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A review by procrastinatewithreading
Never Say Never by Justine Manzano
3.0
Brynn has sworn off love after watching her BFF’s on-again, off-again relationship end (again) and her parents' marriage turn from bad to awful. Brynn is happy to remain on the outside and disbelieve in true love, until her friend, Val, turns out to be Aphrodite. Val makes it her mission to find Brynn true love while Brynn continues to navigate life with family, friends, and falling in love all on her own.
This book has an interesting plot idea and a believable cast of characters. Adding the Greek goddess of Love to a high school opens the door for drama and mayhem that is over the top and well-intentioned (the Gods always liked to help humans, right?). The pacing was fast and the story moved along quickly. A solid message throughout the book is that Brynn and her BFF Nina are soul mates- they are each other’s people. As other characters entered the story they were included in the friend group, but Brynn and Nina maintained their bond. The characters communicated with each other and showed strong relationships within their group.
Unfortunately the book was superficial. Brynn is the standard under-appreciated, not-your-average girl. The characters received HEAs but it didn’t necessarily feel like they were earned by growing and developing. The over-the-top drama was fun at times and at other times it was cringe-worthy (comparing the actions of Brynn to the actions of Brynn’s mother is a bit much given that one is in high school and the other is a grown person, or a HS student harassing Brynn throughout).
Thanks to @NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this book for my honest review.
CW: parent death from cancer (off page), cheating, divorce, life-threatening asthma
#neversaynever #netgalley #TeensandYA
This book has an interesting plot idea and a believable cast of characters. Adding the Greek goddess of Love to a high school opens the door for drama and mayhem that is over the top and well-intentioned (the Gods always liked to help humans, right?). The pacing was fast and the story moved along quickly. A solid message throughout the book is that Brynn and her BFF Nina are soul mates- they are each other’s people. As other characters entered the story they were included in the friend group, but Brynn and Nina maintained their bond. The characters communicated with each other and showed strong relationships within their group.
Unfortunately the book was superficial. Brynn is the standard under-appreciated, not-your-average girl. The characters received HEAs but it didn’t necessarily feel like they were earned by growing and developing. The over-the-top drama was fun at times and at other times it was cringe-worthy (comparing the actions of Brynn to the actions of Brynn’s mother is a bit much given that one is in high school and the other is a grown person, or a HS student harassing Brynn throughout).
Thanks to @NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this book for my honest review.
CW: parent death from cancer (off page), cheating, divorce, life-threatening asthma
#neversaynever #netgalley #TeensandYA