I DNFd this book at 61 %. Why so late? Because at this point I felt that nothing was really happening and even though the ending might have been amazing I just could not bring myself to read another 39% of what I had already read.

The book is not bad, the characters are nice and the writing is good, but personally I just felt like we weren't really getting anywhere.

I received this free eARC novel from NetGalley. This is my honest review.

This has been on my TBR pile for so long, and I'm glad I finally got around to it. I really enjoyed the storyline and seeing the characters change throughout the story was a great character development. The plot was great and kept my attention. I'm glad I got the chance to read this and will be on the lookout for more in the future!

I'm not a very big fan of reading about teen girls trying to overcome all the changes happening to their body and their surroundings but this one was actually a decent read.

Meara is a young girl living a fairly normal life in Wisconsin with her mom. Her dad is this shadowy figure that her mother never wants to bring up. Then Meara's mom becomes ill, and she decides that they are suddenly moving to Canada, to live with grandparents that Meara suddenly discovers she has. Every thing is very SUDDEN, and this bothered me from the beginning. I understand that you are very ill, but you pull your kid out of the only stable life she's ever known and thrust her into all sorts of unfamiliar surroundings in less than two weeks? Which, logically, how could that happen, especially when you throw another country into the mix? Grr.

Anyway, once they're in Canada, living near the water, Meara starts dreaming about her father, David and then she starts dating one of the local boys. And suddenly, everything grinds to a halt. There is some sort of big reveal, some sort of secret about why Meara's father has been a cipher in their lives until now . . . but the book becomes so plodding and mired in the everyday occurrences of Meara's life that I wanted to scream.

When the reveal finally happens, it wasn't completely surprising - the only difference was the type of metaphysical creature chosen for this novel. A small nod to including the less-usual mythos for a change of pace.

And of course, Meara has to make a choice. To accept or change? Pretty standard trope. This is the first in a series, and I cannot say that I will read the second one.

Never Forgotten was half-new, half-same-old for me. The element of mystery is indeed a rather nice puzzle, as there's only a scatter of clues to work with. The heroine is very relatable, like an ordinary teen and I loved her little room that faces the ocean. What really hot me is the emotional upheaval the heroine is going through, it rather touches a nerve. It also gives me an insight of this kind of grief. The ending makes me curious enough for the next book and cling to the hope that things will be alright.

Never Forgotten brings a dash of freshness from the saturated young adult fantasy genre.

Meara’s best friend was Kelly. Kelly wanted Meara to come to her uncle’s ranch for a visit as that is where Rachel will be working for the summer before their Senior year of HS. But Meara was suppose to work most of the summer at her mother’s Sharon’s Rebecca's store- a sewing and fabric store. Meara maintained the website and ran the cash register in the store. That day after school and seeing Kelly Meara was told by her mom her cancer was back and the doctor gave Sharon six months to two years. Sharon felt it was time Meara met her grandparents as they would be the only relatives she had after Sharon passed away. Sharon also told Meara they were moving to Canada in two weeks. Meara’s grandparents weren’t bad people and did what they could to make Meara feel welcome. Sharon talked of Meara’s dad- David- for the first time. Meara went with Sharon the next day to meet her mother’s best friend Lydia when she had lived in Peggy’s Cove before Meara was born. Lydia runs the B&B the Cove Inn. Lydia had a son who would be going to University his name was Evan and he was hot. Evan told Meara to drop by whenever she felt like it. She also meets Lydia’s daughter - not that first day though- Katie who was in the same grade as Meara. Meara is having dreams about her father David who warns her to be careful with Evan and to take care of her mother. Meara and Evan are getting close and start seeing each other. David gives Meara clues to what he is and also her which isn’t human - Meara is still half human. Katie and Evan help Meara figure out the clues. David comes back and marries Sharon. Then Meara discovers David is helping Sharon by lending her his power to ease Sharon’s pain. Meara then realizes how much her dad loves her mom. After Sharon passes away David gives Meara a letter from her mom. Meara has to decide to go with David and meet the other half of her family or stay with her grandparents and Evan.
I liked this story but didn’t love it. But it did need more editing to be easier read and flow better. It does drag some of the time also. But definitely a different type of paranormal story and I enjoyed it to a degree but the story didn’t WOW me in any way. I loved the closeness between Meara and her mom. I hate the pain Meara had to go through leaving everything she knew behind and her Senior year but more important her mother's cancer and Sharon’s passing. So not a bad book just not a favorite.