Like It Never Was

Of all the IMPROV classes in Berkley, you had to walk into mine…. (shameless Casablanca reference)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.

Thank you to Mirror House Press and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.