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Read advance reader review of Never Have I Ever by Joshilyn Jackson

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Never Have I Ever by Joshilyn Jackson

Never Have I Ever

by Joshilyn Jackson

  • Critics' Consensus (2):
  • Published:
  • Jul 2019, 352 pages
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There are currently 45 member reviews
for Never Have I Ever
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  • Mary O. (Boston, MA)
    Thriller
    A book very difficult to put down! I love psychological suspense thrillers and this one does not let you down. A great summer beach read!!!
  • Susan B. (Hahira, GA)
    Never Have I Ever
    I have read Joshilyn Jackson's books from the very beginning but never have I ever been unable to put one down until I was through. Ms.Jackson never fails to captivate or entertain or hold my attention but this newest, Never Have I Ever is in a class by itself! Bravo!
  • Tracy B. (Pittsboro, NC)
    Twisting Game Never Have I ever
    Once I started I didn't want to put this book down. The character development was great. Just enough past & present to make it compelling. Wow I am still wondering if Amy got away with the SECRETS. Can she still live with them? The ending blew me away. Intrigue at its best.
  • Marcia C. (Jeffersonville, PA)
    When Past Actions Come Back to Haunt
    I have long been a fan of Joshilyn Jackson's books. Her heartwarming stories are steeped in southern ambience. Her characters are complex and quirky. However, in Never Have I Ever, Joshilyn Jackson takes a giant step away from her usual...and dives into the world of psychological suspense. This is her first effort. She has written a masterful story. It's the story of Amy, who has a secret in her life, and Roux, a predator, who will go to any lengths to expose it.

    This book is a thriller from the moment Roux first walks into the neighborhood book club until the final page is turned. It's all about blackmail, deception, love of family and what one is willing to do to protect loved ones. The book has a number of unanticipated twists and turns and the pace doesn't let up. In fact there were times I had to stop reading just to catch my breath.

    If you are already familiar with Joshilyn Jackson's work, Never Have I Ever will reveal a whole new side of this author. If you have never read any of her work, this is a great place to start. This book does not disappoint.

    I am definitely recommending this book to my book club. Lots of lively conversation lurking here!
  • Dorothy M. (Broken Arrow, OK)
    A Tale of Twists, Turns, & Deception
    Amy Whey lives a good life. She is married to Davis, a professor, and is step-mother to Maddie, Davis's daughter from his first marriage. Together, Amy and Davis have an infant son, Oliver. What could mar this picture-perfect life? Perhaps the secret that she has been harboring since she was sixteen? Joshilyn Jackson takes readers on a terrifying journey in Never Have I Ever.
    Amy is hosting the neighborhood book club, Brain Dead Mommies Book Club. All the members have arrived so Amy and Char are surprised when the doorbell rings announcing the arrival of someone. That someone turns out to be a new neighbor, Angelica, renting the house at the end of the block.
    Angelica, who asks that everyone call her Roux, wants to join the book club. Roux attracts everyone's attention immediately. She also quickly commandeers the meeting, much to orderly Char's dismay.
    Roux suggests that they play a game while Char wishes to focus on discussing the book. Roux further takes over the meeting by grabbing all the wine bottles from the bar and putting them in the middle of the discussion, continuing to fill everyone's glasses until the wine bottles are all empty. Then she starts on the liquor behind the bar, again filling glasses.
    Roux starts the game she has wanted to play all along: Never Have I Ever. The game begins when everyone tells the worst thing they've done during the day, followed by the last week, and the eventual goal is to tell the worst thing you've ever done in your life.
    Obviously, Roux has a plan; her neighbors simply do not know yet how far she is willing to go to learn their deepest, darkest secrets and finally to profit from those secrets, particularly Amy's.
  • Christine P. (Gig Harbor, WA)
    Never Have I Ever
    I have really come to love Joshilyn Jackson's writing. She has evolved into quite the storyteller. Her latest, Never Have I Ever did not disappoint me. Since I read a lot, rarely does an author surprise me. This book was full of twists and turns and this is what I love in my reading life, the unexpected. It also makes a good choice for a book club discussion. There are issues in the novel that are relevant to what is in the news today. Should things in your past rise up to take you down despite a life that has made up for a shameful act? Or do you "let it sink"?
  • Barbara B. (Holbrook, NY)
    Never Have I Ever
    This was the first time I was thankful for not feeling well and having this book to keep me company and my mind off my problems. What a read!! Secrets that are long hidden, twists and turns at every turn of the page. What starts as a game becomes a dark and edgy story of betrayal and deception and leaves the reader on the edge of a cliff, it seems. This is a wonderful, suspenseful, exciting book. I encourage everyone to read it. I loved it.

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