This is the first book that I have read by Joshilyn Jackson and I really enjoyed it. The characters were fascinating and the Cat and Mouse chase between Amy and Roux kept me hooked all the way through. Amy’s secret was shocking, but l loved that she was not willing to play the role of victim without fighting back. There were some real dilemmas for the reader along the way, as it wasn’t always a straight fight between good and evil but more a case of the lesser of two evils at times.
A gripping read that I’ll definitely recommend - pack this on your holiday flight and your journey will fly past!

A really well planned out, wonderfully written novel. Gripping plot with twists and suspense throughout, all within a suburban setting which is the perfect setting for intrigue and secrecy in my opinion.
Some parts are laugh out loud funny, partly because the characters are so true to middle class suburban stereotypes!

THE GAME WAS ROUX'S IDEA.... this shotgun of a game. The latest tenant in the Airbnb house that was the bane of the cul-de-sac. A game that will ultimately shred the nerves as Amy's dark past is used to threaten her and her family. When it comes down to it Roux is a fearsome adversary who has done her homework on Amy. Amy who has inherited a substantial nest-egg. Roux wants it and will undermine Amy's resolve to get it. What the hell does she know that is so dreadful? Something that will shatter Amy's comfortable life with husband Davis, step-daughter Maddy and baby son Oliver. And interwoven into the plot a background of scuba diving that will come to the fore in this war of nerves. So many times I wanted to say to Amy "let Roux Publish and be damned!"

At every turn the tension is racked up. At every turn I thought there cannot be more and then, WHAM! Twists and turns galore. Nerve jarring, nail-biting tension. For a first novel Never Have I Ever is a peach. A slow starter that gathers roller-coaster pace and left me breathless come the final denouement ....

I really wanted to like this book, The blurb appealed and the cat and mouse theme was right up my alley, but...

Where do I start? From the first few pages I was struggling with it. The nastiness and tensions between what were ultimately unlikeable characters didn't spur me on and I had a job to get through it.

Not enjoyable at all, but well written and presented.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It had some interesting characters and a story line that kept me totally engrossed as I wondered what was going to happen next. There were some interesting twists too! This is the first book I’ve read from this author so I’ll definitely look for her previous ones. Well recommended.

I've never read anything by this author before, but the 'blurb' sounded intriguing.
I was hooked from the moment I picked it up and couldn't wait to see what was coming next.

Amy Whey leads a simple life. She has her perfect family: her devoted professor husband, Davis, her high-spirited fifteen year old step-daughter, Madison, and her new baby boy, Oliver. She also has her supportive best friend, Charlotte, who runs the local book club with Amy’s help. She bakes cookies for the new neighbours, and teaches lessons at the local diving school. Amy loves her uncomplicated life. But, when the mysterious and alluring Angelica Roux arrives at book club, this sweet life begins to unravel.

Roux sweeps in and takes control of the book club with her magnetic charm. She gets the wine flowing, and refills glasses as though she is in her own home. When the entire group has had a little too much to drink, Roux lures them into playing a game of Never Have I Ever, and secrets start spilling out. Most of the group think that it is just a little harmless fun, but Amy isn’t being fooled. Roux has come for her, and seems to know exactly who she really is, and the terrible truth about what she once did, and if Amy doesn’t give her what she wants, she will make her pay for her sins.

If Amy wants to protect her family, and keep the life that she has built for herself, she must play Roux at her own game, and she MUST win. The stakes are high, and Amy is terrified of what she might lose, regardless of whether she beats Roux or not.

Before requesting Never Have I Ever on NetGalley, I had seen it quite a lot on social media, and was really interested. So when I saw it available to request, obviously I had to, and was very excited when my request was approved! From the synopsis, this book was exactly the sort of thing I enjoy reading, but after finishing it, I have to say, I was a little disappointed.

The book gets off to a good start with the introduction of Roux, and jumped straight in to the game. The opening chapters were exciting, and tense, and enjoyable to read. But, it soon starts to take a downhill slope. There were large amounts of the book that were too drawn out, and seemed to drag, and where nothing really seemed to be happening, it was a little repetitive in places too, with little excitement. I found myself reading, but not really giving it my full attention, because it wasn’t gripping hold of me the way I had expected it to. However, I didn’t feel as though I didn’t want to read it, and was happy to continue reading, because honestly, it isn’t a bad book at all.

The characters are definitely a redeeming feature of Never Have I Ever. Despite her past, Amy is a character you can really get behind, and you realise you really are rooting for her all the way. Roux is the type of character that you love to hate, but can also feel a little sorry for. They’re the perfect combination. Also, the way that Joshilyn Jackson describes parenthood is so accurate, that I could actually sympathise with the characters. Not everything about parenthood is beautiful, and lovely, and Jackson showed that, which is one of the things I really loved about Never Have I Ever.

One thing that did bother me throughout the book was the amount of times Amy’s weight was mentioned, and how she used to find herself “ugly and disgusting” for having a little extra weight. There was one chapter in particular which was almost completely about Amy’s self-hate. I really didn’t see why it was necessary. This could also be triggering for anyone who actually feels that way about themselves, and I think readers should be warned before they start reading, just in case.

I really had hoped for a lot more from Never Have I Ever, but overall, it wasn’t a bad read. There were parts that I did really enjoy, and that is reflected in my rating. Thank you to NetGalley and Raven Books for my copy!

I give Never Have I Ever a 3/5 rating.

I really enjoyed this book, it’s twists, turns and manipulation hooked me from the start. Set in a community and based around a group of female neighbours, this intense read will take you through a plethora of emotions, I felt my heart rate physically rise with panic, dread, frustration and thwarted triumph. But has she met her match ? A must read !

Amy Whey hosts a book group at her house on behalf of her friend Char, who founded the group and gets to pick each month’s very safe title. But one month, a rather extroverted visitor shows up - she’s staying at the Airbnb and nobody seems to know who invited her. And when the uninvited guest - Roux - starts to offer Amy’s wine around and proposes a drinking game of Never Have I Ever, Amy and Char realise that they are no longer in control.

Some of the participants readily give up their secrets, but Amy has a secret she is determined to keep. Over the next few days (weeks?) Amy and Roux play a twisty game of cat and mouse.

Never Have I Ever is a long book - and there are parts that do feel like repetition - and it gets off to quite a slow start. The initial book group meeting (shades of the Great Gatsby’s cocktail party but for yummy mummies) introduces many characters and it’s difficult to keep a handle on who is who. For the first 10%, the story is slow and confusing - threatening to become a bed-hopping saga. But when the main narrative line - the Amy/Roux line - starts to emerge, the story settles down. The intensity builds and by the halfway point - when strange things start to happen - it is impossible to put the book down.

Amy is particularly well drawn - complex with multiple hidden dimensions. Most strikingly, despite her battle with Roux, she seems terribly concerned about what Roux might think of her., In fact, much of Amy’s predicament stems from her anxiety over how she will be perceived by her friends, her family and even her enemies. Amy used to be large and lost weight - and maintained the weight loss - through restricting her daily calorie intake to 500 coupled with bulimic tendencies. So Amy’s whole life seems to be about suffering for the sake of maintaining her appearance.

The other characters feel less fully rounded and Roux does verge on improbability,. Perhaps an exception would be made for Tig, a character who appears quite briefly but is both memorable and sophisticated.

Overall, Never Have I Ever is an enjoyable psychological intrigue, probably aimed at women rather than men (although this man enjoyed it too). It’s not going to win literary awards, but it would make a great holiday read.

This book didn’t really grip me at all and the names of the characters were enough to put you off. I found the first chapter very hard to follow and it just wasn’t very interesting from the off

A wonderful book full of surprises and suspense.
A chilling book filled with compelling characters and I couldn’t turn the pages quickly enough.
A great read

Well this is my favourite read so far of 2019!

I was given the first chapter sampler initially by Netgalley, which drew me in straight away with a tale of a book club socially hijacked by a temporary neighbour. She starts a game of Never Have I Ever, and uncovers secrets of the neighbourhood mums attending, whilst utterly ruining the evening for the host. It was intriguing and left me wanting to read more.

Then moe recently I was lucky enough to be given the complete ARC copy also by Netgalley and the publisher. The book develops and twists right away from the initial chapter. Without ruining the story, it has blackmail, teen angst, unrequited love, guilt, and plenty of twists to boot. The main character has you rooting for her, even when at times she doesn’t deserve it, and the book ends in a satisfying but gripping way.

Buy it, read it, it’s just perfect for your end of summer read....
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for my ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Wow! Excellent thriller.
Amy's life is turned upside down after a new neighbour comes along to book club and initiates a game of never have I ever.
Amy's friends are targeted but roux already had her sights on Amy's darkest secret which if revealed would destroy her life as she knows it.
Amy plays a deadly game to save herself, her family and her friends.
Thank you for the ARC of this book.

I found this oddly uninteresting, and although I shouldn't lay the blame at it being a book about women by a woman, I can't really see what other reason I have for just not gelling with it at all. But the first two chapters failed to compel me to read on, and none of the characters were interesting, even if the narrator insisted they were.

Thrilling, quick paced and beautifully written this book truly is at another level! I chose to read this book because I was drawn in by the title, the blurb and the chance that it was in any way related to fun games teens play at parties. Boy, was I pleasantly surprised!!

This book blew all of my expectations out of the water, it was such a well told story. All key aspects are integrated so thoroughly and I was genuinely kept guessing the whole way through; about so many different aspects.

I loved Amy from the very first chapter; it was eye opening to read through all of her past and to also get to live in the present with her. She experiences the highest highs, the lowest lows, internal & external pressures and both self doubt & times of illness. She works hard to have the life she has and you truly see the love she has for her family and those that matter.

A true adventure story that tells the tale of first loves, thrilling cat and mouse chases and above all emphasises the importance of karma.

With the wine flowing freely, Roux suggests they play a game of Never Have I Ever where secrets that would have remained just that, get revealed. This proves quite disruptive to the group but especially to Amy who harbours an explosive secret that would have lifelong consequences.

Amy is a diver by profession, married to Davis, a professor. They have a young baby together, Oliver, as well as Davis's daughter Maddy by a previous relationship. They are a close, ordinary family living an ordinary life until Roux shows up. Although Roux threatens Amy's tranquil life, she also fascinates with her insights into people. This relationship is the book's foundation and is handled expertly by Jackson.

Overall an enjoyable read with its twists and turns. The resolution left a question or two for me and perhaps needed more explication.

I had high hopes for this one after other reviewers who read similar books to me had loved it. Sadly it didn’t live up to my (possibly unattainable!) high expectations. I found it slow and even with the twists it just didn’t grab my attention and I kept putting it down and grabbing another book to read instead. So not for me sorry!

Don’t play games you can’t afford to lose”

Wow. I don’t really know how to begin this review without saying ‘wow’ a few hundred times. We’ve all played an innocent game of Never Have I Ever haven’t we? We’ve all unearthed a few unsavory truths much to the amusement of our friends. But what if you had done something unspeakable? Amy Whey is hosting a book club which starts innocently enough until Roux, the sexy and mysterious newcomer to their tranquil neibourhood turns up univited and knows just what Amy has done. Amy has done everything in her power to turn her life around, and will stop at nothing to maintain the life she has built. So the cat and mouse game begins. But as we all know, there can only ever be one winner.

‘Never Have I Ever’ gripped me from page one, and trying to juggle a book like this with every day life and work proved to be very difficult indeed. Especially since I often found myself day dreaming about what could possibly happen next. For those of you who have read my previous reviews, you’ll notice that there is a pattern within the type of books I just love to devour and Joshilyn Jackson delivers every single device I love in the literature I read.

With every type of suspence novel, timing is everything. And Joshilyn laid the foundations very carefully, and answers questions you already thought were answered delivered with one hell of a twist.

I can’t recommend this enough. ‘Never Have I Ever’ is released 30 July.

My thanks to Joshilyn Jackson, Bloomsbury and Net Galley for the ARC of NEVER HAVE i EVER..
This was a scary story. A suburban mum with a mystery past and a blackmailing neighbour makes for a searing psychological thriller. I thought some of the dialogue could have either been cut or perhaps tightened up a bit, but Roux is everyone's worse nightmare and is superbly drawn. 4 super stars.

This was the first book I've read from this author and I enjoyed it very much. It was very well written and the characters were well thought out.