Don't Trust Him by Karen King is an excellent read, I loved the characters and the storyline which had an underlying sense of dread running through it.
This author does an excellent job of creating a setting that adds to the tension of the story.
The twist in the plot was amazing and made the entire book a great read.
I liked how it kept my interest and stayed at a very good pace throughout.
The suspense increased and I was fully invested and didn’t want it to end.
The author did such a great job with the characters keeping them engaging and entertaining through it all.

Thank You NetGalley and Bookouture for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

Such a great book. Kept me interested the whole time! I just wanted to keep reading. Also a quick read which I like. The author is new to me, I will be reading more by Karen King now, highly suggest reading this book if you have not

Don’t trust him is a slow burning thriller with lots of twists and turns and picks up pace as it goes along. With the suspense intensifying as the story unfolds.

This was an enjoyable read. This author is a relatively new one for me and I will definitely look out for more of their books.

I’d like to thank Bookouture and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read ‘Don’t Trust Him’ written by Karen King in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

While Sarah stands at the school gates with seven-year-old Liam, a good-looking man called Charlie arrives with his two daughters Mia and Daisy. All the mums want to be noticed by him but it’s Sarah he’s attracted to and it’s not long before they become more than just friends. It soon becomes clear that his mother Alice is controlling and will do everything in her power to break up their relationship.

‘Don’t Trust Him’ is a domestic drama where a string of unfortunate occurrences leaves Sarah and Liam homeless and reliant on the generosity of Charlie. No sooner do they move in move in with him and his daughters than she starts to wonder what happened to his ex-wife who disappeared leaving their two children motherless. The plot has been well thought-out with characters that are untrustworthy and difficult to believe but there wasn’t the excitement I was expecting despite having twists and turns. It was easy to read with short chapters but the story was fairly predictable and the ending weak although I reading enjoyed it.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this advanced copy. I absolutely love the plot with an ex missing and a found journal. So intriguing. Karen King's books never disappoint. I definitely didn't know who to believe!

Karen King’s Don’t Trust Him is a gripping psychological thriller that expertly weaves suspense, romance, and dark secrets into a page-turning mystery. With a chilling atmosphere and an ever-present sense of unease, this novel keeps readers questioning everything—and everyone—until the very last page.

Single mother Ellie thinks she’s finally found happiness when she meets Charlie, a charming and devoted father. As their relationship deepens, she envisions a future together, even as his mother, Alice, remains cold and disapproving. But when Ellie stumbles upon his ex-wife Lynn’s journal—hidden alongside a sapphire ring and silk scarf—her perfect romance begins to crack. The more she digs, the more unsettling the story becomes. Charlie insists Lynn abandoned their daughters, but Ellie’s gut tells her there’s more to the story. Is Charlie really the man she thought he was? And more terrifyingly—could she be his next victim?

King crafts a masterful sense of suspense, keeping readers hooked with short, tension-filled chapters and unexpected twists. The unreliable narratives and shifting suspicions add layers of psychological depth, making it impossible to know who to trust. Ellie is a relatable protagonist, torn between love, fear, and a mother’s instinct to protect her child, which makes her journey all the more compelling.

With its sinister undercurrents, shocking revelations, and a nerve-wracking climax, Don’t Trust Him is a must-read for fans of The Girl on the Train and Behind Closed Doors. A haunting reminder that sometimes, the people closest to us are the ones we should fear the most.

"His ex is missing. Am I next?"

Don't Trust Him by Karen King is a twisty psychological thriller full of tension and deception.

Sarah is a single mom to her seven year old son Liam trying to find her place in life after a troubled past relationship. When she meets Charlie at the school gates one day while he is dropping off his two daughters, Sarah feels an immediate connection. Despite being hesitant to get into a relationship, Sarah and Charlie start to bond over being single parents. Charlie's ex Lynn had left a note saying she had found another man and her daughters would be better off without her before she disappeared. While the relationship grows, Charlie's mother Alice struggles to accept Sarah, wishing that Charlie would realize that he was better suited for someone else. But when Sarah finds Lynn's purse with a hidden journal inside, she knows that something sinister is going on. Did something happen to Lynn? Why did she walk away from her daughters? And most importantly, who can Sarah trust? All she knows is that she will stop at nothing to protect her son!!

This was definitely a pretty suspenseful book, although some parts were a little slow. I especially liked the undertone of tension throughout because you don't know who to really believe. While some of the twists are a little predictable, Don't Trust Him was still engaging enough to have me invested throughout! Overall I think that this is a good thriller that is perfect for a lazy day!!

Thank you to NetGalley, Karen King, and Bookouture for this ARC!! Publication date is April 3rd 2025.

Karen King masterfully weaves a web of deciet, manipulation and secrets in Don’t Trust Him.

The story follows Sarah, a divorced mother estranged from her own mom and raising her son Liam on her own. Her best friend, Tasha, whose son is about the same ageoften joins her at the school gates. During one of these casual meet-ups, they both notice a striking new single dad, Charlie, who surprisingly seems more interested in Sarah than in the other mothers, whose affections for him are obvious.

But the envy of the other mums is only the beginning of Sarah’s troubles. A string of misfortunes leaves her scared, homeless, and unsure of who she can trust. Add to that the drama of Alice, Charlie’s overbearing mother, and the mysterious disappearance of his previous partner, and the stage is set for an utterly engrossing tale.

I did find the title - Don’t Trust Him, a bit misleading. Trust is in short supply, as no character is entirely reliable. The plot is intricate and twisty, with various threads converging in ways that leave you questioning everything and everyone.

Overall, this was a quick, easy read with a neatly twrapped up ending, although the ending did feel a little rushed.

Don't Trust Him by Karen King is a fast-paced psychological thriller that keeps readers on the edge of their seats from start to finish. The story centers on a single mother, whose life begins to change when she meets Charlie, a charming man with a complicated past. At first, things seem too good to be true, as Charlie sweeps her off her feet, promising honesty and a fresh start. However, when Charlie shares the troubling story of his ex-wife’s disappearance, and the discovery of strange items in his house, the foundation of their budding relationship starts to crack.

The novel masterfully builds suspense through its twists and turns, slowly revealing the darker side of Charlie’s life. As the protagonist, the main character’s instincts and growing doubts about the truth behind Charlie’s story will resonate with readers. The sense of unease intensifies when the protagonist stumbles upon her boyfriend's ex-wife’s journal and personal belongings, triggering a series of events that leave her questioning who she can truly trust.

The author expertly creates tension between the characters, particularly with Charlie’s manipulative mother, Alice, and the unresolved mystery of Lynn, his ex-wife. As secrets unfold, the protagonist is caught in a race against time, desperately trying to protect herself and her son before it’s too late. The narrative is full of psychological suspense, making the reader second-guess every character’s intentions.

In conclusion, Don't Trust Him is a gripping psychological thriller that examines the themes of trust, betrayal, and the danger of hidden truths. Karen King’s writing keeps you hooked, leading to a shocking and unpredictable ending that will leave you breathless. Fans of domestic thrillers with dark twists and unreliable characters will thoroughly enjoy this book.

Don't Trust Him by Karen King was an excellent psychological thriller full of brilliant twists and turns that will have you turning your pages quickly to find out what happens next. WoW this book did not disappoint, it was fast paced with a great characters and it will have you scratching your head.........do you trust her ex Husband? or not?!!!

I highly recommend this book. Superb read, especially as it will have you guessing till the very end! Excellent!

Big Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for my ARC. x

I kept guessing what was going on,and I kept guessing wrong. Thrilling and full of suspense, I was totally gripped. The two POVs kept tension and mystery on high. Twisty and exciting.

DON"T TRUST HIM is a fast paced story you'll have a hard time putting down. I liked that this book kept me guessing and engaged the entire time. This was so good. I promise you'll be glad you read it. Bravo!!

This review will be shared to my account @coffee.break.book.reviews closer to pub day.

This was a quick, entertaining and easy to read story. Good complexity of characters. My only complaint is the character Sarah was getting on my nerves with her indecisiveness and how naive she was after everything she's been though. Made it unbelievable. But it's fiction so I moved on. All in all there were some great twists in the end!

HOLY SMOKES! You will not want to put this book down. Talk about a gripping story. I could not get enough of this.

Well, well, well…

Don’t trust him? The only thing I don’t trust is anyone who says they liked this book.

The commas in this thing were so misplaced I started to wonder if they were running from something. And the open speech marks? Worse than a Charlie XCX song title. I get that the author was going for a certain style, but when I’m reading sentences like, “mothers should always be there for their children so doesn’t work” (…so she doesn’t work??), I have questions. Was this meant to make the character seem laid-back? If so, mission failed. It just made my brain hurt. And this wasn’t a one-off—it was a pattern. A very tiring, migraine-inducing pattern.

Now, onto the non-existent plot.

Sarah drops off her son at school and notices the local mom squad whispering like they’re plotting something. Enter: Charlie, the new, ridiculously attractive single dad. Cue Sarah’s internal monologue about how lonely and tough life is as a single mom. But she’s sworn off men after The Incident three years ago on Arran…

What happened on Arran, you ask? Oh, nothing. Nothing worth the dramatic build-up, anyway. The book hyped it like it was going to be life-altering, and then when it was revealed, I genuinely thought I had skipped a page. That was it? That was the big reveal? I’m furious.

This could have been a 30-page short story. And that’s me being generous.

The pacing? A mess. Important characters showed up at the 65% mark. And then there’s a missing person plotline that could’ve injected some much-needed excitement—except the police wrap it up in three days. THREE DAYS. The efficiency! Do you know how many people go missing and are never found? Meanwhile, this squad of overachievers handled it like they had nothing else going on. I was actually hoping the missing person drama would stretch out a bit, just to give us something resembling a plot. But nope. Denied.

Also, the characters? Absolutely not human. Their interactions felt so stiff and unrealistic I started wondering if AI wrote this. Sarah and Charlie’s relationship developed at lightning speed, and I couldn’t have cared less. Truly. If they had broken up, gotten married, or decided to join a cult together, I wouldn’t have batted an eye.

And the twist at the end? So unbelievably bad it gave low-budget action movie.

Bottom line: I’d sooner believe we’re living in a simulation than that people actually enjoyed this book. Two stars.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the e-ARC.

Sarah is a single mom of Liam, she meets Charlie father of two kids who attend the same school as Liam. Fate. They have both been hurt, his wife left him in the night for a new liver. She falls for him hard, and eventually moves into his house where his mother, himself and his children all reside. Shortly after moving in she finds his wife's journal and through reading it she finds not all was roses with Charlie and he was a lot more sinister than he appears. Will he do to her what he did to his ex wife? Was the ex wife lying to plant evidence and set him up? Will she make it out of his house alive or is she next? The ending surprised me and was decent enough of a read to keep me engaged, but like most women in love, she was blind to so many flags everywhere, leaving me screaming at a book. It was fast paced and I finished it quickly. Thank you to Bookouture and NetGalley to an ARC in exchange for my honest opinions. Rating? 3.75 stars!

Thank you NetGalley! I did not see where this book would be going. I had so many theories about the twists and couldn’t believe the ending.

this book is a grip you until you finish it kind of book. thrillers are great. but when someone swoops in and still manages to shock you with the twists like Karen does then you are onto a real winner.
Sarah is a single mum. shes been hurt before and wants that to stay in her past. what it does mean is she is definetely not open to dating anyone new. but then at the school of her son Liam at pickup time she meet Charlie. and all her rules fall away. she thinks he could be different. as a reader i felt unease and im not sure whether this was just because i was writing for the shoe to drop. but from the off it didnt seem like all could be as it seemed.
Sarah spends more time with Charlie and his two children. he shares his past hurts too. he told her his wife left him and his children.
he also has mother who is less than happy to share him with Sarah.
things change dramatically and things start to feel wrong, go wrong in Sarahs life. one of those things being finding Charlies ex's journal.the fears start to mount and creep up on Sarah. something not right. is someone out to get her and could it possibly be Charlie?
this book is a fabulous read. and for anyone who enjoys thrillers you will love this.

Thank you to Bookouture via Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Sarah is a single mom raising her only son who meets Charlie a handsome single dad with 2 daughters outside their children’s school. She wasn’t planning on dating again as she had a bad experience after her divorce and just wanted to focus on her son, but fell for Charlie and things move a little too fast. Charlie’s Mom is not too happy about another woman getting in the middle of her relationship with her family….

I enjoyed this book it was suspenseful and kept you guessing. It felt a little predictable, but then turned out not at all what I thought, but that is sort of where I got confused and did not understand why it turned out how it did. I don’t want to put in spoilers so I cannot elaborate more. I felt the ending was a little abrupt and not satisfying enough. I would pick up this authors other books. I do like her style.

Overall this book is great for those wanting to get into domestic thrillers it’s suspenseful, keeps you guessing, wanting to get to the big twist finale.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC. Loved the vibe, hated the mmc from the get go. Didn't find this predictable, held my attention from start to finish. Ending was not what I guessed.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️