Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.69 AVERAGE
3.69 AVERAGE
4.5 Stars. I liked this book so so much. This is the second retelling of a play that I've read in a row (not the same play) and both have been excellent. I love that this was taken from The Importance of Being Earnest - such a hilarious story. This book lived up to it well, twisting around the story so that Elliot/Ever is the one assuming the fake identity. I loved being inside Ever's head. Her internal monologue was incredibly amusing, especially all of her observations about people. I didn't want to leave her brain. This girl is also the whole package, super smart, athletic and gutsy, though she doesn't always see herself that way. I adored her friendship with Leigh, and her growing romance with Brandon was the sweetest most soonest experience! Wow. I was rooting for them so much! I can't imagine wanting to spend my summer at an academic decathlon, but I had a great time tagging along with Elliot there. And huge bonus that I wasn't expecting, tons of characters from show up in this book. I loved seeing Trixie and Ben still together 3 years later. And, the love interest Brandon is also from that book! I was really worried how the ending would play out and I was sad about a lot of things , but I ended up being pleased by how everything worked out and hopeful for the future.
Love Triangle Factor: None
Cliffhanger Scale: Standalone, but I would love to read another book set in this world.
Spoiler
Ever not being able to finish her time at camp and it seemed like her relationship with Brandon wasn't going anywhere because of all of their obstaclesLove Triangle Factor: None
Cliffhanger Scale: Standalone, but I would love to read another book set in this world.
Trigger warnings: some minor violence, minor racism/ableism/sexism (all of which is called out). I think that's it!
17/4/2019
I stand by everything I said last time. This is stinking adorable, although I do wish the "YOUR FAMILY EXPECTS YOU TO JOIN THE AIR FORCE" plot wasn't as present as it is, because it makes me incredibly uncomfortable.
25/11/2017
I was RIDICULOUSLY excited about this book when I found out it existed a couple of days ago. And I was ridiculously excited for two reasons:
1. It's a companion novel to The Only Thing Worse Than Me Is You, which is a YA contemporary retelling of Much Ado About Nothing, which I read and adored last year, and
2. It's a YA contemporary retelling of THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST ARE YOU KIDDING ME
So needless to say, I had VERY high expectations for this book. And it didn't disappoint.
First of all, I love the cover and the fact that it accurately represents the protagonist and the love interest. High five, cover designers.
Secondly, what I love most about Lily Anderson's books is that she's not afraid to bring the nerd factor. In her first book, the kids were constantly discussing Doctor Who and Saga and Star Wars. Here, they're competing in what's basically a giant trivia competition to win college scholarships, they're all incredibly smart, and the protagonist wants to study sci-fi literature at university. It's GREAT. (There's a lot of Octavia Butler and N.K. Jemisin love in here too, which is A+)
I adored the fact that so many of the characters from the first book cropped up here (it's set 3 years later) and that they played pivotal roles but without feeling like they were taking over the story.
I loved how once again, Anderson took a classic story and retold it without making it feel like it was a step-by-step updating of something old. Elliott, our protagonist, knows the story of The Importance of Being Earnest inside out and back to front. She quotes from it in her head regularly. And it was obviously a retelling, but without feeling like it had to include EVERYTHING that happens in Earnest. You know?
And a big ol' slow clap for the number of times Anderson would have a character say something slightly shitty and have another character call them out on it. Someone calls the protagonist insane, and she immediately replies "Don't be ableist." Someone makes a comment about something being racist towards white people, and they're shut down immediately (and not by Elliott). And my favourite: "I can't even kiss you without permission." "You shouldn't kiss anyone without permission. That's called assault." P.R.E.A.C.H.
So why not 5 stars? It's probably very much a Me Thing and not a Book Thing, but I haaaaaaaaaaated that there was so much pressure from Elliott's family for her and her cousins to join the Air Force. I get that a lot of the family is in the Air Force and they consider themselves an Air Force family. But are you seriously telling me that you're not going to let your kid make up their own damn mind on potentially giving their life in the military?!?! Like...WHUT.
And like I said, this may just be a Me Thing because I come from a country with a population of 25 million and a standing military of under 60,000 (in contrast, the US has a standing military of ~1.3 million), and where out of my and my brother's graduating classes (nearly 400 kids), a grand total of one person joined the military. But that side of things just...NOPE. Not okay. Stop.
So on the whole, this was pretty effing great. Buuuuuuuut I could have done without the "YOU WILL JOIN THE MILITARY BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT WE DO" stuff.
17/4/2019
I stand by everything I said last time. This is stinking adorable, although I do wish the "YOUR FAMILY EXPECTS YOU TO JOIN THE AIR FORCE" plot wasn't as present as it is, because it makes me incredibly uncomfortable.
25/11/2017
I was RIDICULOUSLY excited about this book when I found out it existed a couple of days ago. And I was ridiculously excited for two reasons:
1. It's a companion novel to The Only Thing Worse Than Me Is You, which is a YA contemporary retelling of Much Ado About Nothing, which I read and adored last year, and
2. It's a YA contemporary retelling of THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST ARE YOU KIDDING ME
So needless to say, I had VERY high expectations for this book. And it didn't disappoint.
First of all, I love the cover and the fact that it accurately represents the protagonist and the love interest. High five, cover designers.
Secondly, what I love most about Lily Anderson's books is that she's not afraid to bring the nerd factor. In her first book, the kids were constantly discussing Doctor Who and Saga and Star Wars. Here, they're competing in what's basically a giant trivia competition to win college scholarships, they're all incredibly smart, and the protagonist wants to study sci-fi literature at university. It's GREAT. (There's a lot of Octavia Butler and N.K. Jemisin love in here too, which is A+)
I adored the fact that so many of the characters from the first book cropped up here (it's set 3 years later) and that they played pivotal roles but without feeling like they were taking over the story.
I loved how once again, Anderson took a classic story and retold it without making it feel like it was a step-by-step updating of something old. Elliott, our protagonist, knows the story of The Importance of Being Earnest inside out and back to front. She quotes from it in her head regularly. And it was obviously a retelling, but without feeling like it had to include EVERYTHING that happens in Earnest. You know?
And a big ol' slow clap for the number of times Anderson would have a character say something slightly shitty and have another character call them out on it. Someone calls the protagonist insane, and she immediately replies "Don't be ableist." Someone makes a comment about something being racist towards white people, and they're shut down immediately (and not by Elliott). And my favourite: "I can't even kiss you without permission." "You shouldn't kiss anyone without permission. That's called assault." P.R.E.A.C.H.
So why not 5 stars? It's probably very much a Me Thing and not a Book Thing, but I haaaaaaaaaaated that there was so much pressure from Elliott's family for her and her cousins to join the Air Force. I get that a lot of the family is in the Air Force and they consider themselves an Air Force family. But are you seriously telling me that you're not going to let your kid make up their own damn mind on potentially giving their life in the military?!?! Like...WHUT.
And like I said, this may just be a Me Thing because I come from a country with a population of 25 million and a standing military of under 60,000 (in contrast, the US has a standing military of ~1.3 million), and where out of my and my brother's graduating classes (nearly 400 kids), a grand total of one person joined the military. But that side of things just...NOPE. Not okay. Stop.
So on the whole, this was pretty effing great. Buuuuuuuut I could have done without the "YOU WILL JOIN THE MILITARY BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT WE DO" stuff.
Lily Anderson is the newest member of the "Authors Whose Grocery Lists I'd Read If They Were Published" collection of authors I adore.
Retellings are so tricky, but Anderson has them down to a science. Referential, but also unique in their own way, her stories are sweet and cute and compelling, and her writing is so teenage-voicey and awesome. While I didn't fall head over heels for this book as much as I did for her first, I still loved the characters and the swoon.
Ever aka Elliot is badass and awesome. I was SO happy to see so many of the characters from TOTWTMIY make appearances (dude Lumberjack Beard, I fucking love it), even if some were fleeting. I audibly squealed when B was revealed because I was so happy he got his own story.
Anerson's books are now at the top of my rereading list.
EDIT 3/28/18: Yeah I have a rereading problem, so what? If you had insomnia and woke up at 3am and needed distraction, I'd recommend you reread adorable YA romcoms too.
EDIT 5/15/2021: Still very cute!
Retellings are so tricky, but Anderson has them down to a science. Referential, but also unique in their own way, her stories are sweet and cute and compelling, and her writing is so teenage-voicey and awesome. While I didn't fall head over heels for this book as much as I did for her first, I still loved the characters and the swoon.
Ever aka Elliot is badass and awesome. I was SO happy to see so many of the characters from TOTWTMIY make appearances (dude Lumberjack Beard, I fucking love it), even if some were fleeting. I audibly squealed when B was revealed because I was so happy he got his own story.
Anerson's books are now at the top of my rereading list.
EDIT 3/28/18: Yeah I have a rereading problem, so what? If you had insomnia and woke up at 3am and needed distraction, I'd recommend you reread adorable YA romcoms too.
EDIT 5/15/2021: Still very cute!
Not Now Not Ever was a quick and fun read. There are plenty of nerdy jokes and references and, once again, Lily has written a great group of kids I would have loved to have been friends with in high school. It's interesting, though: at one point in the novel, Ever and Brandon discuss sequels (specifically Ready Player One and Armada) and the comment is made how second books are never as good, that they're always a letdown. While I wouldn't go so far as to call this one a letdown, it definitely didn't captivate me as much as Lily's debut. Still, it was a delightful follow-up that I'm positive will find many fans!
For the full review and more, head over to The Pretty Good Gatsby!
For the full review and more, head over to The Pretty Good Gatsby!
Today is the day I finally get to tell ya'll how much I love Not Now, Not Ever by Lily Anderson. After all my nerdy fangirl gushing, there's a giveaway and a tour to follow for more Not Now, Not Ever adoration, so please stick around!
I read Anderson's first book, The Only Thing Worse Than Me is You last year, where a minor set-up believability issue and not really caring about the mystery it earned it 4 stars.
Neither of those are problems here and it continues with adorable geeky romance that I am living for. Find out more about this five-star-er after the jump!
It's rare for me to find books with military families, let alone one where they aren't macho problematic (to put it gently) white people. My family were all "ground-pounders" so not quite the same as Elliot's but I get the pressure and duty more than most people.
Unfortunately, Not Now, Not Ever is even more timely given recent hate crimes and the ever present systematic discrimination.
While it doesn't delve into these issues or mention them, that's okay. It doesn't have to. The positive rep and experience are also necessary. And valid. Maybe later we'll get a sequel with Elliot a couple years down the line. Maybe we won't.
Maybe it's damn okay just to fucking exist without making educating white people the focus with providing struggle porn to get a load off.
If you like this, or it sounds right for you, please also check out Future Leaders of Nowhere by Emily O'Beirne with more wilderness and a W/W romance. It's another high ranking read for me, though I haven't posted my review for it yet. Sorry! 🤦🏼♀️ 😫
I read Anderson's first book, The Only Thing Worse Than Me is You last year, where a minor set-up believability issue and not really caring about the mystery it earned it 4 stars.
Neither of those are problems here and it continues with adorable geeky romance that I am living for. Find out more about this five-star-er after the jump!
Opening line: There was no empirical evidence that the Lieutenant wasn't a robot.
- Not Now, Not Ever. pg. 1
Elliot aka Ever is a badass, but doesn't know it. She's stuck between a military family and a civilian one. Her mother and father may differ on their dreams of Elliott's future, but damn if they're not a united front about wanting the best for her. Instead of the typical dual family drama, it comes from being transracial with a white step-mom.
»FYI: Real Meaning of Transracial«
She's an Octavia Butler loving Sci-fi nerd that thinks about the ethics of ghost busting before investigating if someone really is a spectre. She fiercely loves her little brother and helps her step-mom with her community plays. Ever "runs away" to a summer camp to try and win a scholarship to the only program specializing in Sci-Fi literature.
Ever's government name, Elliot, is masculine coded and she's actually named after a relative. Sp she deals with other's preconceptions hearing the name, then seeing her as as tall, strong black woman. She handles this, not by putting down masculine coded things nor by embracing stereotypes. She just does her.
There is a throwaway line about coconut oil protecting her hair in the very beginning and I couldn't help but snort given the Twitter conversations going on. Ya'll really need to follow her on there. I could be wrong, but it felt like a timely middle-finger to white supremacy and stereotypes. After letting that bird fly, it is promptly never mentioned again. Bye, bye birdy! (
Now, do not misunderstand. Her fro is mentioned often in all its glory, for how tall it makes her look and being against regulations. But that is not the same thing.
Dear fellow white people, don't act like coconut oil is all it takes to be black and forget "coincidently" that coconut oil is all over white pinterest like a fucking cult.
Air Force Vs. Civilians: Diametrically Opposed Foes?
It's rare for me to find books with military families, let alone one where they aren't macho problematic (to put it gently) white people. My family were all "ground-pounders" so not quite the same as Elliot's but I get the pressure and duty more than most people.
Did you know the Air Force is 14% Black or African American? Check out more stats here!
Unfortunately, Not Now, Not Ever is even more timely given recent hate crimes and the ever present systematic discrimination.
While it doesn't delve into these issues or mention them, that's okay. It doesn't have to. The positive rep and experience are also necessary. And valid. Maybe later we'll get a sequel with Elliot a couple years down the line. Maybe we won't.
Maybe it's damn okay just to fucking exist without making educating white people the focus with providing struggle porn to get a load off.
Other Good Shit:
- Immediately engaging. Like jump of page, grab you by the throat and make you feel alive engaging.
- NERDASTIC
- Brilliant overachieving fuck up teenagers
- Ever's a realistic head on her shoulders and meets a dude that's all starry eyed. This reflects the reality I know: girls are thinking about the future and worrying about commitment while
- Best possible ending. Love how Ever squared up to deal with the fall out.
- The typical
romanticcreepy gestures are avoided. - Major props for how they dissect The Breakfast Club. Privilege and intersectionality are a day to day concern for these teens.
- I. Did. NOT. SEE THAT comiNG!
- Fuck yes: Awesome step-mom and half-sibling relationship
- Ever and her cousin fight like enemies because of Reasons™ and family and gosh, I love their push/pull relationship of being so different but so similar with misperceptions.
- Do not worry if, dare I say it,you're not a fan of the classics, or have never read it. I'll let you in on a little secret: I haven't either. Thank fuck there are badass librarian authors like Lily Anderson that can re-write the shit for modern times and people!
Favorite Quotes:
And he was wearing loafers. I couldn't get my swoon on for a guy who didn't wear socks.-Chapter 2, loc 222
Because how could we know we were on a collage campus if there wasn't a loner with a hakey sack?-Chapter 16, loc 1431
You had to leave home to make a home. You couldn't wait to leave to be yourself.--Chapter 16, location 1440
Now I was feeling the heat get cranked up and my sand was figuring out how to melt.-Chapter 16, loc 1458
I was pretty sure when real college kids got in trouble, no one told them to sit crisscross applesauce.-Chapter 24, loc 2375
I could almost hear Sid's voice in my ear, telling me to go faster, to wear my Lawerence on the outside.-Chapter 31 loc 3157
Other Similar Recs:
If you like this, or it sounds right for you, please also check out Future Leaders of Nowhere by Emily O'Beirne with more wilderness and a W/W romance. It's another high ranking read for me, though I haven't posted my review for it yet. Sorry! 🤦🏼♀️ 😫
Prize: 1 copy of NOT NOW, NOT EVER by Lily Anderson (US Only)
It starts November 14th and ends November 22nd
a Rafflecopter giveaway
This review was originally posted on The Layaway Dragon
This is the story of a girl who is so driven that she decides to go to a nerd camp to pursue her passion. Her parents have certain expectations of her, but she wants to go her own way to follow the career of her dreams. But while she is at the camp, her focus gives ways to feelings for a boy she previously had no interest in, and as the camp competition gets more intense, so do our heroes’ hormones...
Where have I heard this story before?
It probably isn’t fair to compare these two books, but they’re two YA books about the same thing that came out the same year, it’s impossible not to compare. Despite my annoyance at having to read a book with an almost identical plot to the worst book of 2017, Not Now, Not Ever managed to rise above my prejudice, and proved to be a fun Oscar Wilde-esque escapade.
Elliot (who calls herself Ever) will do anything to attend Rayevich College to be a part of their science fiction writing program, even lie to her parents about where she is attending camp in the summer. And you really believe her. She meets a boy named Brandon who she will eventually fall for, but the first 100 or so pages focus on Ever and her will to win, on her getting to know her companions and her competition. I felt like I knew her so well before the romantic plot took over. She is lying to everyone in order to get that scholarship, maybe even herself a little bit. This had me worried that the romantic plot would use the old “liar revealed” trope in order to create drama between the two leads. But Lily Anderson is a better writer than that, and Ever’s lies are revealed to Brandon in a thoughtful way after he reveals that he can be a liar too. Their mutual lies and revelations of truth actually bring each other closer together. I also felt like a really got to know Brandon, and really identified with the pressure he felt at a academic-focused high school. Their personalities and dialogue meshed well, and they really are the rounded heart of the story, even if some of the other characters felt flat.
These two are the most important part of the story, and so they overshadowed many of the issues I had with the plot of the camp competition. This genius camp will have four winners, who will all receive full rides to Rayevich college. I thought that sounded like a lot of full rides to give out for a 3 week camp but was willing to suspend my disbelief until I realized that the competition is essentially a trivia contest. All the campers are given binders of encyclopedic information that they are to memorize and answer questions about during the “melee.” Would an expensive liberal arts college really give out that many scholarships for being good at Jeopardy? How is that supposed to prove they’re bringing “geniuses” to their school? But on top of that, the counselors announce that there is a fifth scholarship you can win, if you win enough ribbons in random competitions called “Cheeseman Trials.” In essence, Rayevich College awards a full ride to their school if you win games like tag, 5k races, pool noodle fights, and Rubik’s cube contests. Is this a joke? The only reason these trials were in the book was to create drama between Ever and the other campers, and show how much she wanted to win that scholarship, I get that, but it totally took me out of the book every time. There is a subplot where all the campers’ binders are stolen by an unknown person but I just couldn’t care. I actually hoped it would cause all the campers to quit because they don’t deserve full rides to university for naming three baroque composers or knowing what the Hugo award is named after. The book makes a big deal of this mystery and weaves it around the story of Ever and Brandon until the very end when one camper figures the whole thing out and just explains it to the rest of the camp and to the reader. I skimmed most of that chapter.
But I only complain about that plot being so weak because Ever and Brandon’s plot is so strong. I won’t reveal the ending because of spoilers, but Ever and Brandon reach a more realistic ending and a more EARNED ending than Simple and Rishi do in that other book about horny teens at geek camp. The book overall is solid, but I do think I need a break from precocious teens for awhile. They're just too damn smart-alecy, and wax too much damn poetic.
Where have I heard this story before?
It probably isn’t fair to compare these two books, but they’re two YA books about the same thing that came out the same year, it’s impossible not to compare. Despite my annoyance at having to read a book with an almost identical plot to the worst book of 2017, Not Now, Not Ever managed to rise above my prejudice, and proved to be a fun Oscar Wilde-esque escapade.
Elliot (who calls herself Ever) will do anything to attend Rayevich College to be a part of their science fiction writing program, even lie to her parents about where she is attending camp in the summer. And you really believe her. She meets a boy named Brandon who she will eventually fall for, but the first 100 or so pages focus on Ever and her will to win, on her getting to know her companions and her competition. I felt like I knew her so well before the romantic plot took over. She is lying to everyone in order to get that scholarship, maybe even herself a little bit. This had me worried that the romantic plot would use the old “liar revealed” trope in order to create drama between the two leads. But Lily Anderson is a better writer than that, and Ever’s lies are revealed to Brandon in a thoughtful way after he reveals that he can be a liar too. Their mutual lies and revelations of truth actually bring each other closer together. I also felt like a really got to know Brandon, and really identified with the pressure he felt at a academic-focused high school. Their personalities and dialogue meshed well, and they really are the rounded heart of the story, even if some of the other characters felt flat.
These two are the most important part of the story, and so they overshadowed many of the issues I had with the plot of the camp competition. This genius camp will have four winners, who will all receive full rides to Rayevich college. I thought that sounded like a lot of full rides to give out for a 3 week camp but was willing to suspend my disbelief until I realized that the competition is essentially a trivia contest. All the campers are given binders of encyclopedic information that they are to memorize and answer questions about during the “melee.” Would an expensive liberal arts college really give out that many scholarships for being good at Jeopardy? How is that supposed to prove they’re bringing “geniuses” to their school? But on top of that, the counselors announce that there is a fifth scholarship you can win, if you win enough ribbons in random competitions called “Cheeseman Trials.” In essence, Rayevich College awards a full ride to their school if you win games like tag, 5k races, pool noodle fights, and Rubik’s cube contests. Is this a joke? The only reason these trials were in the book was to create drama between Ever and the other campers, and show how much she wanted to win that scholarship, I get that, but it totally took me out of the book every time. There is a subplot where all the campers’ binders are stolen by an unknown person but I just couldn’t care. I actually hoped it would cause all the campers to quit because they don’t deserve full rides to university for naming three baroque composers or knowing what the Hugo award is named after. The book makes a big deal of this mystery and weaves it around the story of Ever and Brandon until the very end when one camper figures the whole thing out and just explains it to the rest of the camp and to the reader. I skimmed most of that chapter.
But I only complain about that plot being so weak because Ever and Brandon’s plot is so strong. I won’t reveal the ending because of spoilers, but Ever and Brandon reach a more realistic ending and a more EARNED ending than Simple and Rishi do in that other book about horny teens at geek camp. The book overall is solid, but I do think I need a break from precocious teens for awhile. They're just too damn smart-alecy, and wax too much damn poetic.
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
3.7/5
Original y divertido. Ever me gustó mucho. El romance fue light y agradable. Las referencias y frases de La Importancia de Llamarse Ernersto fueron tantas que tengo ganas de leer ese clásico :)
Original y divertido. Ever me gustó mucho. El romance fue light y agradable. Las referencias y frases de La Importancia de Llamarse Ernersto fueron tantas que tengo ganas de leer ese clásico :)
A funny little YA mashup of THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST and “this one time at band camp” featuring a biracial girl, her military family, and one of those rare-but-adorkable teen boys without a sniff of toxic masculinity about him. I enjoyed it a lot and found the love story part both sweet and satisfying.
A great follow up to her first novel, though I can understand why it falls behind its predecessor for some readers. Oscar Wildes farcical plays are the focal material that this book plays off of and while Wilde's work is amazing, I think we can agree it doesn't transcend where taste is concerned the same way that Shakespeare's work has managed. I loved the new characters and I was happy to see familiar characters show up in more supporting or tertiary roles from the last book. Another great geek read, that I found light yet satisfying. I can't wait for Lily Anderson to hit us again!!!