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A review by erinlynn1989
Never Always Sometimes by Adi Alsaid
3.0
Disclosure: An advance copy (ARC) of this book was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
This review was originally published on my blog, The Hardcover Lover. Please consider stopping by if you enjoyed this review. :)
Meet Dave and Julia. They made a list of rules to follow the day before they started high school. Now they're seniors, and everything is about to change.
The first thing you should know about this book is that it's narrated by a third-person omniscient narrator. It's also divided into three parts:
Part One: Dave
Part Two: Julia
Part Three: Dave and Julia
The three parts show many of the different feelings that teens are accustomed to, but one theme that is constant throughout all three is longing. Other than that, there is a lot to be said about Adi Alsaid's sophomore novel. I enjoyed the section about Dave the most. It's hilarious! I found myself laughing out loud as I quickly read about Dave and all of his thoughts on high school and what he thinks it's like to do everything he and Julia once said they never would do. Towards the end of his section, Alsaid lets on that there's going to be a shift, and then the reader finds himself/herself reading all about Julia, but the time progression keeps going. (You don't go back or forward in time.) Julia's section read a bit slower to me, and I didn't like it as much. It picked up again in the Dave and Julia section, but the last two-thirds of the novel, while entertaining and though-provoking, didn't appeal to me as much as the first section.
Onto the characters... To be honest, this is the first contemporary YA book I've read in a while that didn't drive me crazy because I liked all of the characters. Don't get me wrong... there are definitely a few cringe-worthy moments, but that's YA. Characters are supposed to mess up and learn from it. The two main characters have had their fair share of horrible life events, and I really think that these two will appeal to a different group of readers. Dare I say the unwilling-to-read high school crowd?
Dave just seems like the most chill and down-to-earth kid on the planet. I would love to have him as a best friend, and I can unquestionably see what Julia sees in him. He's just the perfect pal. Then there's Julia. She's the one who I thought I would dislike, and she has her moments, but all in all, I liked her. I just wish Alsaid would have explored her past a little more because it would make helping understand her anger and frustrations a little better. And then there's Gretchen. She's more of a minor character because we don't see her views, but she's just such a sweet character. You'll feel for her when you read this book.
I don't want to spoil anyone, but there are a lot of common tropes in Never Always Sometimes that I know a lot of YA readers don't like. So I'm just warning you that if you aren't a fan of some of the many common things we readers find in YA romances, you might want to stay away from this book. Alsaid handles the situations well and realistically, and I respect him for that, and to be honest, the situations didn't really bother me. I don't know if that's because it's a piece of fiction or if it's just because Adi makes these things seem like they could happen to you or one of your friends.
So... what's the final decision on this book? Never Always Sometimes is a good book. It had the potential to be a great book, but fell just a wee bit flat towards the middle. I am questioning those last few lines, though, Mr. Alsaid... Could we possibly see more of these two? I'd be down for it!
Would I recommend it? Yes, because it represents a different sort of high school experience, but one that will make readers laugh and cry. It's definitely a book that you should read before school goes back in a few weeks.
This review was originally published on my blog, The Hardcover Lover. Please consider stopping by if you enjoyed this review. :)
Meet Dave and Julia. They made a list of rules to follow the day before they started high school. Now they're seniors, and everything is about to change.
The first thing you should know about this book is that it's narrated by a third-person omniscient narrator. It's also divided into three parts:
Part One: Dave
Part Two: Julia
Part Three: Dave and Julia
The three parts show many of the different feelings that teens are accustomed to, but one theme that is constant throughout all three is longing. Other than that, there is a lot to be said about Adi Alsaid's sophomore novel. I enjoyed the section about Dave the most. It's hilarious! I found myself laughing out loud as I quickly read about Dave and all of his thoughts on high school and what he thinks it's like to do everything he and Julia once said they never would do. Towards the end of his section, Alsaid lets on that there's going to be a shift, and then the reader finds himself/herself reading all about Julia, but the time progression keeps going. (You don't go back or forward in time.) Julia's section read a bit slower to me, and I didn't like it as much. It picked up again in the Dave and Julia section, but the last two-thirds of the novel, while entertaining and though-provoking, didn't appeal to me as much as the first section.
Onto the characters... To be honest, this is the first contemporary YA book I've read in a while that didn't drive me crazy because I liked all of the characters. Don't get me wrong... there are definitely a few cringe-worthy moments, but that's YA. Characters are supposed to mess up and learn from it. The two main characters have had their fair share of horrible life events, and I really think that these two will appeal to a different group of readers. Dare I say the unwilling-to-read high school crowd?
Dave just seems like the most chill and down-to-earth kid on the planet. I would love to have him as a best friend, and I can unquestionably see what Julia sees in him. He's just the perfect pal. Then there's Julia. She's the one who I thought I would dislike, and she has her moments, but all in all, I liked her. I just wish Alsaid would have explored her past a little more because it would make helping understand her anger and frustrations a little better. And then there's Gretchen. She's more of a minor character because we don't see her views, but she's just such a sweet character. You'll feel for her when you read this book.
I don't want to spoil anyone, but there are a lot of common tropes in Never Always Sometimes that I know a lot of YA readers don't like. So I'm just warning you that if you aren't a fan of some of the many common things we readers find in YA romances, you might want to stay away from this book. Alsaid handles the situations well and realistically, and I respect him for that, and to be honest, the situations didn't really bother me. I don't know if that's because it's a piece of fiction or if it's just because Adi makes these things seem like they could happen to you or one of your friends.
So... what's the final decision on this book? Never Always Sometimes is a good book. It had the potential to be a great book, but fell just a wee bit flat towards the middle. I am questioning those last few lines, though, Mr. Alsaid... Could we possibly see more of these two? I'd be down for it!
Would I recommend it? Yes, because it represents a different sort of high school experience, but one that will make readers laugh and cry. It's definitely a book that you should read before school goes back in a few weeks.