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3.47 AVERAGE
3.47 AVERAGE
I was excited when I first heard about this book. I had previously read an excerpt of it in a Huffington Post article and already had some expectations. Now that I've read it, I am a little disappointed that it wasn't quite what I was expecting and left somewhat cold at certain parts. Otherwise, I still found this to be a quick, light, and entertaining read.
I will say that I did relate to the author at first, being of the same generation as her and from the same part of the country, and really getting all those 90s pop culture references. I wasn't quite as into boys from the start as she was in comparison, but I certainly got the feeling. Like the author, I have also been single for a fair part of my life, and even the one time I did have a relationship, it was a technicality and one that didn't involve any dates. I've been a shy, awkward nerd for the most part, but from reading the author's college years, that's where the similarities pretty much end.
I'm a college commuter, so I really couldn't relate to the residential dorm life described in this portion. Also, even if I did live on campus, I could see myself actively avoiding the parties. The author talks about her experiences with guys, mostly at frat parties, and getting quite close with them. I thought this would be "Never Been Kissed" levels. Nope, that still applies to just me, it would seem. There are quite a few technicalities here in this book as well when it comes to that.
All in all, though, I still enjoyed the author's wry humor that is found throughout the book and her honesty about her unsuccessful attempts in finding a long-lasting boyfriend. However, I still felt that I was missing more introspective moments of realization and reflection here. Granted, there are some here, but I found them to be few and far between. At the relatively young age I'm at right now, I feel like I've been considerably quieter and more introspective in comparison. And I don't even have that much of a social life. So, it was hard finding things to relate to.
Nonetheless, I finish this review with one of my favorite passages in the book, because it was one of the most common sense parts and made me so happy to read:
"Guys who would make fun of girls for sexual inexperience are terrible people, and when girls do it to other girls it feels even shittier. Guys who shame girls who haven't had sex want them to feel like they aren't doing their job, which is to be sexually available and attractive to guys"
So much truth!
I will say that I did relate to the author at first, being of the same generation as her and from the same part of the country, and really getting all those 90s pop culture references. I wasn't quite as into boys from the start as she was in comparison, but I certainly got the feeling. Like the author, I have also been single for a fair part of my life, and even the one time I did have a relationship, it was a technicality and one that didn't involve any dates. I've been a shy, awkward nerd for the most part, but from reading the author's college years, that's where the similarities pretty much end.
I'm a college commuter, so I really couldn't relate to the residential dorm life described in this portion. Also, even if I did live on campus, I could see myself actively avoiding the parties. The author talks about her experiences with guys, mostly at frat parties, and getting quite close with them. I thought this would be "Never Been Kissed" levels. Nope, that still applies to just me, it would seem. There are quite a few technicalities here in this book as well when it comes to that.
All in all, though, I still enjoyed the author's wry humor that is found throughout the book and her honesty about her unsuccessful attempts in finding a long-lasting boyfriend. However, I still felt that I was missing more introspective moments of realization and reflection here. Granted, there are some here, but I found them to be few and far between. At the relatively young age I'm at right now, I feel like I've been considerably quieter and more introspective in comparison. And I don't even have that much of a social life. So, it was hard finding things to relate to.
Nonetheless, I finish this review with one of my favorite passages in the book, because it was one of the most common sense parts and made me so happy to read:
"Guys who would make fun of girls for sexual inexperience are terrible people, and when girls do it to other girls it feels even shittier. Guys who shame girls who haven't had sex want them to feel like they aren't doing their job, which is to be sexually available and attractive to guys"
So much truth!
funny
lighthearted
As someone who has never dated before, I did relate a lot to many of the things in this book, but I after the initial feeling of "Oh my gosh, I did the same thing/felt the same way!", I got a little bored. Overall, I liked the writing and setup of the narrative, but I wasn't ever engrossed in the stories.
I was expecting, from reviews and friends' recommendations, to find Never Have I Ever funny, breezy, and charmingly relateable (which it was). I didn't really expect to feel quite so moved by the end (fyi, I may have teared up in the epilogue), nor to close it feeling like I'd just made a new best friend. (A short-lived friendship, now I've finished the book, I guess.)
I fully struggled to get through this book and not because it was bad or poorly written but honestly because it echoed a lot of my personal experience and is written in a style similar to my own voice. For some reason, this made me dislike it but maybe that's something I should talk about in therapy, not online.
I feel like you have to be the right kind of person to really love this book. This is another one that, objectively, is probably not a five-star book, but I am giving it five stars because of how ridiculously well I connected with it.
I loved this.
Katie Heaney's voice is similar to that of Allie Brosh, in that they're both witty and fun and you want to be their best friend. I laughed out loud a lot while I read Never Have I Ever, and I'm pretty sure I yelled "YES" a lot (sorry, neighbors and roommate). I related to a lot of what Heaney wrote, because I've never been on a date, as far as I know, and most of her thoughts and feelings about dating are the same as my thoughts and feelings about dating. I would have liked a little more about how her family has reacted to her being single (because from the age of ten or so on, "do you have a boyfriend?" was one of the first things my aunt would ask me whenever I saw her) (although I think one of my cousins told her that I'm gay, because two Christmases ago I got "so, do you have anyone special in your life?" and I chugged the rest of my White Russian, yelled "NOPE" and then sprinted to the kitchen to refill my drink).
There were also some really interesting points that Heaney brought up about people and stereotypes and dating and stuff, which made me think a lot, and I love when books make me think. I also really, really loved how happy she is with herself and how there was that one guy that made her question herself, and then it made her angry. There's usually such an element of self-loathing when someone is single, and it was so great to have someone so awesome and confident with herself write a book like this. It made me feel less pathetic for being single, so Katie Heaney, thank you for that.
I am still mad that the dress on the cover isn't real. I figured it wouldn't be, BUT I STILL HAD SOME HOPE.
Katie Heaney's voice is similar to that of Allie Brosh, in that they're both witty and fun and you want to be their best friend. I laughed out loud a lot while I read Never Have I Ever, and I'm pretty sure I yelled "YES" a lot (sorry, neighbors and roommate). I related to a lot of what Heaney wrote, because I've never been on a date, as far as I know, and most of her thoughts and feelings about dating are the same as my thoughts and feelings about dating. I would have liked a little more about how her family has reacted to her being single (because from the age of ten or so on, "do you have a boyfriend?" was one of the first things my aunt would ask me whenever I saw her) (although I think one of my cousins told her that I'm gay, because two Christmases ago I got "so, do you have anyone special in your life?" and I chugged the rest of my White Russian, yelled "NOPE" and then sprinted to the kitchen to refill my drink).
There were also some really interesting points that Heaney brought up about people and stereotypes and dating and stuff, which made me think a lot, and I love when books make me think. I also really, really loved how happy she is with herself and how there was that one guy that made her question herself, and then it made her angry. There's usually such an element of self-loathing when someone is single, and it was so great to have someone so awesome and confident with herself write a book like this. It made me feel less pathetic for being single, so Katie Heaney, thank you for that.
I am still mad that the dress on the cover isn't real. I figured it wouldn't be, BUT I STILL HAD SOME HOPE.
Cross-posted to http://off-the-book.org
Katie Heaney has never had a boyfriend. No, really. She hasn’t. She’s 25 years old, and she has an amazing group of best friends, a supportive family, a college degree, and a job she enjoys. Still, she’s never even been on a second date.
Katie offers a miasma of reasons why her love life has been a non-starter: completely cluelessness, awkward conversations, bad timing, and her tendency to obsess and over-elaborate friendly interactions in overwrought (and hilarious) diary entries.
Her writing comes off as endearing, funny, and self-depreciating. She’s utterly likeable – which I don’t believe is so much of a sin as Katy Waldman over at Slate seems to think – and that shows through. I could completely picture myself sitting on the couch, talking to this awesome girl with a bottle of wine and some bad TV on in the background.
However - there were times where I just wanted to gently suggest (and by gently, I mean drunkenly yell it over a glass of wine while mashing a cupcake into my mouth) some alternate courses. I mean, I'm a totally awkward person myself, but even I have some wisdom to share.
This book was the perfect solution for a hard day of work. It's the kind of book you pour a glass of wine with, prop up your feet, and have all your stresses melt away. Moments of Never Have I Ever are laugh-out-loud hilarious, and many of Katie's stories brought a smile to my face.While it wasn't one of my all-time favorites, or necessarily a literary gem, it was like spending the evening with a good friend.
Katie Heaney has never had a boyfriend. No, really. She hasn’t. She’s 25 years old, and she has an amazing group of best friends, a supportive family, a college degree, and a job she enjoys. Still, she’s never even been on a second date.
Katie offers a miasma of reasons why her love life has been a non-starter: completely cluelessness, awkward conversations, bad timing, and her tendency to obsess and over-elaborate friendly interactions in overwrought (and hilarious) diary entries.
Her writing comes off as endearing, funny, and self-depreciating. She’s utterly likeable – which I don’t believe is so much of a sin as Katy Waldman over at Slate seems to think – and that shows through. I could completely picture myself sitting on the couch, talking to this awesome girl with a bottle of wine and some bad TV on in the background.
However - there were times where I just wanted to gently suggest (and by gently, I mean drunkenly yell it over a glass of wine while mashing a cupcake into my mouth) some alternate courses. I mean, I'm a totally awkward person myself, but even I have some wisdom to share.
This book was the perfect solution for a hard day of work. It's the kind of book you pour a glass of wine with, prop up your feet, and have all your stresses melt away. Moments of Never Have I Ever are laugh-out-loud hilarious, and many of Katie's stories brought a smile to my face.While it wasn't one of my all-time favorites, or necessarily a literary gem, it was like spending the evening with a good friend.