Title: You Can Trust Me by Emma Rowley
Publisher: Pinnacle
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery, Suspense
Length: 409 pages
Book Rating: B+
Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through NetGalley
Summary:
The much-anticipated new psychological thriller from the author of Where the Missing Go . . .
People will tell you anything. All you have to do is listen.
Nicky Wilson tells other people’s stories. A successful ghostwriter, she’s penned tell-alls by actors, athletes, television chefs—weaving interviews and anecdotes into memoirs of love, loss, and overcoming adversity. The celebrities get bestseller status, while Nicky pockets her paycheck and moves on.
Olivia Hayes, Nicky’s new client, is the Martha Stewart of influencers, a domestic goddess with a perfectly accessorized home in the English countryside, a handsome husband, and impeccable taste. Through thousands of artfully hash-tagged posts, Olivia shares endlessly, while somehow retaining an air of mystery that enthralls her followers.
Olivia agrees to let Nicky into her house for a week, though she’s frustratingly aloof at first, and seems resentful of Nicky’s presence. Yet little by little, Nicky breaks through the cracks in the glamorous façade. She notices Olivia’s strained relationship with her husband . . . her overcautious parenting of their toddler . . . the money worries the family can’t hide. And then there are deeper secrets—including a tragedy that may shine light not just on Olivia’s past, but on how far she’ll go to preserve the life she’s made.
Soon, Nicky will learn the truth about Olivia. But it may be much more than she wanted to know . . .
Review:
You Can Trust Me by Emma Rowley is an intriguing mystery.
Ghostwriter Nicky Wilson’s latest project is writing Instagram influencer Olivia Hayes’ autobiography. Olivia, her husband Josh and their three year old daughter Bea live in a picture perfect home in countryside. In spite of the tiny glimpses she provides of her life and family to her followers, Olivia is a very private person so Nicky finds it difficult to connect with her. Frustrated by her lack of progress, Nicky turns her attention to the history of Olivia’s home after making a puzzling discovery. What she unearths captures her journalist instincts and Nicky continues her attempts to uncover more information. With her week with Olivia drawing to a close, will Nicky have enough details to write Olivia’s story? And what will she do about the unexpected secret she has unearthed about Olivia’s past?
Nicky is planning her next project when Olivia has time in her schedule to work on the book project. Their time together gets off to a rocky beginning but Josh smooths over things over for her. Nicky is a bit irritated by the lack of time Olivia allows for their interviews. She is also exasperated by how little her subject is willing to divulge about herself. Although she is only with the Hayes’ family a short time, Nicky is observant and she soon realizes their lives are not as perfect as Olivia would like her followers to believe.
Olivia is quite reserved and while she is happy to discuss her brand, she does not want to reveal any details about herself or her family. She is sometimes short and rather abrupt with Nicky. She is also prone to changing their plans at the last minute. Olivia’s relationship with Josh is not as rosy as she presents but they try to remain civil with one another in front of others. During an extremely stressful situation, it is quite obvious that Olivia is desperate to prevent a long held secret from being revealed. But how far will she go to keep it under wraps?
You Can Trust Me is an engrossing mystery that is multi-layered and suspenseful. The story is a bit of a slow burn since the first part of the novel provides the build up to the shocking events of the last half of the novel. With some very unexpected plot twists, Emma Rowley brings this clever mystery to a surprising conclusion. I greatly enjoyed and highly recommend this unique mystery to fans of the genre.
