Trust and Safety

A Novel

By: Laura Blackett, Eve Gleichman

Narrated by: Mia Hutchinson-Shaw

“Distressingly smart, wickedly sly, and side-clutchingly hilarious.”—Vanessa Chan, author of The Storm We Made

“If you want a book that perfectly evokes millennial sexual politics under late-stage capitalism, and in which all of us—gay, straight, cis, and trans alike—are read for absolute filth, then look no further than Trust and Safety.”—Rafael Frumkin, author of Confidence and Bugsy

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 Lark: 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 herself: 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.”

©2024 Laura Blackett and Eve Gleichman (P)2024 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

“Sexy, surprising, witty and beautifully written—Trust and Safety is a complete delight from start to finish.”—Andrea Bartz, New York Times bestselling author of The Spare Room and We Were Never Here

“Irresistibly hilarious and weird, sexy and surprising, and gently profound, Trust & Safety delighted me at every turn and delivered razor-sharp insights into our contemporary search for authenticity, beauty, and the perfect vintage doorknob.”—Jenny Fran Davis, author of Dykette

“Sharp, hilarious, and thought-provoking, Trust & Safety is about the aspirations, absurdities, and longings of contemporary life—a story that will make you question your own life choices when you're not lingering over each pitch-perfect line or racing to find out what happens next.”—Jane Pek, author of The Verifiers

Great story, terrible narrator

Funny and entertaining story ruined by awful narration. She speaks so slowly, but speeding up the playback gives the speaker an unnatural cadence. So I may not be able to stick this one out to the end.