Twisty and well-narrated. The story starts off a little slow (as well as a little obvious who the culprit might be) but the narrator did a great job keeping me invested with good vocal acting and intentions. As the story began to unfold later in the tale I found it unputdownable and the conclusion satisfying (even if I may have seen it coming a little). Good characters and interesting plot, really elevated by the narration. 3.5 stars.

This was a pretty solid thriller, and I’m really impressed that it’s the author‘s debut novel. It didn’t feel like a debut at all! There were a few things that could have been better – it was a little bit predictable in places, and I found myself growing frustrated with the main character at times for continuing to trust her family after they proved untrustworthy and controlling. But at the same time, I can see where the author was going with it, her reasons for having the character continue to mistrust her own judgment. It just went on a little longer than I found believable. That being said, I really did enjoy the book. I found the idea of secretly communicating through song titles in a shared playlist interesting, and I felt like the pace of the book was quick and the plot kept my attention well. I did the audiobook, and found the narrator had a pleasant voice and told the story in a compelling way. Four stars and I will definitely be looking out for other books by this author.

CW: Toxic and controlling family

Wowza, this is a fantastic thriller debut! It was so unique with the use of Spotify songs to communicate with Marissa’s missing husband and I WAS HOOKED! This psychological thriller was so suspenseful and kept me on my toes. You don’t know what to think or who to believe!

I went between listening to the audiobook and reading my ARC and both were super. The audiobook narrator, Megan Tusing, kept me engaged from start to finish and I highly recommend either option.

You won’t want to miss this twisty thriller!

****Many thanks to Elle Owens and Brilliance Audio for my gifted copies in turn for an honest review.


Rating 4.5 stars rounding down on Goodreads.

This was not my kind of read. I really couldn’t get behind the main character’s personality or thoughts. The plot line also felt a little underwhelming, cliché and, unfortunately, boring.
I also didn’t understand the underlying misogynistic vein that kept popping up and felt irrelevant to the storyline.

If you want a book full of song titles, I've got a book for you!! lol no seriously, I get what the author was doing and it was clever at first, but chapter after chapter it got old pretty quickly. the storyline itself wasn't my favorite. old family vs new family. there wasn't a thriller storyline yet there was at the same time. no thriller twist. just...a story.

This was a solid thriller book. I loved the communication through Spotify songs and all the misleading characters. The narration was great and the twists were awesome. Def recommend this one.

Before Marissa's husband Ethan leaves for work and never comes back, the last thing he says to Marissa before he walks out the door is "tell me you trust me". These words are a catalyst to a spidery web of secrets and mystery. Having seemingly vanished, Ethan becomes an enigma, leaving his car, keys, and other personal assets at home. Seeking answers, Marissa calls in the help of her parents and her brother Peter. Immediately they become overwhelming and overbearing, trying to control the narrative of Ethan's disappearance and every aspect of Marissa's life. While trying to take her mind off of the confusion surrounding her husband's disappearance, Marissa turns on some music on her and her husband's shared Spotify playlist. She notices a newly added song, and secretly Ethan and Marissa begin communicating through song titles. The vague nature of this messaging only makes Marissa mor confused and with each song, she wonders who she can trust, who her husband really is, and what it is he is working so hard to hide from?

To me, this book was a just a drama about a really terrible family. I felt like all of the characters were so amazingly awful that you weren't really rooting for anyone. There wasn't truly a question about the "who" was bad here, it was more of how deep they were involved and how deeply they were willing to go to betray one another. The concept of the song titles as communicati0n really reeled me in, but I got a little bored by the end and it lacked the pull that made me want to keep listening. i finished the audiobook and saw the story through to the end, but it wasn't my favorite read of 2025 so far.

This was good. I liked the whole premise, I just needed a little more suspense. But I love that this is a debut author because that means this author will only improve

This one was fine, but not entirely for me.

I thought the audio was well done, and despite not loving the book, the narrator kept me focused and moving through the story.

One day Marissa's husband disappears, and the last thing he does is asks her to trust him. The book is then one big cat and mouse, corporate espionage thriller, involving Marissa's family.

The book is basically about Marissa's parents coming over and immediately trying to control the situation and discounting Marissa's concerns. You get immediate weird vibes from her family. Marria tries to solve her husband's disappearance while avoiding her family and quasi-working with the police.

I don't quite know what it was about the book, but it didn't hook me. I found the plot to be entirely obvious, and I was annoyed how long it took main girl Marissa to figure it out.

Overall, it wasn't bad, just not my cup of tea.

⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 3.5

The blurb really did grab me, hence why I applied for an ALC and I loved that it was a debut thriller for this author.

Marissa’s husband has gone missing very unexpectedly and is left with their very young toddler trying to find out why he has just left. However, Ethan her husband has left clues for Marissa in the most secretive ways, so she starts to solve them and isn’t happy with what she finds. She’s trying to solve these clues and secretly communicates with her missing husband via songs (quite unique really) hidden from view from her overprotective parents and brother - who were very overbearing!

This thriller was promising, but it just hit the mark for me. It became quite repetitive at times and I found Marissa saying the same thing over again. The narrator however was excellent and very engaging.

So yeah this debut was quite unique, but frustrating characters and repetitive let it down for me. Elle definitely has promise though in her thriller writing so it’s exciting to see where her writing journey goes.

Thank you Brilliance Audio for this ALC

Tell Me You Trust Me is the last thing Marissa's husband Ethan said as he walked out the front door. In this debut thriller from Elle Owens, we watch Marissa spiral as she tries to put the puzzle pieces together on why her husband is missing, why her family's presence is suddenly so overbearing, and how these two happenings may be connected.

Unfortunately, this one was not for me. I found Marissa's thinking to be too repetitive, going back and forth on who to trust, with not a lot of the plot moving forward. Being inside Marissa's head was beyond frustrating for me as a reader and I guessed the twists as the story went on. I think the song element in this story was a really unique and fun idea, but the execution just did not hit for me and I found it to be extremely cheesy. I think the thought behind the plot of this book was really interesting, but the actual writing was a bit amateur and visibly a debut novel. Even though this story wasn't for me, I do think a lot of people would find this plot to be fun, thrilling, and enjoyable. There is definitely an audience for it!

Otherwise, I thought the audiobook was extremely well done and the narrator was perfect to perform this story.

Thank you Brilliance, NetGalley, and Elle Owens for allowing me to listen to this advanced audiobook.

I enjoyed all the communication through song titles. I've never read a thriller with that aspect, so that was fun to see what titles would be used. There were times that I was on edge, but towards the end, the story started to slow down a bit for me where I was getting a little tired of the plot being dragged on. The narrator did such a great job with switching the tone of voices for each character. Overall this was a fun thriller, and I'd read more thrillers from this author in the future!

Marissa’s world is turned upside down after her husband mysteriously disappears, leaving behind cryptic clues for her to follow.

The unique way Marissa and Ethan communicated was such a fun and clever part of the story!

Marissa’s parents were the worst—and it was oddly satisfying to hate on their creepy, condescending ways. Logan was the most well-behaved toddler I’ve ever read about, but honestly, I’m grateful the book wasn’t full of tantrums!

Marissa impressed me with her smarts when solving her husband’s clues and codes, but her blind spot when it came to her parents felt unbelievable at times. Her emotional growth was inspiring, and I loved her super sassy inner thoughts.

The fast pace kept me hooked, even if some moments stretched believability. The drama was thrilling and fun, even when things got overly complicated. While Marissa always managed to stay one step ahead, there were definitely moments where I floundered trying to keep up!

This debut cat-and-mouse thriller is impressive. If you enjoy suspense, emotional growth, and family drama, this book is for you!

Thanks to Netgalley and Brilliance Publishing for access to this audiobook ARC in exchange for my honest review

When Elle's husband says these words to her "Tell Me You Trust Me" then disappears, it is up to Elle to figure out what he means. With their only communication through their joint Spotify list, they begin communicating through song titles unbeknownst to anyone else. Can Elle work out what Ethan is telling her and will she be able to trust him after what is revealed?

This book started out really well, I was hooked from the start and needed to know more. There were so many twists in this story though that I did kind of feel it was a little over the top and unrealistic. I was happy with the ending but wonder if I was in the same position, whether I would act the way Elle did at the end. I enjoyed this author's writing style and the audiobook narration was excellently done too.

Man this book just ugh! I really gotta stop going off book covers I swear this one was going to be a hit! Nooo!! The MFC was so annoying in the 1st half on this book who couldn't see straight passed yer family like come on your family had to know your every dang move! Spying everything else! But you couldn't see it! And your husband was gaslighting you too!! Should have left everyone LOL!!

The book wasn't bad but it wasn't good either! Not one i would wanna buy to add to my bookshelf!

This was a pretty good thriller debut! It had me hooked from the beginning. It was unique and different than other thrillers I’ve read. It was interesting. Her husband vanishes and they communicate through their shared playlist. Using song titles as codes. There were so many secrets. I didn’t know who to believe or trust. The audiobook was really good! I enjoyed listening to it! I’m excited to see what else this author writes!