Summer and Leo would do anything to keep the other safe. As best friends, they live their life sharing a Land Cruiser that's been turned into a camping vehicle.  With money stored in different places up and down the coast, the two work to escape their awful childhoods and terrible pasts. Summer is a skilled pickpocket and a small-time con artist. Leo tends to pick up attractive self-made men, living off their generosity for a short time before turning to Summer.  Leo thinks she's found the big time with Michael Forrester, a billionaire tech bro and philanthropist. Usually extremely cautious, Leo finds herself swept up by the confidence and charm of Michael.  Ignoring her own safety precautions, Leo takes off to his private island off the California coast, expecting to return to Los Angeles with items to sell, info to sell to the paparazzi, and things to tell Summer. When she doesn't return Summer's call, its clear Leo is in trouble.  Summer relies on her skills to get an invite to the island, but no one will admit to having ever seen Leo.   Trusting her gut, Summer digs deeper and finds out that Michael Forrester is full of dangerous secrets. 

Author Wendy Heard draws you into this thriller page by page until you're fully engulfed in a tale of bad billionaires, con artists, and unsolved smalltown murders.  Once you get past the initial introductions this book grabs onto you and keeps you turning pages until you get to the thrilling end. You Can Trust Me is fast, smart, and enjoyable; the perfect Summer thriller.

engaging thriller, with a fun and fresh plotline

thank you to netgalley and to the publisher for this review copy.

Thank you for the ARC NetGalley! This book started so strong, I couldn't put it down for the 1st 200 pages... and then it kinda turned. I feel like the author just kinda ended it.

A taut thriller with vivid characters.
Many thanks to Random House and to Netgalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

I really loved this thriller! It hooked me right from the beginning, went in a bunch of directions I wasn’t expecting, since I went in mostly blind, and kept me on the edge of my seat the whole time!

There was a red herring that I didn’t feel was necessary, but there was plenty of mystery and twists to keep me entertained. I read it in just over a day because I couldn’t stop. I really loved the MCs Summer and Leo, and enjoyed their varying POVs and timelines. I would’ve liked some things to be different with the ending, but who knows, maybe there will be a sequel.

4.5 stars

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for this Advanced Readers Copy of You Can Trust Me by Wendy Heard!

This may be a duplicate.
Summer finds herself abandoned by her Mom who suddenly decides she is old enough to take of herself. She has to find a way to make money so she decides to try pickpocketing! Eventually she earns enough to buy an old van which becomes her home. Then she meets Leo, a scrawny girl who has been abandoned and has no means of survival. She doesn’t even know her last name or date of birth.
Summer takes her under her wing and they become like blood sisters. Never a day goes by with out contacting each.
But money is always an issue so when they run short they decide to go to a fancy party where Summer enjoys stealing from the rich party goers. Leo meets Michael at the party, a billionaire who takes a fancy to her and off the go. When Summer doesn’t here from Leo the next day she frantic.
It is a touching story of the loyalty of Summer to protect Leo no matter what.
The characters come to life and you can’t help but to connect to them. Well written, a great suspenseful mystery.

You Can Trust Me is a fabulous thriller, perfect for readers who like fast paced action or female driven stories. Wendy Heard writes with such descriptive language that the reader immediately understands the stress and danger that the characters are faced with at any point in the story.

Summer and Leo are nomadic friends who both have come from troubling backgrounds but have now agreed to live life to the fullest, even if it leaves them homeless. As small time con artists and pick pockets, they are able to travel around California looking for the next mark, preferably a wealthy man who can open his wallet to them. When Leo is invited to private island by a tech billionaire, she believes she has come into the money. Things could not be further from the truth, and now Summer has to infiltrate the island, mixing with the wealthy guests as she tries to find out what happened to her friend.

You Can Trust Me is a page turner, perfect for sitting by the beach, pool or any other sunny locale. Thank you to NetGalley and Bantam Publishing for the opportunity to read this novel.

A fun, fast paced summer read where it's impossible not to root for Summer and Leo, despite the fact that you know they're not exactly innocent, either.

This first 50% of this book has a really unique premise and is very enjoyable. I liked where I thought the story was going, enjoyed the level of suspense, and felt intrigued by each character. The dual perspective story held my attention nicely as well. However, the second half of the book felt completely disjointed and absurdly unrealistic. I really didn’t like the sharp turn the story took. I had predicted the basics of the ending (Michael and Amanda), but the way the author got us there was just so out of left field and could’ve been done in a much more developed way.

I think I read this one in two days or so, which is quick for me. It's a fast-paced read, with short chapters that keep you saying "just one more." I thought the two main characters, Summer and Leo, were really interesting. I loved their friendship and found them to be sympathetic characters even though they are flawed.

I did find the story to be fairly predictable, and some of the characters' motivations were odd, but I still enjoyed the story and think it's a great book to check out this summer.

Check this one out if you like:
▪️Multiple timelines
▪️A sister-like bond
▪️Morally gray females
▪️Locked room/isolation thrillers
▪️Binge reads

Thank you for providing me the opportunity to review this book. I am appreciative and leave my sincerity review voluntarily.

I thought I would dislike this book when I began reading it, because watching the gals scam people didn't sit well with my soul. However, there are some grifts that are worse than others, obviously, so I read on to see if those worse grifters would get their comeuppance and if so, how. I won't spoil how everything turns out, but as it turns out, I did enjoy the ride.

This was an exciting read! I loved the way the story was told through a timeline and switching POV of the main characters. Some parts were a little predictable, but I was actually pleasantly surprised at how all it all came together with a lot of twists! Definitely recommend this one!

Summer and Leo are chosen family. Two women who have found one another completely by accident but now would do almost anything for each other. They survive by running scams, stealing wallets, and so on. As con women and grifters, they are struggling to get by. When Leo finds a new billionaire target who seems to reciprocate her interest, it seems that their luck may be changing. But when Leo goes off with him, things definitely don't go as planned. Soon Summer is searching for her friend and is fearful something bad has happened to her.

This book was clever and twisty. I enjoyed the flow and the few surprises the author threw in. Unfortunately, for me, it didn't finish as strong as I hoped. The end of the book felt rushed and a little implausible. For the majority of the book up until that point, I was pretty hooked on the storyline so it was a shame that it felt a little short for me at the end. Overall, this was still a strong read and I'd recommend it.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC. I voluntarily chose to read and review it and the opinions contained within are my own.

I absolutely adored this book. Such a great summer read. Beachy vibes, but a little bit of mystery - my kinda beach read! Don’t miss out! Thanks Netgalley for the eARC!

Thelma and Louise for modern times; the story follows Leo and Summer as they survive by theft and their wits. They live a highly unconventional off the grid life and do what they must to make ends meet, usually by being pickpockets to unsuspecting and sometimes horrible men. But things are looking up with the prospect of bagging a billionaire, but things can be too good to be true and this one might cost them everything. Very good thriller.

You Can Trust Me is a story of two friends, Summer and Leo, who are used to doing whatever they have to do to get by and meet their needs — They both have rough pasts and now live a nomadic lifestyle, roaming California, pickpocketing wealthy men and conning their way to more.

When Leo meets Michael Forrester, a tech billionaire and philanthropist, she’s determined to make this her biggest success yet. Michael invites her to a private island for his company’s exclusive investor weekend and she gladly accepts. Summer finds her own way there too, but when she arrives, she can’t find Leo and begins to worry. The vibe is very secretive, there’s limited cell service, and Summer suspects things aren’t actually as they seem.

I did enjoy this story, especially the first half as the scene was set and the tension began to build, but I felt the story became too over-the-top and far-fetched as the ending got closer and plot details were revealed. I’m into fictional drama, but I have a threshold and this detracted from my total enjoyment. Still, You Can Trust Me was an easy book to spend a couple summer afternoons reading, especially with its CA and island settings — 3.5 stars

Book Summary:

What would you give up for the freedom you've always craved? What would you give up if it meant you could run away from your past? That is a question Summer, and Leo are all too happy to answer. They're traveling the open road, living out of nothing but a Land Cruiser. It's not perfect, but it's liberating.

Unfortunately, running from your past doesn't do all that much. Not if you can't change who you are. It isn't long before Leo finds himself in over his head. Then he goes missing. Now Summer has to find out what happened and why.

My Review:

If you're looking for a summer beach read with twisted threads and long cons, this book is for you! In truth, You Can Trust Me ended up not being the book I expected, but it worked out in my favor!

A good chunk of You Can Trust Me falls under the "slow burn" category. But like many thrillers, things fall into place once the ball gets rolling (or out of place, depending on how you want to look at it).

I wish more of the characters and their backstories were fleshed out. Not Summer and Leo – they had enough detail to feel real. But it made the rest of the world they interacted with feel just a touch shallow in comparison.

Highlights:
Mystery/Thriller
Slow Burn

I’m a fan of con artist tropes! This was great suspenseful thriller! Even though I guessed the twist halfway through I still enjoyed the writing, it kept me wanting to read more and hard to put down. I loved the short chapters and the character development was great. The two main characters Summer and Leo are some badass-independent-women. I enjoyed their learning about their journeys. Overall it was a great read and I would recommend!