Book Review: Like It Never Was by Faith Gardner
Rating:3.5⭐
Jolene Vero has spent the last ten years consumed by guilt over her role in an accident that left her school friend Elizabeth Smith grievously injured. After spending years moving from place to place, career to career, unable to settle down, she moves to Berkley prepared for a fresh start. What she wasn’t prepared for, however, was meeting Elizabeth again. Elizabeth, still bearing the physical scars of her accident, tells her that she has no recollection of how the accident happened and proceeds to befriend Jolene. Jolene is initially uneasy but wants to believe Elizabeth. Is she being paranoid? Should she listen to the voices in her head? Is it her own guilt that’s making her suspect Elizabeth’s hand in the strange things happening to her, or does Elizabeth know more than she is letting on?
There is a lot about Like It Never Was by Faith Gardner that is praiseworthy. The narrative, presented from Jolene’s first-person POV in past and present timelines (“Now” and “Then”) flows well. The fast-paced suspenseful plot, the writing and the twists ( I could predict one of the reveals, but that did not detract from the overall experience) kept me invested until the very end. I don’t mind a bit of OTT/suspension of disbelief and even enjoy it in thrillers. However, what didn’t work for me were the character dynamics. I appreciate that the past timeline begins when the characters were teenagers (which justifies the YA vibes), but when twenty-nine-year-olds resort to behaving like immature teenagers, I find it a tad annoying. The pill-popping, intoxicated unreliable narrator is an overused trope that doesn’t always work for me, though I did appreciate the intensity and dry humor the author injects into the narrative.
However, despite the quibbles, I did find this to be an engaging read. Faith Gardner knows how to craft a twisty thriller and this novel is no exception. Don't overthink it and enjoy the ride!
I’ve been a fan of the author's work ever since the first book in the Jolvix series and always look forward to reading more from her!
Many thanks to the author and the publisher for the digital review copy via BookSirens. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.
There is a lot about Like It Never Was by Faith Gardner that is praiseworthy. The narrative, presented from Jolene’s first-person POV in past and present timelines (“Now” and “Then”) flows well. The fast-paced suspenseful plot, the writing and the twists ( I could predict one of the reveals, but that did not detract from the overall experience) kept me invested until the very end. I don’t mind a bit of OTT/suspension of disbelief and even enjoy it in thrillers. However, what didn’t work for me were the character dynamics. I appreciate that the past timeline begins when the characters were teenagers (which justifies the YA vibes), but when twenty-nine-year-olds resort to behaving like immature teenagers, I find it a tad annoying. The pill-popping, intoxicated unreliable narrator is an overused trope that doesn’t always work for me, though I did appreciate the intensity and dry humor the author injects into the narrative.
However, despite the quibbles, I did find this to be an engaging read. Faith Gardner knows how to craft a twisty thriller and this novel is no exception. Don't overthink it and enjoy the ride!
I’ve been a fan of the author's work ever since the first book in the Jolvix series and always look forward to reading more from her!
Many thanks to the author and the publisher for the digital review copy via BookSirens. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.
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