Loved this book! I love books with family secrets so this was right up my alley. The plot had me hooked!

The plot of the book is so juicy: two adult children express more bafflement at not being included in their suddenly dead mother's will than grief at her being gone. They are convinced her husband at the time is their mother's murderer, and possible reason for them being missing from the will and set out to catch him and make hip pay.

I loved the unlikeable characters - I think all of them are literally unlikeable, which was fun and new to me! Most abhorrent were the siblings: Hazel an Kagan who were supposedly in or near their 40s, but acted like 20 year olds throughout. I also enjoyed the many "mini twists" throughout, about 1/2 of which I didn't anticipate!

I do feel like the siblings' flaws seemed superficial and could have used more depth, especially to make some plot lines flow a little better.

Thanks to Netgalley, Dutton Books, and PRH Audio for the ARC and ALC.

I thought this was a pretty good thriller. It did take me a minute to get into, but once I was involved, I was HOOKED.

I also thought that the narrator of the audiobook, Beth Hicks did a fantastic job.

Many thanks to PRH Audio, Dutton Books, and Netgalley for the ARC/ALC.

Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Group Dutton for the eARC.

Maybe I need to stop with the inheritance plot based books. I didn't like these characters either and that just did the book a disservice for me. It was okay, but not one I'd go back for.

I’m probably sitting at a 3.5-3 idk.

It’s about Hazel and Kagan after their mom dies and they become people of interest and they are very invested in finding out who really killed their mom so they can get their inheritance back.

Things I liked:
The mystery of it all. The conman’s ruse. Figuring out who’s winning the conman game. The ending.

Things I didn’t care for:
All the characters- they are suppose to be unlikeable but goddddd were they ever. I rooted for no one. I wanted everyone to get karma slapped. The pacing was a little slow in the middle and took a whiiiile to finish because interest was waning.

Overall I probably would have enjoyed it on audio (narrator dependent). It was enjoyable but not earth shattering.

Thanks to netgalley and penguin group for an eARC.

Thank you, PENGUIN GROUP Dutton for the copy of Trust Issues. I started this book a number of months ago and never finished it. I would have completely forgotten, but someone recommended it to me and I found a draft of my early review. I’m glad I did, because this time I really enjoyed the book. The characters were all unlikeable but the story was engaging and I was invested in how it would end. THere were some good but not all totally unexpected reveals, The conclusion was great and a couple of little reveals at the end were amazing. If you want an engrossing, quick read, this is the book for you! 4 stars

3 stars! 💫 Okay, let’s talk about this one! It was a fun ride, but definitely took me a minute to get through. This is my first ARC of 2025 (yay me!) so thanks to Penguin Group Dutton and NetGalley for the advanced copy! Now, don’t get me wrong, the plot had me hooked with all its suspense and twists, but the characters? Whew. They were a lot. Honestly, none of them were exactly my faves (Hazel and Kagan? Spoiled brats! 🙄), and that made it tough to get into their heads. But hey, the drama was chef’s kiss 😅.

✧ Sibling Rivalry ✨
✧ Family Secrets 🤫
✧ Revenge 👊
✧ Unlikely Allies 🤝
✧ Shady Con Artists 💸
✧ Inheritance Drama 💰

I mean, there were SO many moments where I just wanted to shake Hazel and Kagan and scream, "Come on, grow up!" because their immaturity had me questioning their age. They acted like they were still in their 20s, not 40s! 🙄 But hey, that’s kinda the point, right? The whole messiness of it was part of the charm. Their self-centered behavior definitely added to the drama (and the frustration), but it also kept the plot interesting. The mystery of their mom's death and the missing fortune kept me on my toes, and the twists? Let’s just say, that ending caught me off guard (kind of)! 😜

Would I recommend it? Yeah, sure! If you love family drama, conmen, and characters you secretly (or not-so-secretly) love to hate, then this book might be right up your alley. It’s full of messy, suspense-filled chaos! But if you need characters you can root for, this one might not be your cup of tea. All in all, it’s a solid 3-star read! 💫📚

This was another solid read from an author duo that I’ve enjoyed in the past. I liked the premise and how you never really knew who was trustworthy and since pretty much all of the characters are unlikable it’s easy to side eye them all. While there were some small surprises along the way the ending was really great for me and pretty unexpected. If you like con stories, domestic suspense, unlikable characters and vengeance thrillers try this!

First time reading this author duo and it was a good read. Hazel and Kagan sucked. They were so juvenile and entitled for their big ole age and it was off putting. I wanted to shake some sense into them as well. There were plenty of twists along the way and don’t trust ANYONE in this story at all. Reading this story also gave me a better understanding as to why people end up getting scammed and conned. 😩

Great weekend read. The characters were very interesting. Storyline had me keep wanting to read more. I didn’t hate the ending but I just wish we were giving more of one.

This was an enjoyable, quick read. Engaging characters, a fast paced plot and enough twists to keep me reading late into the night. A couple of the characters were intentionally annoying but I would love to see Ava return as part of a series - I would definitely read that. Highly recommended

Thanks to NetGalley and Dutton for an advanced reader copy.

This book hooked me from the beginning. I gasped when I hit P2. The surprises kept coming. An overall enjoyable story.

A clever, unputdownable cat and mouse thriller about estranged siblings who find out their dead mother hasn’t left them in her will. When they realize their mom died under suspicious circumstances, and her second husband has absconded with their inheritance, the siblings decide to find out who exactly he is—and get their money back.

Deliciously gripping and stylishly written, Trust Issues is a fascinating look at trust, asking how well you ever really know someone, even if they are family. Gorgeously disturbing, ferociously smart and full of tension, this one shines.

This story started out really intriguing but unfortunately got a bit far fetched and boring by the end. I did enjoy the really unlikeable characters and seeing how everything came together.

Many thanks to Netgalley and Dutton for this arc. I received this book in exchange for my honest review. My thoughts are entirely my own.

In the beginning of this book Peter finds out that his wife Janice was found dead at the Cloisters the place she worked and Janice was also very wealthy. Turns out that Peter is a grifter who takes advantage of older women who don’t have any family and lots of money. Hazel and her brother Kagen have both been supported by their mother for years and they learn after her death that they will not be getting anything or any family heirlooms that they later learned that Peter/Walter stole. Months pass and they locate Peter’s daughter that he says died in a fire that he apparently set. Peter’s daughter Ava used to be part of his schemes until she got out and had been avoiding him since. Ava, Hazel, and Kagen find out that Peter is swendeling a woman named Ivy in Florida in Boca Raton and they go there and spoil his plans. Ava steals his money from him and leaves him with only his birth certificate and a fake obituary for Walter. Ava decides to follow Janice’s wishes and sends Hazel and Kagen to rehab where after finishing the mandatory time they will get their family heirlooms and some money to help them until they get proper jobs.

I am a sucker for a domestic thriller! This one was great! I really enjoyed the storyline! The characters were awful, but that was sort of the point! I loved to hate them! I enjoyed the format and the conclusion was done so well for me!! I was so happy to see karma come in! I was surprised and delighted by this one!

This was a twisty book about siblings wanting revenge for their mother’s death which included their stepfather skipping town with all the money. I enjoyed this story and kept waiting to see what twists would come up next. Thanks to NetGalley and Dutton books for an early copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC.

This is an engaging story involving family dynamics, a mysterious murder, a con artist and many twists and turns. The siblings were both not very likeable, and were only interested in their inheritance but they made it lively and fun to read.

It was a quick and enjoyable read.

Trust Issues by Elizabeth McCullough Keenan is a compelling read with a strong mix of suspense and emotion. The characters are layered and relatable, and the story kept me hooked with its twists and turns. While a few parts felt a bit slow, the overall plot was engaging and delivered a satisfying conclusion. A great pick for anyone who enjoys a good domestic thriller!

An estranged pair of siblings team up after
their mother passes and their mysterious step father takes off with the inheritance.

I was not bored for a single moment of this one, an that’s really how I determine a five star read. This was a fun cat and mouse chase that really makes you want things to end right. I loved Ava and wish we got even more of her childhood; maybe a prequel would be great! The ending shocked me and certainly made me laugh in an ironic way.

“It’s hard to spot the red flags when you’re wearing rose-colored glasses.”

Trust Issues comes out 1/28.