Introduction/Always Never Yours Review

Hello !

This is not only my first blog post on the site but also, my first book review ! I’m excited to share with you guys a little bit about some of the books I’m reading. As I knock them off my ever growing TBR pile, I’ll post reviews here on this section of the site !

My goal is to post reviews every Monday and I’m going to be as positive as I can. To do this, even if there is more than one thing that I disliked about a book, I am going to only point out one negative thing and try to pull out as many positive things as I can find. No one likes a book review that is bashing and mean so I’m going to be as kind to the books I read as I can be, even if they weren’t my cup of tea.

At the end of the day, the thoughts and opinions expressed in these reviews are completely my own. I can’t decide how a book made you feel or how it impacted you. I can only say what I thought of it. And if my review helps you decide whether you’re interested in reading a book or not, then that’s awesome. I’m glad to have been of some help. Mainly, these are for the fun of reflecting on books I’ve read. So I hope you enjoy the thoughts expressed in my reviews !

Most of the time I will try to stay away from spoilers but if there’s no way that I can discuss the book without discussing spoilers, then I will. I will announce in big bold letters whether or not there’s spoilers in the review so that it’s clear and if you are someone who minds spoilers you can stay away from that review in particular.

Now that I’ve gotten all the introductory stuff out of the way, here is my review of Always Never Yours by Emily Wibberley and Austin Siegemund-Broka.

*** SPOILER FREE REVIEW ***

Summary

Megan loves theater. She’s directed several plays and is good at it. However, to get into the college of her dreams, she has to actually have a high school acting credit. So, of course her drama teacher casts her as Juliet in their upcoming production. And, of course, her ex-boyfriend is Romeo. Megan doesn’t seem to have very good luck when it comes to keeping a boyfriend … they always leave her for their Juliet afterwards. Megan is determined to do well in this play, though, and get a new boyfriend while she does. That’s where Owen comes in. He’s friends with Megan’s latest crush, Will. For Megan’s help with his play, Owen is willing to help Megan with her romance. Will Will be the one that stays ? Or will Megan find her Romeo in someone else ?

Great things about the book

· Strong Character Voices

I never had to flip back a page or two to see who the conversation was between. Each character had their own sets of quirks and mannerisms. They were each really well rounded and I enjoyed seeing these characters interact in the world around them.

· Lots of twists and turns to keep the reader flipping the pages

The tensions were clearly there. Whether the situation was with Megan’s friends, Madeleine and Anthony, or her ex, Tyler, her family, or with Owen, there was always something causing drama in Megan’s world and that led me, as the reader, to keep going. I had to see what happened next.

· SHAKESPEARE

I am a total Shakespeare nerd. In high school, I preformed in a couple of Shakespeare plays and have loved his works ever since. To have a book where high school students are developing/have a love for Shakespeare was so special to me because I was that person in high school myself.

· Owen was an absolute sweetheart

From the way that he was such a good friend to Megan to the way he cared for his little brother, Owen was just an all around great guy.

Things I didn’t like as much

· While her voice was really well developed and stood out on the page, Megan’s personality wasn’t my favorite. The first couple chapters it was really hard for me to get into the book because Megan’s overly-flirtatious attitude didn’t make me really want to root for her as a character. However, as the story progressed and the readers were introduced to situations outside of her romantic life, such as issues with family and friends, I developed much more of a liking towards her. Though her overly flirtatious attitude did still put me off a bit, by the end of the book I was rooting for her success.

Rating

· I would give this book a 7 out of 10. Even though I had a few nitpicks and things that I wasn’t a big fan of, Always Never Yours provided a fun read with memorable characters and a love for Shakespeare that was evident within the pages of this book.