Psychological thriller
His ex is missing am I next?
Solihull singles dad and mum Charlie Harris and Sarah Foster outside the school gates. He's a hunk leaving all the mothers drooling Sarah leaves them to it she's done with men.
This story has it all who do you trust? Friends family and loved ones all carrying secrets.
As you keep reading you find not everyone are who they seem.
Mind blowing read Loved it.

The premise of the book is very intriguing. I was kind of looking through a few books on my Kindle to decide which one to go for and the first page absolutely gripped me.

When it comes to the general storyline, it's interesting enough. Gave me a netflix series vibes with the smalltown and "mom gang" and "hot single dad". The writing style was a tad too simplistic for my taste and the book itself could've been edited better, but when I moved past that, it went by fast and was interesting enough.

However. I feel like the book told me how I was supposed to feel and who I was supposed to be suspicious of instead of making me feel those things. It also tried a bit too hard to do way too many things and as a result, most of it wasn't believable. The main relationship developed too fast, other side characters were very one-sided and simply there for the plot. The bones were there, but the author didn't pack enough meat on them for me.

This was a quick and light kind of suspense/thriller. I was certainly not on the edge of my seat, but I did breeze through it pretty quickly.

Sarah is a single mom with a secret past who has vowed to always put her son first to protect him and keep her past from catching up with them. She meets Charlie, whose wife has abandoned him and their two daughters and their relationship very quickly goes from strangers to acquaintances to friends to living together and raising their children together in Charlie's house, all while his overbearing mother inserts herself into their lives and home. For me, the development of Sarah and Charlie's relationship was just too fast, especially considering that they were both supposedly being very protective of their children. I wouldn't say that anything in this story was over the top, but maybe the severity of some storylines was a bit exaggerated, while others just felt generally unbelievable. Despite that, I attempted to suspend my disbelief and just go with it, but the twisty ending just didn't work for me.

Early on in the book, there were some sentences with misplaced commas that just didn't read properly. I almost gave up on the book entirely because of this, but it did quickly get better.

3 stars for this quick and easy read.

With thanks to Bookouture Publishing and NetGalley for the opportunity to preview this ARC.

Cannot give this book enough stars!!! I was already recommending to friends who have netgalley before I was half way through and let me tell you it did not disappoint. I was actually annoyed I had to go to uni and had to stop reading for a few hours. Cannot wait to explore more of this author. Absolutely outstanding read.

The title of the book is slightly deceiving as we really cannot trust a single character in this book. The plot is twisty and complex where various things converge making me question everything. This all lead to multiple unexpected reveals.
As someone who prides themselves on figuring out book plots, this one left me unsure.
I can't say I liked any of the characters, but Sarah's naivete bordered on annoying. The fact that she so easily coupled up with Charlie forgoing her vow to focus on her son left little to like about her. Get with it woman!
Sarah's description of the event on Arran and then later references kept Makin by me think there was more to that story coming later. Yet nothing materialized.
This was a quick easy read where the end wrapped up all plot points yet was slightly unsatisfying, feeling a little rushed.

Single dad heart throb.... or is he.
So many twist and turns that I never saw coming.
Such a great book. Couldn't stop reading it. Thank you for my advance reader copy. Can't wait to look up other books from this author.

Even the title is mysterious…secrets and red herrings kept me guessing…suspenseful and ,mysterious…this talented author has written a page turner. Thanks Netgalley

One of my favorite of 2025 yet. An amazing fast-paced thriller that you can read in one-sitting. For fans of Lisa Jewell. This is for you.

Charlie seems lovely but his wife left and hasn't even been in touch with there daughters?
Sarah still has trust issue's from a previous bad relationship.
There is plenty of drama and an enjoyable read trying to understand who is doing what?
Great author with well written characters.
My thanks to netgalley and the publisher for my copy..

Don't Trust Him by Karen King had me hooked from the word go.

Sarah is a single mother to seven year old Liam, and lives in constant fear of the day that her abusive ex is released from prison. When she meets single father Charlie at the school gate, she wonders if she is ready to jump into a new relationship. Despite his controlling mother, Charlie seems, by all accounts including those of the other school mums, to be a catch. But when things start to go wrong, Sarah wonders if she can ever really trust him.

I loved the slow and steady building of tension and suspense as the narrative progressed. Just how well do we ever really know anyone, even those to whom we are the closest? 4.5 stars

Many thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for an ARC.

A gripping and tense thriller that keeps you turning the pages until the shocking ending. Plenty of shocking twists and turns! It was brilliant, really enjoyed this one!

When you have been hurt by love, you are not so keen on diving into another relationship. The only goal you have is building a new life for yourself and take care of your child. But Cupid has a mind of his own and when he decides to shoot an arrow in your heart, you can try to resist for a while, but you will give in at a certain point. 

Although new love is always very exiting, it seems like some people are not so happy with how it goes. And maybe the perfect man is not so perfect after all...

The author delivers a gripping story that kept me on edge from start to finish. 

The suspense and deception increase with each chapter. Due to the creepy atmosphere and the behavior of some of the characters, the tension strengthens.  With shocking twists and a chilling conclusion, you really start wondering whether there are any people left on the planet you can trust.

I enjoyed reading this book and although it's very clear what some are up to, others can keep it very well hidden. 5 stars

Thank you

Sparks fly as Sarah and Charlie start getting to know each other. Sarah is a single-mum of Liam, and Charlie's raising his two daughter after his ex-wife left him for anther man. Sarah eventually moves in with Charlie. Sarah finds a diary belonging to his ex-wife and she realises that he might not be the perfect man she thought he was...

Perfect book for those who love a slow burner with lots of characters and timelines, and an ending that won't leave you emotionless!!

A really good read,, it’s ironic the title it don’t trust him because I couldn’t trust any of the characters in this book. Keeps you wanting to read. Thanks for the early access, I would recommend this book.

I really liked how suspenseful this was. I loved how the author made it difficult to trust certain characters and how naive and unaware Sarah was. The author did a great job at making multiple characters look like they were the ones that were targeting Sarah but the true culprits weren’t revealed unt the very end. It was entertaining how the other moms were jealous of the relationship they formed between Sarah and Charlie. I hated Alice from the very beginning. Tasha’s secret that was revealed at the end was surprising and unexpected.

Although I liked this book, there were many moments that didn’t feel realistic. Especially how Charlie was fine with Lynn just disappearing from his and their kids lives and how no one besides Claire looked for her. Also, the relationship between Sarah and Charlie formed way too fast and didn’t feel genuine. The ending felt rushed with the secrets being revealed way too fast.

My favorite character was Claire. I admire her for not giving up on finding out what truly happened to Lynn.

Thank you so much to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I feel like this book is choppier than Karen's other books. In the beginning there were a lot of grammar issues: Liam and me was used incorrectly a number of times, and that is basic grammar. The plot itself was ok. Charlie is raising his two daughters after his wife left him for another man. He is being taken care of by his overbearing obsessive mother. Sarah lives with her son, Liam, and is trying to be single after some disasters in her past. Charlie and Sarah start hanging out; but a lot of people don't like that! Who is trying to hurt Sarah?? Choppy; not as good as previous books.

This book was slow to start. It took a little while to pick up steam. Stick with it. The twists and turns are wild. Can you ever really trust anyone?

It’s true what they say you really don’t know someone until you live with them! Wow, I could not put this book down and I devoured in one sitting... Be ready for an afternoon or an evening for completely neglecting everything!

This book had me hooked from the first chapter. I live for books that leave me speechless and this book did just that! It was twisty, intense and fast- paced everything you want in a thriller!

It kept me guessing until the very last page! It was really hard to pick a favourite character but Charlie was mine you will have to read it to find out why!

Another fab book by Karen King she always keeps the suspense going until the very end!


🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟stars from me!