Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this eARC.

Never Have I Ever by Harker Jones is a gripping young adult thriller that masterfully blends suspense, mystery, and the complexities of teenage life. Set in a small Michigan town, the novel follows eight teenagers who find themselves ensnared in a deadly game of “Never Have I Ever,” receiving ominous texts that force them to confront their darkest secrets.

The story begins with a chilling premise: a year after a girl goes missing, the teens start receiving texts urging them to play the game. As the game progresses, they realize that someone is targeting them, and the stakes are life and death. The tension escalates when they discover that the person behind the texts might be connected to the missing girl, and the school bully takes it upon himself to uncover the truth in hopes of redeeming his past actions and staying alive.

Jones’s writing is sharp and engaging, capturing the angst and drama of teenage life while weaving a suspenseful and unpredictable plot. The characters are well-developed, each with their own secrets and motivations that add depth to the story. The dynamics between the characters are complex and realistic, making their interactions and conflicts feel authentic.

Never Have I Ever explores themes such as guilt, redemption, and the impact of past actions on the present. Jones delves into the psychological aspects of the characters, providing a nuanced portrayal of how they cope with fear and uncertainty. The novel touches on issues of bullying, peer pressure, and the desire for acceptance, making it a thought-provoking read for young adults.

The pacing of the novel is brisk, with plenty of twists and turns that keep readers on the edge of their seats. The suspense builds steadily, leading to a climactic and satisfying conclusion that ties together the various threads of the story. Jones’s ability to maintain tension and keep readers guessing is a testament to his skill as a storyteller.

Never Have I Ever is a must-read for fans of young adult thrillers and mystery novels. Harker Jones has crafted a compelling and suspenseful tale that will keep readers hooked.

I really enjoyed this! I was constantly changing my mind throughout on who the killer was and what was going on. Very suspenseful. The only negative for me was I didn’t really resonate/connect with the characters. Rating 3.5 but it won’t let me do half’s on the stars ❤️

After finishing this I feel like I should’ve guessed the true culprit, but the villain was just too convincing. I’m a little gutted at the ending, but they do say justice isn’t always right.

This is a short & entertaining “who done it”, absolutely perfect for spooky season. I’d happily rate it 3.5 - 3.75.

Thank you Netgalley and BooksGoSocial for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

“Never Have I Ever” by Harker Jones is a YA slasher story that revolves around eight teenagers in a small town who begin receiving cryptic texts compelling them to play a deadly game. As their numbers dwindle and bloody bodies start piling up, the survivors must uncover the truth about a girl who disappeared the previous year and find a way to survive.

The premise of the novel is undeniably strong, with echoes of teen slasher films and a fun, eerie Halloween vibe throughout the book. The deadly secrets and retribution element are intriguing, and the author does a commendable job of keeping you on edge with unexpected twists, especially a climactic ending that definitely ended up surprising me.

However, the book's execution doesn't quite live up to its potential. The book is told from multiple points of view, which can be overwhelming at times. I am absolutely horrible with names, so I found it incredibly difficult to keep up with the different characters. There are frequent time jumps that often make the plot difficult to follow, and with so many characters introduced early on, it’s easy to lose track of who’s who and what is actually going on.

Despite its structural flaws, Never Have I Ever has its strengths. The pacing picks up significantly once the action begins (the beginning is a bit slow), and the eerie atmosphere makes it a perfect Halloween read. While the character development may not be very deep, the fast-paced nature of the plot and the slasher elements will likely appeal to fans of teen horror. There are plenty of spooky scenes to keep you engaged.

Overall, “Never Have I Ever” is an enjoyable YA slasher; it’s a fun, creepy read that could make for a great movie adaptation with some tightening of its structure. If you're a fan of teen slasher films with masked killers and eerie small-town settings, this book is worth a try—just be prepared to navigate some confusing time jumps and a large cast of characters.

This was fantastic! Such a great listen for October and spooky season TBR I couldn’t put this down and I wanted to finish this so I could know what happened at the end!

Too YA for me, the writing felt clunky and I couldn’t fully invest myself to the storyline. Such a shame as the whole premise and blurb sounded so appealing, especially for this time of year.

Before we start this review, please keep in mind this is my own opinion on the version of this book I have received so please take it with a pinch of salt.

There’s a lot I could say about this book and I will get to those shortly. I would like to admit I stopped reading at the 10% mark so unfortunately I had to DNF this book.

The positives were that it was in a genre I loved which is horror. I don’t mind the YA so much if written well which I personally thought this book wasn’t but we will get to that later. I loved the cover and thought the blurb was interesting enough that it pulled me in. I personally love horror books and read them all the time so when I read the blurb I got excited to read this book. The part about the scarecrow costume also intrigued me.

I wanted to love this book but I honestly had to push my way to continue reading past the 8% mark of the book. I spent three days trying to read this book but it just gave me a headache the more I read it.

As for the parts I didn’t like, there were quite a few and I will try to get through them as best as I can. The first thing I struggled with were the constant point of view switches. We were in so many different characters' headspaces in the first 10% that I read that I just could not keep reading. Don’t get me wrong, I have read books with multiple characters POV’s but they were not like this one. I just couldn’t ‘vibe’ with these characters. I don’t know if it was me, the YA aspect or the writing that just wasn’t hitting the spot. While I appreciate what the author has done, I feel like it could be improved. Had the characters been introduced slowly and in a different way, I could have digested it a little better.

I also felt like the way the flashbacks appeared in the story could have been improved as the way we were drawn into them and out of them didn’t immerse me and I found it hard to concentrate on the present parts of the story.

The next aspect I liked less about this book was the descriptions. A lot of the description I appreciated and had no complaints about like the scenery and such but I did find it hard with the details of the people and children. The descriptions of them felt very stilted and just… there? It was as if they were being described for the sake of describing them and for me it was less memorable as I couldn’t remember what each kid/person looked like so when they appeared it made me wonder who they were. If the descriptions of the people were weaved into the narrative I would have had an easier time digesting all the descriptions. I also personally felt like there was some unnecessary information like with chapter two and the teacher who mentions his age and relationship status. To me I couldn’t care less as I didn’t know who this man was nor did it feel to me like that information was needed or did anything to move the story along. I also didn’t care to know about the teacher's medicine or blood pressure issues as it had nothing to do with the story in my opinion.

Finally, I’d like to mention the big words. Personally, I feel like, if anyone in the YA age range (12 to 18) were to read this book, they will struggle with the big words as I, myself, struggled with some of the big words and I’m in my early 20’s. I do admit I had to look up some of the words like ‘emblazoned’ and such so I feel like maybe some of the words could be said in simpler terms.

All in all, I couldn’t get into this book. I really was pushing myself to keep reading even though I actually wanted to stop. There were too many head-hops and point of view changes that I couldn’t keep going. It just frustrated me. There was so much that happened but at the same time nothing really happened as well. As I said earlier, maybe this book wasn’t for me but I did feel like it needs to be edited to be more digestible. I also felt like there wasn’t much suspense or horror in the parts that I read so I didn’t get much of a horror feel when reading.

I’d rate this book a 1.5 out of five stars. While there is promise, I felt like this book needed to be edited and possibly reworded in some aspects. I couldn’t get into this book. I liked the concept of it but overall it wasn’t for me as a horror lover.

Having grown up near Manchester and been there many times for the chicken broil, this was really neat to read! It definitely gives off small town vibes and was entertaining through the end!

I loved the Halloween vibes throughout the book, though I was a bit disappointed that the cover didn’t match the eerie atmosphere. The premise and plot are strong, and the twist really caught me off guard, especially with an ending that had me saying "damn."

However, the story's structure made it a bit difficult to follow at times. The time jumps, in particular, were confusing and often threw me off, especially if I wasn’t paying close attention. There were also quite a few characters introduced early on, which made it hard to keep track at first, but once the story picked up, it flowed more smoothly—though the time jumps still felt jarring.

I’m giving it 3 stars because the story’s structure, especially the time jumps, could have been better executed. I think the author would have benefited from labeling chapters by character and focusing on them individually to avoid confusion. Additionally, I’m not sure the structure will resonate well with young adult readers.

If you enjoy teen slasher films with masked killers, this book would be up your alley, but you'll need to navigate the timeline shifts. That said, it would make for an excellent movie adaptation.

Thank you Netgalley and BooksGoSocial for a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Still having nightmares about the old lady. Throughly creeped out. What a great read............
Do you believe the rumors?

This book had a great plot with intriguing characters. I’ll definitely be looking out for more from this author.

I am a big horror and scary book fan, but unfortunately I DNF this book. The title and premise sounded really interesting however the story did not engage me at all. The swapping of characters quite early on confused me, and it didn’t seem like there was enough time to get to know people and their place in the story. It’s a shame as I was looking forward to a good Halloween read.

Loved the synopsis and the title, but it was very slow at the start and there were multiple POVs, which made it hard to keep track of. There was several hints and forwehsadowing of secrets, and I was so impatient for the book to just get to them! Set at Halloween time so this is the perfect read for this time of year - that really added to the 'vibe' of the book, and I don't think it owuld hit the same if you read this during the sunny summer months.

This was a fun read! Quite slow on the start, and I got irritated at all the hints at secrets yet to be revealed, but I loved the trope and the setting and although the twists were just fair, the ending was great and took me by surprise. This is set at Halloween time and that increased my enjoyment of it. It was a bit hard to keep track of who was who tho….had to skip back a couple of times to refresh my memory. Would make a great movie after some of the excessive time spent on hinting about unrevealed secrets was cut. Thanks for the opportunity to read. I enjoyed it.

Loved this book! Loved the plot and it kept me hooked highly recommended. Was a quick read for me and hoping to read more from this author.

I love books with multiple characters and POV, I also love the topic of this book, and that synopsis was amazing.

The book was rough even for YA which I actually happen to like as well. It wasn't coherent, had too many things going on at the same time, and I think a good editing and some thinking coukd pull this book around.

The idea is amazing

I had to dnf this book about 15% of the way through. The premise seemed very intriguing and had promise but I don't feel as though I am the correct demographic for this book. The writing seemed immature and the dialogue between characters didn't read as teenagers. I cannot comment much on the story or development but thus far the characters felt one dimensional, too many being introduced in quick succession with little beyond stereotypes to hold them apart.

I wanted to love this. The blurb was so intriguing. But I was already confused after the first few chapters. I think a dozen characters were introduced and the PIV swapped every few paragraphs. My head was spinning.

This was a hard one for me to rate. Loved the synopsis and the title, but the writing was rough and too many people and POVs to keep track of. It is a YA, and I was expecting a more juvenile writing style. It’s spooky, with slasher vibes … okay twists, but just wasn’t one I found enjoyable. “Never Have I Ever” follows eight teenagers in a small town after they start receiving odd texts telling them to play the game. The group finds themselves in a game of deadly secrets and retribution that leads back to a girl who disappeared last year. As the group’s numbers dwindle and their bloody bodies are found, they have to work harder than ever to figure out how to stay alive.

Decent horror/scary parts, but the writing really struggled to show not tell. I was not a big fan of the resolution, though it seemed believable. I look forward to future works that might be more taught and well-written.