Are tech billionaires with private islands the new it trope? This is the second one of a similar story line I’ve read, but I enjoyed this one much more. It was fast paced and entertaining. The two main characters felt well developed, but the other characters fell flat for me. I had a lot of questions at the end about the why and motive of things. Overall, fun quick, thrilling read.

This book is really good! I have been a reading funk and this thriller was just want I needed. It is a quick read and the varying point of views abs timelines make it engaging even through the whole story line is a bit predictable. I could not put this one down!
Thank you to Net Galley for the ARC.

Another fast-paced gem from Wendy Heard. A recommended purchase for collections where thrillers are popular.

You Can Trust Me is one of those gripping thrillers you want to devote an entire day to reading.

Summer and Leo are grifters. Summer is a highly skilled pick-pocket while Leo plays the long game. She’s set her sights on Michael Forrester, a self made billionaire and philanthropist and when her charm wins him over, she receives an exclusive invite to his private island. Instead of returning with photos for the paparazzi and jewelry to liquidate, Leo disappears.

From there, it’s up to Summer to infiltrate the island to find Leo and bring her home. This book was gripping and a nail biter!! I read a lot of thrillers and feel like I’ve been in a rut with them recently. This one kept me on the edge of my seat though! The pacing is good and it fully kept my interest. Summer and Leo are such fun characters and very well written.

The only reason I don’t give a full five stars is I feel like there’s a few plot threads that don’t get wrapped up at the end. Otherwise, I really enjoyed this book and would definitely recommend to thriller genre readers!

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

I was excited to have the opportunity to read this uncorrected proof in exchange for my honest review from NetGalley and it did not disappoint. With a strong female friendship between two lifelong grifters (Leo & Summer) who perfect the art of pickpocketing as the backdrop of this book, it had me turning the pages from the start. It is no surprise when something goes wrong when one of their wealthiest marks takes Leo to his private island and Summer sets out to find her. The last quarter of the book is full of action & suspense with some interesting reveals. This was my first book by Wendy Heard and it will not be my last!

This is a fun thriller written from the POVs of two friends who are beautiful grifters. When one disappears to a private island with a billionaire, the other cons her way onto the island. And then all kinds of things happen. It’s a fun romp with some smut. I figured everything out but didn’t mind. I fell in love with the women and their friendship. Suspend your disbelief and prepare to stay up all night to finish this one.

I read a digital advance copy of this book via NetGalley.

Summer and Leo are an unusual pair of grifters floating around California looking for their next mark. When Leo scouts an attractive billionaire for her next victim, it seems as though it will result in a massive payoff. Instead, Leo disappears and Summer socially engineers her way into the billionaire's circle to find her friend.

This story is a gripping page turner I only managed to put down in order to sleep. If I had it my way, I would have read this in one sitting. I don't generally find myself rooting for pickpockets, but when they go up against a masochist billionaire with unlimited resources you have to root for the underdog.

I appreciate the backstory that was laid out for both Summer and Leo. It gave important context to who they are as people and what brought them together in the first place. The twists at the end were fantastic. This is my first book by Wendy Heard, and it certainly won't be the last!

This is a page turning thriller that I really enjoyed until the last 25%! It took a dark, disturbing turn that I wasn’t prepared for. Summer and Leo’s friendship and bond was the best part - I rooted for them the whole time.

Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC.

You Can Trust Me follows two nomadic thieves with a whole lot of trauma in their pasts. After hooking up with an Elon Musk-esque character one of them goes missing and the other concocts a plan to follow her to the guy’s private island to find her.
Pacing is a bit of an issue. This story starts slowly and the end feels rushed but the majority of the story is very intriguing. I’d give it a 3.5 but round it up to 4 for Goodreads.

This book was a little different than my usual mysteries and thrillers, with more of a women's fiction vibe. Summer and Leo live a nomadic existence, relying on pickpocketing, shoplifting, and scamming to get by. Yet somehow this is supposed to be a feminist story? Because women can be just as criminal and slimy as men? Ok. Because I wasn't impressed and I'm not sure why the readers are expected to be. Summer's pickpocketing at the club, for example, was over the top and not at all believable.

But anyway, the plot centers around Leo easily winning over a billionaire who can have anyone in the world. but sure, he's immediately interested in a homeless con artist just because she's hot. Because men are just that easy to manipulate, no matter how much money or intelligence or prestige they have. And right away he invites her to his private island. And she doesn't come back, leaving Summer with no choice but to go chasing after her. She gets her own invitation to the island simply by, once again, manipulating an unattractive older man who, once again, can't resist her.

Once on the island, Summer hunts for Leo who has found Michael to be hiding secrets, and then they're both in danger for their life and they have to fight to survive. No surprises there, as you know that's where the climax will be and it's anyone's guess who comes out alive. Thank goodness the story is so fast-paced since you know where it's going the whole time, but I just couldn't stop rolling my eyes at the absurdity of so much of it. And unfortunately, that's why it seems more like chick-lit. It's perfect as a breezy beach read - you don't have to think too hard, and the story flies by, and then on to the next one. I would have enjoyed it so much more if it didn't rely on numerous cliches and stereotypes. If there was...I don't know.. just one redeeming male character? Anywhere? But if this is the kind of book you like to read, you will definitely enjoy it. It's great at what it's going for, but if that's not your thing, this book won't be, either.

This was the perfect antidote to a cold and windy Sunday in March! Read in one breathless gulp over the course of an afternoon, I was transported back to California, to luxuriate in and fear the majesty of the place and the people who live there--some of them more nefarious than others. Is it the grifters or the billionaires who are the real villains? This propulsive novel explores that question and then takes it a step further to twist into darker thriller territory. A welcome, sinister addition to the plethora of (mostly) white woman scammer books coming out in 2023.

Wasn’t sure what to think of this one and liked it more than I thought I would. The characters are likeable, the story easy to read, and entertaining. A little slow at times, but intriguing enough to keep you going.

Started and finished this one all in one night. So pleasantly surprised by how engrossing it was! I wasn’t quite sure what to expect with this one & was afraid it might be too formulaic & similar to things I’ve read before, but it went places I wasn’t expecting and the action started right away & kept a steady pace.

Loved the characters of both Summer and Leo, Summer especially was a unique and badass character & the scenes from her childhood were heartbreaking & really taught us a lot about her and her mindset.

I loved the setting- exclusive & secretive celebrity-owned islands are always fun. I’m not quite sure how I feel about the length of the novel- on one hand I loved that it was on the shorter side as it heightened the suspense and drama, on the other hand I feel like the relationship between Summer and Leo could have been explored on a deeper level & I wouldn’t have minded learning more about their pasts. There were bits of the story that were quite unbelievable, but in a novel like this, I’m not always looking for the most logical storyline or plot. It kept me reading and interested despite some of the more fantastic elements.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the author for a copy of this novel in exchange for a honest review.

In “You Can Trust Me”, Summer and Leo, off-grid nomads by day, conwomen by night, land themselves on a secluded private island used for research by a billionaire man Leo meets at a bar, Michael.

When Leo goes MIA, Summer gets worried and weasels her way into the island as well to find her and will stop at nothing to make sure they are reunited.

This was PACKED with twists and evoked two verbal, out loud “WTFs” from me.

The beginning was a little slow in my opinion but it was never boring, the backstory of Leo and Summer kept my interest.

Some things seemed a little far fetched to me in the plot and I’m still left wondering “but, why?” 💭

Nonetheless, prepare yourself for a twisty, very unique thriller that will make you wonder who you can really trust. I already pre-ordered a hard copy for my shelf!

Thanks to NetGalley for an Advanced Reader Copy of this e-book in exchange for my honest review!!

At first, I didn’t think this book was for me. I love thrillers but I’m not into modern themes. However, this book takes off into a twisted story. It unfolds from a tale of two friends who are pretty much con-artists, into a tale of sisterhood and trauma. Could I predict some of it? Yes, but the story was amazing. Great read!!! Thank you to the publisher for letting me read this on NetGalley. I 100% recommend this book!

This book really drew me in. and it was a fast paced read. I loved that the main characters, Summer and Leo, were grifters. ((And successful)) at that. But I wanted more grifting! I also liked that the story was told in alternating view points. Unfortunately, i kind of got bored and skimmed my way to the ending.

Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for this ARC.

I was excited to see Leo's fate so I kept on reading. Before I knew it I was finished with the book. Highly recommend reading You Can Trust Me. Thanks for the advanced copy.

Thank you for this ARC! I Loved every bit of this book. It kept me intrigued the entire time and I loved the characters. Highly recommend!

Summer and Leo travel around California making money off of pickpocketing and running scams. Leo decides to run the ultimate scam on a billionaire, and gets invited to his private island and then Summer never hears from Leo again. Knowing something is wrong she also works out an invitation to the island. She has just a few days to find out where Leo is! This book kept me on the edge of my seat and kept me guessing on what was really going on. Flashbacks and a non linear timeline were done very well and the book flowed well. I was expecting to have a hard time pulling for Leo and Summer since they ran cons to make money but that was not the case at all. My first book by Wendy Heard was a solid 4 stars and this will not be my last book of hers.

FULL DISCLOSURE! I am not a fan of thrillers. If I see that in the liner notes, I pass it by. Somehow, this one slipped past my radar and there I was, immersed in this suspenseful story I hated. But I had to finish it.

Summer and Leo live together in a converted van. They live by their wits. They both have sad abandonment back stories, and they love each other like friends and sisters. I will only tell you that Summer is a pickpocket extraordinaire, while Leo is just plain gorgeous, easily attracting men.

The two become embroiled in an attempt to find Leo a Sugar Daddy by aiming at a tech billionaire named Michael. Both end up on an island off Los Angeles and terror ensues. And that's all I'm going to say about the plot. It will sink its talons into you and even if you hate thrillers, it will give make you fear and produce chills, but you will have to persevere to the ending you won't expect.

For those who like this genre, you will love this one. As for me, no more Wendy Heard.

Thanks NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.