The Next Time I Saw Her

by Jae Mazer

After the catastrophe at Eden’s Edge, Anna finds herself living on the streets, hiding from the foster care system and her own identity. She survives her way into adulthood, and now lives in an apartment in the city, holding down a job as a bartender and flying under the radar.

But Anna’s past has come to find her. Inexplicable murders occur within Anna’s vicinity, and she can’t help but notice the links to her childhood. Joined by some of her old friends, and a few new ones, Anna fights to prove her innocence while being forced to face the truth of what she really is.

THE NEXT TIME I SAW HER is book two in the Gossamer and Pitch Trilogy. It is a splatterfolk tale full of blood, demons, sexuality, body horror, and trauma. Join Anna as she navigates this season of her life.

254 pages, Paperback

Published March 4, 2025

Reviews

[Amanda Zinni · Rating 4 out of 5]

Disclaimer: I received a free ebook from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

I'm loving coming along on Anna's journey. I wasn't expecting such a time jump from the previous book until now!

Things I loved: we tied up some loose ends, things I felt were not really touched upon at the end of the last book. I was so happy to see Liza again.... and Mary :(

The writing style is still very much in my area of enjoyment, Mazer has a very visual and not too dense style, making this a quick read.

I felt like the pacing was overall great. There were no bits that lagged too hard or felt rushed. The characters felt more alive, it made sense for them to go places to try and figure things out even if those places didnt pan out. And it didn't feel boring to be there.

I much prefer the ending to this book on comparison to the first. The first left me with too many questions, the pacing felt off. But this feels just right. Everything is cleaned up, the events make sense, and we are left with a overall happy ending that, if a third book wasn't on the way, feels final and packaged up nicely!

The only thing I'd say that left me confused, or feeling confused timeline-wise, was Bobby's timeline. He brought Mary back and really did a fucking number on her. But in the context of the first book, and this may be what I mean when I said the first book felt rushed at the end, he died quickly after removing Mary. Not long enough, in my opinion, for Mary to have been pregnant and miscarry. This book implies he was with her for a while. And what happened after his death? Did someone else take pver??

Overall, very enjoyable! I recommend but only after checking the content warnings. This book is graphic and touches on some tough subjects.

[Robin Ginther-Venneri · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Next Time I Saw Her
By Ms. Jae Mazer
Publisher: HellBound Books Publishing LLC
Publication Date: March 18, 2025
Length: 252 Pages
Triggers: Body horror, gore, trauma, murder, demonic possession, sexuality, cult aftermath
Star Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Dread Factor: 💀💀💀

What Did I Just Walk Into?
Anna’s back, baby—but this time she’s slinging drinks and dodging demons in the city instead of cult crazies in the woods. She’s older, tougher, and arguably more haunted. Unfortunately, so is her past. When corpses start piling up and the stench of Eden’s Edge creeps back into her life like a moldy basement memory, Anna’s left wondering if she’s the danger… or the only one who can stop it.

Here’s What Slapped:
Ms. Jae Mazer proves once again that horror can be emotionally raw, uncomfortably intimate, and beautifully grotesque all at once. The splatterfolk vibes are in full force—think folklore meets bloodbath with a side of existential dread. Anna’s voice is sharper, wearier, but still magnetic. And when Old Man Merle showed up again? I howled. This sequel doesn’t flinch. It leans into the trauma, the gore, and the messiness of healing when your past keeps showing up with a knife.

Here’s What Could’ve Stayed in the Shadows:
You’ll want to take a deep breath before diving in—because it does not let up. If you’re looking for a “cozy horror” break, maybe go pet a kitten first. This book goes hard, then harder.

Perfect for Readers Who Love:
📖 Bloody, brutal folklore horror
📖 Demons with a vendetta
📖 Cult survivors who bite back
📖 Urban settings with supernatural chaos
📖 Stories where the horror is personal and paranormal

Book Series Order:
The First Time I Saw Her: The Gossamer and Pitch Trilogy: Book One
Book 1 of 2: The Gossamer And Pitch Trilogy
The Next Time I Saw Her (The Gossamer And Pitch Trilogy Book 2)
Book 2 of 2: The Gossamer And Pitch Trilogy


Reviewed by Robin for Robin’s Review

[ScarlettAnomalyReads · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this in exchange for an honest review, and I very much enjoyed it.

This one got me right in the start with Anna, surviving anyway she can, finally makes it to adulthood, and has a place to call her own, and a job.

Then it gets weird and my heart breaks for her. While she didn't have peace, she had something she hadn't had, a kind of stability, and then the weird murders started, and they are all connected to her childhood in different ways. Anna isn't all sunshine and rainbows but still.

I kept wondering, is this some weird revenge thing from her rough past, or is this a broken woman, who might or might not be killing off people in a crazy mental break?

This is more than what it seems, it's not just a checkered past and fighting to survive, it's not just a simple murder mystery horror story. This is an entire world, built and burning, as Anna struggles to figure out what is really haunting her, the ghosts of her past, or actual things and people in her past..

MF’ing Old Man Merle, that's all I have to say on that.

I am ready for the next one, no rush or anything.

[Abi Plested · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think the blurbs of both this book and book 1 could do a better job of highlighting the darkness - just fyi to anyone not into gore/very dark/ trigger stuff these are not the books for you!

Review:
I found this harder to get into straight after book 1- having spent all of book one in a secluded space and no tech, moving into the ‘real world’ threw me! But once I got into it I loved the storyline. I didn’t see the end coming, and i know it’s a trilogy but there was no cliffhanger (same as first one) so it feels a satisfying ending.

I will admit some scenes are still a bit much for me - minor spoiler - a graphic account of her shoving a live, kicking and scratching squirrel up her chuff is something I could have lived my entire life without reading.

[Sherelle de koning · Rating 3 out of 5]

The fact that horror isn't my genre and I still wanted to read book two of this series should be telling you enough. I was very invested in the story and wanted to unravel all the mysteries. Anna is all grown up and has created a life for herself. But death and decay appears to be following her and she has to decide who she is. Will she follow in her mom's footsteps or her dad's? I didn't enjoy this book as much as the first one, because the story intrigued me a little less and therefore I was less able to ignore the gore and guts, which also happened to be a lot more in this one. So yeah, if you like that, I would definitely recommend it and if you don't, I still found it to be a good book about discovering who you truly are!

[Books · Rating 5 out of 5]

Distrubingly delicious and captivating! You can't help but fall in love Jae Mazer writing style and ability to delve into gruesome and horrific depths and make beautiful.

I wasn't able to put it down. I read this in less than a day 😂 no housework got done, I did feed the kids but that was about it. Plus, it was raining, and reading listening to rain is just wonderful.

The next time I saw her follows on 2 decades after the first book, and it works so well. Anna isn't a little girl anymore, but a 30 something year old. Jae has left it open beautifully at the end for the final book in the trilogy, which I'm extremely excited about.

[ThatBookMoth · Rating 2 out of 5]

There’s extreme horror with plot and extreme horror with no plot. At 48% in this one was losing me.
A interesting use of first person possession, straight from the main character’s POV, that I haven’t come across before. But the over use of gross sexual assault wasn’t doing it for me. If it makes sense later great but I was getting tired of the MC apparently knowing and not knowing what’s going on while everyone around her accepts her strange behaviour.

[Leanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Anna has escaped Eden's Edge and is hiding from the foster system. She finds herself a job as a bartender and tries to build a new life for herself but it won't be that easy. When she finds a dead person who has been murdered. Has the past come back to haunt her. This book is so much more than your typical horror story as it has blood, demons and witches and a complex structure.

[Ashley Palmer · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book. Just as amazing as the first one!! Now... where is the third 😍

[Hokunani Sorci · Rating 4 out of 5]

“What would be waiting for me at the end of the bed? Teeth ready to grind my flesh, a gaping throat ready to swallow? A crooked woman ready to slice me from groin to gullet, rip out my insides, and insert herself in my meat suit to wear me, absorb me, be me. Take me. I don’t want me.”

New Friend is back and creepier than ever! Anna as an adult is an absolute wreck and I’m here for it. The first story was an ickfest and this one manages to top it.

Pros:

Gross: There’s more than enough gore, trauma, and nastiness to satisfy splatterpunk horror fans. There are descriptions in here I can’t wipe from my brain no matter how many books I read.

Story: While I found the premise of the first book more intriguing, I enjoyed following Anna as she navigated adulthood. The book takes us on a wild ride, digging around into parts of Anna’s past she’d rather forget. I had no idea what was gonna happen chapter to chapter and I loved it.

Characters: the characters that fill this book are crazy, creepy, and definitely weird. Mazer does a great job of fleshing out her world.

Cons:

Editing: There’s an unfortunate amount of spelling/grammar issues but hopefully they were fixed in the published version.

Loose threads: there’s a couple side plots that come and go with no resolution or explanation as to why those things happened in the first place (ex. Bookshop owner). I’m hoping that they’ll be addressed or resolved in book 3.

Final Thought:
Dive into The Next Time I Saw Her and bring a barf bag.

3.75/5 (rounded to 4)