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alexpoling's review against another edition
1.0
DNF at 50%
If someone could tell me who Dave ends up with, that would be great.
I've spent more than a month on this book, and it's so boring and dull. I might finish it someday, but for now I'm going to go read something I'll actually enjoy.
I'm going to count this in my reading challenge because I've spent so much time on it. This book owns me at least that.
If someone could tell me who Dave ends up with, that would be great.
I've spent more than a month on this book, and it's so boring and dull. I might finish it someday, but for now I'm going to go read something I'll actually enjoy.
I'm going to count this in my reading challenge because I've spent so much time on it. This book owns me at least that.
blurrypetals's review against another edition
2.0
I always say it's better to be spectacularly awful than it is to be mediocre and boring and this is a great example of that philosophy. I will not remember this book in a month and certainly not in a year, and it isn't because I didn't finish it. It's because the writing is lame, the characters are cardboard, the prose is stale, and the whole thing reads like a grocery list. Dave felt this because this. Julia said this. Dave liked that. Dave liked Julia. You feel me? Ugh. Next.
zapkode's review against another edition
5.0
{My Thoughts} – Never become a cliche. Always be there for your best friend no matter what. And sometimes it’s okay to break the rules.
Julia and Dave have been friends for many years and when they started High School they created a list called the Nevers. On that list is ten things that they aren’t allowed to do during their four years in High School. Which when you read it basically says that they aren’t allowed to have a normal High School experience. Although I suppose it could depend on how the reader perceives the list once they read it.
Julia is a sweet girl with a lot to learn. She was adopted and has two gay dads. Her mother is in the picture sort of. She always makes Julia promises that she never intends to keep. I am sure any child that is raised by someone other then their actual parent knows what that is like. I was raised by my grandparents and experienced it a lot when it came to my mom saying she was going to come visit and do things and well never showed up or had some creative lie as to why she couldn’t show up. The fact of the matter is, I had an easy time identifying with Julia through out the book because of my past with my own family. She’s also rather quirky, she doesn’t like to wear shoes and it is mentioned in many of the pages with her description which I find rather humorous, since I couldn’t not wear my shoes. She also likes to call Dave anything but his name. It seems to be some kind of inside joke between them, which is interesting to see what she comes up with when she barks out his fall name but it isn’t his name at all. It leaves one with the ability to giggle.
Dave is like any other guy. He wants to please his best friend. He supports Julia to the best of his ability and does everything he can to help her feel like she is important to him as a friend should be. He goes on missions with her, they have movie nights, they sleep over at each others houses, but they aren’t dating. They have never dated. One of the rules on the Nevers list is that you can’t date your best friend. Dave lives with his Brother and his dad. His mom passed away some years earlier and so he understands why Julia has a fascination with her living mother that keeps breaking her heart in some way or another. However, he always seems to be the one that is there to help pull it together once she is hurt because of it all. Which isn’t always fair to him.
In the beginning of the book they discuss the writing of the Nevers list and then they discuss doing everything on that list so that they can share in the real High School experience before it’s too late. At this point they only have a little bit of school left before they are going to graduate. The two of them put their heads together and they work out which Nevers to cross of first and how to go about completing them before it gets to late.
When they agreed to do the things on the Nevers list though, I don’t think they bargained for everything that would come with it. There was a massive emotional roller coaster that shot through this book. IT made me want to cry, laugh and scream at some of the characters. Especially Dave and Julia. I couldn’t believe some of the things those two had been capable of doing, but then again when your with your best friend and they know everything about you, why wouldn’t you be okay with doing nearly everything together, the good and the bad and well everything.
I really enjoyed reading the book, but for the most part I struggled to complete it because I had began it at a time where my schedule because rather disruptive and then when I thought about the book, I thought about other things that made me sad and I couldn’t separate the two for awhile. However, I did manage to finish it and I am glad that I did. It’s nicely written and the author blended all the characters stories together so brilliantly that its flawless to me. I highly recommend this book to anyone that wants read a soft High School adventure/ romance/ finding your identity kind of book.
Julia and Dave have been friends for many years and when they started High School they created a list called the Nevers. On that list is ten things that they aren’t allowed to do during their four years in High School. Which when you read it basically says that they aren’t allowed to have a normal High School experience. Although I suppose it could depend on how the reader perceives the list once they read it.
Julia is a sweet girl with a lot to learn. She was adopted and has two gay dads. Her mother is in the picture sort of. She always makes Julia promises that she never intends to keep. I am sure any child that is raised by someone other then their actual parent knows what that is like. I was raised by my grandparents and experienced it a lot when it came to my mom saying she was going to come visit and do things and well never showed up or had some creative lie as to why she couldn’t show up. The fact of the matter is, I had an easy time identifying with Julia through out the book because of my past with my own family. She’s also rather quirky, she doesn’t like to wear shoes and it is mentioned in many of the pages with her description which I find rather humorous, since I couldn’t not wear my shoes. She also likes to call Dave anything but his name. It seems to be some kind of inside joke between them, which is interesting to see what she comes up with when she barks out his fall name but it isn’t his name at all. It leaves one with the ability to giggle.
Dave is like any other guy. He wants to please his best friend. He supports Julia to the best of his ability and does everything he can to help her feel like she is important to him as a friend should be. He goes on missions with her, they have movie nights, they sleep over at each others houses, but they aren’t dating. They have never dated. One of the rules on the Nevers list is that you can’t date your best friend. Dave lives with his Brother and his dad. His mom passed away some years earlier and so he understands why Julia has a fascination with her living mother that keeps breaking her heart in some way or another. However, he always seems to be the one that is there to help pull it together once she is hurt because of it all. Which isn’t always fair to him.
In the beginning of the book they discuss the writing of the Nevers list and then they discuss doing everything on that list so that they can share in the real High School experience before it’s too late. At this point they only have a little bit of school left before they are going to graduate. The two of them put their heads together and they work out which Nevers to cross of first and how to go about completing them before it gets to late.
When they agreed to do the things on the Nevers list though, I don’t think they bargained for everything that would come with it. There was a massive emotional roller coaster that shot through this book. IT made me want to cry, laugh and scream at some of the characters. Especially Dave and Julia. I couldn’t believe some of the things those two had been capable of doing, but then again when your with your best friend and they know everything about you, why wouldn’t you be okay with doing nearly everything together, the good and the bad and well everything.
I really enjoyed reading the book, but for the most part I struggled to complete it because I had began it at a time where my schedule because rather disruptive and then when I thought about the book, I thought about other things that made me sad and I couldn’t separate the two for awhile. However, I did manage to finish it and I am glad that I did. It’s nicely written and the author blended all the characters stories together so brilliantly that its flawless to me. I highly recommend this book to anyone that wants read a soft High School adventure/ romance/ finding your identity kind of book.
bookdevouringmisfit's review against another edition
Things that I hated about Never Always Sometimes:
(THERE'S NOTHING TO LOVE) (Sorry not sorry)
1.) The blurb:
...two best friends, a boy and girl, make a list of the cliché things they will never do their senior year.
LOLOLOLOLOL. This book sounds so cliché already.
2.) Two "characters" who are so hell bent on embracing their "individuality" that in the end, they just came out fake and unrealistic for me:
Seriously, they do not even resemble the guys I went with in high school. I CANNOT RELATE. I NEEDS TO RELATE. They are worse than the characters of a John Green novel. I know JG's characters can be a bit pretentious sometimes but at least, I get them.
3.) This and many more vomit-inducing quotes:
"If the lights ever went out in her presence, Dave was pretty sure the brightness of her eyes would be more useful than a flashlight."
I'd rather take the flashlight. Thx.
PUKE.
3.) Every single chapter of Dave reminding us that he loves Julia. Again, puke.
4.) IT HAS A LOVE TRIANGLE:
That love triangle came out of nowhere. One night of flirting and suddenly, Dave can't get Gretchen out of his mind. DUUUDE, I THOUGHT YOU WERE IN LOVE WITH JULIA O_o
I'm sure there's a lot more but I only reached the 36% mark before I decided that I've had enough. In short, this book is an utter waste of my time. I could've been studying for my midterm exams next week, walking my dog, learning another language (French maybe?), or travelling the word. Instead I settled for this piece of s***. This is a new low for me, I'm sorry self for treating you like this. I deserve better.
Maybe I'll pick this up again later. Maybe not. But I've got a feeling that I WON'T.
An ARC was provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
(THERE'S NOTHING TO LOVE) (Sorry not sorry)
1.) The blurb:
...two best friends, a boy and girl, make a list of the cliché things they will never do their senior year.
LOLOLOLOLOL. This book sounds so cliché already.
2.) Two "characters" who are so hell bent on embracing their "individuality" that in the end, they just came out fake and unrealistic for me:
Seriously, they do not even resemble the guys I went with in high school. I CANNOT RELATE. I NEEDS TO RELATE. They are worse than the characters of a John Green novel. I know JG's characters can be a bit pretentious sometimes but at least, I get them.
3.) This and many more vomit-inducing quotes:
"If the lights ever went out in her presence, Dave was pretty sure the brightness of her eyes would be more useful than a flashlight."
I'd rather take the flashlight. Thx.
PUKE.
3.) Every single chapter of Dave reminding us that he loves Julia. Again, puke.
4.) IT HAS A LOVE TRIANGLE:
That love triangle came out of nowhere. One night of flirting and suddenly, Dave can't get Gretchen out of his mind. DUUUDE, I THOUGHT YOU WERE IN LOVE WITH JULIA O_o
I'm sure there's a lot more but I only reached the 36% mark before I decided that I've had enough. In short, this book is an utter waste of my time. I could've been studying for my midterm exams next week, walking my dog, learning another language (French maybe?), or travelling the word. Instead I settled for this piece of s***. This is a new low for me, I'm sorry self for treating you like this. I deserve better.
Maybe I'll pick this up again later. Maybe not. But I've got a feeling that I WON'T.
An ARC was provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
saritaroth's review
4.0
This book is a young adult novel told from the perspective of Julia, a quirky, high school senior, and Dave, her best friend who, unbeknownst to Julia, has been in love with her for years. When they were freshmen, Julia and Dave made a list of things that they swore they would never do during their time in high school because they were cliche; they called this list the Nevers List. Fast forward to senior year, and Julia and Dave decide to do everything on the list before they graduate. One item on the list is: Never pine silently after someone for the entirety of school, something that Dave is already guilty of doing. Once Dave has given up all hope of having his unrequited passion returned, he meets another girl, Gretchen, and starts dating her. As is expected, Julia sees how Dave is slipping away from her and, only then, realizes that she is in love with him. She is left with two options: go after what she wants or give him up.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book; it was very well-written. I did have a couple of problems with the book, however. First of all, even though, presumably, both Dave and Julia had parents, it was inconsistent at best as to how much the teenagers were disciplined. For example, when Julia throws a party (Item #4 on the Nevers List) and ends up trashing the house, her dads are very upset with her and ground her. But where is that discipline when she takes a road trip with Dave (Item #9 on the Nevers List) and they don't get back from the road trip until the following day? And, while Julia's dads and absent mom are mentioned sporadically, Dave's parents are hardly mentioned at all. He does have an older brother, Brett, but the brother doesn't seem like much of an authority figure, and Dave's dad is maybe mentioned once. It reminds me of the Charlie Brown comics, where the kids seem to wander around with very little supervision. Granted, Dave and Julia are seniors in high school, but they still need supervision. Otherwise, they destroy their house and have sex on the beach (two references to the book). Maybe, I'm just coming at it from the perspective of a mother of teenagers, but it seemed irresponsible of the parents to be so inconsistent.
I also got quite annoyed with Julia. She didn't seem to realize that Dave was pining after her for so long and didn't even seem to want him until she couldn't have him. Then, all of a sudden, it was "I'm in love with him." Then they went on a road trip and had sex on a beach and then, even though Dave was obviously feeling guilty about cheating on Gretchen, it took Julia a whole chapter to realize what was wrong with him. At first, Gretchen didn't even enter her mind, which I thought was quite irresponsible and selfish of her. Of the two main characters, Dave was definitely my favorite; at least, he seemed redeemable.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book; it was very well-written. I did have a couple of problems with the book, however. First of all, even though, presumably, both Dave and Julia had parents, it was inconsistent at best as to how much the teenagers were disciplined. For example, when Julia throws a party (Item #4 on the Nevers List) and ends up trashing the house, her dads are very upset with her and ground her. But where is that discipline when she takes a road trip with Dave (Item #9 on the Nevers List) and they don't get back from the road trip until the following day? And, while Julia's dads and absent mom are mentioned sporadically, Dave's parents are hardly mentioned at all. He does have an older brother, Brett, but the brother doesn't seem like much of an authority figure, and Dave's dad is maybe mentioned once. It reminds me of the Charlie Brown comics, where the kids seem to wander around with very little supervision. Granted, Dave and Julia are seniors in high school, but they still need supervision. Otherwise, they destroy their house and have sex on the beach (two references to the book). Maybe, I'm just coming at it from the perspective of a mother of teenagers, but it seemed irresponsible of the parents to be so inconsistent.
I also got quite annoyed with Julia. She didn't seem to realize that Dave was pining after her for so long and didn't even seem to want him until she couldn't have him. Then, all of a sudden, it was "I'm in love with him." Then they went on a road trip and had sex on a beach and then, even though Dave was obviously feeling guilty about cheating on Gretchen, it took Julia a whole chapter to realize what was wrong with him. At first, Gretchen didn't even enter her mind, which I thought was quite irresponsible and selfish of her. Of the two main characters, Dave was definitely my favorite; at least, he seemed redeemable.
christiana's review against another edition
2.0
Sorry to be a jerk, but this was forgettable and disappointing.
mlhighfield's review against another edition
3.0
Looking for an easy read? This is it. I needed something to read while waiting on a book in another series and this seemed like a good choice.
I really enjoyed the beginning of the story. The main characters were quite likeable right from the get go and their friendship was really sweet. However, once Gretchen was introduced I honestly couldn't differentiate much between the two girls and started to get irritated with the plot near the end.
All in all, I wouldn't say it was terrible, but I also wouldn't say it was great.
Good for a mindless read.
I really enjoyed the beginning of the story. The main characters were quite likeable right from the get go and their friendship was really sweet. However, once Gretchen was introduced I honestly couldn't differentiate much between the two girls and started to get irritated with the plot near the end.
All in all, I wouldn't say it was terrible, but I also wouldn't say it was great.
Good for a mindless read.
jackiehorne's review against another edition
3.0
In the prologue, best friends Dave & Julia create a list of "nevers," clichés from movies and novels about high school that they vow never to do, such as take an epic road trip or have an affair with a teacher. But by March of senior year, senioritis is setting in, and when they re-discover the forgotten list, unconventional Julia convinces Dave that the ultimate irony will be for them to do everything on the list. Going to a beer party, getting Dave on the ballet for prom king, and holding a beer party of their own lead to Dave discovering that he might have had more friends throughout high school if he'd not spent all his time hanging with (and secretly crushing on) Julia. Julia's discoveries are rather more painful: jealousy at Dave's budding romance with fellow senior Gretchen; embarrassment at her stalking of her poor math teacher; and above all, disillusionment with her globetrotting, unconventional mother who is never really there for her.
The first third of the novel is told from Dave's third-person POV; the second third, from Julia's after she realizes that her feelings for Dave might be more than just platonic; and the third, after from their alternating POVs.
Part of me really liked the idea of a novel about a fairly passive adolescent boy who starts to realize that his devotion to one dynamic female friend has led him to miss out on a lot of other opportunities in high school. But another part of me felt like this was one of those YAs written by a guy that was about punishing the girl back in high school whom he was crushing on, but who never really liked him back.
The first third of the novel is told from Dave's third-person POV; the second third, from Julia's after she realizes that her feelings for Dave might be more than just platonic; and the third, after
Spoiler
Julia declares her feelings for Dave and the two begin an ill-fated sexual liaisonPart of me really liked the idea of a novel about a fairly passive adolescent boy who starts to realize that his devotion to one dynamic female friend has led him to miss out on a lot of other opportunities in high school. But another part of me felt like this was one of those YAs written by a guy that was about punishing the girl back in high school whom he was crushing on, but who never really liked him back.
lisa_sutto's review against another edition
3.0
I'm probably leaning more towards a 3.5 on this. I liked this book. I really did. It had a good pace and I often thought about it when I wasn't able to read it, questioning where it would go but I thought it would get better and better and in the end I feel like it didn't really have much in the way of a good ending.
Regardless of all that, I loved how the author split the book. Dave's view then Julia's then started to wrap up the book with the both of them written simultaneously. It really made me understand Julia's character more once I got in her head. But in saying that, Julia was conceited and most definitely a cliche. And that threw me off a bit. Her total disregard for both dave's and gretchen's feelings and the way she acted like the cat that got the cream really made me question her like-ability. And I think that is what stuck in my head. The fact that she had the emotional range of a 12 year old..
So overall a reasonably pleasant read and I will honestly still recommend to my friends. We all take something different from a book and I'd love to hear what other people thought.
Regardless of all that, I loved how the author split the book. Dave's view then Julia's then started to wrap up the book with the both of them written simultaneously. It really made me understand Julia's character more once I got in her head. But in saying that, Julia was conceited and most definitely a cliche. And that threw me off a bit. Her total disregard for both dave's and gretchen's feelings and the way she acted like the cat that got the cream really made me question her like-ability. And I think that is what stuck in my head. The fact that she had the emotional range of a 12 year old..
So overall a reasonably pleasant read and I will honestly still recommend to my friends. We all take something different from a book and I'd love to hear what other people thought.
amanda_the_librarian's review against another edition
4.0
Never Always Sometimes by Adi Alsaid was a fantastic book about friendship, love, and heartbreak. This was such a cute novel and would be great for anyone looking for a John Green read alike.