Julep Dupree is a lot of things, but one thing she isn't is okay.
Dealing with the emotional aftermath of the death of someone close to her is proving difficult, especially for someone who isn't supposed to care. And worse, Sam Seward, her BFF and hacker--the one person she could always rely on--has abandoned her for (of all things) military school. Then a friend of a friend hires Julep's team to stop a cadre of cyber bullies, forcing Julep to run an impossible con. Nothing Julep has been through could have prepared her for the truth behind the bullying, or for the demons she'll have to face to save her friends.
Meanwhile, grifters can't have all the fun.
Sam Seward is a hacker, not a con artist. And after the events that landed him in a military school, he's more than happy to leave the grifting to the expert he left back in Chicago. But when a classmate begs him to help her retrieve something one of the school teachers stole from her, Sam's staunch belief in justice won't let him turn her down. He forms a new crew and plots a heist of his own, but he's not Julep, and something about this case just smells wrong. Will he be able to pull off a con that even Julep would never attempt?
For fans of teen detectives, crime thrillers, suspense, and heists with a badass heroine and a slow-burn LGBTQ+ romance, this series checks all the boxes.
Praise for
Trust Me, I'm Lying
"Summer creates a standout character in Julep. She lies and cheats with so much confidence and skill that readers will cheer her on, but she also adheres to her own strict moral code. . . . A memorable debut; here's hoping for a lot more from Summer." -
Kirkus Reviews
"Entertaining."-
Publishers Weekly
"Well-paced, well-plotted."-
The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books