THE NEVER HAVE I EVER CLUB by Mary Jayne Baker is a cute rom com about a woman, Robyn, who’s in the middle of a love triangle. The interesting twist to the classic love triangle trope in this book is that both men are identical twins. I loved that there was a wide age range for the characters. There were some funny moments and I was really hoping for Robyn to find love and have a happy ending. If you’re looking for a romance without explicit love scenes then this is the feel good summer beach read for you.

I thought that this was a good story and I really enjoyed reading it!

I thought that the story had a great flow to it and I loved the author's writing style, there was just the right amount of detail in the book for me.

The characters were well developed, they were worked well together and their interaction was great.

It is 5 stars from me for this one, a very enjoyable story and would be a great holiday read - very highly recommended!!

This was my first book by Mary Jayne Baker. Honestly, the blurb about a group trying to carpe all the diems was just right up my alley plus add in a romance and sold!

So we have Robyn, who is about 8 months out of a relationship where she was dating the fun, cool, crazy boy she grew up next door to. Don't worry, I think all peoples involved are going on 35. So, yeah, Robyn was unceremoniously dumped right after a wonderful holiday with her beau. He broke up with her and cited he needed to do some wild oat sowing and only such sowing could be done in Australia for a year. Then, she finds out that a month into his journey, said wild-oat sowing boy has met the woman of his dreams and is smattering Instagram with beautiful, happy, lovey pics of him and his ten years younger love of his life with nauseating hashtags and all. Now enter in a female-style health scare and having to have the face of the man who broke your heart into smithereens perform said health scare lady-exam- Oh, did I mention arse-hole ex is a twin?- and yeah, that's Robyn's life.

Not an actual issue, just a disclaimer here. The book is based in the U.K. and while that's not normally an issue for me... but just like when I'm watching any BBC show or hell even old Monty Python shows, as an American, I get a bit lost in what's actually being said sometimes... but I think I get the gist. I just get lost in some of the references and colloquialisms not normal to my very unposh American upbringing, lol. But again, I don't find it a huge issue for myself.

I liked the book, it had a lot going on in it. I love the group and all the secondary characters. I didn't know we were going to get as heavy of a love triangle, second chancy vibe as what we got but I guess I already knew where the outcome was heading but the story had to play out the kinks. Now normally, when we all get to the end of a book, we are pleading for just a few more pages or an epilogue or two so we can get just a bit more taste of what happens after... But in this case- I NEEDED more. I felt like we ended just where my attention was fully grabbed. Like I feel this to the point where I feel gipped. This was a full clean romance read, and that's OK but I feel like a NEEDED a bit of spice after going through all that DRAMA. Come on! We had to work through Robyn's arbitrary issues of the same face- different man syndrome. Then we begin to see something brewing - maybe. Then man-child twin comes back with his man-child ways and his grand gesture schemes, then sane twin pulls back, and then the club and Aunt Fliss' drama and all the triangle-y-ness, and just this was soooooo long. And just when we get where we all wanted this to go.... fade to black... Fin. What the what! I was... disappointed. And honestly, if you've grown up next door to a set of twins, how do you not already have them and their differences and characteristics worked out? Especially if you dated one for nearly a year? Sorry, I'm getting nit-picky. I hate fade to black-ish type stuff.

Anywho, this was a relatively light read, and I did enjoy the writer's style. I might have possibly gotten a bit misty at a point but I can neither confirm nor deny that. I am looking forward to reading more by the author.

*ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.*

There are certain things I have come to expect from a Mary Jayne Baker novel and they are all here! A close group of supportive thirty-something friends, some young at heart older characters, a community working together, a slow-growing realistic and understated love story, and lots of warmth and humour. I really enjoyed the story and especially the relationship between twins, a bond that is more important to them than anything else, even their own happiness. A lovely easy read.

3 stars
Here is the thing. I am a twin mom. So I know twins. I cant even fathom going from one twin to another. This is just crazy to me. I couldn't get over it. Held me back from loving this book.

In vielen Liebesromanen möchte man die Charaktere schütteln und sagen: „Redet doch einfach mal miteinander!“ So viele vermeintlichen Probleme, die Liebesromane ausmachen, wären nicht entstanden, wenn Protagonisten miteinander kommunizieren würden. An The Never Have I Ever Club fand ich gut, dass hier ein Problem aufgeworfen wird, dass sich durch Kommunikation nicht unbedingt lösen lässt, das dadurch sogar schlimmer werden könnte. Wie geht man damit um, sich in die Ex und eventuell baldige Wieder-Freundin eines Geschwisters verliebt zu haben? Ist das ein Konflikt, der sich lösen lässt? Das waren Fragen, denen sich vor allem Will zu stellen hatte.
Hinzu kommt, dass es sich bei Will und Ash um eineiige Zwillinge handelt. Das ist für allem für Robyn ein Problem, da sie damit als Nachbarn eine laufende Erinnerung an ihren Ex hat. Und Erinnerungen an Ash sorgen für allem zu Beginn des Buches dafür, dass sie rot sieht.
Das sind zwei Dinge, die das Buch von der Masse abheben und die es auch sehr spannend machen. Bis ganz kurz vor Ende des Buches war ich mir nicht sicher, wie die Autorin vor allem den ersten Konflikt auflösen will.
Mit Ash gab es zudem einen Protagonisten, bei dem man wirklich zwischen Erheiterung und Hass schwankte. Das kam auch stark auf den Blickwinkel an. Aus Wills Sicht bekommt man die „Großer Bruder“-Vibes zu spüren, obwohl die beiden Zwillinge sind. Aber Ash ist in seinem Verhalten und seinem oftmals heftigen Egoismus definitiv der kleine Bruder, der rausgehauen werden muss, auf den man aufpassen muss.
Wenn Robyn, die von seinem Egoismus stark gebeutelt wurde, über Ash erzählt, möchte man ihn dann am liebsten auf den Mond schießen. Und einige der Dinge, die Ash macht, wären auch für mich absolut unverzeihlich.
Auch der Club war toll. Ich denke, dass jeder von uns diese Wünsche hat, die man sich „irgendwann mal“ erfüllen möchte. Aus unterschiedlichsten Gründen machen wir das nur selten. Der Club im Buch ändert das, einfach nur, weil so viele Menschen zusammen daran arbeiten, sich die Wünsche zu erfüllen. Zudem lernt man dadurch einige sehr liebenswerte und eigenwillige Personen kennen.
Alles in allem ein wirklich schönes Buch, das mit Problematiken aufwartet, über die ich in Büchern bisher noch nicht gelesen habe. Hinzu kommen tolle Protagonisten und eine „British-ness“, die ich absolut liebe.

Mary Jayne Baker has become one of my very favorite romance authors. Her plots are original and the characters affectionately portrayed. Her writing is sublime and the dialog is so clever filled with references ranging from Andrew Marvell, a 17th century British poet to the movie “The Great Escape” to modern pop music. I just enjoy every page.

In this story, the set-up is that Robyn’s relationship with Ash Barnes suddenly comes to an end when he up and announces that he wants to travel to Australia. When he’s there he promptly jumps into a romance with a much younger woman and starts posting his new infatuation all over social media.

Meanwhile, Robyn is trying to get along back at home with her small group of friends including Ash’s identical twin brother, Will, a doctor and all-around wonderful guy. But can he let himself love his twin’s ex? Can she fall for a guy who looks exactly like the ex she now despises?

She eventually decides, after a health scare, to start doing things that are on her bucket list. And she’s not going to do it alone, but to bring along her friends as well as several elderly citizens including a beloved aunt. Thus is born the Never Have I Ever Club. and a set of really endearing and funny scenes as this odd group of people start attacking their bucket lists. And Will Barnes is there with her every step of the way.

This was such an enjoyable read that I was only sad when it ended and I had to say good-bye to this lovely community of characters.

I voluntarily reviewed an advanced reader copy of this book that I received from Netgalley; however, the opinions are my own and I did not receive any compensation for my review.

I requested this one because I absolutely adored this author's last release. Unfortunately, I didn't like this one as much but I still found it very heartwarming! The Never Have I Ever Club depicts finding yourself when you think life doesn't have much more to offer.

The characters were great; I liked Robyn and Will. The side characters also added a lot of vibrancy to the book. They all have their own things they want to accomplish, and it's exciting following them on their journeys.

I think the thing that bothered me the most about this book was that it had three different narrators, but it's one of those third-person narrations where the point-of-view changes in the middle of the paragraph. That felt awkward to me, suddenly following a different character's thoughts. I also could have dealt without Ash's point-of-view; I felt that he added nothing to the narration.

Overall, this was a cute read. The side characters are great, and I liked the romance. This has the "love interest is your ex's sibling" trope which is normally something I'm not too into, but it handled it with grace.

Robyn's boyfriend left her for a much younger woman and Australia. Now she and her friends have started a Singles Club where they celebrate their new freedom. Soon joins in Robyn's ex's twin brother and they start the Never Have I Ever Club to check things off of their bucket list. Will and Robyn soon start to connect on a level that Robyn never expected. I loved watching their friendship bloom into something more but I became tired of Robyn's relationship with her ex boyfriend. I could have lived without him being in the story at all, as I was constantly feeling bad for Will being placed in the friend-zone time and time again while Robyn figured out her feelings. *
The best part of this book were the quick witted conversations between Robyn and her friends. I loved the banter between them all and found it to be a sincere depiction of real friendships. *
This is a great book to read if you are looking for something that isn't too heavy. and makes you smile while you are reading.

I was hoping to read more about the Never Have I Ever Club, but they only come up with the idea at the second half of the novel. On the other hand, it was a cute, light read, I really enjoyed and it was a good way to pass the time. I loved Winnie, all the jokes about his name were funny.

Predictable? Yes. Did I still love it? Yes. Robyn's boyfriend left her for a much younger woman and Australia. Now she and her friends have started a Singles Club where they celebrate their new freedom. Soon joins in Robyn's ex's twin brother and they start the Never Have I Ever Club to check things off of their bucket list. Will and Robyn soon start to connect on a level that Robyn never expected. I loved watching their friendship bloom into something more but I became tired of Robyn's relationship with her ex boyfriend. I could have lived without him being in the story at all, as I was constantly feeling bad for Will being placed in the friend-zone time and time again while Robyn figured out her feelings.

The best part of this book were the quick witted conversations between Robyn and her friends. I loved the banter between them all and found it to be a sincere depiction of real friendships. This is a great book to read if you are looking for something that isn't too heavy. and makes you smile while you are reading.

This was such a fun book, I wasn't sure if it would be my cup of tea when I started but my goodness was this a good book. Can we all just take a moment to appreciate Will? I adored his character I think I have a new book boyfriend!

3.5 stars

I feel like this could have been edited down a little bit. It was one of those friendships/forbidden love situations that works out in the end.

Kindly received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I'll be buying a copy for our library. Especially loved all the pensioners in the story. Lots of funny scenes & romance. Well written with witty dialog.

Cheers for the pensioners as they certainly provide the necessary humor and color to this book! They set the precedent as to live life to the fullest. Robyn for so long couldn't take herself out of the past. I must admit I had a hard time liking her until the end.....What emotionally mature woman gets excited about a spreadsheet and twelve seater bus? I was glad she spoke up for herself and as a result, ended up with her true love, Will.

I don’t know how to describe how much I loved this book!! I could not put it down!
I love a chick lit story and this is the perfect one. Such wonderful characters you instantly love, people such as Will! What a dreamy guy!
It’s the first book I’ve read from this author and I cannot wait to read her other books!
Well deserved 5 stars.

Thanks NetGalley for the digital copy in exchange for an honest review.

Rating: 3.5

"The Never Have I Ever Club" is about Robyn, whose boyfriend ran away with a younger woman and she had to get over him even though she was constantly reminded of him, since his identical twin, Will, who was also her neighbor and friend. One day, Robyn, Will and her friends decide to create this club from the title for elderly people who still felt they had things in life they wanted to accomplish and this club would be a way to support each other. Then her ex gets back and decided to join the club as well, but suddenly she feels closer and closer to Will, and things get a bit messy.

Let's get the negative stuff out of the way: I think the book was way too long considering the story it was telling. It could easily be shorter, removing some parts which were a bit unnecessary for me. I think its length affects the reading experience, since the writing is delightful and it could be read at a faster pace if it didn't have all those pages that didn't make much of a difference in the story.

On the other hand, I just loved this book's humor. It was probably my favorite thing about it. I loved the dialogues between Rob and her friends, Freya and Eliot. All the moments from the club together were also so much fun and entertaining!

The romance had a trope I really liked: friends to lovers, so it was really nice to see how the relationship between Will and Robyn developed. It was cute and they definitely had chemistry. I just was a bit annoyed about a kind of "love triangle" between her and the twins. Even though she didn't like her ex anymore, her ex wanted her back and Will held himself for a long time, because of his brother and I don't like this kind of trope so much.

Overall, it was a very light and fun read. I recommend it if you are in a reading slump for sure, because it will certainly cheer you up and motivate you to get back to reading.

Never being one for love triangles, I was surprised that this love story was fun, touching, and ultimately about friendships, family, and finding where you really belong. A slow start, a bit of a push to get used to the British slang for this American, but overall a really good read.

This one was a mixed bag for me. I did enjoy the romance and the friendship. The situation itself was an interesting one, I only had a few hiccups with some of the actions and decisions of the characters. I really liked Robyn Bloom and found her to be a relatable and really great character. I guess my only main hiccup was Will, but I suppose that’s a personal preference. Overall, I would recommend this book, it’s a great romance read and it really hooks you with the storyline. I also really liked the idea of a Carpe Diem club and the town community was so sweet.
*thank you netgalley for sending me an arc*

God, I loved this book.

I mean, for a start, it wasn't written in first person even though I was sure it would be so that was a wonderful surprise.

Secondly, I love Will Barnes. I think I was in love with him by the second chapter, regardless of what else was going on, he's just the ideal bloke. The only thing that did bother me was how often he apologised for Ash, it did get a bit annoying and I wanted to shake him.

Ash, on the other hand, ugh. A permanent man child, I disliked him throughout and he only marginally redeemed himself with his "big gesture" at the end.

I don't think there's been a book that I've read recently where I've lived most of the characters - Freya, EL, Winnie, AUNTY FLISS!!, The Brig, even Mrs Jeffries!

I loved the easy friendship between Robyn and Will and the almost mother-daughter relationship between her and FLISS.

I might actually go back and read this again because I just bloody love all the relationships!

Also, Threesome Husband is my new favourite thing and I actually had to stop reading to tell my husband about 'My Lovely Horse' and he found it just as hilarious as I did!

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.