Always Never Yours Review

As an adult woman who reads YA, most is the time I can sink into the characters and the story without issue. And then, some books remind me—painfully—that I’m not a teenager. For better or worse, Wibberley and Siegemund-Broka’s Almost Never Yours was one that I could not like.

My main issue was the narrator, Megen, herself. Her voice and entire character were, for the first 2/3rds of the book, mind numbingly immature and self-centered. Maybe a contemporary of hers would be better able to relate...but I couldn’t. I get that the book needed a flawed narrator to make the character growth aspect work, but...nope. The decisions she made I just couldn’t connect with.

I will say, I did like the authors’ writing itself. As a Shakespeare nerd myself, I was pretty pumped for all the glorious references. And in that area, I wasn’t let down. The dialogue is snappy (let’s make Will Shakes proud, eh?), the emotional hook of the plot works for the most part, the setting is interesting and helps propel and give context to the plot.

So the jury’s out for me. Will I likely buy a copy when it comes out? No. Will I recommend it to students? Probably. If I see it on a shelf in a few years, will I pick it up? Maybe.


I recieved my ebook copy of Almost Never Yours from NetGalley in exchange for a fair review.

I devoured Always Never Yours in one sitting. The authors totally captured the insecurities and angst of teenagers. I must admit that I tired of Megan's boy craziness, but cheered for her growing up at the end! I enjoyed the Shakespearean quotes and references throughout.

I'm not reading nearly as many YA books as I used to but when I came across this book, I was anxious to read it. This book is surrounded by the Romeo and Juliet play but it features a main character that is more Rosalind than Juliet.

Megan Harper has always been the girl that guys date before they find their meant-to-be partners. She's become a flirt, the girl that keeps things casual because of her status as the girl before but when she meets Owen Okita, an aspiring writer who teams up with her to write a play and hook her up with the guy she wants to hook up with.

I normally don't have any trouble jumping into a contemporary YA because things happen sort of fast in those books but for me, this book started off really slow and it was hard for me to connect with Megan. I didn't hate her or anything like that, I just didn't really care for her and what she was going through. It took me a little bit to warm up to Owen but once I did, I really warmed up to him.

When Megan gets cast as Juliet in her school's production of Romeo & Juliet, Megan freaks out because she wants to be a director, not an actress. She was hoping for a small role to add to her college application and now, she's got to deal with the pressures of acting and acting alongside her ex-boyfriend who dumped her for her best friend. Sure, she's over the ex but not over how the ex made her feel when she dumped her for someone so close to her.

This story was a character driven story and because I wasn't that invested in Megan's character, the story moved slowly for me. I did end up enjoying the book but it took too long for me to care and that was a bummer. Megan is written to be that fun protagonist who has a rep of being the school slut, which I thought was pretty unfair but she didn't let that stop her from living her life and I liked that she was okay with the person that she was. She made no apologies and she was out there living her best life. My issues with her character was I wasn't that logged into what was going on. I didn't really care about the play, the secondary characters weren't fully fleshed out characters that I could get behind and the love interest, well it took a while for me to like him because I was low key bored throughout the first half of the book.

I did warm up to both Owen and Megan, more Owen than Meg and the book ended on a high note for me so overall, the story was decent but not a favorite of mine. I will be willing to try out more from this writing duo though.

<strong>Grade: 3.25 out of 5</strong>

This was such a cute read with some darker topics addressed. I flew through this very quickly because I just wanted more. My only problem with it, and the reason I deducted a star is because there were some moments that seemed completely unrealistic for some of the relationships that a 17 year old would have. The shining star for me was the family drama plot because it felt authentic for a lot of teenagers around the world.

Cute light YA story. It was fun, with good characters and an underlying very good amount of Shakespeare. YA fans and teen readers will enjoy this sweet read with a nice hea and no cliffhanger demanding a sequel.

Heartfelt and emotionally captivating. Megan is the perfect leading lady in this thespian Shakespeare-inspired YA contemporary romance.

"I'm not the girl in the center of the stage at the end of the love story, I'm the girl before, the girl guys date right before they find their true love."

All Megan wants is to direct and get into her dream college, SOTI, and all that stands in her way is a pesky acting credit. What she most definitely does not want is to play the lead in Romeo and Juliet; especially when your ex is Romeo and dating your bestfriend.

Directing is the one thing Megan can count on when nothing else makes sense. When she feels like her father and mother are both starting new lives - the families they always wanted, while she feels left behind. When the school casts her as boy-crazy Megan that flits from relationship to relationship that always seem doomed to fail. She's the placeholder, the Rosalind instead of the Juliet.

But being the Rosalind is way better than being Juliet, especially when you can find your own happily-ever-after guy who's much better than Romeo.

"Being in the spotlight's not terrible, and it taught me that losing yourself in a character might lead you to find something new in yourself."

Megan's story is poignant and beautiful. It's sure to both tug at your heart and make you smile. Plus Megan and Owen are absolutely adorable together.

A light and fun beach read about a girl who, after every boy she dates, ends up being dumped after they find their soul mate. She is like the fairy godmother of her exes and now she wants her turn. I had a good time with this book.

Originally posted on Forever Young Adult on May 21, 2018

BOOK REPORT for Always Never Yours by Austin Siegemund-Broka and Emily Wibberley

Cover Story: Boring Stock Photo Strikes Again
BFF Charm: Big Sister
Swoonworthy Scale: 8
Talky Talk: Straight Up
Bonus Factor: Theatre Kids
Bonus Factor: Shakespeare
Relationship Status: You Kiss By The Book

Cover Story: Boring Stock Photo Strikes Again

While the colors are nice and I *do* love a peony, this cover has stock photo written all over it. I mean, this is a theatre book about drama kids doing Romeo and Juliet, with a protagonist who dreams of becoming a director. That sentence alone held at least 20 cover ideas, but they went with Random Girl Holding Random Bouquet. Which if you REALLY sit and think about it for a minute could represent the bouquet that the cast gives the director at the end of a show, but whew boy, that is a stretch. So while the end result is cute enough, it loses points for lack of originality.

The Deal:

Megan Harper wants two things: 1) to get into the theatre school of her dreams to study directing and 2) a boyfriend. The problem with the first is that despite years of directing experience and a longing to stay behind the curtain, her dream school requires at least one acting credit on her resume. The problem with the second is that no matter how hard she tries, Megan is always the girl a guy dates just before he meets his One True Love. She's the Rosaline to everyone else's Juliet - not even the star of her own life. But when she auditions for her school's performance of Romeo and Juliet, hoping to land the smallest possible role and fulfill her acting requirement, she is inexplicably cast as Juliet. It's her worst nightmare - Megan is no actress, and everyone in the play knows it. Everyone except Owen Okita, the quiet playwright who is cast as Friar Lawrence. He and Megan strike a deal - he'll help her catch the eye of his friend and stagehand, Will, if she will lend her life experience to him while he writes a play about Rosaline. Then maybe, finally, Megan will get to be the star of her own love story.

BFF Charm: Big Sister

Megan felt really different from so many of the protagonists who have come before her. I loved her passion for directing, and creating something magical on stage without needing to be the star of the show. She truly understood the way theatre works, not just the twinkle of the stage lights, but the nitty gritty, chaotic, behind-the-scenes stuff too. Megan is also bold, funny and an unapologetic flirt. She's boy-crazy and she knows it, always on the hunt for her next victim. This, too, felt new and refreshing, especially because it wasn't depicted as a negative thing. When Megan sees a cute boy, she raises a coy eyebrow, makes a suggestive remark, grins, and BAM - she's reeling them in, even if she doesn't get to keep them forever.

All this is well and good, and totally BFF-charm worthy, but Megan's need to immediately feel as close as possible (and yes, I mean, close) to boys is the reason she's getting big sistered. Megan, listen to your girl Rosemary! You are a dope ass girl, and it's cool as hell that you know what you want and aren't afraid to go after it. But sometimes, baby girl, you just gotta chillax. Slow down. Enjoy Megan for awhile. Don't rush through these experiences because you're afraid that if you don't hustle you'll lose your opportunity.

Swoonworthy Scale: 8

Listen, I'm not gonna pretend like y'all don't know what's up. This book is a rom-com and despite Megan's infatuation with Will (who Owen geniusly refers to as "new-hot", like new-money, because Will doesn't yet understand the etiquette that's required with hotness), you KNOW that Owen is where it's at. He's sweet, he's pensive, he thinks the world of Megan, and he's a playwright and she is a director. It's meant to be! Except that Owen has a girlfriend and Megan's sort of dating Will. But as the story progresses and Megan and Owen find it harder and harder to deny their meant-to-be-ness, well, the temps slowly rise until we get some seriously hot scenes. ::fans face::

Talky Talk: Straight Up

Emily Wibberley and Austin Siegemund-Broka deliver a contemporary romantic comedy with wit, heart, and spot-on pacing. I gobbled this up in 48 hours. Is it revolutionary? No. But it is well done. And it's exactly the type of book I long for when I need a breather between long trilogies or books with heavier subject matter.

Bonus Factor: Theatre Kids

Fun fact about me: my mom was a high school theatre teacher, so as a kid, I grew up in the wings at all her play rehearsals. I was automatically cast as the kid in every play that required a small child, starting at the ripe old age of 18 months (Mildred, sister of Helen Keller, in 1986's The Miracle Worker), and I have a working knowledge of technical direction and know all the words to every song from just about every musical (not by choice). By the time I'd reached high school, I was mostly uninterested in theatre because I'd been around it my whole life, but books about theatre kids will always make me nostalgic nonetheless!

Bonus Factor: Shakespeare

Who doesn't love a good Shakespeare retelling? Well, sort of a retelling, since Rosaline didn't even appear on stage in Romeo and Juliet. It's high time the jilted lover gets her own story!

Relationship Status: You Kiss By The Book

In Always Never Yours, Megan wonders whether Juliet telling Romeo "You kiss by the book" is a compliment or a burn. I'm not sure what the answer is, but Book, you kiss by the, well...book. You are well-studied in the art of YA contemporary rom-com, and gave me all the sweetness and swoon my heart desired. But you weren't exactly breaking all the rules to give me something totally new and revolutionary. Which is totally fine! Sometimes, the familiar is exactly what I'm longing for.

Literary Matchmaking:



• If you want to read another book that reimagines Romeo and Juliet from Rosaline's side of the story, give When You Were Mine by Rebecca Serle a try.

• If you love books about theatre kids, check out Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green and David Levithan.

• Or try Emma Mills' Foolish Hearts for another story about a high school production of Shakespeare.

FTC Full Disclosure: I did not receive money or Girl Scout cookies of any kind (not even the lame cranberry ones) for writing this review. Always Never Yours will be available May 22, 2018.

I wasn't sure what to expect when I started this teen novel, but I enjoyed Megan's evolution throughout the story. I haven't read a straight up teen romance in a while. It was a delight!

Megan has always been the girl ‘before’, the ones her exes date before they find their ‘true love’. It’s never particularly bothered Megan, as she’s focused on her own future… even if it means tackling the role of Juliet in her high school’s production. As she tries to juggle rehearsals, new friendships, a potential new romance and complicated family dynamics, Megan soon finds herself questioning everything she ever thought she knew - including the possibility that she deserves to be the leading lady in her own story. Honestly, the entire reason I ended up reading Always Never Yours was because it mentioned Romeo & Juliet in the plot and I’m a sucker for Shakespeare in the books I read. While it wasn’t necessarily a new favorite, I thought it was enjoyable enough! It was cute, it had way more Shakespeare references than I expected it to, it wasn’t solely focused on romance, it had fun theater moments that made me nostalgic and I really adored the main love interest Owen Okita a ton. If you’re in the market for an adorable YA contemporary and a potential beach read, this one is definitely an option to consider!

First and foremost, I sometimes struggle with contemporaries. It is not my favorite genre (though I still enjoy it), so I am picky about those I truly enjoy.

That being said, this book was beautiful. The writing was easy and quick while the in depth inner monologue and emotions that Megan had were so wonderfully fleshed out and really spoke to me. There was a mix of deep subject matter peppered with comedy and perfect Shakespeare references. All in all this was a solid 4 star book that I thoroughly enjoyed.

The only real issue I had is more with the setting, being from the area of Oregon that was being talked about in the book, the mix of real locations (Ashland, Medford, OSF, Josephine County) and fictional locations (Stillmont, SOTI) often jarred me and pulled me from the story. Grants, this is a personal issue, since anyone not living in the area wouldn't have that issue.

Still I ended up loving the book and the characters. Megan and Owen were wonderful characters with well defined traits and personalities. I found myself rooting for them early on and was never disappointed with their interactions.

Always Never Yours is a great young adult romance that every teen girl should read. Meagan was a great character that you'll fall in love with. I am so surprised by how much I fell in love with this great read

I had a mixed reaction to this book. I liked that the main character Megan had a sex-positive outlook, even despite the shaming she received from some of her classmates. However, that was really the most interesting thing about her. I think, however, that it's a "me" problem rather than a character problem. She was a layered character with her interests, family, friendships, and approach to relationships. The other characters kind of faded into the background instead of providing support.

I also think some of the writing felt stilted. All in all, I think it's possible I could buy this book for my library. It had some diversity in her love interest Owen and her friend Anthony.

I didn't find the MC to be at all believable. As she talked about how she didn't want to be onstage, but wanted to direct, I rolled my eyes. She hadn't kissed anyone in a while, so it was time to drag a boy into a bathroom? Who does that?

I really couldn't get past her as a character, so I couldn't finish this.

This was a light romance that many teens will enjoy. It is predictable, but the story is character driven. We get to know about Megan and her friends well enough to like them and sympathize with them. I appreciated that all of the characters had distinct personalities. It made the book much more enjoyable. Overall, it was a nice summer read that I would recommend to young adults in my library.

*eGalley provided by the publisher via NetGalley - thank you! This in no way impacted my opinions of this book.*

This book is basically a love letter to the girls who doubt themselves, who convince themselves that they aren't enough of something. A testament to the Perks of Being a Wallflower idea that "we accept the love we think we deserve," Megan always seems to be the girl that guys date right before they find The One. Not only that, but she's accepted it and resigned herself to that fate. But when things are complicated with her latest crush and she makes an unexpected friend during her school's production of Romeo & Juliet (in which Megan is the reluctant lead opposite her ex-boyfriend), she is forced to confront the walls she has up and the excuses she hides behind.

If I could give this book a 3.5, I would. It did a lot of things right. Megan and Owen are simultaneously adorable and complicated, and I loved their scenes together. At times, probably just because I'm older and my teenage years are far behind me, I felt like some reactions or situations were a bit over the top and couldn't quite connect with, but overall, I really liked it.

I love the story line! It was a very good and fun concept. I could relate to the main characters in unexpected ways. Obviously the main character is more slutty/flirty than most people, which I couldn't relate to so well. I wasn't impressed with the main character calling EVERYTHING a hook-up. But I fell in love with Owen! I just kept hoping for a certain thing in the last time they did the play, but everything else was great! The author even made me care about the story Romeo and Juliet, and gave me interesting things to think about.

This book took me by surprise! I was expecting it to be lighter and fluffier, but it actually brought up a lot of interesting points and perspectives. It was refreshing to have the lead female character be the one always pursuing love interests. She is bold, funny, flirty, and a strong friend, but she isn't invincible. The moments when her real emotions shine through drew me in and made me love her more. I loved the different plot dynamics: relationship issues (both romantic and friendly), family issues, self-identity issues, and learning lessons through your own mistakes. This book was the perfect blend of romance, family, drama, and humor. It was one of those books that left me thinking about it when I wasn't reading, wondering what the characters are doing and how everything will work out. The only thing I didn't love was how the ending was written. Everything ended concretely, but it just sounded like a lot more like a summary than a story. Overall, though, I really enjoyed this read!

This was a very fun read. It had some typical YA cliches (backstabbing best friend, the quiet love interest is secretly very muscular, a few "mean" girls), but that is to be expected. I enjoyed following Megan as she dealt with her family issues, friends, the play, et cetera. Overall, although cliched, Always Never Yours is still an enjoyable book and I would recommend it.

***Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me an advanced copy to review. All opinions are my own.

Megan is always the girl that guys date before they find the one they want a serious relationship with. She has embraced that role wholeheartedly. Until life circumstances make her reconsider if that's who she truly wants to be.

I did not at all like this book. I wouldn't recommend it to any teen I know based simply on the questionable content. There might have been a redeeming message, but it's overshadowed by the sex. All the sex. Talk of sex. Having sex. Casual sex. More committed sex. Hooking up. Making out. Plus a bit of drinking and language. But mainly the sex.

Now I'm not an ostrich with my head in the sand thinking there aren't a lot of teens out there having sex. I'm sure there are. However, I don't think that is something we need to hold up to them as tantamount to real love or feelings or relationships.

I did not like Megan. I did not like Tyler. I did not like Anthony. I like Owen a bit. He seemed the most insightful character in the whole mess. I did not like Megan's parents and parental figures who were mainly just there because...I'm not really sure. Other than one talk with her dad towards the end, there was no parenting or guiding going on.

I struggled with Megan being so shallow and flighty. If a guy looked good, he was a potential next hook up for her. People say that art (and writing) is just a reflection of our culture and society. Well, I hope not. Because I'd like to give the youth of today a bit more credit for their character and depth.

I did like the Shakespeare references sprinkled throughout, especially towards the start of the book. And I really liked the premise. But, again, not worth the read.

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