You'll Never Believe Me

A Life of Lies, Second Tries, and Things I Should Only Tell My Therapist

De: Kari Ferrell

Narrado por: Kari Ferrell

This program is read by the author.

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 listeners 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.

A Macmillan Audio production from St. Martin’s Press.

©2025 Kari Ferrell (P)2025 Macmillan Audio

Reseñas de la Crítica

“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

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

Very interested and perfect the way she didn’t do too long in one area

I liked it. It was fast moving. And she didn’t stay very long at each segment.

a riveting, scatterbrained tale

Kari is a captivating storyteller, excellent writer, and engaging narrator. Had she passed me a note in a Williamsburg bar, I'd probably be missing my watch right now.

If you're wondering if you should get the book, you probably should. But while the experience of listening to Ms. Grifter's (mis) adventures was enjoyable, I also found her story scatterbrained, and this book is probably published 10 years too early. Kari earnestly describes her upbringing and challenges as an adoptee, a member of the Mormon church, and a young girl. She touches on a lot of relatable and interesting topics, although it's not clear how these transition into her misdeeds in early adulthood.

And once the grifting begins, there's no stopping the runaway train. While Kari openly acknowledges her need for attention, and that her actions were wrong and hurtful, she continues to circle back on her challenges as a Korean American and an ex-Mormon.

A lot of topics are raised, and a lot of important details are skipped over. For example, the book largely avoids any mention of how Kari's court case played out, how long she was sentenced for, or why she was released. The book touches on body issues, racism, and harassment, but never quite ties them together.

Instead, Ms. Farrell continues to lament her worsening circumstances, and lash out about all the microagressions (and often blatant racism) she's receiving, while showing little remorse for her lies, beyond "oh, I was so broken."

The book concludes with (spoiler alert!) a visit it to her homeland, where Kari finally feels whole. But so many questions remain unanswered -- why did she do it, what did she learn, does she feel any genuine remorse?

That said, it was a wonderfully narrated, wonderfully written ride. A minor gripe is that there were bits of audio inserted multiple times throughout the book that had a clearly different tone and sound quality.

Get the book, enjoy the ride! Just don't expect it to go too deep.

I believe you!

Honest, redemptive, funny, instructive . A great story with elements of growth through self understanding and tribulation. Plus the author is a fantastic wordsmith .

Crazy life - profound personal growth

Makes you cringe places as she enjoys - well told vivid story that is fun and a valuable lesson in showing how to change - she is bright and has some very astute and sad observations of women incarcerated in our society. She sort of starts and ends with the question of why did I do it and seemed simple to me - she was trying to survive - she met someone whom she loved and loved her back and she had the power to embrace her past and her future - loved it!

Painful but honest

Interesting story but I am not sure why she didn’t get help earlier in her life.
Also, I wish editors would drop about 50% of the “fu**” words. And this from someone who uses the word! Too many and they don’t have any impact other than being crass.

Surprisingly great writer

Like Cat Marnell and Julia Fox before her, Kari Ferrell, crammed a whole lot of living into her younger years and, despite everything stacked against her, not only survived to tell about it, but used her pain to propel her forward. Interesting book that’s very well written and narrated. I hope WB or some other studio resurrects her pitch and that we get to see her (and her story) played out on the small (or big) screen at some point.

The real is real

The authenticity in this storytelling fueled me. I have lived a life that has taken me down the scenic route of life and hearing her tell her story with complete honesty makes this an amazing experience.

That was going to be my title!

I always swore that if I ever wrote a memoir, I’d call it “You’ll Never Believe Me.” Kari Ferrell won the title fair and square— it’s an incredible story— absolutely worth buying!

Rip off artist does jail time

It’s difficult to root for this girl who for most of the book, describes how she lies and steals from friends and strangers for years without gaining much insight about her behavior.