A classic warmhearted romcom. After having her heart broken by Ash who's buggered off to Australia to find himself, Robyn finds it difficult to move on because his identical twin, Will still lives next door. But he's the opposite to his twin and that gives great play of complications as Ash returns full of remorse and wants her back. Against the backdrop of a Never Have I Ever Club which leads them and a group of others to try out an item from their bucket list the story develops and takes the reader through a series of warm-hearted laughs and a few tears until Robyn, Will and Ash discover what they really want and need. The characters of Will, Robyn and Ash are nicely developed and that of her aunt, Felicity who makes a great contribution to the story. The bucket list angle was okay, though some of those sections lost a bit of tension and seemed a little forced. Overall, the story the story is a classic trope that is easily readable with some nice moments to it.

This is such a fun read! I'm a big fan of Mary Jayne Baker's books so was delighted to get my hands on this one! I think this is a great summer read where you want a typical romance story with a bit of a twist!

Romantic comedies are — by nature — predictable. Boy (man) meets girl (woman) but stuff gets in the way. They hate each other. They're involved with other people. Complications mean they really shouldn't be together. But we know they will be. It's all about the journey, and convincing the reader to stay on board. Well … this book had me buckled up, ready to ride the roller coaster and go with every loop thrown at me.
Broken-hearted Robyn is picking up the pieces after boyfriend Ash swans off to Australia. Luckily, she has his identical twin brother, Will, to comfort her. Childhood friends — as a trio — there isn't much that can rattle Robyn, even if Will is the local GP and she has to …
I loved the whole premise of the Never Have I Ever Club, and how it brings to together a disparate group of people with a wish to tick things off their bucket lists. And I howled with laughter at some of the lines —
'Getting my tackle out for a load of pensioners isn't exactly swimming with dolphins, Bloom.'
The last thing she wanted curtain-twitching Mrs Carlton across the road to start putting about was that young Ms Bloom was now the Madam in some sort of Wild West-themed geriatric knocking shop.
'It's love, Rob, not the flu.'
There is nudity, knobs, Smurf references, Eurovision and a dash of poignancy to even out the broad humour. It pinned me to my sun lounger and entertained me much more than some cheesy song contest hosted by Graham Norton (and I adore Graham Norton). Nul points? Ha! It's getting all the shiny stars from this judge.

I absolutely loved this book!
For many reasons!
Eurovision!
I’m a bit of a fan and it was perfect timing to read it when Eurovision was supposed to be happening. Totally got my fix in this hilarious book!
So funny!
Last turkey in the shop line saw me spit out my gin and tonic 🍸as I laughed so hard! Also DVLA section was absolutely epic!
Adorable characters aplenty.
Will is such a sweetheart ❤️
Robyn and Fliss have such a wonderful relationship, it was great to see the love between them.
References to chick flicks and my hero Peter Gabriel.
Loved Ashes efforts to win back his girl based on a binge watching movie fest! Again, hilarious!
Gorgeous community feel. The group and how they gelled was fabulous, I do love a supportive network theme!
Older characters, I do enjoy seeing a mixture of young and old characters sharing the story, it’s so satisfying getting their input on life.

This was a fabulous book and I enjoyed every moment!
Now I want to go to a Eurovision themed party , it’s being added to my list!

Robyn was dumped by her boyfriend Ash who then moves to another country as part of some sort of midlife crisis. She struggles to get over him and the fact that his twin brother Will lives right next door does not make it any easier. Ash comes back into town after about a year of his life crisis and wants Robyn back. Like any scorned woman, Robyn wants nothing to do with Ash.
Things get really complicated when Robyn realizes she is in love with Will and Will also has feelings for Robyn.
Overall, I thought this book was okay. I felt like it was a little too long. Most of the good stuff happened in the final chapters of the book and feels rushed. I wish there was an extra chapter that talks about what happened after the ending of the book.

THE NEVER HAVE I EVER CLUB by Mary Jayne Baker is a cute rom com about a woman, Robyn, who’s in the middle of a love triangle. The interesting twist to the classic love triangle trope in this book is that both men are identical twins. I loved that there was a wide age range for the characters. There were some funny moments and I was really hoping for Robyn to find love and have a happy ending. If you’re looking for a romance without explicit love scenes then this is the feel good summer beach read for you.

I thought that this was a good story and I really enjoyed reading it!

I thought that the story had a great flow to it and I loved the author's writing style, there was just the right amount of detail in the book for me.

The characters were well developed, they were worked well together and their interaction was great.

It is 5 stars from me for this one, a very enjoyable story and would be a great holiday read - very highly recommended!!

This was my first book by Mary Jayne Baker. Honestly, the blurb about a group trying to carpe all the diems was just right up my alley plus add in a romance and sold!

So we have Robyn, who is about 8 months out of a relationship where she was dating the fun, cool, crazy boy she grew up next door to. Don't worry, I think all peoples involved are going on 35. So, yeah, Robyn was unceremoniously dumped right after a wonderful holiday with her beau. He broke up with her and cited he needed to do some wild oat sowing and only such sowing could be done in Australia for a year. Then, she finds out that a month into his journey, said wild-oat sowing boy has met the woman of his dreams and is smattering Instagram with beautiful, happy, lovey pics of him and his ten years younger love of his life with nauseating hashtags and all. Now enter in a female-style health scare and having to have the face of the man who broke your heart into smithereens perform said health scare lady-exam- Oh, did I mention arse-hole ex is a twin?- and yeah, that's Robyn's life.

Not an actual issue, just a disclaimer here. The book is based in the U.K. and while that's not normally an issue for me... but just like when I'm watching any BBC show or hell even old Monty Python shows, as an American, I get a bit lost in what's actually being said sometimes... but I think I get the gist. I just get lost in some of the references and colloquialisms not normal to my very unposh American upbringing, lol. But again, I don't find it a huge issue for myself.

I liked the book, it had a lot going on in it. I love the group and all the secondary characters. I didn't know we were going to get as heavy of a love triangle, second chancy vibe as what we got but I guess I already knew where the outcome was heading but the story had to play out the kinks. Now normally, when we all get to the end of a book, we are pleading for just a few more pages or an epilogue or two so we can get just a bit more taste of what happens after... But in this case- I NEEDED more. I felt like we ended just where my attention was fully grabbed. Like I feel this to the point where I feel gipped. This was a full clean romance read, and that's OK but I feel like a NEEDED a bit of spice after going through all that DRAMA. Come on! We had to work through Robyn's arbitrary issues of the same face- different man syndrome. Then we begin to see something brewing - maybe. Then man-child twin comes back with his man-child ways and his grand gesture schemes, then sane twin pulls back, and then the club and Aunt Fliss' drama and all the triangle-y-ness, and just this was soooooo long. And just when we get where we all wanted this to go.... fade to black... Fin. What the what! I was... disappointed. And honestly, if you've grown up next door to a set of twins, how do you not already have them and their differences and characteristics worked out? Especially if you dated one for nearly a year? Sorry, I'm getting nit-picky. I hate fade to black-ish type stuff.

Anywho, this was a relatively light read, and I did enjoy the writer's style. I might have possibly gotten a bit misty at a point but I can neither confirm nor deny that. I am looking forward to reading more by the author.

*ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.*

There are certain things I have come to expect from a Mary Jayne Baker novel and they are all here! A close group of supportive thirty-something friends, some young at heart older characters, a community working together, a slow-growing realistic and understated love story, and lots of warmth and humour. I really enjoyed the story and especially the relationship between twins, a bond that is more important to them than anything else, even their own happiness. A lovely easy read.

3 stars
Here is the thing. I am a twin mom. So I know twins. I cant even fathom going from one twin to another. This is just crazy to me. I couldn't get over it. Held me back from loving this book.

In vielen Liebesromanen möchte man die Charaktere schütteln und sagen: „Redet doch einfach mal miteinander!“ So viele vermeintlichen Probleme, die Liebesromane ausmachen, wären nicht entstanden, wenn Protagonisten miteinander kommunizieren würden. An The Never Have I Ever Club fand ich gut, dass hier ein Problem aufgeworfen wird, dass sich durch Kommunikation nicht unbedingt lösen lässt, das dadurch sogar schlimmer werden könnte. Wie geht man damit um, sich in die Ex und eventuell baldige Wieder-Freundin eines Geschwisters verliebt zu haben? Ist das ein Konflikt, der sich lösen lässt? Das waren Fragen, denen sich vor allem Will zu stellen hatte.
Hinzu kommt, dass es sich bei Will und Ash um eineiige Zwillinge handelt. Das ist für allem für Robyn ein Problem, da sie damit als Nachbarn eine laufende Erinnerung an ihren Ex hat. Und Erinnerungen an Ash sorgen für allem zu Beginn des Buches dafür, dass sie rot sieht.
Das sind zwei Dinge, die das Buch von der Masse abheben und die es auch sehr spannend machen. Bis ganz kurz vor Ende des Buches war ich mir nicht sicher, wie die Autorin vor allem den ersten Konflikt auflösen will.
Mit Ash gab es zudem einen Protagonisten, bei dem man wirklich zwischen Erheiterung und Hass schwankte. Das kam auch stark auf den Blickwinkel an. Aus Wills Sicht bekommt man die „Großer Bruder“-Vibes zu spüren, obwohl die beiden Zwillinge sind. Aber Ash ist in seinem Verhalten und seinem oftmals heftigen Egoismus definitiv der kleine Bruder, der rausgehauen werden muss, auf den man aufpassen muss.
Wenn Robyn, die von seinem Egoismus stark gebeutelt wurde, über Ash erzählt, möchte man ihn dann am liebsten auf den Mond schießen. Und einige der Dinge, die Ash macht, wären auch für mich absolut unverzeihlich.
Auch der Club war toll. Ich denke, dass jeder von uns diese Wünsche hat, die man sich „irgendwann mal“ erfüllen möchte. Aus unterschiedlichsten Gründen machen wir das nur selten. Der Club im Buch ändert das, einfach nur, weil so viele Menschen zusammen daran arbeiten, sich die Wünsche zu erfüllen. Zudem lernt man dadurch einige sehr liebenswerte und eigenwillige Personen kennen.
Alles in allem ein wirklich schönes Buch, das mit Problematiken aufwartet, über die ich in Büchern bisher noch nicht gelesen habe. Hinzu kommen tolle Protagonisten und eine „British-ness“, die ich absolut liebe.

** spoilers ** 3 stars

I have mixed feelings about this book. I'm left feeling very confused after finishing the book.

I loved the characters in this book. I loved Robyn, her sense of humor was great, and I could truly see her being a real person and not just a work of fiction. The brothers as well: so different. but so similar at the same time. They had a good contrast, which kind of followed the good brother and the naughty brother trope. I especially loved Aunt Fliss. She's the supporting, crazy, aunt we all have. She' supports Robyn with anything, and always shows her support in any choice she has. I had a few problems with some of the supporting characters, like the mom and dad. They seemed very stereotypically British, which I'm not sure is what the author was aiming for. I did like Freya and Elliot and their sibling relationship, but my favorite character is definitely Winnie. He's just so sweet and kind, and he isn't a very big character in the story, but `I loved every single scene with him.

Now, the main problem I had with this book was the pace and the connections the characters had. I felt like this book was taking me an eternity to read, and it wasn't one of those books where it made the story seem better by taking it a little slower. It just dragged on for a long time, and I started losing interest and wanting to finish the book. My other problem is the relationships the characters had. I didn't really see myself rooting for anyone in the story. I couldn't imagine Robyn ending up with Will or Ash. By the end, I was just hoping Robyn would decide that the dating life wasn't for her, and that she was going to remain single. The relationships these characters had seemed very platonic to me, and I really couldn't see any chemistry or any romantic feelings develop. I knew that she would end up with Will at the end, but I really didn't want her to. She was better off on her own, in my opinion, and she just wasn't compatible with any of the male leads. I did like the idea of the club, since it was supposed to be a main part of the plot, but it seemed like background noise, something that didn't necessarily belong, per se. It was a nice addition, but I don't feel like it was emphasized. This was a very cute read though, I just had a hard time connecting with the characters. I would recommend it to a lot of people, it just wasn't exactly my cup of tea.

Mary Jayne Baker has become one of my very favorite romance authors. Her plots are original and the characters affectionately portrayed. Her writing is sublime and the dialog is so clever filled with references ranging from Andrew Marvell, a 17th century British poet to the movie “The Great Escape” to modern pop music. I just enjoy every page.

In this story, the set-up is that Robyn’s relationship with Ash Barnes suddenly comes to an end when he up and announces that he wants to travel to Australia. When he’s there he promptly jumps into a romance with a much younger woman and starts posting his new infatuation all over social media.

Meanwhile, Robyn is trying to get along back at home with her small group of friends including Ash’s identical twin brother, Will, a doctor and all-around wonderful guy. But can he let himself love his twin’s ex? Can she fall for a guy who looks exactly like the ex she now despises?

She eventually decides, after a health scare, to start doing things that are on her bucket list. And she’s not going to do it alone, but to bring along her friends as well as several elderly citizens including a beloved aunt. Thus is born the Never Have I Ever Club. and a set of really endearing and funny scenes as this odd group of people start attacking their bucket lists. And Will Barnes is there with her every step of the way.

This was such an enjoyable read that I was only sad when it ended and I had to say good-bye to this lovely community of characters.

I voluntarily reviewed an advanced reader copy of this book that I received from Netgalley; however, the opinions are my own and I did not receive any compensation for my review.

I requested this one because I absolutely adored this author's last release. Unfortunately, I didn't like this one as much but I still found it very heartwarming! The Never Have I Ever Club depicts finding yourself when you think life doesn't have much more to offer.

The characters were great; I liked Robyn and Will. The side characters also added a lot of vibrancy to the book. They all have their own things they want to accomplish, and it's exciting following them on their journeys.

I think the thing that bothered me the most about this book was that it had three different narrators, but it's one of those third-person narrations where the point-of-view changes in the middle of the paragraph. That felt awkward to me, suddenly following a different character's thoughts. I also could have dealt without Ash's point-of-view; I felt that he added nothing to the narration.

Overall, this was a cute read. The side characters are great, and I liked the romance. This has the "love interest is your ex's sibling" trope which is normally something I'm not too into, but it handled it with grace.

Was this book predictable? Most definitely. But it was still a cute read. Reading about Robyn and her friends checking off their bucket list items was so fun. They’re banter was hilarious and I loved watching the friendship grow with Will. Although I could’ve definitely done without the story focusing so much on Robyns ex. Still a cute and light read that will make a good summer read!

Robyn's boyfriend left her for a much younger woman and Australia. Now she and her friends have started a Singles Club where they celebrate their new freedom. Soon joins in Robyn's ex's twin brother and they start the Never Have I Ever Club to check things off of their bucket list. Will and Robyn soon start to connect on a level that Robyn never expected. I loved watching their friendship bloom into something more but I became tired of Robyn's relationship with her ex boyfriend. I could have lived without him being in the story at all, as I was constantly feeling bad for Will being placed in the friend-zone time and time again while Robyn figured out her feelings. *
The best part of this book were the quick witted conversations between Robyn and her friends. I loved the banter between them all and found it to be a sincere depiction of real friendships. *
This is a great book to read if you are looking for something that isn't too heavy. and makes you smile while you are reading.

I was hoping to read more about the Never Have I Ever Club, but they only come up with the idea at the second half of the novel. On the other hand, it was a cute, light read, I really enjoyed and it was a good way to pass the time. I loved Winnie, all the jokes about his name were funny.

Predictable? Yes. Did I still love it? Yes. Robyn's boyfriend left her for a much younger woman and Australia. Now she and her friends have started a Singles Club where they celebrate their new freedom. Soon joins in Robyn's ex's twin brother and they start the Never Have I Ever Club to check things off of their bucket list. Will and Robyn soon start to connect on a level that Robyn never expected. I loved watching their friendship bloom into something more but I became tired of Robyn's relationship with her ex boyfriend. I could have lived without him being in the story at all, as I was constantly feeling bad for Will being placed in the friend-zone time and time again while Robyn figured out her feelings.

The best part of this book were the quick witted conversations between Robyn and her friends. I loved the banter between them all and found it to be a sincere depiction of real friendships. This is a great book to read if you are looking for something that isn't too heavy. and makes you smile while you are reading.

This was such a fun book, I wasn't sure if it would be my cup of tea when I started but my goodness was this a good book. Can we all just take a moment to appreciate Will? I adored his character I think I have a new book boyfriend!

3.5 stars

I feel like this could have been edited down a little bit. It was one of those friendships/forbidden love situations that works out in the end.

Kindly received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.