Summer and Leo have been on the road together for a while. They are as free spirited as they come, preying on men and other rich folks to supply their income. When Leo meets a billionaire, they think it’s going to be their best income yet - but when Leo doesn’t come home from her date, Summer gets concerned. Did she leave Summer for a better life? Or is something more sinister happening? You Can Trust Me is told from both Summer and Leo’s POV spanning over a few days in the present and flashing back to the past.

Overall, this book was a fast read. Even if some parts were a little ~too~ out there for me. I loved the strong heroines in this story and thought the friendship between the two was dynamic. However, there was a few parts that seemed to distract from the overall plot and I guessed the twist about 50% in.

If you like to see strong females and rich men get what they deserve then this book is 100% for you!

Thank you to Net Galley for the ARC! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

A very fast paced thriller with great characters and great plotting.

I was so desperate to learn Leo's fate that I simply couldn't put this down. Many exciting twists and turn, I was enthralled.

Thank you to Random House for gifting me a copy!

Summer and Leo are the very best of friends who found each other on the streets of Southern California. Both had been living separate lives, struggling to get by and to leave their pasts behind. Once they find each other, they live out of Summer’s van and travel around stealing and grifting along the way. The two circulate and try to assimilate themselves in the California elite, looking to score some lucrative finds. When Leo meets billionaire tech mogul Michael Forrester, she feels like she may have hit the jackpot. But when Leo doesn’t return after a night out with Michael, Summer is immediately on alert. Something is definitely not right and she begins to trace Leo’s steps hoping to find her friend. All paths lead to Michael’s private island where Summer is able to score an invitation for a long weekend. As the days go by, suspicions heighten and Summer uncovers secrets on the island that she feels are leading her to Leo. The story climaxes and time is running out.. will Summer be able to save her friend or will Michael be able to continue his deceptive ways. This was a great, edge of your seat read. I gave it a 4 star rating.

Wendy Heard tells a good story in this beach read meets mystery. The friendship between the two main characters makes them likable regardless of their shady antics. It takes some time to figure out what’s going on behind closed doors, making You Can Trust Me a page turner. And, the author deserves an extra star for not wrapping the ending up in a happily ever after bow.

A fun, fast-paced thriller that can be devoured in a couple days.

Some of the bombs that drop are pretty easy to see coming, I’m not sure they were supposed to be a surprise to the reader (bc pretty obvious) but they come as quite a surprise to the narrators. There’s a lot going on, in a good way, that I wasn’t disappointed by seeing it coming. The tension carries the story more than the surprises do.

The narrators were solid. They do shady things but they’re sympathetic and easy to root for.

I do wonder whatever happened to Alan though.

Woah, this book got deeper and darker than I expected! Interesting story that was perfectly paced! A bit far-fetched at times, I can see it popular as a summer book as it takes place partially on a deserted island, Readers will be surprised by some of the twists and turns!

Thank you very much to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group-Ballantine for the advanced reader’s copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This book will grab you and not let go! My eyes were flying across the pages as I couldn't wait to see what would happen next in this fun thriller.
Summer and Leo are best friends who survive by grifting their way up and down the California coast. Two women with different backgrounds that found themselves together, with complementary skills that allow them to survive by grifting, stealing and charming their way through just about everything. As soon as the book opens, they find themselves in a plot that threatens their way of life, if not their lives.
Author Wendy Hoard wastes no time getting the plot moving, and the backstory reveals are spread out perfectly and don't take away from the fast pace of the plot.
This was a fun, fast and exciting read, highly recommended.

Pulse Pounding Thriller! Felt like I was watching a movie!

Summer and Leo live a life of freedom. They have no ties to any one place, and are content living out of Summer’s altered Land Cruiser. Each woman has a past they are trying to escape, earning income by conning and theiving. Each has a specialty—Leo plays the long game, getting in good with a rich “benefactor” who can provide temporary economic stability, and Summer is a street smart con artist and a skilled pickpocket.

Everything is going according to plan for the duo, until Leo sets her sights on Michael—a billionaire tech mogul. The two quickly find out that there is much more to Michael than meets the eye. Will the strength of Leo and Summer’s friendship get them through unexpected threats, or will they choose to go their separate ways?

I flew through this face-paced book. I truly felt like I was at the movies with this one. My only critique is that I was a little disappointed in the ending and was looking for a little more closure. The twist in this one had me reeling. Anyone who loves a strong female lead and enjoys a serial killer thriller, will no doubt enjoy, You Can Trust Me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bantam Books for the ARC!

This was fast paced but also ultimately not that fun and absolutely absurd. Summer and her friend Leo are con artists; Leo takes up with billionaire techie and slimebag Michael Forrester in a long con attempt, but then she mysteriously goes missing. Summer follows one of Michael's cronies to his private island to find Leo...and it turns out there's more (bad) to Michael than it appears. The story moved quickly, but the writing was incredibly basic and the characters were outrageous. While this was clearly meant to move quickly, Heard also has long paragraphs of description; I skimmed many of them. I also could really have lived without the crude sex scenes. I can't recommend it as a really fun read, nor is it at all profound. It's a fast-paced thriller, but it's also ridiculous and dark. Overall, it's a combination that didn't appeal to me.

3.75/5 stars! Looking at the cover and premise of this book, I expected a light-hearted YA thriller and I think that's mostly what we got. I think fans of Holly Jackson will enjoy this story. I'm not sure how realistic it is that two teenagers would get a billionaire to let them into his inner circle. But this mystery was handled so well and I was surprised by the ending twist. A great YA thriller entry.

I received an advance review copy for free through NetGalley, and I am leaving this review voluntarily

You Can Trust Me, by Wendy Heard is a gripping narrative with memorable characters. I connected with Summer on a level I wasn’t expecting. Wendy Heard captured this thrilling journey of two young women and how often powerful men escape accountability. Cheers Wendy, to creating a riveting read!

A novel with two female grifters? Yes please, and this one was fun to read. Summer and Leo are two friends, family really, traveling around in a van, conning where they can and enjoying life when Leo meets a man she is planning to con - and falls for him. Summer needs to get Leo away from him, whether she risks her life to do it.

What a fun read—I flew through it, and hated to put it down. I LOVED the story of friendship/sisterhood between these con-artists, loved seeing the different ways they function and the cons they’d pull. I loved both girls having to face their fears and inner struggles and come out on top, finding their way back to each other. The opulent setting was so fun, glamorous and ritzy and all the fun things.

My only real frustration was the multiple unnecessary sex scenes in one of the POV’s. This might’ve been a 5 star read if not for that— I‘d have a hard time recommending it because of the sexual content.

3.5 stars, rounded up, because I definitely want to see more from this author!

Grateful to Netgalley and the publisher for this arc! I had a great time.

-A

"You Can Trust Me" by Wendy Heard

Expected publication June 13, 2023

An intense, claustrophobic, yet absolutely exciting thriller I stayed up way to late binge reading. With each chapter, I was more drawn into the universe of drifters and enigmatic, ultra-rich billionaires.

Summer and Leo are best friends, drifters, and thieves. A fierce friendship is formed through survival and street smarts.
Summer, in her late 20s or early 30s, never knew her last name. Raised and then abandoned by her nomadic hippie of a mother at 17-ish, Summer doesn't exist on paper. For years, Summer searched for her "Jane Doe" of a mother, but never found her. Leo, in her mid-twenties, ran away from her hometown after losing her sister in an accident and seeing the broken pieces of her once wonderful family. She was found by Summer on the streets at her lowest point: penniless, hungry, and lost. Summer teaches Leo how to survive by pickpocketing, and cons. Summer stays low-key stealing from rich people at clubs, while beautiful Leo sharpens her seduction skills and chooses older rich men as her prey. After Leo sees billionaire Michael liked her Instagram photo, she decides she needs to meet him. With big dollar signs in her eyes, they meet at an area hotel. When Leo goes MIA, Summer gets worried and hears that Leo "maybe" went to a private island with Michael. So what does every best friend do? She must go save Leo.

Many thanks to NetGalley (@netgalley) and the Random House Publishing Group/Ballantine/Bantam for sharing this ARC.

I really enjoyed this book! The characters were unique yet relatable, and the alternating POV story line kept you turning the pages! I only dropped my rating to 4 stars because I guessed the ending. But I still loved it and definitely recommend!

Wow! This was a unique read for me and it grabbed my attention from the start. After a string of more romantic reads, I was looking forward to something a little different, and this one definitely fit the bill.

This story featured two fascinating characters- two young women, both living off the grid and essentially stealing for a living. When the deception takes a dark turn, they find themselves separated and in way over their heads.

I was a little disappointed by the last third of this book as I saw the ending coming pretty easily, which isn't what I hope for in a thriller. The ending felt a little rushed and far-fetched in how it all came together, but I was happy that the author tied up all the loose ends. If you're a thriller seeker, this is definitely one to add to your list!

Thank you to Random House for my free review copy.

Officially one of my favorite books! It’s full of suspense, creepy twists, and its downright unpredictable. I could not put this book down. From the beginning it kept you interested following Leo and Summer’s stories. The authors writing is so good that you can create mental images of each and every scene. Thank you to Bantam and NetGalley for the advanced readers copy.

I loved it! You can't help but root for these flirty, two-bit criminals. The suspense builds when one girl goes missing and the story leaps from one friend to the other and back a decade then forward then back a day and the feeling of unease just intensifies. Very edgy and unpredictable. Great author!

This book had me hooked from the beginning. Summer and Leo are best friends drifting through life in California. Professional small time con artists, the girls are looking to score, & they’re looking to score big. When a big time scam goes wrong, the girls lives hang in the balance, and some devastating secrets are unveiled.


While I did predict some of the bigger twists, this book was fantastically written and kept me wanting more. I finished this book in 24 hours because I could not put it down, it’s that good! I will definitely be reading more books by Wendy Heard in the future! I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good thriller, and enjoys books involving the rich and famous.

Well g I just finished my 15th book of the year and it’s been my most favorite book of February!

This book sucked me in from the start and towards the end I couldn’t stop turning the pages. The narrative goes between two best friends trying to find one another on one crazy journey. I was rooting so hard for these girls to find each other I was totally engrossed. This book blew my mind and I will definitely be checking out more books by this author! 5/5 stars for me! I have shared with my fellow reader followers on Facebook and in a few book groups! So glad I read this one!