Review: Never Have I Ever by Sara Shepard

How did I get it: The library.

Why did I read it: I had so much fun reading The Lying Game that I just had to read book 2 in the series ASAP.

How I would rate it: 4 out of 5 stars.

Summary:

My perfect life was a lie.

Now I’d do anything to uncover the truth.

Not long ago, I had everything a girl could wish for: amazing friends, an adorable boyfriend, a loving family. But none of them know that I’m gone—that I’m dead. To solve my murder, my long-lost twin sister, Emma, has taken my place. She sleeps in my room, wears my clothes, and calls my parents Mom and Dad.

And my killer is watching her every move.

I remember little from my life, just flashes and flickers, so all I can do is follow along as Emma tries to solve the mystery of my disappearance. But the deeper she digs, the more suspects she uncovers. It turns out my friends and I played a lot of games—games that ruined people’s lives. Anyone could want revenge . . . anyone could want me—and now Emma—dead.

Review: I find it hard sometimes to review books in a series because honestly unless one is bad or an incredibly improvement on the first, I just feel like I’m repeating myself. So because I enjoyed Never Have I Ever for all the same reasons I enjoyed The Lying Game, this review will be on the short side. 

Although it is sort of silly that no one ever figures out what Emma is doing or ends up being the culprit Emma, Sutton, or I think they are, I really like the suspense and the way everything progresses. The mystery unfolds and refolds time and again, but never in a way that left me rolling my eyes so much as it made me devour pages that much quicker.

Most characters were introduced and given their assigned roles in The Lying Game so in Never Have I Ever there was plenty of time for Shepard’s characters to become a bit more complex including the Twitter Twins, which was great. Among my favorite parts were the short scenes where Emma spent time with Sutton’s father, the moment where Madeline finally confided in Sutton/Emma about her problems at home, and the time Emma spent with Ethan. Emma continued to be just as uncomfortable as before but for somewhat different reasons. Sutton continued to be unsure how she feels about herself while occasionally becoming a bit defensive about the vaguely horrific pranks she’s pulled. 

In conclusion, good grief but this series is addicting! I had such a hard time putting this book down for so many reasons and thanks to a small but significant cliffhanger, I am counting down the days until Two Truths and a Lie comes out on February 7, and I have a feeling I’m going to end up buying a copy if my library doesn’t get it in or processed around that time.

Related Reviews:

• The Lying Game by Sara Shepard (The Lying Game #1)