Talk about a book of betrayal! I loved this book. Not knowing the hidden agenda and who can and cannot be trusted, I could not put this one down. I adored every character, even villain Paige. Miranda does such a good job making these characters relatable and giving them such personality. If psychological thrillers are your genre, this is a MUST read. The end will have you spiraling!!

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for the eArc.

Thank you Netgalley, Miranda Rijks and Inkubator Books for the eArc of You Can Trust Me.

You Can Trust Me, is a fast paced page turner of a book! Told from 4 POvs which flow together really well. We have Amelia and Paige who are both Yoga teachers at the same place. You can tell from the off that Paige has it in for Amelia. Jealously and hatred is a main driver but we don't get to know why till near the end. We also have the POV's of their daughters. Marnie and Taryn, both have agenda's of their own.

As this narrative is told in 1st person, we get to know what's going on inside each character's heads. Each character is well built, flawed and in the case of Amelia, downright nasty. So this makes a great frenemies domestic psychological thriller. The side characters, which contain a mutual circle of friends of Amelia's and Paige's as well as their Husbands are still well built even though they aren't in the limelight. The finale was well executed with some good stacked twists and the ending,

4.25 stars for Storygraph and 4 stars for other review sites.

Well this was a dark and twisted read. We know from the get go that Paige wants to to ruin Amelia's life what we don;t know is why and we don't know the extra layer to this story until the final twist.

Couldn't put this down, kept me on my toes all the way through.

Would thoroughly recommend this. Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to review this book, this is my honest opinion.

Oh my goodness! I loved this book from beginning to end. I thoroughly enjoyed the characters and the constant twists that kept me guessing. I highly recommend this book!

YOU CAN TRUST ME - Interesting. Intriguing. Immersing. Good characters. Good story lines. Good twists from several angles. Amelia is a bit thick. I want to read more by this author. Source: Netgalley. 5*

THE CHEAT - A short, immersing story with an interesting character and her solution to a cheating husband. Source: My BookFunnel library. 5*

You Can Trust Me by Miranda Rijks is a fast paced domestic thriller told through multiple points of view. I really enjoyed this aspect. Each perspective was easy to follow and distinct, even when the story shifted into the mind of someone with deeply disturbing intentions. That added a really intriguing psychological layer.

The story follows Amelia, her daughter, and her friend Paige. What starts as a close friendship quickly turns sinister when Paige’s true motives come to light. The tension builds as Paige and her daughter begin manipulating Amelia’s family in increasingly twisted ways. Without giving too much away, the story takes a dark turn involving catfishing, betrayal, and revenge with a major plot twist at the end that explains everything.

I flew through this in one evening. The writing is engaging and the pacing kept me hooked. My only critique is that I wished for a bit more suspense. I was hoping for a few more jaw dropping moments and a couple of characters introduced early on didn’t play much of a role later, which left their presence feeling a little unfinished.

That said, this is a solid, compelling thriller and I’m definitely interested in reading more by Miranda Rijks. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this ARC.

Thank you, NetGalley, Inkubator and Miranda Rijks for this ARC.

Paige is so shady. I so hated this character! I couldn't believe how much trust Amelia had in someone she just met. Amelia's life is falling apart because of her so called friend, I don't know how many times I wanted to yell "open your eyes!" The story kept my interest even though the characters were so frustrating and annoying. Guess in a way that made it for a good read. I know I had difficult putting it down especially since I wanted to see what Paige was going to do next. I also wanted Amelia to figure it all out. I should also mention that both of their daughters also seemed to be involved with all the games. So you know when you add 2 teenage girls into the mix, the reading really got interesting.

This book kind of gave me Frieda McFadden vibes and I loved it. I have read other books by this author but this one is by far one of my favorites by her.

You may never trust anyone ever again after reading this latest Miranda Rijks! I flew through the short, fast paced, easily read chapters, written from multiple POVs and couldn’t read fast enough. The story just kept twisting
Paige is a truly despicable character but my human curiosity kept me reading/wondering just how much more despicable she (and the other characters) could be…… Turns out -a lot!
This was a one day read for me - might just be my new favourite by Miranda Rijks. (4.5/5)
Thank You to NetGalley, Inkubator Books, and Miranda Rijks for the opportunity to read and guiltily enjoy this ARC.

As someone who grew up watching those Lifetime Thrillers, this book gave me such a vibe and I loved it because it made me feel nostalgic. The plot itself was amazing, the author had you hooked from the beginning and you think you have it all figured it only for your mind to be blown completely away. This was a pretty quick read and I enjoyed it, because I was eager to see where this story was going.

⭐⭐⭐⭐

You Can Trust Me by Miranda Rijks
Yoga vibes with a side of betrayal, social media scams, and friendships so toxic they deserve their own true crime docuseries.

Amelia, a yoga instructor, barely recovers from an online scam when her colleague Paige swoops in — wise, warm, and always ready with a spa-day invite. Their daughters, Marnie and Taryn, become inseparable, and just like that, Paige has woven herself into Amelia’s life. Too well, as it turns out.

Paige isn’t just being supportive — she’s methodically worming her way into Amelia’s finances, relationships, and sense of self, all while playing the perfect friend. By the time Amelia notices the cracks, Paige’s agenda is fully in motion: stolen money, sabotaged business, undermined marriage... and that’s just the start of the drama.

What Made My Spine Tingle

Creeping betrayal: Paige is the friend you love to hate. Charming, helpful... until she’s cutting your lifelines one by one.

Mom drama on steroids: The kid connection—Marnie and Taryn—is adorably innocent. Their budding friendship adds a chilling mirror to the impending parental storm.

Fast-rolling tension: There's never a dull moment. Every friendship milestone masks another betrayal, and it kept me turning pages like a crazed night owl.

Highlights

Amelia’s trust list goes from top-tier to dumpster level in record time. Watching her blink at Paige’s million-dollar smiles while her business tanked? Chef’s kiss level irony.

Paige is so sweet — doctors prescribe her as a cure for anxiety. Until she’s the cause.

Their yoga retreats? Blissful. Their emotional manipulation? Messy AF. Two very different pregnancy outcomes.

Minor Gripes

A few reveals felt too neat, like Paige had the foil-wrapped villain instructions in her back pocket.

Some supporting characters arrived with dialogue tags like, “Hi, I’m here to stir the pot!” A little more subtlety, please.

Final Verdict

4 stars — for the drama, the chaos, the toxic friendship vibes that stung so good.
It’s not flawless, but it delivers. If you love a slow-burn betrayal dressed in yoga pants and salon hair, this one hits the mark. Just don’t trust Paige. Seriously — don’t.

Thank you Netgalley, the publisher and Miranda Rijks for the ARC, all opinions are my own, I was under no obligation to review.

3.5 stars — “This book has more red flags than a toxic group chat.” – Me

As a longtime fan of Miranda Rijks, I was excited to dive into her latest—and while the story had plenty of strong moments, parts had me scratching my head.

The premise is deliciously tense: Amelia, a yoga instructor trying to rebuild her life after being scammed online, leans on her friend Paige for support. But Paige’s “help” quickly veers into something far more unsettling. As their daughters, Marnie and Taryn, become fast friends, boundaries blur, secrets bubble up, and it becomes clear Paige is hiding way more than she lets on.

The pacing was solid, and the final act really delivered—with a satisfying, twisty ending that totally stuck the landing.

Where I struggled was the writing in the beginning. The dialogue felt oddly juvenile, like something pulled from a middle school group chat. (“Rizz,” “delulu,” and “bussin”? Please make it stop.) I get that it was trying to sound current, but it was jarring enough that I double-checked the author. And while the two-family dynamic was compelling, Amelia’s choices were baffling at times for someone painted as intelligent and capable. Marnie, her daughter, was painfully gullible—but hey, that’s teenagers. Paige and Taryn? Absolutely unhinged in the best/worst way. Also, the repetition about how Taryn was “so much smarter” than Marnie got old fast.

That said, watching the psychological manipulation play out was entertaining. It was a roller coaster of “Amelia, noooo!” and “OMG Paige WHAT.” And again—the ending? Chef’s kiss.

In You Can Trust Me, by Miranda Rijks is a fast paced psychological thriller that I just couldn’t put down. A story that deals with the dark side of friendship, trust, and betrayal.

Yoga teacher Amelia is blindsided by an online scam, but when her supportive colleague Paige steps in to help, Amelia feels saved. Their daughters become inseparable, the two women grow close, and Paige seems like the best friend anyone could ask for. But Paige isn’t who she appears to be.

Paige’s is calculated and she begins to manipulate Amelia into both financial and emotional attacks. Amelia thinks she has a trusted friend in Paige little knowing that she is killing every part of Amelia’s life, her business, her marriage and her sanity while wearing appearing to be her faithful friend.

Fast paced, excellent characters and lots of twisty action. A plot that shouldn’t be taken too seriously as it stretches belief with the amount of deceit and crime taking place.

I would like to thank both Netgalley and Inkubator Books for supplying a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Drama drama drama these characters were not likable at all but I loved every minute of it this story it kept me engaged and I was at the edge of my seat thank you

I really enjoyed this book by Miranda Rijks. She never fails to write a great story and this was no exception. I was hooked from the beginning So many different twists.
Highly recommended!

This was a great book with lots of twists - i hated to read all the crazy things happening but was engrossed at the same time. This author never disappoints and can't wait for her next book.

Miranda Rijks, You Can Trust Me, Inkubator Books, July 2025.

Thank you, NetGalley, for providing me with this uncorrected proof for review.

Mothers and daughters, husbands and wives, friends – all are dancing around each other in this novel of twists and surprises, comic moments, and nefarious activities. Relationships are duplicitous, criminal activity is rife and lies are an integral part of the friendships and partnerships. None of the characters is sympathetic. However, at the same time, their various manipulations are intriguing enough to encourage reading to the end of the novel.

Although this was not my favourite of Miranda Rijks’ novels – the characters were all too unpleasant to feel empathy for any of them – as is usual with her work, it all held together well. None of the twists was implausible, although there were many; the reasons for hostile reactions to supposed friends or family members were well planned and believable; and the ending was satisfying.

Again, in You Can Trust Me, Rijks has produced a well plotted beach read that intrigues to the end.

You Can Trust Me by Miranda Rijks had me captivated from the very start, and kept me flying through the pages.

Amelia forms a friendship of sorts with Paige, a fellow yoga instructor. But Paige is not what she seems, and launches a vendetta to upend and destroy Amelia's life in any way that she can.

This is another spectacular domestic thriller from Miranda Rijks who, once again, hits every note exactly right. I could not put it down. Highly recommended.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Inkubator Books for an ARC.

Paige comes through for her coworker Amelia and their friendship grows closer. Unbeknownst to Amelia, Paige has an agenda to take everything and live the life that Amelia has. It gets crazy from here! This had a lot of going on; many POV characters, storylines, past/present concepts. Thank you to Boldwood for a copy.

Received this eARC from NetGalley

The twists and turns from this book had me wanting more! The end was a shocker and unexpected!

I was sucked into this book pretty early on. I love a story with scheming characters that you love to hate. In this thriller, we follow along as Paige befriends Amelia - and then tries to ruin her life. With multiple POVs, the pacing was great and I raced through it.

I did have a couple problems with it, though. The ending went into info dump territory - dropping the twists and resolutions quickly and with the characters just telling us things, rather than us discovering things.

And the bigger problem was the language and tropes used around certain groups of people, specifically Chinese people and the queer community. That was a bummer, and was not necessary to the plot, in my opinion.