I LOVE the idea of mythology being retold through an own voices perspective. The characters were beautifully real and flawed, which made their story that much easier to become immersed in. It was very emotionally compelling and anyone who reads it will get very invested.

A retelling of the myth of Orphyeus and Euridice with an Afro, Latin-X twist this little gem of a novel is a lesson in why representation matters. I loved how Rivera handled trauma, mental health and modern day issues. This was the first book I remember mentioning Hurricane Maria and felt it was so important for so many Americans disenfranchised during the tragedy. My only difficulty with this book was the complete difference between parts one and two. There wasn't enough magical realism in the first part for me to really connect with the second. Overall, a wonderful story and I can't wait to see what Rivera does next. YA is such an important genre, even to adults.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for sending me a review copy of this book!

Unfortunately, this book didn’t quite work for me; I suspect it’s more my fault than the book’s. It just wasn’t the right time. I’m trying to write a romance novel, and I’m full up on romance at the moment. Still, this is a cute and well-written story—albeit, as hinted at by the title, a bit bland and forgettable.

This is one of the few times I’ve read a book from Netgalley which I feel maybe I should reread one day. The concept of a girl haunted literally and figuratively by her past is an interesting one, and I like that the plot revolves so heavily around music. Unfortunately, I just couldn’t connect to the characters (I can’t even remember their names off-hand) and their romance seems a little thin.

Still, this is an okay young adult novel—it’s getting great reviews, so I’m sure it’s just me.

The emotions this gave me are almost completely unmatched. Man did I love this and it made me feel so many things.

Review // Never Look Back by Lilliam Rivera

❓ Mythological Retelling, Latinx Lit, YA, #ownvoices

💗 Fast-paced, Rich, Compelling

📖 Eury, a Puerto Rican teen, is haunted by an evil spirit named Ato after experiencing the devastating effects of hurricane Maria. While visiting family in the Bronx, Eury meets Pheus, a Dominican-American bachata-singer, who she leans on through a series of dark experiences in a modern day, Latinx retelling of the Legend of Orpheus and Eurydice.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Things to Know:
✨ I went into this one thinking it was a cute coming-of-age novel, but woah. I was blown away by the enormity of the story and Rivera's sheer creativity. This is folklore at its finest, touching on mental health (and it's place in both culture and religion), family, first love and self-acceptance.

✨ Never Look Back is a modern retelling of the story of Orpheus and Eurydice. I'm obsessed with Hadestown on Broadway, which tells a very similar story, and I really enjoyed finding all of the similarities and plot points that I've grown to love. Giving the story a modern twist, the tale takes place in the Bronx in current day. It felt both familiar and fresh.

✨ "Puerto Rico is not a cursed island meant to be repeatedly ravished, be it from hurricanes or corrupt men or demented spirits." This book, more than anything, is a love letter to Puerto Rico. Eury is trying to escape her demons (quite literally) after living through hurricane Maria. Rivera wrote a tribute to not only the strength and perseverance of Puerto Rican people, but to the music, food and culture that make Puerto Rico so beautiful.

✨ The story starts out as a typical YA coming-of-age story, but soon takes a dark and mysterious twist. It was actually pretty creepy at times, and kept me on the edge of my seat.

✨ There are the cutest little illustrations sprinkled throughout the story that make picking up a physical copy so worth it.

Read If You Like:
✨ Modern retellings of classic myths
✨ Learning more about Puerto Rican and Dominican culture
✨ Books with big twists
✨ Book set in New York City

One of the most surprising and memorable books I've read all year. Highly, highly recommended!

This is a beautiful, lyrical story. I liked how they dealt with Eury’s anxiety and the supernatural thread that was woven through.

Never Look Back is the retelling of Eurydice and Orpheus I didn't know I needed. When I say this book was beautifully written, I mean that every single line read like poetry. It was gorgeous.

Eury is running from a literal demon. Ato, Death incarnate, is obsessed with her. Ato appeared to her when her father left, and to readers, Ato can be immediately recognized as a toxic force. This spirit follows her through her childhood, and Eury believes, caused Hurricane Irma after Eury refused to be with him. After losing their home in Puerto Rico after the hurricane, Eury and her mother move to Miami. Eury is still dealing with Ato's presence when her mother sends her to the Bronx for the summer to hang with her cousin and hopefully heal from the trauma she lives with every day. Its in the Bronx that she meets Pheus.

Pheus is a talented musician who is used to enchanting an audience with his guitar and voice. He loves to perform. He's also used to getting any girl he chooses. When he meets Eury, who is more interested in spending time in prayer at church than hanging out with a local boy, Pheus is determined to get close to her. Once she reveals her secret, Pheus must decide to accept her as she is and work through her demons with her. This is, first and foremost, a love story, but there is so much underneath that layer.

This is a gorgeous book for anybody who needs to read about PTSD, whether its because they are dealing with it, or to develop some empathy for someone else. I fell in love with these characters and their story. I wept with Eury and applauded with Pheus and watched these two overcome all kinds of obstacles so that they might be able to be together. This book was one of my favorites of 2020 and will live in my mind and heart forever.

This is a book for anybody interested in mythology, breaking mental health stigmas, POC main characters, music, and gorgeous writing.

Never Look Back by Lilliam Rivera is a modern day retelling of Orpheus and Eurydice set in the Bronx, New York.. Over the course of a summer, two teens, who have both recently experienced trauma, become smitten with one another. Pheus is dealing with his parents divorce; and, Eury is dealing with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder from a hurricane she survived in Puerto Rico. I loved the representation in this story; there were two Afro-Latino leads! This title also touched on a plethora of contemporary topics that like code switching, gentrification, and mental health issues. Overall, I really enjoyed this story, but felt like the pacing was a bit off at times towards the end.

I’ve never read a retelling of one of my favorite heartbreaking Greek myths so I was so excited to be able to read this! I just think it was so interesting to create this whole unique story revolving around this story. I was seriously blown away by how all the elements of the Greek tale were incorporated into this more modern version!

Trigger warnings for anxiety, depression, toxic relationships and sexual assault

I’m not an ownvoices character so I can’t speak on the rep, but I did find the incorporation of the different cultures really beautiful! It was unapologetic in the fact that Spanish words were used without explanation (though I gathered enough to understand with context of course) and it was just really great to see!

I really loved that both characters had a romance but were also very well developed separately and had arcs of their own. I loved the connection between the two characters and the music that they shared! The way that they interacted and had flaws and were just really rich characters made me extremely happy as a reader.

This book was incredibly beautiful and powerful especially when approaching the topics of identity and mental health. There was a little bit of a discussion about how people tell those with mental health issues to just pray and hope it goes away and it’s not something that can just be cured with prayer alone and I think that was just really awesome to see in a book (I’ve had that told to me a few times and I’m just really glad it was brought up in this book).

Honestly the only reason I rated this 4 stars is because I really really wanted it to be a bit darker (especially closer to the end) and while I loved the way the story progressed, there just seemed to be something missing that I can’t really talk about without spoiling. That being said, the overall experience of the book was amazing and I would definitely recommend it!

I would recommend this to fans of greek mythology and Hadestown, those looking for Afro-Latinx and mental health representation, and a unique take on a famous story. If you like the power of music and love, a beautiful journey of self discovery and cultural identity in the midst of tragedy, this is for you!

This book definitely didn't approach the retelling the way I expected, so it was a refreshing experience. I really like how it dealt with mental illness. The fact that some of what is haunting Eury is supernatural isn't allowed to overwhelm the fact that she's also haunted by anxiety and PTSD, which means despite the metaphorical nature of some of the supernatural elements tying into her PTSD, addressing mental illness isn't boiled down to "Poof! Magic!" Healthy coping mechanisms, confiding in family and friends, therapy, finding comfort in religion in conjunction with other coping mechanisms rather than in place of them—all these things are explored too, and they're not less important than the magical aspects. If anything, they're more important.

Parents are also an important part of the book, which stands out in a genre notorious for hand-waving parents away so they don't get in the way of teenage shenanigans. Both Eury and Pheus struggle with understanding their parents and getting their parents to understand them.

Eury doesn't know how to speak up against her mother's insistence that religion is all she needs to adress her mental health. Faith helps her, but it isn't enough. In the end, it takes understanding her mother's own struggle with depression for them to communicate, and for Eury's mother to understand that they both need help.

Pheus has a hard time because he can see both sides of his parents' divorce. He loves his dad, but he's internalized some beliefs from his mother about what being successful means that he can't shake, even when he knows they're wrong. Over the course of the book, he has to open up to more of his father's philosophy about what's important in life so he can become the person Eury needs. I love how much Pheus values his friendships and the integrity of his home. He doesn't just spring up as a fully formed hero, he actually thinks about what it means to be a good person, and when he needs to be open to change. And his father, the man who taught him to think deeply about what he owes to other people, is an important influence on him throughout the book.

Considering this is an Orpheus and Eurydice retelling, I wish I enjoyed the parts in the "underworld" more, but I felt like they weren't where the book was at its best. The underworld felt somewhat unformed and a bit of a jumble of too many ideas. I think the parts set in the city, when the supernatural was on the outskirts rather than at the center, were better written and more interesting.

Never Look Back tells the story of Eury and Pheus, Eury goes to the Bronx feeling haunted, she didn’t just lose everything due to Hurricane Maria but she’s being hunted by an evil spirit, Ato. She knows the tragedy will follow her and her family to New York, but meeting Pheus, even if it’s for a little while seems to make everything better.
Pheus, a golden-voiced, bachata playing charmer who is ready to enjoy his summer with his friends on the beach, singing and playing his guitar. But when he meets Eury, everything changes for him. Now he’s ready to fight Eury’s demons to have her smiling. But will their love be enough to conquer all that threatens Eury?

I really really wanted to love this book, i have to admit it took me a while to get into it. My main point of I guess disconnect was the character of Pheus, it took me a while to like him. As a Dominican, I’m too used to Dominican characters written as the suave, charming, flirty ‘seductor’. The first glimpses of his personality honestly had me thinking of him just with those tropes. And while I do admit his character did develop and gained more depth throughout the story, it still wasn’t my jam. I guess I expected a bit more.
On the other hand, I felt Eury was so well fleshed out and developed, I loved her characterisation and her struggle with mental health while fighting this literal demon spirit. She was a perfect heroine and I loved reading her inner thoughts.

NEVER LOOK BACK is a retelling of the Greek myth Orpheus & Eurydice that will have you feeling all of the emotions. While it follows the Greek myth, in my opinion, it elevates it through in-depth character development, a page-turning plot & so many song recommendations you’ll wish it came with a playlist. This multi-layered story that tackles identity, mental health, displacement, and center realities of our time is truly a must-read book in my humble opinion. I am vibrating with love while writing this because I am so excited for everyone to read it & I hope you’ll join me in reading this book!

So this was really good! Rivera knows how to write stories that pack the punch and I really liked this spin on Orpheus and Eurydice! This myth was beautifully tied to a contemporary setting where music flourishes in the Bronx and Afro-Latinx characters live and struggle in love and loss. Pheus and Eury were amazing and flawed characters! Both of them struggle with individual desires at the same time they deal with family pressures and their tenuous new relationship. Yes, it is a little insta-lovey, but I accept it because it is part of the magic that brings these two characters together. (Although I will say I would have liked for them to have more page-time together!)
I really appreciated the conversations around mental health and how it is often treated in Latinx communities. It's never easy to reach out and ask for help and even less so when the people that love you block those pathways to help out of fear.
This book also deals a lot with identity and extends its hand to a Puerto Rico and talks the struggles so many face and continue to face after the hurricanes. Grief and love are so intricately intertwined in this book that every heart-string is pulled as you turn the pages!
This book is a page-turner for sure, the ending will have you flipping very fast! But it's a love story at heart that is more than just the love between these two teens. It's a story of family love, love for the island, love for yourself and the power that these loves have to combat death.

Blown away by how much I couldn't put this book down. I was so invested in the main characters and their journey through their own traumas, and how hope and love grew between them.

I absolutely loved this Latinx twist of the Greek myth Orpheus and Eurydice!

I really liked this book and will be including it in my roundup of recent releases next month for Mashable.com

This book is entrancing. A beautiful blending of a Greek myth with Latinx cultures, particularly Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic. Lilliam Rivera’s writing pulled me into the story immediately and the voices of Eury and Pheus were unique and well developed.

I’m absolutely looking forward to reading more of Lilliam’s writing in the future!

Never Look Back by Lilliam Rivera sparks new life and culture into the tale of Orpheus and Eurydice by framing it as a love letter to Puerto Rico.

The book follows Pheus, a Black Domincan teenager with a passion for bachata music and Eury, a Black Puerto Rican girl who is haunted by a mysterious entity named Ato. When the two meet, there is an instant attraction. Those familiar with the classic Greek myth will recognize some of the most familiar plot points and keep an eye out for all of the twists and turns that make it so famous. Rivera explores the intergenerational trauma and history of Puerto Rico through this story, making it all the more captivating and timely.

Eury lived through both Hurricanes Irma and Maria, and I appreciate that Rivera pays special attention to the ways the hurricanes have affected Eury in her everyday life. Eury is terrified that this type of event will follow her through her life. Rivera is careful to explain why certain sounds or visuals trigger Eury, and by doing so, lets the reader truly envelop themselves within the character.

Meanwhile with Pheus, music is such a big part of his character and arc. The song choices Rivera chose for him are so great. You could really feel in the text how much they each meant to him; he felt them in his soul. The overarching song throughout the book is “Adore” by Prince, and I would be lying if I said I didn’t stop the book multiple times to listen to the song at crucial moments in the narrative. (Sidenote: there is also an awesome playlist curated by the author available on Spotify!)

Rivera is great at building the atmosphere in the eerie limbo that Eury finds herself after an accident leaves her in between worlds. The descriptions of the absence of familiar sounds, the description of Puerto Rico as Eury knows it, and the incorporation of symbolism via animals like coquis and llorosos birds is very vivid. Through this sequence, the text teaches us that confronting pain and fear is the only way to move forward. Denying this can create harmful and toxic consequences. Rivera also explains spirits in a very compelling manner. She asks, “What is a spirit if not the result of a colonized, traumatic state?” Framing the entire work through this question, the reader really gets a sense of the message she is trying to get across and the entirely decolonial way she asks the reader to interpret it.

Never Look Back is an enthralling, fresh, and important view of an old classic tale. Fans of the tale of Orpheus and Eurydice will enjoy the way Rivera weaves Puerto Rican history, tales and wonder into such an iconic couple.

Actual Rating: 2.5 but rounding up because the writing itself is beautiful.

Never Look Back is a contemporary YA retelling of the Greek myth Orpheus and Eurydice, which is a cool idea, but this kind of feels like two different books and the cover really doesn't give a sense of what this book is like (aside from the fact that it centers Afro-Latinx characters). You can almost split this book in two and while I like both halves, they didn't work for me as a cohesive whole. This might be a case of the author trying to do too many things for one narrative instead of picking one.

Part 1 has light magical realism with retelling elements that mostly seem to be used as a metaphor for things like dealing with trauma, identity, and mental health. Part 2 goes full-on portal fantasy to the underworld with a very on the nose approach to the retelling and lots of creepy/horror elements. So....I'm not sure what happened with the cover because not at all what I was expecting? Like I said, I would have liked either of those books, but smashed together it was strange.

Eury is visiting family in the Bronx while dealing with PTSD from a hurricane in Puerto Rico and haunting from a possessive spirit. Pheus is a musician who has his pick of girls, but there is something different about the quiet and withdrawn Eury. Things go from there and this touches on everything from childhood trauma and PTSD to abusive relationships and mental illness. It's an ambitious book with a cool premise and a lot of great elements, but again, it just didn't quite come together the way I hoped it would. I received an advance copy of this book for review via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Content warnings include attempted sexual assault, psychological and emotional abuse, PTSD, anxiety, teen drug and alcohol use.

The thing that drew me to NEVER LOOK BACK was the spirituality of it and the fact that it’s a retelling. I feel like I have so much to say.

First– I really enjoyed the story. The characters feel so real and Eury and Pheus are so different that I could always tell whose point-of-view I was reading, even if I just flipped to a random page.

I liked that Eury’s curse was a complex problem with multiple pieces. (I’m being vague because there’s some of this that doesn’t get revealed until later in the story.) She keeps Catholic faith, praying every day, and finds comfort both in her belief that she is “beloved of God” and in the rituals of prayer and mass. It’s sincere and sweet, and I loved that.

But that’s not the only spirituality in the story. She also sees a spirit, whom she calls Ato, who is a spirit of the dead. He wants to take her to the land of the dead, El Inframundo, to be with him forever. Pheus, in trying to help Eury break the power Ato holds over her, encounters other gods and goddesses like Guabancex, the goddess of chaos.. I thought this was really cool, because though it’s a retelling of a Greek myth, NEVER LOOK BACK pulls in and celebrates some Afro-Latinx mythology.

In both Pheus and Eury’s points-of-view, the setting is rich and vibrant. Eury has a deep connection with Puerto Rico as her home– with the forests and the birds and flowers that brings those things to life. Pheus feels at home in the Bronx, with his friends, going to the beach, hanging out in the stairwell of his apartment building.

I also loved seeing the growth in both characters. Pheus begins to see himself as others have seen him and to see where he misjudged or to recognize his selfishness or the parts of his life where he’s living in fear.

Eury has spent so much energy running from Ato, trying to hide what’s happening to her, and trying to distance herself from others so that Ato can’t use them to hurt her. Watching her come out of her shell, to begin to trust and to find her own strength was so amazing. I loved that she plays and active role in the outcome of the story.

Bottom line: I really recommend this book. I loved so many things about it. It’s a rich story that celebrates faith and heritage and love. Definitely a win, and a perfect story if you’re looking for an escape from reality right now.

If you enjoyed DEAR HAITI, LOVE ALAINE, be sure to check out NEVER LOOK BACK.

Note: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Eury has fled Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico to New York City, and a demon is chasing her. Not only the demon of trauma, but also a real, actual demon named Ato. Fighting off the darkness alone feels like a slow descent into the abyss, so when she meets Pheus, the boy with a guitar always at his side, her heart soars with hope and desire for this lyrical, bewitching young man. Their interest in each other erupts as a fountain of love, but Ato has other plans, and intends to drag Eury beyond Pheus's grasp. Is their love doomed to tragedy, or can Eury and Pheus find their way together back to the light?

I am fascinated by mythology, so imagine my delight when I saw that this was an Afro-Latinx retelling of the Greek legend of Eurydice and Orpheus! While these characters do occupy some of their legendary archetypes, there is also a freshness involved with the incorporation of a different culture and the tragedy of current events. I found it thought-provoking that the demons in this tale were able to feed upon the anguish of humans, so the more that people did not help those in need, or harmed others, the stronger the demons became. Music as a healing tool is explored, which I agree with, because I believe music is able to resonate throughout the soul in unique and powerful ways. Eury's trauma from dealing with Hurricane Maria is important, and the story shows us how mental health is not handled well in the Latinx community. I wish this aspect of Eury had been explored more, along with more character moments between her and Pheus before the more mythical aspects of the story began. As the latter half of the book picks up, the pacing becomes rather brisk, which keeps things engaging, but because the writing was great I wished that things would slow down so we could really get more into the hearts and minds of these characters. Never Look Back is an appealing blend of classic mythology with raw current events, and I thoroughly enjoyed this contemporary take on one of the best Greek tragedies.