When two half sisters are summoned to visit their dying father they hope to reconnect on the trip. Zahra Starling and her younger half sister, Aurora, are driving because Zahra is terrified to fly. They begin to bond and after arriving their dad drops a bombshell that threatens their newfound bond. I enjoyed the last part of the book when the women were bonding and keeping up with each other.

A great story of two very different sisters in a forced road trip to see their dying father for the last time. I had sympathy for both sisters and where each was coming from with their relationship between each other and also their father. This story has some not so perfect endings to some of the interwoven threads, which I appreciated as not all dynamics are easily resolved and unfortunately sometimes time does run out and opportunities are missed.
Thank you to Netgalley and Lake Union Publishing for the arc of this book to review.

I couldn't wait to read this book by Lauren Parvizi because I enjoyed her previous novel La Vie, According to Rose. Parvizi is skilled at creating fully-drawn characters that you feel like you truly know and are rooting for. The world that she created for this road trip book was immersive, charming, and ultimately heart-warming. As result of feeling like I knew the characters so well, it was satisfying to observe how they slowly but surely opened up, grew and connected throughout the course of the story.

If you enjoy smart, fast-paced sister stories, I think you should move this book to the top of your TBR for summer reading.

This book showed me that forced proximity works in books that are not romance. While the circumstances that forced the sisters together was not the best it gave them time to reflect on their life and face some of their issues. I found both POV interesting and got a great sense of their personalities. They both went on an emotional rollercoaster throughout the road trip. It was beautifully written and I really enjoyed it.

Thank you @laurenparviziauthor @suzyapprovedbooktours for the gifted copy.

I enjoyed the story. However the writing style was not my favorite. Some spots felt a little slow and juvenille. I don’t know if I would recommend

This was such a delightful, heart-tugging read! Trust Me On This follows half-sisters Zahra and Aurora, who couldn't be more different but are forced into an impromptu road trip to visit their dying father. What starts as a chaotic, awkward journey soon unearths buried grudges, half-forgotten memories, and the complex layers of sisterhood. The banter is sharp, the sibling tension is real, and the emotional punches land hard. Zahra’s love of cooking adds a rich, sensory layer to the story, making it feel as much about finding one’s place in the world as it is about family. If you’re a fan of messy, complicated sister stories with a dash of dark humor and a whole lot of heart, this one’s for you. Highly recommend!

If you’re drawn to stories that delve into the messy, layered dynamics of family, Trust Me On This is a gem. Lauren Parvizi captures the emotional complexity of relationships with such honesty and nuance that I found myself deeply invested from the start.

What I loved most was how the novel never shied away from the tensions and contradictions that exist within families—the love and the resentment, the distance and the unspoken bonds. Parvizi’s writing is both sharp and tender, filled with insight and subtle humor that makes the emotional weight feel earned rather than forced.

The characters feel real and flawed in a way that’s refreshingly relatable. The story doesn’t offer easy resolutions, which I appreciated—it’s more interested in truth than tidy endings.

I did not expect this well written, emotional novel to impact me as much as it did. What an excellent story of two half sisters finding their way to understanding themselves and each other. Zahra had a hard shell, trying to protect herself after loss and grief. Her father abandoned her when he left her and her mother for a pregnant mistress. Aurora is the younger sister, beautiful, optimistic and trusting. When her acting career hits a publicity snag, Aurora has to face new truths about herself. The two travel together when their father calls to tell them he is dying. The road trip provides the reader with insights, and I could not put the book down. I highly recommend this emotionally charged novel. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

”He had fathered one and raised the other. He had abandoned one and devoted himself to the other. It was true. It wasn’t the whole truth." This quote was BRILLIANT.

I really liked the road trip setting, the dual POV, and the family dynamics, but my emotional connection to the characters fell a bit short for me. Overall, a worthwhile read because it's a moving and touching story about sisters.

If you are looking for a really good road tripping sister drama... look no further!

The story follows two half-sisters : Aurora and Zahra who are forced together on a road trip to go visit their ailing father. The two have drastically backgrounds and circumstances and yet there are pulls that bring them to reconsider their relationship. I really enjoyed the themes of desire, reconciliation, paternal expectations, familial obligations, and found family. The book just takes place over the span of several days- yet the book felt longer than that.

I really came to love Parvizi's craft and writing style and her character development. This had elements of Persian heritage which I found lovely and

Fans of Claire Lombardo, Ann Napolitano, Taylor Jenkins Reid, and Ann Patchett would enjoy!

A huge thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for this ARC!

I won’t lie - I wasn’t totally sure I would like this book for about the first quarter. Then it stole my heart. The characters were not necessarily relatable to me, but I did come to appreciate and root for them. The story keeps moving and you really do want to find out what happens. This story encompasses A LOT but it does all come together in the end.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with a copy of Trust Me on This! I loved this heartwarming novel about family, forgiveness, and connection. Zahra and Aurora are half-sisters with completely different personalities — Zahra is a grounded chef, while Aurora has pursued a career as an actress. When their father’s illness brings them together, the sisters find themselves on a road trip from California to Seattle, full of tension, humor, and eventually, healing!
What made this story truly special for me was how authentically it portrayed the complicated nature of family relationships. Zahra and Aurora didn’t magically get along — especially at the start of their journey — but the story beautifully captures how reconnecting with someone you share history with can open the door to honesty, vulnerability, and ultimately love! I found myself moved by how their bond slowly deepened as they shared their struggles, fears, and grief!
Trust Me on This gave me exactly what I was hoping for: a heartfelt story about sisterhood and the unshakable ties of family, even when life has pulled you in opposite directions! I couldn’t have asked for a better novel to remind me that even through hardships, family can be your anchor!
Highly recommend it if you love emotional, character-driven stories with a strong focus on family relationships!

Warm, witty, and full of heart, this novel perfectly balances romance and self-discovery. Parvizi writes with charm and insight, making you root for every messy, hopeful step the characters take. It’s the feel-good story that leaves you smiling long after it ends.

Two estranged sisters on a cross country trip, hoping to see their father one last time. What awaits them will change everything. The trip is about bonding, healing, and growing a relationship as sisters. This was an engaging book, with endearing characters genuinely trying to get life right.

Achieve a Balanced Perspective and TRUST ME ON THIS by Lauren Parvizzi

Aurora and Zahra are very different half-sisters.

Aurora is a rising star, a celebrity who gets recognized. Aurora is bubbly and relentlessly optimistic—to a fault. Even if someone’s obviously taking advantage of her, she sees a silver lining.

Zahra is the opposite. She is a talented chef who prefers her kitchen to the outside world. If someone wants to spend time with her, or if she’s faced with a novel situation, she automatically assumes the negative.

The sisters aren’t close. But when their father calls to say he’s sick and needs them, everything changes. Aurora is excited to reconnect. Zahra isn’t. Especially since she doesn’t fly. So now, they're on a road trip headed to their father, with all the awkward silence, unexpected laughs, and old wounds you’d expect.

Aurora and Zahra use the same mental trap, mental filtering, from opposite ends. Mental filtering occurs when someone zeroes in on either the all-good or the all-bad while tuning everything else out.

Aurora’s version is sunshine: she ignores the negative, even when reality throws up red flags. Zahra’s is all storm clouds—she dismisses anything that suggests things aren’t completely terrible.

Mental filtering distorts reality. When using tinted glasses, you miss out on the full picture. Without that, making good decisions or connecting with the world is hard. Here are tools to eliminate mental filtering and achieve a balanced perspective.

Fact or Opinion: Facts are verifiable. Opinions are interpretations of facts. When you catch yourself reacting, ask: Is this a fact or an opinion? If it’s a fact, see if you are missing context. If it’s an opinion, find other ways to interpret the same info.

Question Your First Thought: If you use mental filtering, don’t run with your first thought. Pause, set it aside, and keep going—second, third, even tenth thoughts. Keep digging until you land on something that feels balanced and grounded.

Phone a Friend: Ask someone you trust how they see the situation—it might show a perspective you hadn’t considered. Or flip it: if your best friend were in your shoes, what would you tell them? Chances are, you’d be balanced and compassionate.

EXCERPT: Aurora smiled, her biggest one, all perfect white teeth and lips stretched wide. Her high-wattage smile, their dad called it. "It's me," she said, throwing out her arms. "Surprise. Sister road trip."
"Wait, what?" She couldn't be serious, could she?
"I'm going with you."
Zahra's brain stuttered to recalibrate, and her muscles tensed, the jerk of her grip spilling a splash of coffee from the mouth of her travel mug. "You made it up, the whole I-need-you-to-take-something-for-me story?"
"Only because I knew you'd never agree to go with me."
Unbelievable. "So it's okay to lie to get what you want?"
"It was a white lie, I swear."
That explained why Aurora hadn't come to the door. This was an ambush, the trap sprung, Zahra strung up by her ankles, dangling before her captor.
Eleven hundred miles. Two days one-on-one with Aurora. She couldn't. They'd never spent that amount of time together, and Zahra didn't want to start now, not with the weight of seeing her dad hanging over her. It was too much forced closeness. Too much of Aurora's sunny disposition to take. Too much space for conversation when all Zahra wanted to do was be by herself.

ABOUT 'TRUST ME ON THIS': Zahra Starling and her younger half sister, Aurora, have nothing in common. Not their childhoods or their personalities. And certainly not their outlooks. After a terrible loss, Zahra prefers the solitude of her LA kitchen to people, especially family. Bubbly Aurora, a rising Hollywood starlet, has everything she’s ever dreamed of, except a relationship with her sister.

Then comes a plea from their dying father, who wants both daughters by his side. He has a secret to share that’s been a long time coming.

It’s Zahra’s last chance to bring closure to the past, even if traumatic memories mean there’s no way she’s stepping foot on a plane. For Aurora, road-tripping to Seattle is the perfect escape and the chance to win over prickly Zahra.

What starts as a rough ride reopening old wounds evolves into something neither expects. When they finally reach their destination—and the truth that awaits them—the sisters will need each other like never before.

MY THOUGHTS: I couldn't rouse any strong emotions for this read. I love books about families, sisters, scandals and secrets, and Trust Me on This has all these things. But it seemed to be lacking depth. Character depth. Emotional depth.

I didn't feel any connection at all to either of the two main characters. I like to have someone to root for and that just didn't happen. I can understand Zahra and Aurora not having a sisterly bond, but I needed to feel something for one, if not both, of them.

Most of the characters in this book are some version of awful. That can work, sometimes, but not here.

I didn't dislike Trust Me On This. I didn't feel much for it, one way or the other. It was, in my opinion, an average read with one, and only one, redeeming feature - Dom's revelation. The secret he has to tell Zahra and Aurora before he dies. That was worth an extra half star from me.

⭐⭐⭐

#TrustMeOnThis #NetGalley

MEET THE AUTHOR: Lauren Parvizi lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her husband and sons. She is a writer, mom, eldest daughter, professional over-thinker, and has been described as “deceptively dark.” (Source: laurenparvizi.com)

DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Lake Union Publishing via NetGalley for providing an e-ARC of Trust Me on This by Lauren Parvizi for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.

I love when a book takes you on a beautiful emotional journey and includes you on all the rollercoaster rides of life as you read. This lovely novel does just that and makes you believe in the power of forgiveness and family too. Zahra and Aurora both have deep wounds from the past, but a crazy road trip to be with their dying father provides the perfect amount of uniquely wild and shared experiences that start the healing process and let trust and love in. I listened to the audiobook and the narration is incredible and truly made me forget I was listening to a story and not living it.

Zahra and her half sister, Aurora have been summoned by their father to Seattle. Zahra refuses to fly and Aurora is more than happy to hide out in a car for this long road trip. But what awaits them in Seattle is not exactly what either one expects.

Y’all! This book was very close to a 5 star read. The only issue I had was the ending. It seemed to drag on and it just needed a bit of cleaning up.

That being said…I loved this book. I enjoyed how these characters developed and how their story unfolded. These two sisters could not be more different. Zahra is a bit rough around the edges and Aurora is bubbly and a people pleaser. But, their secrets and the past hurts start to melt away on this road trip and this story soon became a novel of love, forgiveness and friendship.

Need a heartwarming tale with characters that will draw you in and keep you there…THIS IS IT! Grab your copy today

I received this novel for a honest review.

What an unexpected gem! 4.5 stars, rounded up because one of the characters in this book is me in a parallel universe and I love her and hope she’s having a great day ❤️

“He had fathered one and raised the other. He had abandoned one and devoted himself to the other. It was true. It wasn’t the whole truth.”

I kept choosing other books over this one because for some reason I thought it wouldn’t hold my attention. I could not have been more wrong! TRUST ME ON THIS is dual POV and follows half sisters Zahra and Aurora as they embark on a road trip to visit their terminally ill father. Zahra has deep wounds from her father’s abandonment and is hesitant to let anyone, even her half sister Aurora, too close. Aurora, 13 years younger, has a much better relationship with their father, but has secrets of her own. Many of the topics touched on in this book (abandonment, half siblings, severe disparity in treatment between siblings… Zahra is truly my soul sister ❤️) are close to my heart, and I can vouch for them being handled realistically and with care. Both POVs are engaging, and the romance (while definitely a side plot) made me swoon.

I’m so glad I read this. It’s beautifully written, but also quiet and unassuming. Like Zahra’s recipes, TRUST ME ON THIS is more than the sum of its parts.

Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Content warnings: miscarriage, cancer, death of a parent

4.5 stars rounded up.
As an only child, I've never been able to fully connect with books about sibling relationships. I tend to gravitate towards subjects I know, so I was admittedly a bit hesitant with this one at first.
I had no reason to be hesitant -- the relationship between Zahra and Aurora was so beautifully written, and having it evolve over the course of a road trip made it all the more an enjoyable read. I felt as though I had travelled along with them, and I was able to connect with this story on a deep level, especially around topics of family-related grief. It's a beautifully written story, and I enjoyed the entire ride.