Sooo disappointing... I thought it would be a great thriller to spend a day with, but this is some kind of SF stuff mixed with the small-town stories.

I read the description carefully and at the beginning everything was fine. Just an intro, get to know the characters, the background, but then I realized that this definitely going weirdly... From the promising story to book full of absurd and paranormal activity.

I have to say no to this. Boring, ridiculous and final is divorced from the reality.

Publications date 25th Nov 2021. Thank you to netgalley, CM Harris and harper Collins publishers for the ARC of she never inexchange for my fair and honest opinions.

Jane and TJ are cousins and best friends, they haven't returned to their home town since they left. The town has bad memories for them Evie their friend went missing and Jane has a Stalker Lincoln. With their careers on the balance they have to return home for TJs book. Will them returning home help or are they in danger?


Let me start this by saying WOAH, I had no idea what to expect and I got far more than I bargained for. This is one of those books I think will be popular! There was so much involved where do I begin. Our lead protagonist is Jane the book is mostly told in her POV and it reads so well, it reads as if someone is telling you their story and I found I was obsessed, struggled to put it down. Jane to begin with seems quite put together but when you find out about her Stalker so many questions came to fruition.
Lincoln tells part of the story in his POV he was super creepy and the chapters occasionally made me feel uncomfortable which I think is a talent in itself.

We are introduced to several characters throughout the novel from present day to when Jane and TJ are teens. As the book progresses we get to learn more about their lives and this really shapes the characters and provide them with depth. The relationship between Jane and TJ is written so well and I found I could feel the love between them. The die hard loyalty was great to read, even at a detriment to them both at times. The relationship between Lincoln and Jane is super interesting, if you had a Stalker for ten years would you have done nothing about it? I don't know I found it fascinating to read it play out.

The pull for their return is two gold TJ is writing a book based on their experience as children one of which was taking magic mushrooms. Secondarily they are returning to their high school reunion this is how we are introduced to the other important characters.

Honestly you need an open mind reading this book, there's a bit of fantasy in the book and I was do thrown by it to begin with once you get into the story though you will quickly get used to it. The concentration around the Thicket is key to the story its where it all began.

Would I recommend this book?
200x yes I absolutely loved it. I re read the final chapters 3 times and I'm still full of questions. This is one of those books you wonder where it's going and finish it and I still didn't know although I had an incline early on I cannot tell you if I was right still the book was amazing and its left me questioning everything! Strongly recommend 5 stars 🌟

After reading the blurb I was intrigued and could not wait to read this book. Where was the spine tingling tension and suspense I was promised. I really struggled to finish it. Maybe it is my age and it would be suited to younger reader. Saying that I am sure other readers will enjoy it more just not for me.
Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in return for giving an honest review.

She never left was not what I expected , it was less of a thriller and more in the science fiction genre.
Jane and TJ are cousins , TJ is an author and Jane her agent, they return to their home town of Ketchum for a school reunion and that’s when things begin to take a downward spiral. Both in the story line and for the characters.
The writing was of a decent calibre , but this genre is not for me .

Thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter.

I struggled from the beginning with this book. The description of the creepers going down her throat was so graphic that I struggled from there on in. I don't usually have a problem with thrillers but this one was so well written I felt like I was there and it was happening to me. Unfortunately I have had to put the book down until I can try again with it another time. Thank you to Netgalley for allowing me to review this book.

What a strange story.

This story has a bit of a sci-fi element I was not expecting. Still not sure what to make of it. I really can’t tell you if it was real or not.

This story is based on best friends who return home for a class reunion to get the creative juices running for a new novel. The story written there is so much more than they expected.

I may have to read this book again to pick up the things I may have missed.

This book left me confused. I felt it was more sci-fi than thriller, and at times it felt that it doesn't really fit into the thriller genre. I didn't feel any connection or sympathy for any of the characters, and I think this is one reason I struggled with this book. While it was weird & left me with so many questions, I must say that the writing itself was beautiful - the author was so descriptive that The Thicket really came to life for me.

She Never Left by CM Harris is more of a science fiction or horror story than the thriller I was expecting. If I had known about the tree eating woods I would not have started reading this book.
I am sure there will be other readers who will enjoy the book and storyline but it wasn’t really a book/ genre I would choose to read.

Although the writing is beautifully descriptive, I had a very hard time getting into She Never Left. The storyline just wasn’t grabbing me. I struggled to get to the end.
Thank You to HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC.

Jane and her cousin TJ haves lived in the city for a long time. They moved away from their small town of Ketchum and hadn’t been back for years. It’s the 20 year school reunion and after much persuading TJ agrees to go with Jane.

When they return, memories do too. Memories of them and their friends in the thicket, experimenting with the mushrooms that grew there. Until one night their friend Evie goes missing without a trace. The kids blame a light, an orange light that seems to have a connection to the missing girl as well as the bioluminescent fungi they’ve been ingesting.

As adults the thicket seems less frightening as more intriguing but will they figure out what’s going on with the orange light and the hallucinogenic mushrooms?

This book was quite an interesting read. It isn’t completely obvious where the story is leading you at the start but as you continue to read the story and secrets unfurl. About three quarters of the way through I figured a part out but at the end there were other surprises too.

If I’m 100% honest some parts confused me a little and the ending explained some of it but I wanted to know more. I think it’s one of those books where a second read, knowing the ending, would make things more clear. I really did enjoy it, it was not what I expected at all.

Unfortunately I did not enjoy this novel, although I am aware plenty of other readers will find it thrilling and enjoyable. Set in Illinois, Jane and TJ- cousins are drawn back into happenings that occurred in their childhood.

I received an ARC of She Never Left by CM Harris from Netgalley and I am leaving this review on my own.

Well. This was a rather interesting premise but was so convoluted and hard to follow by the end I just wanted it to be over. I'm still kind of confused with the ending.

I'm feeling really mixed about this book. Did I like it or not? I actually just don't know.

I feel the blurb is very different to the actual story which threw me a bit.

As other reviewers have commented, the story being told here doesn't really align with the blurb. If you're expecting a thriller, you will quickly discover that this is a slow-moving, multi POV story of teenagers in what may or not be a haunted wood, their adult counterparts in a different timeline and a few episodes under the influence of magic mushrooms thrown in for good measure.
After my initial disappointment, because the supernatural is not my chosen genre, I settled down to read it. TJ and Jane, cousins and colleagues, return to Ketchum for a high school reunion and to confront Lincoln who – suspend your belief here – has been stalking Jane for twenty years. Of course, they also visit the woods where they had been so traumatised all those years ago.
I finished the book in spite of my interest beginning to wane around the 30% mark, not only because of the supernatural elements but also because of the long-winded passages which were only tenuously related to the actual story line. 'She Never Left' will find its readership, I am sure, but in fairness to potential readers, it should be made clear what genre it encompasses.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I will not be finishing this book. Sadly it is really not for me, it is too odd for want of a better word. I don't like the game references or the sci fi elements so I will not review on any other sites as I never leave a review for unfinished books.

Great story! Not going to lie I had to stick with it. I really wasn't sure at first but I'm glad I stuck with it. I really enjoyed it in the end.

I didn’t love this book. It’s more sci-fi than thriller and didn’t (for me) closely match what the synopsis said the book would be about. Centered on cousins and best friends Jane and TJ, the story centers on creepy woods that may or may not be killing people. Having escaped the area years ago, the 2 return for their 20 year high school reunion and face both the woods and a classmate that has been obsessed with Jane for decades.

The book goes back and forth between timeframes and there are also chapters told while the characters are under the influence of hallucinogens- this made for a confusing and disjointed read where I never felt fully immersed in the story. Furthermore, I had trouble connecting with the characters.

On a good note, the language used was descriptive and pretty and I could easily picture the characters’ surroundings. There was a definite creepy factor from their time in the woods. There was a big twist at the end, though I saw it coming.

Overall, this was not the book for me but him sure it has an audience. I think if the description more closely aligned to what the book is really about, it will find string advocates. Thanks to Netgalley for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

CM Harris has written a psychedelic trip of a book! The comparison to Stranger Things is accurate. While I would describe this as more of a sci-fi book, there is an element that you can't quite put your finger on - is the whole story imaginary? Part of a drug induced dream? Or is there something biological happening as a result of a rare luminescent mushroom that grows in the area? Chemical or other natural factors could describe the events that happen in an area known as The Thicket, but not the bizarre experiences of cousins who go back to their childhood town for a school reunion.

Based on the title, I am still waiting for the author to tell me if one of the characters ever really existed. And perhaps that's the beauty of her story - we'll never know :-)

Thanks to NetGalley and One More Chapter for an advance reader's copy.

Mushrooms, a forest, a weird light, drugs, death, time warps, stalkers, high school reunions, a dying town, family secrets....

There's so much happening in this book.

In the simplest of simple summaries, this is a book about cousins facing the demons of their past. They experienced a traumatic childhood in their small town - with strange disappearances and deaths - and have escaped to Chicago. They are returning for their high school reunion and to face their demons.

They are also coming to face the truth of the years past, of what happened to their town, and what is happening to their town now. The Thicket is taking over. Something is happening and it's not of this world.

This book is confusing at times, but in a way that doing drugs is. Like...you know that you are okay...sort of. You know that you are physically in a comfortable place but mentally, you aren't quite sure what is going on because that doesn't quite seem normal and maybe that two headed deer isn't supposed to be running straight towards you at that speed....

This isn't going to be a book for everyone. Neither are drugs.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review this book.

She never left by CM Harris is a young adult thriller set in a small town in America. Jane and CJ return to their childhood town for a reunion, seeing Jane's stalker and ex-boyfriend the women set out to investigate the thicket for CJs novel.
The story is enticing and fast paced to start with, a kid had gone missing when they where at school so there is mystery and the thicket seems magical so an interesting theme. Unfortunately, only about two thirds of this book make sense. The last third seems very rushed, the action scenes jump around, the plot goes a little haywire and there doesn't seem to be a conclusion. Perhaps it's just a little too sci-fi for me but I loved stranger things which is why I picked this.

3* all the promise of a creepy thriller just limped over the finished line for me.
Thanks to NetGalley and one more chapter for the ARC