Set in the small town of Willow Creek, Michigan, "Never Have I Ever" transforms a classic party game into a deadly challenge when eight teenagers receive anonymous texts demanding they reveal their darkest secrets. As players begin dying one by one, what starts as a threatening game evolves into a fight for survival.
The Good
Engaging Premise
The novel's central concept cleverly modernizes classic teen horror tropes by incorporating social media and text messaging into its narrative framework. The "Never Have I Ever" game provides an effective vehicle for exploring themes of secrets, trust, and teenage relationships.
Pacing and Suspense
The story hits its stride around the halfway mark, maintaining a gripping momentum through to its conclusion. The gradual unveiling of secrets creates genuine intrigue, while the mounting body count adds urgency to the narrative.
The Challenges
Character Overload
The early chapters suffer from introducing too many characters too quickly, making it difficult for readers to keep track of the large cast. This initial confusion eventually settles, but it creates a rocky start for readers.
Language Inconsistencies
A notable issue appears in the novel's vocabulary choices. The author's use of advanced vocabulary (particularly in the first fifth of the book) feels forced and unrealistic for teenage characters. While linguistic variety is admirable, the sophisticated word choices often break character authenticity and may alienate readers.
Plot Structure Issues
The narrative struggles with maintaining consistent character involvement. Key characters like Hikah inexplicably fade into the background after strong initial presence, while new characters appear late in the story with little explanation. The reveal of the killer's identity lacks proper foundation, leading to a conclusion that feels more confusing than satisfying.
Romance Elements
The romantic subplots tend toward the superficial, though this may be appropriate for the young adult target audience. These elements, while potentially appealing to younger readers, might feel underdeveloped to more mature audiences.
Writing Style
The author demonstrates skill in creating atmosphere and maintaining suspense, reminiscent of classic young adult horror series like Point Horror. The writing is generally polished and accessible, though occasionally marred by vocabulary choices that don't align with character voices.
Final Verdict
"Never Have I Ever" is a mixed success that will likely appeal to younger readers who enjoy thriller elements and don't mind some narrative inconsistencies. While the novel shows promise in its premise and ability to build tension, it struggles with character development and plot coherence.
Rating: 3/5 stars
Recommended for:

Fans of young adult thrillers
Readers who enjoy social media-integrated storytelling
Those nostalgic for 90s teen horror

May Not Appeal To:

Readers seeking complex character development
Those who prefer tightly plotted mysteries
Adults looking for sophisticated thriller elements

The novel ultimately reads like a modern take on classic teen horror, complete with both the genre's strengths (suspense, high stakes) and weaknesses (plot holes, character inconsistencies). While it may not satisfy more demanding readers, it provides enough thrills to entertain its target young adult audience.

The premise is promising. The execution is messy. I received a free eARC of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this opportunity.

Thanks to NetGalley and BooksGoSocial for the ARC of this book.

The premise of this book sounded really interesting and it started out decent. Minus the fact that the author used at least 4 words in the first 19% that even I had to use my kindle dictionary for, and that teens, especially 3 or 4 separate ones, are highly unlikely to use. I get wanting to change up the words so you aren’t over using them, but they need to make sense for your characters. These just didn’t and so it felt a bit pretentious and alienating at those moments.

After that the first 40% or so was intriguing, but then it just started to drag out and become a bit convoluted.

Also, in the beginning Hikah was involved with the texts and then all of a sudden she was just a side person not part of it at all. Also, another random person is brought in at the last bit in passing.

Once we find out who the killer is it just makes no sense. Then two other side characters are randomly there, who knows why, and the ending just felt like a mess.

Never have I ever by Harker Jones
I received an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley.

I love horror and YA so was really looking forward to reading this book, I was hoping it was going to be like ‘scream’ crossed with ‘I know what you did last summer’ and ‘pretty little liars’ and the description it should have been, that and the cover really drew me in. Sadly thats where the excitement ends. It’s 3rd person written, which I personally struggle with, so it took me a lot longer than usual to read. That coupled with the fact that it was overly descriptive to the point it ruined the flow of the book for me. Not much happens for the first 3rd of the book, unfortunately it was really slow to get to anything that made me want to continue.
I’ve never DNF’d a book in my life and I don’t intend to start now, that being said I was close to putting it down. I loved the concept, not so much the execution. I pushed through and it does get better.

It’s set during the autumn and Halloween which helps set the scene for the creepy things that happen. There’s a lot of mentions of secrets and lies to be unravelled and honestly that’s what kept me reading. The twists were good and the secrets revealed throughout were decent too. The author builds enough suspense to make the conclusion worth waiting for.

It brought light to teenage angst and the struggle to fit in with your peers and showed us just how fragile the teen ego is. Overall I enjoyed this read once I got past the first 30% the more I read the more I enjoyed it.

I read this and then took a step back having not realized that it was YA. So while I don't typically read YA, horror or otherwise, they definitely read differently meaning YA's typically don't have as much depth and characters to easily follow along. However, in this book there were a lot of characters and didn't seem like too much was going on and also didn't get any feeling of dread that I should from a horror book.

I enjoyed the story - it reminded me of the Point Horror series from my youth. In the first few chapters it felt like there were too many characters and it was difficult to keep up. I also found the story lines of teenage crushes and love interests a little shallow and juvenile though I appreciate this is tailored to the intended market. I also liked the way the secrets unravelled. There was good sense of drama - the injection of pace from about half way through that carried through to the end was particularly successful, as was the ending.

I struggled to follow this book. I love the cover and the premise is great, but the style didn't work for me. If the synopsis sounds interesting to you, give it a go. It's YA.

I had trouble following the multiple POVs which usually isn't a problem for me, but the character descriptions here are sort of info dumps and then action and my brain forgot who we were on by the time we got into the action. This could be a me issue. So, don't let my struggle stop you from giving this a go.

2.5 Rounded Up because ARCs aren't final drafts.

I was really excited to read this book, based on the synopsis it sounded everything I love. Unfortunately I struggled so hard with the beginning, and it didn’t get any better. My biggest issue was the fact that we had so many POVs but they were all the same, I couldn’t distinguish between them.

Story: In the small town of Willow Creek, Michigan, a group of eight teenagers find themselves entangled in a deadly game of "Never Have I Ever." After receiving anonymous texts daring them to confess their deepest secrets, the game takes a sinister turn as the players start dropping dead one by one. With each death, the stakes get higher, forcing the remaining teens to question their friendships, trust, and darkest secrets.

My Thoughts:

Engrossing and Suspenseful: Jones expertly weaves a tale of mystery and suspense that will keep you hooked from start to finish. The fast-paced narrative, coupled with the chilling atmosphere, creates a sense of tension that lingers long after you turn the final page.
Compelling Characters: The characters are well-developed and complex, each with their own hidden secrets and motivations. Their interactions are realistic and believable, adding depth and authenticity to the story.
Unique and Innovative: The use of the "Never Have I Ever" game as a central plot device is clever and original. It provides a unique framework for exploring themes of trust, betrayal, and the consequences of our actions.
Well-Written and Polished: Jones's writing is polished and engaging, making the story easy to read and follow. The descriptions are vivid and evocative, creating a strong sense of setting and atmosphere.
Overall:

"Never Have I Ever" is a thrilling and suspenseful young adult novel that will appeal to fans of the genre. With its engaging characters, unique premise, and fast-paced narrative, it's a must-read for anyone looking for a thrilling and unforgettable read.

I decided to give this book a try knowing it was a YA novel. I enjoy a good horror/slasher movie and the synopsis. I thought my pre teen son might enjoy it after I read it. Unfortunately I don’t think he would make it thru it. I found it hard to understand the story line and where it was. There was way too many characters to keep track of. I found it too be all over the place. The author should have stuck more to one character.
I unfortunately wasn’t a fan at all

A young student, Jess, disappears after a Halloween party at an abandoned farmhouse. A year later, she still hasn’t been found. In the run-up to the anniversary of her disappearance, the following Halloween, the nerves of the townsfolk, especially those of her classmates, are already strained.

When eight students, Chase, Kim, Beth, Johnny, Biff, Andy, Scott and Christa, receive an identical text from an unknown number, asking them to play the game, Never Have I Ever, or be prepared to face the consequences, at first they fear that Jess may have returned to wreak vengeance, though no one knows what grudge she might bear. Initially, the eight students take the threat lightly until one of them is killed by someone in a scarecrow costume. Or maybe it isn’t a costume?

For at the end of the town, on the edge of the forest, lives Susan Boyle, an old and nearly destitute hag who is rumoured to dabble in magic and who is accused of having murdered her own kids. Is it Susan killing the children of the town for the rhyme they all sing about her?

First one, then another of the eight students who received the text begin to get killed. As the numbers drop from 8 to 7, and then 6, then 5, nerves are frayed, and it seems that every one of them has secrets they are hiding.


The remaining students huddle together, hoping to find answers and stay alive. Will they figure out who is out to get them before the killer comes for them again?



The book, written in the omniscient past tense PoV, took a long time to get into the heart of the story. For far too long, the narrative remained caught up in the drama of the high school students’ lives.

Until the 19% mark, we were still getting to know the characters. Nothing had even happened yet. Even the Prologue, which had held out some promise, seemed like a waste of time.

Around the 24 percent mark, the author was still dishing out more inane high school drama—who is crushing on who, who is in a relationship, etc. The characters took too long to figure out that they had all received the same text. Things started becoming interesting only at the 25 percent mark.

Once the killings started, the author was on a surer footing, holding the pace fast and steady, and keeping us readers at the edge of our seats. I continued to read. The author’s confidence was evident in the quality of the writing. The dialogues improved, not hitting a false note. The descriptions, particularly those relating to the rural setting, got better.



What marred the reading experience for me was the large number of errors. The book needed better editing.

A boy was described as, “He was so shining.” In another instance, we see this line, “Why tempt fate of suspension?’ One character, we are told, “busted into laughter.” Another character feels an “alleviation of the heart.”

In Chapter 1, we meet Barrett ‘Biff’ Branigan. Then in Chapter 7, we meet Biff’s mother, Elizabeth Barrett, even though in Chapter 6, she had been referred to as Elizabeth Branigan. The author uses the word sphincter when perhaps the word, spectre, was more suitable.

At one point, the surviving students find a tiara in a grave, and the narrator tells us the name of the student that it belonged to. A few short paragraphs later, Johnny identifies the student who owned the tiara. Johnny’s statement is meant to be revelatory but isn’t as the narrator has already made the revelation.

The students also find another student’s cuff in the same place. The thought that the owner of the tiara and the owner of the cuff may be colluding together is raised, when one student wonders how the two objects could be found together. Once again, some chapters later, Kim comes up with the theory that the owners of the two objects might have been working together and Biff cries out, “Whoa, I never considered two.”

Two different characters, Kim and Christa, think of the school principal as creepy and weird respectively. But both think, individually, that he is not a ‘pedo’.

The fact that the school building was built in an H formation was repeated twice.

A good editor would have weeded out these issues.



Although I was drawn into the events of the plot, I didn’t actually relate to the characters, possibly because of the surfeit of information about each one of them. Too much is told to us about them. Despite all the information, they were all no different from high school students in any other book. The only character I would have liked to know more about was Susan.

There’s a subplot that seems to be making a big deal about Biff’s sexuality, when it is obvious from the beginning.

Other than Andy’s parents who show up at the fag end of a chapter, and Biff’s mother who makes an appearance, none of the other parents have any role to play.

I thought it was clever of the author to invoke the scarecrow, the scary creature that scares birds and people alike, while bringing in a reference to Scarecrow from The Wizard of Oz.

I also appreciated the author’s attempt to bolster an unlikely hero.



Even though I don’t really enjoy the slasher-fest sub-genre of horror, this book held my interest. I hope the author intends to build on the momentum raised by this one. The only way I could settle for that ending was if there was a Book II coming up.

If you are a fan of 90’s slasher movies like Scream, I know What You Did Last Summer & Urban Legend then you are going to love this book, just like I did!

The book is based in a small town, Manchester Michigan, where 8 teenagers each receive the same text … Never Have I Ever which starts a deadly game of mystery & murder.

I was gripped from the first few pages of the premise, which told of a girl that had gone missing last Halloween & had never been found. This is a town with secrets.

The story kept me engaged, its twists & turns thrilling & irresistible. I needed to constantly know more! It is a fast paced story full of tension & suspense. When I wasn’t reading it, I was thinking about it!
Harker Jones has given us a perfect Halloween thriller, which I absolutely loved. I haven’t enjoyed a book this much in a long time! I am really hoping that there are more books like this one on the horizon from Harker Jones!
I need more!

DNF. Goodness, I hate saying that. From the description, title, and cover, I thought this book would be right up my alley. It was supposed to have everything I look for in a book---murder, masked killer, and/or teen detectives. That only means something if you can make it to when those things start happening.
From the beginning, I could tell this book would be a struggle. After a confusing prologue, the reader---I--- was bombarded with information about characters, that was unnecessary in a way that felt like the author was trying to fit as much as they could in a chapter. I could deal with that. I couldn't deal with the constant run-on sentences that the author tried fixing with commas bc there were too many of those.
I wish I could have made it further, but I didn't.

I really looked forward to this book based on the premise and the cover.

But sadly, it fell short. It felt like YA / horror, but the way it was written felt like they were trying to stuff as many long words (which may not be good for a YA) and a lot of descriptions. This seemed as though it was at a detriment to the story. Without the fluff, this could have been more enjoyable.

I will be honest, the book was good but personally for me really hard to get into. It has so many points of view that at times I just got confused. However the plot and the all the twists caught me so off guard that sometimes I just had to sit and take a minute after finishing a chapter. Definitely will read this again if I ever feel like reading something eery and maybe on the second go I will be able to follow it better.

DNF! I just couldn't get into this book. I did not realize this was a young adult book which I typically have a hard time getting into since I find the teenage angst just too much.

I couldn't put down "Never Have I Ever..."! This thriller had me on the edge of my seat from the first menacing text to the shocking final reveal. The author masterfully weaves a suspenseful tale of teenage secrets, guilt, and revenge, set against the backdrop of a small town haunted by a missing girl.

The characters are well-developed and relatable, each with their own flaws and hidden truths. The pacing is perfect, with twists and turns that kept me guessing until the very end. The author's writing is sharp and evocative, creating a chilling atmosphere that lingers long after the final page.

I particularly enjoyed the way the author used the classic game of "Never Have I Ever" to expose the characters' secrets and vulnerabilities. The story also explores themes of friendship, betrayal, and the consequences of our actions, making it more than just a thrilling read.

I believe this author has the potential to be a significant new voice. Their ability to craft a suspenseful plot, create compelling characters, and tackle complex themes is impressive. I can't wait to see what Harker harkens to next!

I love the cover of this book and the synopsis really drew me in.
I don’t mind the ya category, this book fits well into that. The writing was ok, but could maybe have flowed a bit better. The storyline was good, and was executed well.
If you’re not into ya, I’d give this a miss, but otherwise I’d recommend it.

The title, cover and description were all intriguing, but for me the actual writing didn’t match. I have no pleasure in writing this review but I DNF after 8%. I really enjoy multiple POV’s but as written and characters introduced so quickly it was hard to keep up. It didn’t seem the book had had any editing at all which made it very difficult to read. All I could focus on was not enjoying the story based on the writing style. The writing just didn’t flow.

I apologize to the author and editor but giving my honest opinion.

Harker Jones’ Never Have I Ever is a chilling thriller that takes the classic high-school party game to terrifying new levels. Set in a small Michigan town, the novel plunges readers into a suspenseful game of secrets and survival as eight teenagers find themselves being stalked by a killer dressed as a scarecrow. At its heart, the book explores the consequences of secrets and past actions, creating a palpable tension as the characters’ buried wrongdoings are brought to light.

The premise of receiving ominous texts urging them to play “Never Have I Ever” sets the stage for an eerie atmosphere that captures the fear and paranoia of being hunted. With each chapter, the stakes grow higher as the teens are picked off one by one, and the identity of the killer remains shrouded in mystery. Jones does an excellent job of building suspense by blending horror elements with a psychological edge, making readers question every character’s motives and backstory.

The book’s central character, the school bully, offers an interesting twist on the “final girl” trope commonly seen in slasher stories. His quest for redemption adds layers to the plot, especially as he struggles to atone for his past while racing against time to uncover the killer. This moral complexity enhances the story, making it more than just a typical survival tale.

While the scarecrow costume adds a creepy, almost supernatural element to the killer, Jones keeps the mystery grounded in reality, leaving readers questioning whether the killer is human or something else entirely. This ambiguity heightens the suspense, particularly as the plot draws connections to a girl who went missing the previous year, hinting at a deep and possibly supernatural connection to the past.

However, the novel does have some familiar tropes of the slasher genre that could feel predictable to seasoned readers of thrillers, such as the isolated setting, the group of teens with hidden sins, and the deadly game motif. That said, Never Have I Ever still manages to carve its own identity with a unique antagonist and a redemptive arc for the protagonist.

In summary, Never Have I Ever by Harker Jones is a tense, well-paced thriller that will appeal to fans of horror and psychological suspense. The book’s exploration of guilt, redemption, and fear adds depth to a familiar premise, making it an engaging read from start to finish. With unexpected twists, a high body count, and a relentless sense of dread, Jones delivers a novel that keeps readers guessing until the final page. Perfect for the Halloween Season