Never Have I Ever
Joshilyn Jackson, 2019
HarperCollins
352pp.
ISBN-13: 9780062855312
Summary
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. (From the publisher.)
Author Bio
• Birth—February 27, 1968
• Where—Fort Walton Beach, Florida, USA
• Education—B.A., Georgia State University; M.A., University of Illinois
• Awards—(see below)
• Currently—lives in Decatur, Georgia
Joshilyn Jackson is the author of several novels, all national best sellers. She was born into a military family, moving often in and out of seven states before the age of nine. She graduated from high school in Pensacola, Florida, and after attending a number of different colleges, earned her B.A. from Georgia State University. She went on to earn an M.A. in creative writing from University of Illinois in Chicago.
Having enjoyed stage acting as a student in Chicago, Jackson now does her own voice work for the audio versions of her books. Her dynamic readings have won plaudits from AudioFile Magazine, which selected her for its "Best of the Year" list. She also made the 2012 Audible "All-Star" list for the highest listener ranks/reviews; in addition, she won three "Listen-Up Awards" from Publisher's Weekly. Jackson has also read books by other authors, including Lydia Netzer's Shine Shine Shine.
Novels
All of Jackson's novels take place in the American South, the place she knows best. Her characters are generally women struggling to find their way through troubled lives and relationships. Kirkus Reviews has described her writing as...
Quirky, Southern-based, character-driven...that combines exquisite writing, vivid personalities, and imaginative storylines while subtly contemplating race, romance, family, and self.
2005 - Gods in Alabama
2006 - Between, Georgia
2008 - The Girl Who Stopped Swimming
2010 - Backseat Saints
2012 - A Grown-Up Kind of Pretty
2013 - Someone Else's Love Story
2016 - The Opposite of Everyone
2017 - The Almost Sisters
2019 - Never Have I Ever
Awards
Jackson's books have been translated into a dozen languages, won the Southern Indie Booksellers Alliance's SIBA Novel of the Year, have three times been a #1 Book Sense Pick, twice won Georgia Author of the Year, and three times been shortlisted for the Townsend Prize. (Author's bio adapted from the author's website.)
Book Reviews
Several plot twists are surprising and effective, and there are gripping sequences involving Amy’s work as a deep-sea diver woven logically into the narrative…. Perfect beach read.
Wall Street Journal
Best-selling author Jackson packs in dramatic reveals about the women’s complex histories.
Time Magazine
A] nail-biter…. Winner takes all in this addictive, heart-thumping read.
Family Circle Magazine
[An] epic duel between two flawed women—it’s the perfect thriller to round out your summer.
People
[E]ntertaining, if flawed…. 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.
Publishers Weekly
(Starred review) Jackson successfully trades her usual quirky Southern lit for darker psychological suspense in this latest highly recommended novel. Her prowess at writing affecting, character-driven fiction is on full display, and readers will devour the twisty, consuming story. —Melissa DeWild, Comstock Park, MI
Library Journal
(Starred review) Nail-biting suspense.… Jackson builds on her talent for creating imperfect, capable, and multi-layered characters to write smart suspense, driven by the intelligence and determination of the instigator and her prey…. Never Have I Ever marks a new high in Jackson’s career.
Booklist
Jackson's novel is chock-full of dramatic reveals and twisty turns, but she paces them out well, dropping them like regularly spaced bombshells.… It's skillfully done. Amy herself is an openly flawed and relatable character…. Be warned: It's a stay-up-all-night kind of book. Compulsively readable.
Kirkus Reviews
Discussion Questions
1. Never Have I Ever is told through Amy’s eyes, but she doesn’t always tell the reader all the facts. Would you consider Amy an unreliable narrator? How do you think the story might have differed from another perspective, particularly Roux’s?
2. Amy describes diving as a solace because it reminds her how large the world is. Why is this idea a comfort to Amy? Do you have anything that offers you peace in the same way?
3. No one is all bad or all good. Should a person be defined by their worst actions or their best? Can anything eventually be forgiven?
4. Roux is an elusive character who Amy has many theories about as the story progresses. Who did you think Roux was? How did your theories change as you read?
5. Amy has a tendency to mother everyone around her: her child and step-child, her friend Char, Luca, and even her husband to some extent. Jackson has been quoted as saying that the most dangerous animal is “a mother anything.” How does Amy’s motherhood influence her moral choices and the risks she is willing to take?
6. Tig says, “You know what’s weird? It’s easier to forgive you than myself.” Why do you think this is? Do you think we tend to blame ourselves more or less than we deserve?
7. Do you think it is possible to fully escape the past, or do our histories define us? Do you think it’s ever possible to start over?
8. How did your impression of Amy and Charlotte’s friendship change over the course of the book? Do you think Amy’s methods of protecting Charlotte are right?
9. What are the differences in Amy’s relationship with Davis versus Tig? Who do you think is her better match? Do you think, if the accident hadn’t occurred, Amy’s relationship with Tig might have gone differently?
10. What do you make of Roux’s relationship with Luca? How do their lies throughout Never Have I Ever inform what you know about them now? Do you think the action Amy took was justifiable?
11. Never Have I Ever explores the idea of choosing the kind of person we want to be in life. Do you think Amy is a good person? How about Roux?
12. Following that, in what ways are Amy and Roux similar? Different? What do they begrudgingly respect about one another?
(Questions issued by the publishers.)