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.

Ashley, Danny and their son, Elliot, attend a birthday party. The party is for Grace, the daughter of Danny's childhood friend Lucy. During the party Ashley hears a man screaming, she goes to investigate and ultimately find her husband standing over the body of Lucy, holding the murder weapon. Could he have killed her?

Trust is of such importance in any relationship, especially marriage, so when Ashley finds herself doubting the man she married, that trust is shattered.

As she unravels the layers of deceitful behaviour, such as a secret phone, undisclosed appointments and money stashed away, she feels like she doesn't know her husband anymore.

This was a fast paced thriller, with great characters and exciting twists.

The narrator was great, although a little slow at times so I ended up speeding it up, however, I enjoyed listening to the book.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to listen to this Audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

Huge thank you to NetGalley and also to the author AJ Campbell for the arc of this amazing book, if you couldn’t already tell from that I absolutely adored this book. I’m finally getting into thriller books and this one really doesn’t disappoint. I really cannot recommend this one enough! Ashley, poor Ashley goes through a wild ride with this book after her partners childhood best friend is murdered, and he subsequently is found holding the hammer…Danny pleads his innocence the entire time telling her, he ran in and saw her on the floor, was trying to help which is why he is drenched in blood and he picked the hammer up. But as the story unravels Ashley isn’t too sure she believes Danny anymore, even if he didn’t do this has Danny been hiding secrets? Read to find out hey?!
This was a roller coaster of a ride for me because quite honestly I felt from beginning to end I was gripped and just wow I really enjoyed it honestly I can’t get over how much I really loved it. I thought the pacing was perfect and I actually don’t have any bad words to say about it! I cannot wait to re read this and have a physical copy when it comes out!

I was first lured in by the eerie cover of How Can I Trust You by AJ Campbell. I love any book about another married couple, good or bad, and am happy to have taken the time for it.

The theme of trust runs throughout the book, to the point that I questioned everyone and their level of trustworthiness. I was certain early on who was most guilty but was surprisingly wrong. I love when that happens as it makes me more invested in the truth.

There was a discrepancy that bugged me. I don't understand how Ashley and Lucy are BFF when they've only known each other 9 months, among other things disclosed later on in the book. I don't know the reason for labeling them as such, as the book was good without that.

I deducted a star because some parts were slow, and there were too many parts that tried extra hard to be creepy where nothing came from it, to the point I was no longer affected by the scenes being set up that way.

Eilidh Beaton is a good narrator with a decent range.

Thank you to Bookouture Audio for providing me with an ALC.

I always love a book by this author, I just go away into a different place it is pure escapism. There are hints at the beginning and you think how is this going to impact, then something else happens and you think okay there is where it is going to go and then completely different. (trying to be really careful with spoilers). So this was a day and a bit listen for me as I really needed to know what was happening. Loved the narration.

This thriller book is so good! I would recommend reading/ or listening it! I listened to the audio book and the narration was great. I just couldn't stop listening I was up until 3am so I could finish it! lol.. It is full of twists, and a ending I didn't expect.

The only trigger warnings I would give is the obvious one that it includes a murder. The other one is a fatal car accident, that includes a fire. That said it has some details regarding the accident but nothing graphic, and not a lots of details. I lost my brother in a fatal car accident and it didn't effect me personally, but I know it may trigger some others.

Everyone in this story has a secret to hide and while there are quite of few characters it took me a little bit to figure out who was who and how their secret affected everyone else.

Ashley's best friend is dead and her husband, Danny, is holding the weapon that supposedly killed her. For some reason, I thought the dead woman was Danny's best friend but she grew up with Danny and is now Ashley's best friend (see confusing). Danny is questioned while Ashley races to find out more about Danny and uncovers some shocking secrets.

I was pushed to think one way about who was behind this and then another way so I couldn't pinpoint who was the guilty person. In the end, I still felt unsure about the reasoning about why it all happened. The very end was quick and I wish we got more information on the person's reasoning behind what the decided to do.

Overall, it was a good domestic thriller just some parts I left wanting more.

3.5⭐

Thanks to #NetGalley and #BookoutureAudio for the book #HowCanITrustYou by #AJCambell. This book is a roller coaster ride of emotions, with murder, lies and secrets. Ashley’s friend has been murdered and I keep finding hidden secrets. Do you really know someone? Can my husband be a killer?

I love the narration for this book.

I had to suspend disbelief when all the moms were jumping in the bounce house, although I have heard that health care after child birth is better in other countries, because no mom I know can jump without peeing a little. It was a nice happy way to start the story, however.
I was so worried about our girl throughout the book. She was more worried about being judged than being hurt. She was also more concerned with protecting her husband than self preservation. In that way I could not relate.
I did like the way the story unfolded.
Can't wait to read the next one.

If it looks like a duck and quacks like a duck is it a duck or some other web footed waterfowl with an ulterior motive? I'll let you decide in this gripping thriller that will have the pages flying and the twists coming until the last page. I honestly don't think anyone is to trust in this novel so it is aptly named.

I thought this was thought provoking, fast paced and intriguing and I think many readers will gobble this one up. (I guess that's it for bird puns for now.)

Thank you NetGalley, Bookouture Audio and AJ Campbell for a copy of the ALC in exchange for an honest review.

This popcorn thriller is a light, easy read. The drama starts immediately, when wife Ashely finds her husband covered in blood standing over his dead best friend

Danny is taken away and questioned, leaving Ashley to wonder what the hell happened

She discovers her husband has been hiding a lot of secrets and is terrified she’ll be caught for obstruction of justice

Is he guilty? Why so many lies? This is what fills Ashely’s mind for the majority of the book which slowed the pace a lot as it focused heavily on Ashley’s repetitive fixations - she discovers a lot but I would have liked more high stakes drama

We sort of get to know a few of the characters but the level wasn’t deep enough for me and I wasn’t super invested. Sister Susie was meant to be all kinds of cool but it didn’t quite work and again, I didn’t connect. I hoped Ashley would find her inner warrior but she never really evolved and that was disappointing for me

The ending was dramatic, but felt kinda rushed. Maybe I’m asking for too much but because none of the characters grabbed me, I didn’t feel relief, joy or too much of anything really

This is the second book I’ve read by this author and I think for me, there’s a little too much cheese and not enough depth

I’m grateful I got to listen to the audiobook, as the narrator did a great job adding to the drama

Thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture Audio for access to this audiobook ARC in exchange for my honest review

How Can I Trust You? written by AJ Campbell and narrated by Eilidh Beaton is a gripping thriller which will keep you hooked right to the end where eit flips you upside yoru head and walks aay whistling. A belter of a story!

Eilidh Beaton is a fantastic narrator, defining the dialogue clearly from the narrative which she conducts with the perfect tone for this genre. Outstanding performance!

The audiobook begins with an account of a car accident which sets the foundation for the story incredibly well. A local MP is driving to a party, but her brakes feel strangely "spongey". As she drives along a narrow country road in picturesque SouthEast England, another car comes flying towards her and when she tries to avoid it she cannot avoid hitting a tree (TW, the insight into the passing of the MP is beautifully written but devastatingly tragic)

The events of the storyline are structured around a children's party to which Ashley and her husband Danny are visiting with their young son Elliot. Lee (the host) seems a bit off to Ashley and his wife, Lucy (Ashley's best friend) is nowhere to be seen. However, she is in the garage, on the floor with a significant head injury. She is most unalive and Danny is standing over her, covered in blood. Danny claims he was administering CPR, but after the police question him, they decide to charge him with the murder.The tiny village community is rocked to its core

Ashley cannot accept that her husband is the killer, so she starts to investigate (with the help of her awesome sister Suzie) and with the discovery of an iPad belonging to her husband, along with £20k in the safe, more and more details begin to come to light which blasts everything Ashley knew about her family life into smithereens along with everything she knew about her village home

This book is a belter and I would absolutely recommend it if you like a thriller that will knock you onto your backside. It is highly relatable and so full of dodges and twists that you will not know which way is up! Campbell is a fantastic author and I will be adding them to my thriller list as a go-to!

Thank you to Netgalley, Bookouture Audio, the author AJ Campbell and narrator Eilidh Beaton for this gripping ALC. My review is left voluntarily and all opinions are my own

4.5/5⭐
Spice Rating - NIL
Genre/Trope - Mystery, Suspense, Thriller, Whodunnit, Domestic Thriller

We begin with Ashley's husband Danny being accused of murdering his best friend Lucy in cold blood. While she firmly believes that her husband was framed, she also finds evidence that makes her doubt her conviction. The book follows her as she tries to discern the lies and half truths she has been fed over the course of this marriage and wondering whether he was a victim of circumstances or if he is as untrustworthy as she has come to believe.

Let's begin with what I loved about this book. Unlike a vast majority of books in the genre, this book does not have a slow start. It gets right into it with no boring or mundane discussions in the beginning.
The plot was well drawn and the writing was excellent. Lucid, easy and does not get too detailed or boring in between. Pacing of the book was great. AJ Campbell seems to be a seasoned writer, as seen in her work. I am very excited to pick up other books by this author as the writing kept me engaged throughout.

The Audiobook was very well performed by Eilidh Beaton. Narrator's voice modulation and enunciations were great and the change of tone and pitch for each of the characters, were superior.
The pace and tone of the Audiobook were engaging and I cruised through 55% of the book in one go before getting up for a break.

A thing that I wish to add is that, though there were plot twists in the book, they didn't leave me speechless. Because of which I was expecting a very tame ending. But the last 15% of the book had me on the edge of my seat, literally. Absolutely graphic, crazy and shocking.

Overall, a great Domestic Thriller. This is perfect to pull you out of a reading slump as it's short, sweet and has small chapters as well. It made me think, how well do we know our spouses/partners?

Pick it up if you want a really good mystery/suspense book with a village setting, where everyone is in everyone's business and an explosive end.

I received a complimentary copy of this audiobook. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Thank you to Netgalley, the Author and the Publisher for providing a complimentary copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

💕'How Can I Trust You?' is a heart-pounding thriller full of twists, where you're never quite sure who to believe! It's a lot of fun, definitely a guilty pleasure read (guilty, because it'll tempt you to disappear from your real life/responsibilities for a bit).

Premise - Ashley is shocked when her husband is accused of killing Lucy, his childhood friend, shortly after they move back to his hometown. Heavy on the unreliable narrator vibes, this one kept me guessing!

📚 Series or Standalone: standalone
📚 Genre: thriller
📚 Target Age Group: adult
📚 Cliffhanger: no

✨ Will I Reread: maybe!
✨ Recommended For: fans of popcorn thrillers, 'The Secrets Next Door,' 'The Drowning Woman'

💕 Characters: 4/5
💕 Writing: 4/5
💕 Plot: 4/5
💕 Pacing: 4/5
💕 Unputdownability: 4/5
💕 Enjoyment: 4/5
💕 Book Cover: 5/5

Thanks, NetGalley and Bookouture, for the gifted ARC in exchange for an honest review.

How Can I Trust You?
By AJ Campbell
Narrated by Eilidh Beaton
Genre: mystery, psychological thriller
Format: audiobook 🎧
Publication date: 8th April 2024
🌟: 5/5

“My husband is accused of killing my best friend. Can I trust anything he says?”

“It feels like all the air has been knocked out of me. My best friend is dead, killed at her own daughter’s birthday party. All I want to do is run into my husband’s loving arms. But he’s in handcuffs, covered in her blood. His voice quivers, almost sobbing as officers put him in the police car. ‘You don’t think I did this, do you? I was trying to save her.”

I read a lot of mystery/ thrillers and I enjoy them, they’re normally a decent story you can follow along waiting to see what’s going to happen. This was a different kind of story for me, it was just so well written, far better than many others in the genre.

From the start I was completely gripped trying to work out what was going on and was completely intrigued trying to figure it out. I listened to the audiobook and the narration was excellent and made the story more gripping.

I thought the way the author described small village life was completely accurate and I could picture the place. I felt like I was spiralling with confusion and doubts right along with the main character, it was just so well done I felt her bewilderment and couldn’t decide what was actual happening either.

The conversations were just so well crafted I couldn’t decide if I was being gas lit or what to believe. The building tension throughout the book was impressive and by the end I felt on edge!

I don’t really give 5 stars very often but I loved this book, I can’t recommend it enough, the best mystery thriller I’ve read in ages!

Publication date: April 8th, 2024
Genre: domestic thriller
Setting:
POV: Ashley

Ashley’s husband Danny is accused of killing her best friend Lucy. As the investigation unfolded- secrets are uncovered, and their significance must be determined. Did he do it? Was he having an affair with Lucy?

Twists, turns, suspense.


Thank you to author, publisher, NetGalley for advanced copy. This is an honest voluntary review.