This audiobook took me a while to get through.
I personally did not think that it kept my attention for very long periods of time. Usually, I can listen while I work, but this story did not keep me engaged.

I got through it at 2x the speed. The narrator was good and easy to understand.

The end was a bit of a twist in a way. I was not expecting Lucy's killer.

I will say, the blurb portrayed Lucy to be her best friend, but she was her husband's best friend. I thought that was odd.

All in all, it wasn't for me personally!

🎧 📖 🎧
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Audiobook ARC REVIEW
How Can I Trust You
A.J. Campbell
Narration by Eilidh Beaton
Bookature Publishing
Pub. April 8, 2024

This is another addictive book from A.J.Campbell. She always manages to hook and pull me in from the start, and this new one is no different.
Especially with that prologue!

Here, we follow Ashley's husband Danny, who is accused of murdering his best friend. He was found standing over her body with a hammer in his hand, and now Ashley is left wondering if her husband is actually capable of murder.
She's done some digging on her own and discovered lies upon lies.. With each revelation in her world, her marriage feels more precarious. Can she trust him?

With well crafted, likable characters and a fast-paced plot line, this book was set up for perfection.
Suspense, tention, mystery, murder, secrets, and so many lies will all keep you on the edge of your seat.

The audio was performed brilliantly by Eilidh Beaton. Her voice and pitch for the male characters were so well done, and I listened to almost halfway in one sitting completely absorbed.
I also had the ebook to read along or for when I had a few free minutes.

Overall, this is a fantastic domestic thriller with some heart-pounding twists that will keep you guessing till the end. I highly recommend you don't miss this book. I predict this might be the best thriller of the
year.

Ashley’s world is turned upside down when her closest friend, Lucy, is brutally murdered at a child's birthday party. To make matters worse, Ashley's husband, Daniel, is found standing over the body with a bloodied hammer. Things don't look good for Daniel but he still maintains his innocence, he wouldn't murder his childhood friend, would he?

As Ashley struggles to cope with everything going on, she uncovers secrets that change everything. The pace of the book starts slow but picks up towards the end. While the identity of the bad guy was not difficult to guess, the twists towards the end made up for it. I gave this book 3 stars because of some repetitive parts, but overall, it was well-written.

Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture Audio for a free copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Not every thriller can be "utterly gripping and unputdownable." I think we should stop advertising them all this way.
That said, I did read this in within 24 hours, but then again, I do that with most audiobooks I get. At 3x, it's fairly easy to do. The narrator, despite having an accent, was pretty good, except at the end of the chapter, she would be very unnecessarily dramatic as if the last sentence of each sentence was an earth shattering cliff hanger, even though we all have immediate access to the very next sentence in the book.

This was more complex than a cozy mystery, but less intense than a psychological thriller. I guess that's where popcorn thriller comes into play. I am new to that term, and I guess I've been living under a rock, but it makes sense.

Our MC discovers her husband holding a hammer covered in his childhood friends blood. Of course he is suspected of the murder, after all, he is holding the murder weapon. So our MC was wishy washy. Every time she seemed convinced her husband was hiding something from her, or was the murderer, she took any easy reason to immediately not believe it. Having a 9 year old son seemed to add very little to this book, as did most of the other characters. It was basically just our MC, her work, her hatred for their new small town, and her trying to decide if her husband was a killer or not.

This book kept my interest, and I wanted to see how it played out, but I wasn't attached or invested. It did have some exciting moments, but it wasn't unputdownable or particularly gripping, it was very average for a thriller. I appreciate the ARC from the publishers and netgalley, and would be interested in trying more books from this author.

This book was more like a story than a mystery or a thriller. At no time was I anticipating anything. I expected more. I was disappointed.

I couldn’t stay interested in this because of the sharp departure… It starts with a car crash but then jumps to a neighborhood party.

I am sure the story will circle back to the car crash but that was what I became interested in… finding out about the car crash.

Despite my best efforts I just couldn’t get into the neighbors party or the husband and wife.

How can I trust you
I really liked this audiobook!
Ashley walks in on her husband at a child’s birthday party and he’s covered in blood. Did he just kill his best friend and business partner, Lucy, in cold blood? With Dan being charged and in jail, Ashley tries to piece together what happened and what Dan has been hiding.
This was a great psychological/domestic thriller with not too many characters to keep up with.

Narrator- loved who they chose for this audiobook. She was very engaging.

Thank you NetGalley, Bookouture Audio, and AJ Campbell for this advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

This is the first book I have read/listened to by the author and wow I loved it! I literally listened to this all in one day I had to know what happened next. I'm glad I got sent this audio arc as I have now added the authors other books to my very long tbr! Would highly recommend this audio book. Thanks to the publisher and netgalley for a chance to read and review this arc.

How Can I Trust You is a fantastic domestic thriller. I finished it in one day, becoming thoroughly invested in the whodunnit storyline. AJ Campbell included the twists and turns I crave in stories. I listened to the audiobook version while I worked and the narrator was absolute perfection. This book would make a wonderful book club choice as it entails many relationship decisions worth dissecting.

Thank you Netgalley & Bookouture Audio for an eARC of How Can I Trust You? by AJ Campbell.

This book is told from the POV of main character Ashley. Her best friend tragically (and brutally) dies at a party - and her husband is accused. She starts snooping, and finds a whole lot more than she bargained for. The question is - Did he really do it?

3 stars for the book itself, 4 for the audio version as the narrator does a great job! I really enjoy reading Campbells' work, and this one was no different. I did find the story to drag a bit in the middle, but the end was fantastic! As always, can't wait to see what she comes up with next.

Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for the early access audiobook for this addicting thriller.

It’s my first read by AJ Campbell and I’ll be going back for more.

The whole time I was listening to this I was second guessing each characters motives. Never knew what to believe and was blindsided by the revelations in the final chapters. I suspected everyone at one point or another but was still in shock about the events at the end. Well done. I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good thriller.

Also, kudos narrators spot on mimic of what a whiney 9 year old sounds like. My blood pressure was rising full force listening to those scenes with Elliot.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
How Can I Trust You? by AJ Campbell, an audiobook narrated by Eilidh Beaton was an addictive and unputdownable thriller with unexpected turns and twists!
Story hooked me straight away and curiosity took over. And then how the story was developed made me question what was going on. And the ending! Oh wow, that ending!

Eilidh Beaton did fantastic narration and especially I loved the voice change between child and adult! It was easy to follow. Eilidh Beaton and AJ Campbell seem to work perfectly together to create a magical listening experience.

Ashley and Danny have a perfect marriage, a perfect son Elliot, a perfect house, and a perfect business. They trust each other and share every single thing... People around think that every woman deserves a "Danny" in their life... But when Danny's childhood friend is murdered and Danny is found next to her body covered in her blood, a perfect life flips upside down! Soon Ashley discovers that she doesn't know who to trust as nothing is like she thought it was...

Thank you #BookoutureAudio and #NetGalley for a copy of #HowCanITrustYou

"How Can I Trust You?" by AJ Campbell is a psychological thriller. The main character was unlikable. Actually, all the characters were unlikable. I was really bored even though new things kept coming up. Listened at 2.5 speed and still was bored. The ending was too far-fetched and unbelievable for me. If Ashley really believed her husband, Danny, why would she go digging into all his things and devices? This doesn't add up.

Most people who reviewed this book rated it 4 or 5 stars and seemed to love it. Hmm. The gore and repeated imagery of it bothered me. The ending gave me a nightmare.

Characters - 4/5. Well described
Writing - 2/5
Plot -2/5
Pacing - 3/5
Unputdownability - 3/5
Enjoyment - 1/5
Narration - 5/5
Cover - 2/5 woman on cover isn't any of the characters as described

Thank you to Netgalley and Bookouture Audio for providing this audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

A hard book to review without dropping spoilers all
over the floor!

Fast paced. Twisty, immersive, and jam packed with intrigue. Lots to unpack, lots of “what would I do” moments. This is one that’ll keep you hooked til’ the end. I didn’t guess the ending and you know I love that. Excellent! The narration was perfect aswell.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture audio for the opportunity to listen to this audiobook in return for an honest review.

**Listened to audible**

Firstly, I have to commend the narrator. I thought she was fabulous! She differentiated between the characters, male AND female - but never in an over the top stereotype. It was just so seamless - it was only when the book was over and I was thinking about my review that I realised it was just the one narrator!! Just brilliant!

I enjoyed my listening experience, however I don't fully rate the book itself. It wasn't particularly original, and the ending took a turn like other books too. Full throttle, high intensity but then it fizzled out and rounded off far too easily.
Not original - so just OK!

How Can I Trust You? is a gripping psychological thriller that looks at how well you REALLY know even those closest to you.

Ashley’s world is turned upside down when she finds her husband Danny covered in blood and holding a hammer while standing over his best friend’s battered body. But did he murder her? Was it the friend’s husband who was acting very strange that day? Or maybe someone else seen sneaking away from the area?

Ashley’s desperation to uncover the truth is palpable. As she continues to find evidence of a secret life Danny was living, she grows increasingly frantic, and the reader feels every bit of that emotion.

I kept changing my mind multiple times on what I thought the ending might look like. I appreciate that there weren’t gratuitous twists for shock value but that it still kept me wondering throughout.

A couple quibbles:
1. The copy on the cover (“My best friend is dead. Did my husband kill her?”) is inaccurate. The victim was the husband’s best friend.
2. Ashley’s son is 9, but is depicted more like a toddler. They have a baby monitor in his room, his parents bathe him, he hides in a cupboard (how would a 9 YO fit?!), etc.

The narrator on the audiobook did an excellent job. Thanks to the author, Bookouture, and NetGalley for a complimentary advance copy.

3.5 stars

How Can I Trust You? by AJ Campbell
Narrated by Eilidh Beaton

If someone you knew very well had just been murdered, murdered nearby, maybe murdered by someone you know, and you even saw the bloody body, how safe would you feel? Ashley certainly has good reason to be out of her mind with worry and dread because her husband has just been taken away by the police, certainly looking like he murdered someone. But surely not! There has to be another explanation, surely someone else did it, there must be some other reason for all that blood all over Ashley's husband!

That right there would have me afraid of walking in dark and isolated places at night, but Ashley has some kind of disconnect from making wise decisions. Even when someone may be sneaking around her house, maybe even in her house, she seems to be a bit oblivious to danger. Since she doesn't think her husband murdered anyone, what if it's the real murderer making noises and creeping about? Poor Ashley, maybe she'd make better decisions if she wasn't so tired.

They have such a good marriage, though. Danny is such a good man. He wouldn't hurt anyone! But as Ashley digs into things and neglects, on purpose, informing the police of her findings, she's not sure she can trust her husband anymore. I can't help feeling sorry for Ashley, for the dead woman and her family, and for Danny and Ashley's son. The story has such a frantic air about it as Ashley fights off stares, nosy neighbors and townsfolk, and keeps finding more and more signs that too many people are keeping secrets and that she just might be blind to red flags flapping in her face. Ashley has misread someone or maybe a lot of someones, it's just not clear which someone is a murderer.

Other people could have motives for this murder so I wasn't sure where this story was going, what with things looking so much one way. Lots of red herrings with this one and a really cute Rhodesian Ridgeback named Rufus. As Eilidh Beaton narrates the story, I felt as tired as Ashley felt, so much to do when your husband has been taken in as a suspect for murder, so much to do when you want to get to the bottom of things and doing so just makes things seem worse. The story is very interesting but also wore me out a bit, especially because I couldn't understand Ashley's actions. But then, as I often say, that's why I'd never be the main character in a book like this since I'd be in a locked room, not moving the plot along. By the time I finished throwing imaginary popcorn at the imaginary screen every time Ashley did things I didn't agree with, I had imaginary popcorn up to my knees!

Thanks to Bookouture Audio and NetGalley for this ARC.

I liked this book overall. I didn’t love the writing style at times but the storyline was captivating. I didn’t see the ending coming. I don’t feel there were many clues what so ever leading up to it. It sort of came out of left field.
Examples of things I didn’t care for: repeat phrases like “baited breath”

This is my first AJ Campbell book and as soon as I finished, I added multiple others to my TBR list. This book was the perfect blend of face paced and slow burn moments. I stayed up way too late to finish as I just had to find out what was happening. Highly recommend!

*4.25 stars

Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to listen to this audiobook. This book grabbed me from the start. The premise is an interesting one….what if your husband is accused of a crime and you find out he’s been keeping secrets? Do you ever really know anyone? I enjoyed the character development as well as the plot line. I love a good thriller with twists and turns. This book has that, but I did have the ending figured out well ahead of time. The narrator did an excellent job with the character voices and inflection. Definitely worth a listen.