“She Can’t Trust the Law. She Can’t Trust Her Husband. Worst of All – She Can’t Trust Herself.
Natalie has spent ten years trying to get over the twin set of events which changed her life forever.
The first: the moment her boss assaulted her. The second: the moment the jury declared him innocent – and her, a liar.
The memories continue to haunt Natalie, and in her attempts to block out the past, she often wakes up with no recollection of where she’s been – or what she’s done.
So when her husband, Ryan, gets accused of the same crime, Natalie comes perilously close to the edge.
Natalie wants to believe him. But when the body of the young woman who made the accusation is found in the woods near their house, Ryan becomes a prime suspect, and Natalie realises she can’t trust anyone – herself included…”
Hello and welcome to damppebbles. Today I am delighted to share my review of Believe by S.M. Govett. Believe was published by Penguin Michael Joseph on 19th June 2025 and is available in hardcover, audio and digital formats with the paperback to follow. I chose to read a free eARC of Believe but that has in no way influenced my review.
Natalie Campbell’s life changed forever the night her boss raped her. The court found him not guilty, branding Natalie a liar. Now Natalie is haunted by the past. Her relationship with her husband, Ryan, has irreparably changed, and she suffers from PTSD. Losing moments of time throughout the day, waking in strange places unaware of how she got there and what she’s been doing. So when Ryan is accused of raping a young woman he works with, Natalie struggles to come to terms with the fact her loyal, loving husband is the same as her ex-boss. She’s torn in two. She wants to believe the young woman – after all, no one believed her – but she can’t fathom why Ryan would betray her in such a painful way like this. Then the woman who accused Ryan of rape is found dead in the local woods. Ryan is the clear prime suspect, the evidence against him is irrefutable, but there are moments of that day that Natalie, due to her PTSD, just can’t account for. Who is telling the truth? Can Natalie trust anyone, herself included…?
Believe is a twisty, unexpected read full of perfectly plotted red herrings which will keep psychological thriller fans turning the pages late into the night. You think you know what’s going on. You really don’t. You think you’ve read this book before. You haven’t. I was blown away by the twists and turns. Such a clever story! Alongside Natalie’s POV, we also get to see the investigation from DI Helen Stratton’s point of view. I loved Helen. She was my favourite character in the book. Driven and determined with no *h!ts given. Stratton has her own cross to bear following the disappearance of her sister when they were younger. She’s treated with kid gloves by her colleagues, and her superior officer (who she had a short affair with) has a tendency to give her the less demanding investigations, particularly around the anniversary of Karen’s disappearance. Stratton wants something juicy to get her teeth into though, which is why she insists on taking on Ryan’s case. But can she handle the pressure? To add to her workload, she’s given the ‘new guy’ who has recently transferred in from another local nick to work with. Can Stratton and Bradley figure out the truth amongst the myriad of half-truths, uncertainty and lies presented to them?
If you’re a fan of the unreliable narrator then this is the book for you. Natalie has regular bouts of dissociative amnesia due to her horrific experience ten years earlier. Meaning she wakes up with no knowledge of what she’s been up to, how she got to where she is and what she’s done in that time. The reader is completely unaware of what Natalie has done as well, meaning you can’t help but question her and her actions. The author handles the doubt brilliantly, making you ask questions, and allowing you to jump to your own conclusions.
Would I recommend this book? I would, yes. Believe is a highly intriguing, utterly compelling tale where you think you know what’s going on, but you probably don’t. I actually told my husband my prediction for how this book would end (with an *I’ve got this all figured out* sigh). He checked in with me after I’d finished it and I couldn’t meet his eye! I got it THAT wrong. I did enjoy the twist, I thought the author wrote it beautifully. The entire book though is brilliantly written and I’m excited to see what the author has in store for us next. I thought the characters were excellent and elicited opposite emotions in the reader. Stratton I really warmed too. But despite feeling a lot of sympathy for Natalie, I struggled to like her, finding her a little too flaky (also read = unreliable) a lot of the time. The plot moves at a swift pace keeping the reader engaged. There’s always something happening: a development in the case, Natalie having an episode which brings a lot of doubt to proceedings. It really doesn’t let up, drawing the reader in. All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed Believe from start to finish. Great characterisation, a sharp, snappy plot, and I truly loved how the author toys with her readers throughout. Tense, intriguing and nigh on impossible to put down. Recommended.
I chose to read and review a free eARC of Believe. The above review is my own unbiased opinion.
Believe by S.M. Govett was published in the UK by Penguin Michael Joseph on 19th June 2025 and is available in hardcover, audio and digital formats with the paperback to follow (please note, the following links are affiliate links which means I receive a small percentage of the purchase price at no extra cost to you): | amazon.co.uk | Waterstones | bookshop.org | Goodreads | damppebbles bookshop.org shop | damppebbles amazon.co.uk shop | damppebbles amazon.com shop |
S.M. Govett graduated from Oxford University with a First in Law. She qualified as a solicitor in a top London law firm but soon grew disenchanted with the corporate world. She set up her own tutoring agency which gave her the idea for her first YA novel The Territory. The Territory won the TSBA in 2018 and the Gateshead Teen Book Award and the trilogy still frequently tops the most borrowed books lists in British school libraries. She has written other Young Adult novels, including the TSBA-shortlisted We Go On Forever and co-wrote the feature film – T.I.M. – a thriller which premiered on Netflix UK in August 2023, reaching number one in their most watched films list. She lives in London with her husband and three children.
