Horror Book Review: Like It Never Was by Faith Gardner

 

This week's Horror Book Pick is LIKE IT NEVER WAS.

Written by Faith Gardner, the book was published in July 2024 and is on the bestsellers list in Horror Suspense and Domestic Thrillers.

The book has received praise for being a jaw-dropping thriller and twists that you won't see coming.

Readers were full of praise as well and hailed the twist that they did not see coming. They also found the protagonist interesting and some even found her funny.

Some negative reviews pertained to the climax that they thought was predictable.

LIKE IT NEVER WAS Plot Summary

The book begins with Jolene's POV. She is in high school and wants to play a mean prank on her nemesis Elizabeth.

Elizabeth seems to be fascinated with Big Foot and Jolene comes up with a plan to get her to be a laughing stock.

And so Jolene borrows a gorilla suit from the high school theater department and wears it. She hides near the road and waits for Elizabeth's car to drive past. When it does, Elizabeth is so shocked and in disbelief that she doesn't see where she is going.

The car meets with an accident and Jolene is shocked that her prank backfired. She manages to find a neighbor to call for help and then escapes the area.

Later she contacts her father who is a criminal lawyer and indirectly tells him what she has done. Her father tells her that she is culpable but since no one saw her, she is safe for now.

Ten  years later, Jolene has still not gotten her life together. However, her father manages to get a client of his to give Jolene a job as an assistant.

It's obvious that Jolene has still been unable to forget what she did to Elizabeth.

The sample doesn't tell us whether Jolene knows about Elizabeth suffering after the accident or that she got her leg amputated.

The plot suggests that Jolene and Elizabeth becomes friends and that maybe Elisabeth doesn't remember the details of the accident.

But disturbing events get Jolene curious and wonder if her new friend may be behind them.

The plot is enticing and the first scene brings us quickly to Jolene and her prank.

The first chapter quickly gets to the point and shows us the accident scene. In the next chapter we find Jolene dealing with the consequences of her actions.

The story shows the horror of pranks backfiring. Imagine being responsible for someone getting hurt, would you forgive yourself?

Jolene is a well-built character and her character growth is seen after ten years have passed. She made a mistake, she can't get rid of her guilt and that has infused itself into her adulthood, affecting her way of life.

The writing is crisp and the premise is intriguing enough for you to want to continue reading and find out what happens when Jolene's path crosses with Elizabeth.

To Read or Not to Read?

The book does hold promise of an interesting time spent reading it. There's nothing better than to find that one book that will capture your mind, ignore all distractions, and simply delve into the story.

Like It Never Was is an interesting book that I would definitely enjoy continue reading.

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