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3.64 AVERAGE
3.64 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
It made me feel almost *exactly* the way the Lifetime Channel makes me feel, which is to say that I belong to the minority of women who do not recognize themselves in most popular motifs woven by my fellow gender.
Filing this under "not my cup of tea".
Filing this under "not my cup of tea".
I liked this book, but it was very hard to get into at first. If you can ignore the character names in the beginning and force yourself past the first 50-70ish pages it definitely picks up.
3.5 stars
The previous book that I'd read from Joshilyn Jackson, [b:The Almost Sisters|32600726|The Almost Sisters|Joshilyn Jackson|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1487958944l/32600726._SY75_.jpg|53181435], was in an entirely different genre than Never Have I Ever so I have any idea what I was getting myself into with this book. I've gone back and forth with the rating a little because I really don't know how i should feel about it - there were certainly plenty of twists and turns that I didn't see coming (so it was certainly addictive) but there were many plot points that I was pretty uncomfortable with.
At first glance, Amy Whey seems to be like any other boring housewife in her neighborhood - she may be a little older than the other ladies, including her best friend Charlotte, but she fits in well enough. She's recently given birth to a baby boy, a caring stepmother to her stepdaughter and a loving wife to a stoic, steady man. However, there's more than meets the eye about her past. When Roux, an enigmatic, attractive lady with a teenage son moves into the neighborhood - she single-handedly disrupts Amy's carefully planned out life beginning with a game of Never Have I Ever, which hints that she knows more about Amy's past than she should.
As it turns out, Roux knows a lot about Amy's secrets. There's a price that Amy will have to pay if she doesn't want Roux to spill her secrets.
The story was very well-paced and there were plenty of twists and turns, so it was definitely a fast read and there were a lot of secrets that both Amy and Roux are keeping. It was certainly a fun twist that Amy doesn't take Roux's blackmailing lying down and decides to do some digging of her own into Roux's past. It's a cat-and-mouse game where both of them have a lot to lose. As Amy's past gets gradually revealed, we get a better idea of exactly how much she has to lose.
So why did I give it a lower rating?
I understand this. This is a choice I can't take back.
My face is stuck in an expression. My face is so surprised. I did not know I could lead us to a thing so big, so mean, something we can never undo or remove, that will echo in my life, in all our lives, forever.
The previous book that I'd read from Joshilyn Jackson, [b:The Almost Sisters|32600726|The Almost Sisters|Joshilyn Jackson|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1487958944l/32600726._SY75_.jpg|53181435], was in an entirely different genre than Never Have I Ever so I have any idea what I was getting myself into with this book. I've gone back and forth with the rating a little because I really don't know how i should feel about it - there were certainly plenty of twists and turns that I didn't see coming (so it was certainly addictive) but there were many plot points that I was pretty uncomfortable with.
At first glance, Amy Whey seems to be like any other boring housewife in her neighborhood - she may be a little older than the other ladies, including her best friend Charlotte, but she fits in well enough. She's recently given birth to a baby boy, a caring stepmother to her stepdaughter and a loving wife to a stoic, steady man. However, there's more than meets the eye about her past. When Roux, an enigmatic, attractive lady with a teenage son moves into the neighborhood - she single-handedly disrupts Amy's carefully planned out life beginning with a game of Never Have I Ever, which hints that she knows more about Amy's past than she should.
As it turns out, Roux knows a lot about Amy's secrets. There's a price that Amy will have to pay if she doesn't want Roux to spill her secrets.
The story was very well-paced and there were plenty of twists and turns, so it was definitely a fast read and there were a lot of secrets that both Amy and Roux are keeping. It was certainly a fun twist that Amy doesn't take Roux's blackmailing lying down and decides to do some digging of her own into Roux's past. It's a cat-and-mouse game where both of them have a lot to lose. As Amy's past gets gradually revealed, we get a better idea of exactly how much she has to lose.
Spoiler
As it turns out, Amy believes that she caused a fatal accident and went on a downward spiral before she met her best friend, Charlotte, who has an unexpected connection to her past.So why did I give it a lower rating?
Spoiler
Well that's because I thought that it was uncomfortable to suddenly reveal that Roux is a child predator and that her "son" is the boy that she basically kidnapped and abused. I mean, Roux has done plenty of bad things - blackmailing everyone with secrets in order to keep up with her lifestyle - so why make being a pedophile the breaking point?
I really enjoyed this and loved the Pensacola (my home town references) but I have a question. At the end if Amy had the gun and Roux had the poker how did Amy get shot? I thought that was very confusing.
Solid thriller from one of my favorite authors. Definitely a new genre for her, but I tore through it quickly and didn’t want to put it down. Tons of juicy secrets and twists-great vacation read!
slow-paced
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes