Title: You Can Trust Me
Author: Gina Blaxill
Edition: Paperback (Paper Orange Book Box)
Rating: 5/5
Foul is Fair meets A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder in this gripping read, as featured in the April Paper Orange YA Book Box.
Alana is the new girl – at her school and in the small town she’s moved to with her mother and brother. A New Year party seems like a great place to meet people, but not everyone is there to make new friends. When her childhood best friend is found unconscious, Alana realises that the attacker is at the party – and that she was supposed to be the target.
It’s a great setup for a story full of plot twists, surprises, and dangerous amateur sleuthing. The starting point is an attempted sexual assault, and Alana must decide which of the local rugby club boys she can trust as she tries to piece together the events of the party. Everyone has secrets, everyone holds a piece of the puzzle, and there’s a history of suicides and murders in the spot where her friend was found.
Alana finds herself dismissed by the police investigating the attack, and frustrated by their lack of progress. Investigating the crime herself feels like the only solution, and she quickly discovers that someone involved doesn’t appreciate the attention. Figuring out who is behind the threats, lies, and rumours throws Alana into danger, and the reader into the heart of the story.
I couldn’t put this book down. I read more than half in one sitting, and I couldn’t wait to come back and read the rest. It’s a clever mix of detective-style interpretation of evidence, networking with Alana’s new friends to pick up on gossip and rumours, and a very human process of uncovering the people behind the gossip. Reputations matter, but as Alana follows the clues to track down the attacker, she discovers that not all reputations are deserved.
Is she trusting the right people, and can she believe what they tell her? I highly recommend diving in and finding out!
Have you read You Can Trust Me? What did you think of Alana’s story? Click through to the full blog to access the comments section, and share your thoughts! No spoilers, though – you can post those on GoodReads!
Review cross-posted to GoodReads.
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