What do you think?
Rate this book
Trust Me
Liar. Bad mother. Murderer? You decide…Ex-journalist Mercer Hennessey can’t think of a good reason to get up in the morning. Since losing her husband and her little girl in a car crash, she’s living in what she secretly calls the darkness. But when her editor asked her to write an instant true crime book on the murder trial of Ashlyn Bryant, Mercer finds a new purpose.On trial for the murder of her baby, Ashlyn is currently the most hated person in America. If Mercer can write the story of her conviction, she might just have a bestseller on her hands, as well as achieving justice for a little girl.And Ashlyn is so obviously the villain of the a party girl, man-crazy, ambitious and unrepentant. She’s clearly never been a good mother. But is she a killer…?“Ryan raises the bar sky-high - I knew she was good, but I had no idea she was this good.” Lee Child
Kindle Edition
Published December 1, 2018
8 people are currently reading
80 people want to read
About the author
Anna Ryan
21 booksLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
October 10, 2019
Really wish I could do half stars. 3 don't feel quite right somehow?!
A friend gave me this to read as she was so confused about the ending she couldn't work out if she had maybe missed a couple of pages, misunderstood it or whether it was simply written in a way that she couldn't make head nor tail of.
So she asked me to read it and see what I made of it and then explain how it ended in a way she could make sense of.
I only took 3 days to read it.
First time I picked it up I read 12 chapters. At the next point I was on chapter 48. Last night I got to chapter 57 before falling asleep and then this morning I finished the book.
At first I found it to be a gripping page turner. I like the short chapters, I find I fly through books when the chapters are 2/3/4 pages long.
This was the same, caught my attention from the start and within pages I found myself thinking 'just one more chapter....'
There was an obvious plot line to assume and I'm glad it didn't follow that too much.
A few things about the story were common threads approached in a completely new way which gave the story a good ground.
However I found myself getting very frustrated with the lack of progress towards the end of the second part.
They have 2 weeks of living under the same roof to write a book together and yet the days pass and nothing is said.
I actually found myself getting anxious about meeting the deadline for the book. 📖😂😂😂
Without putting any spoilers in this review I will say only this about the ending: absolute let down. Rushed, careless, too many loose ends (which is ironic considering that at one point in the book mercer says words along the lines of "I have to be careful changing the storyline, fiction leaves the opportunity for too many loose ends and unanswered questions that won't get past many readers")
Unanswered questions, unexplained situations with apparently even more questions.
Its almost like someone found a manuscript 95% finished and the original author has since passed away so they thought "this book is really good, such a shame its not finished, I know, I will finish it for them."
They then scrambled an ending together.
Either that or they mixed up 2 books and confused the last few chapters with that of another story and ended up with a mash up of a book.
There are no answers in the conclusion, only more questions. Not in a good, captivating, gripping way either. More of a 'someone screwed up or got bored with the last 5/6 chapters'
It might be worth a read if you are stuck on a long train journey. Or if you are locked up with limited access to books. However I wouldn't suggest buying it. Not even from a charity shop. Save your money.
Shame as it was a good 5 stars for the first 40% or so. Then dropped to 3.5 stars until I got to the ending. For that I would give half a star only. So it's only reasonable for me to be giving an overall score of 3 out of 5 stars.
A friend gave me this to read as she was so confused about the ending she couldn't work out if she had maybe missed a couple of pages, misunderstood it or whether it was simply written in a way that she couldn't make head nor tail of.
So she asked me to read it and see what I made of it and then explain how it ended in a way she could make sense of.
I only took 3 days to read it.
First time I picked it up I read 12 chapters. At the next point I was on chapter 48. Last night I got to chapter 57 before falling asleep and then this morning I finished the book.
At first I found it to be a gripping page turner. I like the short chapters, I find I fly through books when the chapters are 2/3/4 pages long.
This was the same, caught my attention from the start and within pages I found myself thinking 'just one more chapter....'
There was an obvious plot line to assume and I'm glad it didn't follow that too much.
A few things about the story were common threads approached in a completely new way which gave the story a good ground.
However I found myself getting very frustrated with the lack of progress towards the end of the second part.
They have 2 weeks of living under the same roof to write a book together and yet the days pass and nothing is said.
I actually found myself getting anxious about meeting the deadline for the book. 📖😂😂😂
Without putting any spoilers in this review I will say only this about the ending: absolute let down. Rushed, careless, too many loose ends (which is ironic considering that at one point in the book mercer says words along the lines of "I have to be careful changing the storyline, fiction leaves the opportunity for too many loose ends and unanswered questions that won't get past many readers")
Unanswered questions, unexplained situations with apparently even more questions.
Its almost like someone found a manuscript 95% finished and the original author has since passed away so they thought "this book is really good, such a shame its not finished, I know, I will finish it for them."
They then scrambled an ending together.
Either that or they mixed up 2 books and confused the last few chapters with that of another story and ended up with a mash up of a book.
There are no answers in the conclusion, only more questions. Not in a good, captivating, gripping way either. More of a 'someone screwed up or got bored with the last 5/6 chapters'
It might be worth a read if you are stuck on a long train journey. Or if you are locked up with limited access to books. However I wouldn't suggest buying it. Not even from a charity shop. Save your money.
Shame as it was a good 5 stars for the first 40% or so. Then dropped to 3.5 stars until I got to the ending. For that I would give half a star only. So it's only reasonable for me to be giving an overall score of 3 out of 5 stars.
February 22, 2021
The only reason I gave this 2 stars is because I loved part one. I finished it in one day. Part 2 just seemed so slow and unbelievable. I actually could not finish this book and skimmed all the way till the end just to find out how this book ends. I was disappointed.
June 22, 2020
I struggled between giving this 2 or 3 stars. I started off not sure about the book, as I read on I enjoyed it more and more. I spent a lot of time wondering if this scenario or that was correct and looked forward to finding out the outcome. As it got closer to the end I couldn't wait to finish so I would finally know the truth about what happened. When I got to the end of the book the main questions I had been asking were not answered, it felt like there was a lot of loose ends and I feel let down I will never know what happened. I have to say the book is very cleverly written and kept me wondering a lot. If there was a sequel to tie up all the ends I would definitely read it and change my rating for this book but as a stand alone book I found it a disappointing and unsatisfactory ending.
October 19, 2023
Reminiscent of the Casey Anthony case, Ashlyn Bryant is about to go on trial for the murder of her daughter but she swears she is innocent.
This had all the makings to be excellent and starts well. Narrated by Mercer, a journalist writing a book on the case, It really pulls you in.
Unfortunately midway through I started getting a little bored. There is a LOT of waffle and a good 100 pages go by with nothing really happening. I actually found myself skimming a fair amount in the latter two parts just to get to the end.
The ending feels rushed and lacklustre. So all in all I wouldn’t recommend.
This had all the makings to be excellent and starts well. Narrated by Mercer, a journalist writing a book on the case, It really pulls you in.
Unfortunately midway through I started getting a little bored. There is a LOT of waffle and a good 100 pages go by with nothing really happening. I actually found myself skimming a fair amount in the latter two parts just to get to the end.
The ending feels rushed and lacklustre. So all in all I wouldn’t recommend.
November 29, 2022
It keeps you thinking all the time. How could she do it and convince herself she hasn't. Wanting to get the true story out of Ashlyn Mercer is becoming entangled in a web of stories that she increasingly can't tell truth from fiction. Mercer has put herself in a precariously dangerous position by having Ashlyn staying at her home to write a version of Ashlyn that the public will accept.
Mercer whose child died in a accident wants justice for Ashlyn's child who is tragically found dead. The two stories of life and death keep the interest in this book going.
Mercer whose child died in a accident wants justice for Ashlyn's child who is tragically found dead. The two stories of life and death keep the interest in this book going.
March 5, 2020
Didnt bother to finish it. Part 1 was good, drew me in, part 2 was not as good, I lost interest but part 3 was just a quagmire of stupid scenarios and theories. I had little investment in the characters so when I read a spoiler and found out the ending was thoroughly disappointing I just binned it. Shame. Cant give away the spoiler but other reviews have.
August 23, 2020
A book that starts off punchy and exciting, dealing with themes of guilt and loss, loses all moment towards the last quarter of the book, which almost feels stuck in the mud, such a shame as the opening 70% or so is a fantastic read.
July 14, 2023
It was a very readable book and I found part 1 good. The feelings Mercer had while covering an interesting trial and her own grief at losing her husband and child in an accident. It made sense and it felt human.
Sadly, it went downhill from the minute you read "Part 2".
Sadly, it went downhill from the minute you read "Part 2".
June 26, 2020
I wish I had never read others reviews of this book as it clouded my opinion before I even started. I loved this book, it is written incredibly well, I will say no more!
January 18, 2022
Great book and plot but poor and disappointing ending
April 26, 2022
Thrilling
September 2, 2023
Talk about a rollercoaster!
I hated this book! I loved this book! At times, I wanted to toss it. Then, I couldn’t put it down! Wow! A superb piece of writing!
I hated this book! I loved this book! At times, I wanted to toss it. Then, I couldn’t put it down! Wow! A superb piece of writing!
January 13, 2024
Never ending nonsense. One of the main characters is a pathological liar so you nonsense for chapters then a poor end. Unless you’ve a lot of time on your hands , don’t bother reading this
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 19, 2025
A really interesting idea for a book but a confusing and disappointing ending
May 6, 2025
not really for me, took a long time to finish 😪
April 23, 2020
This is one of the most frustrating books I've ever read. Honestly...so repetitive and waffly and by god the characters were exhausting. No real resolution in the end and I found myself just wanting to get it done.
The one good thing it did was represent what a narcissistic psychopath thinks like, their train of thought and how they compulsively lie.
But no. Just not for me I'm afraid.
The one good thing it did was represent what a narcissistic psychopath thinks like, their train of thought and how they compulsively lie.
But no. Just not for me I'm afraid.
April 11, 2022
The only book I have ever found with my name in it, spelt correctly.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews