Author: Gina Blaxill
Genre: YA Thriller
Published by: Scholastic
Publication date: 07/04/22
Pages: 384
My rating: ★★★★★
I received a free review copy from Scholastic in exchange for an honest review
Synopsis from Goodreads:
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?
Perfect for fans of Holly Jackson, Karen McManus and Chelsea Pitcher. From the Carnegie nominated author, Gina Blaxill. 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.
Trigger Warning:
Contains references of
- Rape
- Sexual assault spiking
- Drug use
- Suicide
- Drink spiking
- Murder
As soon as I heard about this at the Scholastic showcase I knew I had to read this. When the email dropped in my inbox, I jumped at the chance to review it. You Can Trust Me was unputdownable, I didn’t want it to end.
First off, I love that the autistic rep is good. This is a tiny detail in comparison to the rest of the story/characters, I’ve read some with awful rep that is more stereotypical and harmful that this element was really important to me. Seb is one of my favourite characters, he’s well written and just overall very lovely. I also have a soft spot for Liam, he’s my other favourite. I don’t want to say anything else because of spoilers. You Can Trust Me handles the subjects in the trigger warnings sensitively. I was aware of them before reading which massively helped as some are triggering for me. It wasn’t an easy read but I’m glad I read it as I found it actually helped me. I know sensitivity readers were involved and it definitely shows, I know every person’s experience is different, I felt it was handled incredibly well.
I had my suspicions about who the murderer was, I was prepared to be wrong and I kind of was. I wasn’t prepare for the twists thrown in though. I would not want to get I the wrong side of some of these characters. These characters are still living rent free in my house over a week after finishing it.
You Can Trust Me is a gripping read full of suspense and will have you on the edge of your seat from start to finish.
By from: Waterstones Hive
Fantastic Book Dragon 