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teameak's review against another edition
5.0
Excellent story, well executed with enough twists that you only guess the outcome just before it's revealed.I very enjoyed the protagonists point of view during the book.
rachyc's review against another edition
2.0
This book just didn’t do it for me. I half read the book, skimming through chapters which was just the character rambling and had no significance to the storyline. There was diary entries from a an unrelated, dead character which also felt unnecessary.
bushph's review against another edition
5.0
Thank you to Net Galley and Harper Impulse for providing me with an e-ARC copy! All opinions in this review are my own and are honest.
Finally, a thriller with an unreliable main character that I love! Normally in thrillers with unreliable MC, if und them unlikable because they’re whiney or they are just simply annoying and obviously hard to like but not here! Jessica has ADHD and often acts no impulse because of this; she says what she thinks, even if it could get her in trouble and make her actions reckless as she tends to also act without thinking but she’s also clever and humorous and we really get to see that in this book. I don’t have ADHD and I have no personal experience of ADHD so I can’t speak for the rep in this unfortunately. But Jess as a character was one I loved, and I really hope we see more of her somehow – she’s was so human and you can relate to her in so many ways which was great.
This follow Jess who comes back from holiday with her boyfriend, Michael, to discover that her workplace no longer exists and that she can’t get in contact with her boss either. This sends us down the path of Jess trying to figure what has happened with her work whilst trying to deal with her relationship and all the other things life is chucking at her. Like I said above, one of the best things about Jess was that she was relatable and flawed and her thought process was so well written you could follow along and understand. This was one of those stories where you didn’t necessarily know what to believe. As much as I liked Jess, I didn’t necessarily believe her all the time (which is obviously part of the build up!) but I did still find myself rooting for her.
This was mainly told from Jess’s POV however we do get one or two chapters later in the story from Michael’s POV. We also get some chapters which are old diary entries from Kate – Kate is Michael’s dead wife who died due to cancer but we don’t know much else about her as Michael hasn’t really spoken about her to Jess. We get to see the chapters as Jess reads them which I enjoyed because it meant that we were always in the dark as much as Jess was and can make conclusions based off what Jess knows and not much else.
Because this is a thriller I don’t want to say much else about the book in case I ruin it but I did love how the story played out and ended. It was very in keeping with recent discussions and a topic that doesn’t get brought up much but does happen and I liked how it all came together.
I would definitely recommend picking this up if you’re a fan of thrillers; it’s oh so very well written and is just a fantastic book!
Finally, a thriller with an unreliable main character that I love! Normally in thrillers with unreliable MC, if und them unlikable because they’re whiney or they are just simply annoying and obviously hard to like but not here! Jessica has ADHD and often acts no impulse because of this; she says what she thinks, even if it could get her in trouble and make her actions reckless as she tends to also act without thinking but she’s also clever and humorous and we really get to see that in this book. I don’t have ADHD and I have no personal experience of ADHD so I can’t speak for the rep in this unfortunately. But Jess as a character was one I loved, and I really hope we see more of her somehow – she’s was so human and you can relate to her in so many ways which was great.
This follow Jess who comes back from holiday with her boyfriend, Michael, to discover that her workplace no longer exists and that she can’t get in contact with her boss either. This sends us down the path of Jess trying to figure what has happened with her work whilst trying to deal with her relationship and all the other things life is chucking at her. Like I said above, one of the best things about Jess was that she was relatable and flawed and her thought process was so well written you could follow along and understand. This was one of those stories where you didn’t necessarily know what to believe. As much as I liked Jess, I didn’t necessarily believe her all the time (which is obviously part of the build up!) but I did still find myself rooting for her.
This was mainly told from Jess’s POV however we do get one or two chapters later in the story from Michael’s POV. We also get some chapters which are old diary entries from Kate – Kate is Michael’s dead wife who died due to cancer but we don’t know much else about her as Michael hasn’t really spoken about her to Jess. We get to see the chapters as Jess reads them which I enjoyed because it meant that we were always in the dark as much as Jess was and can make conclusions based off what Jess knows and not much else.
Because this is a thriller I don’t want to say much else about the book in case I ruin it but I did love how the story played out and ended. It was very in keeping with recent discussions and a topic that doesn’t get brought up much but does happen and I liked how it all came together.
I would definitely recommend picking this up if you’re a fan of thrillers; it’s oh so very well written and is just a fantastic book!
heathersbike's review
This was a random audiobook chosen by kcls. (The rules are I get to veto anything late in a series or nonfiction that looks super boring.)
This one was ... okay? The twist was good. The main character causing herself harm was rough. Overall it was ... yeah, I'm sticking with okay.
This one was ... okay? The twist was good. The main character causing herself harm was rough. Overall it was ... yeah, I'm sticking with okay.
mandylovestoread's review against another edition
4.0
Don't Trust Me twists and turns so many ways that you will not know which way you are going.
Jessica returns to work after a weeks holiday with her boyfriend of 5 years to discover that the locks have been changed and the business is gone. Not only that but there are people after her boss for money. This is the start of a downward spiral for Jessica. She suffers from adult ADHD and there are things in her past that she is not proud of. Michael is a criminologist and he is done with Jessica and what he believes are her delusions.
This books was jam packed with plot twists and unlikeable characters... great story that I read in one day.
Thanks to Harper Collins UK / Killer Reads and NetGalley for a copy of this book to read in exchange for my honest opinions
Jessica returns to work after a weeks holiday with her boyfriend of 5 years to discover that the locks have been changed and the business is gone. Not only that but there are people after her boss for money. This is the start of a downward spiral for Jessica. She suffers from adult ADHD and there are things in her past that she is not proud of. Michael is a criminologist and he is done with Jessica and what he believes are her delusions.
This books was jam packed with plot twists and unlikeable characters... great story that I read in one day.
Thanks to Harper Collins UK / Killer Reads and NetGalley for a copy of this book to read in exchange for my honest opinions
beckiebookworm1974's review against another edition
4.0
🌟🌟🌟🌟STARS
ARC-BOOK REVIEW
Release Date-23/2/18
Don't Trust Me by Joss Stirling was a very enjoyable Psychological thriller.
The story centres around Jessica and the surrounding events that occur after she returns from a holiday in the sun with her older boyfriend renowned criminologist Michael.
It's quite apparent from the very beginning that her relationship with him is on the rocks.
He believes her to be a fantasist with a made up job and also a pathological liar who needs help for her constantly destructive behaviour.
In fact, Jessica's main offence is actually a mental breakdown from depression after her integrity over events with a student was called into question in her previous teaching position.
She resigned on the advice of Michael rather than waiting to be sacked.
This as a result, ended her career in education but also came with an added diagnosis of ADHD.
from Jessica's therapist which at last explained an awful lot to her.
So after returning from there holiday Michael makes a swift exit leaving on business.
Jessica proceeds to travel to her job of three months, researching runaways but on arriving her keys no longer fit and her boss seems to have cleared out without a trace.
dumfounded Jessica starts to look into things unwittingly uncovering more than she realises and it's not long before events themselves escalate dramatically leaving Jessica floundering for answers.
So there was a lot going on here.
Don't Trust Me was a tangled web of intrigue and mystery where nobody could be taken on face value and everybody was a suspect in themselves.
This is told mainly from Jessicas POV with the occasional side scene dedicated to Michael, who does definitely come across as a bit of a jerk.
There is also the input of journal entries from Michaels perfect dead wife, these add an interesting touch and perspective also adding further intimacy and insight into her final days.
Jessica herself is a hot mess, many things contributing to her present self.
She is actually I found a contrast in contradictions, sometimes so difficult to like especially when she goes off plan, selfish decisions and ill thought through actions contribute to her self-destructive conduct.
Other times you kind of get where she's at and why she behaves the way she does.
And when she does do sweet and considerate you realise she's just human at the end of the day.
So yeh difficult one to call, but I did like her the majority of the time.
So The secondary characters here were fantastic each with there own role to play.
My hands-down favourite here though has to be Jessica's friend Drew I absolutely adored everything about the lad in fact if I'm honest I'm not sure Jessica truly deserved him, needed him perhaps and he was definitely good for her but overall he was a lot more decent than she was.
Saying that I am glad he gave her a chance as he helped her to be a better person overall.
And I liked the fact immensely that he was just a normal everyday bloke.
So every little action here was interconnected.
Nothing completely random or left to chance.
Don't Trust me was all wrapped up so neatly and splendidly and I was super impressed with the way the author had carefully crafted the finish of this story.
I did guess some things here but that no way took away from my overall enjoyment of this novel.
I found this book to be an engaging piece of fiction that I am happy to recommend.
I was provided with an ARC of "Don't Trust Me" By Netgalley of which I have reviewed voluntary.
All opinions expressed are entirely my own.
Reviewed By Beckie Bookworm.
https://www.facebook.com/beckiebookworm/
www.beckiebookworm.com
wf_1609's review
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
howdidthatbookend's review
4.0
Looking for spoilers? I added a spoiler post on my blog: https://www.howdidthatbookend.com/joss-sterling-dont-trust-me/
aayishaahmad's review
4.0
I received this book with anticipation, having read Joss Stirling’s young adult books, I was excited to know that as I have gotten older, her writing style has too, allowing me to continue reading her books.
Initially, I found the storyline confusing, there was a lot going on, with little explanation, however, as you read along, more pieces were unravelled for the reader and slowly more and more made sense.
The story begins with Jessica, out of a ‘proper’ job, working for someone her boyfriend thinks she has made up. The story continues with her discovering a body, her boyfriend being arrested and her weaving her way through the truth to discover how the past had caught up and was now dictating the future.
It took a while to fully understand each character’s background, though I understand the need for mystery, some aspects like why Jessica left her first job could’ve been explained earlier as well as Michael’s job, to fully imagine each character to a while as these details were told later in the book.
Psychology was the theme used throughout, which was great. The amount research which would’ve been needed is amazing and having psychology mentioned and related to through kept an anchor in the book, for when the twists become too confusing, there was always something you could count on. The degree of knowledge Joss Stirling must have taken is commendable.
This book is a definite read, a wonderful thriller keeping you on the edge of your seat till the very end.
Initially, I found the storyline confusing, there was a lot going on, with little explanation, however, as you read along, more pieces were unravelled for the reader and slowly more and more made sense.
The story begins with Jessica, out of a ‘proper’ job, working for someone her boyfriend thinks she has made up. The story continues with her discovering a body, her boyfriend being arrested and her weaving her way through the truth to discover how the past had caught up and was now dictating the future.
It took a while to fully understand each character’s background, though I understand the need for mystery, some aspects like why Jessica left her first job could’ve been explained earlier as well as Michael’s job, to fully imagine each character to a while as these details were told later in the book.
Psychology was the theme used throughout, which was great. The amount research which would’ve been needed is amazing and having psychology mentioned and related to through kept an anchor in the book, for when the twists become too confusing, there was always something you could count on. The degree of knowledge Joss Stirling must have taken is commendable.
This book is a definite read, a wonderful thriller keeping you on the edge of your seat till the very end.