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Trust and Safety
A wry yet tenderhearted novel about a couple who attempt to buy their way into a “wild and precious” existence in the Hudson Valley, where they quickly become entangled with a queer couple living the dream analog life
Newlywed Rosie has grown disenchanted with NYC. Inspired by Instagram ads, she starts thirsting for a rural life upstate—one full of beauty and authenticity. She just needs to convince her tech-bro husband, Jordan, of her vision for the future. Willing to do anything for Rosie’s happiness, Jordan signs on, and they offer—well above asking price—on a beautiful, historic fixer-upper in the Hudson Valley.
But when Jordan suddenly loses his job, the couple is forced to rent out the property’s dilapidated outbuilding. There’s no heat, it’s overrun with mold, and nothing works.
Enter Dylan and an incredibly attractive and handy queer couple who offer to rent the outbuilding and help Rosie and Jordan with repairs. They also happen to be living the life Rosie had envisioned for hand-built furniture, herbal tinctures, guinea hens, and hand-dyed linens. Rosie grows increasingly infatuated with their new tenants, especially with model-esque, charismatic Dylan — to Jordan’s increasing distress.
Whip-smart and wickedly funny, Trust and Safety examines questions of authenticity, betrayal, belonging, and entitlement, while poking fun at contemporary fear of the “gay agenda.”
Newlywed Rosie has grown disenchanted with NYC. Inspired by Instagram ads, she starts thirsting for a rural life upstate—one full of beauty and authenticity. She just needs to convince her tech-bro husband, Jordan, of her vision for the future. Willing to do anything for Rosie’s happiness, Jordan signs on, and they offer—well above asking price—on a beautiful, historic fixer-upper in the Hudson Valley.
But when Jordan suddenly loses his job, the couple is forced to rent out the property’s dilapidated outbuilding. There’s no heat, it’s overrun with mold, and nothing works.
Enter Dylan and an incredibly attractive and handy queer couple who offer to rent the outbuilding and help Rosie and Jordan with repairs. They also happen to be living the life Rosie had envisioned for hand-built furniture, herbal tinctures, guinea hens, and hand-dyed linens. Rosie grows increasingly infatuated with their new tenants, especially with model-esque, charismatic Dylan — to Jordan’s increasing distress.
Whip-smart and wickedly funny, Trust and Safety examines questions of authenticity, betrayal, belonging, and entitlement, while poking fun at contemporary fear of the “gay agenda.”
320 pages, Hardcover
First published May 21, 2024
33 people are currently reading
7116 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 198 reviews
August 28, 2024
modern life is ridiculous. that's why we have satire.
this is a book about how if you give into every delusion you have and live your life according to the instagram ads you are served, you will effortlessly merge into the perfect upstate bisexual polycule commune of your dreams.
more accurately, this is about how if every cringey thing possible happened to the most annoying people you can imagine. which is my definition of satire. and it rocks!
our main character rosie sucks, and her husband jordan sucks, and all the people they encounter are fairly pretentious woodsy stereotypes who don't feel real, but all of that is fine. that's satire, baby! it was fun to cringe at them while also wanting to go to the kind of general store where you can buy $40 honey.
generally it's an over the top look about being satisfied by nothing because you can see everything from your phone. it was an unbelievably stressful read that i also wanted to pick up, although a lot of the time that was because i wanted to be finished with it. do with that what you will!
bottom line: it was the best of times, it was the worst of times. -me describing this whole genre
(3.5 / thanks to the publisher for the e-arc)
this is a book about how if you give into every delusion you have and live your life according to the instagram ads you are served, you will effortlessly merge into the perfect upstate bisexual polycule commune of your dreams.
more accurately, this is about how if every cringey thing possible happened to the most annoying people you can imagine. which is my definition of satire. and it rocks!
our main character rosie sucks, and her husband jordan sucks, and all the people they encounter are fairly pretentious woodsy stereotypes who don't feel real, but all of that is fine. that's satire, baby! it was fun to cringe at them while also wanting to go to the kind of general store where you can buy $40 honey.
generally it's an over the top look about being satisfied by nothing because you can see everything from your phone. it was an unbelievably stressful read that i also wanted to pick up, although a lot of the time that was because i wanted to be finished with it. do with that what you will!
bottom line: it was the best of times, it was the worst of times. -me describing this whole genre
(3.5 / thanks to the publisher for the e-arc)
February 4, 2024
This book is wild. It's like if White Lotus was set in upstate New York and wasn't about rich people but about ordinary people who long for different versions of what they think happiness is. It's full of twists and queer mischief and Instagram-fueled dreams, and is the kind of satirical send-up that leaves no one unscathed. At the same time, it's incredibly written and thoughtful about human behavior. I loved it. Highly recommend!
December 20, 2023
✰ 3 stars ✰
“Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?”
It is this poignant verse from a Mary Oliver poem that propels Rosie, the protagonist of Trust and Safety to re-examine what it is exactly that she wants her life to be - leading her to make decisions that will make her take a deeper look into herself and who she wants and what she'll do in order to attain a semblance of happiness in her existence.
“I thought that maybe if I moved somewhere else—maybe I could find a different way to feel. Like if I had two seconds to think, without noise, maybe I could figure out what I’m good at.
Maybe I could understand myself, and make friends, and just be a different person.”
I started reading it Sunday afternoon after lunch, and I couldn't stop reading it. For life is messy with even messier people - Rosie is a prime example of that. She was a thirty-year-0ld newlywed, who had been living an almost purpose-less life as a New Yorker canvasser at Union Square during rush hour 'when people are their absolute worst, nastiest, rudest, most vile selves', till one day she gets so smitten with a beautiful historic house, she and her husband, Jordan, give up their entire life's savings to claim the house as their own, after a hardcore bidding war for its stead. She hopes that upon their move, she could somehow get closer to feeling better about herself, or a closer understanding to what she wants from life, when she meets an enigmatic and attractive couple that makes it even harder for her to determine what her place in life is.
And as frustrating as Rosie's motives and angles were - it was oddly riveting. She could be so selfish at times, and yet, I was so drawn to what she was trying to achieve and oftentimes, sympathetic to how insecure she felt about herself in this youthful beautiful couple. It was made even worse as she starts to spend time with them and envy their way of living - wanting that carefree approach to life that she's never felt - 'I’ve been feeling like I want your life would have been the honest statement.' 😢 It's her feeble attempt to live a different life - vicariously through this bold couple that embody the carefree spirit that she wishes she could have for her own - a way to figure out what it is she wants her life to mean that she allows her infatuation with their charm dictate her own life - even at her own harm.
“But you are perfect the way you are,” Jordan said. “You’re smart, and you’re beautiful, and—”
“And I have no one, Jordan. Not really.”
“You have me.”
I think Jordan also was treated badly from time to time; he went along with so many of Rosie's whims and desires, and even then, she failed to be honest with him about so many important things. It's not that I don't sympathize with her feelings, but at times, she took him for granted and then didn't exactly feel any remorse or guilt when she would be called out for it. I do agree that some of his opinions and thoughts were unwarranted and unjustified and rather questionable; he made me laughably squirm at his blatant disregard for others feelings, but he wasn't exactly always in the wrong either. If anything, both of them were the unfortunate victims of having Dylan and Lark as their tenants. 😐
The irony in the title is so fitting that the level of trust and safety is what Rosie clung on to and was oftentimes hurt because of it. She relied on her husband, Jordan, for sanctuary, but at times, didn't trust him enough with her innermost feelings. She was drawn to Dylan - charmed by her charisma and easy, breezy approach to life, but is it enough to guarantee trust and safety in life - for knowing someone for such a short period of time. 🥺 The exploration of these themes was a stark contrast between both relationships and at times, I was reeling at the reveals and the antics of the characters. It was disturbingly upsetting, yet absolutely gratifying reading. I don't know how else to explain it.
“This is our natural habitat. We own this house. We live here together. All of this belongs to us!”
“If anything, this house owns us,” Jordan said. “I just . . .”
“You just what?”
“I just wish you would admit that you want us to be more like them.”
The writing was very honest and real. The fact that I was so engaged with Rosie's narration and her blunders and fumbles and inner thoughts and desires is a clear indication of how much I was so involved with the happenings of the story - even though I didn't exactly enjoy the characters themselves. Yes, this is possible. 😥 The characters were flawed, but they didn't let their flaws define them. Rosie and Jordan attempted to make a life work - even if they didn't meet eye to eye, they were trying - in their own way.
It was well-written and gripping; I liked how detailed it was, how there was a fine balance between sarcasm and humor and still enough, good intentions and motives that indicate that people can make mistakes - even when their heart is in the right place. I appreciated how much the writing made you feel Rosie's plights and woes and sorrows and made me torn on whether or not I should empathize with her choices or sympathize with what comes her way - if it's justified or not. And that's something that I feel is a pretty impressive form of story-telling. 👌🏻👌🏻
“You know what, Rosie, we all contain multitudes, and we all get one life, and I’ve chosen to live mine with you. I don’t think that’s a curse. I’m actually pretty happy about it.”
Sometimes I felt that this was a satire on life - not so much the 'gay agenda' as cited in the blurb. In fact, some of the things that Dylan and Lark did - how they treated others and how the final plot was revealed - I liked the pair even lesser as the story continued. I don't know if that was the intention of the authors, but it just came off wrong for me. Rosie - undoubtedly and unwittingly - as much as she mistreated Jordan - she still ended up with the short side of the stick - in a marriage that was still devoid of the honesty that could have made their relationship much more promising and functional. And then, I'm left wondering - much like how the story ended - did she really learn anything or change anything about her? Or was this one notch in her life just an example that she's not meant for a wild life? 😔
*Thank you to Edelweiss for a DRC in exchange for an honest review.
“Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?”
It is this poignant verse from a Mary Oliver poem that propels Rosie, the protagonist of Trust and Safety to re-examine what it is exactly that she wants her life to be - leading her to make decisions that will make her take a deeper look into herself and who she wants and what she'll do in order to attain a semblance of happiness in her existence.
“I thought that maybe if I moved somewhere else—maybe I could find a different way to feel. Like if I had two seconds to think, without noise, maybe I could figure out what I’m good at.
Maybe I could understand myself, and make friends, and just be a different person.”
I started reading it Sunday afternoon after lunch, and I couldn't stop reading it. For life is messy with even messier people - Rosie is a prime example of that. She was a thirty-year-0ld newlywed, who had been living an almost purpose-less life as a New Yorker canvasser at Union Square during rush hour 'when people are their absolute worst, nastiest, rudest, most vile selves', till one day she gets so smitten with a beautiful historic house, she and her husband, Jordan, give up their entire life's savings to claim the house as their own, after a hardcore bidding war for its stead. She hopes that upon their move, she could somehow get closer to feeling better about herself, or a closer understanding to what she wants from life, when she meets an enigmatic and attractive couple that makes it even harder for her to determine what her place in life is.
And as frustrating as Rosie's motives and angles were - it was oddly riveting. She could be so selfish at times, and yet, I was so drawn to what she was trying to achieve and oftentimes, sympathetic to how insecure she felt about herself in this youthful beautiful couple. It was made even worse as she starts to spend time with them and envy their way of living - wanting that carefree approach to life that she's never felt - 'I’ve been feeling like I want your life would have been the honest statement.' 😢 It's her feeble attempt to live a different life - vicariously through this bold couple that embody the carefree spirit that she wishes she could have for her own - a way to figure out what it is she wants her life to mean that she allows her infatuation with their charm dictate her own life - even at her own harm.
“But you are perfect the way you are,” Jordan said. “You’re smart, and you’re beautiful, and—”
“And I have no one, Jordan. Not really.”
“You have me.”
I think Jordan also was treated badly from time to time; he went along with so many of Rosie's whims and desires, and even then, she failed to be honest with him about so many important things. It's not that I don't sympathize with her feelings, but at times, she took him for granted and then didn't exactly feel any remorse or guilt when she would be called out for it. I do agree that some of his opinions and thoughts were unwarranted and unjustified and rather questionable; he made me laughably squirm at his blatant disregard for others feelings, but he wasn't exactly always in the wrong either. If anything, both of them were the unfortunate victims of having Dylan and Lark as their tenants. 😐
The irony in the title is so fitting that the level of trust and safety is what Rosie clung on to and was oftentimes hurt because of it. She relied on her husband, Jordan, for sanctuary, but at times, didn't trust him enough with her innermost feelings. She was drawn to Dylan - charmed by her charisma and easy, breezy approach to life, but is it enough to guarantee trust and safety in life - for knowing someone for such a short period of time. 🥺 The exploration of these themes was a stark contrast between both relationships and at times, I was reeling at the reveals and the antics of the characters. It was disturbingly upsetting, yet absolutely gratifying reading. I don't know how else to explain it.
“This is our natural habitat. We own this house. We live here together. All of this belongs to us!”
“If anything, this house owns us,” Jordan said. “I just . . .”
“You just what?”
“I just wish you would admit that you want us to be more like them.”
The writing was very honest and real. The fact that I was so engaged with Rosie's narration and her blunders and fumbles and inner thoughts and desires is a clear indication of how much I was so involved with the happenings of the story - even though I didn't exactly enjoy the characters themselves. Yes, this is possible. 😥 The characters were flawed, but they didn't let their flaws define them. Rosie and Jordan attempted to make a life work - even if they didn't meet eye to eye, they were trying - in their own way.
It was well-written and gripping; I liked how detailed it was, how there was a fine balance between sarcasm and humor and still enough, good intentions and motives that indicate that people can make mistakes - even when their heart is in the right place. I appreciated how much the writing made you feel Rosie's plights and woes and sorrows and made me torn on whether or not I should empathize with her choices or sympathize with what comes her way - if it's justified or not. And that's something that I feel is a pretty impressive form of story-telling. 👌🏻👌🏻
“You know what, Rosie, we all contain multitudes, and we all get one life, and I’ve chosen to live mine with you. I don’t think that’s a curse. I’m actually pretty happy about it.”
Sometimes I felt that this was a satire on life - not so much the 'gay agenda' as cited in the blurb. In fact, some of the things that Dylan and Lark did - how they treated others and how the final plot was revealed - I liked the pair even lesser as the story continued. I don't know if that was the intention of the authors, but it just came off wrong for me. Rosie - undoubtedly and unwittingly - as much as she mistreated Jordan - she still ended up with the short side of the stick - in a marriage that was still devoid of the honesty that could have made their relationship much more promising and functional. And then, I'm left wondering - much like how the story ended - did she really learn anything or change anything about her? Or was this one notch in her life just an example that she's not meant for a wild life? 😔
*Thank you to Edelweiss for a DRC in exchange for an honest review.
December 17, 2024
I think I was hoping too much for a similar experience to The Very Nice Box. I've also realized a lot of books that other people think are hilarious satire I just find depressing. I liked some aspects of it, but mostly I found it an uncomfortable read about a badly matched couple and a main character who is very unsatisfied with her life but is confused about how to fix that.
March 19, 2024
2.5 stars
I...truly loathed these characters, and while I realize this is satire and that - to some degree - requires characters with terrible habits, personalities, etc., this was just too much for me. The humor I was promised in all of the blurbs? Well, it ended up being more cringe than LOL, unfortunately.
Readers meet Rosie and Jordan at their wedding, and they are already infuriating. Their meet cute is creepy, and their families are terrible. It could go up from here, but as readers get to know these two better, they get worse. After Jordan loses his job for good reason (and if I have to hear another reference to that word from another person who does not use it as an identifier, I will actually scream), these two end up in relative financial trouble (but not really) and are forced to have...renters! Now, it's time for Jordan and Rosie to inflict their performative allyship all over this tiny queer bastion. And just wait until you discover what else Jordan wants to inflict all over this community and others...
I appreciate the underlying messaging and the attempts to realize it, but so much about this novel rubbed me the wrong way and not in the "I'm uncomfortable because this is satirical" fashion I was hoping for or expecting. I'd give these authors another try, but I can't imagine the kind of reader I'd recommend this to out of concern that they'd also find it frustrating and at times bordering on offensive. Adding insult to injury, I don't need to visualize or hear about murdering chickens either. Yep. Not for me, unfortunately.
*Special thanks to NetGalley and Dutton for this widget, which I received in exchange for an honest review. The opinions expressed here are my own (and I wish, in this case, they had been higher)!
I...truly loathed these characters, and while I realize this is satire and that - to some degree - requires characters with terrible habits, personalities, etc., this was just too much for me. The humor I was promised in all of the blurbs? Well, it ended up being more cringe than LOL, unfortunately.
Readers meet Rosie and Jordan at their wedding, and they are already infuriating. Their meet cute is creepy, and their families are terrible. It could go up from here, but as readers get to know these two better, they get worse. After Jordan loses his job for good reason (and if I have to hear another reference to that word from another person who does not use it as an identifier, I will actually scream), these two end up in relative financial trouble (but not really) and are forced to have...renters! Now, it's time for Jordan and Rosie to inflict their performative allyship all over this tiny queer bastion. And just wait until you discover what else Jordan wants to inflict all over this community and others...
I appreciate the underlying messaging and the attempts to realize it, but so much about this novel rubbed me the wrong way and not in the "I'm uncomfortable because this is satirical" fashion I was hoping for or expecting. I'd give these authors another try, but I can't imagine the kind of reader I'd recommend this to out of concern that they'd also find it frustrating and at times bordering on offensive. Adding insult to injury, I don't need to visualize or hear about murdering chickens either. Yep. Not for me, unfortunately.
*Special thanks to NetGalley and Dutton for this widget, which I received in exchange for an honest review. The opinions expressed here are my own (and I wish, in this case, they had been higher)!
January 20, 2025
Laura Blackett and Eve Gleichman have done it again! I credit their debut novel, The Very Nice Box as being the book that got me into fiction. Prior to that, I was mostly a fantasy and romance girl, but The Very Nice Box changed my life!
Trust and Safety follows newly married couple, Rosie and Jordan. When Rosie gets sick of living in New York City, the newlyweds move up to Hudson Valley to start a whole new life. After a competitive sale, they end up spending 3/4ths of their savings just on the down payment. Luck is not on their side because soon after Jordan gets laid off from his tech job so to compensate for the lack of funds they decide to rent out a smaller fixer-upper house on their property. What they don't know is a queer couple, Dylan and Lark has the life Rosie has been desiring.
I loved this book but felt the ending to be unsatisfactory and I wasn't exactly sure how we got there. The buildup to the entire climax made me feel entirely different from the flat and open-ended ending.
(This title is set to release on May, 21st 2024! Thank you to Dutton for the advanced copy!)
Trust and Safety follows newly married couple, Rosie and Jordan. When Rosie gets sick of living in New York City, the newlyweds move up to Hudson Valley to start a whole new life. After a competitive sale, they end up spending 3/4ths of their savings just on the down payment. Luck is not on their side because soon after Jordan gets laid off from his tech job so to compensate for the lack of funds they decide to rent out a smaller fixer-upper house on their property. What they don't know is a queer couple, Dylan and Lark has the life Rosie has been desiring.
I loved this book but felt the ending to be unsatisfactory and I wasn't exactly sure how we got there. The buildup to the entire climax made me feel entirely different from the flat and open-ended ending.
(This title is set to release on May, 21st 2024! Thank you to Dutton for the advanced copy!)
December 2, 2023
Trust & Safety is distressingly brilliant, wickedly sly, and side-clutchingly hilarious and it really made me howl! The more unsettled I became by the story, the more I simply could not turn away. It's the best kind of storytelling - the type that forces you to contend with the characters' choices, then holds up a mirror so you're implicated in their foibles and bad decision-making, all while demanding that you turn the page because you simply must know how it ends. Tbh, what a brilliantly observed and witty take on the sometimes absurd ways we choose to live.
May 7, 2024
What a let-down of an ending! I know that life in the Hudson Valley was never going to be everything that Rosie had pictured, but it was so disappointing to see how quickly she gave up on her hopes and ideals and went back to being exactly the wife Jordan wanted and expected.
The characters in this book were interesting, and the development of Rosie's character, her identity and her dreams were one of the things that really drove the book forward, which is why it was such a shame to see the ending. It feels almost like the authors didn't know how to end the book, and so chose the easy option.
The book was well-written, and enjoyable, but the queer-baiting left a bad taste in my mouth.
The characters in this book were interesting, and the development of Rosie's character, her identity and her dreams were one of the things that really drove the book forward, which is why it was such a shame to see the ending. It feels almost like the authors didn't know how to end the book, and so chose the easy option.
The book was well-written, and enjoyable, but the queer-baiting left a bad taste in my mouth.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 13, 2024
Everybody in this novel is awful.
Rosie and Jordan are caricatures of a Caucasian Brooklyn couple; at the start, he’s a tech entrepreneur making big bucks. She’s an Instagram addict who works for a trans rights organization, thrusting pamphlets into the hands of uninterested subway riders. Despite this, she has never met a single transgender person. She must be working for one of those many all straight-for-trans-rights groups that people get paid to work 8 hours a day for.
The entire book is exactly this believable. The excuse is that it’s satire. But surely satire should be - clever? Pointed? Amusing? At least this one moves quickly.
For some reason, Rosie isn’t fulfilled by handing out fliers. If you counted the number of times Rosie “felt like a child” she would still be babyish and you would be very old. When she and Jordan are both suddenly out of work, they do what most couples in that situation do, and buy a 200 year old country house for well over 1M. Like everyone else I’ve never known and cannot imagine, they are so eager to have this particular property that they agree to completely forego any inspection, of any kind. AND GUESS WHAT. Ding ding, mucho problemos.
The storyline essentially boils down to these NYC millennials moving to quaint Hudson River town, leaving them broke, so they post an outbuilding on their property as a rental. A hippie lesbian couple take the place. Turns out, neither Rosie nor Jordan know how to use a screwdriver, whilst Dylan and Lark, their tenants, can turn an abandoned mud house into a functional, lovely Martha Stewart guest cottage in about 17 minutes, give or take.
It’s not quite as bad as that. There are scattered convincing scenes, and a few more that may not be believable, but are amusing. There’s an Alexa like device that interrupts endlessly, chirping things like, “Hey guys! Hungry? Want me to order your favorite wild grown Indonesian yam chips? I could also reorder some small to average sized prophylactics, just say the word!” (Okay, not a quote).
So the straight folx are dumbos, the queers are clever, and one sad little character is stuck in the middle, not knowing where they belong. The, uh, symbolism flows thick and heavy, a lesbian attraction leading to the gifting of a pot of honey, a request to be taught how to drive stick.
As things do, everything falls apart. The last quarter of this novel holds not one believable sentence. Despite the plot twist being pointed to under a glaring spotlight, I didn’t see it coming. I’d checked out by then and thought, okay, another Cis Men Suck moment, got it, though later wondered if the authors realized that Jordan would be the only one by the end to elicit some tiny drop of sympathy. Still, overall, the married straights are idiots, the polyamorous people are cool, but also thieving liars, and cruel to boot (although, speaking of boots, Dylan is a Lesbian Sex Goddess, much worshipped by the authors, who toss in mentions of her cedarwood, herbal, smoky, piney scent like an overzealous waiter with a pepper mill over a Caesar salad).
The telling is better than the story. Trust and Safety can be both entertaining and utterly dumb.
Rosie and Jordan are caricatures of a Caucasian Brooklyn couple; at the start, he’s a tech entrepreneur making big bucks. She’s an Instagram addict who works for a trans rights organization, thrusting pamphlets into the hands of uninterested subway riders. Despite this, she has never met a single transgender person. She must be working for one of those many all straight-for-trans-rights groups that people get paid to work 8 hours a day for.
The entire book is exactly this believable. The excuse is that it’s satire. But surely satire should be - clever? Pointed? Amusing? At least this one moves quickly.
For some reason, Rosie isn’t fulfilled by handing out fliers. If you counted the number of times Rosie “felt like a child” she would still be babyish and you would be very old. When she and Jordan are both suddenly out of work, they do what most couples in that situation do, and buy a 200 year old country house for well over 1M. Like everyone else I’ve never known and cannot imagine, they are so eager to have this particular property that they agree to completely forego any inspection, of any kind. AND GUESS WHAT. Ding ding, mucho problemos.
The storyline essentially boils down to these NYC millennials moving to quaint Hudson River town, leaving them broke, so they post an outbuilding on their property as a rental. A hippie lesbian couple take the place. Turns out, neither Rosie nor Jordan know how to use a screwdriver, whilst Dylan and Lark, their tenants, can turn an abandoned mud house into a functional, lovely Martha Stewart guest cottage in about 17 minutes, give or take.
It’s not quite as bad as that. There are scattered convincing scenes, and a few more that may not be believable, but are amusing. There’s an Alexa like device that interrupts endlessly, chirping things like, “Hey guys! Hungry? Want me to order your favorite wild grown Indonesian yam chips? I could also reorder some small to average sized prophylactics, just say the word!” (Okay, not a quote).
So the straight folx are dumbos, the queers are clever, and one sad little character is stuck in the middle, not knowing where they belong. The, uh, symbolism flows thick and heavy, a lesbian attraction leading to the gifting of a pot of honey, a request to be taught how to drive stick.
As things do, everything falls apart. The last quarter of this novel holds not one believable sentence. Despite the plot twist being pointed to under a glaring spotlight, I didn’t see it coming. I’d checked out by then and thought, okay, another Cis Men Suck moment, got it, though later wondered if the authors realized that Jordan would be the only one by the end to elicit some tiny drop of sympathy. Still, overall, the married straights are idiots, the polyamorous people are cool, but also thieving liars, and cruel to boot (although, speaking of boots, Dylan is a Lesbian Sex Goddess, much worshipped by the authors, who toss in mentions of her cedarwood, herbal, smoky, piney scent like an overzealous waiter with a pepper mill over a Caesar salad).
The telling is better than the story. Trust and Safety can be both entertaining and utterly dumb.
June 29, 2024
Trust & Safety, Laura Blackett and Eve Gleichman's sophomore novel, is a strange little book, and I still don't quite know what to make of it. The first third made me think this was going to be a tiresomely cringy story about an oblivious rich couple who move from a New York apartment to a fixer-upper in the Hudson Valley after the wife, Rosie, falls in love with the visions of a rural idyll she's seen on Instagram. The register is obviously satirical, but I wasn't sure what Blackett and Gleichman were trying to say with their over-the-top depiction of these ignorant people, who think of themselves as queer allies but make gaffes at every turn when they encounter actual lesbians and trans men, and don't get that 'butchering' a chicken might mean killing it. And that early vibe never goes away, but it's somehow transmuted into something sweeter and funnier. Against all odds, Rosie starts to become more likeable as she gets to know the queer couple, Dylan and Lark, who are renting an outbuilding on their new property. Dylan and Lark seem to have walked straight out of one of the Instagram stories Rosie adores: they eat breakfast at a table 'outfitted with indigo-dyed linens, matte porcelain plates, mismatched mugs, and a jar of wildflowers' and Lark keeps 'a tall wooden cabinet filled with amber jars and bags of dried herbs'. I really enjoyed Dylan's practicality and her mix of kindness and self-protection, and as she warmed to Rosie, I did too. A gentle twist near the end makes it clearer what this novel is all about, and that it's not as simple as bad Instagram versus actual reality. And while others have struggled with the ending, I thought Blackett and Gleichman struck the right balance between unrealistic utopia and total cynicism; there's a sense that change doesn't happen all at once, but the possibility is still there. By the end, Trust & Safety is quietly compelling. 3.5 stars.
I received a free proof copy of this novel from the publisher for review.
I received a free proof copy of this novel from the publisher for review.
January 2, 2024
hot & funny & sweet
March 21, 2025
Hugely enjoyable story about newlyweds Rosie and Jordan who decide to up sticks and put their all into renovating their new property. I loved the invention of the Family Friend and the moments it piped up with suggestions. Jordan and Noguchi’s ‘health’ start up was equally hilarious and you just know that someone somewhere has tried to market Swimmrs for real!
I enjoyed Jordan’s blundering behaviour, but found some tenderness in his beliefs which rounded him out well. You could feel some character growth with Rosie and I guess the moral is the grass isn’t always greener
I enjoyed Jordan’s blundering behaviour, but found some tenderness in his beliefs which rounded him out well. You could feel some character growth with Rosie and I guess the moral is the grass isn’t always greener
January 11, 2024
I tore through this book. After it was done, I missed the characters and felt a strong urge to follow them all on social media.
This book is extremely funny and wise about the constant push pull of authenticity vs influencer culture, and seeking a productive change to your life vs chasing an unproductive daydream.
I wanted to live in the alluring gay upstate world depicted, even as many plot twist (and there are a lot!) made me see its severe drawbacks. Totally vivid and immersive and thought-provoking book that I loved even more than Very Nice Box.
This book is extremely funny and wise about the constant push pull of authenticity vs influencer culture, and seeking a productive change to your life vs chasing an unproductive daydream.
I wanted to live in the alluring gay upstate world depicted, even as many plot twist (and there are a lot!) made me see its severe drawbacks. Totally vivid and immersive and thought-provoking book that I loved even more than Very Nice Box.
August 5, 2025
The plot and characters of this novel captivated me. I was obsessed. Really well-placed developments that surprised and enthralled me across the narrative. Funny and interesting. My only complaint is the ending, which I wish had actually slowed down a bit more--the sequence of events was exactly correct, but I wanted more time to appreciate what they mean to the main character.
4.5/5
4.5/5
May 27, 2024
extremely one-dimensional but more importantly EXTREMELY fun.
separately, why aren’t more novels written by two people?
separately, why aren’t more novels written by two people?
April 4, 2025
a ten outta tennnnn holy shit
February 16, 2025
Like watching tv (pejorative) the whole time I could not figure out if the whole thing was a joke but I think it wasn’t
October 30, 2025
3.5!! meredith lent this to me on tuesday and since then i have dreamt twice about not liking it and feeling really guilty about it. dunno what that’s about. read it today to alleviate my imagined guilt. luckily i really enjoyed it
September 18, 2024
JUSTICE FOR ROSIE
Ok so I loved this book. Like DEVOURED IT. I laughed. I cried. I screamed!
I was up all night after finishing it spinning out about Rosie and her queerness. I don’t know if the writers intended for this to be a tale of queer femininity, of femme bisexuality, but it was. And it’s ending… devastating. Why couldn’t Rosie end up in queer relationship? Obviously her and Dylan were doomed but this woman is QUEER. Maybe even a lesbian!
Rosie’s search for authenticity isn’t a search for the perfect Instagram life upstate. It is a search for herself. She isn’t happy with life in BK with Jordan, because it feels empty to her. Something is missing. Or maybe a lot is missing.
Rosie’s happiest time in her life was farming in the Alps with Zoe. What makes her happy? Being in nature, living off the land, farming, and having deep intense relationships with women that are emotional and sexually deep.
When her and Dylan have sex, she LOVES it. Yes Dylan’s turns out to be a fake avoidant fuxk boy, but so many of us femmes have entered dating women through a Dylan.
I pray for Rosie that her life as a mother gives her the depth she was searching for. It breaks my heart that she is with someone who “sees right past her” and that when she agreed to go off the pill “a door closed inside of her”
Jordan is obviously a kind, thoughtful man. He is EXACTLY the kind of man who queer women, femmes, bisexual people what have you date and end up with because “it’s easier”. He’s the kind of man someone who say is “the last man they’d ever date”. I get it Rosie! I’ve been there. But let me tell you what happens when you leave him. If you had left Jordan, I promise you would of found that authentic life you were searching for. In the woods, on a farm, baby on your hip, some hot butch with a secure attachment style chopping you wood with an axe.
Also one more part of this rant (because I’m a trauma therapist and literally can’t help myself) is that Rosie has a ton of attachment trauma, probably CPTSD from her mother who was “not a happy mother” and her father who abandoned her. I get that this book is satire and wasn’t supposed to go deep, but you wrote her this fuxked up childhood that has obviously left her with issues later in life (not fully expressing her authenticity, choosing the safe option like staying with Jordan, and being out of touch with who she really is)
Ok this book fuxked me up beyond words and I’m literally seeing my therapist this week for an extra session because of it. That’s all folks.
Ok so I loved this book. Like DEVOURED IT. I laughed. I cried. I screamed!
I was up all night after finishing it spinning out about Rosie and her queerness. I don’t know if the writers intended for this to be a tale of queer femininity, of femme bisexuality, but it was. And it’s ending… devastating. Why couldn’t Rosie end up in queer relationship? Obviously her and Dylan were doomed but this woman is QUEER. Maybe even a lesbian!
Rosie’s search for authenticity isn’t a search for the perfect Instagram life upstate. It is a search for herself. She isn’t happy with life in BK with Jordan, because it feels empty to her. Something is missing. Or maybe a lot is missing.
Rosie’s happiest time in her life was farming in the Alps with Zoe. What makes her happy? Being in nature, living off the land, farming, and having deep intense relationships with women that are emotional and sexually deep.
When her and Dylan have sex, she LOVES it. Yes Dylan’s turns out to be a fake avoidant fuxk boy, but so many of us femmes have entered dating women through a Dylan.
I pray for Rosie that her life as a mother gives her the depth she was searching for. It breaks my heart that she is with someone who “sees right past her” and that when she agreed to go off the pill “a door closed inside of her”
Jordan is obviously a kind, thoughtful man. He is EXACTLY the kind of man who queer women, femmes, bisexual people what have you date and end up with because “it’s easier”. He’s the kind of man someone who say is “the last man they’d ever date”. I get it Rosie! I’ve been there. But let me tell you what happens when you leave him. If you had left Jordan, I promise you would of found that authentic life you were searching for. In the woods, on a farm, baby on your hip, some hot butch with a secure attachment style chopping you wood with an axe.
Also one more part of this rant (because I’m a trauma therapist and literally can’t help myself) is that Rosie has a ton of attachment trauma, probably CPTSD from her mother who was “not a happy mother” and her father who abandoned her. I get that this book is satire and wasn’t supposed to go deep, but you wrote her this fuxked up childhood that has obviously left her with issues later in life (not fully expressing her authenticity, choosing the safe option like staying with Jordan, and being out of touch with who she really is)
Ok this book fuxked me up beyond words and I’m literally seeing my therapist this week for an extra session because of it. That’s all folks.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 2, 2024
This was so deeply not my taste. It’s satire about a techy rich NYC couple who move to Hudson Valley for a ~simpler life~ only to get ousted by a scheming polycule. Sometimes writing about people who are goofy, tiring, and ignorant is a fascinating and uncomfortable exploration into human nature— looking at you, Kiley Reid— and sometimes it makes you cringe so hard you might need a chiropractor. This book falls firmly in the second category.
May 25, 2024
Rosie and Jordan are newlyweds who upturn their lives and move to a cabin deep in the mountains after Rosie seeds an Instagram ad that makes her feel dissatisfied with everything in her life. Jordan loses his job and they end up having to live entirely in the very rundown cabin they spent way too much money on and forced to rent out a shed to a couple who end up making Rosie question everything about who she thought she was and what she wanted.
I had a really hard time deciding if I liked this book because it feels like no one is honest and even the people who seemed nice and trustworthy turn out to be big surprises, not to mention that . It's a bit of a study on false faces and wanting something more but not wanting to do the work or even fully acknowledging what it is you want.
I like the aspect of not really knowing what people are like and not projecting who we want them to be and then being surprised that they're nothing like we imagined. It's a neat story detail that I appreciate when done as expertly as in this book.
Unfortunately, I have issues with the main character, Rosie, and how she deals with things and her decisions, so that makes the story not as enjoyable as it could be. I saw the potential, but it turned out not to be for me.
Happy thanks to NetGalley and Dutton for the read!
I had a really hard time deciding if I liked this book because it feels like no one is honest and even the people who seemed nice and trustworthy turn out to be big surprises, not to mention that . It's a bit of a study on false faces and wanting something more but not wanting to do the work or even fully acknowledging what it is you want.
I like the aspect of not really knowing what people are like and not projecting who we want them to be and then being surprised that they're nothing like we imagined. It's a neat story detail that I appreciate when done as expertly as in this book.
Unfortunately, I have issues with the main character, Rosie, and how she deals with things and her decisions, so that makes the story not as enjoyable as it could be. I saw the potential, but it turned out not to be for me.
Happy thanks to NetGalley and Dutton for the read!
May 19, 2024
Thank you to netgalley and Dutton for a digital arc in exchange for an honest review.
I was reached out to with an arc of Trust and Safety and honestly, it took me a while to read it. I don't know why—I think the name made me think it was going to be more techie? I don't know, but I am so glad I finally picked it up. I think I ended up finishing it within a day or so?
When I started, I didn't realize it was a satire so I was grumbling along about how unlikable the characters were, but was intrigued (and stubborn) enough to keep on going. But once it clicked, I found myself enjoying how over-the-top and at times, painfully cringe the characters were. It was uncomfortable, but the kind of uncomfortable you grit your teeth and keep on reading through. The writing was straight-forward and sometimes almost basic; while I couldn't tell if it was for the story's sake or just their style, it did work in this instance.
There were plenty of twists so I don't want to give too much of the plot away, but as I mentioned, once I got invested, I flew through the novel. The ending was unsatisfying but, again, there's no way it could have ended to properly get the authors points across and be satisfying.
I can see this being a polarizing novel for folks, but I'm of the 'really enjoyed it' camp.
I was reached out to with an arc of Trust and Safety and honestly, it took me a while to read it. I don't know why—I think the name made me think it was going to be more techie? I don't know, but I am so glad I finally picked it up. I think I ended up finishing it within a day or so?
When I started, I didn't realize it was a satire so I was grumbling along about how unlikable the characters were, but was intrigued (and stubborn) enough to keep on going. But once it clicked, I found myself enjoying how over-the-top and at times, painfully cringe the characters were. It was uncomfortable, but the kind of uncomfortable you grit your teeth and keep on reading through. The writing was straight-forward and sometimes almost basic; while I couldn't tell if it was for the story's sake or just their style, it did work in this instance.
There were plenty of twists so I don't want to give too much of the plot away, but as I mentioned, once I got invested, I flew through the novel. The ending was unsatisfying but, again, there's no way it could have ended to properly get the authors points across and be satisfying.
I can see this being a polarizing novel for folks, but I'm of the 'really enjoyed it' camp.
June 30, 2024
Wist there was a 4,5 ⭐️ button. Really really surprised by how much I enjoyed this book. Such a good portrayal of how the countryside is romanticized and capitalized on by people on social media. The main character Rosie didn’t even really seem to know her own identity, only her desired ones that Instagram served to her.
The portrayal of different types of families and relationships, as well as motherhood was done well and showed the extremes people will go to to conform, or contradict the narratives shaped by society. Rosie’s claim to queerness in the rural romantic setting of the Catskills contrasted against her cisgender heteronormative views on relationships in other situations illustrated her lack of self.
The hypocrisy of these seemingly unflawed Instagrammable and cool characters that Rosie encounters makes the story even more complicated. Is there even such a thing as being truly ‘present in the moment’ when there is an amazing view you’d love to post on your story? Can you participate on the apps and see yourself as completely seperate from the persona you have carefully curated online?
In the end this book seems to make the point that you have to be happy with your own identity before you can project it outwards to other, through motherhood, social media or in relationships.
(For the Dutch readers, the satire in this was kind of similar to de Havermelkelite)
The portrayal of different types of families and relationships, as well as motherhood was done well and showed the extremes people will go to to conform, or contradict the narratives shaped by society. Rosie’s claim to queerness in the rural romantic setting of the Catskills contrasted against her cisgender heteronormative views on relationships in other situations illustrated her lack of self.
The hypocrisy of these seemingly unflawed Instagrammable and cool characters that Rosie encounters makes the story even more complicated. Is there even such a thing as being truly ‘present in the moment’ when there is an amazing view you’d love to post on your story? Can you participate on the apps and see yourself as completely seperate from the persona you have carefully curated online?
In the end this book seems to make the point that you have to be happy with your own identity before you can project it outwards to other, through motherhood, social media or in relationships.
(For the Dutch readers, the satire in this was kind of similar to de Havermelkelite)
July 2, 2025
The more I sit with this book after finishing it the more I like it. At first I was disappointed by the plot twist but now it’s making more sense. I really loved that one scene where the characters are all at the dinner table and chaos ensues in the form of passive agressive comments about people’s livelihood and how life is “supposed” to be. I enjoy the irony of everyone essentially being full of shit in the end.
January 17, 2024
This book has incredible reviews and is rated extremely high on Goodreads. With that being said this one is not for me. It’s well written but I could not connect with a single character. It seems as if I’m in the minority with this one though!
Huge thank you to Dutton and netgalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
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Huge thank you to Dutton and netgalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
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January 20, 2025
it’s amazing how much i disliked the majority / if not all of the characters in both this book and the authors’ other book, yet i was still totally enthralled and impressed by both - maybe that’s part of what makes both books so special - there’s no one with a singular defining feature, both the gays and the straights are very all messy / layered
September 9, 2024
I think I get it.
December 5, 2024
This is more of a 4.5 rounded up but holy shit every single one of these characters is completely insane
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