I couldn't put this book down. It had me hooked from the start. Thanks Netgalley and publisher for the ARC.

Two girls who have been nomads, living where ever the wind takes them in the back of a land cruiser think that they are going to score big when Leo meets a tech billionaire. What she thinks is the start of a great weekend on a private island will have her and her friend Summer fighting for their lives. This one was so good. Full of the 1%, girls just trying to make it, and a private island with everything you could ever want. This one will have you flying through to find out what happens!

This is definitely one worth adding to your beach or pool bag this summer!

You Can Trust Me is one of those rare books that I throughly enjoyed reading from beginning to end, without any lulls or unnecessary story-telling pulling it along.

Heard tells the story of Summer and Leo effortlessly and in a way that pulls your attention immediately. The characters, flaws and all, are likable right from the start and I found it easy to root for them. Their backstories were well detailed and thoughtful.

The pacing and multiple POV chapters were executed flawlessly. Heard did an excellent job drawing you in from the start and keeping you there as you bounced between Summer and Leo’s perspectives.

This is a great, fast, fun read and I can absolutely see this as the beach read of the summer when it’s released in June of 2023!

Heard mentioned in the Acknowledgments at the end of the book that she’ll miss Summer and Leo constantly after finishing writing them. I will too and I hope there are more potential books that will be written in their universe!

Thank you to NetGalley, Random House Publishing - Bantam, and Kathleen Quinn for the opportunity to enjoy this ARC. It was fabulous!

This was in the “awww” category for me. Not in a bad way but it was cozy in a thrilling way. Does make sense? Yea I know but it’s what I got. You’ve got the thrill of the scheming and chase and the warm fuzzies of friendships and bond.

Leo and Summer are two best friends trying to make it in Cali living a breezy life pickpocketing and dialing in on big fish. They love the hustle and while Summer is an excellent pickpocket and has lived this life for as long as she can remember, Leo is more of a long haul targeter who is being guided by Summer. Fast forward to Leo’s new billionaire target and how she disappears and Summer is not going to stop until she finds her. This is where the secrets are spilled and the chase begins.

The twists and turns are more like going around a culdesac but nonetheless it was still enjoyable to read. I recommend this for an easy enjoyable saw that coming but I still liked it kind of read.

Thank you Random House and Netgalley for the arc in exchange for my honest review.

You Can Trust Me is a light, (dare I say) fun take on the murder/mystery genre. Summer and Leo are friends that work together to pickpocket rich people and trap rich men into paying out (basically extortion). Their plans to make billionaire tech guru Michael fall for Leo goes horribly wrong and Summer has to be brave and conniving enough to save her best friend.

For me, it was a very quick read, but one that kept me entertained. The development of characters is well done because I found myself cheering for Summer and Leo, but still feeling confusion about who’s good and who’s bad in the supporting characters. Overall well done and worth the time to read!

Summer and Leo are two young women living their lives as drifters and thieves. Summer was raised by a mother who didn’t believe in having a last name, home or job- so her life was spent in a van traveling around California and learning how to pickpocket for money. Leo suffered the loss of her sister when she was 16 and blamed herself for her death. She left home and never went back, living with random strangers and struggling to survive. When Summer and Leo cross paths, they form their own sisterly bond. They spend their nights sleeping in a van and survive together by scheming and stealing money from entitled, rich men. Leo sets her sights on billionaire tech mogul,Michael, at rooftop hotel party and he is immediately drawn to her. They spend a night together in his hotel room and then he takes Leo offers to take her back to his private island, where he has a residence and research facility. But when Leo doesn’t come home the next day and Summer’s texts to her go unanswered- Summer can sense something is wrong. Leo is never out of touch and always comes home. She gets herself onto the island under the guise of being one of Michael’s coworkers dates for a long weekend there- she has to find answers and she has to find Leo. The more she searches, the more she realizes things are not what they seem on this island.

Buckle up buttercup- this book will have you anxious and on the edge of your seat from the very beginning. I spent the first few chapters waiting for Summer to get caught for her oh-so-casual pickpocketing. When that didn’t happen, I was then worrying about where Leo was and what happened to her. But wait- now Summer is in the island and possibly getting herself in trouble. The entire story stays fast-paced. Neither of these women had easy lives and they were doing whatever they could to survive. I really appreciated the strong friendship they developed, how they would do anything for each other. Even if that meant going up against powerful men and possibly being doubted by others- which is relatable even today. All this to say I really enjoyed this book and if you like fast-paced thrillers, you will too. Be sure to check out “You Can Trust Me” by Wendy Heard on it’s release date June 13th!

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

I will be posting this on Goodreads and Instagram closer to the release date.

This was a tricksy, twisty read that I really enjoyed even - if not especially - when it was at its most over-the-top... There's something about con men (women) that always draws me in to a story. I am captivated by the ways in which some people are able to manipulate others - and in which some are so easily manipulated. Watching the tables turn and turn again was entertaining and engaging and if those turns sometimes relied on coincidences that seemed a bit forced, the story was no less fun to read for it. The writing style is very easy to fall into, as are the hijinks described therein, and that was a big part of what made this such a quick read for me.

The main characters should be unlikeable, but I couldn't stop myself from rooting for both women despite knowing that they were deliberately setting up everyone around them. Perhaps it's because, generally speaking, the people around them were just as manipulative and scheming as they were, just not as open about it... I could see this turning into a series - or at least a sequel - and I'd happily sign up for it!

Thank you Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Bantam, for the free e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is such a fun read! I think that the general description for the book is accurate. Summer and Leo are women without family who live in Summer's truck off the grid. They are basically professional grifters or con artists that make their living off the elite and unsuspecting wealthy while traveling the California coast. When they set up their scam for Michael, they may have taken on more than they can handle and things get dicey.

Both characters are very well developed. I loved these 2 women! They have been discarded by family and suffered trauma. Yet, they are survivors who continue moving forward the only way that they know how. Yes, a life of crime is not good but its easy to see their logic as its all that they know. I also loved the ending.

My only issue with this book is that they had such ready access to Michael, a silicone valley billionaire. That was a bit unbelievable, but it did not distract me too much.

Overall, highly recommend for a fun, different read!!!

Thank you #NetGalley and #BantamBooks for allowing me to read and review #YouCanTrustMe by #WendyHeard. This was a fast-paced thrill ride. I could not put it down. I loved the relationship between the girls and the drama and the twists this book has. I can’t wait to read more by Wendy!

Two women who meet by chance become like sisters. Living out of their truck, traveling around California, they survive by pulling cons on rich, powerful men. Setting their sights on a tech billionaire, things take a turn for the worst and sends them spiraling down a deadly path.

This is the kind of story I love, smart women with a powerful bond and skills that are in no way an honest living but at the same time, so intriguing and interesting the way they get by with deceit and sleight of hand and con people. This took a few turns that I wasn't expecting and made it so much more suspenseful and shocking it was both parts mystery and thriller. I loved both protagonists in this, each having their own traits and background that made me so invested in this. I rarely say this but I would absolutely love a sequel. Five Stars.

Thank you Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for this ARC.

This is such an engaging edge of your seat thriller!! Cancel your plans for the day as this book pulls you in to a wild adventure.

Leo and Summer are best friends currently living a care free life as grifters and con women. They are escaping reality and the past of their troubled life. Leo escaped home in her late teens/early twenties when her sister was in an accident. Summer finds her on the street at her lowest point. When Summer was 17 her mom left her at their camp sight with the boyfriend she was seeing at the time. Summer never knew her full name, her father, or her real birthday. She doesn't exist on paper. Her nomadic mother gave birth to her in the back of a van. Summer spent her childhood drifting from campsite to campsite with her mother. Summer and Leo work together to survive and continue to live in their Land Cruiser. Leo aims for older richer men and has taken a liking to a billionaire named Michael Forrester. They get invited to his party and Leo and Michael hit it off. The next day Summer wakes and can’t find Leo. She just disappears!! The rest of the story is so engaging and fast paced. It’s an adventure. There is lots of suspense and some twists. It kept me guessing until the end. Also this cover is stunning!! Many thanks to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Bantam and NetGalley for the digital review copy of this novel. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

I have an alternate title for this book and it is: Eat the Rich, And Also 🔪That Guy In Particular.

Seriously, I was kicking my feet and punching the air in alternate fits of fear and satisfaction with each passing chapter.

Summer has never needed anybody. Since she was a child, she’s been a skilled pickpocket and con-artist, thieving her way through the life in a desperate-turned-capable perpetual grift. Nameless, ageless, and raised entirely off the grid, Summer may as well not exist. Leo, having run full-tilt from her once comfortable life, is determined to earn her keep when Summer takes her under her wing. Living out of Summer’s Land Cruiser, the two skate through California on the money they steal (or are gifted) from the wealthy men who never suspect a thing from such pretty young faces.

But when the two are low on funds, and Leo chooses a mark, billionaire and world-renowned philanthropist Michael Forrester seems almost too good to be true. Enamored by Leo, he invites her swiftly into his glamorous - and isolated - life of luxury.

And then she disappears.

While Summer has always appreciated the freedom that comes with total anonymity - until it means that finding her friend becomes nearly impossible. Shrugged off by the authorities and growing more frantic by the hour, Summer decides to take matters into her own hands. But while stealing from the wealthy has always been a breeze for Summer and her only friend, there’s a darkness in the world of the ultra-rich that they have only begun to uncover. And, truly alone for the first time in years, Summer realizes she may be in over her head.

This was an interesting slightly predictable read with dual perspectives and it keeps you guessing until the very end.

Well. Wasn't this a fabulous little read. One of those books that you walk away from completely satisfied. It just has everything. Wendy has a few books out there, and they're all good, but I think this is my favorite. Till her next one, anyway.

Completely totally recommend.

Summer is a grifter who lives in a van, doesn’t have an ID, and makes her living pickpocketing and scamming the rich. When she meets Leo, a girl just like her, she takes her under her wing. They take California by storm, moving up and down the coasts and enjoying their off grid life. Leo’s scam is dating older rich men and stealing from them, and one day she meets tech/philanthropist Michael. Michael whisks her away to his private island and suddenly Leo is missing. As Summer tries to put together the puzzle of what happened, she falls into danger as well.
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💭Thoughts💭
Wow!! This book was unlike a lot of classic thrillers or domestic thrillers I’ve read. Michael reminded me of Jeffrey Epstein and freaked me out. I loved the relationship between Summer and Leo and how badass they were when push came to shove. Just a really cool and fresh concept for a book. Also frightening!!
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⌛️Favorite Moment⌛️
I surprisingly really liked the backstory elements of this book even though I wanted to know what was happening next in the present. Summer and Leo had such tragic moments in their adulthood that lead them to this rough life of bouncing around and not having a home. It was imperative to see why they are the way they are as adults.
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🎉 Theme Ideas 🎉
Luxury envelops the entire island. Have some champagne and a multi course meal. Also, watch the movie Ingrid Goes West that gave me similar vibes of this book!

Thank you to netgalley, the author, and the publisher for an eARC of this book.

Such a good quick read!
I liked the premise of 2 “found” sisters working together, living off the grid, and conning people.
It took me a minute to figure out the twist but definitely got it before the big reveal. But honestly at this point I’ve read so many thrillers it is difficult to not get it.
Overall, I would recommend it as a quick beach or bath read.

Solid bag of chips kind of entertainment. It's something to snack on but I won't remember it tomorrow. The beginning and end were ok, but the middle got a bit muddled. This was my first from Wendy and I think I would be inclined to pick up another one.

This book gave me everything I could ask for from a thriller and was definitely a binge-able read! Loved the storyline and the connection between Summer and Leo.

This was such an exciting and quick read! It was my first Wendy Heard novel and I’m intrigued to read more. I thoroughly enjoyed the two main characters, Summer and Leo. The story alternated between their POVs as well as into parts of their respective pasts.

Guaranteed to be a summer hit! What a thrill to read. I thought Heard did a fabulous job with this story. Hard to put my Kindle down! Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. Four stars.