"His ex is missing. Am I next?"

Don't Trust Him by Karen King is a twisty psychological thriller full of tension and deception.

Sarah is a single mom to her seven year old son Liam trying to find her place in life after a troubled past relationship. When she meets Charlie at the school gates one day while he is dropping off his two daughters, Sarah feels an immediate connection. Despite being hesitant to get into a relationship, Sarah and Charlie start to bond over being single parents. Charlie's ex Lynn had left a note saying she had found another man and her daughters would be better off without her before she disappeared. While the relationship grows, Charlie's mother Alice struggles to accept Sarah, wishing that Charlie would realize that he was better suited for someone else. But when Sarah finds Lynn's purse with a hidden journal inside, she knows that something sinister is going on. Did something happen to Lynn? Why did she walk away from her daughters? And most importantly, who can Sarah trust? All she knows is that she will stop at nothing to protect her son!!

This was definitely a pretty suspenseful book, although some parts were a little slow. I especially liked the undertone of tension throughout because you don't know who to really believe. While some of the twists are a little predictable, Don't Trust Him was still engaging enough to have me invested throughout! Overall I think that this is a good thriller that is perfect for a lazy day!!

Thank you to NetGalley, Karen King, and Bookouture for this ARC!! Publication date is April 3rd 2025.

Karen King masterfully weaves a web of deciet, manipulation and secrets in Don’t Trust Him.

The story follows Sarah, a divorced mother estranged from her own mom and raising her son Liam on her own. Her best friend, Tasha, whose son is about the same ageoften joins her at the school gates. During one of these casual meet-ups, they both notice a striking new single dad, Charlie, who surprisingly seems more interested in Sarah than in the other mothers, whose affections for him are obvious.

But the envy of the other mums is only the beginning of Sarah’s troubles. A string of misfortunes leaves her scared, homeless, and unsure of who she can trust. Add to that the drama of Alice, Charlie’s overbearing mother, and the mysterious disappearance of his previous partner, and the stage is set for an utterly engrossing tale.

I did find the title - Don’t Trust Him, a bit misleading. Trust is in short supply, as no character is entirely reliable. The plot is intricate and twisty, with various threads converging in ways that leave you questioning everything and everyone.

Overall, this was a quick, easy read with a neatly twrapped up ending, although the ending did feel a little rushed.

Don't Trust Him by Karen King is a fast-paced psychological thriller that keeps readers on the edge of their seats from start to finish. The story centers on a single mother, whose life begins to change when she meets Charlie, a charming man with a complicated past. At first, things seem too good to be true, as Charlie sweeps her off her feet, promising honesty and a fresh start. However, when Charlie shares the troubling story of his ex-wife’s disappearance, and the discovery of strange items in his house, the foundation of their budding relationship starts to crack.

The novel masterfully builds suspense through its twists and turns, slowly revealing the darker side of Charlie’s life. As the protagonist, the main character’s instincts and growing doubts about the truth behind Charlie’s story will resonate with readers. The sense of unease intensifies when the protagonist stumbles upon her boyfriend's ex-wife’s journal and personal belongings, triggering a series of events that leave her questioning who she can truly trust.

The author expertly creates tension between the characters, particularly with Charlie’s manipulative mother, Alice, and the unresolved mystery of Lynn, his ex-wife. As secrets unfold, the protagonist is caught in a race against time, desperately trying to protect herself and her son before it’s too late. The narrative is full of psychological suspense, making the reader second-guess every character’s intentions.

In conclusion, Don't Trust Him is a gripping psychological thriller that examines the themes of trust, betrayal, and the danger of hidden truths. Karen King’s writing keeps you hooked, leading to a shocking and unpredictable ending that will leave you breathless. Fans of domestic thrillers with dark twists and unreliable characters will thoroughly enjoy this book.

Don't Trust Him by Karen King was an excellent psychological thriller full of brilliant twists and turns that will have you turning your pages quickly to find out what happens next. WoW this book did not disappoint, it was fast paced with a great characters and it will have you scratching your head.........do you trust her ex Husband? or not?!!!

I highly recommend this book. Superb read, especially as it will have you guessing till the very end! Excellent!

Big Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for my ARC. x

I kept guessing what was going on,and I kept guessing wrong. Thrilling and full of suspense, I was totally gripped. The two POVs kept tension and mystery on high. Twisty and exciting.

DON"T TRUST HIM is a fast paced story you'll have a hard time putting down. I liked that this book kept me guessing and engaged the entire time. This was so good. I promise you'll be glad you read it. Bravo!!

This review will be shared to my account @coffee.break.book.reviews closer to pub day.

This was a quick, entertaining and easy to read story. Good complexity of characters. My only complaint is the character Sarah was getting on my nerves with her indecisiveness and how naive she was after everything she's been though. Made it unbelievable. But it's fiction so I moved on. All in all there were some great twists in the end!

HOLY SMOKES! You will not want to put this book down. Talk about a gripping story. I could not get enough of this.

Well, well, well…

Don’t trust him? The only thing I don’t trust is anyone who says they liked this book.

The commas in this thing were so misplaced I started to wonder if they were running from something. And the open speech marks? Worse than a Charlie XCX song title. I get that the author was going for a certain style, but when I’m reading sentences like, “mothers should always be there for their children so doesn’t work” (…so she doesn’t work??), I have questions. Was this meant to make the character seem laid-back? If so, mission failed. It just made my brain hurt. And this wasn’t a one-off—it was a pattern. A very tiring, migraine-inducing pattern.

Now, onto the non-existent plot.

Sarah drops off her son at school and notices the local mom squad whispering like they’re plotting something. Enter: Charlie, the new, ridiculously attractive single dad. Cue Sarah’s internal monologue about how lonely and tough life is as a single mom. But she’s sworn off men after The Incident three years ago on Arran…

What happened on Arran, you ask? Oh, nothing. Nothing worth the dramatic build-up, anyway. The book hyped it like it was going to be life-altering, and then when it was revealed, I genuinely thought I had skipped a page. That was it? That was the big reveal? I’m furious.

This could have been a 30-page short story. And that’s me being generous.

The pacing? A mess. Important characters showed up at the 65% mark. And then there’s a missing person plotline that could’ve injected some much-needed excitement—except the police wrap it up in three days. THREE DAYS. The efficiency! Do you know how many people go missing and are never found? Meanwhile, this squad of overachievers handled it like they had nothing else going on. I was actually hoping the missing person drama would stretch out a bit, just to give us something resembling a plot. But nope. Denied.

Also, the characters? Absolutely not human. Their interactions felt so stiff and unrealistic I started wondering if AI wrote this. Sarah and Charlie’s relationship developed at lightning speed, and I couldn’t have cared less. Truly. If they had broken up, gotten married, or decided to join a cult together, I wouldn’t have batted an eye.

And the twist at the end? So unbelievably bad it gave low-budget action movie.

Bottom line: I’d sooner believe we’re living in a simulation than that people actually enjoyed this book. Two stars.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the e-ARC.

Sarah is a single mom of Liam, she meets Charlie father of two kids who attend the same school as Liam. Fate. They have both been hurt, his wife left him in the night for a new liver. She falls for him hard, and eventually moves into his house where his mother, himself and his children all reside. Shortly after moving in she finds his wife's journal and through reading it she finds not all was roses with Charlie and he was a lot more sinister than he appears. Will he do to her what he did to his ex wife? Was the ex wife lying to plant evidence and set him up? Will she make it out of his house alive or is she next? The ending surprised me and was decent enough of a read to keep me engaged, but like most women in love, she was blind to so many flags everywhere, leaving me screaming at a book. It was fast paced and I finished it quickly. Thank you to Bookouture and NetGalley to an ARC in exchange for my honest opinions. Rating? 3.75 stars!

Thank you NetGalley! I did not see where this book would be going. I had so many theories about the twists and couldn’t believe the ending.

this book is a grip you until you finish it kind of book. thrillers are great. but when someone swoops in and still manages to shock you with the twists like Karen does then you are onto a real winner.
Sarah is a single mum. shes been hurt before and wants that to stay in her past. what it does mean is she is definetely not open to dating anyone new. but then at the school of her son Liam at pickup time she meet Charlie. and all her rules fall away. she thinks he could be different. as a reader i felt unease and im not sure whether this was just because i was writing for the shoe to drop. but from the off it didnt seem like all could be as it seemed.
Sarah spends more time with Charlie and his two children. he shares his past hurts too. he told her his wife left him and his children.
he also has mother who is less than happy to share him with Sarah.
things change dramatically and things start to feel wrong, go wrong in Sarahs life. one of those things being finding Charlies ex's journal.the fears start to mount and creep up on Sarah. something not right. is someone out to get her and could it possibly be Charlie?
this book is a fabulous read. and for anyone who enjoys thrillers you will love this.

Thank you to Bookouture via Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Sarah is a single mom raising her only son who meets Charlie a handsome single dad with 2 daughters outside their children’s school. She wasn’t planning on dating again as she had a bad experience after her divorce and just wanted to focus on her son, but fell for Charlie and things move a little too fast. Charlie’s Mom is not too happy about another woman getting in the middle of her relationship with her family….

I enjoyed this book it was suspenseful and kept you guessing. It felt a little predictable, but then turned out not at all what I thought, but that is sort of where I got confused and did not understand why it turned out how it did. I don’t want to put in spoilers so I cannot elaborate more. I felt the ending was a little abrupt and not satisfying enough. I would pick up this authors other books. I do like her style.

Overall this book is great for those wanting to get into domestic thrillers it’s suspenseful, keeps you guessing, wanting to get to the big twist finale.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC. Loved the vibe, hated the mmc from the get go. Didn't find this predictable, held my attention from start to finish. Ending was not what I guessed.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I picked up Don’t Trust Him thinking I’d squeeze in a few chapters before heading out for errands. Let’s just say… those errands never happened. I was completely glued to the story, unable to shake the uneasy feeling that something was very, very wrong.

From the moment the protagonist meets Charlie, there’s an undercurrent of suspense that only tightens as the story unfolds. The idyllic moments—the school drop-offs, the late-night conversations, the growing romance—are laced with just enough unease to keep you on edge. When she finds Lynn’s journal, my stomach dropped. I felt her panic, the racing thoughts, the creeping fear that the man she was falling for might not be who he seemed.

What made this book so gripping for me wasn’t just the mystery but the emotional pull. The mother-son bond, the desperate need for a fresh start, the slow realization that the past never stays buried—it all felt so real. And then bam—the twists started coming, and I had to pause just to process what was happening.

This book completely derailed my day, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. If you love psychological thrillers that mess with your mind and keep you guessing until the final shocking reveal, Don’t Trust Him is a must-read. Just don’t make any plans once you start—you will be canceling them.

You know that the hot new single dad at the school gate might be not such a good guy, don't you? Well, Sarah doesn't and she, along with her son Liam, move in with Charlie, his kids and his mother Alice who really doesn't like Sarah. Charlie claims his wife Lynn disappeared with a new lover but did she really? Fans of the genre might think they know what's going to happen but King has changed things up a bit with Lynn's diary and Alice. What really happened to Lynn and is Sarah are risk? Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC, No spoilers from me.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC. The first part of the book felt a bit all over the place to me, but then it picks up with twist after twist. The ending feels a bit rushed but it was still an entertaining read.

Utterly compelling I was engrossed right from the start and couldn't put it down. I finished it within a few hours. Highly recommended.

'Dont trust Him' is a very enjoyable twisty psychological thriller.

The plot involves Sarah, a single Mum who is estranged from her mum and bringing up her son, Liam alone. Her best friend, Tasha, lives close by, and as both have similar aged sons, often chat at the school gates. On one such occasion, they spot a hot new single Dad, much to Sarah's surprise this hot Dad, Charlie seems more attracted to Sarah than the other Mums who make their interest in Charlie very clear!

It soon becomes apparent that the envy of the other mums are the least of Sarah's problems as a series of unfortunate events follow, leaving Sarah scared, homeless and unsure who she can trust.

Throw into the mix Alice, Charlie's overbearing mother, and the mysterious disappearance of Charlie's previous partner/wife, and the scene is really set for some unputdownable action!

This is a really easy read that is guaranteed to entertain - easily a 5*highly recommended read from me!

My thanks to NetGalley, author and publisher for the opportunity to review this book in exchange for an advance copy.

This is more of a slower thriller, which kind of made it hard for me to get through. I don’t fault the author for this, I have ADHD so it’s hard for me to pay attention if the book isn’t fast paced. I did also think the FMC was very annoying and things that were pretty obvious, she didn’t seem to get. The ending was really good and saved the book. I’m not really used to a slower thriller but I think someone who enjoys slower thrillers, would like this a lot.