering how much worse it can get. Is everyone in on this? Loved it. Every breathtaking moment.

You Can Trust Me is such a fun, engrossing, popcorn thriller perfect for a beach read this summer!

Summer and Leo are con-women taking just enough money to buy food and gas so they can keep traveling around California living in their vehicle. While Summer is great at pickpocketing and gathering decent sums of money in a short time, Leo's specialty is the long con- she finds an older male mark and insinuates herself into his life. She thinks she has picked the perfect con in Michael, a tech billionaire. But after she spends the night with him, she doesn't get in contact with Summer as planned, and Summer has to try to retrace her steps and find out what happened to Leo.

This leads Summer to a giant gathering of rich people on Michael's private island. The setting was perfection, with the private beaches and the isolation. I was picturing it all in my mind the entire time, and man would it be great on screen!

I started off not very fond of the girls for their thievery, but somewhere along the line I started to feel sympathy for them and their plight. Both have difficult backstories, and I could understand why their lives went so far off the rails. Plus they come out looking like angels compared to some of the other characters!

I found the pace to be perfect and the book to be a quick, fun read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Ballantine for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

This thriller gave me everything a thriller needed to give. I couldn't put it down even when I needed to. It took me on so many twist and turns and the ending didn't disappoint.

4.5 rounded up
Loved Leo and Summer, great characters and great relationship. I figured out things with Michael fairly early but still enjoyed the story. Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book

Really disappointing. The thriller was predictable, slow, and I had a very hard time caring about the characters. A no from me!

I've read several reviews where the reviewers said they disliked the two main characters. There are whole bunches of people to dislike in You Can Trust Me. in fact, the rest of the characters are so despicable that the two young women protagonists come off looking like saints. Saints who steal credit cards, but hey, it's hard to be a saint.

Although I initially cared little for Leo and Summer, pickpockets and con-women galore, the novel turns into a thriller and into a story of bravery and friendship. I know we all hate billionaires, unless you are a billionaire in which case, I like you just fine. But when this billionaire wants to take you out in his boat...don't go. Do Not Go!

That's all I'm going to say about that. After I got past the part of pickpocketing, and out to the island, You Can Trust Me became a real nailbiter. I only have nubs left. If at first you don't like Leo and Summer, kept reading. It's thrills and chills and beach sand between your toes.

Thanks to Netgalley and Bantam Books for allowing me to read and review an eARC of You Can Trust Me.

There are quite a few things a loved about this book the biggest reason because the tone and dialect. I was able to breeze through this book because the words were able to flow so well. I loved the back and forth between characters and the well placed “f word”. Domestic thriller lovers and those with trauma in their background will like this book best. There were similarities to other books I have read but Wendy’s unique style of writing and the twists to added helped it to stand alone. I will definitely be purchasing this book and passing it on to my friends. I look forward to reading more by this incredible story teller. 4.5 stars

Summer and Leo live a nomadic life, traveling around California while living in her Land Cruiser. They have no home base and fund their lifestyle through their cons and literally picking the pockets of others. When the tech billionaire Michael Forrester likes one of Leo's Instagram posts, they think they've found their next mark. Leo goes on a date with Michael and comes back convinced they can make money off of him. But when Michael takes Leo to his private island, she disappears. Summer goes searching for her friend, but Michael and his staff claim they haven't seen her. Can she find Leo?

This is a perfectly fine book; there's nothing wrong with a 3-star rating. I found it good but not great. I felt I never really knew Summer or Leo and just didn't care that much about them, nor Michael's motivations. We learn bits and pieces about the women's lives and why they have no desire to settle down: Summer's mom was a nomad herself, forcing the lifestyle on her daughter, while Leo's sister was killed in an accident, breaking up their family and causing Leo to want to get away from her devastated parents. Beyond that, though, the women seem shallow and it's sometimes hard to root for people so thoroughly dedicated to robbing and destroying other's lives.

Michael's weird island compound offers an atmospheric (read: creepy) setting, and this is a fast read. There are certainly some twists, even if some felt a bit telegraphed from afar. If you're looking for a quick page-turner, you'll enjoy YOU CAN TRUST ME.

Summer and Leo are petty thief’s. If you have anything of value, and they’re in the vicinity, it’s as good as gone. At a social function they meet a handsome, charismatic man Michael and Leo see an opportunity for a profitable scam, as she maneuvers to get close to him, and he is more than willing.
Leo disappears and Summer suspects that Michael was the last person to have contact with her. She sets off to find her, and the nightmare begins, on a remote island that Michael apparently owns.
Wendy Heard weaves a chilling thriller of high level executives and their stunning wives and girlfriends. Things are not what they seem, and Summer finds herself in a dangerous situation in her effort to find her friend!
Wendy Heard is a wonderful story teller, and creates lots of suspense and drama in this gripping thriller. Her characters are interesting and the danger is real, as she unfolds the frightening character that is Michael Forrester.
My thanks to NetGalley and Random House for the ARC. All opinions are my own and I gave it four star..

This is the perfect read for summer, set in California, we get to know Summer and Leo. They live off the grid and make ends meet by grifting. Leo has her sights set on a rich tech guy but things take a turn. Summer is frantic to find Leo and get answers. Thrilling and fast paced.
Thanks NetGalley for the ARC.

I enjoy Wendy’s writing style and this was a treat.

At first, I hated the women. I can’t identify with people who engage in these behaviors. However, at some point, that changed and I felt their actions — and the subsequent consequences — were deserved.

I love a story with flashbacks, and this nailed that aspect.

Probably one of the best thrillers I’ve read in the last year.

This is one of those books that will keep you on the edge of your seat until the very end. Summer is raised by a hippie mother who decides to take off with one of her many boyfriends and leave Summer behind with a tent for a home and her clothes. Summer is a young teen when her mother leaves and she has no idea exactly how old she is or what her last name is. While growing up, Summer learned how to be a pickpocket and she got very good at it. A few years later, she meets a girl who is panhandling and they strike up a friendship. The girl's name was Leoneli , "Leo" for short and they begin a life of travel and stealing. I loved this book and I could not put it down mainly because it is so different from anything I have read in a long time and a real page turner.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House for the ARC of this very suspenseful book that hooked me from the very first page. If you want a great thriller, I highly recommend this book.

This is the BEST thriller to read if you're stuck in a slump!! The two girls reminded me of Lucia and Mia from White Lotus season 2 and I absolutely loved their journey. I thought their story was so important to share and the characters were written as strong and resilient women.

I binged this on a flight back home and could NOT stop! It captivated me from the very start and I felt engulfed in the story. There were little hints throughout the book and even though I guessed the "twist" early on, it didn't take away from the story. It was fast paced and exhilarating and never had any dull points.

I loved the description of the island and the snippets of the danger of rich, white men and their history of harming women and women not being believed. I thought this whole story was so well done, and I enjoyed all of it! I only brought it down one star because even though I didn't mind guessing the twists, I wish there was maybe just one or two things that were creepier/twistier.