Summer and Leo are two women who grew up in different circumstances but found each other and have become like sisters. They live in a van and drive up and down the California coast making money by pickpocketing and scamming wealthy people.
When Leo attracts a tech billionaire and gets invited to his island she thinks she might be falling for him. Soon Summer is unable to reach her best friend and goes on a mission to find out what happened.
This is a great and fast paced thriller, I really enjoyed the main characters. The only flaw was a lot of jumping between their POV’s. Thanks NetGalley, Wendy Heard and Random House for the eARC.

I was given this book by NetGalley for an honest review-
What a book! Leo and Summer have fought their way growing up alone- pickpocketing or whatever they needed to do to survive, they set their sites on Michael, a billionaire. He invites Leo to his private island. She is excited thinking all the photos she can sell and the jewelry she can steal —- but what really happens—- she disappears.
Summer sets out to find her her and ends up struggling to find Leo and to free them both from Michaels clasp.
Will they be able to escape?

Summer and Leo are two friends, living off the grid in California, pick pocketing and scamming their way through their days. Until they pick the wrong mark: a billionaire tech genius who invites Leo to a weekend getaway at his private island retreat where. he is hosting other wealthy investors and wannabes. Turns out to be more than she bargained for.
The story is wildly captivating with a story line that is fascinating as it unravels with lots of thrilling turns and chilling character twists.
Enthralling, at times.

A safe, reliable, conservative, and neatly packed thriller is upon us with this newest piece from Wendy Heard.
You Can Trust Me is probably the last thing you'd want to believe...because can we honestly trust anyone these days?
Well, for starters Summer/Leo are besties setting sail to Cally with a land cruiser and some pickpocketing talents.
They meet up with Michael who brings them to his mansion.
Amanda passed away 15 yrs ago and many believed it was a mere car accident but was it really murder?
Body found in woods near Shaver Lake that might foot the bill as Michael Forrester continues painting girls very much alive but appear lifeless in his paintings.
WTH?
Michael didn't last very long because this cottage for girls paintings might hide other secrets.
In fact, these two may fight over who killed who but in the end all that matters is they're now safe. The bad guy(s) are dead and Summer thankfully is good at navigation to islands!
With Athens in their future they're heading to greener pastures without as much drama.
Thank you to Wendy Heard, NetGalley, and Random House for this pre-approved ARC! This gem arrives June 12, 2023!

I love stories that let me see how the extremely wealthy live and behave - the excesses they indulge in and the things they consider important. But I also love stories about women supporting women, strong female friendships, and stories about overcoming hardships. This book has all of this.

There's a lot of tension in this story - you want to keep reading, but it's never too intense. The friendship between the two young women and their backstories keep things balanced, engaging, and easy to follow. So, feel free to take it on vacation or to the beach.

And finally, the plot is well-paced, but you also become fully invested in the two main characters- they have energy and unique personalities. I was rooting for them the whole time.

This is stay up late don't turn the lights off good. I cannot stop thinking about this. I am completely obsessed with this.
I just reviewed You Can Trust Me by Wendy Heard. #YouCanTrustMe #NetGalley
[NetGalley URL]

YOU CAN TRUST ME
BY: WENDY HEARD

Wendy Heard is a new to me author, but the synopsis sounded different, so I decided to give this one a try. I was richly rewarded with a fast paced plot. This novel far exceeded my expectations, and was read very quickly. Also, this novel is such a very addictive reading experience, I didn't want it to end. This is so cleverly inventive, with all the thrillers I have read, this one is created by a talented Author, whose future work I will definitely be seeking out. I can guarantee you that by reading this, you will love it. I LOVED it! This one, "You Can Trust me," has reached the pinnacle of heights, to be in the top three FAVORITE thrillers, that I have read in my lifetime!

It takes place in sunny California, and the setting is beautifully described. Summer and Leo are so close they are living a nomadic life in a tricked out SUV, Land Cruiser. They are each other's person as they both come from sad family circumstances. At first I didn't like Leo or Summer. Their existence is so very different from anything I am familiar with, and their lifestyle was one that was so foreign to me. I don't like to judge people, so I was shocked at how these two women lived. They steal money and jewelry to support themselves and they have fake identification and buy expensive clothes with stolen credit cards. Taking advantage of people to earn money for food and other things. Summer is a pick pocket and Leo is planning on spending the night with a rich man named Michael Forrester, who is a self made billionaire, which she sees as a mark. Summer is the one who taught Leo the con artist way of life. Leo plans on impressing Summer with plans of spending only one night with Michael.

The more I read even though I saw them as thieves their backstory made me understand why they did what they did even though I didn't agree with it. They both are dishonest and I felt turned off that their choices in how they attained their money meant survival for them. Summer's mother basically abandoned her at a young age pushing her out as a young teenager during a camping trip. Her mother taught her to pan handle and beg for money since Summer was a child.

Leo's family fell apart when her sister died, and she left home one night which I thought was dangerous. Her home life evaporated from stability to grieving parents who she didn't recognize. She loved her sister, and it seemed like they lived a charmed life. That was before her sister died. Her parents changed and they sounded terrible.

Leo and Summer have led this lifestyle for five years growing close and depending on one another. Summer is a pick pocket and Leo decides to spend the night with a billionaire who she finds handsome. For two women who were professional players I cringed at how trusting Leo is to spend the night with Michael who could be dangerous, and she fails to check in with Summer the next day. Summer grows more and more frantic as she doesn't receive any word from Leo.

Leo has asked a man who works for Michael to send a message to Summer, but he agrees to it, but doesn't do it. They went on Michael's boat to a remote Island. Summer questions the high end hotel where Leo stayed and she asks multiple people to call Michael's room. She learns that they have checked out and she learns from Allen, Michael's co-worker that they are on the remote Island where there are no cell phones allowed. She is repulsed by Allen, but Summer who is ever the actress--gets herself invited to the Island where she hopes Leo and her will reconnect.

This was something that at first I thought I wouldn't like, but ended up finishing it in a single sitting. It is so different from your typical thriller in that both women begin to get me to care about them, because they are not your average characters. I was hoping that no harm came to Leo. I feel like I have told you the beginning, and I think that this was a pulse pounding thriller that Summer is sure that she has to use her wits to out maneuver a billionaire like Michael. The Island is ominous and who would the police believe? Does Summer find Leo? This is eerie and I was wanting to set it aside, because I had things to do, but I was invested in this nightmare, and my errands didn't get done, because this held me captive until the conclusion. This was amazing and I highly recommend it to all thriller readers. Unique in this character development and plot. The Title is perfect, for this unconventional story, which is well written and Unforgettable. I am going to be thinking of this one for a long time.

Publication Date: June 13, 2023

A huge Thank you to Net Galley, Wendy Heard and Random House Publishing Group-Ballantine Bantam for generously providing me with my ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own and I was not obligated to leave such a positive review. I honestly loved it!

#YouCanTrustMe #WendyHeard #RandomHousePublishingGroupBallantineBantam #NetGalley

Meet Summer and Leo (short for Leoneli), grifters who are sort of sweet, not overly crass and criminal (think Lucia and Mia of “White Lotus 2).” Both have sad back stories about how they landed on the road without family support, and they are now living in a truck. At least Leo, the younger one, is a joie de vivre type; Summer seems to be sort of tiring of the con life, worrying that she’ll age out of the lucrative party scene, but is she is claustrophobic about apartments and permanent homes. However, Leo is angling to land a billionaire boyfriend (the type who would set them up afterwards, willingly or not for a few months). Then Leo goes missing and Summer realizes how much she misses her. She also finds a reason to believe something bad has happened. And the something bad might be the billionaire target, Michael Forrester, a guy with a private island and employees with NDAs who always gets his way.

The story has two timelines — present day Summer as she searches for Leo and Leo’s, in the days leading up to her disappearance. Summer also learns that there might be something dark about Leo’s past, not just a sister who died in an accident years ago.

This is twisty and thrilling — there’s a constant sense of dread, but we also come to side with Summer and empathize with how she chose her path in life. This is also a story about a strong female friendship. I couldn’t put this down! 5 stars! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ This was the first book I’ve read by Wendy Heard, but it won’t be my last.

Thank you to Random House/Ballantine and NetGalley for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review!

Literary Pet Peeve Checklist:
Green Eyes (only 2% of the real world, yet it seems like 90% of all fictional females): NO Blue, brown and hazel, but no green.
Horticultural Faux Pas (plants out of season or growing zones, like daffodils in autumn or bougainvillea in Alaska): NO Not a lot of green things are described, the private island seems pretty barren, except for trees.

This was fun! I really enjoyed the dual pov and timelines, with each girl having something in their past that left opportunities for the story. I found the plot fairly unpredictable and always enjoy a scammer plus friendship story with a mix of rich people thriller. I would be very interested in reading more from this author in the future and similar types of books!

Wow! This was so addicting and engaging I could not put it down. I loved the unique storyline and constant cliff hangers and plot twists to keep my attention when the perspectives switched.

This reminded me a lot of The Girl by Courtney Summers, which I also really enjoyed. Overall, a fun, quick beach read that is actually unputdownable.

Thanks to NetGalley for the e-arc!

THANK YOU Netgalley and Random House Publishing, Ballantine Bantam for inviting me to read this in exchange for an honest review

Leo and Summer met on the streets, right place right time situation. They became best friends and more like sisters--which is especially meaningful because Leo lost her sister years before. They were Bonnie and Clyde(if Clyde was a girl). Summer was great at snatching things unnoticed and Leo was good with the men. Not just any men though, the rich ones. She gets set up with a billionaire and is gonna run her game on him. When he takes her to his private island things go a little different then Leo planned. Summer starts to worry and goes looking for Leo after her being gone for too long and they both find out who this billionaire really is.

This book is a 2 person narrative between Summer and Leo. I found myself not wanting the chapter to end every single chapter. Leo's story was so interesting and I wanted to know more and then Summer's was so interesting and I needed to know more and it just kept going back and forth. I was GLUED to this book.

If you love the beach, enjoy or are intrigued by nomadic living, and you need a quick page turner then snag this one up as soon as it releases. She's a good one!

My first Wendy Heard novel but certainly not my last! I totally enjoyed this psychological thriller. Characters were brilliant. Awesome suspense along with crazy twists and turns. Loved it!
Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book

Leo and Summer are young women, each with painful and difficult pasts. They spend their lives nomadically, from city to city eking out a living by scamming/robbing rich men.

When Leo meets her next “mark”, a powerful and handsome tech billionaire, the women get more than they bargained for.

You Can Trust Me is a fast-paced thriller with many tense, blood pressure spiking passages.

What kept this from being a four-star review for me was that I found parts of the plot just beyond the boundary of believability. The baddie, for me, was believable enough but the motivations of the supporting cast thin.

Still, I think many readers will find this novel entertaining and I recommend it to those who enjoy fast thrillers.

Wow! This was soooo good! So well written, I felt like I knew the two narrators. Character development was fantastic! You really understand why these two women “work” so well together. This was fast paced and I finished it in a couple of days suspenseful, and kept you guessing where it would all end up.

This book was amazing! I couldn’t put it down. Absolutely terrifying and thrilling at the same time. One of my favorite books!!

“You Can Trust Me” is a thriller with two POV’s, that of Summer and Leo, two homeless grifters and con artists. Summer, who lived a nomadic existence with her “hippie” mother, was abandoned as a teenager to fend for herself. Several years into her solitary existence, she meets Leo, who is panhandling on the streets. Summer takes Leo under her wing, teaching her how to make a living off the streets. Summer focuses on the quick grab—picking pockets for money and credit cards, while Leo specializes in the long con, baiting rich men who she then swindles.

After Leo picks a mark for her latest long con, Michael Forrester, a billionaire tech giant, she goes missing and Summer desperately tries to find out what happened to her. At first, Summer’s afraid that Leo has abandoned her, but she’s equally afraid that her latest con has something to do with her disappearance.

The tension never lets up as Summer finds herself trapped for the weekend on Michael Forrester’s private island near Catalina, a combination resort and research facility, where she is surrounded by rich investors and the overly dedicated staff at the private resort, who keep a vigilant watch on the guests, ostensibly to prevent theft of proprietary data. She desperately tries to find some trace of Leo there, while fending off the advances of her date that invited her to the island, and eluding the security cameras and all seeing staff.

Despite their criminal natures, the characters are sympathetic, both with a tragic backstory that explains their foray into crime. The characters are well-drawn and the settings and actions are described so realistically that the reader is drawn inexorably into the book. I had never read anything by Wendy Heard before this book, but after reading this novel, I plan to remedy that situation.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for providing me an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This is one of those sit down, buckle up and enjoy the ride style books. It is about fierce friendships between Summer and Leo who support themselves through cons and pick pocketing. Leo has her eyes set on one big score so when she gets whisked away to a private island she is so happy. Unfortunately, Michael has other plans.

Summer is one person who is used to surviving and taking care of herself. She senses something is wrong and will save her friend or die trying. Summer is one person you don't want to mess with. I loved how smart, cunning and quick thinking she is and wished for a friend like this in my corner.

This is a fast pace, fun, action packed binge worthy read you don't want to miss.

Do you ever read a book and think, "Damn, this one is gonna be a hit, I can feel it!"? That's how I felt reading this book--it's gonna be the thriller of the summer.

Two vagabond friends, Summer and Leo, have a good thing going. Living life on the road, picking a pocket or two, being general swindlers and scammers. When Leo sets her sights on a billionaire, both of them are sure this is the one that's going to change their lives--and they're not wrong.

They end up on his private island, with no cell phone service, no way to get back to the mainland, and uncover a secret they wish they hadn't.

This is such a fun, fast-paced book. You really find yourself rooting for these two in a very "eat the rich" kind of way. I read it in 24 hours, and as a mom with 2 young kids, this never happens anymore!

The book utilizes one of my favorite tropes: excessively rich folks on a private island where something has gone amiss, and the reader has to solve the mystery. The twist was a little expected, but it certainly didn't take any of the fun out of the book.

Great characters, great setting, great mystery. This one has it all.

Setting: California
Rep: queer FMC

This was a gripping read, definitely my favourite from Wendy Heard so far. I finished it in two sittings because I had to know what was going on with Leo and Michael. It gave me major Glass Onion vibes, with the private island owned by a billionaire and the tense mystery at the heart of the story. Some of the twists were fairly easily predictable but I do read an awful lot of mystery books so it's very hard to surprise me! This was *so* close to a 5* read for me. I'll definitely keep an eye out for more from this author in the future.

Thank you Netgalley, Wendy Heard, and the publisher for this e-ARC.

I really enjoyed this book. It was similar to other thrillers in plot, where men want to hurt and overpower women.

However, the setting was different, as it follows two women "drifters", Summer, and Leoneli, as they get by in life by pickpocketing and targeting rich men to steal from. The two women are like sisters and will do anything for each other.

After years together surviving like this, they meet the wrong man, who manages to separate them, and they are thrust into a fight for their lives on a private island with no way out.

Surrounded by people, with not a single person to trust or help them, and not knowing if the other is alive, Summer and Leo do all they can to escape and find their way back to each other.