Lots of twists and turns throughout this one! It was a little bit predictable in some areas, but still a very good read that kept me on the edge of my seat. The multiple timelines got a little confusing (especially when Leo’s and Summer’s timelines were separated by just a day or two), but easy to figure out with a few quick page flips back to the start of the previous chapter.

This was very intriguing right from the start,. Even though the two main characters make their way in life by picking pockets and cons, they are likable and interesting. I found them and the story very compelling and different from other thrillers I’ve read and therefore enjoyed this book all the more.

The extremely fast-moving plot grabs your attention. Trust me you won’t be able to put this book down. To add even more inquisitiveness Summer and Leo steal the show. Their imperfections, ride-or-die bond, and all-around dynamic complete the crafty narrative. Despite the fact, a few of the plot scenarios were a bit stretched and the twist predictable it was more than an entertaining read. You will undoubtedly enjoy this female potent duo.

Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Random House Publishing Group- Ballantine for an advance readers copy, in exchange for an honest review. You Can Trust Me is the story of Summer and Leo, two close friends who appear to live an extremely glamorous life in California. But, in actuality, they survive by pickpocketing and acting as con artists to the unsuspecting rich. This may sound a bit harsh but, both characters have a conscience about what they are doing and recognize that while profitable, this lifestyle can only take them so far. The story takes a sharp twist when Leo disappears a few mornings after she was last known to be with her next big billionaire target. This leaves it up to Summer to find and hopefully rescue her best friend, without getting caught in the web herself.

This story is just what I could want from a thriller— fast paced, just the right amount of backstory and drama to propel it forward, and an interesting premise that makes you want to find out what happens at the end. While the story frequently switched perspectives between our main characters, I think that it was effective and quick enough so as not to be too disorienting. I also appreciated how quick witted our main character was, as it helped her get out of a few challenging scenarios and also made for interesting sequences of events to read.

While there were elements of the ending that I was able to predict, there were also a few good twists that made for an intriguing conclusion. Thrillers are usually a tough genre for me to begin with but, I’m glad that I read this one. I could see this being a fantastic beach read, easily consumed over the course of a day in the sun, which would pair nicely with the story’s setting.

Heart pounding thriller that left me on the edge of my seat. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this one. Definitely one of the best books this year.

WOW! I couldn't get enough of this. Fast paced, con artists find themselves on a private island where things go awry. This was simply everything of the sort and cant wait for others to read this. Thanks Netgalley & the Publisher for the ARC, in exchange for an honest review.

Did you like Ocean's 8? Then read this. Are you looking for something like The Hustle? Then read this. Do you love the Knives Out movies? Then read this. Is Promising Young Woman one of your favorite films? Then read this.

This book was so unbelievably good. It swept me off my feet and refused to put me down until the book's conclusion.

Leo and Summer have near-perfected the art of the hustle. They spend their days diligently swiping rich, snobby people of their money and then using it to live their free, nomadic lifestyle across the coast of California. Leo prefers the long haul; Summer can pick-pocket like no one else. And they're good at what they do.

That is until Leo is working a job on a tech billionaire and disappears without a trace off his privately owned island. Summer is worried, the police won't take her seriously, so she does what anyone else would do: she goes after him herself. What ensues is a chilling weekend filled with mystery, secrets, and dangerously high tensions.

Not only does this book have a thrilling, unputdownable plot, but its characters are intricately done and beautifully well-written. There are themes of wage inequality, the concept of freedom, and what it means to be a woman. I was thoroughly impressed.

I would recommend this book to anyone looking for an interesting next read or something to get them out of their reading slump.

I loved this so much! The power of friendship intermixed with a page turning, thrill of a ride! Highly recommend to anyone looking for an intense read.

What a thrill ride. I couldn't put this book down. Everyone in this book has secrets, but who has the biggest secret... a deadly secret. What happens to a con who gets conned.
This was a great, easy, fun read. I highly recommend to thriller readers.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for giving me an ARC copy of this book to read and review. All of these thoughts and opinions are my own.

I love a fast pace thriller book and this was exactly that. Summer and Leo are professional thieves just trying to make their way through life. Leo goes missing after going to a private island with a billionaire and Summer sets out to find her. I really love how much Summer cares for her friend enough to literally go to the place that she went missing to look for her but I don’t think Summer expected to find what she did. I think this book shows the power of friendship and shows that you do whatever it takes to survive.

This book really takes you for a ride. I read it in one sitting and that’s exactly how I like my thriller books. There were some slow parts but all in all this book was enjoyable. I think if you’re a fan of thrillers then you should give this book a spin!

4 stars! Thanks again for the ARC.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC in exchange for my honest review! And thank you to the publishers for reaching out to me and asking me to read this book. I love Wendy Heard’s books so I was so excited.

This is probably my favorite book of Wendy’s so far. I read both Dead End Girls and She’s Too Pretty To Burn last year and was super excited to see more and more of her stuff coming out this year. I wasn’t sure if this was considered adult or young adult because of the sex scenes but if this was an adult book it’s my first adult book by her! This is also so fast paced and fun I was invested in the mystery the whole time.

I loved Leo and Summer. Both two different girls with two different lives who came together to form a deep friendship. I felt so bad for both of them and their pasts. Summer is a woman whose mother abandoned her and left her to drift around on her own. She leaned to be a pickpocket and survive on her own. Leo ran away from home after the murder of her older sister destroyed her family. I can’t even imagine what either of them went through. They found each other in the roughest parts of their lives and they were able to pick each other and repair the broken pieces. Summer is like a genius thief and her character was so well done. I also felt so much for Leo. I wanted to hug them both the whole time.

I see that Wendy likes art themed murder. From She’s Too Pretty To Burn being photography and this book being about paintings. I figured out the twist at the end near the middle, but it still was awesome to see it all play out. The end was super satisfying and I’m always here for whatever Wendy has next.

Summer and Leo are thieves. Leo meets billionaire Michael and sees dollar signs. She meets up with him at a hotel then disappears. Summer gets worried when she doesn’t come back. She hears that Leo has went to a private island with Michael and sets out to look for her. When she gets to the island she gets more than she bargained for.
This was a great book full of suspense and twists. I hope to read more of this author’s books.
Thanks NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group-Ballantine for this ARC that will be released June 13, 2023!

4.25 stars
Loved, loved, loved
I’ve never read a book by Wendy Heard before, but if this is what she has to offer, call me a new fan. I always love different POV chapters (when done right), and this is so right! This story was very fast paced and incredibly addicting. A one day read because I couldn’t put it down.

I am a huge sucker for Wendy Heard books and this one was (as usual) nothing short of amazing! Summer and Leo are incredibly beautiful women which makes it easier for them to be grifters as they can pickpocket a man in seconds and never stay in any one place very long. So when Leo meets handsome, wealthy Michael she charms his way into his heart and wrangles an invitation to his private island for the weekend. What could go wrong? Huh? EVERYTHING! Just go with it, indulge yourself, and be prepared to be blown away by this amazing story of two con-artists who are up against the very rich and savvy men who believe they control everything! I loved it! And you can trust ME on that!
Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC!

Need a bingeable read to get finished in one sitting? This is the book for you. The story doesn’t drag at all and definitely keeps you turning page after page to see what is going to happen next. There are a few questions left unanswered which is my reason for withholding the fifth star, but the story is worth the read. Pick this up if you love: girl squad vibes, a decade long mystery, street smarts, and loyalty.

4.5 stars rounded up for uniqueness. This book was a wild ride. There has been a persistent trend for the last couple years of thrillers set on remote islands, but this felt like such a fresh take on it to me. Summer and Leo are a nomadic pair living off the grid and hustling their way through life. Their backstories are tragic in different ways, but it makes sense that they fit together. After Leo is whisked away by a billionaire to his private island and Summer can no longer reach her, the events that unfold show how vital street smarts can be to survival. There are so many twists are turns, and no one can be trusted. I still have some questions I’d like answered about a couple things, but nothing that is a vital part of the story. It all comes together to reach an exciting, satisfying conclusion.

Leo and Summer are living off the grid, pick-pocketing and conning their way up and down the California coast. Despite their differing histories, they have found comfort and stability in their friendship. For their latest venture, Leo has set her sights on billionaire, Michael Forrester. Leo goes missing after one night with Michael and Summer is worried. In an attempt to find Leo, Summer sweet talks her way onto Michael's private island.

A quick, beachy thriller perfect for the summer. I'd rate this closer to a 3.5/5. While some of the plot points felt unrealistic and I could guess the twist about 60% through, I still found myself staying up to finish it. Summer and Leo felt simultaneously like opposites and the perfect pair. I was rooting for them and their friendship!

Thank you to NetGalley, Bantam, and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for the digital arc.

Review Copy

When I was offered this book to review, I read the title, YOU CAN TRUST ME, and thought "ICK, terrible title!" because, after all, nobody can be trusted, right? But, I looked past the title and read a tiny bit of the synopsis. OK. I decided to give it a shot.

Glad I did! I read it pretty much straight through.

This is for sure a vacation book. Going on a cruise? Planning a trip of any kind? This is what you want to read. It's a vacation for your brain if you're doing a staycation.

Yeah, there are a couple of what I though of as problems. But, hold on to that thought. The author addresses them at the end. The couple she didn't, or that I didn't like the way she answered weren't enough to lower my rating. It ended at at a 1/4 point off. So...well worth your time and money to read. Fun book!

I loved this book and want to be friends with Summer and Leo! What survivors these two women are and this story was like nothing I have read before. Wendy Heard has crafted a great read that makes you keep turning pages to see what happens next. I loved the changing pov in each chapter and feels it helped me connect with the characters. This arc of #youcantrustme was courtesy of #netgalley and Bantam Publishers, Review opinions are all my own.

Shut. Up. I’ve read Wendy Heard before but recall nothing like this. How does an author make a homeless lifestyle of panhandling & pickpocketing seem romantic, even desirable?? I don’t know either but Ms Heard does. And what a plot & story she has woven! I may give a book 5 stars 4-5 times a year (and I prolly read 4 dozen books per) but this book earns every single one. A wonderful, thoroughly enjoyable read!!!