"Like It Never Was" by Faith Gardner is a gripping thriller that delves into the depths of guilt and revenge. The story follows Jolene, who has been haunted for ten years by the guilt of causing a near-fatal accident to her friend Elizabeth. When Jolene unexpectedly reunites with Elizabeth, their rekindled friendship takes a dark turn, leaving Jolene to question her sanity and Elizabeth’s true intentions.

Gardner masterfully weaves a narrative filled with suspense and psychological twists. The characters are well-developed, and the plot keeps you guessing until the very end. A thrilling read that’s hard to put down.

This was my first Faith Gardner book and it was certainly a wild ride! What first took me by surprise was the voice of our FMC and the tone of the writing, right away it felt different than most thrillers I've read, less serious and more casual which I feel matches the FMC so well and I learned to appreciate this approach the more I read. She had me questioning every new idea I had in my mind as I read and I loved not being able to see what came next. Fun read!

Jolene’s prank on Elizabeth goes horribly wrong when Elizabeth’s car goes off the road and crashes. Jolene tells a woman to call for help and runs away. Over 10 years later they see each other again and Jolene begins to question her sanity as things start happening to her. I enjoyed this unpredictable story questioning the sanity of the main character at times.

Huge fan of Faith Gardner’s work and was eager to dive into her latest novel. Unfortunately found it really difficult to connect with Jolene as she lacked the spunk and grit that I have come to love in her other main characters. Because of this felt myself drifting and not really caring where the story was going to go. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC and opportunity to review.

Like It Never Was - Faith Gardner

I loved Faith Gardner’s previous thriller They Are The Hunters and was eager to read this.

Ten years ago Jolene caused an accident which nearly killed her friend Elizabeth. No one knows Jolene caused the accident and she has lived in turmoil with the guilt ever since.

Elizabeth and Jolene bump into each other, and start to rekindle their friendship. I won’t reveal any more, the less you know the bigger the surprise, and there are some great shocks in store.

After one of the best, most shocking openings it settles into Jolene’s unhappy muddled mental turmoil, racked with guilt, self-doubt and self-loathing. It’s a bit of a niche, ‘deep in the trouble mind’ of the main character, but I love it! We get Jolene’s inner-thoughts AND hear the voices.

Her character is very well developed and it’s often very funny, an awkward, fragile, twisted humour - like Liane Moriarty on ‘shrooms, with acid punch flashbacks.

Reading this is like blindfolded acupuncture or being the victim of a voodoo doll, lots of short, sharp shocks when and where you least expect. The finale goes crazy too.

I know it won’t appeal to everyone, I thoroughly enjoyed it and look forward to whatever Faith Gardner Writes next.

Thanks to Netgalley and Mirror House Press

The plot was there but it wasn’t for me. The beginning seemed really immature and just a silly way to start the book. Fast chapters which I liked.

Jolene has been eaten up by guilt for causing an accident ten years ago. Guilt can be a destructive force and Jolene definitely proves that. She can’t get settled, can’t hold a job, and doesn’t have anything substantial in her life. Then she runs into Elizabeth who was harmed in the accident she caused. Will Jolene finally get closure and forgiveness? Or will she drive herself insane? A very unique and wild story!

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advance copy of this book.
I was captured from the first page. I found myself really drawn in to the story for the first part of the book. But as I got further in, I started to lose momentum- I felt for the whole second half of the book that it was obvious there was going to be a twist- so I spent most of the second half just waiting for it, which took away from the story. It was a 3.5/5 for me.

Thank you NetGalley and Mirror House Press for the copy of Like It Never Was by Faith Gardner. This book was so good I zipped through it! I loved Jolene and hated Elizabeth and I couldn’t wait to find out how the story ended. I loved all of the spooky things that were happening to Jolene. I was disappointed that the big reveal was handled so clumsily and that twist (rolls eyes) felt hollow to me and changed how I felt about the book in a negative way. It’s a shame because I absolutely loved this book until that ending/twist so it pains me to give it only three stars.

This has been one of my favorite ARCS I've gotten so far through NetGalley. The book was so good I read it in one sitting and couldn't stop turning the pages. This was such a good thriller, suspense, mystery type of book. I probably had 6 different ways I thought this book might end and it ended in a completely different way. I loved that! The author was impeccable at keeping my attention, making it super easy to get detailed images of what I was reading, and descriptions that made me really feel what the character was feeling. Yeah, this author is very good with descriptions. I loved the way Suzanne was described, she was an interesting character for me, even though she wasn't a huge character in the book. I wanted to know more about her husband's death, lol. This book was very creative and well thought out, and I thoroughly enjoyed reading it. If you like mystery, thriller, or suspense type of book I would highly recommend giving this a read. Its worth it!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher/author for giving me the opportunity to read the ARC.

Publication date: July 2nd, 2024
Page number: 263
Audio length: -
Narrator: -
Genre: domestic thriller
POV: Jolene
Setting: California

Jolene plays a trick on her high school rival Elizabeth at the end of senior year, which permanently injures Elizabeth. Jolene keeps what she did a secret, but carries the guilt. 10 years later the girls cross paths again, and the real drama begins…

My rating was based upon:
i felt like the first half of the book was much stronger than the second half, which seemed drawn out.
The book became less and less realistic.

Thank you to author, publisher, NetGalley for advanced audio copy. This is an honest voluntary review.

Absolutely gripping! I loved this book and am going to share with my book club. I was on the edge of my seat with the many twists and turns that are throughout. Highly recommend.

I’ll be honest and say I was iffy about this book, but take a look at the cover? Magnificent. Now let me drop some knowledge. I loved this book. It was hilarious, it was insane, and I loved every freaking minute. This book came out of nowhere y’all, and I can’t wait till everyone can read it this JULY.

Thanks to NetGalley and Mirror House for the ARC of this book (seriously can I send you flowers?)

This one was my first read by this author. It was filled with drama, thriller, and friendship issues. It was a pretty good paced book.