Like It Never Happened Blog Tour

Hi and welcome to my stop on the Like it Never Happened Blog Tour. You might remember that I reviewed this book back in June. If you missed that, here's a recap, and then I have a playlist for the book made by the book's character, high school drama star Rebecca Rivers!

Like It Never Happened

by Emily Adrian

Published by Dial Books

on June 2nd 2015

Synopsis: When Rebecca Rivers lands the lead in her school’s production of The Crucible, she gets to change roles in real life, too. She casts off her old reputation, grows close with her four rowdy cast-mates, and kisses the extremely handsome Charlie Lamb onstage. Even Mr. McFadden, the play’s critical director, can find no fault with Rebecca. Though “The Essential Five” vow never to date each other, Rebecca can’t help her feelings for Charlie, leaving her both conflicted and lovestruck. But the on and off-stage drama of the cast is eclipsed by a life-altering accusation that threatens to destroy everything…even if some of it is just make believe.

My (condensed) take:  Like It Never Happened does a nice job of exploring group dynamics among a fivesome of friends involved in high school theater and their young drama teacher. Parts are cast, parts are played (on-stage and off), rumors are spread, and everything starts to unravel. I recently re-watched Election (the movie based on the book by Tom Perrotta) and Like It Never Happened reminded me a bit of the high school machinations in that. If you've enjoyed books about the destructive power of rumors -- book like Good Girls by Laura Ruby or If I Lie by Corinne Jackson, I urge you to try this!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Emily Adrian was born in 1989 in the suburbs of Portland, Oregon. After graduating from Portland State University, she moved to Toronto, Ontario, where she worked as a receptionist while secretly writing books.

Emily currently lives in Toronto with her husband and their dog named Hank. Like It Never Happened is her debut novel.

Rebecca's Playlist:

1. A Little Lost – Arthur Russell

This is a song about wanting to kiss someone. Rebecca spends a lot of the book wanting to kiss people. A couple of people, in particular. 

2. All These Things That I’ve Done – The Killers

There’s an urgency to this song, and a demand for someone’s attention—“Don’t you put me on the back burner”—that I think captures the way Rebecca starts to feel toward Mr. McFadden.

3. The Biggest Lie – Elliott Smith

The book begins with Rebecca and Tess telling (or maybe performing) a pretty big lie. 

4. Call It Off – Tegan and Sara

I can’t explain exactly how this song applies—because spoilers—but it’s a song about accepting that you’re never going to be with that one person you’ve been eying for a while.

5. I Feel It All – Feist

“I don’t know what I knew before / But now I know I want to win the war.” 

Things start to get pretty competitive between Rebecca and her co-stars.

6. Telephones – Mo Kenney

This is just the perfect song for Rebecca and Charlie.

7. No One Said It Would Be Easy – Cloud Cult

The way the singer screams “YOU’RE A PRETTY HUMAN BEING” reminds me of Rebecca’s enthusiasm for her friendship with Liane—how sometimes Rebecca’s just dying to tell Liane how great she is. 

8. Rose Parade – Elliott Smith

Like It Never Happened is set in Portland, Oregon, just like this song. Particularly, this song touches on how the city can be kind of dreary and strange, a reality that occasionally weighs on Rebecca.  

9. Master Pretender – First Aid Kit

Rebecca is nothing if not a master pretender.

10. Criminal – Fiona Apple

There’s a place, about halfway through the book, where Rebecca mentions feeling “fairly criminal.” For reasons.

11. Song Beneath A Song – Maria Taylor

The way the chorus repeats, “It’s not a love song,” makes me think of Rebecca’s growing frustration with her boyfriend’s chameleon-like behavior. 

12. Life On A Chain – Pete Yorn

And, alternatively, this song reminds me of how dang excited Rebecca is when she and Charlie first get together. 

13. Here’s Where The Story Ends – The Sundays

Again, I don’t want to spoil the book, but let’s just say that Rebecca has a tough year. 

14. Say You Don’t Want It – One Night Only

But, despite the year’s ups and downs, there’s never a point at which Rebecca stops longing for that onstage rush of adrenaline, that performance high. This song dares her to say she doesn’t want it.

Be sure to check out all the other tour stops here!