You can trust me is told from the two perspectives of two best friends who work the streets of L.A. as con women. When one goes missing during a con, the other goes in search of her. What’s happened to her best friend? What’s going to happen to her? Loved the fact that both of the main characters are powerful women who have survived their trauma and kept kicking butt along the way!

Two young con artists go for the ultimate long con when they encounter a wealthy and handsome billionaire in You Can Trust Me by Wendy Heard.

Summer and Leo have been on their own for a while, and they manage to live within their means out of their car amidst the beaches and forests all across California. Part of the way they manage is by stealing and conning others out of money and then disappearing. It's an understatement to say they live an interesting life. But they're looking for the big win when they meet up with Michael Forrester. Will the win pan out?

I never read this author before, so I was interested to see if this thriller matched up to my expectations. It's different from many of the thrillers I've read before because you're approaching the story from the con artists' perspectives. You wonder if they will be outwitted for once yet you're rooting for the girls all the way, especially after you hear about their past lives and how it prompted them to embark on this peripatetic lifestyle.

I found the story intriguing and the pace rolls along at a good clip. You're given just enough back story about Summer and Leo to understand their motivations but not too much. I enjoyed their friendship, which seems more like two sisters against the world. You can sense the strong bond between these two throughout all the pages. I liked the back stories, too, and it made them more empathetic.

The glitter and glitz in the worlds in which they infiltrate were alluring, too. Once you get to the island, you're wondering what secrets and glamor could be awaiting everyone at Michael's island. The descriptions of the island are pretty incredible and really made me want to visit. It sounded like the ultimate pleasure resort that happens to be Michael's home.

A lot of action takes place, and, again, it moves at the right pace. You'll feel on edge as both girls encounter more than they bargained for. It's not terribly creepy but more puzzling and disturbing. I will say, though, that a few of the plot points I figured out before they were revealed. I kept reading because I enjoyed the writing, liked the characters, and wanted to see if I was right about the twists.

An issue that dissuaded me from giving the book five stars was the motivation behind one of the character's actions. I felt that could have been more developed. The ending wrapped up well, but I was looking for a little more intrigue on that front. Overall, I highly recommend this book and am looking forward to reading more from this author. It's definitely different from many thrillers I've read lately, so pick it up if you need a new spin on an old favorite.

You Can Trust Me is my first book by Wendy Heard and this book was definitely intriguing enough for me to want to read anything she’ll publish next. The story is about Summer and Leo who are scamming their way throughout California until one day it doesn’t work out so well. Leo gets tangled up with a billionaire and goes missing.

The premise of this story is so interesting to me. I love summer stories especially one with mixed together with crime. This book had me on the edge of my seat. I had no idea how it was going to turn out and I was surprised!

If you were a fan of Mia and Lucia in Season 2 of the White Lotus, this is your book. Two bohemian con artist women who only have each other to rely upon find themselves in a dangerous situation, and their unique skill set just might be key to their survival. Fast paced, thrilling read. I would recommend it to someone looking for a page-turner.

Woooowwww, I didn’t see any of that coming!

I’ve been in such a reading slump and haven’t been reading at a speed that I would like but this book was a good one o get me out of a slump. The mystery, thriller, and suspense were all done with equal precision.
I enjoyed following both Summer and Leo’s stories and the dual POV.
I definitely recommend you read this before summer officially ends!

I’ll be looking into reading more by this author.

There were a couple of things that bothered me in this book, but in the end it was a very fast paced thriller and I enjoyed my time reading it.

Summer and Leo are the best of friends, as close as sisters. They live life unencumbered by any ties, operating out of Summer's car..flitting from place to place, stealing from people and running cons. Until one day, Leo catches the eye of a reclusive billionaire and decides to try for a bigger score than the girls have ever had. But both girls are in for the shock of their lives when they're trapped on his private island and realize they are the ones caught in the trap.

Love, love, love, love, love this! I cannot say how much I loved those. There’s nothing I love more than two strong girls having a bad ass look out for each other never turn their backs on each other relationship. Who would do anything for the other. And it all has nothing to do with men, well, except snatching a few little things I’ll never notice missing

I have loved Wendy Heard's books in the past so I was so excited to get approved to read this one!! The cover is chill but also SO GOOD. This book was so easy to binge and I read it in two days! The setting was so much fun being on a private island and the mystery was exactly what I look for when picking a mystery/thriller. This was one of my first reads about a con artist and I may have found a new favorite!!!

This book!! I read it in one sitting (thank goodness I started it on a weekday morning). It centers on a pickpocket, Summer, and her best friend, Leo, both living out of a car and hustling to live a good life. One day, Leo is trying to meet a billionaire tech genius so he'll buy her fancy gifts and they can get some big money. She goes out with him, and then Summer can't find her. The book follows the two of them as Leo gets to know the billionaire and Summer hunts for her. The voice here was really strong, and I was so invested in what happened to the women. To be honest, the premise hadn't appealed to me THAT much, but I loved this!

The following quote from "You Can Trust Me" by Wendy Heard goes a long way to describe this novel about two grifters, Summer and Leo:
There's always one friend who cares more, who tries harder. That's why female friendships are doomed.

Intense, twisty, set on an island, this mystery was a great vacation read and made me think twice about getting off my cruise ship to explore "paradise". Told in alternating POV and ranging "before" and "after" time shifts. Overall, ths is typical fodder for chick-lit/thriller, but this one is pretty good and delivered a few juicy surprises. Suggested for fans of Shari Lapena, Liv Constantine, and Sally Hepworth. I would read more by this author.

Summer and Leo set out for the summer of a lifetime. Loving the ability to do what they want when they want, the girls set off on an adventure neither knows is coming. Between Summer's skills and Leo's own tricks, the two manage to make it work.

Leo catches what she considers her biggest score- until she disappears. Now Summer has a choice- to let it slide or set off to find her friend- and whatever became of her.

4.25 stars

This book caught my attention right from the very beginning. It wasn’t necessarily a complex or thematically-deep text, but the plot had layers, the characters were multi-faceted, the relationship dynamics were intriguing, and all together it made for a compelling, dramatic, and fast-paced thriller. I really enjoyed reading it, I thought the cover design was well done, and I will be looking for future books from the author.

Thank you for the opportunity to read this novel. I could not get into the narrative so I DNF. I'm putting it aside for now.

📖My Thoughts📖

What a twisted fast paced gripping thriller! This book was told in an alternating timeline with multiple points of view, which I thought tied the whole story together. There were some pretty good twists in there and at times I thought I figured it out, but then something else would happen causing me to doubt myself. I love books like that. I love being challenged and a little mind mangled. Those are the best kind. There wasn’t too much violence; just enough to fit the stories needs. While the ending wasn’t entirely what I was expecting, overall it was very gripping fast paced book that definitely pulled me in. This was a really good book! I recommend this book to anyone looking for a good fast paced thriller that is fairly mild in the violence aspect.
Thank you Netgalley, Random House Publishing Group and Wendy Heard for the opportunity to read and review this book. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Summer is a survivor, abandoned by her mother in her teens and living by her wits and conning people. Leo, has left home after the murder of her sister and was homeless on the street when Summer rescued her. Living in a van and scamming people to keep fed and bills paid. Leo sets her next hit on billionaire Michael Forrester arranging how to meet him. Once set up with Michael it seems that Leo has disappeared and Summer is attempting to track her down, yet not sure if she has been dumped.. Adventure ensues as Summer Uses all her skills to find Leo and save them from a terrible fate.

Thank you Netgalley for the advanced copy of this. I LOVED this book. I couldn't put it down. I loved the con artist, stealers with both troubled pasts coming together. And a glimpse of the life of the elite. There was alot of gaslighting throughout the book. And unseen twists. Would def recommend

Absolutely LOVED this book! One of my favorites so far this year. I loved how scary the book got with people going missing and being very tight lipped about what was happening on the island. The serial-killer element to the book was the perfect twist. Great characters, fantastic plot.

The ending was a little drawn out, but didn't take away from the book whatsoever.

Leo and Summer are sisters by choice. Both homeless due to differing circumstances, they have found a home in each other. They have become quite the con artist duo and that is how they survive. Summer is a talented pickpocket, while beautiful Leo is masterful with finding a man and taking full advantage of him. When she meets Michael, a tech billionaire, the girls are excited that this could be their meal ticket for a long time. When Leo disappears while on a date with him, Summer will do whatever it takes to get her back.

This was a surprisingly good book! I went in blind and I was instantly absorbed in the story. Leo and. Summer are both fantastic, bohemian characters that you just can’t help but love and root for. The underlying mystery came out of nowhere and I was enthralled even though I figured about pretty early in what had happened. I will definitely be recommending this one!

You Can Trust Me by Wendy Heard is a great read with interesting characters and a fantastic plot. Five stars!!!