* Thank you NetGalley & Mirror House Press for this ARC in exchange for an honest review. *

Like It Never Was is a psychological thriller about Jolene, a "free spirit" thirty-something who is still emotionally/mentally struggling with an accident she caused as a teenager. When she runs into Elizabeth, the person in said accident, she suddenly finds herself drawn into a deadly game that is messing with her already tenuous grip on sanity.

This book is a total mind fuck. I won't say much more about it, other than it is a baffling read from the very first page to the very last.

I will tell you, I have absolutely no idea what timeframe this book is set in, and found myself a tiny bit confused by that at times. Other than that, I was totally enraptured by this bizarre book.

I recommend this to anyone who is a fan of twisty, wild thrillers.

One night high school senior Jolene plays a prank on her frenemy, Elizabeth, that goes horribly wrong. Elizabeth is seriously injured and permanently disfigured. Jolene, who left the scene and has never properly confessed, has carried the guilt and shame with her ever since, which the antagonistic voice in her head makes sure she never forgets.

Now thirty, Jolene’s life has been a string of flighty choices lacking any real commitment, the most recent of which is a move to Berkley, California and a new job as the personal assistant to a melodramatic nutball poetess. She’s particularly loving her improv class, until the teacher introduces his new protege with those familiar scars …

Could it be? Of course!

You can be assured that this reunion is only the beginning of the crazy. When all sorts of menacing, unexplained things start happening to Jolene, she has to question if Elizabeth really doesn’t remember the events of that long ago night, as she claims!

Faith Gardner definitely lacks NOTHING in the imagination department, and depending on how willing you are to set aside logic and just roll with it, you may have a blast reading this. Many readers are already eating it up!

I’ve adored her sci-fi psychological thriller Jolvix series. It’s unique, really witty and smart. Gardner’s creative mind and dark humor are delightfully fun, so no one was more surprised than me that this didn’t grab me as much.

The opening event requires a significant buy-in that, while definitely unique, was a little too preposterous, leaving me shaking my head while mumbling “Really?!” Once I got off on the wrong foot, I could never really get into the flow of what came after.

My other issue was tone. Since the story started with the MCs in high school, it already began with a YA feel. Unfortunately, as thirty year olds, they didn’t seem to grow up. Elizabeth drove me bonkers with her perky tween/teen-speak utterances of “Samesies!”, “Yes, indeedy!” “Anywaysies” and such. It’s a tongue-in-cheek way to reflect her mental state, but it just made me cringe, as did virtually everything Jolene’s “Good, goddess!”- spewing employer Suzanne said. Speaking of Jolene, do not use the number of times she said “sorry” as a drinking game. You’ll regret it. I promise.

It’s a well-written book for those who enjoy an unhinged frenemies story with dark-humor and an OTT plot. Please consider all the glowing reviews first before you decide whether to read it!

Jolene almost killed her friend Elizabeth and has lived with the guilt since. Now ten years later she comes back into her life... What could happen now.... we get the past and present which is my favorite type of book. This was a thriller where you were not sure who was telling the truth and so I just had to keep reading to find out what happened. Faith Gardner you have a new fan!

Just WOW! My first Faith Gardner book but definitely not my last! This book hooked me from the get-go and did not stop until the final page. Such an amazing cast of characters. Crazy twists, turns and fabulous reveals.
Thank you NetGalley, Faith Gardner and Xpresso Book Tours for the opportunity to read and review this book.

WOW! 😲

It's a story about two friends from a high school. One friend decides to play a prank on the other and consequences are unimaginable.

As the story unfolds, the tension between the two friends becomes palpable. The author skillfully weaves together past and present, revealing secrets and betrayals. Each chapter leaves me on the edge of my seat, eager to discover what will happen next.

The characters are so well-developed, each with their own flaws and vulnerabilities that make them feel incredibly real. I find myself rooting for them to overcome their differences and find a way to reconcile, but at the same time, I can't help but wonder if some wounds are simply too deep to heal. Especially when... no spoilers!!!

The ending though! My mind was blown! Well done!!!

The themes of mental illness, revenge, and the complexities of friendship are expertly explored in this book.

Overall, this book is a gripping and thought-provoking read that will stay with me long after I've turned the final page. I highly recommend it to anyone looking!

Thank you NetGalley and the author for my free ARC book copy. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This was an engaging thriller. I enjoyed it from the first page to the last. This is one to pick up!

I don't mean to be dramatic but I would die for this author. I really would. She captures the weird of real life like no one else alive. This story starts out with a girl trying to scare her rival by jumping out at her in a gorilla suit. In my town we had a guy dressed like a goat hanging out in the mountains. Why? Because people do a lot of weird things. In this story there are some serious consequences for the girl driving and our protagonist has to live with the guilt. And she still does not like the girl - Which I feel in my soul.
Have you ever had a frenemy? I have. It is the weirdest relationship. All the fake nice stuff. The love and the hate. It is the worst most toxic relationship.
The paragraph about splitting was so very relatable!
That 80% mark was wow! I saw it coming as a die hard fan of the author but I was still shocked!
I will never recover from this one. Bravo!

Thank you, Faith Gardner for this truly unhinged story! Wow, what a wild ride reading this was. I was on the edge of my seat the whole time. This was my first Faith Gardner book and I thought the writing style was exceptional. I love how she thoughtfully painted a masterpiece with her words. Thank you, Net Galley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

If I can give any advice to future readers of this book it is this: Don't take it too seriously.

In this book we have Jolene, our unreliable pill popping bourbon guzzling narrator, as she takes us back in time to her senior year of high school where what she thought was going to be an innocent prank turns much more serious when her frenemy, Elizabeth, is seriously injured causing her facial disfigurement and the loss of one of her legs.

Jolene, in a panic, leaves the scene and never tells anyone but her best friend about what she's done.

Elizabeth has no recollection of the event or how she came to be injured.

Jolene can't escape her guilt no matter how many pills and drinks she has but she keeps on keeping on even if it's a life of anxiety and depression.

Aimless Jolene decides to move to Berkley on another whim with another dream. Her father secured her a job as an assistant to one of his past clients and pays for Jolene to take an improv class.

Imagine Jolene's surprise when Elizabeth appears at the same improv class. Not only that but they appear to be neighbors with Elizabeth living only one block away.

This reunion of sorts triggers Jolene's paranoia and she's certain that this isn't all merely a coincidence. She believes Elizabeth has returned to get her revenge.

Who is out to get who? You'll have to read this to find out!

I have to admit that the plot to this book is rather silly. I knew right from the start that I had to chuck reality out of the window if I were to going to enjoy this at all. So that's what I did. Then I sat back and let Gardner drive her crazy train right to cuckoo town because this book is bananas. This is definitely a quirky story with Gardner's trademark humor and it's this humor that kept me reading. I thought she pulled the ending off well for such a bonkers book.

One thing I've grown weary of is the *bonus* epilogue. I wish she would just put the epilogue in the book rather than me having to go to her website to download it. This is my eighth book by her and the eighth time I've downloaded an epilogue. Why not just include it? I don't know, maybe it's a me thing. 🤷‍♀️

This book won't be for everyone, humor is subjective after all, but I'm sure it will find it's audience among the quirkier readers out there. 4 stars!

Thank you to NetGalley and Mirror House Press for my complimentary copy.

Oh wow! This one is a wild ride. And I loved it!
I started reading this at 10pm promising myself I'd only read a chapter or two. And here I am after midnight, finished the book and writing a review - trying to figure out how the plot developed so cleverly that I didn't see anything coming! I'm still wrapping my head around it all.
Like It Never Was takes the unreliable narrator trope to the next level. Joelene's POV makes you question reality, is she crazy or is it all real??
I loved the short chapters, alternating timelines, and twists, it gives you all the answers but it's like you're unable to grasp them. This book was a page turner and I honestly couldn't put it down!
From the very beginning, it pulled me in and it has a completely different vibe to most other psychological thrillers. I admit it may not be a thriller for everyone but a can safely say this will most likely end up in my 2024 top 10!

So the ending really made this book for me. I didn’t really love the idea about two friends going at each other for so long. But I was definitely surprised when the twist came at the end. Who can you trust if you can’t trust yourself?

✨ARC REVIEW✨

This book was wild from beginning to end. I felt ALL the emotions and at one point I thought I was going crazy trying to figure out what was going on. Even up until the very end I couldn’t pinpoint the answer and was shocked, SHOCKED, at the ending. Super good read and would definitely recommend!

This book had me hooked immediately. You never knew who was telling the truth. How ever I gave it 4 stars because I didn’t care for the abrupt ending. The last few chapters seemed rushed snd it just kind of ended. I appreciate the extra epilogue but would have preferred a few more chapters to really close it out.

Faith Gardner has written a book that bends the concept of reality.

Jolene and Elizabeth were "friends" in that high-school girls tend to be. They hated each other, but still ran in the same circles. Jolene causes a horrible accident that disfigures Elizabeth at the end of their Senior year.

10 years later, Jolene arrives in Berkeley in an effort to accomplish something. She's been on a spiral since graduation. Different cities, different careers, and different people still do not wash away the guilt that she has about Elizabeth's accident.

At an improv class, who should walk in, but Elizabeth? She instantly attaches herself to Jolene and the story goes through cycles of dreams, inner thoughts, and questionable reality.

The twists are great and the plot itself is good. My middle-of-the-road rating is more about the flow of the chapters. They are insanely short and read like a young adult novel.

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

What in the heck did I just read?! My brain is still trying to wrap my mind around everything. 🤯 Forget what you know, forget what you think you know, question everything! Like It Never Was takes the unreliable narrator trope to the next level. Being inside Jolene’s head is like an intense fever dream. Short chapters, alternating timelines, and twists that will blow your mind… this book is unputdownable! From the very beginning, it grips you and holds on tight for a crazy ride that’s far different than most psychological thrillers out there. It won’t be for everyone, but if you’re looking for a quick read that will shock your system, this is absolutely the book for you!

Thank you to NetGalley & Mirror House Press for the opportunity to read this digital ARC. All opinions expressed are my own.

📖 Like it Never Was
✍️ Faith Gardner
🗓️ July 2nd 2024

pre-read
I always say it and will say it again. I will read anything Faith writes, even if it’s a shopping list. I was so excited for this book and when I got it in advance, so happy! Like so so happy!

Genre:
thriller
Cover: a darker cover that hints at its genre. An empty road with a car. I like it. It’s fitting!
POV first person POV, dual timelines of “then” and “now”

Summary:
Jolene and Elizabeth can basically be described as frenemies. Ten years ago, a prank goes wrong. Elizabeth is left with life changing injuries and Jolene with the guilt of might having killed her friend. Ten years later, imagine the shock when she runs into Elizabeth… fate? The universe? Karma?

Elizabeth still has no clue what really happened back then.

Series or standalone: standalone
🎧: not available (yet?)
😱: 4/5
⭐️: 5/5

Heroine:
Jolene Vero (29)
Side cast:
Elizabeth Smith who she thought she maybe, accidentally might have killed. She later found out this was not so.
Her father
Alice, her only friend

Diverse cast of characters?:
Faith always has the best characters. Quirky, weird, unique. Though, it took me a while to warm up to Jolene.

character development
Faith did an amazing job with showing the reader how Jolene very slowly unravels. That tiny voice inside your head. Point proven, always listen to that tiny voice! Jolene was all over the place. At times I struggled to connect with her.
She was so lost and riddled with guilt.

Faith’s books are definitely character driven and it’s her greatest strength in writing. She delivers with characters that are full of flaws, doubts and most of all, real and three dimensional.
Setting:
Berkeley, California, USA 🇺🇸

Fluency/Writing:

If you’re a fan of a good thriller, you might ask yourself, after finishing “Mary, Jesus and holy camel, what have I read?”. That’s a constant for me with Faith’s books. Holy f… 😂 this was crazy, bonkers, nuts and all kind of crazy. And guess what…. I LIVED for it!

I love her quirky writing. Just love it. The atmosphere is creepy and eerie. There are twists and turns at every corner and as a reader, you’ll doubt each and everyone in this book. This box is such a wild mix. You have the quirky writing, the amazing characters and the whole story. It all comes together so perfectly!

What I’ve learned while reading:
- Well I didn’t learn it, I knew it, but I found it funny… Jolene’s last name “Vero” means “tax” in Finnish
- Karmann Ghia, quite a stunning car, actually. Had to look that up because I somehow pictured an ancient Chinese Warrior, don’t ask… 😂

>Do I recommend:
Definitely! If you have read anything by Faith Gardner before, you know she’ll deliver. This is so different to the Jolvix episodes (which I dearly miss) but amazing as well!

The end of this still has me pretty speechless!

⭐️Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for my advanced copy. All opinions are my own, I was under no obligation to review.

Look at that gorgeous cover! 👀

On that dark road, ten years ago, a “harmless prank” went terribly wrong maiming a young woman for life.

Jolene nearly killed her friend Elizabeth-and no one has any idea.

Not even Elizabeth.

Or does she?

When the two women meet again, ten years later, and certain VENGEFUL things begin happening to Jolene, she has to wonder…

Is Elizabeth sending a message that she knows about what happened? Or is it just Jolene’s guilty conscience at play??

I LOVED “The Prediction” (originally titled Amen Maxine) and “What January Remembers” was a close second-but it appears that the AI characters from Faith Gardner’s Jolvix Series are a better fit for me, than those in this stand alone.

I guess I am not the right demographic for this book, as I felt that both the dialogue and Jolene’s “inner musings” often seemed quite juvenile and I couldn’t relate to a single character.

Clearly, I am a bit of an outlier so far, as early reviews are quite positive so, if you enjoy twisty, over the top psychological thrillers, this might be a great fit for you!

AVAILABLE July 2, 2024

Thank You to Mirror House Press and Faith Gardner for the gifted ARC provided through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The story begins with a prank gone terribly wrong. Jolene dons a gorilla suit to scare Elizabeth. However, the prank leads to a catastrophic accident, leaving Elizabeth severely injured and forever altering both of their lives. Jolene, burdened by guilt and haunted by a mysterious voice, struggles to find peace. The story takes a surprising turn when she enrolls in an improv acting class, only to find that the assistant instructor is none other than Elizabeth. The narrative skillfully navigates their tense reunion, revealing layers of their shared history.
Jolene now begins therapy to try to make mends with her inner voice and her past.
Is Elizabeth who Jolene thinks she is?

I received this ARC through Netgalley. The dual timeline story starts off quickly and makes you not able to stop reading. It’s unclear through the whole book if the main character is delusional or not I kept changing my opinion on this while reading the book. I really liked the character Suzanne the best, she was very interesting. While this book kept me intrigued and kept my attention it never did get me quite to the edge of my seat. However it did keep me guessing and determined to find out what was actually going on, the author did well with how she ended it by the time it was over I didn’t have any questions or loose ends.

This was a wild ride that I read in one sitting. It centers on Jolene, who almost kills her “frenemy” Elizabeth in a prank gone wrong at the end of their senior year of high school. 10 years later, Jolene is riddled with guilt and unable to get on with her life. When she moves yet again to try something new, she comes face to face with Elizabeth, who presumably has no idea what really happened that fateful night and is eager to rekindle their friendship. When scary things start happening, both Jolene and the reader question what Elizabeth really knows.

I love an unreliable narrator and you get this with Jolene. The author makes it hard to determine what is really happening and what is a result of potentially drugs, dreams, or mental illness. This leads to a tense and eerie read from beginning to end. While I did figure out a couple of the twists, there were also many surprises, including the very end of the book. There were a few things that caused me to have to suspend my disbelief but it all added to the drama and overall action in the story. I did think that Jolene’s relationship with her dad was weird and he seemed like an enabler, but we didn’t get quite enough information to determine if we were seeing the full picture.

Overall, this was a creepy and unique book that was hard to put down. I forgave the unrealistic bits because overall it was just really fun to read. Thanks to Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.