I read this fast-paced thriller/mystery in 2 breathless days and have absolutely no regrets.

Ashley, her husband Danny, and their son Elliot have moved from London to the country in hopes of finding a quieter, more peaceful life and of getting their business off the ground. Danny grew up in this small town and though he had to do some convincing to lure Ashley away from the city life, she is adjusting and finding her new rhythm. But then Danny becomes a suspect in the murder of his childhood best friend, Lucy, when he is found standing over her body, holding the murder weapon and covered in her blood. But Ashley knows Danny. And she knows his relationship with Lucy. He would never even think of hurting her. They have a relationship built on honesty and trust. Or at least, that’s what she believes until she starts finding clues which make her second-guess absolutely everything she thought she knew. Is the man she married truly capable of this horrific crime? Is everything she thought she knew a lie? Or has everything been twisted into a massive misunderstanding?

I was absolutely kept guessing until the end and I honestly liked how everything was explained. Nothing seemed too far-fetched or unrealistic.

My most sincere thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read yet another fabulous page-turner. Additional thanks to Bookouture and AJ Campbell for giving me an opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for an honest opinion and feedback.

Thank you to Bookouture, Netgalley and AJ Campbell for the ARC!

Ashley left London to move to the village her husband grew up in. There, she raises her nine year old son Elliot and builds a life for her family. When they are invited to the birthday party for Lucy’s daughter, Ashley is reluctant to attend. Lucy is her husband’s best friend and she has always been a little bit uncomfortable with their relationship. But the party is cut short when Danny is found holding a bloody hammer over Lucy, and Ashley’s entire life is thrown into a tailspin. The more Ashley tries to prove her husband’s innocence, the more evidence she finds that everything is not as it seems.

I am a big fan of AJ Campbell’s books and I was delighted to hear she had a new one coming out! “How Can I Trust You” starts off with a bang (literally, since the murder weapon was a hammer!) The tension was palpable as Ashley tried to determine if she could trust her husband or not. Nothing was as it seemed, and my heart went out to her as she uncovered some pretty damning evidence about her husband.

”How Can I Trust You” releases April 9, 2024. This review will be shared to my instagram blog (@books_by_the_bottle) shortly :)

Be prepared to have your whole day taken up by reading this.

This book has blown me away. It is phenomenal.

I enjoyed the pace of this book and how gripping it is. Full of outstanding twists.

WoW I absolutely loved this latest novel by one of my favourite authors AJ Campbell

Fast and pacy plot right from the start.

I read in a day!

Twists you do NOT see coming.

Great believable characters you quickly engage with.

I have loved all of AJ Campbells previous titles and if you haven't already I urge you to read them!

I give this five stars + GREAT BOOK!

How Can I Trust You by A.J. Campbell is a captivating read that immediately grabbed my attention. The thrilling narrative had me hooked right from the first page. I was particularly impressed with the way the characters were developed and how the chain of events unfolded. However, despite its many merits, I couldn't give it a perfect rating. The ending, while satisfying in its conclusion, felt a bit rushed. The protagonist's decision to take his own life left me with some unanswered questions. While I interpreted it as a result of a mental breakdown or perhaps bipolar disorder, I wished for more clarity on his motives and a potential alternative resolution. Nevertheless, I thoroughly enjoyed the book and found it difficult to put down.

I found this to be a quick read for me, having heard great things about this book I was keen to start reading.

3.5 starts rounded up to 4.

The storyline was good, Ashley’s husbands childhood friend has been murdered and her husband Danny has been arrested for her murder. Does Ashley truly know her husband ? Most of the plot was about Ashley searching for clues about her husband. Some parts of which I skimmed through. I liked the fact that every character had something to hide and every chapter ended with a little cliffhanger. However, I felt that from the beginning the story jumped around a bit for me and it didn’t flow nicely as I wanted it to.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an Arc of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Ashley, Dan and their young son Elliot have moved from London to the quiet countryside village where Dan grew up. They own their own business and life seems to be going well until the day they attend their friends' daughter's birthday party. Dan's childhood friend Lucy is found dead in the garage and Dan is holding a hammer and covered in blood. Although he protests his innocence, he is arrested and taken into custody. Ashley is appalled that anyone could think Dan could commit such a crime and is determined to prove that he's not guilty. However her investigation doesn't turn out quite as she expected. An enjoyable and easy read with an unexpected ending.

How Can I Trust You by AJ Campbell
Ashley has a pretty good life. Married to her husband and business partner Danny. They have a son Elliott and hope to add on to their perfect little family soon. When Danny’s childhood friend Lucy is bludgeoned to death and Danny is found holding the hammer, their perfect life starts to spiral out of control. Ashley has always had trust issues, thanks to an unfaithful father but this opens up a whole other level for Ashley. Does she really know her husband? Ashley turns detective while Danny is in custody and finds a lot of unsettling things.
A pretty solid read. I didn’t see the ending coming at all.

This book starts out very good, a lot of things are happening right from the first page and then all that intensity and excitement drops. Everything is dragging, most of the characters are boring and secrets that Ashley discovers about her husband confusing and hard to piece together. I personally was not a big fan of the ending. It felt rushed and just didn’t feel like it made sense. I would like to see more character development, which I think would help with piecing everything together better.
Overall this is not a bad book but just not a jaw-dropping thriller that I expected it to be.
3 solid stars from me.

Thank you NetGalley, Bookouture and the author for a copy of ARC in exchange for my honest review.

3.5 stars.
This book is about a woman who is brutally murdered at her son’s birthday party. Her childhood friend, Danny, is the prime suspect as he was found at the scene of the crime.

We mainly follow Danny’s wife, Ashley, and her struggles the days following the murder. (The cover says her best friend but she was actually the husband’s childhood friend).

It took me a bit to get into the story, I felt like the middle dragged on forever, and the last 25% is when it got interesting. I would have probably felt more engaged to the story if it had been written in first person.

All in all not a terrible story, but not a favorite.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Bookouture for my advanced copy.

Another book of AJ Campbells you can’t put down until it’s finished. When you think you know someone, and it turns out you never really did. Who do you trust when there are lies and betrayals everywhere? Characters you can relate to, twists and turns with every page, and the master of the unexpected ending. Loved it!

One of the best I've read, needs extra stars. Two women are dead and another woman fears her husband was responsible. How many lies can one man tell and expect to never be found out? I received this advanced copy from Net Galley and will add this author to my favorites list.

Ashley is married to Dan and believes they have a good marriage. At a party a few days later their friend is found murdered and it seems Dan is the killer even though he denies it. Is Dan really innocent and if so who is responsible?

This is my first book by this author and there was a lot of hype around this one so I wanted to see what it was all about. Unfortunately I was in the minority with this one. I appreciate that this was well written and it started off strongly. However, I found that I quickly became disconnected and found the overall story a bit slow going. Although the characters were well written I found it hard to connect with them and found that not a lot happened and it is a book that I will most likely not remember. Overall definitely not a bad read but I feel like I’ve read similar stories recently which may be why I couldn’t fully invest in the story. Saying that, as the writing style is quite solid I would definitely try another book by this author. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this copy in return for an honest review.

Wow!!! I started this book one day & was finished by the next as I literally could not stop reading it.
Absolutely loved this riveting psychological thriller it intrigued me from the start.
Well written with well developed characters the story flows effortlessly & the suspense builds slowly to a brilliant end.
This was a really addictive read & you could feel all the tension that was slowly building right up till you turned the last page.
Ashley’s best friend Lucy is murdered & the prime suspect is Ashley’s husband Danny.
There’s no way her husband Is a murderer she knows him so well.
The more she looks though the more she begins to uncover & then the doubts set in.
Thoroughly enjoyed this new book from A J Campbell she is certainly an author to look out for.

The tension in this novel just propels it forward at breakneck speed and never lets up.

We start with a mysterious car crash. Then we move onto the story of Ashley, Daniel and their son Elliot. At Elliot's friend's birthday party, her mother is murdered and his dad Daniel is holding the weapon. He maintains his innocence and while hauled away for questioning, Ashley is left with many questions herself.

So she does something she has never done, she snoops. Ashley finds so many things Daniel has been hiding- in their marriage and their small business and with his family.

I had my suspicions, none of which were right, but I was utterly enraptured while it unravels. Another great novel by Campbell!

I throughly enjoyed this book. I could not put it down. I felt like I was right there with Ashley uncovering everything she did in a short amount of time. I did not predict how everything came together in the end.

Ashley, Dan, and their son attend a party at a friend's house. There, a scream is heard. When the guests arrive at the garage, they find Lucy's head bashed in with a hammer, and Dan standing over her, holding what can only be the murder weapon. When he is taken in for questioning, Ashley comes up with some of her own questions and decides to do some digging.

This one takes off with a bang and literally does not stop once. I had to remind myself that most of the book was taking place over basically a 48-hour period. So much happened in that time - I can't believe Ashley was still standing, blow after blow.

At first, I was like pass me the 🍿popcorn as I dug into the story. But then I was like no, nevermind, my stomach is a ball of nerves, as Ashley uncovered one lie after another.

Totally addictive and every chapter ends in some form of cliffhanger, so good luck putting this one down!

I've been with AJ Campbell since her first book, and this one is the best yet!

(One mini issue I had: The note on the cover says "My best friend is dead" but Lucy is not Ashley's best friend. 🤷🏻‍♀️ That's a bit misleading.)

Ashley and Danny and their son Elliot live in the small countryside village, where Danny grew up. They both moved from London and Ashley still misses the bustling streets of London. They are also both business partners to a growing business.
When they are all invited to Grace’s birthday party, where her mother is Danny’s childhood friend Lucy. They can’t wait to go as their son is best friend with Grace.
When the party is in full swing. Lucy’s husband Lee screams and when Ashley sees what’s going on. See her husband Danny covered in blood standing over the body of Lucy with a hammer in is hand. Lee accuses Danny of murdering her. The Police is called, and Danny claim he is innocent but, even so he is handcuffed and taken away by the Police.
Ashley wonders is her husband is innocent as he claims. Or did he really murder Lucy. His so-called best friend. Do you really know someone that you are married to? As Ashely further investigates. She discovers things about Danny she never knew. Can he really trust him?
How can I trust you is the 4th book I have read from the author, and this is another unputdownable read. She never disappoints. This is a tense twisty thriller about secrets Murder, blackmail and lies. Do we ever know fully the persons so close to us? This is another riveting read with surprising twist at the end. 5 stars from me.

Thanks to Net Galley, Bookouture, and AJ Campbell for the opportunity to read How Can I Trust You. This fast paced book involves Ashley and her husband Danny facing a horrific tragedy right as the story begins and, from there, things kept getting worse and worse. I couldn’t put this book down because I was so eager to see where this was all going to end for Ashley. I always have a great time with AJ Campbell’s books and this one is no exception.

AJ Campbell has given me everything I have come to love in a thriller. Similar to Lisa Jewell, AJ creates a world where it could be anyone who’s guilty and you aren’t certain until the very last second. Great work, the book is superb!