I love a good Wendy Heard book, and I was thrilled to dive into You Can Trust Me.
Summer and Leo would do anything for each other. Inspired by the way each has had to carve her place in a hostile and unforgiving world, and united by the call of the open road, they travel around sunny California in Summer’s tricked-out Land Cruiser. It’s not a glamorous life, but it gives them the freedom they crave from the painful pasts they’ve left behind. But even free spirits have bills to pay. Luckily, Summer is a skilled pickpocket, a small-time thief, and a con artist—and Leo, determined to pay her own way, has learned a trick or two.
Eager for a big score, Leo catches in her crosshairs Michael Forrester, a self-made billionaire and philanthropist. When her charm wins him over, Leo is rewarded with an invitation to his private island off the California coastline for a night of fabulous excess. She eagerly anticipates returning with photos that can be sold to the paparazzi, jewelry that can be liquidated, and endless stories to share with Summer.
Instead, Leo disappears.
On her own for the first time in years, Summer decides to infiltrate Michael’s island and find out what really happened. But when she arrives, no one has seen Leo—she’s not on the island as far as they know. Plus, there was only one way on the island—and no way off—for the coming days. Trapped in a scheme she helped initiate, could Summer have met her match?
I *devoured* this book. From page one, I was engrossed in the friendship and could not put this down. Leo and Summer's relationship was everything I was hoping for: sarcastic, refreshingly honest, and deeply rooted in a core desire to protect each other despite every instinct telling them they should look out for themselves. The inherent trust that runs beneath the surface of the conflict propels the story. The way the mystery unravels is successful not only in Heard's superior storytelling capabilities, but also because you become invested in the characters. Flashbacks aren't added for exposition's sake, and I really enjoyed how, through Summer and Leo, Heard showed us that the past doesn't define you, but it sure as hell can have teeth.
10/10 add this to your tbrs immediately.
Huge thanks to Ballantine and NetGalley for providing an eARC in exchange for honest review consideration.
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