You'll Never Believe Me: A Life of Lies, Second Tries, and Things I Should Only Tell My Therapist

Kari Ferrell

Book cover for You'll Never Believe Me: A Life of Lies, Second Tries, and Things I Should Only Tell My Therapist
Book cover for You'll Never Believe Me: A Life of Lies, Second Tries, and Things I Should Only Tell My Therapist

You'll Never Believe Me: A Life of Lies, Second Tries, and Things I Should Only Tell My Therapist

You'll Never Believe Me: A Life of Lies, Second Tries, and Things I Should Only Tell My Therapist

Kari Ferrell

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Description

"A captivating, sharp and very funny memoir." --New York Times Book Review

The compelling, edgy, compassionate, laugh-out-loud memoir from Kari Ferrell, formerly known as the "Hipster Grifter"

Before Anna Delvey, before the Tinder Swindler, there was Kari Ferrell. Adopted at a young age by a Mormon family in Utah, Kari struggled with questions of self-worth and identity as one of the few Asian Americans in her insulated community, leading her to run with the "bad crowd" in an effort to fit in. Soon, stealing from superstores turned into picking up men (and picking their pockets), and before she knew it, Kari had graduated from petty theft to Utah's most wanted list. Though Kari was able to escape the Southwest, she couldn't outrun her new moniker: the Hipster Grifter.

New York City's indie sleaze scene had found its newest celebrity--just as Kari found herself in a heap of trouble. Jail time, riots, bad checks, and an explosion of internet infamy and fetishization put her name in the spotlight. Beyond the gossip and Gawker posts, there's a side to Kari the media never saw--until now.

By turns rollicking and irreverent, warm and compassionate, You'll Never Believe Me tells Kari's story for the first time. A heartfelt narrative of redemption and reconciliation as Kari eventually dedicates her life to activism, social justice, and setting the record straight, this memoir introduces a fresh, hilarious new voice to the literary stage and offers readers a nostalgic, uplifting, and at times unbelievable book that grapples with truth, why we lie, and what it means when our pasts don't paint the whole picture.

About the Author

KARI FERRELL is a producer, writer, speaker, activist, and creator. Her work is centered around incarceration and the justice system, mental health, human rights, and other issues she feels passionately about. Kari's production company, Without Wax, is dedicated to uplifting and telling stories from Women of Color across a variety of mediums. She enjoys the work she does with Second Chance Studios, Books Through Bars, the American Civil Liberties Union, and other groups that are working toward liberation for all. When she's not doing the above, she enjoys spending time with her partner and rescue pup, solving crossword puzzles, eating, boxing (to counteract the eating), getting stoned, and writing about herself in the third person.

Critical Reviews

A New York Times Editor's Choice for "Six New Books We Recommend"
A Goodreads pick for "Most Anticipated Books of 2025"
Named one of New York Post's "Best New Books to Read"
Named one of Lit Hub's "Most Anticipated Books of 2025"
One of The Everygirl's picks for their "Most Anticipated Books of 2025"
One of the "Best January 2025 Releases" --Women.com
A Paste "Most Anticipated Nonfiction Books and Memoirs of 2025" pick

"Kari Ferrell's memoir is a zippy, intimate account of low-level trickery before the era of scams fully erupted." --The Atlantic

"Disarmingly insightful, entertaining." --TIME

"Generous and ambitious. It's also more evidence that she really is very charming, and that even after a gauntlet of traumas and humiliations (ones inflicted by herself and others), her biting humor survives. Her ultimate redemption is the memoir itself -- proof that the story of her life is good and big enough to belong in a book, not on a cocktail napkin. I got my copy for free, but I'd gladly open my wallet for her." --New York Times Book Review

"Raw and riveting. With a combination of bruising vulnerability and self-deprecating humor, Ferrell's audacious coming-of-age tale pairs the thrill of true crime with the redemptive arc of a good memoir. It's a deliciously edgy testament to reinvention." --Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"'A bad girl makes good' memoir with some sharp insights." --Booklist

"A captivating, sharp, and very funny memoir." --The Salt Lake Tribune

"Emphatically audacious, hysterical, and compelling. This is a crazy and beautiful story. Kari Ferrell writes with such heart, and she's so funny and charismatic. You can't help but root for her. Read this book!" --Cat Marnell, New York Times bestselling author of How To Murder Your Life

"You'll Never Believe Me is honest, vulnerable, raw, and a powerful and surprising story, deftly told. Kari Ferrell's firsthand account of the truth behind the headlines, the memes, and the viral sensation is a gripping and important read--and a mirror." --Mary Pilon, New York Times bestselling author of The Monopolists

"Kari is unafraid to explore both the pain and the humor in her wild tale, proving yet again that the hardest, but most important truth we will ever tell is the one about ourselves. "--Chelsea Devantez, author of I Shouldn't Be Telling You This and host of Glamorous Trash podcast

"I read this book in one day. You'll Never Believe Me is a darkly funny and engrossing coming-of-age story that takes place at the intersection of the American Dream and American Apparel. Ferrell is so charming that even as her hero's journey takes her through the bad and the ugly, you can't stop rooting for her to get to the good." --Lina Abascal, author of Never Be Alone Again

"A shock-a-minute wild ride through the annals of the indie sleaze era. Ferrell's search for identity in a landscape made unnavigable by the cumulative effects of religious dogma, bigotry, and institutionalization is fascinating and scorchingly honest. It's also wickedly funny." --Kate Flannery, author of Strip Tees

Publishing Information

Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Pub date: 2025-01-07
Length: 288 pages

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