I hated the main characters of this book so much 😩

Estranged siblings Hazel and Kagan Bailey top the list of suspects when their mother dies under mysterious circumstances. While grappling with their grief, the siblings are forced to team up against a masterful conman they once called "family," who disappears with their inheritance. Hazel and Kagan put aside their differences to track him down with help from an unlikely ally in Ava. Will they get to him before it's too late for his current target?

This was on okay take on the classic conman chase novel. There is some mystery behind the man who disappears with a fortune, but the more mysterious character is Ava. She has a history with him, so throughout out the story, I'm wondering if she can be trusted.

Honestly, I wouldn't have been mad about the siblings being conned a second time. I didn't like them. The only time they visited their mother was when they needed money. I felt like it was never really about getting justice for their mom or even saving the woman the man is currently working on. They just wanted their inheritance to settle their growing debts.

They're both addicts. Hazel is addicted to her phone/social media, and Kagan to substances. Half the time they're not even fully present. Ava notices and doesn't like what she sees. There are times when she realizes they can work together and maybe all they need is purpose, but that never lasts because they're in a contest for her affection.

I think that's what did it for me. Yes, I understand you just lost your mom and are reeling from failed relationships, but that doesn't give you the right to invade Ava's boundaries. It's creepy and entitled the way they try to manipulate her into choosing. She never said she was interested. So, while I wanted them to get this dangerous conman, I didn't want them to get the money either. I had to agree with the conman that they're losers. Almost 40 acting like kids.

I enjoyed the look into Ava's past and how she escaped this man and understood her apprehension over being in close proximity to him again. A lot of disturbing revelations are revealed about him. I also liked that Hazel and Kagan's relationship growing up was explored to show their rivalry, but this book could have been shorter. The whole thing with the siblings competing for this woman wasn't needed.

This is still a solid cat and mouse thriller with suspense and twists, but if you're the type of reader who needs to root for MC's, this might not be for you.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Review: Trust Issues by Elizabeth McCullough Keenan and Greg Wands

A gripping, fast-paced thriller with plenty of twists and layered characters. I was hooked early and enjoyed the suspense throughout. A solid, entertaining read!

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and authors Elizabeth McCullough Keenan and Greg Wands for the opportunity to read an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review.

While I enjoyed having a book chock-full of unlikeable characters (Hazel and Kagan are spoiled and ungrateful, more concerned about getting free money than their mom when she was alive), I did find it difficult to believe that Kagan and Hazel were around 40. Both their personalities and the way they thought made them seem early 20s. This would throw me sometimes when something would remind me they were older, but this immaturity portrayed could have also been intentional. I would have preferred them written slightly differently though.

Okay, picture this: two spoiled adult siblings—Hazel and Kagan—who’ve burned through their rich mom’s money on bad choices and worse attitudes. Then Mom dies under sketchy circumstances, and her charming new husband inherits everything. Cue the chaos. Hazel and Kagan suspect foul play and team up (begrudgingly) to take down the guy they think conned their mom—and maybe killed her. It’s part family drama, part con-artist thriller, and full of messy emotions, snarky banter, and twisty revenge plots.

This book is like Only Murders in the Building meets Knives Out, but with more dysfunction and less subtlety. The siblings are hot messes, the stepdad is shady, and the whole thing spirals into a cat-and-mouse chase with secrets flying everywhere. It’s juicy, fast-paced, and surprisingly heartfelt under all the snark. If your bestie likes stories about rich people behaving badly, revenge served cold, and characters who are lovable disasters, Trust Issues is a total win.

Thank you to NetGalley and Dutton for this ARC!

If you like books about cons, dysfunctional families, and murders this is for you! Hazel and Kagan (sister and brother) are estranged from their mother when she ends up dying unexpectedly and suspiciously. Somehow her “newish” husband is getting all of the money that has been promised to Hazel and Kagan. Hazel and Kagan had been sponging off their mom and have not made much of themselves. Now they come together with an unexpected source helping them to prove that their Mom‘s husband killed her for the money.
This book was so fun to read. It had sibling rivalry, con games, several different settings, and lots of mystery. Even though Hazel and Kagan were somewhat spoiled brats, I loved their characters and they were entertaining to read about. The rapport between the two was comical.
If you want a quick read, definitely check this one out. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

Hazel and Kagan's mother -with whom they have been mostly estranged - suddenly and brutally died. Seemingly happy with her new husband and very involved in her job and community efforts, this news came as a shock to everyone. More surprisingly, their mother had changed her will to leave the entire estate to her new husband - and man who, on the surface, was always amicable with the siblings, but always left a sliver of distrust anytime they had any interactions. After the stepdad disappears, the siblings become convinced he purposely and intentionally conned their mother out of her fortune. They seek out their stepsister and ask for her help to find her dad so they can bring him to justice.

Fairly interesting and unique storyline, but Hazel and Kagan were so hard to like. First impressions left them as spoiled, bratty, entitled kids. As the story continued, the kids evolve, but for me the first impressions left their mark. It was unclear in the beginning if the stepdad was really a conman, and I almost hoped he wasn't. I'm glad I stuck with the book, though, the kids got better, and the stepdad become a more clear villain.

Grab for a beach or travel read if you like suspense/domestic thriller type books.

Thank you NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to review "Trust Issues." I didn't find this novel appealing. I thought that the characters were bland. The writing was mediocre with a few high vocab words thrown into the mix.

Everyone in this story had some sort of agenda, which make it super fun. The constant twists kept me turning the page, no hero of the day will be found in this story. Super good thriller that I could recommend to most anyone. Everyone has money issues, but this author made it interesting.

Another masterpiece by the dynamic duo: Liz and Greg. I am still amazed at how they write these incredible books TOGETHER. As a reader, you'd never know because its seamless. This had all the ingredients for a binge read and I highly recommend.

Did not read. Have way too many books on my shelf - need to cut back. Hoping to get to it in the future though.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! It was full of twists and turns and I never got tired of the chase throughout the book. It was a very interesting story.

I’ve never read anything from these authors but I will definitely be checking out their other works.

Hazel and Kagan are siblings, though not close siblings. They receive the terrible news that their mother has died, Hazel and Kagan are suspects in her death, and their inheritance is going to someone else - mom's new husband. Hazel and Kagan team together to figure out how their mother really died and what happened to their inheritance.

Trust Issues is a fun cat and mouse book packed full of morally gray characters that you hate and love to hate them. If you like books with a conman, family secrets, twists, and shocking endings then this book is for you!

Thank you Elizabeth McCullough Keenan, Greg Wands, and Dutton Books for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Get ready for a wild ride through a tangled web of deceit in Trust Issues, the electrifying new novel by Elizabeth McCullough Keenan and Greg Wands. This isn't just a story; it's a high-stakes game of cat-and-mouse where everyone's a suspect, and nothing is as it seems.

When their mother dies under suspicious circumstances, siblings Hazel and Kagan find themselves cut out of the will, with her fortune landing in the hands of their charming stepfather, Perry. Convinced of foul play, they set out to expose him, uncovering a trail of secrets, lies, and betrayals that stretches further than they ever imagined.

Keenan and Wands masterfully craft a narrative that's both a pulse-pounding thriller and a deliciously twisted family drama. Just when you think you've got it figured out, another twist throws you off balance, keeping you on the edge of your seat until the explosive finale.

Trust Issues is a must-read for fans of twisty suspense novels. With its cast of morally gray characters, sharp wit, and breakneck pace, this book will have you questioning everyone and second-guessing everything. Prepare to be deceived!

I think that The Talisman is the only book I have ever enjoyed by two authors but then I think, maybe another could work. It always feels a mess.

Dnf around 20% I couldn’t connect with this one. The two main characters were pretty terriable with no redeeming qualities for me to hold on to.

Thank you to Dutton Books and Netgalley for my gifted copy.

This book was ok. Just kind of meh. A bit predictable. The writing was interesting but I found the pace lacking at times. The ending was good but a bit anti-climactic.

Thank you for allowing me to read this book as an ARC.
I was flying through this book, it was so so good! I didn't realize until I was finished that the author used real life experiences for the storyline. While reading it, I thought already that this nost likely truly could happen.
While some of the story seemed a little far fetched, it was well woven into each other. I didn't care for the protagonists in the beginning, but I came to like them and also rooted for them as the story progressed.
Excellent job by this author. A 5 🌟 read for me.

Loved reading this! I enjoyed the characters and drama that flowed thru the whole tale. Destroyed families due to a con man and revenge. Lives destroyed and yet destinies worth reading. A must read.

I wish I could give a good review on this book I think the con artist‘s part was well done and the mystery was interesting. The two main characters the siblings were unfortunately just terrible. I’m not sure if they were supposed to be this unlikable so you’re rooting for the conman’s daughter, but they were just genuinely horrible people.. also, why throw in this super weird romance with two siblings competing for this person in the middle of what’s supposed to be figuring out how to get their inheritance back. I think the romance and this weird competition also ties into them just being terrible entitled people, and it just ruined the entire story.

I love a good con story, however, I could not get into this one.

I think the issue I had was not connecting with the brother/sister duo.

Unreliable characters/narrators are difficult to write and while I thought the both of them being terrible adult children was refreshing, they were unredeemable to me.

I never found myself rooting for them.

Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Group Dutton for an e-copy of TRUST ISSUES to review.

I rate TRUST ISSUES two out of five stars.