You Can Trust Me started off pretty slow for me - I started it and didn’t pick it back up for a few days (which isn’t like me). It started picking up around 25%, and it finally pulled me in…. until about 30% when I knew exactly what was going to happen. If I had actually felt any suspense, this would have been a fantastic, gripping thriller. But alas, I knew exactly what the twist was going to be which drained all of the excitement.

You Can Trust Me will be released June 13 - it’s definitely worth a try - you’ll love it if you don’t see the end coming! Thank you to Netgalley and Bantam Dell for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This book was PHENOMENAL! It was so fast paced, and had no downtime. I loved the characters from the beginning, and never had a moment of irritation with poor choices. I kept sneaking bathroom breaks at work, because I didn’t want to put this book down! It hit all of the right notes, and when it was over, I was very sad that there was no more to read. I went to the authors website and immediately signed up for her newsletter. This was incredibly great, and I cannot wait to read more from her!

Wow, what a thrilling ride! The two main characters in this book, Leo and Summer, live together in a truck and get by on pickpocketing and conning. Summer has a knack for stealing wallets from someone in an instant while Leo uses her talents on longer cons with unsuspecting men. Eventually they get stuck on a billionaire’s private island dodging all kinds of bullets. The book switches back and forth from Summer and Leo’s perspectives and gives good information on how the women get to this point in their lives. The characters are likable and relatable.

Summer and Leo live a nomadic lifestyle traversing California and surviving by being pickpockets and cons. When they set their sights on scamming a wealthy tech billionaire however,the game doesn't exactly play out according to their script. Michael may be someone who the public adores for all of his philanthropic work but he's been down the "golddigger" path before with other women, so although he says Leo is different, he is still cautious. When Leo doesn't return from her date with Michael on his private island, her bff Summer decides to take mattes into her own hands and search for her. What she finds is not at all what she expected and places both Summer and Leo into the center of a deadly game.
Both women's back stories are well developed giving insight into how their unconventional nomadic lifestyle came into being. The character of Michael is not so fully developed leaving the reader to wonder why he does the things that he does. Readers are left hanging as to the fate of Ashley, a maid at the home on the island. Overall a quick read which feels a bit like a script for a made-for-tv movie. Fun for an afternoon reading on the beach.

Thhhhhhrillller! Thrilllller *sing-song Michael Jackson style* Guys this book was a RIDE. This book follows two best friends Summer and Leo who are well, menacing to say the least. They get into crazy antics and situations, always self-provoked, and we ride along on the journey with them. Leo winds up getting herself into a situation that turns well… really dangerous. A secret is uncovered by Summer that winds up relating to the situation Leo is in, and she goes missing. I really enjoyed this book. I banged it out in about a day and a half, and thought this was such a different read. Interesting, fun, captivating and didn’t leave you “guessing” for too long- just the right amount of time leading events and their cause. I would definitely recommend this. I am so thankful to @netgalley for the ARC read, and this piece’s pub date is June 13, 2023.

What a wild debut from author, Wendy Heard! You Can Trust Me tells the tale of Summer and Leo a couple of con artists living in Summer’s truck and relieving LA’s rich of some excess cash and prizes. When Leo sets out to land a big fish, the gals find themselves imprisoned on a tech billionaire’s private island! This is a savvy, smart, quick read, perfect for vacation or poolside. You’ll find yourself rooting for these two cons even as they break multiple laws. Don’t miss this one!

Summer and Leo are con artists living a life of freedom on the road. Summer's specialty is pick pocketing, and Leo cons rich men out of money. Leo is working on her biggest con yet, billionaire Michael Forrester. He whisks her away to his private island. Leo disappears and Summer finds a way to get onto the private island to look for Leo. What has happened to Leo? What secrets is Michael hiding? This was a great con artist mystery/thriller. Summer and Leo were likable and intelligent. The ending was super satisfying. Thank you to Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group-Ballantine for this arc.

I enjoyed this book. I liked the relationship between the two main characters. I did not expect it to go in the direction that it did, but it was a good read.

This book was full of surprises. I kept thinking I had it figured out only to find another twist. I really enjoyed the characters and their stories. I want more of Summer and Leo!

Summer learned to expertly pick pockets at the age of 3. Now an adult she teams up with Leo, and their life of sisterhood and joint thievery begins. Summer can expertly pick a pocket with ease and Leo is expert at seducing rich men. Leo sets her sites on Michael Forester, a rich billionaire and follows him to his private island where the bulk of the story takes place. The story started out a bit slowly but quickly picked up offering twists and turns and thrilling intrigue as Summer and Leo try to figure out what exactly is going on with Michael, his island and his company. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

A super fast-paced thriller! I had to force myself to slow down and actually read because I wanted to find out what was going to happen! Also, the writing was more functional than delightful in and of itself, so I found myself just scanning for information rather than reading to enjoy the text itself. The characters were different than any other book I’ve read, which I enjoyed. The plot itself was also quite creative. There were some unexpected twists but nothing earth-shattering. The ending was satisfying.

3.5 stars rounded up to 4. Thank you to NetGalley and Bantam for the e-arc in exchange for my honest review.

Wow, what a great debut novel! I really enjoyed this one and it kept me interested from the first page. While I did guess the twist pretty early on, I did thoroughly like this one. 4/5 stars from me!

This was a recommendation from NetGalley.

I enjoyed this book. It was a fast read, quick paced mystery/action story.

I would recommend this book for people who are into; traumatic pasts/hidden histories, women friendships, found families, dislike of the patriarchy/capitalism.

I just reviewed You Can Trust Me by Wendy Heard. #YouCanTrustMe #NetGalley

Let me first say-This is an incredible story!
There are so many twists and turns as two best friends who live out of their van by choice, and pick-pocket their way through life, find BIG trouble!
It is an intense plot and truly held me captive while reading! I could not stop reading or thinking about it!
This may well be my favorite thriller for 2023 and it is only February!
If you like suspense and drama this is the novel for you!

Thank you to @NetGalley and @Random House Publishing Group-Ballantine for this amazing ARC and allowing me to read and provide my own review.

Oh. My. God.
You Can Trust Me will be THE thriller of the summer. I’m calling it now!

Summer and Leo are soul sisters, con artists, bohemian nomads of California. Both women have a troubled past, yet somehow they have fought against all odds and are tough survivors. Summer grew up in the back of a van, hopping from campsite to campsite, and surviving by panhandling and pickpocketing. She never had a last name, knew who her father was, or even her own birthday. At the age of 17, her mother runs off with a new boyfriend and leaves Summer to figure life out on her own.

Leo ran away from her home after the tragic loss of her sister. When Leo is at her lowest point, panhandling and starving, Summer finds her and takes her under her wing. The women find support and family within each other, and use their individual skills to steal from and con the rich elite of California.

Needing more money, Leo sets her eyes on billionaire Michael Forrester. She is invited by him into his bed, and then ultimately arrives with Michael on his private island. Of course, the island has no cell phone service, and when Summer doesn’t hear from Leo the next day, she becomes extremely worried about her safety.

Where is Leo? Is Michael who he says he is? Is Leo who she says she is? Oh how I wish I could tell you more, but no spoilers here! Just know that I was gripping the edge of my seat as this novel took me on the wildest ride!

Read if you love
⚡️Fast-paced SUSPENSE!
🖤Morally grey characters that you will root for
💕Friendship that is stronger than blood
💰Robin Hood- steal from the rich and famous

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

4.5 Stars

I could not put this one down once I started it; a page-turning suspenseful thriller with a central theme of female friendship. I loved the dual POVs and despite guessing one of the twists pretty early on, You Can Trust Me held my attention and kept me guessing how everything was going to come together.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House for the eARC!

There is nothing more rewarding then being sent a widget for an upcoming release before you even have to request it.

On top of that, this is my 600th review for Netgalley, and I could not have picked a better book to review for such a huge milestone.

When the marketing team for You Can Trust Me, reached out to send me a widget, my sheer excitement took over. It is an honor and a privilege to have had the opportunity to have read this book before it's big release (June 13,2023).

I absolutely adore Wendy Heard!! I have read (and loved) She's Too Pretty To Burn, We'll Never Tell, The Kill Club and Dead End Girls. All of which I gave 5 star ratings to.

I could not believe the marketing team wanted ME to read and review an author of this caliber but I was extremely blown away. I dropped everything and got to reading.

Holy Mother of Moses!

This book is absolutely incredible!!!! After finishing, I went back and read it a second time, INSTANTLY!! Did I just read what I thought I read? Yes, yes, I did !!!

This book is destined to be the next big thing for Summer 2023!!! I can only speak for myself but I know without a doubt I will be reading this book for a third time to kick off beach weather!

You Can Trust Me, is hands down one of the best psychological thrillers I have read, to date. Jam packed with characters you will love, and love to hate. I was not prepared for the twist but that is what made it pack such a huge punch! I absolutely loved it!

If I can give you a bit of advice, it would be to not pass this one up and make sure you pre-order ! You do not want to miss this!

Five Stars!

Teaser :

In this gripping, stylish thriller, two best friends grift their way through the California elite, until a scam goes awry . . . with devastating consequences.

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 family, expectations, and 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 from Summer.

Eager for a big score, Leo sets her crosshairs on Michael Forrester, a self-made billionaire and philanthropist. When her charm wins him over, Leo’s rewarded with an invite to his private island off the coast of Los Angeles 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.

The police assure Summer that her friend probably just ditched her. After all, who would believe a philanthropic billionaire could be up to no good? On her own for the first time in years, Summer decides to infiltrate Michael’s island and find out what really happened. But as Summer searches for Leo, she discovers heavily guarded secrets—ones worth killing for. Could Summer have met her match?

This was a lot of fun! It's definitely a beach read--some parts felt particularly unreal, but overall a mad romp of a good time.

It's rare that I use the cliche "unputdownable" when discussing books, but this one lives up to the term. A slow-burn yet fast paced suspense that toggles between female friendship, love and begs the question, who can you really trust. This book is tense and will leave you on edge as you tear through the pages.

This was an can't-put-down, edge-of-your-seat thriller and I'm so glad I picked it up to read. The cover originally drew me, but I knew from the first few chapters this was going to great. The two main characters - Summer and Leo - were captivating and the pacing was excellent. Even with the flashbacks, it never really felt like it was dragging. There's a lot of twists and turns. The only blip was the ending was a too little fast and tidy, but I loved everything that got to there. Overall, a really great summer thriller!