An easy, fast paced thriller, perfect for a beach read this summer! I would’ve liked a little more from this one, but worth a read after something heavy!

I was super into the premise of this one, the whole off the grid nomad life style combined with a grifter was super interesting and I was immediately drawn to both Summer and Leo as characters. The fast pacing didn’t hurt either, it definitely kept my attention and I was so invested I finished in just a few sittings. It’s an ideal read if you want a thriller that dabbles in darkness but is mostly light, definitely a juicy popcorn style read perfect for the summer. It does get a little wild in terms of believability but I had fun with it overall.

When a book sucks me in right from the first chapter, I know it's going to be a good one. You Can Trust Me did just that. I was so completely immersed in the story and binged it from start to finish. Told from the dual POVs of Summer and Leo, and alternating timelines over the course of a couple of weeks (the timeline is really just opposite days) for most of the book until the end when the timing lines up. This is one of those books that would be super easy to spoil, so I'm not going to say much more except READ THIS BOOK. It's such a great, binge-able read and the perfect book to read this summer.

Thank you Ballantine Books and NetGalley for this fabulous eARC!

I was hooked instantly!!! This story was so unique and not at all what I've been reading lately, but I LOVED it. Will be purchasing a copy for my library!

I was super excited to start her newest novel. And she freaking killed it.

You Can Trust Me by Wendy Heard is a well crafted, intriguing read that has great character development, suspense and story-telling.

I enjoyed the writing style. She kept me engaged and wanting to do nothing but flip the pages.
Summer and Leo's story I couldn't tear away from. The different POVs, both in the past and present really set the stage and kept me interested and engaged.
I enjoyed their story from beginning to end. And the suspense was wonderfully rendered and unrelenting! While I did find some of it to be a little predictable it still was such a fun read.
Sharp, intelligent and compelling Wendy has created another fantastic story.

"I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own."

Thank You NetGalley and Random House, Ballantine & Bantam for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

Thanks to NetGalley and RandomHouse Publishing for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

In true thriller fashion, this book was easy to devour quickly so I could find out what happened in the end. Summer and Leo are friends who live off the grid. When their newest scheme lands them on the private island of a billionaire heartthrob, things quickly turn when one of the girls goes missing. This book gave me Glass Onion vibes, but failed to really capture that “who done it” goal. In the end, it was a bit too predictable for me.

How does some live from one pickpocket to the next? That is the only life Summer has ever known. Abandoned by her mother at a young age, she has found a way to live off her good looks at pickpocketing skills. Never striving for more. Her one anchor being her friend, Leo, who is like a sister to her. But things go sideways real fast when Leo meets her match in the con game.

When Summer's texts go unanswered, panic sets in. Desperate to find her friend, Summer worms her way into a business group that includes the last man she saw with Leo, billionaire Michael Forrester. This lands her on an island near Catalina, where cellphones are taken upon arrival. Always a big warning sign.

The story is told from Summer and Leo's POVs, both in the past and present. It is through these POVs that we learn more about how these ladies fell into these lives, and whether they have enough in them to fight back against an obviously dangerous man. I'll admit, I had my doubts about Summer, but she is resourceful and her history of lying/faking her way through life seems to help her.

While parts of the story aren't very believable, the plot is still an entertaining one. And I always like a good story about the underdog. If you are a fan of remote themed thrillers, check this one out.

Fast paced page turning thriller. Summer prides herself on being skilled at pickpocketing from the time she was young. Her mother left her to fend for herself as a teenager. She took Leo under her wing when she met her as a hungry and homeless young girl. The two became the closest to family that either of them has. Leo is eager to score big and uses her charm to win over billionaire Michael Forrester. He invites her to his private island for a work event. Leo anticipates it will be an opportunity to walk away with photos to sell to the paparazzi and expensive jewelry. But instead, Leo disappears. Summer decides she has no choice but to find Leo and what really happened.

I loved the characters and was very invested on what was happening. The chemistry between Leo and Summer was palpable. The story was fast paced and I enjoyed the twists and turns. A really enjoyable locked room thriller.

Thanks to Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Bantam for a digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This wasn’t a book I would have normally requested, but when I was given a chance to read an ARC, I decided to give it a try.

The main characters are a couple of con artists. Summer is the abandoned child of a sixties free spirit who doesn’t know her birthday or even her last name. To survive, she becomes a very proficient pick pocket . Leo is a younger girl, living on the streets, that Summer takes under her wing.

Together, they do well, until they target a tech billionaire with a private island and Leo, after visiting the island, disappears.

A slick thriller and a fast, fun read.

Simplicity is sometimes all a story needs to be and this thriller has that in excess. It’s a fun little book with great characters that aren’t too dumb and a plot that makes the reader want to keep going late into the night.

This was my first read from Wendy Heard. I would call this a non- traditional, character focused suspense. It wasn’t overly focused on huge twists or a majorly convoluted plot, which I think was a nice change of pace from thrillers that have gone too far in that direction.

I thought Summer and Leo were both strong, dynamic characters that were well developed and that the suspense built nicely around their separate experiences once they got to the island.

I did find the biggest plot twist to be VERY predictable, and I thought that the reasoning and psychological aspect behind the how/ why to not be entirely fleshed out or explained in a way that would have been more satisfying after all the lead up to it.

That being said, I loved the concept and thought it was a good, fast paced read and unique for this genre!

This book was fast, fun, and sexy! I loooove female con artist tropes! And these were some strong badasses. The twist was definitely predictable and the reality was outlandish.... but honestly? It was fun. I love Wendy Heard's writing!

Summer and Leo are two young women with trauma filled pasts who have found each other and truly rely on one another. With no home base or jobs, the two make their way through the world (California) by picking pockets or trying to pull long cons.

When I started reading, I was pulled in and kept at it. However once the island is the main setting, it went downhill.

The good - engaging and fun

The not-good - wildly implausible



Thank you to Bantam and NetGalley for the DRC

You Can Trust Me

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This book was such a solid thriller. I requested it based on the premise that one friend is mysteriously missing after going on a date with a guy. It was full of intrigue, and I really enjoyed the lack of an unreliable narrator trope. The island setting was really fun too!

You Can Trust Me comes out next month and is a great summer thriller read for those that enjoy the genre. Thanks to @netgalley for this ARC!

I really enjoyed this compelling thriller. Summer and Leo are more than best friends, they're chosen sisters. I loved their relationship and how loyal they are. They live a nomadic lifestyle, on their own terms. But it takes money to survive and they use their looks and pickpocketing skills to get by. Summer picks pockets, Leo prefers to go after a rich man and get gifts and/or blackmail material.

Leo has a billionaire on the hook and it seems like it's going to be an easy score. She's even enjoying her time with him. He comes across as humble and kind. Summer is expecting Leo to come back after her date and when she doesn't, she starts to worry. She knows Leo was getting restless but she wouldn't abandon Sumner without a proper goodbye... right?

Summer can't just assume she chose to leave. So she hooks up with one of the man's investors who is going to his private island for an event. She intends to either find Leo there or question the man. Leo could've become swept up into a new life or things aren't what they seem.

The story is told from both points of view. But Summer's is a day ahead so as she's investigating, you slowly learn what happened to Leo. The reveals are perfectly placed and keep you feeling tense and desperate to know what happened. There's no way off the island and everyone there is so secretive and suspicious.

I highly recommend reading You Can Trust Me. It's a perfect summer read.

Thank you Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Bantam and NetGalley

I do not like books that have plots where you can't use or have your cell phone...that was the first strike against this book. The second strike was how easily these supposed street-smart women trusted these men. The third strike was how these supposed smart tech giants were so easily swayed by the women, there was just a lack of intelligence all around. It just got worse from there so I stopped counting the strikes after that.

Not only was the plot too far-fetched for me but the book also has a really weird timeline bouncing back and forth in the same chapter and between multiple characters. The characters are all shallow and unlikeable, I didn't care what happened to any of them. The storyline and the characters lacked depth and plausibility, it was just too convoluted for my liking and the twist was easily figured out.

I have seen many high ratings and reviews for this and I guess it would be okay for some as a beach read just for fun. I read it in a single sitting because it is a short book but I found it bordered on the absurd.

Good storyline with great characters and suspenseful plot. Loved the friendship between Summer and Leo. This was a quick read with a very satisfying ending!

Fast moving thriller that is kind of a ''beach read', meaning a fun book for a quick read but lacking depth in the characters. Summer and Leo are two women who make their money by grifting and pick-pocketing. The women are as close as sisters and live out of the back of a van. Summer was raised by a hippie woman who never gave her a last name or a birth certificate and abandoned her when she was a teen. Leo had a good life until the death of her sister when her family fell apart. I know we are supposed to find these women charming but I don't like people who steal and lie to everyone they meet. When Leo's Instagram photo is liked by billionaire tech guru Michael Forrester, the women see an opportunity for a big pay-off.

Leo goes out to dinner with Michael after arranging a meeting at his hotel but when she fails to return to the van, Summer fears for her life. It turns out Leo has been whisked away to Michael's private island, a place that holds his top secret research as well as an exclusive hill top building with a glass elevator. Summer manages to link up with another tech guy Allan who happens to be going to the island and is determined to find her friend.

i enjoyed some of the cat and mouse games as Summer and Leo were both figuring out what was going on and searching for a way out. I did think some of the twists were kind of obvious but at the same time unbelievable. I did like this one and it was a fun, quick read. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this ARC in exchange for an honest review.


'

Getting more than you anticipated can be a double-edged sword!

This is a great thriller about two best friends who grift their way through California until their scam hits a snag.

I loved that we get two perspectives, both Leo's and Summer’s. Although I was pulled in with Summer’s story, it was good to get Leo’s take on the scheme and see what paths led them to where they find themselves at present. Despite how different they are, they are united in their friendship and their desire to con Michael Forrester, a billionaire philanthropist in California.

Survival takes skill, but so does maintaining a friendship and con-scheme. When one of them doesn’t report in as planned, you would think that the scam is paused until the duo is reunited. But, no. More scam is needed. The balance is tipped and friendship and survival become foremost. I was feverishly turning pages hoping that all would turn out well. I was uncomfortable, excited, hopeful, and anxious while reading this great unique thriller that will stand out as memorable for quite some time.

I was gifted this copy by Random House Publishing Group, Ballentine, Bantam and NetGalley and was under no obligation to provide a review.

Summer and Leo are conwomen who are always on the move. When Leo sets her sights on billionaire Michael Forrester, she thinks she’ll finally be able to pay Summer back for everything she’s done for her. However, when Summer isn’t able to get in contact with Leo after her date with Michael, she takes matters into her own hands to find her friend and cons her way onto Michael’s private island where not everything is as it seems.

YOU CAN TRUST ME by Wendy Heard was a fast-paced ridiculous ride and I was immediately sucked into the plot!

This book was ultimately about the friendship between Summer and Leo, which was so beautiful, and the stakes one is willing to take for the one they love. Summer and Leo were such strong characters and their backstories helped shape them in a nice way.

The twist hit me right before it was revealed, and it was shocking and heartbreaking at the same time.

This is going to make for the perfect beach read this summer!

Thanks to NetGalley, Random House Publishing Ballantine, and Bantam for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Publication Date: June 13