Joanna Elm's "Fool Her Once" is a gripping thriller that explores the dark side of family secrets and the devastating consequences of past mistakes. Told from the perspective of Jenna Sinclair, a former tabloid reporter haunted by a story she wrote years ago, the novel takes readers on a twisting journey of revenge, betrayal, and self-discovery.

Elm weaves a complex and suspenseful narrative that kept me hooked from beginning to end. The pacing is excellent, with just the right amount of twists and turns to keep you guessing. Jenna is a flawed but relatable character who struggles to navigate a difficult present while grappling with the ghosts of her past. Her determination and resilience make her a compelling protagonist to root for.

Rachel Fulginiti's performance is superb. She captures the nuances of each character's voice and emotions, adding depth and intensity to the story. Her clear and confident tone perfectly complements the suspenseful atmosphere.

The novel delves into themes of guilt, forgiveness, and the lasting impact of trauma. It also raises questions about the ethics of journalism and the responsibility that comes with wielding the power of the press.

While the overall pacing is good, there are a few moments when the story feels a bit slow. Some flashbacks, although necessary for context, could have been more concise.

"Fool Her Once" is a well-written and engaging thriller that will appeal to fans of suspenseful audiobooks. The strong narration and compelling storyline make it a captivating listen. Although there are a few minor pacing issues, they do not detract from the overall enjoyment of the story.

I highly recommend "Fool Her Once" to anyone who enjoys psychological thrillers with strong female leads. It’s a perfect choice for a long commute or a cozy night in.

I really enjoyed listening to this book!! Very well written, keeps readers attention and wanting more. This is a new author to me and I will continue checking out her books. It is a must Listen\Read.

First and foremost the narration by Rachel Fulginiti was amazing. A good narrator really lifts a story and adds a lot of enjoyment to a book. I will look for more narrated books from her after this amazing performance.
The story line however did not amaze me as much I am afraid. I am not a great lover of investigative reporter stories for a start, I prefer when my protagonists are likable and personable and I do not like cheating either so unfortunately there are too many low points for my taste. I am rather old fashioned however and will concede the murder mystery plots are intriguing so would recommend this book to anyone who is not so particular in their story requirements.

Thank you NetGalley for the audio copy in exchange for a honest review. Reporter Jenna started her career with a story about a serial killer. Her marriage is going through a rough patch and her daughter is going off the rails. Then Jenna finds out the serial killer has a son and fears he is seeking his revenge on her. A thrilling ride full of twists and turns.

Expert writing drives your brain into thinking yhis is your standard generic crime thriller but this is so much more.. There ate many teists and turns with a deep question interwoven throughtout the story.
The pace pf the story at times was a little too much of a slow burn for me. So worth sticking with it.The main character is well written . The timeline skipping backward radomly without clear reason in places was annoying. The ending was a good payoff. A god solid 4

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to an Audio ARC of this book.

I was really excited for this one! The synopsis seemed very unique and interesting so I was looking forward to seeing how it all played out. Unfortunately, this book was not my favorite. I think the narrator did a great job, however the story itself was very predictable to me and I guessed many of the "twists" right away. There were also multiple plot points that bothered me personally.

Wow..just absolutely wow. I had to take a bit of time before I wrote my review to process what I had listened to. This book was AMAZING!! Definitely one of my top books! The narrator was fantastic. I liked how she didn't try to use a whole bunch of different voices when narrating various characters. Her tone was amazing.

I don't think I have ever listened to a book with this many "casual" twists. When I say "casual" twists I mean ones that seem to come out of nowhere; they are casually dropped throughout the book and had my jaw literally dropping with a very audible "what the heck?!" "oh my goodness!" or "wait,...WHAT?!" That being said, though, every single twist made complete sense and wasn't far-fetched.

Jenna and her husband Zack are going through a tough time in their marriage. Rumours of cheating, issues with their daughter's behaviour, etc are trying. Jenna meets up with an old flame (one she works with) for dinner and he ends up back at her place. She finds out the next day that after leaving her place in the city he was brutally attacked and was in bad shape in the hospital. Meanwhile, she talks to her husband who is going to pick up their daughter in Maine after she got in trouble with the police. Jenna heads to the Inn her husband owns so they can discuss their situation and daughter. When she arrives at the inn she discovers their intern has gone missing. You see Jenna is a reporter and at the start of her career she did a story about a serial killer and discovered while talking to his wife that he had a son..."the spawn" as she called him. After the story came out, "the spawn" attacked someone from the new agency where Jenna worked. Now Jenna is fearing "the spawn" is after her and her family, seeking revenge for ruining his life with that story. Did he hurt her old flame? Did he kidnap the intern?

This is a great book that kept me interested the entire time. I was hooked from the first chapter and would definitely recommend this!!!

I followed who the serial killer was and who the son was however I didn't expect him to be who he was in the middle of the book. After that was uncovered and exposed then the book kind of was a "I need to just finish this" book. With this being said the second part of the book was boring to me as there wasn't really any suspense left in the book.

A genuinely clever and sadistic route to justice. Through tormentors hatred and the innocence of humanity, this will keep you guessing and then enthralled as the pages slip by. How would anyone keep it together in that way, goodness only knows!

As a reporter Jenna's articles can and do have impacts on others. Some very serious. I wish I liked this story more. I can't really pin down why I didn't love it but I didn't.

The book was fast-paced and super entertaining. Although I guessed the big "twist" early on, the rest of the plot kept me engaged and wondering how the characters would interact with each other. The theme highlights a very interesting topic which allows for a lot of speculation from the reader. The characters weren't particularly likable but that didn't subtract from the overall mystery.

A slow start but persevere and the book picks up. Jenny Sinclair a investigative reporter tries to find a serial killer's son after an attack on her ex lover. Good characters with plenty of twists and turns. Rachael Fulginiti's narration is flawless would listen to her again.
I received this audiobook from Camcat books and Netgalley for a review.

Listened to this audiobook thanks to #netgalley.

This is a good mystery story but it’s very slow and the audiobook has 65 chapters so it’s unbelievably long.

Lots of twists and turns in this book though but you have to listen to about half the book before things start to come together.

Very tempting to put this on the Do Not Finish pile but I would recommend you persevere with the slow first half as you will miss the twists and juicy bits later on so stick with it!

I will raise it to 3.5. The first part of the book was rather slow moving, but the pace picked up and kept my interest. All in all, a psychological suspense a easy read. Thanks, NetGalley, for the opportunity to listen to the audiobook.

🎧 Fool Her Once - Joanna Elm🎧
My Rating 4.75⭐

Thank you NetGalley, CamCat Books, IBPA, Members' Audiobooks for this Advance Listeners Copy.

First of all, The narrator did an amazing job. This book was so beautifully Narrated 😍.
Rachel Fulginiti ❤️❤️❤️

Investigative reporter Jenna Sinclair, convinced that the man who attacked her former lover is now stalking her family, must find the man she exposed as a serial killer's illegitimate son, and follows a trail that leads to a devastating discovery.

What drew my attention to this book was the cover. I love dark covers... and the dark and eerie cover of this book fits the description so well.... a bit dark and twisted, intriguing, gripping, and chilling

The Story shifts between the present and the past, relaying the events in the past that led to whats happening now.

I really recommend this book. It was written so well. A true psychological noir thriller

Once i started listening to the audio i just couldnt stop.. i just wanted to know whats going to happen. Though I was able to predict some parts, it was still full of so many exciting and jaw-dropping twists.
The ending was fantastic. I got the closure I wanted with such a beautiful ending.

Fool Her Once is out Now 😍

✨️ALC Review✨️

Thank you @netgalley for the opportunity to review this audiobook!

Former investigative reporter Jenna Sinclair is convinced that the man she exposed as a serial killer's illegitimate son is stalking her family. Determined to find him, her persistance leads to a devastating end.

Gripping from the start, this book is filled with murder, mayhem, infidelity, and secrets. The shock value dims a bit with the "big twist" happening in the middle of the book, but it was overall an enjoyable novel. The narration was fantastic.

I would rate this a solid 3.5/5☆ Rounding up to 4

With a slow start, this book sped up and blasted off. While trying to keep my feet on the ground, the story takes off in a direction unexpected. All the pieces of the puzzle I was trying to fit together were spread out until the last moment when the pieces all seemed to fly together.
In this mystery/thriller, a reporter decided to expose the family of a serial killer, unknowingly leaving them open to scrutiny, judgement and hate from the public. The reporter finds out the repercussions of her actions and feels like a failure.. Later, she wants to find out what has become of this family harmed by her words. But as she follows the trail to discovery, she finds just how involved her life has become wrapped up in this hunt. Is there no way out?
This mystery thriller is enthralling and will draw you into its grasps. It will keep you guessing right until the end.
Highly recommended and greatly enjoyed!

Thank you NetGalley and CamCat Books, Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA), Members' Audiobooks for accepting my request to audibly read Fool Her Once.

Narrated by Rachel Fulginiti
Published: 03/01/22

First, I absolutely don't want to forget the narrator. I thought she was fantastic from start to finish.

The book was okay. It wasn't great and it wasn't horrible. As a seasoned voracious reader, the storyline was not new. The names and places were different. I had the story pegged by 30%. I continued on because I was reading for NetGalley.

Go for it if the genre of mysteries and thrillers excites you. If you are looking for a debut gem, I would suggest passing.

A refreshingly different plot with a great setting and plenty of twists that you really don’t see coming. I thought the big reveal was unlikely at first but then as the full explanation came out it became much more plausible. All in all I would feel churlish to give it less than a full five stars because I never stopped being anxious to get back to listening.

Fool Her Once
by Joanna Elm
Narrated by Rachel Fulginiti

Synopsis

As a rookie tabloid reporter, Jenna Sinclair made a tragic mistake when she outed Denny Dennison, the illegitimate son of an executed serial killer. So she hid behind her marriage and motherhood. Now, decades later, betrayed by her husband and resented by her teenage daughter, Jenna decides to resurrect her career—and returns to the city she loves.
When her former lover is brutally assaulted outside Jenna’s NYC apartment building, Jenna suspects that Denny has inherited his father’s psychopath gene and is out for revenge. She knows she must track him down before he can harm his next target, her daughter.
Meanwhile, her estranged husband, Zack, fears that her investigative reporting skills will unearth his own devastating secret he’d kept buried in the past.

Jenna is starting her career as a tabloid reporter Her former partner is violently assaulted outside her apartment and she thinks the culprit is someone out for revenge from her past work
I was hooked from the start and felt the narrator of the audiobook aided the story
The timelines alternate from the past to the present The story builds slowly
I enjoyed getting to know the characters and felt the conclusion was twisted but satisfying. I would recommend this