3.5 stars

Cute, very young adult-angsty, but still cute.

Brynn is a teenaged girl stuck between a rock and another very cranky rock. (Those rocks being her very unhappily married parents who have settled into the very unhealthy coping mechanisms of constantly blaming the other for things and using their teenaged daughter as an intermediary.) But, Brynn's saving grace is her best friend, her best friend's foster sister, and her best friend's foster sister's boyfriend- who, when life has her down, they help lift her back up. When she happens to catch her mother in flagrante delicto (with another man), right after comforting her BFF whose butt-face of a boyfriend just broke up with her, Brynn gives up completely on love. Then things go from worse to just plain weird because her BFF's foster sister ends up revealing that she's really Aphrodite, the goddess of love, stuck in human form. And then even weirder, when said goddess makes it her mission to ensure Brynn falls in love.

Never Say Never is unequivocally a young adult novel. As in, we get super high school angst and a big heaping dose of "you just don't understand me!" Which is to say, the author did a wonderful job of really harnessing the young adult mind as I remember it from a 20 year's *ahem* or so lens.

I really felt for Brynn. Her parents were stuck and so unhappy but she ended up bearing the brunt of their unhappiness. It's also not a great day when you realize your parents are just other human beings and make mistakes. It's really big times growing up, and big feelings to have and process.

The Greek mythology slant to the story was fun. Val very much embodied a narcissistic goddess who just never understood true human interaction, which rather irritated me about her character. However, I don't feel like she truly embodied "the goddess of love". If anything she could have been Narcissus. Sorry, I get a little persnickety about Greek mythology.

Overall, the story was fun and cute. The story clean read with only talks of kissing if you are worried about adult content ratings. It was a little more on the younger, angsty scale for me but some people absolutely eat that up. So, your mileage may vary.

If you are looking for a fun, sweet romance with a little fantasy slant, this is your book!

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

Young Adult Romance is really not my thing…reeeaallly not my thing. But I happen to know the author of Never Say Never and they did promise me an interesting fantasy twist to this thing, so I figured I would check it out.
Brynn Stark doesn’t believe in true love. To find out why, all one needs do is look at the examples of love she has witnessed in her life. Her mother and father are so at odds with one another, they use her as a go between to get messages to one another rather than talking to each other across the table at breakfast. Or how about her best friend, Nina, whose boyfriend just broke up with her in their senior year of high school.
So, when Val, her best friend’s foster sister, offers to hook Brynn up with the intention of helping her find faith in love, Brynn laughs it off. No way Val is ever going to find Brynn someone who would change her outlook on love. Besides, the only guy who seems to get her and like herself is definitely off limits. She laughs it off, that is, until Val reveals who she truly is – the Greek goddess of love. Even worse, that off limits guy? Well, he’s Val’s boyfriend. How does one fight a goddess when she has her mind set on finding you true love…a jealous goddess who has the idea that you’re getting too close to her love?
As I said before, I’m not a huge fan of Young Adult Romance, mainly because it’s so predictable. Never Say Never isn’t much different from the usual finds in the genre. I knew the minute Adam gave Brynn a ride to the airport that the two would end up having feelings for one another. It’s what you would expect – the whole love triangle thing that usually finds its way into this genre. That being said, I can’t say that others wouldn’t enjoy this book – it’s just what any fan of almost every WB or Freeform teenage television series would love.
What I loved about the book is…well, I’m a sucker for Greek mythology, so I loved that part. Most importantly though – and people will laugh or stare ominously at the computer at this – I loved how the characters talked. They spoke as normal teenagers, curse words and all. Most other Young Adult Romance novels are too “PG.” Let’s get real folks! If you think teenagers never curse, you’re living in Disneyland. The speech patterns of the characters in Never Say Never are spot on and something every single teenager out there would relate to.
The storyline is cute, the book proves to be a fast read and the characters (goddesses or not) are realistic. I can see fans of the YA Romance genre being very happy with Never Say Never.

So this book is kind of ridiculous but in the best way. Like, OK, sure, why wouldn't one of the characters be a goddess? But what I really like about it is how it keeps coming back to the idea of forgiveness and imperfection. If even immortals have flaws, we all need to figure out how to work with ours.

The premise sounded intriguing but was quickly ruined by narrow minded and whiny teenagers. These characters just annoyed me. For some reason I just cannot get into the YA genre any longer.

This book ended up being a whole lot different from what I expected it to be. I'm saying this in a good way. I love the touch on Val really being the famous Greek Goddess Aphrodite, it gave the book a special sci-fi touch. I also was hardcore shipping Adam and Brynn from the very beginning. When they made that airport trip, I knew things between the two of them were going to change. AND GABE???? He is a DREAM, the ideal perfect guy, and is exactly what Nina deserves. I love how the book emphasizes on the importance of true friendships, which is showcased with Brynn and Nina, and with Adam and Gabe. A BEAUTIFUL story indeed!!

Brynn Stark is sure she’ll never fall in love. After seeing her parents marriage go down in slow flames over the course of several years, she just can’t see it as a possibility. When her sort of friend Val reveals herself to be the goddess Aphrodite and announces that she’s determined to find Brynn a love match, Brynn goes along with it. She quickly realizes that she might like Adam, Val’s boyfriend, and that making a Greek goddess mad might not be a great idea. Val sets Brynn up on all sorts of dates, or attempts to. Unfortunately, she also uses her powers to do so, enticing boys to accept a date with Brynn and then attempting to make Brynn over so that she looks more appealing. Unfortunately, this does not vibe with Brynn’s sense of style. She prefers darker colors and looser clothing. She doesn’t want to change who she is to attract a boy she doesn’t even want and who probably doesn’t want her anyway.

Brynn struggles with feelings of self worth throughout the whole novel because she’s fat. Plus, her mother hates this fact and would prefer that she dress up and present herself with the proper decorum. Though her mother is so concerned about appearances, she’s also having an affair. Her judgment of Brynn, when she herself is not being courteous or accepting of her own faults, makes Brynn frustrated and angry at her mother, and rightfully so. The depiction of this frustration was very well done, as were the discussions and arguments following. I loved the emotion shown here. It came through very well and was dealt with in a realistic way; immaturely at first because humans are emotional and, later, there were some very mature conversations that lead to a good result. Communication is very important and well executed between many of the parties, especially between Brynn and her friends, Adam in particular. Adam never wanted Brynn to change her attitude or how she dressed and what she looked like. He was in fact very up in arms as soon as he found out that Val tried to make her over. It was very sweet and really solidified their potential for a relationship early on, making it believable.

Not only is Brynn very mature, but her friends are as well. I really loved the dynamic here, between Nina, Brynn’s best friend, and their friend, Adam, as well as his cousin, Gabe. They were all very cognizant of each other’s space and respectful enough to at least listen to each other’s viewpoints before countering them and continuing the discussion. Very rarely did a character storm off without listening and, when that did happen, I felt like it was warranted. Val, later revealed to be Aphrodite, is Nina’s foster sister and friend, as well as Adam’s boyfriend. She is very pushy and fatphobic, trying to change Brynn into someone else so that she can attract the perfect mate, refusing to believe that someone might want Brynn as she is, fat and sarcastic and all. Nina and Brynn seem only to tolerate her because they know she’s a goddess and has powers after they find out. I had hoped there would be more drama about Val being Aphrodite but while there were some brief discussions, the topic fell aside. The fact that she was Aphrodite was still relevant but they weren’t freaking out about it or wondering what they could do. Which I suppose makes sense because what could they do? She’s a goddess and they are mere powerless mortals. Considering that she has powers and can see the love matches between people, I feel like she could have done a better job at finding a match for Brynn, without trying to change her. Instead, we end up with a lot of failed dates and sad times for all involved, solidifying Brynn’s belief that she won’t find love. Aphrodite could have been so much better than she was.

I also like the fat positivity and the way Manzano kept saying that Brynn walked a lot. She walked everywhere and ate healthy food and reasonable portions and yet, despite that, she was still fat. Being fat is not always an issue of overeating or not exercising and while this issue was not tackled head on, the various hints dropped were enough to make this clear.

The ending and inclusion of Greek gods and world shifting powers was jarring, especially as they related to the ending. It didn’t really fit with the vision of the book I had from reading the previous 80 percent or so of the novel. I felt Val’s story could have been drawn to an end in a better way. She didn’t experience any real growth as a character and definitely didn’t take responsibility for her actions in a real way, though she hurt her supposed friends quite badly in many small and large ways throughout. That, and it’s a pretty overused trope that a person doesn’t believe in love because their parents have a bad relationship; I’ve read three other books this year that deal with this as an issue. This book had the added element of a fat main character but it is still an overused trope. It definitely didn’t stop me from reading but I definitely rolled my eyes a little at the explanation.

Overall, it was the characters that drew me in. They were so well rounded and emotional and felt very real. This book was such an easy read to fall into, drawing me onwards with what Aphrodite would do next, whether Brynn and Adam would end up together, and what would happen between Brynn and her parents. There were many plotlines and possibilities but everything felt wrapped up at the end. Perhaps a little too nicely but it was good to see a positive ending.

This book was read thanks to NetGalley


I have seen people recommend for fans of Percy Jackson, just because Aphrodite is on it, but to me this is a recommendation yes for fans of the Greek mythology, but those who love comedies because the way I laugh with this one.


It's a great book, I recommend it.

This was a really sweet and interesting story! If you like Greek mythology or Percy Jackson, you’re going to like this one!

After walking in on her mother in the bedroom with another man, Brynn decides to never fall in love. She then finds out her friend Val is actually the goddess of love Aphrodite, who makes it her mission to change her into a believer. But then Brynn realizes that she has feelings for the goddess's boyfriend...!!

I really enjoy the irony of our cynical about love, fierce and unapologetic protagonist having befriended Aphrodite! This has the premise of a fluffy rom-com but is so much more. A humor-drenched smart alecky narrative with delightfully novel & playful figurative speech. The dialogue charms you in a quirky way and the word 'battles' are great.

With a smart-mouthed but simultaneously endearing 1st person POV, grounded in the reality of how messy life and relationships can be. The problems at home and her rift with her mother is a well-developed storyline. I really like how totally herself Brynn is, even if sometimes she can be too hard on other people or herself.

Characters jump to conclusions, the right conclusion too easily, without something really leading them there and some reactions to situations are a bit excessive and in my opinion made no sense. Also the liking of Adam seemed too sudden and a bit forced but not to worry, it will grow on you.

I love how this emphasizes the importance of friendship, so important that your soulmate does not have to be of the romantic kind. It encourages being true to who you are and taking responsibility where it's due.

This was an enjoyable read, a fun rom-com that is more of a friend-com with a deeper examination of the family you chose, peppered with mythology and a lot of smiles.

Super cute fast read!

Aphrodite is banished to earth for the events of Troy and hundreds of years later falls into Brynn’s life and is determined to make her believe in love again. Brynn wants nothing to do with love seeing as her own parents aren't in love anymore, it’s all just magic that doesn’t exist so why bother?

I loved this book so much!
The writing was so sweet and melodic and brought me back so many good memories of when I was a kid and used to believe my friends were greek goddesses! 🥰
It was so inspiring and so cute to read this book! I must say, I feel love/hate towards Val, she was a manipulative one the entire book, but then again, she's a goddess, right? We can't really blame her there 😬
I loved Adam, he was so sweet, a true gentleman! So happy having him and Brynn together, a true otp!
Thank you @netgalley and @justinemanzano for letting me read this eArc copy!

Never Say Never is about a senior in high school, Brynn Stark, who lives with two parents who obviously hate each other. Because of her parent's example and the breakdown of her best friend's 2-year-long relationship, she decides to never fall in love, to the dismay of her friend, Val (who reveals herself to actually be Greek goddess Aphrodite). This book is fast paced and lets you care about the main characters pretty quickly. There is just enough Greek mythology included to add some magic to the story without being a new form of Greek mythology (like Percy Jackson). There were some unexpected twists in the story that kept the story line moving.
I would recommend this book to teens who appreciate YA romance as well as sprinkles of magic.

I received an ARC through NetGalley from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Never Say Never is an imaginative contemporary fantasy with a cast of memorable characters and a healthy dose of YA snark. Justine Manzano's signature sass comes through just as clearly in this, her latest book published through Sword and Silk Books, as it did in her debut, The Order of the Key. Brynn has a lot of Jaclyn's attitude, though she's her own character, and she was entertaining to read along with.

Brynn has sworn off love. Too bad her friend Val turns out to be the goddess Aphrodite--and she takes that as a challenge. Amidst the emotional storm of discovering her mother's affair and weathering her parents' divorce, Val's incessant, embarrassing attempts to set her up with every possible guy their age wear on Brynn. Val's boyfriend Adam ends up being a source of solace, and when Brynn realizes she's uncovering feelings she really shouldn't have for her friend's boyfriend (even if that friend wasn't a jealous love goddess), she back pedals as fast as she can.

I really loved the diverse cast of characters and the strong friendships shown here, especially between Brynn and Nina, although I'm not a huge fan of Greek mythology in real life. That just means this book wasn't written for me, and that's ok! It's still a solid book and the ending ramped up the tension like crazy. It was a quick read, and the characters stuck with me between readings, too. I love Nina's family-- they're so wholesome, and I love seeing examples of wholesome families in literature. Brynn's family dynamics felt real to me too, and her motivations made sense even when I disagreed with her actions.

Overall, if you're looking for a cast of vibrant characters that feel alive, especially if you love Greek mythology, you should definitely try Never Say Never.

Indie Story Geek review: https://indiestorygeek.com/story/662

What’s a girl to do when she has no interest in love? Whatever she wants, because Brynn is a badass young woman who’s assertive and happy with herself. But her home life isn’t going so great. It doesn’t help that her parents put her in the middle of their arguments. Her thoughts on love solidify after finding her mother in bed with someone other than her father.

Even though she is closer to her father, both her parents are toxic. The minute they started using her as a go-between, I wanted to hurry her right out of there. I imagine that level of emotional trauma would have long-term effects on her. Manzano added a touch of mythology to this YA contemporary read, bringing the storyline to a new level. Overall, the mixed genres with the fun storyline make this a read you don’t want to put down. Nicely done. Thank you, Sword and Silk Books, for sending this along.

This was an ARC
it was fun to read it, enjoyable and cool.
the problem were the characters they were kind of anoying and the story is very predictable which I don't enjoy so much.
The story was good nothing that blows my mind it was fine.

Thank you Netgalley for letting me read this book in return for an honest review.

This was an enjoyable read! Brynn was, what I can imagine, a very relatable character for some people. I loved her friendship with Nina, I loved how she didn't tolerate assholes and while she could have been a little less snappy at times, it made sense as to why. I was nervous about how the Aphrodite part would work and while it was almost (sort of) cheesy towards the end, I really liked it. It was a nice, easy read.

Rating: 3⭐
Would I Read It Again? I think so!
Would I Recommend it? Yes

I received “Never Say Never” by Justine Manzano from the publisher as an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

This book could have easily been a 4.5 star because I truly enjoyed reading this book. I finished the book in two sittings! It was quick-paced, fun, and had the usual (though also a little stereotypical) cast of characters you see in romances back in the day - minus Val who is Aphrodite. This book was also really lighthearted.
I really liked the premise of the book and enjoyed the story. Even though I didn’t like Val, I had to remind myself it’s because she was a Greek Goddess so over-the-top made sense.

What caused stars to be lost? It was because I was disappointed in the execution of the Greek Goddess element and I was perplexed with how the ending played out. I don’t know how I expected it to end, but it felt like it came out of left field and it left me reeling. After that, I found it difficult to get back into the story and actually enjoy it. I didn’t believe in Val’s redemption and I think that her ending arc was a big factor of what took me out of the story. If the ending and mythological factors were executed just a little better, I know this story would’ve reached the next level.

Again, I still enjoyed the book and I would recommend it to anyone who would like a story that had some serious topics, but takes it in a way that isn’t too intense.

Brynn Stark doesn’t want to know anything about love after finding her mom cheating on her dad….but it turns out that one of her best friends is Aphrodite undercover who will stop at nothing to find the perfect match for Brynn. As the story progresses, Brynn finds herself falling for Adam - Aphrodite’s boyfriend.

I’m a hug fan of greek mythology and modern day retellings of them so I just knew I was going to like this book.

I was originally going to give it three stars given that at time some of the characters were unbearable. Of course, in Aphrodite’s case, this is an amazing portrayal but with the other characters, especially the adults it really pissed me off. But that’s just how real life people actually are, so I believe that by creating a love/hate relationship between us and the characters, Manzano did an amazing job.

I also loved how Manzano showed that different religions can coexist within the same universe. Overall, this was a cute, entertaining and easy read!

Thank you to NetGalley and BookSirens for providing me with an eArc of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for a free ARC in exchange for a review.

I love - LOVE the premise. Romance with a twist of Greek mythology, sign me up. Unfortunately, it just didn’t hook me in like I was hoping it would. I did enjoy it, but it wasn't very well executed.

I have to thank the publisher and Netgalley very much for this copy of the book🥰🥰.

My rating is 3.5/5✨ stars and here's why:

After Brynn discovers her mom cheating on her dad when he goes on a trip, Brynn vows to herself to never believe in love again, as her life has been spent in a slightly passive aggressive family because the parents can't stand each other anymore but don't want to separate for their daughter's emotional well being.
Brynn is about to go off to college and enter the school she wants and this means that very soon she will be able to move and be farther away from her parents, especially her mother with whom she doesn't get along very well.

This story tells us a bit about these family relationships that don't want to separate for the supposed "good" for their children, but what they don't know is that they hurt them more this way and Brynn's search for her true love.