Never Have I Ever
A Novel
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4.1 • 390 Ratings
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- $4.99
Publisher Description
“Wonderful—suspense and surprises, real characters, and a scary, ominous backbeat. This feels like the book Jackson was born to write.” —Lee Child, New York Times bestselling author
Named a Best Book by USA Today • People • The Wall Street Journal • Time • Entertainment Weekly • Bustle • and many more!
From New York Times bestselling author Joshilyn Jackson, a twisting novel of domestic suspense in which a group of women play a harmless drinking game that escalates into a war of dark pasts
In this game, even winning can be deadly...
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.
A diabolically entertaining tale of betrayal, deception, temptation, and love filled with dark twists leavened by Joshilyn Jackson’s trademark humor, Never Have I Ever explores what happens when the transgressions of our past come back with a vengeance.
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
You wouldn’t expect a book club to be the starting point for a story about blackmail, deadly intrigue, and deep, dark secrets. But in Never Have I Ever, Joshilyn Jackson constantly flouts expectations, dropping deadpan humor into ultra-intense moments and delivering gut-punch plot twists with surprising subtlety. At the heart of the story is a duel of wits between a book club mom with a troubled past and a mysterious new neighbor who threatens to reveal the skeletons in her closet. Jackson shifts smoothly from disturbing to sexy to satirical, all while pulling you in for a white-knuckle ride. If your book club devoured The Girl on the Train and Big Little Lies, they’re going to love this.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Diving instructor Amy Whey, the unreliable narrator of this entertaining, if flawed, thriller from bestseller Jackson (The Almost Sisters), enjoys a comfortable life as a devoted wife and mother in Pensacola, Fla. Then one night, a mystifying and charming new neighbor, Angelica Roux, arrives unannounced at Amy's door to join her book club. Roux takes over the book club and shifts the focus to playing a scandalous version of the game Never Have I Ever, and that's when Amy realizes that Roux knows her darkest secret. Nearly 30 years earlier, Amy was driving drunk and killed a neighbor, but a friend was convicted of the crime. Roux attempts to blackmail Amy, giving her five days to dissolve her trust and hand over the money. Determined to protect herself, Amy vows to dig up Roux's own secrets. The stakes rise as this proves to be more difficult than Amy thought. Well-developed, memorable characters and an action-packed plot compensate only in part for some farfetched twists and an unconvincing ending. Hopefully, Jackson will do better next time.
Customer Reviews
A book you can dive into 😉
Hooked from the start - I love Joshilyn’s easy, punny, clever style of writing. Definitely a twist that I didn’t see coming. The first of hers that I’ve read, and looking forward to another!
Crazy Good!!!!
An absolute must read 😀
NEVER HAVE I EVER
Couldn’t put it down! Lot’s of twists and surprises, a must read, and a terrific “beach read.”