I just finished this book last night. I enjoyed that while she did break some rules and trying to find herself. She also found love with Brandon who happens to live in the state of Oregon. He also happens to use a typewriter for his notes. I enjoyed the team aspect of this book and trying to get a scholarship. I loved her friends and the many other friends that Brandon knew from this school. Overall I stayed up late reading this book and would recommend it. I enjoyed that this book took place in Sacramento which is near me. I did love all the nerd references from Ready player one to Battle star Galactic.

I didn’t even read the synopsis for this book. Between that cover and Lily’s name attached to it, I was sold.

I love love loved Elliot. Her inner monologue is snarky and fantastic. She’s smart and strong and truly delightful. I don’t even know what to say about the adorable-ness that is fluent in French Brandon and I’m absolutely ready for a story with Leigh as the MC. Ohh and I was borderline maniacal with glee when I saw Ben and Trixie again.

Plot wise, it was fun. There were a lot of pop culture references and more snark than you could shake a stick at. And never did I feel like I wasn’t smart enough to read a book about geniuses. If anything, I want to start it all over again.

Overall, there is absolutely no worry of a sophomore slump with this book and I can’t even wait to see what Lily gives us next.

**Huge thanks to Wednesday books for providing the arc free of charge**

3.5 rounded up to 4 stars.

I really liked Anderson's style in The Only Thing Worse than Me Is You and was excited to see what had done ever since. I don't regret it. I only pity the fact that it took me finishing the book and checking again the first one to notice there were many characters that had made a comeback. Now I'm super sad.

I guess my experience proves how this can be read as a standalone.

Tired of being in the middle of a family feud on what her future should be, Elliot has changed her name and ran away to Oregon to take part in a competition. The winner would get a scholarship to the only college with a Science Fiction Literature program, her dream. But the competition is crazier than she thinks, being surrounded by geniuses and crazy counselors as well as a cute nerd carrying a typewriter around and... what is her nemesis-slash-cousin doing there?

I remember I liked The Only Thing Worse than Me Is You, I really liked it. I was hooked to the characters, the writing, the romance. The moment I finished this one I went back to my review to check everything—that was when I found out that most of the characters came back as counselors in Ellie's competition. I'm sure knowing that would have made it all much more interesting because one of the troubles I had was the number of characters being introduced at once, but that is still a negative considering most of the readers won't have read the other story.

And the romance didn't get me. This was my bigger disappointment. I never got into Ellie's personality but I also couldn't really fall for Brandon. I think he could have gotten more depth. Anderson proved she could make other love stories, theirs was almost the opposite from what I had read in TOTWTMEY, I liked this but not the romance itself.

Talking about depth, the plot itself did have it. Ellie has divorced parents plus a stepmom who doesn't seem to be evil but also seems to be ready to dictate her life just like her own mother. Her whole family has her future planned since forever to a point Ellie isn't sure of her real self. That's a superb theme for a YA. Anderson gives it a comic twist while still exploring it well. I was afraid that Ellie would never have to face her own flaws but yes, she also needs to do it and I loved the subtlety of how it was done. One of the problems of YA conflicts is predictability and this one I hadn't really foreseen—not that it's a mind-blowing plot twist, it just wasn't there all along just making you anxious about the moment it would happen, I hate stories like that.

And the story as a whole was superfun. A bunch of high schoolers having the college-like experience of living in a dorm but controlled by some useless counselors who didn't really want to be there. Plot twist: they're all geniuses except when it comes to common sense. This was hilarious. Excellent idea, perfect execution.

If you like reading stories about having fun and don't mind some blah romance, you should get this one. Let's see what Lily Anderson will bring us next.

Honest review based on an ARC provided by Netgalley. Many thanks to the publisher for this opportunity.

Anderson's previous book, The Only Thing Worse Than Me Is You, was a pleasant surprise last year and one of my favorites. A wonderfully nerdish take on Much Ado About Nothing, there were so many Easter eggs of geekdom to delight in addition to a wonderfully understated romance. Not Now, Not Ever is Anderson's modernization of Wilde's Importance of Being Earnest. While this doesn't have quite the impact as the first book, it is still a very enjoyable read.

Story: Elliot comes from a family where half are invested in the military/half in regular colleges and she will likely have to go to military school as a result. But now, at 17, she wants to give in to her own bit of selfishness and sneak away to a prestigious liberal school's summer camp in the hope of winning a scholarship through their competitions. When her annoying cousin Isaiah shows up, also with the same intent, they will have to work together to ensure the parents don't find out. Along the way, she meets a really cool guy, hits it off with her new roommate, and gets embroiled in a mystery.

As far as adaptations, this is a fun and loose translation of the book that you need not have read, recently or otherwise, in order to enjoy the plot. Yes, it is a bit silly and I didn't buy the mystery or the kids running off so easily (not being accepted into a college camp program using aliases). Things got a bit scooby doo mystery by the end, unfortunately, and the denouement is best described as tepid and anticlimactic. I also found the 'challenges' pointless and tepid. I skipped through most of them to get to the better parts.

What makes Anderson's books so special are all the wonderful sci fi and nerddom references. From Elliot's love of Octavia Butler to a muddy area being referred to as the swamp of Dagobah. There are too many to list but the way they are seamlessly integrated into the plot and dialogue is both clever and rewarding.

Not Now, Not Ever is a bit edgier than the previous book. I found I didn't like Elliot/Ever as much as I had hoped and especially was disappointed at a bit of the slut shaming/female rivalry that made Elliot far too judgemental to be likable. She has a lot of hate for various things and while she comes to terms with some of them by the end, it just wasn't the type of book I was looking for at the moment. Elliot felt too superficial. But again, this is also Anderson giving us nuanced and more 'real' characters rather than the idealized ones we find in this genre.

There are a lot of side characters and it can be confusing at times. Readers of the previous book will recognize some cameos from Trixie and Ben of The Only Thing Worse Than Me Is You. Elliot's love interest is not a hot nerd - he's an unsure geek with a quirky personality - I love that about both books. No one is overidealized - just the setting is a bit suspicious.

Readers need not have read the first book to enjoy this second book. But if you enjoyed this book you'll definitely want to check out "The Only Thing Worse". Reviewed from an advance reader copy provided by the publisher.

Hey, everyone! Another day, another book to talk about! And today, I’d like to express my thoughts on Not Now, Not Ever by Lily Anderson. Now, Lily Anderson has already written a retelling of Much Ado About Nothing and Not Now, Not Ever is her second go at another retelling, this time of The Importance of Being Earnest. What really drew me into reading Not Now, Not Ever was the camp aspect of it all. I always love reading about summer camp and thought that this book would be no exception. Except it kind of was…

Now, when I say kind of, I mean that I liked some parts of the book and wasn’t much a fan of other parts. I’d have to encourage myself to read the book instead of wanting to read it on my own at times. There would be moments where nothing would happen, and then wham – the plot thickens. While those latter moments were great to read, it didn’t make up for the fact that I was previously bored and, for a good chunk of the book, wanted to move onto something else. Then there was that ending, which left me more confused than not. The book’s conclusion just left me with more questions than answers to the point where I wasn’t at all satisfied with it.

Also, I didn’t really like the protagonist as much as I thought I would. In the beginning, I couldn’t really relate to her and the choices she makes, but I did warm up to her nearer to the middle. By the end though, I was back to square one in not understanding her decisions again. I preferred reading about other characters though, like Leigh, Jams, Hunter, Meg, even Trixie and Ben! Sure, Elliot/Ever could be really fun sometimes, but I thought she was way too rash and in the end, I didn’t witness much character development from her.

Well, that’s all I have to say about Not Now, Not Ever by Lily Anderson. I know that a lot of people loved this book, but, for me, it just wasn’t my cup of tea. I would recommend it for people who like retellings as there are a whole bunch of references from the book’s primary source, The Importance of Being Earnest. And for those of you who are wondering, Not Now, Not Ever is released on November 21st, 2017. Thanks for reading, everyone!

Lily Anderson did it again - she blew me away with her book. Her adaptation of classics into modern times are very well written and funny and fluffy and just charming my pants off. This time, she adapts Oscar Wilde's The Importance of Being Earnest. I haven't read this play yet, though I've been meaning to for quite some time, and now, after reading this book, my desire to read it burns through me, renewed.

I have missed the adorable and nerdy geniuses from the last book, and the really fun part was realizing that they all make appearances in this one!! They are older now and it was so much fun to see what they have been up to. But our protagonist in this book, Elliot/Ever and her nerdy camp friends were awesome as well.
As well as in the first book, there is a bit of mystery happening which spices things up even more.

Happily, Lily Anderson did not disappoint and I couldn't be more excited for her next work to come.

It seems I have no luck with my full-sized book ARCs, then again, other books are also hit-miss. Such a shame, I have been looking forward to this book back when I requested it. I haven't read it yet as I wanted to wait until the release date is a bit closer by.

Sadly, this book was just not for me. I thought Elliot, or Ever, was a guy. Especially when her second name was also out in the world... Lawrence. I can imagine if it is a second last name, though I would expect a - between them in that case. I had to re-read the blurb to ascertain that she is actually a she. Sorry, I just have never heard of a girl named Elliot. I only know that as a guy's name. But I guess these days anything can go for names. :P I shouldn't be surprised considering what people are calling their kids (Splinter, Quinoa, or Cedrixviënthely, and yes, those are real names).

The camp sounded fun, though my idea of a camp is a bit different from what they call the camp here. :P

I had a snort at when she spotted someone with a typewriter. She thought he was a ghost or a hipster. Like what? How does that make sense. She even calls him Caspar in her head, which I found a bit rude. Plus later on she keeps calling him hipster ghost and even makes stupid jokes about him in her head. Really girl, is that necessary? Shall we make fun of something you do as well?

And snorted more when she mentioned she is smart but only got a B minus in geometry. Um, you can still be smart even with that, and plus the geniuses I know and read about or watch on TV generally shine in one or two subjects. Not everything that exists in life. :P

But of course if someone looks out of place it is totally OK to laugh and makes stupid jokes? Right. Gee, this girl. And she keeps making remarks about people's outfits or characteristics and I just don't like characters doing that.

It was also ridiculous she just went to that camp without telling anyone.. :|

So yeah, not a book for me. So I am out. Thanks for the chance though. I am glad I at least tried the book.

Perfect for fans of Becky Albertalli, Lily Anderson's Not Now, Not Ever was an absolute delight. Anderson's debut, The Only Thing Worse Than Me Is You was in my Top Ten List of 2016, so I had high expectations for her sophomore book and I'm happy to say it didn't disappoint in the slightest. Quirky and fun, Not Now, Not Ever had me laughing out loud multiple times. It was really lovely to see characters from her previous book pop up in different ways and I also really loved the new characters we're introduced to (particularly Leigh); everyone was delightfully nerdy. I highly recommend you check this one out when it comes out in November (and while you wait for it you should DEFINITELY read The Only Thing Worse Than Me Is You if you haven't yet).

Lily Anderson is 100% an autobuy author for me now.

A very well written book telling the story of Elliot. A girl who is tired of being pressured by her parents and stepmother to accept each other's expectations for her own future and to escape from them, she invents a trip and turns aside to enjoy a nerd camp that promises the winner of the challenges a scholarship in a prestigious college Mixing challenges, revenge and personal competitions .
There Eliiot meets young people of all kinds and meets her nemesis, her cousin who blackmails her at every moment. As the story progresses, Elliot begins to fear that her parents discover her plot and make her give up everything.
I really enjoyed the final message about Elliot's professional choice. I just do not like some parts because there is also a message that young people only get what they want and that it meets the wishes of parents and other adults if they lie or cheat. I found this detail very negative, but this did not take away the brilliance of writing and history itself.

Anderson's debut was one of my favorite YA novels of 2016, so I jumped at the chance to read NOT NOW NOT EVER early. Ny expectations were high, but they weren't disappointed. Elliot was so relatable, and it was a joy to read from her perspective. This book was just as nerdy, fun, and heartwarming as its predecessor. The perfect summer read.

If you haven't had the pleasure of reading THE ONLY THING WORSE THAN ME IS YOU, read it immediately. Seriously. That book, like this one, is a breath of fresh air. Lily Anderson excels at telling the teenage "nerd" experience and telling it well. She uses the backdrop of a literary retelling--for THE ONLY THING, it was Shakespeare's MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING and for NOT NOW, NOT EVER, it's THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST. She deftly combines plots, references and actual quotes from both plays in the stories and does it with such energy and in an entertaining quality that you can't help but want to revisit the original material afterwards and with renewed interest.

Lily Anderson has a way of making us care for characters so fully, as if we've had a series of books to get to know them instead of just one book. I was delighted when old friends from THE ONLY THING WORSE THAN ME IS YOU showed up in NOT NOW, NOT EVER. Though you don't need to read the book first, it definitely adds to the experience.

NOT NOW, NOT EVER introduces readers to Elliot, a seventeen-year-old desperate to strike out on her own for the summer, away from her family and their hopes for her future. She's stuck between her father's wishes for her to be a lawyer and her mother's wishes for her to join the Airforce Academy. All Elliot wants to do is go to the selective private college, Rayevich and if that means running away from home to go to genius camp in order to win an exclusive scholarship, she'll do it. She changes her name and forgoes all memories of home in order to create a new identity for the summer. She doesn't realize that some parts of herself are harder to keep hidden.

I loved this book. Adored this book. Devoured it and savored it just like it's I did for the THE ONLY THING WORSE THAN ME IS YOU. It was wonderful. I adored the references to geek/science fiction and literary culture. I adored the secondary characters who deserve books of their own. I adored everything about the book EXCEPT for the ending. I felt that it was a bit rushed, to be honest. I could have had a hundred more pages at the end to wrap up Elliot's story and hope that we get a chance to revisit it again. Thank you to Lily Anderson for such a wonderful novel and for continuing to tell amazing nerdy and true teenage stories.

Lily Anderson is a goddess. Or a genius. Or both.

Last year's The Only Thing Worse Than Me Is You was at the top of my list for best reads, and I didn't think she could pull off another fantastic nerd story.

I am delighted to tell you that I was wrong.

I have to be honest, there aren't enough good/great geeky girl stories. I mean, the trend is definitely picking up, but not all are brilliant. That's what makes Lily's books so special. From the beginning of both, I was hooked. She has a way with words---and I can't help but get sucked into the world she's created.

Teen geniuses. Nerds. Geeks. Interwoven are POC, diverse sexualities...it really can't get much better!

Now, I was worried about this book. I loved the cast of TOTWTMIY so much. I didn't expect to like this crew as much. And to be honest, I didn't. But they're lovable in their own ways. Plus, hello cameos! That was actually one of the absolute best things about Not Now, Not Ever. Well, besides Elliot/Ever herself. Sort of a jock, but also a nerd, she's just a really kick ass chick. Her group of cam friends all have their own quirks and I found myself LOL constantly while reading.

At the heart of this, though, is a basis of family. And not wanting to disappoint, but also wanting to live your life the way that would make you happy. The entire time Ever was at the camp, I found myself wondering how it would end. Would she win the scholarship? Would she stay with Brandon after it was all over? But, thanks to a "revenge" act (or maybe spite), things get turned upside-down quickly. As it all unravels, I just wanted to hug Ever/Elliot. And tell her it IS okay to disappoint others if it means being true to yourself.

With a brilliantly written and brainy cast, Not Now, Not Ever is a wonderful follow-up to Anderson's debut. I hope she continues writing characters connected to this world, because I'd love the chance to see everyone (again!) a few years down the road.

DNF at 40%. Womp womp :( My contemp rule still holds- if it's taking more than a few days to finish a book, there's an issue (for me). I really liked Ever but there were too many characters otherwise. It was challenging to remember everyone when they weren't given enough space to really develop personalities. I also don't think camp settings are my thing. I loved Lily's first book a lot so this makes me super sad but the lack of connection to anyone aside from the MC makes it hard to want to continue.

What will make you love this book is a variety of real-life characters, the plot about reinventing yourself and sticking out as an individual. Perfect read for the fans of 'The Only Thing Worse Than Me Is You'.

This YA novel with a romantic thread is every bit as wonderful as the author's previous. This one features protagonists mostly seventeen, the summer before senior year of high school. Elliott has sneakily signed up for a summer camp for smart nerds, given at a college that has a famous science fiction section. Her mother expects her to stay with family tradition and go into the military; her step-mother and lawyer father are horrified at the idea and want her to stay close.

So she runs away . . . to summer camp for smart kids, and changes her name to Ever Lawrence. But she discovers to her horror that her incredibly annoying cousin Isaiah, who is not even sixteen, also got in. The two of them pretend to be twins, so that Isaiah won't get booted out, their decision more of a truce, or mutual blackmail, than friendship.

The camp is run by college-age counselors, and it's mostly based on mountains of trivia in a lot of subjects, but surprisingly enough, not math. There's a reason for that, and a mystery, and a beautifully developed romance, and some very sharply realized emotional growing up, which often times smart kids don't have to do, because they intimidate (or fog) everyone around them.

It's funny, full of great characters; Anderson understands smart kids and their warts as well as their great qualities. The mystery gets solved, and Elliott has to make some hard decisions. Terrific voice, great pace, heartfelt moments as well as the fun. So far this author is batting two for two (books I read on NetGalley that I buy for my shelves.)

Copy provided courtesy of NetGalkey

What a fun book - I mean honestly, this was just fun and romantic and adorable and such an excellent companion to Anderson's first book. I really don't know what to say beyond that . . . is this a book I would purchase for the collection? Absolutely! Do I love that you can read this without having read Anderson's first book? Sure thing! Will I recommend this to every single person I know? Very likely! Books like this are a breath of fresh air because while it touches on some pretty heavy topics, particularly as they relate to families, at the end of the day it's a very sweet novel that teens can easily relate to and will appreciate. Seriously, another great novel from Lily Anderson!

Lily Anderson wrote a nerdy contemporary YA and it was the best thing in the world. Now I know I have to read the one before this one because the ship (and various characters) appear in this book but OLDER. So they're in the age of NA and that makes me want to scream so I want to read it because I just know I'll love it a lot.

I also loved this one a lot obviously *stares at rating* I'm a sucker for nerdy romances. Or nerdy theme in books. It's one of my favorite tropes/theme/kinks around. So what happens is that Ever, our protagonist, runs away to summer camp instead of going to air force camp and she changes her name (a nickname) and her last name (her other last name). But she goes to summer camp OF GENIUSES. Lit all of the people in this camp are geniuses. They know so much and are A+ amazing woah like for real. Ever meets so many great people including her new roomate Leigh who is freaking amazing, and Brandon, a boy who has long bangs, thick eyebrows, has a typewriter instead of a laptop and loveeees math.

Everything about this book is so adorable and FUN. It never got tiresome or boring or like I needed to stop. I binge read this mf book you all. It's so GOOOOOOD. It's the perfect summer book that for sure will make you smile and cry.

Something about this nerdtastic book was so refreshing. And the ending was unexpected, to me anyway. I'm not sure that it is the ending I would have wanted, but the fact that it was unexpected is a good thing!

I liked the author's first book, but this book is basically just a repeat of it with a slightly different setting and sort-of different characters.