A review by beckiebookworm1974
Don't Trust Me by Joss Stirling

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