This starts as an all American light hearted social story with members of the group either annoyed or dazzled by a new member. It then gradually becomes darker as the new member of the group shows her hand and her purpose becomes clear and frightening.
I did enjoy it and I felt that the action that the heroine takes to resolve her problem were possible which is not always the case. She reaches a satisfying conclusion for her own difficulty and manages to resolve her friendship and family issues too!
I recommend this book.

I've just finished reading this - I literally couldn't put it down. What an absolute stunner. absolutely bowled over by the depth of characters, the scuba diving - not too technical, but it adds richness to the storyline, and the plot twists. What a corker.

New author for me and I just couldn't get in to this book sorry didn't enjoy the writing style at all

What if you had a secret that you had kept for most of your life, and what if someone did find out and threatens to tell? Would you play the game?

This book had me hooked right from the start, and got even better as it went on. It is a clever and original dark and disturbing psychological thriller with a crazy plot! Perhaps a little far-fetched but I’m happy this is fiction so don’t really have a problem with that. There were twists galore and the final reveal made me gasp!

I loved Amy, the protagonist, and was rooting for her all the way through. The relationship between her and her step-daughter Maddy was wonderful. Roux is an amazing villain, who I really hated. And I felt so sorry for Luca.

This was the first book I have read by Joshlyn Jackson but it won’t be the last,

What an emotional roller coaster this book turned out to be!

Amy is a housewife and new mother to a small baby son, and stepmother to a teenage daughter. Her life is in order. She bakes cookies, cleans the house and works part time as a dive instructor. Once a month she hosts the Brain Dead Mummy’s Book Club, run by her best friend Charlotte, whose life is just as ordinary and unexciting as Amy’s. Until the new neighbour invites herself to their latest book club meeting and takes over proceedings. Exotic and extrovert, Angela Roux pours the drinks and invites the tipsy neighbourhood mums to play a game of “Never Have I Ever”, revealing their deepest darkest secrets. Amy is alarmed. It’s not just that some ugly truths come out that the women will surely regret sharing, but Amy herself has been harbouring a deep dark secret she has hidden for years. She is sure that Roux knows things about her that no one else does, not even her husband. But how? And what does Roux want from her?

There is nothing more delicious than dark family secrets, and the length people will go to in order to keep them hidden. Soon Roux and Amy are entangled in a dangerous twisted game where there can only be one winner – and one person who has a lot to lose. And neither woman is prepared to be that person.

For me, the strength of NEVER HAVE I EVER lay in its characters, who drove this story for me. Amy may initially seem like a mousy housewife, but we soon get to know how strong and determined she can be when her future is at stake. And Roux – well, she was just plain evil. This was one of those books where I was constantly putting myself in the main character’s shoes, thinking: what would I do in her place? What would be the best course of action? As Amy becomes more and more entangled in Roux’s web, I feared for her and absolutely couldn’t put the book down. What a page turner!

I loved how the battle of wits between Amy and Roux became more dangerous as time went on, each woman determined to win. Both characters were well drawn and fascinating in their own right – the housewife with a secret and the blackmailer. I was firmly in camp Amy, but I secretly admired Roux’s confidence and her audacity. Who hasn’t met women like her, the sort of person who owns the whole room as soon as she enters, all eyes drawn to her, the extrovert, the life of the party. Confident and cocky. Unstoppable. Ruthless.

Apart from this battle of wits, I also enjoyed the side stories the author offers here – the friendship between Madison and Roux’s son Luca. The stunning dive scenes. Amy’s and Charlotte’s friendship. There were quite a few twists along the way I did not see coming, and a more sinister and disturbing one at the end that shocked me pulled the rug out from under me.

If you love character driven mysteries that are based on secrets, lies and deceit, and enjoy a good battle of wills then this book is definitely for you! Despite the slower pace that the term “character driven” suggests, the underlying tension and menace overshadowing the story had me at the edge of my seat the whole time whilst reading this book, and I could not put it down. It’s definitely one of my favourite thrillers this year, and one I have no qualms recommending to all lovers of the genre. I look forward to reading more from this author in future.

This was an excellent read. Not something I would usually pick up but It had me hooked from the outset and throughout. Will be keeping an eye out for more in the future.

A well written psychological thriller with believable characters that kept me reading, desperate to find out the details of what would happen next. Absolutely loved it, I highly recommend! Thank you #NetGalley

EXCERPT: 'How far does it go?'

'Oh, come on Amy. A good game has to go all the way,' Roux said, and her pink tongue came out for just a moment to touch her pale upper lip. 'Think back. What's the worst thing you ever did?'

ABOUT THIS BOOK: Amy Whey is proud of her ordinary life and the simple pleasures that come with it—teaching diving lessons, baking cookies for new neighbors, helping her best friend, Charlotte, run their local book club. Her greatest joy is her family: her devoted professor husband, her spirited fifteen-year-old stepdaughter, her adorable infant son. And, of course, the steadfast and supportive Charlotte. But Amy’s sweet, uncomplicated life begins to unravel when the mysterious and alluring Angelica Roux arrives on her doorstep one book club night.

Sultry and magnetic, Roux beguiles the group with her feral charm. She keeps the wine flowing and lures them into a game of spilling secrets. Everyone thinks it’s naughty, harmless fun. Only Amy knows better. Something wicked has come her way—a she-devil in a pricey red sports car who seems to know the terrible truth about who she is and what she once did.

When they’re alone, Roux tells her that if she doesn’t give her what she asks for, what she deserves, she’s going to make Amy pay for her sins. One way or another.

To protect herself and her family and save the life she’s built, Amy must beat the devil at her own clever game, matching wits with Roux in an escalating war of hidden pasts and unearthed secrets. Amy knows the consequences if she can’t beat Roux. What terrifies her is everything she could lose if she wins.

MY THOUGHTS: Never Have I Ever...read a book this Diabolically Brilliant!

Never Have I Ever simply seethes with malice, manipulation, secrets, lies, secrets, lies and more secrets and lies. I am gobsmacked. During this read I have repeatedly had the rug pulled out from under my feet. I have been tipped out of my chair, bitch slapped, dunked and royally entertained! I wanted to immerse myself in this book and never come out. Damn, this was good.

Take a bunch of regular women...wives, moms, adjuncts and administrators, professors, librarians and a dive instructor, and add into the mix one usurping stranger. One usurping stranger who exudes an attractive air of danger, who encourages confidences. She plays a dangerous and deadly game, one where only she knows the rules, one where she always wins.

And no matter how bad you may think this woman is, how dangerous, believe me, you have no idea...

This is the second book this year that I have awarded an absolute meteor shower of stars to. Publication date is 8th August. I will be purchasing a hard copy. And reading all Jackson's back titles. I am in thrall.

Oh yes, and I might even take up scuba diving.

#NeverHaveIEver #Netgalley

💕💖💝💖💕❤💜🧡💛💚💙

THE AUTHOR: New York Times and USA today bestselling novelist Joshilyn Jackson is the author of NEVER HAVE I EVER and eight other books, including gods in Alabama and The Almost Sisters. Her work has been translated into more than a dozen languages, won SIBA’s novel of the year, three times been a #1 Book Sense Pick, been the Target Book Club Pick, and three times been shortlisted for the Townsend prize. A former actor, Jackson reads the audio versions of her novels; her work in this field has been nominated for the Audie Award, was selected by AudioFile Magazine for their best of the year list, and garnered two Listen Up Awards from Publisher’s Weekly.

She lives in Decatur, Georgia with her family.

DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Bloomsbury Publishing, Raven Books for providing a digital ARC of Never Have I Ever by Joshilyn Jackson for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.

Please refer to my Goodreads.com profile page or the about page on sandysbookaday.wordpress.com for an explanation of my rating system.

This review and others are published on Twitter, Amazon, Goodreads.com and my webpage https://sandysbookaday.wordpress.com/...

There were too many plot twists for my liking and though I know thrillers are a bit darker in general, this is something that I would say REALLY needs a content warning on it as it hit me so unexpectedly that I was left shocked, and more but I'm not going in-depth on it just now. It isn't just the shock of the last twist, but the overall feeling that there were so many twists that you just never really felt for Amy but at the same time you did cheer her on, possibly because Roux was basically evil incarnate.

WOW! Fantastic book that I had to read straight through with no break. I was so engrossed with this book that I suddenly realised I was laid in a very cool bath in the dark! A sinister game of cat and mouse with plenty of twists along the way.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC in return for an honest and unbiased opinion.

Amy Whey is a first time mum, living with her husband and her step daughter, who loving calls her Step-Monster.

She lives in a comfortable home in a quiet suburbia, and is a diving instructor, although with a new baby, she doesn't get to dive as much as she wants for a while.

Her friends are all mums, and she runs the neighbourhood Book-Club, and this is where our story starts.

Charlotte her best friend picks the books for the girls to read, and they meet in Amy's basement to discuss (while having a glass of wine and a gossip)

Everything is going swimmingly, until the front door bell goes, Amy answers the door, and there stands the "new girl" glamorous Roux.

Roux is new in the neighbourhood, and has come to introduce herself and join the Book Club, after breezing in the door (uninvited) Roux then takes over the Book Club by basically getting everyone drunk as a skunk and playing a silly playground game Never Have I Ever, but drunk + secrets is never a good idea!

Amy is horrified at this and demands Roux leaves the party, but the fun has only just begun!!

A fantastic psychological thriller that will have you shouting WTF on many occasions, I thought my head was going to fall off as it was spun in so many different directions.

Great characters and a fantastic story, you'll be up all night reading this one!

Well, this started off just plain weird and then, in the run in up to the end, went very dark very quickly and didn’t end quite as strongly as I would have liked it to.
Amy has a good life now but it wasn't always so. She's happily married with a 15yo step-daughter and baby son, living in a nice area and with a job she loves. She has a past but that is firmly in the past. Or so she thinks. But then Roux moves into the AirBnB property near her and threatens to expose her past. Things start to spiral a bit and Amy is forced to revisit her childhood as she fights to keep what she has worked so hard for. And then things take a big turn when more truth is revealed. Finally, just when Amy thinks she may be done, she discovers something about Roux that, well, you'll have to read to find out!
You need a lot of trust in this book to keep going without giving up. But, believe me, have that trust as this book delivers punch after punch as it goes on. You may, as I did, sit there reading and wondering “why all the fuss” and it isn’t until quite a bit later when you suddenly find out why. And it’s worth it, but you need to have that staying power to realise all the delights still in store for you.
I say delights, they’re not all delightful. As I already mentioned, this book gets real dark, real quick right towards the end. I don’t believe in books needing trigger warnings and I can’t detail what exactly the issue is that this covers as it will be a major spoiler, but I can say that it is one of the majorly upsetting ones so if you are sensitive to big bad stuff then I would check with a friend before your dive in.
Characters are a bit hit and miss but I guess most of that feeling is due to their natures and all the secrets, lies and duplicitous behaviour going on throughout the book. Pacing is good on the whole but it does start off a bit slow and there’s quite a bit of confusions to go through before it all finally kicks off. That said, there’s no superfluous waffle to pad it out so the story does get on with itself quite well.
All in all, a solid read that all (mostly) worked out in the end and made the journey worth putting up with. My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

I don’t think I have ever given a book 1 star but I am really sorry to say that I thought this book was awful . I persevered with it as I honestly thought it would get better but it just didn’t happen . There was nothing I liked about this book , the language and the way the story flowed annoyed me . The names of the characters drove me bonkers . My apologies to the author as from reading other reviews most people loved this book .

This is a great book. Jackson takes us straight into the action rather than dragging out the reveal of ‘the worst thing Amy has done’. When it comes it’s a terrible secret rather than something a bit weak the author is overplaying.

Amy and Roux are great characters. Similar and yet very different at the same time. Their story is full of twists and turns as we navigate the secrets of middle class suburban America and the lengths people will go to to protect them.

The book is set in a middle class suburb of Florida where life ticks along until the arrival of Roux. Roux has all the dirt on the local people and considers herself to be a professional blackmailer. The story reveals more and more as it progresses until we find out Roux’s secrets and her game has to finish. I must admit that for a story with so many twists and turns I still didn’t see the final twist coming!

I haven’t read any books by this author before but was intrigued by the description.
Initially I thought I wasn’t going to enjoy it and nearly gave up, but once the story moved into the present it really gripped. I really enjoyed all the plot twists and enjoyed the build up to the conclusion. Will definitely look for more books by her and would recommend the story. Thank you for allowing me to read a preview copy.

3.5⭐️ rounded up to 4

The book begins at a book club meeting among friends and wine. Along with a bit too much to drink, someone suggests they change to a game of Never Have I Ever. Secrets either start or threaten to come out.

There was something quite addictive about this book that I can't quite put my finger on. The characters felt real even to the point that one of them frustrated me (I won't tell you who). Amy always thought her secrets were safe and would stay in the past. But her new neighbour, Roux made it clear that she knew all about her. In parts, the story was a little far fetched. There's secrets, blackmail, betrayal and the ending was not how I thought it would be.

I would like to thank NetGalley, Bloomsbury Publishing Plc (UK & ANZ) and the author Joshilyn Jackson for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Amy has a lovely life : her husband, child, step daughter all love her. However, she has a secret in her past, when she made some bad decisions as a teenager which had very serious consequences.

Roux, a new neighbour, comes to their book club meeting, and what starts as a game suddenly becomes serious. Roux threatens to expose her past, which will destroy Amy's life, hurt her husband and affect her friends.

This is a really pacy and exciting story. The twists and turns are well handled, and the reader is waiting for the next shoe to drop, as new events from the characters' past lives appear to haunt them.

An entertaining and intriguing read.

Thank you to NetGalley, Bloomsbury Publishing PLC and Raven Books for allowing me access to the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is a great psychological thriller that had me hooked from the first few pages.
Amy is happy with her life with her husband, baby son and teenage step daughter until she meets Roux at the neighbourhood book club.
It seems Roux has tracked down Amy as she knows something about her past, and this is a huge shock for Amy.
She tries to avoid this over confident woman who has descended on the neighbourhood, but Roux confronts her in her own home.
Amy is devastated that her quiet life could be shattered but Roux asks for something to keep her secret for her.
Whilst Amy has what she wants, she’s angry that she’s being blackmailed by this woman so seeks out information on her and her teenage son.
I loved the second half of this book as it had a great momentum and I just wanted to know how it would all end.
There’s some heart stopping moments in this book and I loved it.
Thanks to Bloomsbury Publishing/Raven books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

Never Have I ever is a great summer read, with a engaging narrative that is a thrilling read. A great novel if you're starting a book club or part of a book club!

Secrets and lies in this complex story. A newcomer stirs things up and makes everyone uncomfortable. Not my cup of tea.