Ten years ago, Natalie suffered a traumatic, life changing experience at the hands of a colleague. So when her husband, Ryan, gets accused of the very same crime committed against her, she finds herself questioning everything she thought she knew; especially considering she has periods where she blacks out and can’t remember a thing.

The woman who made the accusation appears dead soon after; can Natalie trust her husband? Or herself?

What an incredible, thought provoking book! I read this cover to cover in one sitting. The topics that are covered made me feel anger and sadness to the highest degree.

The fast pace of the book grips you instantly and draws you into the plot, as well as the characters. Being a dual POV, seeing the insight from both a civilian and then a member of the police force adds another level to this book that elevates it above many others I’ve read previously.

A five star psychological thriller that will stay with me for a long time.

Throughly thrilling, excellent with a gripping pace throughout. Seen through a police person and the wife of the accused, this is as believable as it is clever. Really enjoyed this.

A psychological thriller with an incredible ending.
SM Govett has produced here a stunning book. It starts quite slowly, but that doesn't last for long. Chapters are through the eyes of the two main players. These are Natalie, a married woman who still has some psychological issues due to a rape several years before and Helen Stratton, an experienced, no nonsense Detective Inspector who is annoyed at being " saddled" with a young male officer who is being fast tracked through the police service. Initially, it's difficult to see how these two characters will come together, but after a murder occurs, they do.
From here, the pace really does heat up and becomes more and more complicated. Natalie becomes even more distressed, as she and Stratton are at a loss what to make of the conflicting information they are given.
It all builds to a stunning conclusion that I just didn't see coming, and I don't think others will either.
This is an absolute gem of a book.

Since being raped by a colleague who was found innocent, Natalie has been suffering from PTSD, insomnia and now blackouts. Her relationship with husband Ryan has survived, but when one of his colleagues accuses him of rape, Natalie is flung into further turmoil. In a parallel thread, DS Helen Stratton is investigating the murder of a young woman, and also dealing with flashbacks to the disappearance of her older sister decades ago. I liked the pitch for SM Govett’s debut novel, Believe, which promised to focus on the dilemma Natalie faces when Ryan, her only anchor to the world, is accused of committing the same crime that destroyed her life. But the story moves on from this original set-up pretty quickly, entering a series of twists and turns that will be mostly predictable for thriller fans. I also found Natalie intermittently unsympathetic in her seeming lack of feeling about an early death. Stratton was a much more interesting character than Natalie, but she’s sidelined here - I wonder if Believe would have worked better as a (sadly, currently unfashionable) police procedural told entirely from her perspective.

A gripping thriller that keeps you turning the pages. Full of shocks, and what a great ending. A brilliant read!

Blockbuster for a debut novel. More twists and turns than you can dream of. Best page turning novel I have read this year.

Is Natalie really so evil? Is her best friend really that? And as for the husband, well this book brings them all together in the evil way that it can.

Cannot wait for the next novel. New author for me to keep an eye on.

Thank you Netgalley for letting me read this early.

Confusingly this novel “Believe” is sometimes listed as “Believe me now”
I debated whether to read this book when I was offered the chance as the promotional blurb mentioned blackouts that Natalie had no memory of what had been happening and I thought this gave the author too much largesse in complicated plotting. Also I have not enjoyed some books that focus heavily on whether one member of a partnership is lying or not. Maybe it did not help that I read this mid December in very dreich weather when I could have done with something to cheer me up.
Natalie was assaulted in the past but in court the assailant was found not guilty. This led to Natalie struggling to cope with her life and the author depicts this so well that I found it depressing every time the narrative shifted back to her. Then when her husband is accused of a similar sexual assault and Natalie starts copying the behaviour of her note writing nemesis , I thought it was a bit silly. So at 25% of the book read I gave up.
The other protagonist D.I. Helen Stratton has an unexplained missing sister in her past and I found her character and situation with her demented mother more interesting.
Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Random House for the ARC

One of the unique things about this book is that it's part police procedural and part domestic noir thriller. There are alternating chapters told from the PoV of both the wife of a suspected rapist/killer and from the police officer investigating.

The writing is elevated with strong descriptive/observational skills and the characters felt credible and were easy to root for. It's a tense story with a plausible plot (although the final twist is shocking and mad). I liked how it dealt with sexual assault and the police/legal details felt accurate.

This is strong writing from a debut author who's one to watch. A superb and gripping read with a twist I didn't see coming.

This book kept me gripped from page one. When all the evidence points to your loving husband having committed an awful crime, can you believe him when he says he's innocent. There are lots of twists and turns in this debit novel which keeps you guessing about who is innocent and who is guilty until the very end.

An addictive psychological thriller , with a well written storyline. Plenty of twists and turns , I was hooked from the first chapter. I really enjoyed the book

This was such a good psychological suspense read about sexual assault and the after effects of trauma. The book is told from two POVs that intervene: you have Natalie who lives with her husband Ryan and is being hounded by the wife of the man who SAd her years ago although he was found not guilty by the jury, whose life explodes when her husband is caught with a younger woman who later alleges Ryan raped her; then you have DS Stratton, who’s sister vanished years ago and ends up investigating the murder of a woman who alleged Ryan raped her…
This was a brilliant debut suspense story. Just when you think you know the direction the story is going in, it changes direction. I was immersed through and through. I found the characters relatable and interesting. Stratton was such a breath of fresh air, and a memorable detective. I hope there’s another book featuring her. Definitely an author to watch out for.

With many thanks to Netgalley for this free arc and I am leaving this unbiased review voluntarily.
A very entertaining read that had me suspecting everyone and the reveal at the end was one I definitely didn’t see coming. Well written with a nice flow as told from the points of view of Stratton and Natalie. Good pace and tension throughout and never sure who is telling the truth and who is lying making this a very addictive, twisty read. A solid debut from S.M. Govett

An addictive psychological thriller, classic storytelling of this genre and thoroughly entertaining.

Asks the relevant social questions whilst still spinning a twisty tale that has a good dose of unpredictability.

Overall a very good read.