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You Can Trust Me
A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder meets I May Destroy You, this dark YA thriller will have your heart in your mouth from the very first page!
Tragedy hits a teenage New Year’s party . . .
When Alana's best friend is found drowned in a pool, the forensic reports discover date-rape drug GHB in her blood. GHB from a drink Alana knows was meant for her.
Despite the swirling rumours, the suspected group of boys seem untouchable. To investigate, Alana allows herself to be pulled into their glittering orbit.
But among shifting alliances, changing alibis and buried secrets, can she pinpoint which of the boys is responsible before she becomes their next target?
A bold feminist read with a pacy thriller plot that YA fans will love.
Carnegie-nominated author Gina Blaxill looks head on at privilege, bias and sexual assault in a way that will resonate with Young Adults today.
Perfect for fans of Holly Jackson, Karen McManus and Chelsea Pitcher.
Tragedy hits a teenage New Year’s party . . .
When Alana's best friend is found drowned in a pool, the forensic reports discover date-rape drug GHB in her blood. GHB from a drink Alana knows was meant for her.
Despite the swirling rumours, the suspected group of boys seem untouchable. To investigate, Alana allows herself to be pulled into their glittering orbit.
But among shifting alliances, changing alibis and buried secrets, can she pinpoint which of the boys is responsible before she becomes their next target?
A bold feminist read with a pacy thriller plot that YA fans will love.
Carnegie-nominated author Gina Blaxill looks head on at privilege, bias and sexual assault in a way that will resonate with Young Adults today.
Perfect for fans of Holly Jackson, Karen McManus and Chelsea Pitcher.
312 pages, Kindle Edition
Published April 7, 2022
23 people are currently reading
1096 people want to read
About the author
Gina Blaxill
8 books65 followersGina Blaxill wanted to be an author from a very young age - she started writing properly when she was eight and has not stopped since.
Gina lives in Essex with her family and two imperious cats and edits as well as writes. Prior to that, she worked in schools liaison, helping teenagers puzzle out the mysteries of higher education.
Gina lives in Essex with her family and two imperious cats and edits as well as writes. Prior to that, she worked in schools liaison, helping teenagers puzzle out the mysteries of higher education.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 101 reviews
April 11, 2022
*Thank you to the publisher for sending me a copy of this book for review!*
Considering this is supposed to be a fast paced YA thriller book, it feels like it took me forever to actually get through it. I just found my attention never held, and there were other books I was favouring to pick up instead of this one. I had to almost force myself to finish it.
The writing style was one of the main factors that brought this book down for me, I just didn’t get along with it at all. For a mystery thriller, it did far too much telling the reader what was going on instead of making them work it out. There was barely a mystery in many aspects. I also found the fact that the protagonist was able to make such great leaps and jump to conclusions so easily without any clues or facts felt highly unrealistic, and it started grating on me a little bit. There was little to no adequate thought process behind it, so how she was jumping to these conclusions was beyond me.
The characters themselves felt a little bit two dimensional, like cardboard cutouts. They fit neatly into little stereotyped boxes of teenager cliches and I think it was a bit overdone. The protagonist herself was so unbelievably bland. She did nothing in this book excet have conversations with people, her life was so repetitive and I feel like we didn;t really get to know her at all. No scenes of her at home with her family, none of her hobbies, none of her doing things at school. Just talking to the same five people having the same five conversations for hundreds of pages in succession. The dialogue felt miles out of touch with young people and a tad cringeworthy too.
I feel bad that this book was such a let down to me in many ways, because I really do appreciate the message of it and what it was trying to put emphasis on, but it just fell so flat. It’s undeniably a tender yet important subject matter, but I really don’t know if this book handled it in the best way. By that I mean through the storytelling, I think it hammered home the danger and injustice of it all just fine. In and of itself, it just got a bit ridiculous and so far fetched it no longer felt like it was doing a real world problem any realistic portrayal. The ending itself was so beyond ridiculous in my opinion, I really wish it had been handled differently. It went for shock value and ‘plot twist’ vibes but just didn’t fulfil that at all.
Realistically, I think this was more of a 2.5 star read for me, but rounded up for the sake of GR. It feels too insensitive to rate it 2 stars considering the subject matter.
March 16, 2022
Brilliantly twisty and intense! A timely novel tackling themes of consent, privilege and toxic masculinity, this book held me in its grip and kept me guessing until the very end.
February 3, 2023
I started this book because I wanted something with "One Of Us Is Lying" vibes. And this hit the nail on the head! I was addicted to this book from the first page, and the fast pace kept me sitting on the edge of my seat throughout.
The first thing I took from You Can Trust Me is that you can literally not trust one single person in that town. It had me second guessing every character repeatedly and that's something I love in a thriller.
Alana is the new girl, no one knows her and we don't know any people as we read from her point of view. So it just makes the plot that much darker. My favourite thing about Alana is that she's not afraid to ask questions. She's suspecting and questioning people left, right and centre and I was here for that strong female energy all the way through. I find characters similar to Alana in other books are meek and too frightened. But not this one!
I have to admit I guessed the baddie from the start, but there were plenty of other twists and turns I didn't expect along the way - and trust me there are a few.
Obviously this book discusses a lot of sensitive subjects. There's one part where she's trying to tell the police about an attempted sexual assault, and she's answered with "boys will be boys". And when I tell you my blood boiled, it well and truly did. Because I know that's such a common thing for girls and women to hear, but why?
I really enjoyed this one. It's full of guessing games, secrets and murder boards. I loved every second and couldn't recommend it more.
The first thing I took from You Can Trust Me is that you can literally not trust one single person in that town. It had me second guessing every character repeatedly and that's something I love in a thriller.
Alana is the new girl, no one knows her and we don't know any people as we read from her point of view. So it just makes the plot that much darker. My favourite thing about Alana is that she's not afraid to ask questions. She's suspecting and questioning people left, right and centre and I was here for that strong female energy all the way through. I find characters similar to Alana in other books are meek and too frightened. But not this one!
I have to admit I guessed the baddie from the start, but there were plenty of other twists and turns I didn't expect along the way - and trust me there are a few.
Obviously this book discusses a lot of sensitive subjects. There's one part where she's trying to tell the police about an attempted sexual assault, and she's answered with "boys will be boys". And when I tell you my blood boiled, it well and truly did. Because I know that's such a common thing for girls and women to hear, but why?
I really enjoyed this one. It's full of guessing games, secrets and murder boards. I loved every second and couldn't recommend it more.
March 3, 2023
This was a gripping read right from the start and once I was gripped there was no letting go until the End and even then, I kept clicking the page on my Kindle to see if there were more pages to be read!!
Alana is the New Kid in town, and she hates that fact that she is new and having to start all over again but her old Friend Esme is here, and they are ready to give their friendship another try. 1 Nigh, 1 New Year’s Eve Party and things take a turn for the worse and before Alana is knows it, the whole night has spiralled out of control. Esme is drowning and the new thing she knows Esme has been drugged with GHB. What was supposed to be a Great Night celebrating the end and start of a year takes an Avery dark turn and Alana is trying to piece it all together and wondering if she can help Police Solve the case and bring the culprits to justice.
This Book takes lots of Twists and Turns and even when you put the book down you are still left thinking about it all and trying to work it out in your head. I do have to admit that I was a couple of chapters ahead in terms of working it out but that did not stop from screaming when it was revealed. This was a carefully taut and engulfing thriller with a hypnotic plot and purposeful message. Highly Recommended.
Alana is the New Kid in town, and she hates that fact that she is new and having to start all over again but her old Friend Esme is here, and they are ready to give their friendship another try. 1 Nigh, 1 New Year’s Eve Party and things take a turn for the worse and before Alana is knows it, the whole night has spiralled out of control. Esme is drowning and the new thing she knows Esme has been drugged with GHB. What was supposed to be a Great Night celebrating the end and start of a year takes an Avery dark turn and Alana is trying to piece it all together and wondering if she can help Police Solve the case and bring the culprits to justice.
This Book takes lots of Twists and Turns and even when you put the book down you are still left thinking about it all and trying to work it out in your head. I do have to admit that I was a couple of chapters ahead in terms of working it out but that did not stop from screaming when it was revealed. This was a carefully taut and engulfing thriller with a hypnotic plot and purposeful message. Highly Recommended.
April 29, 2022
OMG! This book was a whirlwind of tense and pressure that I loved we follow a fifteen year Alana who went to a party of the year it was the biggest then her best friend Esme dies but they got the wrong girl it should’ve been her not Esme because she didn’t do anything wrong and this story was so much adventure that I kept wanting to keep changing the pages because I wanted to know what happened I loved Blaxill mystery YA novel I can’t wait to read what else she has next because I really love this book so much it was very good!
October 8, 2022
4/5 ⭐
It took much longer than usual reading this book, and so I ended up forgetting things. One thing i am still so confused about is the characters appearance description. Like did i miss something?? I am so confused. The only 2 descriptive pieces i know are that 1. Calvin is Ginger and 2. Jennifer is Chinese. I mean not knowing the description didn't make the book bad in any way, just that i was making up my own appearances (that was pretty cool actually). It was like i knew the characters by their names and not them as in themselves. does that even make sense? Also i have no clue how i knew characters. like who is Ursula and where did she come from? It took me so long to realise that Hector wasn't a real person when Liam introduced him, but rather a skeleton.
Overall this book was pretty enjoyable and i would read again. The last 100 pages were the best for sure. At first when i was reading this book i thought that this book would be a stand alone, but i feel like there is an opportunity for this to become a series. Especially including Xander being one of the main characters like Alana was. They are so cute together. I am going to imagine they have a lovely time together and live happily ever after.
UGH! I haven't liked Marley since the beginning. I always imagined her as an annoying person. I think she has something wrong inside of her head. Maybe it runs in the family and so her and Henry are like twins. Wait are they twins? Are they in the same year? And they killed their parents too...
Henry is sick in the head. A lot of people in this book are VERY messed up. I am suprised Alana decided to stay in that area. HAHA imagine moving into a new area just to become the centre of a crime.
What made this book not the best was the way Alana was being a detective. She would go ask her suspects "did you do this" and they would just tell her. I mean haha fair enough to her, but like?? I didn't see much detective stuff going on. Ok no too harsh. She was decent. She figured it out all in the end so it was worth it.
This book just didn't hit it off with me but i still enjoyed it. I would read it again if it became a series. I just want to see Xander and Alana :)
It took much longer than usual reading this book, and so I ended up forgetting things. One thing i am still so confused about is the characters appearance description. Like did i miss something?? I am so confused. The only 2 descriptive pieces i know are that 1. Calvin is Ginger and 2. Jennifer is Chinese. I mean not knowing the description didn't make the book bad in any way, just that i was making up my own appearances (that was pretty cool actually). It was like i knew the characters by their names and not them as in themselves. does that even make sense? Also i have no clue how i knew characters. like who is Ursula and where did she come from? It took me so long to realise that Hector wasn't a real person when Liam introduced him, but rather a skeleton.
Overall this book was pretty enjoyable and i would read again. The last 100 pages were the best for sure. At first when i was reading this book i thought that this book would be a stand alone, but i feel like there is an opportunity for this to become a series. Especially including Xander being one of the main characters like Alana was. They are so cute together. I am going to imagine they have a lovely time together and live happily ever after.
UGH! I haven't liked Marley since the beginning. I always imagined her as an annoying person. I think she has something wrong inside of her head. Maybe it runs in the family and so her and Henry are like twins. Wait are they twins? Are they in the same year? And they killed their parents too...
Henry is sick in the head. A lot of people in this book are VERY messed up. I am suprised Alana decided to stay in that area. HAHA imagine moving into a new area just to become the centre of a crime.
What made this book not the best was the way Alana was being a detective. She would go ask her suspects "did you do this" and they would just tell her. I mean haha fair enough to her, but like?? I didn't see much detective stuff going on. Ok no too harsh. She was decent. She figured it out all in the end so it was worth it.
This book just didn't hit it off with me but i still enjoyed it. I would read it again if it became a series. I just want to see Xander and Alana :)
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 9, 2024
Omg what did I just read... God that was so good like wow... I'm just speechless once again!! God Henry and Marley just so annoyed me, they are so psychotic no joke. At some point I did feel like she was with someone but I just didn't know who but she seemed so suspicious.. but like why does Xander sound like the 'it' guy yet be so nice and flirty towards Alana. I genuinely felt so bad for Esme she didn't deserve what happened to her. I so recommend, going to miss reading this😌.
June 14, 2022
Lees deze ook als je A good girls guide to murder goed vindt 😌
April 11, 2022
Main character Alana hates that she’s the new girl, but having a friend already at school helps. Esme is different, of course—they were much younger when they were close—but having a friendly face, especially at the New Year’s party, seems like a great start. But things get rocky quite quickly, and before Alana knows it, the whole night has spiralled out of control. She finds Esme drowning, and tests confirm GHB is in her system. Once thought to have been the start of a good night turns out to be the opposite, souring Alana’s appearance of everything, especially the boys of a school in town that are, as she’s finding out, very intangible.
Alana isn’t going to let people stall her mission at finding out what happened to her friend. Not now that the pieces are becoming clearer to her, but still too unsolved for the police. Everyone and no one is a suspect—much to the chagrin of the students of the schools—and the more secrets come out, the more the identity of Esme’s attacker becomes blurred. Partnering with unlikely people to solve what happened that night, and what might have been going on far longer than initially thought, Alana is shocked to discover that the truth isn’t crystal clear—and it might just cost her life to decode.
Overall, I read You Can Trust Me in under 24 hours, glued to the pages. You could not have disturbed me, not as I was piecing together the mystery alongside Alana. Ultimately, I was a few chapters ahead of her at figuring out the mystery (well, part of it, anyway) but that conclusion as the truth came out was NAIL-BITING. I clung to the pages as the story unravelled, sharp as a knife, carving itself a place on one my favourite reads of the year list by far. This was a carefully taut and engulfing thriller with a hypnotic plot and purposeful message, one that stayed with me long after I read it. Five stars wholly.
Alana isn’t going to let people stall her mission at finding out what happened to her friend. Not now that the pieces are becoming clearer to her, but still too unsolved for the police. Everyone and no one is a suspect—much to the chagrin of the students of the schools—and the more secrets come out, the more the identity of Esme’s attacker becomes blurred. Partnering with unlikely people to solve what happened that night, and what might have been going on far longer than initially thought, Alana is shocked to discover that the truth isn’t crystal clear—and it might just cost her life to decode.
Overall, I read You Can Trust Me in under 24 hours, glued to the pages. You could not have disturbed me, not as I was piecing together the mystery alongside Alana. Ultimately, I was a few chapters ahead of her at figuring out the mystery (well, part of it, anyway) but that conclusion as the truth came out was NAIL-BITING. I clung to the pages as the story unravelled, sharp as a knife, carving itself a place on one my favourite reads of the year list by far. This was a carefully taut and engulfing thriller with a hypnotic plot and purposeful message, one that stayed with me long after I read it. Five stars wholly.
April 11, 2022
SUCH a brilliant book. Like, SO GOOD. All YA fans need to read this! My high expectations were completely met. This is an intelligent utterly gripping thriller with a fast but not too fast pace and constant revelations. It is also a book that explores chilling real life issues, from sexual assault and dangerous drug use to privilege, male power and male allyship. It felt very of the moment and very convincing, and it went into these issues in a good and appropriate depth.
The characters were onpoint and brilliantly observed with realistic and compelling voices and snappy dialogue. Without spoilers I was surprised by which characters I ended up liking by the end of the story! I also really liked our protagonist Alana. She was gutsy and determined yet also vulnerable and fallible, with some interesting hobbies, interests and backstory.
Also, this book has one of the best denouements I've ever read in YA fiction! I liked too that we got the big twist (which really packed a punch) slightly before the end so that the book took the time to explore the implications of all this.
and how beautiful is that cover!
The characters were onpoint and brilliantly observed with realistic and compelling voices and snappy dialogue. Without spoilers I was surprised by which characters I ended up liking by the end of the story! I also really liked our protagonist Alana. She was gutsy and determined yet also vulnerable and fallible, with some interesting hobbies, interests and backstory.
Also, this book has one of the best denouements I've ever read in YA fiction! I liked too that we got the big twist (which really packed a punch) slightly before the end so that the book took the time to explore the implications of all this.
and how beautiful is that cover!
December 27, 2025
This is so so so gooodddd.I have missed reading murder books. And this book was a great start to re-starting reading murder books.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 11, 2022
You Can Trust Me is a dark and unflinching murder mystery which kept me firmly on my toes. It does not shy away from the subjects of toxic masculinity, consent and privilege. At times I felt completely frustrated and mad with rage at how figures of authority in this book uphold and protect the patriarchy at the expense of these young women. It’s sad that this is still the predominant reality and culture we live in, where women are held responsible or blamed for the actions of men. I love how Gina calls this out and I think it’s necessary reading for teens and adults alike because it’s REAL.
💜
As for the murder mystery, I found the story fast paced, super twisty and easy to get lost in. There are so many suspects with shaky alibis, secrets and motives that my suspicions changed course every other chapter! Loved our main character playing detective and felt very satisfied by the neat ending!
💜
As for the murder mystery, I found the story fast paced, super twisty and easy to get lost in. There are so many suspects with shaky alibis, secrets and motives that my suspicions changed course every other chapter! Loved our main character playing detective and felt very satisfied by the neat ending!
October 7, 2022
CRIME SOLVING 101 WITH ALANA:
Potential Suspect: You can trust me.
Alana: Did you commit any one of the aforementioned crimes?
Potential Suspect: Yes.
The moral of the story is that you cannot, in fact, trust rich boy rugby players unless they have been reformed in a matter of weeks through the power of feminism.
Potential Suspect: You can trust me.
Alana: Did you commit any one of the aforementioned crimes?
Potential Suspect: Yes.
The moral of the story is that you cannot, in fact, trust rich boy rugby players unless they have been reformed in a matter of weeks through the power of feminism.
February 17, 2023
4.3 stars!
I really enjoyed this book! Although the beginning was quite slow and i didnt think i would like it, the book took a turn and i am absolutely in love. I love the characters and the plot and just the way the author makes me believer everything and suspect who she wants me too. The main character is a bit slow to begin with (which threw me off) but once she gets the hang of it i loved her, and all of her "friends"!! 10/10 would reccomend!
I really enjoyed this book! Although the beginning was quite slow and i didnt think i would like it, the book took a turn and i am absolutely in love. I love the characters and the plot and just the way the author makes me believer everything and suspect who she wants me too. The main character is a bit slow to begin with (which threw me off) but once she gets the hang of it i loved her, and all of her "friends"!! 10/10 would reccomend!
June 22, 2022
3.5 ⭐️
Although I predicted the ending it was a nice easy thriller to read.
Although I predicted the ending it was a nice easy thriller to read.
May 26, 2023
This book was very predictable. I already guessed the ending when i was reading the second chapter. The main character just blamed everyone, which made it extremely boring.
January 13, 2024
What the hell was this book?!! I’ve never read a book so fast! From page 1 i was into the story and i could feel all the emotions from the characters. There were so many moments i was really in shock but i love that! I would recommended this book to anyone because this is absolutly one of my favorite books ever!
March 24, 2022
Review to follow...
November 4, 2024
No. Just no. GIRL IS SO SELFISH. LIKE HUN, YOU DON'T HAVE IT THATTTT BAD, STOP BEING OVER DRAMATIC. UGHH.
ok, rant over
ok, rant over
May 13, 2022
Just finished this glitzy, twisty brilliance & I’m in awe! You Can Trust Me manages to be a darkly feminist critique of rape culture, toxic masculinity & slut shaming AND a gripping thriller with brilliant characters & twists you’ll never see coming.
That's a tough balance to strike, but Blaxill pulls it off brilliantly - it never feels like she's sensationalising the misogyny or assault for entertainment but the story IS brilliantly entertaining, with sweet characters alongside the nasty ones and very "normal teenage" moments of quips and banter threaded throughout the trauma and drama. The story wastes no time before kicking off the main mystery - but as the action and drama build, so too does the horrible systemic misogyny.
Protagonist Alana is smart, capable and brave - and an important witness to the night's events. Yet she is constantly discounted as unreliable, airheaded or "attention-seeking" because she's a tall, thin ex-model who happens to be pointing our some unpleasant truths about the 'nice, local boys' from 'good families'. In fact, it's these sexist assumptions about Alana that leave her vulnerable to the killer's ongoing threats and attacks after going to the police early on (you know, the way thriller protagonists always SHOULD but never do because then there'd be no story), ultimately forcing her to take investigations into her own hands.
But despite the ever-present reality of systemic misogyny, 'boys being boys' and the very real truth that even nice guys can be complicit in terrible things just by saying nothing, You Can Trust Me never feels preachy, or like an "issues" book (despite dealing with all of these issues sensitively and with brilliant naunce). The twists and turns pull you along right from the start- and keep you guessing all the way to end. The characters are complex and brilliantly drawn, and even the ones you're not sure you can trust will work their way into your heart (sometimes before shattering it entirely).
This book will stay with me a long time. I absolutely loved it!
That's a tough balance to strike, but Blaxill pulls it off brilliantly - it never feels like she's sensationalising the misogyny or assault for entertainment but the story IS brilliantly entertaining, with sweet characters alongside the nasty ones and very "normal teenage" moments of quips and banter threaded throughout the trauma and drama. The story wastes no time before kicking off the main mystery - but as the action and drama build, so too does the horrible systemic misogyny.
Protagonist Alana is smart, capable and brave - and an important witness to the night's events. Yet she is constantly discounted as unreliable, airheaded or "attention-seeking" because she's a tall, thin ex-model who happens to be pointing our some unpleasant truths about the 'nice, local boys' from 'good families'. In fact, it's these sexist assumptions about Alana that leave her vulnerable to the killer's ongoing threats and attacks after going to the police early on (you know, the way thriller protagonists always SHOULD but never do because then there'd be no story), ultimately forcing her to take investigations into her own hands.
But despite the ever-present reality of systemic misogyny, 'boys being boys' and the very real truth that even nice guys can be complicit in terrible things just by saying nothing, You Can Trust Me never feels preachy, or like an "issues" book (despite dealing with all of these issues sensitively and with brilliant naunce). The twists and turns pull you along right from the start- and keep you guessing all the way to end. The characters are complex and brilliantly drawn, and even the ones you're not sure you can trust will work their way into your heart (sometimes before shattering it entirely).
This book will stay with me a long time. I absolutely loved it!
May 27, 2022
i'm never much of a murder mystery fan, but this was a really excellent read. the characterisation of the ensemble is definitely its high point, but the twists were also very well thought-out.
there was a point where i felt like the chapters constantly ended in sudden twists for the sake of it, but each one made sense and had great reasoning, so i wasn't too angry.
slight spoilers ahead: the truth about henry and marley felt low key like a stretch and i do wish their backstory was a bit different, but that whole scene towards the end in the woods was extremely well written, so i looked past my thoughts on that.
i hope this gets turned into a good series/movie, because it seems perfect for one.
there was a point where i felt like the chapters constantly ended in sudden twists for the sake of it, but each one made sense and had great reasoning, so i wasn't too angry.
slight spoilers ahead: the truth about henry and marley felt low key like a stretch and i do wish their backstory was a bit different, but that whole scene towards the end in the woods was extremely well written, so i looked past my thoughts on that.
i hope this gets turned into a good series/movie, because it seems perfect for one.
December 26, 2024
3.5 ⭐️// Liked the overall storyline, but the climax / plot was a bit crazy in the end, I’m sorry, but the main characters fake best friend tried to kill her first best friend who wasn’t actually her friend? She was a murderer since she was a child, in a team with her brother who she pretended to hate? It’s just a lot of a lot :)
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 31, 2024
Wow. There was not a moment when I was not completely gripped and absorbed in this book, having ended up spending nearly all of yesterday reading it, for about 6-7 hours (though with the odd breaks) because I was just that determined to keep reading on, as with all the suspense and drama and 'wham' moments that were unfolding I could not simply leave it for tomorrow, I needed closure and that is only a sign of an amazing book, when you are able to get hooked like this. My brain hurt a bit as a result but god it was so worth it.
YA thrillers are one of my very favourite book genres-not all of them I love, as of course they have to be done really well and strongly, that keep me really hooked with their unfolding suspense and drama, twists and turns while also highlighting issues that are very real such as toxic friendships, relationships and sexual abuse. This book did all that and was perhaps the best I have read out of all these YA thrillers.
I'll admit that I did actually guess that the culprit was Marley pretty early on, as of course it's always the person you least suspect, the one who seems the friendliest with the protagonist, which is exactly what Marley was, as of course any of the St Jules boys would have been too obvious. Well I say that but one of them, Henry, who was also Marley's brother, was also actually the joint culprit in Esme's murder, who was always an absolute toxic and obnoxious knobhead, and he was the one who actually finished Esme off after she had seemingly been revived, and while that was no real surprise, the joint effort between him and his sister, Marley, who was the real wolf in sheep's clothing, having claimed to be Esme's best friend and suddenly befriended Alana who was now suddenly her 'best friend' too, is what made the whole thing a real twist and surprise. I'll admit that I had been hoping that it wouldn't be Marley due to the fact she seemed like a good friend at first, but as Marley's behaviour became more and more suspicious I was kind of glad.
So yeah, while I did guess Marley pretty early on, the obviousness of that didn't actually take away the brilliance and strength of the book, because it was still a complex concept and shocker overall. It might have just been obvious to me as well because I've read quite a few murder mysteries before so have gotten used to spotting the guilty party maybe. The idea of her and Henry working together actually didn't fully occur to me until it was mentioned I think to be fair either. But god that was one heck of a twist. I mean I think the signs did become pretty clear the way Marley didn't seem at all fazed by her supposed "best friend's" death, like wanting to go shopping right after her funeral rather than attending the wake, and I guess the only thing I would perhaps critique here was the way she wasn't even shown to be faking being sad about her "best friend's" death, as that would usually surely be the case and what she'd want to throw people off. But yeah, the way there was this one character who was supposedly Alana's ally, her only female ally at that, initially did suddenly start to ring alarm bells to me, as per typical twist. But like I say, that was still one heck of a twist, having even revealed the full extent of Henry and Marley's actual psychotic, murderous nature and just how extreme they actually were by showing their background as well, though them murdering their parents did seem a tad far-fetched as there didn't seem to be a realistic, strong enough motive there so did come off as a tad forced, and might have been better if it had been that their parents abused them or one of them at least, given how protective they were of each other. Unless I overlooked something there, I don't know. But again this is only a pretty minor thing I'd critique. It was very disturbing seeing just how extremely psychotic Henry and Marley actually were, like it might have been even better if their psychosis had been explored a bit, like if the old friend of Marley's from Bamford revealed that her and her brother had disturbing behaviour as children and their parents brought them to be diagnosed with psychosis, and were about the put them in special care or an institute maybe this could have been their motive for killing their parents, so I'd say that was a bit of a missed opportunity to be honest. I mean clearly both of them had psychosis and maybe some other mental disorder in a very extreme way-I'm no psychiatrist of course but psychosis does seem like the most likely option, so it might have been interesting if this had been touched on a bit, rather than them just having been randomly psychotic together. Marley actually helping her brother rape another girl was also a disturbing twist, and in a way she was worse than him, as at least aside from the very beginning when he first starts chatting to Alana he wasn't a wolf in sheep's clothing, with Marley being the very worst, most extreme kind of Wolf in Sheep's clothing there is.
Another thing I'd critique was the use of american terminology that was used despite this having been set in the UK, and this wasn't just by Liam either who fair enough was actually American, but by other characters too, like Alana using the term "Jerk" more than once and Marley using the term "butt". Just another example of US terminology and dialect worming its way into our country, with our culture seeming to copycat american culture quite a bit. Again, this was pretty minor though, which is why I have stuck with the 5 star rating, because it was overall an amazing read, even if it wasn't 100% perfect.
I was kind of hoping a little bit that the culprit would be Liam, but when I saw that after Alana's speculation that it was Liam there were still loads of pages left, meaning more space for resolution, I knew it couldn't be. That and the fact that this is a pretty common red herring in thriller mysteries I've noticed, that often take place pre-climax. Honestly I did find Alana's relationship with Liam pretty annoying, with all those romance scenes making me cringe a bit, but they did realise they weren't right for each other and broke up, so I do appreciate that. I found Liam a bit too clingy and needy with Alana as well, obsessing over her and seeming to love the idea and image of her more than her herself, though I appreciate that this was at least addressed somewhat by Alana, getting annoyed with him for seeing her as a status symbol. I like as well how Xander was revealed to actually be a pretty good guy deep down, as initially he is painted as just as obnoxious and toxic as the rest of the St Jules boys, but is given a lot of depth with obvious insecurities and insight into own behaviour, and ends up becoming Alana's closest ally and helping her deal with the whole mystery and incident of Esme's murder. This was actually really heart-warming to see, as unlike a lot of feminist novels that depict patriarchy like this with guys mistreating girls in such a way, it wasn't just about simply making all the male characters obnoxious and toxic knobheads who mistreat girls/women, but also giving them complex personalities, which was done so well in Xander and I really admire that.
Another thing though I should perhaps critique is that it was kind of annoying the way Marley and Henry's consequences and comeuppance were never really specified, with Marley's only being implied, as you would've thought surely after them having committed murder and attempted murder that it would have specified their life sentence. I mean they were implied to be serial killers, and so just having been pretty ambiguous and abruptly dismissed whatever consequences they were going to face (most likely life sentence surely), including with Henry's accident, was pretty disappointing.
Toxic friendships was definitely a key concept highlighted here, and something that I always find really intriguing in YA thrillers, and of course it resonates with me a lot, with this having covered the most extreme kinds of toxic friendship there could be.
While there may be a few points I have critiqued here, I have still given it a 5 star rating because it was simply amazing overall, which is what the 5 star rating says, and most books I find, even ones that are 'amazing', always have their flaws. It had been a good while since I last read a YA thriller like this, so it felt good to get back into it again, and am currently reaading Gina Blaxhill's other, successor novel "Love you to death", so am looking forward to that too!
YA thrillers are one of my very favourite book genres-not all of them I love, as of course they have to be done really well and strongly, that keep me really hooked with their unfolding suspense and drama, twists and turns while also highlighting issues that are very real such as toxic friendships, relationships and sexual abuse. This book did all that and was perhaps the best I have read out of all these YA thrillers.
I'll admit that I did actually guess that the culprit was Marley pretty early on, as of course it's always the person you least suspect, the one who seems the friendliest with the protagonist, which is exactly what Marley was, as of course any of the St Jules boys would have been too obvious. Well I say that but one of them, Henry, who was also Marley's brother, was also actually the joint culprit in Esme's murder, who was always an absolute toxic and obnoxious knobhead, and he was the one who actually finished Esme off after she had seemingly been revived, and while that was no real surprise, the joint effort between him and his sister, Marley, who was the real wolf in sheep's clothing, having claimed to be Esme's best friend and suddenly befriended Alana who was now suddenly her 'best friend' too, is what made the whole thing a real twist and surprise. I'll admit that I had been hoping that it wouldn't be Marley due to the fact she seemed like a good friend at first, but as Marley's behaviour became more and more suspicious I was kind of glad.
So yeah, while I did guess Marley pretty early on, the obviousness of that didn't actually take away the brilliance and strength of the book, because it was still a complex concept and shocker overall. It might have just been obvious to me as well because I've read quite a few murder mysteries before so have gotten used to spotting the guilty party maybe. The idea of her and Henry working together actually didn't fully occur to me until it was mentioned I think to be fair either. But god that was one heck of a twist. I mean I think the signs did become pretty clear the way Marley didn't seem at all fazed by her supposed "best friend's" death, like wanting to go shopping right after her funeral rather than attending the wake, and I guess the only thing I would perhaps critique here was the way she wasn't even shown to be faking being sad about her "best friend's" death, as that would usually surely be the case and what she'd want to throw people off. But yeah, the way there was this one character who was supposedly Alana's ally, her only female ally at that, initially did suddenly start to ring alarm bells to me, as per typical twist. But like I say, that was still one heck of a twist, having even revealed the full extent of Henry and Marley's actual psychotic, murderous nature and just how extreme they actually were by showing their background as well, though them murdering their parents did seem a tad far-fetched as there didn't seem to be a realistic, strong enough motive there so did come off as a tad forced, and might have been better if it had been that their parents abused them or one of them at least, given how protective they were of each other. Unless I overlooked something there, I don't know. But again this is only a pretty minor thing I'd critique. It was very disturbing seeing just how extremely psychotic Henry and Marley actually were, like it might have been even better if their psychosis had been explored a bit, like if the old friend of Marley's from Bamford revealed that her and her brother had disturbing behaviour as children and their parents brought them to be diagnosed with psychosis, and were about the put them in special care or an institute maybe this could have been their motive for killing their parents, so I'd say that was a bit of a missed opportunity to be honest. I mean clearly both of them had psychosis and maybe some other mental disorder in a very extreme way-I'm no psychiatrist of course but psychosis does seem like the most likely option, so it might have been interesting if this had been touched on a bit, rather than them just having been randomly psychotic together. Marley actually helping her brother rape another girl was also a disturbing twist, and in a way she was worse than him, as at least aside from the very beginning when he first starts chatting to Alana he wasn't a wolf in sheep's clothing, with Marley being the very worst, most extreme kind of Wolf in Sheep's clothing there is.
Another thing I'd critique was the use of american terminology that was used despite this having been set in the UK, and this wasn't just by Liam either who fair enough was actually American, but by other characters too, like Alana using the term "Jerk" more than once and Marley using the term "butt". Just another example of US terminology and dialect worming its way into our country, with our culture seeming to copycat american culture quite a bit. Again, this was pretty minor though, which is why I have stuck with the 5 star rating, because it was overall an amazing read, even if it wasn't 100% perfect.
I was kind of hoping a little bit that the culprit would be Liam, but when I saw that after Alana's speculation that it was Liam there were still loads of pages left, meaning more space for resolution, I knew it couldn't be. That and the fact that this is a pretty common red herring in thriller mysteries I've noticed, that often take place pre-climax. Honestly I did find Alana's relationship with Liam pretty annoying, with all those romance scenes making me cringe a bit, but they did realise they weren't right for each other and broke up, so I do appreciate that. I found Liam a bit too clingy and needy with Alana as well, obsessing over her and seeming to love the idea and image of her more than her herself, though I appreciate that this was at least addressed somewhat by Alana, getting annoyed with him for seeing her as a status symbol. I like as well how Xander was revealed to actually be a pretty good guy deep down, as initially he is painted as just as obnoxious and toxic as the rest of the St Jules boys, but is given a lot of depth with obvious insecurities and insight into own behaviour, and ends up becoming Alana's closest ally and helping her deal with the whole mystery and incident of Esme's murder. This was actually really heart-warming to see, as unlike a lot of feminist novels that depict patriarchy like this with guys mistreating girls in such a way, it wasn't just about simply making all the male characters obnoxious and toxic knobheads who mistreat girls/women, but also giving them complex personalities, which was done so well in Xander and I really admire that.
Another thing though I should perhaps critique is that it was kind of annoying the way Marley and Henry's consequences and comeuppance were never really specified, with Marley's only being implied, as you would've thought surely after them having committed murder and attempted murder that it would have specified their life sentence. I mean they were implied to be serial killers, and so just having been pretty ambiguous and abruptly dismissed whatever consequences they were going to face (most likely life sentence surely), including with Henry's accident, was pretty disappointing.
Toxic friendships was definitely a key concept highlighted here, and something that I always find really intriguing in YA thrillers, and of course it resonates with me a lot, with this having covered the most extreme kinds of toxic friendship there could be.
While there may be a few points I have critiqued here, I have still given it a 5 star rating because it was simply amazing overall, which is what the 5 star rating says, and most books I find, even ones that are 'amazing', always have their flaws. It had been a good while since I last read a YA thriller like this, so it felt good to get back into it again, and am currently reaading Gina Blaxhill's other, successor novel "Love you to death", so am looking forward to that too!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 21, 2022
very good commentary on date rape culture, good mystery, amazing plot twists and cute side romance!
May 2, 2022
Brief summary: New girl Alana attends a New Year's Eve party which goes tragically wrong when her good friend Esme is found face-down in a pool, presumed drowned. Soon, it transpires that Esme had a date-rape drug GHB in her blood and Alana realises, with horror, that it was HER drink that was meant to be spiked: Esme took it at the last minute. Guilt-ridden and angry, she makes a promise to herself and Esme to find the culprit but soon discovers that this is much harder than she had anticipated: the group of suspects all seem to have a suspicious past and a toxic attitude towards friendships and relationships that even stretches as far as rape and murder.
This was such a fast-paced thriller that I hardly had time to draw breath! To describe Alana as feisty is an understatement - the determination that drives her to discover the truth is admirable - yet we also see that while it is her strength, it can also be her weakness. Every time you think you can trust a character, there is a twist, and Gina Blaxill keeps you guessing all the way through. Each time I thought I had a situation or character sussed, the rug was pulled out from under me. An excellent, tense and shocking read - highly recommended.
This was such a fast-paced thriller that I hardly had time to draw breath! To describe Alana as feisty is an understatement - the determination that drives her to discover the truth is admirable - yet we also see that while it is her strength, it can also be her weakness. Every time you think you can trust a character, there is a twist, and Gina Blaxill keeps you guessing all the way through. Each time I thought I had a situation or character sussed, the rug was pulled out from under me. An excellent, tense and shocking read - highly recommended.
April 24, 2022
*thank you to the Motherload Book Club and Scholastic for my copy*
I really enjoyed this. It’s been a while since I’ve read a YA book but so pleased I read this. Packed with teen angst, mystery and thrills aplenty.
After her parents separated, Alana moves home and school and only knows her childhood family friend, Esme. When Esme goes missing at a New Year’s Eve party and is found nearly dead, Alana begins to question who could be behind the attack on her friend and if she was the intended target.
There are some tricky subjects covered throughout the book; date rape, harassment and murder to name a few, but all done sensitively.
I’ve got a pretty strong record in guessing who has committed the crime in a thriller novel & did work this out l but it wasn’t straightforward, with a lot of suspects and my guess was mainly due to some fairly strong hints from the author at times.
Recommend for any YA crime fans!
I really enjoyed this. It’s been a while since I’ve read a YA book but so pleased I read this. Packed with teen angst, mystery and thrills aplenty.
After her parents separated, Alana moves home and school and only knows her childhood family friend, Esme. When Esme goes missing at a New Year’s Eve party and is found nearly dead, Alana begins to question who could be behind the attack on her friend and if she was the intended target.
There are some tricky subjects covered throughout the book; date rape, harassment and murder to name a few, but all done sensitively.
I’ve got a pretty strong record in guessing who has committed the crime in a thriller novel & did work this out l but it wasn’t straightforward, with a lot of suspects and my guess was mainly due to some fairly strong hints from the author at times.
Recommend for any YA crime fans!
April 23, 2022
After her parents’ marriage breaks down, Alana moves with her mum and brother to a new town and reconnects with an old friend. She attends a New Years’ Eve party with some local kids but the night ends in tragedy when her friend nearly drowns. Only later the police discover that the girl was drugged with GHB and it becomes an attempted murder investigation. Alana realises that the date rape drug was meant for her but despite the danger, she is determined to expose the privileged group of boys who tried to drug her. A pacy, gripping thriller with a storyline that is particularly timely and relevant in the wake of the ‘Everyone’s Invited’ website testimonies.
April 30, 2022
If you pick up one YA thriller this year make it You Can Trust Me. This dark, fast-paced murder mystery will have you on the edge of your seat. Full of twists and turns that I personally never saw coming, this will have you eagerly turning the page in order to figure out who done it.
This book does not shy away for themes of consent, toxic masculinity and privilege which is rare to see and incredibly realistic.
Honestly one of the best YA thiller/murder mysteries I've read in a long time!
This book does not shy away for themes of consent, toxic masculinity and privilege which is rare to see and incredibly realistic.
Honestly one of the best YA thiller/murder mysteries I've read in a long time!
April 24, 2022
This book was incredible! Everytime I was convinced I had sussed out the truth another revelation was thrown in my face! All I can say is I’m so glad I bought the signed copy because damn I. LOVED. THIS. BOOK!
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