Hayley wants to be YouTube influencer. That’s hard when she has exactly zero followers. Then she starts to push the boundaries to get views- breaking into homes, pulling very questionable pranks.

Spoiler warning-



Hayley is going to be punished for something in a very Truman Show like way…and she has no idea it’s even happening. Protesters don’t like it and want it all to end. The question is…should influencers be responsible if bad things happen to people that follow what the influencers put out for public consumption?


I’m undecided about how I feel about this book. It took me awhile to get into it, but the story truly ended up being a modern day take on The Truman Show with a punishment aspect to it. It was an interesting concept.

I loved the crazy ride this book takes you on! I was a little confused at first but kept reading and the rest of the book for sure keeps you on your toes! Looking forward to reading more thriller books from this author.

This book was SO good! I was genuinely confused until I got the second part. The ending was perfect.

My Goodreads review:

Now this is a thriller! After getting through the first part, I flew through the end.

Kate wakes up after an evening of drinking to a car crashing into her neighbors fence… the next day, the fence is fixed and the neighbor tells her it didn’t happen.

A VERY wild ride!

Kate witnesses a car crash outside her home, alongside her neighbors. Soon after, it becomes apparent that someone is trying to cover up the accident and erase it from memory. As Kate's life takes a dramatic turn, strange events begin to unfold: someone breaks into her and her fiancé's home, and a man follows her home from work.

Fool Me Once opens with the car crash and maintains a fast pace, hardly letting up until its thrilling conclusion. The tension keeps you on your toes, leaving you fearful for Kate’s safety as you unravel the mystery behind the attempts to silence her.

However, I found the dialogue challenging at times since it lacks quotation marks, which made it harder to follow. Additionally, the characters didn't stand out as particularly extraordinary. Nonetheless, it’s an engaging, quick read with an interesting premise.

Overall, Fool Me once was a quick, psychological thriller that keeps you on your toes up until the very end. Fans of thrillers will highly enjoy this read.

This mystery comes with a very original story line. Kate is horrified when she, her partner and her neighbours witness an automobile accident, where fortunately nobody appears to have been killed.

Rather less fortunately, Kate begins to believe that she is either being gaslighted or is losing her mind, because the next day nobody has any recollection of the accident. Or so they claim.

But why would they all lie? Or is it Kate's own problems with alcohol that are at the root of what she is experiencing?

The answers to these questions lie in a truly astounding explanation, and this thriller definitely delivers something unexpected to its readers. Worth checking out, it gets 3.5 stars.

Great thriller that hooks you early. I’m so glad I had a long flight and was able to read this all at once. It would have been hard to put down!

Thank you Inkubator Books for providing me an ARC!

This neighbourhood definitely had me feeling wary, the danger rose as the secrets and lies came out, very suspensful and twisty overall.

The story line was unique, unlike anything I have read before, part of the plot bothered me which prevented a higher rating.

4 stars

I really enjoyed the storyline and was kept engaged, especially during the first part of the book. The chapters were a good length. It was a quick, easy read. I look forward to seeing what other books the author has to offer.

Holy Buckets, I could not put this down. I loved the plot, the characters and how fast paced this book was. It also leaves you thinking about the impact of influencers and social media, and what is moral, ethic and legal. Grab this book now and get ready for a thriller ride!

Kate's quiet evening at home is shattered when a car crashes into a neighbour's fence. The police and emergency services are quickly on the scene. Kate saw the crash. The neighbours saw it too. So why is everyone saying it never happened.? And how is it possible that the neighbour's fence doesn't even have a scratch on it? Is Kate going crazy, or is everybody lying? Strange things start happening in Kate's life. A man follows her home after work. An intruder tries to break into her house in the middle of the night. Kate is convinced that the events are connected to the crash. Someone wants to silence her. But why? Who was in that car on Saturday night? And what is the deadly secret everyone is trying to hide?

Kate witnessed a car crash outside her house late one night. The emergency services all attended, Her neighbour's fence was destroyed by the crash. The neighbours all witnessed it, But the next morning, everything was back to normal. Her neighbour's fence didn't even have a scratch on it. Kate's husband and her neighbours all deny there was a crash.

This story is creepy, horrifying, shocking, chilling, unexpected twists start happening, and it's very well written. It's also complex, twisted, and thought-provoking. A thoroughly enjoyable read.

Published 6th October 2024

I would like to thank #NetGalley #InkubatorBooks and the author for my ARC of #FoolMeOnce in exchange for an honest review.

★★★★.5

This book is a wild ride full of twists and turns you definitely won’t see coming. I’m speechless—in the best way possible!

Thank you, NetGalley, Mark Gillespie, and Inkubator Books, for providing an early copy of ‘Fool Me Once’ in exchange for an unbiased review.

Kate wakes up on her couch to strange noises outside. When she checks, she witnesses a car accident right in front of her house. There’s significant damage to a neighbor’s property, and the noise draws people from all along the street. Soon, emergency services arrive. After checking in with their neighbors, Sarah and Jack, Kate and her boyfriend Tommy head to bed. But when Kate wakes the next morning, she’s shocked to find no trace of the accident from the night before. Confused, she decides to check in with her neighbors again. When she asks Sarah if everything’s okay and mentions how surprised she is that the damage was cleaned up so quickly, Sarah looks completely confused. When Kate brings up the accident, Sarah insists there wasn’t one.

And that’s just the beginning of the weirdness. When Kate tells Tommy about her conversation with Sarah, he looks confused too—he swears there was no accident. He even takes the opportunity to make a snide comment about Kate’s drinking habits. Kate, feeling extra groggy and hungover, admits she probably needs to slow down. But wait, there’s more! After work, a strange man seems to be following her. Later that night, someone tries to break into her house. Kate becomes convinced that the accident really did happen—and that someone’s trying to intimidate her and everyone else from admitting it...

The story unfolds in five parts, each from a different POV. It’s tough to review without giving away too much, so instead, here are my thoughts as I read through each section:

Part I: I was hooked. I had no idea what was happening, but I was loving every second. Kate’s doubts about her sanity? I was right there with her, spiraling too.

Part II: Things finally started making a little more sense. I still had a million questions though!

Part III: I finally began to appreciate the masterful plotting! I was so immersed, the world around me ceased to exist. The reveal? Stunning. I was floored.

Parts IV and V: Oh. Boy.

There’s so much to unpack! This book is a sharp commentary on society’s obsession with attention and fame—no matter the cost. I highly recommend checking it out. Trust me, you won’t see the twists coming!

If anyone wants to chat about this, hit me up! I'm still working my way through it...

This was an amazing read, completely unputdownable. It enters into the main plot from the start and it kept me engaged. The ending, however felt a little bit stretched considering the pace for the rest of the book was fast. However, apart from that it was a very intriguing read.

What did I just read! OMG, amazing! I settled into Fool me Once presuming it would end in a usual thrillery way but what I got was something else completely. I really enjoyed the boundary pushing in this tense taut read. Don't think I've read a book quite this fast before because I really wanted to know what the heck was going on for Kate. Definitely a plot you won't have read before.

This one is hard for me - I'm still digesting it and not sure if I love it or hate it! But I'm still thinking about it so I'm going to assume it's love! This story was very suspenseful and takes a crazy turn all of a sudden. All the questions you've been asking all change to completely different ones! I wasn't sure where this was going at all!!! And that rarely happens so I'll take it as a good find! It's more of a suspense than what I would label a thriller. Can't say much more without spoiling it! Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I couldn't fully get into the book sadly. It wasnt eye catching. Some parts were just confusing and other parts I'm not real sure. I think it just wasn't a hit to me and that's ok. The author did his thing and he should be proud of the book regardless.

This was a bit different than what I was expecting but it was really gripping and I found it hard to put down. I’ve not come across this author’s books before so will be catching up with them.

Well this was a strange book, very different from what I was expecting. It started really well with the first part of the story. Part 2 was a bit less interesting and i was speed reading to see what that had got to do with the first half of the book . I did find it a bit far fetched but full marks for bringing out a book that is so far from the usual story . Would I recommend this book , no not really but it may appeal more to other people that it did to me .

Read ARC on netgalley.

Tdlr:
Pros: excellent story, plot and writing. Fleshed out characters.

Cons: first part is a slog to go through. Slight repetition.

long:

There is a grammar mistake in the prologue.
Starting part is a bit hard to read because you curse at the protagonist who makes stupid decisions from the moment we are introduced but later it pays off. Even kate and tommy's relationship seema off and that turns out to be masterful writing!

The book is excellent. The multiple parts nicely tie together to form the overall story.

A character works in a project which he is slightly put off by and makes up his mind thunking of his kid. Who else won't change their world view because they think of their kids!

Makes a good point that protests online offline don't matter as long as general public is happy. Boycotts don't work.

It also speaks on the influencer culture that we suffer through currently.

The title and prologue don't do justice to this amazing story!

Is Kate losing her mind? She witnesses a car crash and the next day there is no sign it ever happened and no one is admitting to witnessing it. A lot of unexpected events occur that turn into an unraveling. You never know what someone is capable of. Thank you NetGalley for the chance to read this before published on Oct 6, 2024.