***ARC provided by the publisher via Netgalley.co.uk in return for an honest review ***

Unfortunately I didn't enjoy this at all. I persevered to the end but I was disappointed with the Sci fi aspect of the novel.

Unfortunately this was a DNF for me. Drugs, time warps strange happenings, sexual abusem necrophilia, shelf harm, stalking this book was a hot mess with a thin storyline a whole lot of triggering material. Just not for me, the narrator as excellent though.

Thank you Netgalley, C.M. Harris, and HarperCollins for my gifted audiobook!

Synopsis:
When Jane and her cousin TJ return to the small town they grew up in for a reunion, they don't know what they signed up for. Not only is Jane's stalker, Lincoln, there, too, but the woods one of their friends disappeared in twenty years ago seem dangerous as ever. Because someone - or something - is lurking there - and out to get them...

My thoughts:
WTF did I just listen to?! Take Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn, mix it up with Stephen King's worst books and put it on drugs, and you get this book. It was confusing, psychedelic, and just plain weird. Also, it was more SciFi than thriller, which isn't my genre AT ALL which made me struggle a lot. I saw the final twist coming during the first quarter of the book, and I think I would have been disappointed if this wouldn't have turned out to be what was going on. The descirptions of the forest were atmospheric, but also quite long and unnecessary, just as the chapters describing the drug trip. Also, wayyy too much information on fungi. Andddd, I'm sorry to say this, but the narrator sounded as if she would fall asleep any moment.

Parts of this book reminded me of:
- Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn

This was my first book by this author.

A bit more sci-fi then thriller/crime. This was a strange strange book I like sci-fi but this was very very weird I didn’t love it but I liked it. 3 stars definitely worth a read if you’re looking for something a bit different.

I tried to get through this book, but didn’t really hold my interest, A bit weird, sci-fi rather than true crime or thriller and covers many subjects such as domestic abuse, child abuse, drug use and a variety of Prost like occurrences. The story is about two women who return to their home town for a 20 year school reunion. Thank you #NetGalley for the audiobook to review.

Weird shrooming world - rather hard to keep track of what's real.

Not really my cup of tea, but it is not bad!

Thank you to NetGalley, Harper Collins Audio and CM Harris for an Audio ARC in return for an honest review.

Jane and TJs friend went missing 20 years ago. They attend their high school reunion to find out more about the disappearance. Somethings are best left.

This book grabbed my imagination from the very start. It is a sci-fi thriller that gives off horror vibes. The narrator, Daniela Acitelli, does a fantastic job and really gets into character. She adds extra tension and intensity when it’s required. Really enjoyed.

this book is more sci fi then thriller which i don't think comes across in the write up or the cover. There were some great thought provoking elements but i fel the story disconnect as times. the beginning was slow and i struggled to keep interested

Cousins and writing partners TJ and Jane attend a 20 school reunion back in hometown Ketchum. They are greeted by old friend and long time stalker, Lincoln. It’s been 2o since they last all saw their friend Evie who went missing in the woods referred to as the Thicket.
I struggled with this book which was rather sci-fi than crime and not my usual genre of book. Also seemed quite a long story, but perhaps this may be because of the genre. I’m sure sci-fi fans will enjoy this story.

I enjoyed this better as an audible version of the book and did get into it. It flowed a lot better for me and I got a lot more of the atmosphere. At times I got really gripped into the story which I didnt with the book, it does show that different methods of delivery can work for some people better than others.

I was given a free copy of the audio book by netgalley and the publishers but the review is entirely my own.

She Never Left is a cross genre title. In parts it’s a mix of murder mystery, psychological thriller, horror with a sprinkling of the supernatural. The opening chapter is truly creepy. I was listening to the book in bed at night and it sent genuine chills through me and was very unsettling. The author creates really stark menace and threat in dark woods and it’s one of the most memorable opening chapters I’ve read. Don’t go into the woods takes on a whole new meaning!

The rest of the story follows a couple of central characters years late when they return to the area for a school reunion. There is layer upon layer of detail which is revealed bit by bit so it’s very difficult to predict what’s going on. It’s difficult to imagine, but mushrooms have a role and it’s a powerful and unusual plot line.

Initially I wasn’t keen on the narration which seemed rather laconic. However, it grew on me and eventually I realised that the narrator was letting the writing create the drama and tension, not the narration. It’s not often I find a story really unsettling; so much so that I finished this in daytime. Overall, an unusual and complex and it kept me intrigued and shivery.

My thanks to the publisher for a review copy via Netgalley.

Sadly I just couldn’t enjoy this story as the narrator just made it hard to focus on what was going on, maybe I’ll get the book instead.

When Jane and TJ agree to attend their high school reunion they never expect to come face-to-face with classmate-turned-stalker Lincoln the moment they return home. The narration has good pace and flow,and the narrators voices seemed right for the creepy characters they were portraying.

‘We Thicket Kids gazed into the Armillaria and the Armillaria gazed back. Some of us could handle its attention; used it to do great things. Others got too close to the edge and slipped. I straddled its abyss. Guess I still am.’ - Jane.

My thanks to HarperCollins U.K. Audio for a review copy via NetGalley of the unabridged audiobook edition of ‘She Never Left’ by CM Harris in exchange for an honest review. The audiobook is narrated by Daniela Acitelli.

Since leaving behind the small town of Ketchum, Illinois to move to Chicago, cousins Jane and T.J. have established themselves: Jane as a literary agent and T.J. as a writer. T.J.’s latest manuscript is overdue and Jane feels that attending their upcoming 20-year high school reunion will help T.J. overcome her writer’s block.

Yet Ketchum holds dark memories for them both as their friend, Evie, who had been T.J.’s first crush, had disappeared under mysterious circumstances. Evie had been with friends in the local woods playing a game of Ghost in the Graveyard. Afterwards Evie heads home on her own across a part of the wood known as The Thicket.

Something is very weird about The Thicket. The opening chapter gives an account of Evie’s fate. The only witness is Lincoln, a classmate considered a creepy outsider. Indeed, Lincoln has been obsessed with Jane since high school and has been increasingly stalking her. No further details to avoid spoilers.

This was an intense and unusual horror novel. Trees and woods have long featured in horror fiction. Here the woods also contain a bioluminescent fungus with psychotropic properties dubbed by the locals as Foxfire. Paul, one of the original group and Jane’s ex-boyfriend, has become a mycologist and provides exposition on all things fungi.

I have recently read some nonfiction works on the role of fungi in the environment, including woodlands, so I had some context for this aspect of the story.

While the pacing was at times a little uneven, I enjoyed the touch of Lovecraftian horror at its heart. Uncertain though about how I feel about ever eating another mushroom

With respect to the audiobook, Daniela Acitelli has an impressive portfolio of over 140 titles across a variety of genres. Her voice has a husky edge to it, which built on the dark, gritty nature of this novel. In addition, I felt that she invested a great deal of energy into the characters that added to the tension and chills.

As a big fan of science fiction and horror, I not only enjoyed this but plan on looking into Harris other writings.

4.5 stars rounded up to 5.

I listened to this as I read the ebook and thoroughly enjoyed it. I felt that the narrator was good and helped me remember the plot lines which at time I found complicated, that being said it was a thoroughly good book

I enjoyed this audio book, more than the ebook (which was a DNF) I understood what to book was about more, but unfortunately the style still wasn’t for me .

I listened to the audiobook while simultaneously reading the e-book along, and the experience was phenomenal!

This had what I love in books - class reunions, murder, mystery, intrigue.

Unfortunately I felt like we had too many people, timelines, locations, plots to keep up with and I simply couldn't keep up.

This has all the right ingredients, so if you don't mind a lot of people and timelines to keep track of you will likely really enjoy this!