Tuesday 12 January 2016

REVIEW: Never Evers by Tom Ellen and Lucy Ivison

Pages: 268
Format: Paperback
Publisher: Chicken House
Release Date: January 7th 2016
Genre: Contemporary
Buy The Book: Amazon - Waterstones
 
Kicked out of ballet academy and straight into a school ski trip, Mouse knows certain classmates can't wait to see her fall flat on her face. Meanwhile, Jack looks forward to danger and girls, but hasn't a clue about either. That's until French teen sensation Roland arrives in the resort - who Jack's a dead ringer for. When Roland persuades Jack to be his stand-in for a day, Jack, in disguise, declares his feelings for Mouse. But what happens when he's no longer a pop star - will it be music and magic on the slopes?


My Thoughts:
We follow the story from the POV of both Jack and Mouse, two high school pupils on a school trip to the Alps. Mouse is having a rather rough time of it. She’s been forced out of her ballet school and now has to return to her old school after the trip, with her former best friend Lauren. Mouse meets up with two girls she could remember from her time at her previous school, Connie and Keira, and they warmly welcome her, the three of them fast becoming friends.

Jack is on the trip with his two best friends, Max and Toddy, from their all-boys school. Max has one clear goal for their time in the Alps: get off with girls. He no longer wants them to be on zero whilst other guys in their class parade around having kissed plenty of girls before. 

Let me start by saying that this book is SO. MUCH. FUN. Seriously, I can’t remember the last time I laughed so much during a story. I loved the typical British humour of these teens, something I often miss and forget about when reading a lot of US high school-based stories. This book is just another reminder as to why everyone should be delving into some glorious UKYA. 

The friendship that formed between Mouse, Connie and Keira was heart-warming, and their scenes together were so adorable. Connie is wild and I loved every bit of her dialogue. I like that Mouse was able to find such friends and have fun whilst she was in a personal turmoil over the ballet school and her sudden chance of plans. 

Jack’s scenes were totally different, but I loved reading things from his point of view just as much. Again, he had a strong bond with his two friends, despite their endless banter and bickering. Max made this story that extra bit special for me. Everything he said was pure gold. I found myself laughing over many of the scenes he was in because I remembered boys like him back in my own high school. I can imagine that a lot of the characters in this book are utterly relatable for readers of their age, and that makes them so very believable to read about.

The romance between Jack and Mouse was sweet and also filled with humour. Everything kept going wrong for the two of them, despite them both being crazy about each other. The addition of Roland into the story was fun, and it added extra drama for all of the characters. 

I fell in love with this story not just because of the fantastic characters within it, but also because it reminded me of how much I miss this genre of early teen contemporaries. I lived through my teenager years reading stories like this one and I still very much adore them to this day, but I do often forget to pick them up. Never Evers has definitely encouraged me to reintroduce myself to these type of stories, because their innocence and their humour and how everything seems like the end of the world at that age is timeless to read.  


Royal Rating:


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