I did enjoy this but found the twist in the tale completely implausible due to the lead up to it, just didn't ring true to me and made me doubt what I had read earlier. Unfortunately thought it was ill thought out and rushed towards the end...

Thanks to Orion Publishing Group and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
#YouCanTrustMe #NetGalley

The whole concept of a social media influencer is still a little bit of a mystery to me, so, as one of the uninitiated, I wasn't quite sure what to expect from this book. I vaguely realise this pseudo-job involves promoting particular brands or lifestyles, but it still bemuses me why such individuals not only hold vast swathe over others, but also earn eye-watering sums for doing so. But hey, I'm a Gen-X, so what do you expect? If ever an expert guide was needed into this arcane world, then, with this book, Emma Rowley has proved more than up to the task. Indeed, it is rare that a high concept novel has both style and substance, You may need to suspend reality a little, but when in pursuit of a read that necessitates a certain escapism, this can be forgiven. Especially when it is as compelling as 'You Can Trust Me'. Rowley's novel is thrilling, dark, absorbing and oozing with suspense. It is also fiendishly clever and meticulously plotted. .So, if you are looking for a novel that captures the zeitgeist of an all-pervasive social media culture, but combines with traditional elements of a good old thriller, then looking no further than 'You Can Trust Me'. Trust me on this, you won't regret it.

You can trust me is filled with great characters and really keeps you wanting to read more.
I found it fast paced and really got me thinking of behind the scenes of social influencers and never really knowing the struggles of anyone.
Highly recommend.

This book centres around Nicky, a ghostwriter, and influencer Olivia Hayes. Nicky is staying with Olivia to interview her for her next book she is ghost writing but she is determined to find out the story behind Olivia's past.

I found the first part of this book gripping as I wanted to know the real story behind the ice cold Olivia Hayes. However, the second part from Olivia's perspective became a bit confusing, and my part 3 the plot twist just seemed pretty unrealistic. I found myself skipping pages just to reach the end as it became a bit ludicrous. None of the characters were particularly likeable either. Unfortunately, this book had a good start but by the end it just didn't really interest me.

Thanks to Netgalley for letting me review this book.

I liked the the book but didn't love it! Found some parts less engaging than others would call it a likeable mystery!

I really enjoyed the story and the authors way of writing . Entertaining and twisted , everything I love In a book !!I would like to read more by this author !!

The adage that one must not judge a book by its cover is a fascinating premise, but likely true. In the same way, the title of a thriller can be deceptive since these days; they are all so similar. So one needs to reach for the core of a book to really find its depth and folly...

I'm afraid I could find no such folly in Emma Rowley's 2nd novel (I've not yet read her first but have bought it already). All I did find was a genuinely compelling thriller, filled with a rollercoaster of twists and intrigue that forced the reader to keep barrelling ahead in order to solve the mystery of the house of fire, the beloved father lost to the flames, the steely 'celebrity' with her picture perfect life, and the ghost....

Read it, because I'm sure you'll love it, and expect the unexpected.

Hopefully in a short time some drama exec will come upon it and translate it to the small screen for a mini series of captivating excellence, most definitely starring Katherine Kelly as Olivia.

Emma Rowley is fast becoming one of my favourite authors. You Can Trust Me is another outstanding story, filled with great characters and brilliant suspense. It's a unique concept, which really gets under the skin of the social media influencer culture. Cleverly plotted, fantastically written and a fast-paced intriguing read.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for my advanced copy.

Thanks Netgalley and the Publisher. A fast paced, page turning thriller that will have you hooked all the way through.

A great mystery. Loved the way that we are told the story and then slowly we find out the different interpretations. Kept my interest throughout. I expected a little twist at the end and cannot work out why it wouldn't have been there. Overall, a great story and one I will recommend to others.
Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for an advance copy in return for an honest review.

Thanks to Netgalley for the preview of this book. It was my first time reading this author. It was an enjoyable read. Although the storyline was a little unrealistic at times I found the characters engaging even the ice queen influencer Olivia. An good engaging read

This is a great read and I have loved this. I haven’t read anything by this author before but will definitely be looking at more.
This is definitely one I will recommend.

This was a tight tension packed thriller that confounded my expectations until the end - explores the very modern trope of influencer culture but also the age old family feud....there were first person narrators - by their very nature unreliable and shady characters with hidden secrets - all of my favourites!

I enjoyed this book and stayed up late reading it - recommended!!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for this arc. I was drawn to the premise which involves a ghostwriter and an Instagram-influencer, which I find fascinating. However, this book did fail to live up to my expectations. I’ll explain why.
First the premise. This follows Nicky, a 30-year old ghostwriter who lives in South London. She’s a call by an assistant to ghostwrite a book for an Instragram-influencer, Olivia, and is invited to her house. She finds Olivia is cold and hard to open up, so she starts digging around and stumbles upon the family’s secret involving a fire that occurred years ago, but was it deliberate or an accident...
This had a good a hook, unfortunately for me this book didn’t quite work. There were two main problems: firstly, the story and dialogue was very on-the-nose with no subtext which had me turning the pages faster than I normally would because I found parts of it very predictable; secondly, the characters weren’t well-fleshed out. The fire itself happened decades ago, and it didn’t feel authentic for the protagonist to start sleuthing around, especially as there weren’t any clear clues for foul play. I just couldn’t understand the protagonist and couldn’t connect with her, therefore I couldn’t understand why she was doing certain things. Also Olivia was a complete ice-queen and dull. I wished she had been a more intriguing individual then the story would’ve come alive more. In the second half of the book certain twists are revealed and the story makes more sense but I felt like that was too late, as some readers might DNF before the 50% mark, as I was tempted to. If you’re willing to suspend your disbelief and lower your expectations a bit this isn’t a bad read. Overall 3/5.

Thank you for the arc of this books.
Overall, I would say that I enjoyed the book. Although for me, it was quite a slow start and only really got going in the latter third of the book, which is when the book became hard to put down!

The book is centred on Oliva Hayes, who is a social media influencer and lives in a huge and beautiful home in Cheshire. She is the woman with the perfect lifestyle who seems to have it all! But Olivia has a dark past as the book goes on to discover and all is not as it seems in Olivias world.

Nicky Wilson is a ghost writer and contacts Olivia to write a book about her. When Nicky arrives at Olivias home to begin work, Olivia seems ok edge and only wants to publish content in the book that replicates her social media perfect life!
However, Olivia has a dark past and something to hide, which Nicky is set to discover.

The book is told from both Olivia and Nicky’s perspective which works well.

I received an advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review

This one was pretty twisty- some more obvious than others but still an enjoyable ride. 3.5 rounded up.

Interesting book. I never quite engaged with the characters until the last third of the book by which time it was a bit too late. Quite a clever plot but overall it didn't quite work for me personally. Maybe if I read it again it might appeal to me more. My thanks to Orion Publishing Group and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review honestly.

This was a fascinating novel that kept my on my toes the whole time. I felt that the characters were realistic and well developed. The book is highly recommended.

Olivia Hayes is a social media lifestyle guru with many followers. She is very successful, lives in gorgeous Annersley House in Cheshire and she seems to have it all. However, all is not what it seems as Olivia has a past tragedy which hangs over her and her Instagram perfect marriage to Josh in reality is strained. Nicky Wilson is a ghost writer, financially strapped, a bit of a fashion mess and in much need of a haircut and is hired to write Olivia’s autobiography. Nicky wants it to be a tell all while Olivia wants to control it and only publish something which matches the social media lifestyle she presents. The two engage in a polite(ish) tug of war of wills. The story is told from both perspectives.

Although I like the book I cannot say that I love it. The first part narrated by Nicky is the part I engage with the least because it’s not clear why she’s pushing Olivia to tell a story she so clearly doesn’t want to and so my emotion is irritation. She’s the employee and should write what the client wishes. However, I think the pace picks up when Olivia tells the story and your understanding grows. Although it’s hard to warm to Olivia as she’s very controlled and closed off my sympathy grows for her. The characters are not especially likeable for example, Olivia’s husband Josh seems a nice guy at the start and then you begin to see his flaws. Olivia’s friend or not friend Sabrina is not in the least likeable.

As Nicky probes Olivia and pokes around the house looking for evidence of Olivia’s past there are occasions where fear and tension should be felt but these are fleeting rather than consistent. The pacing and plot are uneven too. As the truth emerges it seems predictable and unsurprising.

Overall, there are some good sections that I really enjoy and some that are less engaging. It’s not a bad read by any means but I do not think it’s especially memorable.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Orion Books for the ARC.

You Can Trust Me or can you?

When ghostwriter Nicky starts writing with Olivia an instagram mummy influencer there’s some subjects that can’t be brought up....but why? What’s hiding in Olivia’s past?

Honestly part 1 was amazing, part 2 got strange and then I don’t even know what was happening with part 3.

I was planning on giving this story 5/5 stars but by the ending I couldn’t understand what was happening. I didn’t care what was happening and that’s why I’m giving this story 2 stars. It has a strong beginning but fails to draw together.