Really good book. I read this in one day! Thanks to NetGalley for letting me read this in exchange of an honest review.

An excellent thriller that literally starts with an OMG and the crazy trip continues to the insane and intense ending!! The female main character, Jolene has a great sarcastic sense of humor which makes this book even better. I thoroughly enjoyed this plot line.
***Make sure to read the Epilogue***
Thank you to the publisher for the opportunity to read this advanced copy. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I liked this story and was captivated by it however, I was underwhelmed when the twist hit. An enjoyable read that had me eager to pick it back up and finish.

Fast paced. dark thrillers are my favorite genres to read so this book pulled me in right from the beginning. My only problem with this book, and it was a very minor one, was the way most of theses characters spoke. Although they were adults, many of their expressions seemed more suited to teenagers, making me wonder if this book was written for a YA audience. Even if it was, I still enjoyed it very much and would love to read more from Faith Gardner.
Thank you, NetGalley, for the chance to read this ARC.

Faith Gardner delivers yet again! Gardner continues to show her expertise in writing unreliable narrators. This book grabbed me from the very beginning and never let go. I was fully invested in learning what was going to happen next!

Ten years ago, Jolene played a prank on her classmate, Elizabeth which went horribly wrong. No one knew who was to blame for the horrific accident that night. But Jolene can't forget. She is riddled with guilt and self-medicates with alcohol and pills, moving from place to place, trying to escape her past.

Enter paranoia, stage left.

Now, Jolene has come face to face with Elizabeth. What is even more shocking to Jolene is that Elizabeth wants to be friends. Hold onto your hats, this is going to be a bumpy ride! Does Elizabeth know who was responsible for her horrific accident? Is she looking for revenge? Guilt and paranoia begin to consume Jolene as questions swirl thought her head and have her questioning everything including the voice in her head!

This book is full of quirky characters, creepy scenes, tension and a nice amount of OTT moments. I loved it. Jolene is quiet the character. Through this book she experiences many emotions - jealousy, anger, guilt, anxiety, paranoia, etc. I never know what I was going to get with her and that was one of my favorite parts of the book. She is unpredictable, unhinged, and unreliable.

From the first page until the very last, I found this book to be gripping, hard to put down, entertaining, and dark.

I've recently discovered Faith Gardner and I requested because I enjoyed the one I read before, I found this one to be not quite as good, but still enjoyable. I'm still going to look out for more of her work.

Jolene is nearing 30 and has no idea what she wants to do with her life. She’s lived in 23 cities in 10 years and bounced from one job or school to the next. Her life started this spiral after a prank went wrong and she caused a car accident that left Elizabeth with burn scars and one less eye and leg when she was 18. She made a decision at the scene of the accident that haunts her forever.

Jolene consistently battles with her inner voice as she tries to move on from the incident and make something for herself. She is starting to establish herself in a new place when she sees Elizabeth, who appears to not know what Jolene is responsible for. She wants to be friends, hang out all the time, etc.

This book followed 4 sub plots-
- Elizabeth encounters and interaction and she wants to reconnect with Jolene
- Jolene working for Suzette- a crazed writer
- Jolene’s therapy experience finally seeking help for her mental health and experimenting with psychedelic treatment
- creepy owner of Jolene’s apartment who appears to be watching her.

The ending left several questions and unanswered plot points, like Google man for example ?? Also, Alice ?? How did she know about the more recent copied haircut ? Who had it first??

I felt like almost too many sub plots that went into more detail than needed just to have one tiny connection later on in the story.

This was a fast read and kept me intrigued, just felt many questions were left unanswered and the ending fell flat and felt rushed to me.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC! Definitely a fast read/page turner. This book grabs on to you from page one and never lets go! 4 stars only because I found some of it unrealistic.

Ten years ago, on a dark night Jolene decides to play a prank on Elizabeth one of her school friends, a girl she harbors some dislike and jealousy for and dresses up as a gorilla ready to pounce in front of her car as Elizabeth is driving home, meaning to give her a huge fright. Of course, this whole scene does not go to plan and the next thing we know is Elizabeth crashes her car over a barrier and Joele thinks she may have killed her. Her relief that she survived is of great comfort and relief to Jolene, but this event will haunt her, little does she know at the time the affects this action will have on her life.

For the next ten years Jolene stumbles though life, not holding onto jobs or making any kind of career for herself whilst also suffering mental health issues. While taking another course Jolene and Elizabeth cross paths again much to Jolene’s shock and amazement and soon they are back in each other’s lives. Elizabeth has always maintained that she has no memory of that fateful night ten years ago but is this true?

I have to say that this book was not for me and the whole plot seemed a bit immature, more like a YA book and not one that held my attention. I did finish the book but unfortunately, I am sure it will move into the category as forgettable. This does not mean that others may not enjoy it, books are a very personal thing and what one enjoys another may not so if the blurb sounds good to you, please give it a try. I do not like writing negative reviews, but I do believe in being honest.

Thank you to Netgalley, the author and publisher for an advanced copy, all opinions expressed are my own.

Okay, listen, this was out there but it was great. I loved it. Also Jolene is a total mood. Her sarcastic inner dialog cracked me up, because same. The chapters were short and it was such a fast read. (If kids didn't interrupt) I can't believe I've never read Faith's books before. Off to read more 🏃‍♀️

Wow, just wow.

When I finished reading this book, I needed about five minutes of pure silence for my brain to stop the infinite loop of broken buffering, reboot itself, and process what I’d read. Author Faith Gardner’s talent for writing reminds me of a hyperactive, extremely happy puppy—it’s boundless and ever-growing. She possesses a dark and twisty, yet layered and complex imagination, which she skillfully integrates into her writing with eloquence and grace.

The book depicts the journey of the main protagonist, Jolene, a decade after a regrettable prank triggers a profound effect on her mental well-being and emotional fortitude. Consequently, she grapples with challenges of adulthood, meandering from place to place, and struggles to attain inner peace in the aftermath.

Jolene possesses a unique blend of indecisiveness, determination, and unhinged edginess, accompanied by a heaping side of dark humor. As she moves through each situation, she attempts to navigate and handle them the best way possible, while grappling with her own inner conflicts and uncertainties. I really appreciated the way her internal dialogues frequently engaged the reader directly, immersing me deeper into the intricate storyline of the book.

Throughout the twists and turns, it appeared to encompass both anticipated and unforeseen components simultaneously. This left me feeling intrigued and curious, while also providing small doses of accomplishment, comparable to figuring out who the ‘bad guys’ were in an episode of Scooby-Doo.

One challenge I encountered was Elizabeth’s immature vocabulary and attitude. Even after more than ten years later, she continued to come across as immature and used language typical of high school students. I’m not entirely sure if this behavior was simply to tease Jolene or for some deeper reason, but it made it difficult for me as a reader, as it was often burdensome and irritating to navigate through.

To avoid spoilers, I will only briefly mention that another challenge I encountered in this narrative was the presence of one or two, possibly three, characters that seemed to serve as filler rather than driving the plot forward. Their inclusion did not significantly contribute to the narrative and at times felt more distracting than beneficial. However, this issue is relatively minor in the grand scheme of things.

In summary, this was an emotionally charged, gritty, captivating book that kept me eagerly engaged throughout. I would highly recommend this book for anyone who likes the following elements:

╵╏～Recommended if you like...～╏╵
😵 Rekindling frenemies
♟️ Psychological suspense
🤯 Mind-bending and edgy themes
😈 Frequent dark comedic relief
🧠 Main character inner dialogues
😲 Anticipated and unforeseen twists
➰ Layered plot that is character driven

Thank you to Netgallery and Mirror House Press for an early release copy of Like It Never Was by Faith Gardner, this book will be available for purchase on July second of 2024.

Like It Never was has an interesting start! The first chapter is an immediate hook to the story, I was immediately interested to see where this story would be going, the thrilling bits here are interesting however I think the characters just weren’t that interesting to read about. Jolene and Elizabeth just seem like plain Jane characters, Jolene was annoying to read at time and Elizabeth was just as bad with her cringy dialogue. (I rolled my eyes every time I had to read Omigod for her) Honestly nothing much stands out from this thriller, towards the end it gets better though it’s a little crazy, I was originally going to give this story a two star read since it’s pretty average but the ending makes me bump it up to a three star. 2.5 star rating?

3.5 Stars.

Like it Never was - a story about a girl named Jolene with a big dark secret. A secret so bad it haunts her to this day. Jolene caused a serious accident which almost killed her 'friend' Elizabeth - 10 years on Elizabeth still doesn't know the truth... or does she?!

Starting this book I found chapter one very enticing and thrilling, but I did have to persevere the next few chapters as I did find them not to flow as well as I had expected. Once I got through those next chapters I did find the book to draw me back in. The story line was a little predictable with what would happen in the end, and I did find the characters at 30 to be a little juvenile but overall the storyline was good. Think thriller frenemies type storyline.

This was my first book to read by Faith Gardner and I am intrigued to read some more by her.

The guessing really kept me interested in this one. At times I thought it was gonna be predictable but the plot twist at the end was good!

Wow! This book was a magic mushroom trip of a psychological thriller.

Positive notes: The writing was absolutely gorgeous. I highlighted so much of this book and will absolutely share some quotes with you all. The way the author describes her reality and her dwindling mental health felt so true and real. As someone who has mental health issues, I related to some of the notes about depression, feeling lost in life, and a love for being numb on drugs.

Some constructive criticism: I found myself getting confused while reading from time to time with what was going on and who was in the scene. It forced me to flip back a few times to make sure I was understanding the scene correctly..

Reading a book by Faith Gardner is a safe bet. Yet again, I was not disappointed. From the very beginning I was drawn in. The main character did something she deeply regrets, and is haunted by it. It doesn’t become any easier when a person she never thought she would see again, comes back into her life.

This was a very suspenseful plot, where I needed to know what would happen next. What made it stand out for me however was how well the author manages to convey feelings of guilt and fear. She also writes beautifully, which isn’t a given. It made it an overall pleasant reading experience. There were plenty of questions asked, and I loved that you couldn’t be sure what the real story is.

The twist was… hm.. a bit rushed maybe. Surprising for sure, and a bit surrealistic.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc

Have you ever read a book and once you reach the end you ask yourself, what in the world did I just read?? After I sat it down, this book really gave me that feeling. I’m flabbergasted by the last chapter and still questioning what was true and what was all made up by Jolene.

I really enjoyed that this book had the suspense element but also some humor sprinkled in. There were parts I would speed through because I had to know what happened but also some that made me giggle.

I did really feel for Jolene throughout the book. Sometimes it’s hard to find who you are and where you should be, especially with trauma in the past. That trauma doesn’t always go away. I found it interesting how she dealt with it and the current situations.

This was my second book by Faith and it definitely won’t be my last

ARC REVIEW
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Finished really quick, and the reading style made it soooo easy to get through.
Wish there was a more interaction with the lady she was working for, but I understand why
3/5 purely because it didn’t blow me away

Oh, Faith Gardner, just oh.

I'm a card carrying Faith Gardner fan from the day that Amen Maxine (Jolvix Episodes) hit the ground running. It's still my all-time favorite of her books. No one grabs my attention like Faith Gardner. No one.

I know that authors can't hit it outta da park every time. So my balls and strikes may not be your balls and strikes. Like It Never Was is still a mighty worthy read. It's just that this one seemed to have more of a YA flavor to it. We walk around inside Jolene Vero's head holding onto the slanted walls for so very long. It was a bit of a struggle. And the explosive ending? Well, it was explosive alright. A lot of shrapnel to dodge. But you must stick with this one regardless. After all, it's Faith Gardner.

Jolene Vero wants to get off the wooden horse she rides in the merry-go-round of life. She keeps circling around her past issues without resolving a single one. Jolene has pursued theater since her high school days. She's lived in too many places to even count. with too many dreams turning into nightmares. Jolene's dad has always bailed her out when the seas got rough. But one horrible incident from her high school past has been a heavy boulder on her back. Nothing and no one can change that. And it's about to rear its ugly head, once again, in the present. And it's about to eat her alive.

Like It Never Was still deserves your attention. It's headed your way and due to publish 7/2/24. Grab it and see what ol' Jolene is up to. It's certainly a shaken and not stirred novel. Bottoms up.

I received a copy of this book through NetGalley for an honest review. My thanks to Mirror House Press and to the talented Faith Gardner for the opportunity.

Hello, thank you for the advanced copy. I left a full review on my Goodreads page, see link below. This was an okay read for me. I liked the twist at the end, but then it just got a little too crazy for me.