Like It Never Was (ARC) Review!

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Title - Like It Never Was

Author - Faith Gardner

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spice 🌶 - 0

scare 😱 - 3.5

plot 📖 - 4

characters 🧍- 4

stars ⭐ - 4



 Like It Never Was deserves an award for having an unreliable narrator I did not loathe! Unreliable narrators have burned me in the past, but Gardner did a fantastic job with Jolene's character. Jolene is a thirty-year-old with nomadic tendencies. Not only does she jump from job to job, but she jumps from place to place even quicker. While we all probably know someone who doesn't like to stay in one place for too long, Jolene's reason for never settling down is (hopefully) different. Jolene did something bad, REALLY bad. 

When she makes the move to Berkley, CA she really thinks this may be it. She has outrun her past. Little does she know her past is in her backyard, and her improv class. When she begins spiraling she signs up for therapy to stop that voice in her head once and for all. 

Who can Jolene trust? Her therapist? An old friend from the past? Her landlord? Her childhood best friend? Herself? 

Like It Never Was is a psychological thriller that keeps you spinning until the last page. 


My Thoughts

Coming in at just over 300 pages, Like It Never Was is a quick read. It took me ~1/4 of the book to get into it, but I was locked in after that. The middle of the book keeps you guessing who is the villain. When the plot comes to a head the twists don't stop. With short chapters that keep you wanting more this book could easily be read in a few sittings. 

While the ending was not my favorite I understand why Gardner did it. The very last twist was the one I'm still thinking about a couple of days after finishing the book. 

At first, the plot seemed real dumb to me, but as I read on the more realistic it got. This whole thing (mostly) could happen. Those are always the thrillers that get me. So many out there are so outlandish that they roll off your back. Not this one. Nopeeeeeee. This one had me counting my shoes and looking down my sink drain. (iykyk) 

Like It Never Was is the best ARC I have read yet! If you need a short and fast-paced thriller I highly recommend it. I can't wait to jump into more of Gardner's books. 

❤ Les

P.S. 

Tropes - dual timeline and unreliable narrator. 

TWs - car crash, amputation, permanent scarring, drug abuse, and psychedelic drug use.

Thank you, NetGalley and the publisher for sending me an ARC in exchange for an honest review!


View my review on Goodreads here.

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