Thanks so much to the publisher and to NetGalley for giving me access to this book. Great young adult book I felt the characters were the best part of the book. I wanted to know where the book was going because of the great characters. I will be recommending this book. Thanks again for letting have a chance to read it.

Get ready for another phenomenal read from Lily Anderson. The hijinks that ensues after Elliot gets to camp is, to say the least, exciting. I haven't read The Importance of Being Earnest, but her first novel follows Much Ado so well that I can only assume it was well done. (I'm reading them out of order :P) I also liked how she integrated the play within the novel through Elliot's stepmom. It was done in a way that didn't feel forced.

What I really liked was that the characters from the first book make an appearance in this one, and how they contribute to the new story as well. It remains Elliot's story while also quietly following up on the first characters we know and love.

Becoming oneself is important to this novel, and I liked the presentation of it. Elliot has to live this double life, and she has to decide what to keep from her old life and what she wants to explore as this new self that has a new slate. It speaks true to what it's like to feel as though you have a different self for different situations. The reconciliation of these are what is key to helping discover yourself.

Brandon and Leigh are such fun characters. I like how forward Leigh is when Elliot first gets to camp. (Leigh is Elliot's roommate.) The scene when they first meet their teammates made me nervous for them!

All in all, this was a great read. Highly recommended. Reading the first book is helpful but not necessary to understanding this one.

After fraudulent use of my Amazon account, it had to be closed and with it my kindle email which I used to download Netgalley arcs; therefore, I am unable to access this title. Thank you for the opportunity.

I have given this book the old college try and it just isn't for me. I really enjoyed book one, but I just couldn't get into this one. It was just too slow for my liking. I'm happy so many other people enjoyed it though. Mark this as, it's me, not you.

This is not your typical summer camp story - it's even more fun. I love how that it's a summer camp for "smart" kids and how Elliott sneaks in and goes as far as changing her name there. Then she finds out that her annoying cousin got in and the two make a truce so that her cousin doesn't get kicked out. This summer camp is designed for gifted teens who compete for a college scholarship. Let's just say this book was witty, humorous, relatable in certain ways, and just downright interesting.

Not to be missed sophomore novel
Lily Anderson’s sophomore novel follows Elliot "Ever" Gabaroche during an intense summer program to compete for a scholarship. It’s Not Me, It’s You readers will see many familiar faces, but this can still be read as a stand-alone.

A few things I adored about this book:

-The academic competition- No one writes cutthroat academia like Anderson. Teens feeling the stress of college applications, scholarships, rankings, and more will find Ever’s world utterly relatable.

-The voice- From page one, the voice draws you right in. The dialogue is quick and realistic with plenty of snappy banter.

-The world building- Usually the fantasy genre discusses world building the most, but in my opinion, good world building/setting is just as crucial in contemporary books. Anderson crafts a fully immerse setting with more than a sprinkle of geek culture, The Importance Of Being Earnest parallels, and what it’s like when a group of highly intelligent teens compete for a scholarships away from home.

Overall, Anderson’s second novel (and first and third and likely all future novels...) is not to be missed.

Not Now, Not Ever by Lily Anderson is a companion novel of sorts to The Only Thing Worse Than Me Is You, which honestly was a debut that I LOVED. I think though, to fully enjoy Not Now, Not Ever, you should read it relatively close to The Only Thing Worse Than Me Is You. Personally, I read these books like three years apart and feel like something is missing with all that time going by. However, that is not to say I did not enjoy Not Now, Not Ever. I totally did. I just wonder if it would have gone from really liked to OMG LOVE if I had read closer together.

Not Now, Not Ever follows Elliott Gabaroche who runs away to genius camp for the summer. You see, her choices were either Air Force camp or mock trial camp or staying home and helping her stepmother Beth practice for The Importance Of Being Earnest. Elliott takes things into her own hands and ends up going to the Rayevich College summer program to compete for a full ride scholarship so that she can pursue the academic course of her dreams – a study in science fiction. At camp, she goes by Ever Lawrence and is sort of reinventing herself. Meanwhile, as it turns out, her annoying cousin Isiah had the same idea. Run away for the summer to genius camp. So the two sort of have to get along in order to pull off not actually spending the summer learning about the Air Force.

Of course, there’s also romance in the air between “Ever” and Brandon. Also, all the camp counselors are characters from The Only Thing Worse Than Me Is You. In all, there’s definitely chemistry between Ever and Brandon. It is not quite as dramatic as Trixie and Ben, but that’s okay. I liked that this was a more chill sort of summer romance. But, I will say I am forever a sucker for hate to love and kind of missed that with this book. It was cool seeing Brandon’s connection to the previous characters (although I don’t even remember him from the first book, but in my defense, I think it’s been like five whole years since I read it). Or maybe three years? Anyways.

So, Lily Anderson is definitely an author whose work I am going to actively keep reading and pursuing. I think her writing style has some great homages to different nerdy things without beating you over the head with it or gatekeeping. Suffice to say, I am a fan and should probably go look up Undead Girl Gang in my library catalog.

I didn't think this was as good a read as Lily Anderson's previous book. The situations weren't quite believable and the characters weren't as clearly defined or as likable. However, it was still cute and funny and I think there are teens out there that will enjoy and relate to it. It just won't be on the top of my list recommendations-wise.

I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher via NetGalley. This in no way impacted on my view.

The Only Thing Worse than Me Is You was one of my favourite debuts of 2016, and when I heard that their would be a sequel, albeit following different characters but linked to the prequel, I couldn't wait. Again, this was a case of forgetting all about having an ARC, and it was only recently that I remembered I had a copy of Not Now, Not Ever, so I thought it was time to give it a go.

Not Now, Not Ever follows Elliot, who, in order to go to a prestigious summer camp with the hopes of winning a scholarship, starts over as Ever. She has pressure from both sides or her family, to either join the Air Force or become a lawyer, neither of which sound like a good fit for her. Instead, all she wants to do is go to college, Rayevich College to be precise, to study their unique Science Fiction Literature program. Both sides of her family have opinions on this, and the only way for her to succeed is to go behind their backs, and prove to them that she is capable of winning the scholarship, and earning her right to go to the school she wants, to do what she decides. What throws a spanner in the works, however, is that her genius cousin has had the same idea, and now they're having to pretend to be twins, and know that if one gets caught, the other goes down with them.

Originally I wasn't sure how much of a 'sequel' this book would be to Anderson's debut, but I was pleasantly surprised that it was set in the same place, and the summer camp was linked to the school that original gang went too. Also, the main characters from TOTWTMIY were camp counsellors and Brandon, who was one of my favourite side characters.

Basically, the main premise of Not Now, Not Ever follows a competition in which the campers need to complete academic task, and the winner wins a scholarship. They are grouped into teams to work together, but when it gets to the final tasks, they will be on their own. In Ever's group is Brandon, and they get close while revising, and if I didn't already think that Bea and Ben from TOTWTMIY were the ultimate OTP, they would be in the running. They slowly open up to each other about what they've been hiding since they started the programme, and it was lovely to see how they grew themselves by having someone as a sort of soundboard to be there for them to vent.

Obviously, the whole plan doesn't go that way Ever thought (hoped/wished) it would, and there is a lot of angst at times that could've been solved with a bit more honesty, and I think between that and the rather abrupt ending, I couldn't give the book 5 stars. I've also never read The Importance of Being Earnest or anything by Wilde, so I don't know how close to the original this retelling is. However, if you enjoyed Anderson's debut, I'd say you would also enjoy this one.

I was excited about the premise of taking the features of dystopian YA lit and applying them to a more real-world scenario, as well as for a POC main character who is bright, sporty, and creative. I liked Ever as a character, but the plot swallowed her up. The intensity of the academic summer camp at the heart of the book is overblown and unrealistic and the "twist" felt a bit like a Scooby Doo style conclusion. I enjoyed the various cultural references (Octavia Butler! Firefly! Cam Jansen!!) I think would be better appreciated if they were scattered with some more accessible to today's teen audience. This might actually lead them to discover the predecessors to today's YA lit scene, rather than have them wondering what is going on. Overall, the setting and plot just came off as silly and it made it difficult to relate to the book on any other level.

Lily Anderson’s debut is one of my favorite contemps of all time, so naturally I was over the moon to find out there would be a companion novel and it did not disappoint.

Admittedly, we got off to a rough start – it took a bit for the voice to grab me and there are a lot of characters to initially keep track of, but it finally pulled me in at about the 20% mark and I couldn’t put it down after that.

Not Now, Not Ever is a cleverly written story. The plot is engaging with an almost perfect balance between the academic competition and the mystery of whose sabotaging the campers and the very realistic (and relatable) personal struggle Ever is facing as she decides what path she wants to take & how to reconcile the differences between what she wants out of life and what her family expects.

The story is also wonderfully diverse with fantastic teens calling out other teens on the stupid things they say and YES LOVE IT GIMME MORE. Most of the characters felt fully developed, if a little stereotypical at times. I’M STILL WAITING FOR LILY TO WRITE ME A MURDER MYSTERY WITH PERLA AS THE VICTIM. I really loved the friendships that formed and THE SHIP MY GOD. SUCH CUTE AND FEELS AND PERFECTION. The ending was also one of my favorite things about the story. Nothing wraps up nicely but it’s still so realistic and satisfying.

I definitely recommend this if you like your fiction with messy characters and tons of nerdy references.

Cons
~I spent so much time not liking this book
~The last 50 or so pages I had to push myself through
~I did not like Ever/Elliot
~Hipness vs Banter- can not tell if these are both products of the same issue or separate issues but the story felt like it was trying to be hip at points, the banter was not doing it for me
~Most of the characters I could not remember their names or personalities but I do remember them being annoying a lot of the time
~Not that invested in the love story
gets on soap box: If young adult is going to have more novels about college there needs to be conversations about mental health that do not divulge into get over it/you are weak for struggling with your mental health (this soap box is not completely for this novel because the story kind of fixed this critique in the end. Mostly this soap box is in result of seeing more novels set in college/preparing for college stages of characters life. Also, a lot of the novels I have read/am reading are not dealing with mental health and college).
Pros
~Black girl who is into nerdy culture (it surprised me at first how current the nerd culture references were)
~It feels very current to the issues and culture of teens (the genius/AP/accelerated class teens)
~College Libraries- one of the things I do not think people talk about is how college libraries can be really amazing. I get why she would want to go to a college for the library because there are so many books that you cannot find at a public library (even though she could have interlibrary loaned books especially since the main character is in the California area which has more books in general…)
~There were so many small little nuggets of wisdom that seeped into the story
~There were a lot of information about the sff community that I did not know *insert tea emoji*
Objectively *** three stars
My Mood ** two stars

Loosely inspired by The Importance of Being Ernest, you're probably only going to recognize the influence on this book by the constant references. Anderson quotes Wilde (as well as a number of nerdy pop culture sources) often. The quotes both serve to influence the plot and provide a little characterization. This book tries to be a comedy of errors but doesn't quite achieve that aim. We have the element of characters misrepresenting themselves but the plot has a more desperate, less comedic feel. While it's somewhat lacking in comedy, it is engaging even though the elite camp aspect won't be particularly relatable for the average reader. By focusing largely on familial expectations, Anderson presents us with characters we can understand on some level. While the ending is weak, it's largely well worth reading.

Likely, this review isn't totally fair in that I didn't finish the book. It was dragging too long, cute guy spotted a mile away, and I got tired of the "hit you over the head" The Importance of Being Earnest asides. As someone who's seen TIBE, the connections the author attempted to make didn't really connect for me. I think it would've been better to leave out the TIBE sections. Totally ok to set up how every summer her stepmom is part of TIBE, but Anderson should've owned how her story wildly differs from the play's shenanigans and not kept bringing in TIBE explanations. It wasn't necessary for anyone to enjoy the story more.

The love I have for Lily Anderson's work is unfathomable. Along with Trixie, of course, Elliot is right up there with one of my favored MCs. (That terminology makes it sound like she could spin some records, but literally, I wouldn't even put it past her.) Elliot Lawrence Gabaroch takes on the alias of Ever Lawrence to sneak away, so she win a scholarship at her dream university. Ever's great love of science fiction has caused a rift between she and her family, who want her to continue their grand ol legacy in the Air Force. And as a retelling of Wilde's The Importance Of Being Earnest, it sticks to the theme and includes a plethora of quotes to compensate.

Unless you're completely soulless, this is one of those rare books, where you'll probably be LOLing through the majority of it. Similar to Lily's debut. Lily Anderson rules the humor game. The book is jampacked with sci-fi references, especially in relation to the Hunger Games and Star Wars. Also: there's plenty of love for the PoC.

More great friendship moments!!! AND a cameo from Trixie and Ben!!! A typewriter-owning boy!!! (I literally know a Brandon, so it's awkward to mention the name.) Although, this is simply me being me, despite the toxic amount of Brandon's cuteness, I preferred Trixie and Ben's ship to Brandon-and-Elliot in all generosity since the "hate-to-love" / "enemies-to-lurvers" trope always gets me going.

Okay, just so you know, I would totally be okay with a story with Leigh as the lead. I mean, just gimme all of the side-character. Ever, for the most part, is exceptionally mature and a standout voice and intellectual and surprisingly athletic. Yay for athletic nerds.

Plus, I saw a GR reviewer describe this book as "the nerdy version of the Hunger Games" and that might be my favorite description ever, so I'm tempted to go along with it. As always, Anderson has continued to strike gold again.

I remember when I was growing up, there weren't too many of these novels out in the world. YA then, atleast what I read, was very white. There was little to no diversity, and if I wanted anything black, off to the Urban Fiction section I went. (Which was extra LIT btw.) But, 2017 is really showing out in publishing. Now we're seeing more representation for POC in books, which allows young readers to see that the world just isn't a bubble where everyone, and or everything is the same. It has especially been a come up for us black folk. I've added sooooo many books recently where the covers have black characters on them. Yes, black mf people yall. This is huge for me, for us. We've come a long way, and we still have ways to go, but atleast we have a start. Mine today being Not Now, Not Ever by Lily Anderson.

I went into the story with pretty high expectations, and while I'm not necessarily disappointed, I will say that I came out looking for a bit more than what I received. The story follows our MC Elliot Gabaroche, (who's fabulously black) as she sneaks away from Cali to Oregon, to attend a decathlon-style camp for geniuses. There she embarks on a journey of self-discovery where she reinvents herself into Ever Lawrence, a new her with a new purpose. She navigates through the camp with new friends, a budding relationship, and a determination to win against all odds.

The concept of the competition was by far my favorite aspect. It was kinda reminiscent of the Hunger Games, where each stage was cut-throat and highly stressful, which caused some of the teens to either go home or just lose altogether. The goal was simple. Win the scholarship that will send one team on a full-ride to Rayevich, a prestigious college for the gifted. The games themselves to my surprise were quite humorous. They included everything from Ancient History to pop culture, with tidbits of information you never even thought to think of. (That makes no sense but you get me) They came across in a sort of playful manner that kept the material from becoming info-dumpy, and while some of the questions went over my head, (me having an average IQ and all) it made things fun. I just wish the story focused more on the competition and not on Ever's relationship with Brandon the love interest.

As we all know, I live for a cute romance, but there was something off about Ever and Brandon that I couldn't exactly pinpoint. Their bond over all things nerdy was adorable, but for some reason, I wasn't too sold on them as a couple, or boo's since they weren't exactly bf/gf. I think this was partially due to the fact that I didn't connect with any of the characters, especially Ever like I thought I would. We had this whole squad, and yet their voices and personalities blended together like one big ball of play-doh. No one stood out more than the next person, which made it difficult to distinguish their ethnicities as well. A small let-down since many deemed this such a diverse novel. Anywho, the romance wasn't too genuine for me, but I definitely get the appeal.

In all, Not Now, Not Ever is a pretty solid read. Although I personally had some minor issues with it, Ever's experience to find herself, to learn and follow the path she wishes to take in life, and all the other major hurdles she's had to overcome, I feel, will resonate with so many young teens.



Isn't that what's most important?

I was not expecting a lot of what I got out of this book. I hadn’t read the novel that this became a companion to, and now I really want to. I ended up starting it a bit later than usual, but I did enjoy it. In the beginning, we immediately meet Elliot Gabaroche, otherwise known as Ever. We get to see her views on her family and cousins in the first chapter, which happen to be very strong views and I don’t honestly blame her.

From the way her mother is described, you would think she’s a drill sergeant that only wants her daughter to follow in her path. Her stepmother sounds overbearing, and this fact makes me very grateful that my parents are still together. Her father sounds like he couldn’t give a crap about what she wanted, which only makes me pity this poor girl even more.

Now, I don’t advise anyone to run away, even when you are in a difficult situation. I’ve thought about it multiple times before, and looking back on it, I laugh at how silly and pathetic I sounded. But, I feel Ever was right in what she did. Had she not run away to start the camp, I feel like she would have been shipped off to some bootcamp or some mock trial camp at UCLA. I feel that this girl was stronger than she gave off, and I loved how the author perceived all of the characters. I liked how she went about the plot and themes, easily giving us a story to like.

For this, I give this book a 3/5

Originally posted on Forever Young Adult on 2017 November 22.

BOOK REPORT for Not Now, Not Ever by Lily Anderson

Cover Story: Quarter Big Faces
BFF Charm: Heck Yes
Swoonworthy Scale: 7
Talky Talk: Retelling (For The Geek Crowd)
Bonus Factors: Oregon, Familiar Faces
Relationship Status: More Than a Summer Fling

Cover Story: Quarter Big Faces

Good on the cover designer for using models that match the looks of the main characters. And for using a unique title treatment. I certainly wouldn’t be ashamed to read this book in public.

The Deal:

Elliot Gabaroche doesn’t want to spend another summer watching her stepmother act in a community theater production of The Importance of Being Earnest. She doesn’t want to go into the Air Force simply because she’s expected to. She doesn’t want to become a lawyer just because her father is.

Elliot Gabaroche wants to attend Rayevich College, the only school in the country with a science fiction writing program. And if that means running away to the school’s elite summer camp to try and win a scholarship, that’s just what she’s going to do.

BFF Charm: Heck Yes



Elliot—Ever to her friends at camp—is an unabashedly nerdy girl with a love for pop culture and science fiction books. I mean, if there was ever a fictional character more meant to be my BFF, I’m not sure I’ve run across them.

Swoonworthy Scale: 7

Elliot goes to the camp at Rayevich College with a specific goal in mind, and it’s not to fall for an equally nerdy guy with secrets of his own. However, would it really be summer camp without a fling?

Talky Talk: Retelling (For The Geek Crowd)

Not Now, Not Ever is a companion novel to Anderson’s debut, The Only Thing Worse Than Me Is You, so it’s no surprise that this retelling—this time of The Importance of Being Earnest—is filled with pop culture references and adorably nerdy characters. Not Now, Not Ever isn’t as overwhelming in its geek, but there are definitely still more than a handful of references that ground this book well in the same world. Additionally, I love how Anderson actually references the source material of this retelling in the story*; it’s delightfully meta to read about Elliot not wanting her life to be such a farce, and yet not being able to stop it from happening.

In the Not Now, Not Ever Blog Tour Q&A I posted earlier this week, Anderson described this novel as fluff, saying ”I want all my readers to take away a sense of happiness.” I certainly think she succeeded.

*If I admit to never reading The Importance of Being Earnest, would you hold it against me? Not knowing the source material didn’t detract from my enjoyment of the novel, and I totally want to go read it now.

Bonus Factor: Oregon



I wasn’t born in Oregon, but I lived there long enough (and during my most formative years) that I consider it my home state. I did a little mental fist pump when I realized that Not Now, Not Ever was set in a fictional college in a place I’m somewhat familiar with (Eugene). It made it much easier to picture the setting, and the Pacific Northwest does have the perfect weather/environment for summer camps.

Bonus Factor: Familiar Faces

A few characters from The Only Thing Worse Than Me Is You have roles in Not Now, Not Ever, and I loved catching up with them.

Relationship Status: More Than a Summer Fling

Our time together was short, Book, but that doesn’t mean what we have isn’t the real thing. We’d be silly to call something so special quits before we’ve even gotten started.

I thought the connections between Not Now, Not Ever and The Importance of Being Earnest made this a super fun, unexpected story. Elliot’s struggle to figure out what to do with her future with regard to her family’s expectations for her definitely pulled me into the story. It wasn’t the most satisfying plot element, though.

Actually, I have to say I was pretty excited when I figured out that Brandon (if you read The Only Thing Worse than Me Is You, you’ll remember this guy!) had a pretty major role in this novel. I loved finding him in Not Now, Not Ever.

Lots of the characters have secrets of their own, which had me hooked. It seemed like every time I thought I pegged what was going to happen, some new layer emerged. That made for a fun reading experience for sure.

On the whole, I think I liked these characters better than The Only Thing Worse than Me Is You but prefer that plot over Not Now, Not Ever. Not to say I didn’t enjoy both—I totally did. Anderson delivers strong dialogue and banter with some really fun geek culture in both books. Fans of Cori McCarthy’s You Were Here and Anderson’s debut novel, The Only Thing Worse than Me Is You will want to add this one to reading lists.