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A review by jackiehorne
Never Always Sometimes by Adi Alsaid
3.0
In the prologue, best friends Dave & Julia create a list of "nevers," clichés from movies and novels about high school that they vow never to do, such as take an epic road trip or have an affair with a teacher. But by March of senior year, senioritis is setting in, and when they re-discover the forgotten list, unconventional Julia convinces Dave that the ultimate irony will be for them to do everything on the list. Going to a beer party, getting Dave on the ballet for prom king, and holding a beer party of their own lead to Dave discovering that he might have had more friends throughout high school if he'd not spent all his time hanging with (and secretly crushing on) Julia. Julia's discoveries are rather more painful: jealousy at Dave's budding romance with fellow senior Gretchen; embarrassment at her stalking of her poor math teacher; and above all, disillusionment with her globetrotting, unconventional mother who is never really there for her.
The first third of the novel is told from Dave's third-person POV; the second third, from Julia's after she realizes that her feelings for Dave might be more than just platonic; and the third, after from their alternating POVs.
Part of me really liked the idea of a novel about a fairly passive adolescent boy who starts to realize that his devotion to one dynamic female friend has led him to miss out on a lot of other opportunities in high school. But another part of me felt like this was one of those YAs written by a guy that was about punishing the girl back in high school whom he was crushing on, but who never really liked him back.
The first third of the novel is told from Dave's third-person POV; the second third, from Julia's after she realizes that her feelings for Dave might be more than just platonic; and the third, after
Spoiler
Julia declares her feelings for Dave and the two begin an ill-fated sexual liaisonPart of me really liked the idea of a novel about a fairly passive adolescent boy who starts to realize that his devotion to one dynamic female friend has led him to miss out on a lot of other opportunities in high school. But another part of me felt like this was one of those YAs written by a guy that was about punishing the girl back in high school whom he was crushing on, but who never really liked him back.