But you're gonna die if you don't hit the road: YOU CAN TRUST ME.

You Can Trust Me by Wendy Heard
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Summer and Leo live a nomadic life, traveling around California while living in her Land Cruiser. They have no home base and fund their lifestyle through their cons and literally picking the pockets of others. When the tech billionaire Michael Forrester likes one of Leo's Instagram posts, they think they've found their next mark. Leo goes on a date with Michael and comes back convinced they can make money off of him. But when Michael takes Leo to his private island, she disappears. Summer goes searching for her friend, but Michael and his staff claim they haven't seen her. Can she find Leo?

This is a perfectly fine book; there's nothing wrong with a 3-star rating. I found it good but not great. I felt I never really knew Summer or Leo and just didn't care that much about them, nor Michael's motivations. We learn bits and pieces about the women's lives and why they have no desire to settle down: Summer's mom was a nomad herself, forcing the lifestyle on her daughter, while Leo's sister was killed in an accident, breaking up their family and causing Leo to want to get away from her devastated parents. Beyond that, though, the women seem shallow and it's sometimes hard to root for people so thoroughly dedicated to robbing and destroying other's lives.

Michael's weird island compound offers an atmospheric (read: creepy) setting, and this is a fast read. There are certainly some twists, even if some felt a bit telegraphed from afar. If you're looking for a quick page-turner, you'll enjoy YOU CAN TRUST ME. 3 stars.

I received a copy of this book from Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine and Netgalley in return for an unbiased review. Look for YOU CAN TRUST ME on 6/13/2023!!



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