Review: 'Never Have I Ever' by Joshilyn Jackson

I spent much of last week at a beautiful beach in Vietnam and knew I would need a good beach read, the kind of book that gives you all the tension and all the twists and turns, while also not distracting you from the beautiful calm you're surrounded by. And Never Have I Ever was the perfect read for that. Thanks to Raven Books, Bloomsbury Publishing and NeGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.


Pub. Date: 08/08/2019
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing Plc.; Raven Books

It starts as a game at a book group one night. Never Have I Ever... done something I shouldn't. 

But Amy Whey has done something she shouldn't. And Roux, the glamorous newcomer to Amy's suburban neighbourhood, knows exactly what that is. 

Roux promises she will go away. She will take herself and her son, who is already growing dangerously close to Amy's teenage stepdaughter, and she will go. If Amy plays by her rules. 

But Amy isn't prepared to lose everything she's built. She's going to fight back, and in this escalating game of cat and mouse, there can be only one winner.

One of the things that stood out most to me in Never Have I Ever was the importance of diving to Amy, and no, this isn't a spoiler. Diving is something that she feels saves her and there are a few moments during Jackson's novel where Amy goes off and dives, surrounds herself with the calmness of the sea and decompresses. The reason these moments in the novel stood out to me is because it elevated Never Have I Ever above the usual shlocky suspense novel. Yes. the dramatic twists were still there, the novel was outrageous and nuts, but Jackson let her main character have moments to contemplate and to gather strength. In many of the novels the characters run around frantically, making move after move without ever really growing or even really establishing themselves. This means that they're easily forgotten after the book is finished, as we stayed with them only for the twists and turns. As Jackson gave her character the time to breathe, the reader breathes with her and I found myself caring much more about the outcome. I also really want to go scuba diving now.

Amy's good life is turned upside down when one day a new woman appears in her neighborhood, Roux, who seems to know everything. Either Amy will pay her with the savings she has left, or Roux will blow up the life Amy has built for herself. She decides to play, recognizing the satisfaction Roux gains from digging into other people's lives. What will she do? How far will she go? What is she willing to sacrifice? And how much more will be revealed? These are all the questions you want answered in a book like this and Jackson delivers. It takes a while to really get into Never Have I Ever, but the last third of the novel will have you gripped by the throat. I found myself caring for Amy more than I do for most of the protagonists in similar novels. Jackson explores the darkness and the desperation inside her, the deep love she feels but also the solid fear. You're invested as a reader because Jackson's focus on Amy makes the twists and turns seem a lot more realistic.

I hadn't read any of Joshilyn Jackson's previous novels so I came in completely new. What had really drawn me in was the blurb and knowing I would have time to really soak in the novel. The first few chapters of Never Have I Ever may feel slow but do set up the groundwork for the rest of the novel. There is a slow build up of tension around Roux, there is a growing awareness that Amy isn't as normal as she presents herself, and then there is constantly escalating game between Amy and Roux. The 'never have I ever' game of the novel happens in the first chapter, but the overall game is a lot darker. How far will either of them go? Where does this ability to lie and break others come from? Jackson infuses each scene with details ripped from life, which means that Never Have I Ever is very grounded for a mystery and suspense novel. Oddly enough, I wasn't too big a fan of the final twist of the novel, or rather the extent of that twist. I don't want to go into any details, but it felt like an odd step for a novel that had so far seemed very interested in that shade of grey between good and evil.

I give this book...

3 Universes!

Never Have I Ever is a great suspense novel with high stakes and beautiful moments. It is sometimes a love letter to friendships and family, but also an exploration of desperation. I'd recommend this to those looking for a gripping suspense read.