I liked this one quite a bit. It took me a while to finish it but that had more to do with my time management than the book itself. When I wasn't reading it, I was thinking about it.

I thought the characters were properly fleshed out and the mystery engaging. Amy was a compelling main character and Roux a compelling antagonist. I thought some of the twists and red herrings were a little too strange and didn't add much to the story -- especially with Panda and her husband. I saw no point to that particular revelation.

Roux turned out to be appropriately skeevy, and I was fine with her ultimate ending. I did think it was a little too convenient how everything worked out for Amy. I can overlook that because I enjoyed the majority of this book.

I've been reading Joshilyn Jackson for years, and although this book is a bit different than her other books, it is excellent. Twists and turns change up Amy Whey's life the second her new neighbor, Roux, innocently shows up at a book club meeting. Roux knows a secret and is determined to make Amy pay for it. But Amy doesn't give in that easily - she knows Roux has secrets of her own that she will do anything to keep. You will not be disappointed in this book - just when you think you know what is happening, Jackson will throw a curveball at you and change it up. Don't miss it!! #NetGalley, #NeverHaveIEver.

Excellent twisty, turning, thrill-a-minute read. Just when you think you've figured out what is happening, BAM - a new twist comes. If you like this kind of book, you should read this one!

Never Have I Ever is more suspenseful than other books of Joshilyn Jackson's. I was expecting a great story like her others and instead got a fabulous and thrilling tale of death, rebirth, lies and deceit. Amy Whey is a typical young mother to Oliver, wife to Davis and stepmother to Maddie. Her best friend Charlotte is hosting a book club in Amy's basement when Roux, the glamorous and sexy renter at the end of the cul-de-sac, joins in. She soon takes over the meeting, steering the discussion to more personal topics, then to a game like Never Have I Ever, but so much more harmful. The few remaining guests are very drunk and reveal awful secrets during a game where you tell the worse thing you did today, last week, last month and so on. Amy is intrigued, then horrified as she realizes she's expected to participate. Amy soon finds out that Roux has discovered her deepest, darkest secrets and used the game as a ruse to blackmail Amy. Amy has to decide how to save the happy life she worked so hard to achieve, and will work even harder to protect.

Set in a backdrop of a hot and humid Florida summer, Amy seeks release in her job as a scuba instructor. She met Charlotte who she helped overcome a fear of swimming. Charlotte brought over Maddie and Davis who needed to reconnect after Davis's awful divorce. Amy fell in love with Maddie first, a typical, sullen pre-teen , but also very smart and funny, then Davis and ended up living close to Charlotte in an idyllic life. There is no way Amy will allow Roux to ruin the family she loves so fiercely. Jackson's descriptions of dives are so realistic, you can hear the bubbles from the breathers and see the rainbow of fish swimming past.

I love Joshilyn Jackson's books and am so grateful for the opportunity to read an ARC. This book was well-written in vivid detail, especially the diving scenes. The characters are flawed, yet likable except for Roux who becomes so menacing it became difficult to put the book down without finishing it.. Fans of Jackson will be delighted as will anyone else who chooses this compelling book.

Joshilyn Jackson is one of my favorite authors to read. She always has characters that I love to root for and this did not disappoint! This book has some suspense in it and kept me wanting to turn the page! My new favorite Joshilyn Jacskson book!

Ok, I was not expecting the last hundred or so pages....I was clipping along at the normal page of reading a good book. Then suddenly things started changing, and I had to put everything on hold!
Never Have I Ever is a great domestic thriller, maybe a bit of a departure from Joshilyn Jackson’s usual style. But she nailed it.
What happens when our past comes to our present and confronts us in our new happy lives? Unfortunately, sometimes all is not as it seems.

From GoodReads: I received an e-ARC from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review. VERY mild spoilers.

Only Joshilyn Jackson could write this kind of noir thriller and populate it with so many likeable characters (although not all of them, clearly, or we would not have a story). I had several theories about who Roux was; none of them turned out to be correct. Good, subtle use of red herrings and dead ends in Amy's research. Mostly believable revelations about the secrets held by others in her neighborhood.

The only reason this lost a star was there were one or two too many coincidences--not so much that it ruined the book, but enough to make me say "huh." For example, since Luca was being homeschooled, how did he and Madison meet? and why would he drive her to school? Also, the condom Amy found didn't fit the story--surely a woman in Roux's position would be on birth control of some sort.

Still...I couldn't put it down, and the ending surprised me without ever "cheating."

I decently enjoyed Never Have I Ever by Joshilyn Jackson. I thought that the story was unfortunately a little too unrealistic for my taste, but it still held my interest for much of it. I was really unsatisfied by the ending, though, and wanted more closure. There is a very large twist about halfway through that I didn't see coming, so that was a nice addition to the read!

I received a free ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Fan-freaking-tastic. I have to say that Joshilyn Jackson is one of my favorite authors. She has such a lovely writing style. Her books are funny and sad and relatable, all at the same time. I love that they never quit end how you imagine they will. She writes such great characters. I loved Amy. I was rooting for her from the beginning. Another hit for Jackson, and I will be recommending this book as soon as it hits the library shelves!

Joshilyn Jackson has another winner here, with this suspenseful novel about a content suburban mother whose life is thrown into chaos by a neighborhood newcomer focused on blackmail. Decades ago, Amy made some terrible decisions that ended in a fatal mistake. What is she willing to sacrifice to keep that mistake from destroying her current life?

This novel is incredibly compelling, and I fell for every red herring and twist along the way. Highly recommended.

Never Have I Ever by author Joshilyn Jackson is an outstanding domestic thriller with twist that don’t stop. Many I DID NOT see coming and for a thriller buff, that is rare! I was accepted first for the EXTRACT sampler and was so bummed when the chapter ended, then ESTATIC to be approved for the whole ARC novel. I cannot recommend this novel enough and will be more than excited to add it to my library in July upon release!
Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC copy of Never Have I Ever in exchange for an honest review!

WOW
I've read several Joshilyn Jackson books and this one is so different in my opinion from all her other books. I'm thankful to NetGalley to have the opportunity to read it.

Lots of twists and turns. To me this book is darker than most of Joshilyn's books. It took me a bit to get into the book, but I think that is b/c I could tell it was going to be different from her other books. But once I got started, I didn't want to put it down. Stayed up late to finish it.

Totally will be recommending this one.
#netgalley #neverhaveiever #joshilyjackson #southernwriter

Received this book as an advanced reader so I did not need the Kindle version. Did not like the book at all!

A wild ride for sure. I went in not knowing exactly what to expect and was hooked from the start. Will recommend to book clubs...even more so since it's a thriller involving a book club!

Our story begins with a book club meeting (sounds innocuous enough, right?), but with a new neighbor present, quickly spirals down into a game of 'Never Have I Ever'. (For those uninitiated, it's a drinking game where someone starts out with...never have I ever...then fills in the blank e.g., never have I ever gone skinny dipping. Those that have, answer yes by drinking their libation.) For the most part, the group thinks this a naughty, but innocent game. However, upon leaving, the new neighbor, Angelica Roux (or just Roux as she tells the others) whispers to the hostess, Amy Whey, to come see her soon so they can finish the game. Roux manages to root around in her new neighbors' lives and find some tasty blackmail morsels to feed her checking account and Amy Whey for one has some truths from her youth that she'd rather the others not know.

This is a wicked thriller that had me reading late into the night, right up to the bitter-sweet end.

Thanks to the publisher and to NetGalley for the very enjoyable read! #neverhaveiever #joshilynjackson #netgalley

A different story from Joshilyn Jackson, and I think she may have found her perfect niche. Amy Whey has managed to piece her life back together after a tragedy in her youth turns her future upside down, until Roux shows up at book club with blackmail on her mind and threatens Amy's comfortable life with husband, baby, and stepdaughter. While Amy seems like your typical suburban housewife, does she have what it takes to save her life as she knows it?

If you like twisty fiction with well-written characters that is more shaded than dark, you will enjoy this book.

I count Gods in Alabama as one of my all-time favourite books so I was thrilled to receive this NetGalley of Joshilyn Jackson's latest novel, Never Have I Ever. The premise of the plot drew me in: a group of women - housewives, new mothers, working moms - all residents of the same neighborhood and members of a book club get sloshed thanks to the the heavy-handed pours of an intriguing new arrival to the neighborhood. The women start playing a game reminiscent of the classic "Never Have I Ever", ever popular at high school parties. Instead, the women each recount the worst thing they've done today/in the last week/month/year, etc. Secrets start slipping out, and it becomes clear to one of the women that the instigator of the game (the mysterious new neighbor) is looking for more than a social connection in the neighborhood.

All in all, it was a really engaging read and rather juicy - some points of the plot seemed a little far-fetched for me, but it was definitely a read worthy of your beach bag or a cozy chair by the fireplace.

I'm torn...this was definitely at least a four-star ride, and as well-written as Jackson's books usually are, but the icky bits knocked off a star for me. Spoiler alert...

...if swearing and sexual deviance and murder bother you, then skip this one.

*Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing an e-galley in exchange for an honest review.