“I was ready to be comfortably in the middle of a story instead of running toward the end. I was done trying to outpace myself.”

This was such a fun book! There was drama and laughs and lots of fantastic banter - everything you could want from an Wildean-inspired tale. Not Now, Not Ever follows Elliot Lawrence Gabaroch as she reinvents herself as Ever Lawrence, and sneaks away to a genius camp for a chance to win a scholarship to her dream school. Ever’s love of scienec fiction writing puts her on the outs of her Air Force legacy family, but Ever is willing to do anything to make her dream come true. But complications arise and hilarity ensures as the teens battle it out for the scholarships. Not Now, Not Ever is an engaging tale of family expectation and reinvention.

Things I Liked
I really liked the inclusion of the quotes from The Importance of Being Earnest. Ever’s familiarity with the play from her stepmom’s recurring roles in local plays was great and didn’t feel forced. I loved seeing her applying the play to her situation.

There was such a great exploration of identity, secrets, and presentation of self - all of which perfectly reflect both Ever’s journey and The Importance of Being Earnest. I liked that we get to see that everyone has secrets and creates a performance for others.

I really loved seeing Ever and Leigh’s friendship develop. I’m always here for friendships in stories and I loved that they didn’t drift into competitive meangirls even when the scholarship prize is so lifechanging.

There was such great banter and humor! I was constantly laughing and smiling, and it made the story so easy to read. I didn’t want to stop. All the flirty banter between Ever and Brandon was fantastic too!

Things I Didn’t Like
It was a little hard to keep track of who all the other teammates were at the beginning of the story. Quite a few of them just ran together and I didn’t really differentiate them until about halfway into the story.

This was just such a fun story and there were so many great characters. The story was dramatic and charming and lively. Not Now, Not Ever is a must read for fans of humorous reads.

I received a copy of the book from Wednesday Books in exchange for an honest review.

I read and reviewed Lily Anderson’s first book The Only Thing Worse than Me Is You (you can check my review here) last year. I loved it and I mentioned that I would be watching out for more of the author’s books. When a publicist from St. Martin’s Press got in touch with me offering me to take part in the blog tour for the author’s next book, I had to check it out. When I read that this time the author’s inspiration was Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest I knew I’d fight tooth-and-nail to take part if necessary. Thankfully, it didn’t come to that, but it would have been worth it.
Elliot/Ever (if you know Wilde’s play, you’ll know that there are several people using false identities for a variety of reasons, mostly to live a different kind of life away from prying eyes) is a seventeen year old African-American girl, who lives in California, with a somewhat complicated family background (the Lawrence, on her mother’s side, have a long tradition of joining the Air Force, and her mother, in fact, teaches at the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, while she lives with her father, a lawyer of French descent. Her step-Mom, Beth, is an estate agent, white, and an amateur actress, and she has a half-brother, Ethan). Her mother and all of her mother’s family expect her to join the Air Force, while her father wants her to do anything but that (mostly go to College somewhere nearby). And Elliot… Well, she wants to study Science-Fiction Literature. She is a geek. Her step-mother is about to play Gwendoline for the sixth time in an amateur production of The Importance of Being Earnest (that Elliot knows by heart from so many performances and rehearsals) and she decides to take control of her life and avoid another farcical summer. She lies to everybody around her, creates a fake identity (inspired by Wilde’s play), and after passing a genius exam to enter a summer programme (to win a fantastic scholarship to the college of her dreams, mostly because they have an amazing sci-fi collection in the library and they offer a degree in Science-Fiction Literature) she sets off to Oregon, determined to win no matter what.
Elliot/Ever soon discovers that you cannot outrun Wilde and that there’s nothing more farcical than a camp for geniuses. She has a few surprises (she’s not the only one to use a fake identity or lie), meets wonderful people (and some not quite so wonderful), finds love, and discovers what’s really important.
Like in Anderson’s previous novel, we have a first-person narration, this time by Elliot, who is a clever, witty, and determined girl. In this case she was not aware she was a genius (another member of the family was always considered the clever one), but the summer camp is not that dissimilar to the high school in the previous novel, although in this case everybody, apart from the college students who facilitate the camp, are new to the place, they don’t know each other and are thrown together in pretty stressful circumstances. We have, again, many pop culture and bigger Culture references (some, I must admit went over my head, but I didn’t mind that), a diverse group of students, but all clever, studious, dedicated, nerdy, and quirky. I loved Leigh, Elliot’s roommate, Brandon (a guy who carries a typewriter around. Come on, I’m a writer too. Who would not love him), and most of the characters. The dialogue sparkles and the quotes from Wilde’s play, that keep popping up into Elliot’s head, are sometimes humorous (I particularly like the ‘A tree!’ ‘A handbag!’ comparison) but sometimes the author chooses quotes that reflect the serious matters at hand. Although at first, it seems the furthest possible setting for such a play, the summer camp works well, as we have many restrictions, a lockdown, rules that can be broken and people hiding secrets, overhearing things they shouldn’t, and getting into all kinds of problems.
There is cheating, friendships, betrayals, bizarre but vividly portrayed contests (Star Wars based fights to the death, The Breakfast Club themed memory tests…) and young romance.
I don’t know if it was because of the build-up and the identity changes but it took me a bit longer to get into the story than it did the previous novel, but once at the camp and when I got used to Elliot/Ever’s voice and her accurate descriptions of people and things, I felt as if I was there and could not put the book down.
The ending… Well, you’ll have to read it. It’s probably not what you expect but it’s good.
Once again I’ve highlighted many bits. A few random ones:
And he was wearing loafers. I couldn’t get my swoon on for a guy who didn’t wear socks.
Two narrow pressboard wardrobes that were less Narnia, more IKEA.
She sounded as though she really meant it, but that could have been because everything she said sounded vaguely like it was licensed by Disney.
He was cute and presumably very smart and, unlike so many other white dudes, he’d never told me how much hip-hop meant to him like my melanin made me a rap ambassador.
Another great YA novel that I’d recommend to people who enjoy sci-fi and pop culture references, people who love books and libraries, and who appreciate young female characters that have interests beyond school balls and boyfriends. And of course, if you love witty dialogue, farcical plots, and are a fun of Oscar Wilde, you are in for a treat. I’ll for sure be waiting for Anderson’s next novel.
Thanks to Wednesday Books (St. Martin’s Press) and to NetGalley for providing me an ARC copy of the novel that I freely chose to review.

This was one of my Can't-Wait Wednesday picks, and I must say, I had chosen well, because this was such a fun and delightful read. The synopsis does say this is a sequel, but my understanding is it's more of a companion. There are characters featured from Anderson's last book, which I am definitely going to read, but I did not feel out of the loop reading this book, without having read The Only Thing Worse Than Me Is You (but I am immediately going to buy it!). There are so many things to love, and here's my short list.

•This is a great twist on The Importance of Being Earnest. Like Jack, Elliot had a lot of responsibilities. She had to forgo her own activities to babysit her younger bother and volunteer at her step-mother's theatre. She was also facing pressure from her mother's clan to uphold the family legacy, and enlist in the air force. Unable to pursue her own passions as herself, she created an alter ego, much like how Jack had Ernest, and set out to claim her dream of studying science fiction. Not only did the play inspire the story, it had a place in the story, as Elliot's step mother was repeatedly involved in a production of the play, and lines from the script worked their way into Elliot's inner monologues. I thought it was quite an ingenious way to include the original work, and found the passaged quoted quite brilliantly place.

•I fell in love with Elliot. I found her very fresh and a definite standout among YA protagonists. Her head was quite an entertaining place to be, as we shared her musings about serious and inane things, but I also loved the way she grew over the course of this book. It may have been a short time at the Melee, but it was a valuable experience for Elliot.

•The crew at Camp Onward featured so many fantastic characters. I so enjoyed being surrounded by this quirky band of geniuses. With that many uber-intelligent people in one place, you know we are going to get exposed to some great nerdy talk involving fandoms. Fabulous references abounded in this book, and I loved every second of it.

•The characters in general were very well done. Each felt well crafted, their characteristics carefully selected to enhance my reading experience.

•I loved the extra challenges at Camp Onward! They had me at amoeba tag.

•The romance was so sweet. I love a good romance, and I had no problem shipping this two from their first meeting. There was something special in their interactions and the way they were with each other, that just made me want them to succeed.

•The ending!!!! I know I complain about endings A LOT, but this one was spot on. All I am going to say is that it put a big, stupid grin on my face and I still have a little warmth in my heart as I write this review.

Overall: This was a fun and endearing nerdy romance, and I am so excited to have found a YA counterpart to fill that place in my world.

This was a very cute book with a wonderful romance. Just as good if not better than book one. I didn't know that when I joined this tour this was going to be a book two. But I already had read book one a little while ago so this worked out fine. This one is for the higher young adult crowd as all the well most of the characters are 17. This was a breath of fresh air for me since a lot of times the characters are not that old. I really loved that Elliott didn't let people stand in her way of going to this camp. I know that she defied her parents but at 17 its kind of time for the kids to learn to make choices on their own or they never will.

This story was full of fun and funny characters I couldn't put it down. The mystery was great I really liked that Elliot didn't get a free ride. She has to make some very hard choices in this one and the book doesn't shy away from it. I can't wait to check out the authors next story.

I just finished this book last night. I enjoyed that while she did break some rules and trying to find herself. She also found love with Brandon who happens to live in the state of Oregon. He also happens to use a typewriter for his notes. I enjoyed the team aspect of this book and trying to get a scholarship. I loved her friends and the many other friends that Brandon knew from this school. Overall I stayed up late reading this book and would recommend it. I enjoyed that this book took place in Sacramento which is near me. I did love all the nerd references from Ready player one to Battle star Galactic.

I didn’t even read the synopsis for this book. Between that cover and Lily’s name attached to it, I was sold.

I love love loved Elliot. Her inner monologue is snarky and fantastic. She’s smart and strong and truly delightful. I don’t even know what to say about the adorable-ness that is fluent in French Brandon and I’m absolutely ready for a story with Leigh as the MC. Ohh and I was borderline maniacal with glee when I saw Ben and Trixie again.

Plot wise, it was fun. There were a lot of pop culture references and more snark than you could shake a stick at. And never did I feel like I wasn’t smart enough to read a book about geniuses. If anything, I want to start it all over again.

Overall, there is absolutely no worry of a sophomore slump with this book and I can’t even wait to see what Lily gives us next.

**Huge thanks to Wednesday books for providing the arc free of charge**

3.5 rounded up to 4 stars.

I really liked Anderson's style in The Only Thing Worse than Me Is You and was excited to see what had done ever since. I don't regret it. I only pity the fact that it took me finishing the book and checking again the first one to notice there were many characters that had made a comeback. Now I'm super sad.

I guess my experience proves how this can be read as a standalone.

Tired of being in the middle of a family feud on what her future should be, Elliot has changed her name and ran away to Oregon to take part in a competition. The winner would get a scholarship to the only college with a Science Fiction Literature program, her dream. But the competition is crazier than she thinks, being surrounded by geniuses and crazy counselors as well as a cute nerd carrying a typewriter around and... what is her nemesis-slash-cousin doing there?

I remember I liked The Only Thing Worse than Me Is You, I really liked it. I was hooked to the characters, the writing, the romance. The moment I finished this one I went back to my review to check everything—that was when I found out that most of the characters came back as counselors in Ellie's competition. I'm sure knowing that would have made it all much more interesting because one of the troubles I had was the number of characters being introduced at once, but that is still a negative considering most of the readers won't have read the other story.

And the romance didn't get me. This was my bigger disappointment. I never got into Ellie's personality but I also couldn't really fall for Brandon. I think he could have gotten more depth. Anderson proved she could make other love stories, theirs was almost the opposite from what I had read in TOTWTMEY, I liked this but not the romance itself.

Talking about depth, the plot itself did have it. Ellie has divorced parents plus a stepmom who doesn't seem to be evil but also seems to be ready to dictate her life just like her own mother. Her whole family has her future planned since forever to a point Ellie isn't sure of her real self. That's a superb theme for a YA. Anderson gives it a comic twist while still exploring it well. I was afraid that Ellie would never have to face her own flaws but yes, she also needs to do it and I loved the subtlety of how it was done. One of the problems of YA conflicts is predictability and this one I hadn't really foreseen—not that it's a mind-blowing plot twist, it just wasn't there all along just making you anxious about the moment it would happen, I hate stories like that.

And the story as a whole was superfun. A bunch of high schoolers having the college-like experience of living in a dorm but controlled by some useless counselors who didn't really want to be there. Plot twist: they're all geniuses except when it comes to common sense. This was hilarious. Excellent idea, perfect execution.

If you like reading stories about having fun and don't mind some blah romance, you should get this one. Let's see what Lily Anderson will bring us next.

Honest review based on an ARC provided by Netgalley. Many thanks to the publisher for this opportunity.

Anderson's previous book, The Only Thing Worse Than Me Is You, was a pleasant surprise last year and one of my favorites. A wonderfully nerdish take on Much Ado About Nothing, there were so many Easter eggs of geekdom to delight in addition to a wonderfully understated romance. Not Now, Not Ever is Anderson's modernization of Wilde's Importance of Being Earnest. While this doesn't have quite the impact as the first book, it is still a very enjoyable read.

Story: Elliot comes from a family where half are invested in the military/half in regular colleges and she will likely have to go to military school as a result. But now, at 17, she wants to give in to her own bit of selfishness and sneak away to a prestigious liberal school's summer camp in the hope of winning a scholarship through their competitions. When her annoying cousin Isaiah shows up, also with the same intent, they will have to work together to ensure the parents don't find out. Along the way, she meets a really cool guy, hits it off with her new roommate, and gets embroiled in a mystery.

As far as adaptations, this is a fun and loose translation of the book that you need not have read, recently or otherwise, in order to enjoy the plot. Yes, it is a bit silly and I didn't buy the mystery or the kids running off so easily (not being accepted into a college camp program using aliases). Things got a bit scooby doo mystery by the end, unfortunately, and the denouement is best described as tepid and anticlimactic. I also found the 'challenges' pointless and tepid. I skipped through most of them to get to the better parts.

What makes Anderson's books so special are all the wonderful sci fi and nerddom references. From Elliot's love of Octavia Butler to a muddy area being referred to as the swamp of Dagobah. There are too many to list but the way they are seamlessly integrated into the plot and dialogue is both clever and rewarding.

Not Now, Not Ever is a bit edgier than the previous book. I found I didn't like Elliot/Ever as much as I had hoped and especially was disappointed at a bit of the slut shaming/female rivalry that made Elliot far too judgemental to be likable. She has a lot of hate for various things and while she comes to terms with some of them by the end, it just wasn't the type of book I was looking for at the moment. Elliot felt too superficial. But again, this is also Anderson giving us nuanced and more 'real' characters rather than the idealized ones we find in this genre.

There are a lot of side characters and it can be confusing at times. Readers of the previous book will recognize some cameos from Trixie and Ben of The Only Thing Worse Than Me Is You. Elliot's love interest is not a hot nerd - he's an unsure geek with a quirky personality - I love that about both books. No one is overidealized - just the setting is a bit suspicious.

Readers need not have read the first book to enjoy this second book. But if you enjoyed this book you'll definitely want to check out "The Only Thing Worse". Reviewed from an advance reader copy provided by the publisher.

Lily Anderson's books are FANtastic(pun intended) and this one will be super popular with all the kids at my school!
Elliott Garaboche may have been born to be in the military, but that doesn't mean she wants to go to military camp. Nor does she want to stay home and listen to her stepmom read her lines for The Importance of Being Earnest for the sixth time. So instead she runs away to nerd scholarship camp and becomes Ever Lawrence, future Sci Fi writer. Unfortunately, her cousin Isaiah had the same idea, only his involves being a year older and Ever's twin brother. Will Ever or Zay get their own personal happy ever afters or will it all fall apart?
It is awesome to see diverse role models in teen books, especially when they don't follow the foul trope of "potential gang member/drug dealer/rapper discovers a real future" that is completely irrelevant to many POC.

Hey, everyone! Another day, another book to talk about! And today, I’d like to express my thoughts on Not Now, Not Ever by Lily Anderson. Now, Lily Anderson has already written a retelling of Much Ado About Nothing and Not Now, Not Ever is her second go at another retelling, this time of The Importance of Being Earnest. What really drew me into reading Not Now, Not Ever was the camp aspect of it all. I always love reading about summer camp and thought that this book would be no exception. Except it kind of was…

Now, when I say kind of, I mean that I liked some parts of the book and wasn’t much a fan of other parts. I’d have to encourage myself to read the book instead of wanting to read it on my own at times. There would be moments where nothing would happen, and then wham – the plot thickens. While those latter moments were great to read, it didn’t make up for the fact that I was previously bored and, for a good chunk of the book, wanted to move onto something else. Then there was that ending, which left me more confused than not. The book’s conclusion just left me with more questions than answers to the point where I wasn’t at all satisfied with it.

Also, I didn’t really like the protagonist as much as I thought I would. In the beginning, I couldn’t really relate to her and the choices she makes, but I did warm up to her nearer to the middle. By the end though, I was back to square one in not understanding her decisions again. I preferred reading about other characters though, like Leigh, Jams, Hunter, Meg, even Trixie and Ben! Sure, Elliot/Ever could be really fun sometimes, but I thought she was way too rash and in the end, I didn’t witness much character development from her.

Well, that’s all I have to say about Not Now, Not Ever by Lily Anderson. I know that a lot of people loved this book, but, for me, it just wasn’t my cup of tea. I would recommend it for people who like retellings as there are a whole bunch of references from the book’s primary source, The Importance of Being Earnest. And for those of you who are wondering, Not Now, Not Ever is released on November 21st, 2017. Thanks for reading, everyone!

Lily Anderson did it again - she blew me away with her book. Her adaptation of classics into modern times are very well written and funny and fluffy and just charming my pants off. This time, she adapts Oscar Wilde's The Importance of Being Earnest. I haven't read this play yet, though I've been meaning to for quite some time, and now, after reading this book, my desire to read it burns through me, renewed.

I have missed the adorable and nerdy geniuses from the last book, and the really fun part was realizing that they all make appearances in this one!! They are older now and it was so much fun to see what they have been up to. But our protagonist in this book, Elliot/Ever and her nerdy camp friends were awesome as well.
As well as in the first book, there is a bit of mystery happening which spices things up even more.

Happily, Lily Anderson did not disappoint and I couldn't be more excited for her next work to come.

It seems I have no luck with my full-sized book ARCs, then again, other books are also hit-miss. Such a shame, I have been looking forward to this book back when I requested it. I haven't read it yet as I wanted to wait until the release date is a bit closer by.

Sadly, this book was just not for me. I thought Elliot, or Ever, was a guy. Especially when her second name was also out in the world... Lawrence. I can imagine if it is a second last name, though I would expect a - between them in that case. I had to re-read the blurb to ascertain that she is actually a she. Sorry, I just have never heard of a girl named Elliot. I only know that as a guy's name. But I guess these days anything can go for names. :P I shouldn't be surprised considering what people are calling their kids (Splinter, Quinoa, or Cedrixviënthely, and yes, those are real names).

The camp sounded fun, though my idea of a camp is a bit different from what they call the camp here. :P

I had a snort at when she spotted someone with a typewriter. She thought he was a ghost or a hipster. Like what? How does that make sense. She even calls him Caspar in her head, which I found a bit rude. Plus later on she keeps calling him hipster ghost and even makes stupid jokes about him in her head. Really girl, is that necessary? Shall we make fun of something you do as well?

And snorted more when she mentioned she is smart but only got a B minus in geometry. Um, you can still be smart even with that, and plus the geniuses I know and read about or watch on TV generally shine in one or two subjects. Not everything that exists in life. :P

But of course if someone looks out of place it is totally OK to laugh and makes stupid jokes? Right. Gee, this girl. And she keeps making remarks about people's outfits or characteristics and I just don't like characters doing that.

It was also ridiculous she just went to that camp without telling anyone.. :|

So yeah, not a book for me. So I am out. Thanks for the chance though. I am glad I at least tried the book.

Perfect for fans of Becky Albertalli, Lily Anderson's Not Now, Not Ever was an absolute delight. Anderson's debut, The Only Thing Worse Than Me Is You was in my Top Ten List of 2016, so I had high expectations for her sophomore book and I'm happy to say it didn't disappoint in the slightest. Quirky and fun, Not Now, Not Ever had me laughing out loud multiple times. It was really lovely to see characters from her previous book pop up in different ways and I also really loved the new characters we're introduced to (particularly Leigh); everyone was delightfully nerdy. I highly recommend you check this one out when it comes out in November (and while you wait for it you should DEFINITELY read The Only Thing Worse Than Me Is You if you haven't yet).

Lily Anderson is 100% an autobuy author for me now.

A very well written book telling the story of Elliot. A girl who is tired of being pressured by her parents and stepmother to accept each other's expectations for her own future and to escape from them, she invents a trip and turns aside to enjoy a nerd camp that promises the winner of the challenges a scholarship in a prestigious college Mixing challenges, revenge and personal competitions .
There Eliiot meets young people of all kinds and meets her nemesis, her cousin who blackmails her at every moment. As the story progresses, Elliot begins to fear that her parents discover her plot and make her give up everything.
I really enjoyed the final message about Elliot's professional choice. I just do not like some parts because there is also a message that young people only get what they want and that it meets the wishes of parents and other adults if they lie or cheat. I found this detail very negative, but this did not take away the brilliance of writing and history itself.

Anderson's debut was one of my favorite YA novels of 2016, so I jumped at the chance to read NOT NOW NOT EVER early. Ny expectations were high, but they weren't disappointed. Elliot was so relatable, and it was a joy to read from her perspective. This book was just as nerdy, fun, and heartwarming as its predecessor. The perfect summer read.

If you haven't had the pleasure of reading THE ONLY THING WORSE THAN ME IS YOU, read it immediately. Seriously. That book, like this one, is a breath of fresh air. Lily Anderson excels at telling the teenage "nerd" experience and telling it well. She uses the backdrop of a literary retelling--for THE ONLY THING, it was Shakespeare's MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING and for NOT NOW, NOT EVER, it's THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST. She deftly combines plots, references and actual quotes from both plays in the stories and does it with such energy and in an entertaining quality that you can't help but want to revisit the original material afterwards and with renewed interest.

Lily Anderson has a way of making us care for characters so fully, as if we've had a series of books to get to know them instead of just one book. I was delighted when old friends from THE ONLY THING WORSE THAN ME IS YOU showed up in NOT NOW, NOT EVER. Though you don't need to read the book first, it definitely adds to the experience.

NOT NOW, NOT EVER introduces readers to Elliot, a seventeen-year-old desperate to strike out on her own for the summer, away from her family and their hopes for her future. She's stuck between her father's wishes for her to be a lawyer and her mother's wishes for her to join the Airforce Academy. All Elliot wants to do is go to the selective private college, Rayevich and if that means running away from home to go to genius camp in order to win an exclusive scholarship, she'll do it. She changes her name and forgoes all memories of home in order to create a new identity for the summer. She doesn't realize that some parts of herself are harder to keep hidden.

I loved this book. Adored this book. Devoured it and savored it just like it's I did for the THE ONLY THING WORSE THAN ME IS YOU. It was wonderful. I adored the references to geek/science fiction and literary culture. I adored the secondary characters who deserve books of their own. I adored everything about the book EXCEPT for the ending. I felt that it was a bit rushed, to be honest. I could have had a hundred more pages at the end to wrap up Elliot's story and hope that we get a chance to revisit it again. Thank you to Lily Anderson for such a wonderful novel and for continuing to tell amazing nerdy and true teenage stories.

Lily Anderson is a goddess. Or a genius. Or both.

Last year's The Only Thing Worse Than Me Is You was at the top of my list for best reads, and I didn't think she could pull off another fantastic nerd story.

I am delighted to tell you that I was wrong.

I have to be honest, there aren't enough good/great geeky girl stories. I mean, the trend is definitely picking up, but not all are brilliant. That's what makes Lily's books so special. From the beginning of both, I was hooked. She has a way with words---and I can't help but get sucked into the world she's created.

Teen geniuses. Nerds. Geeks. Interwoven are POC, diverse sexualities...it really can't get much better!

Now, I was worried about this book. I loved the cast of TOTWTMIY so much. I didn't expect to like this crew as much. And to be honest, I didn't. But they're lovable in their own ways. Plus, hello cameos! That was actually one of the absolute best things about Not Now, Not Ever. Well, besides Elliot/Ever herself. Sort of a jock, but also a nerd, she's just a really kick ass chick. Her group of cam friends all have their own quirks and I found myself LOL constantly while reading.

At the heart of this, though, is a basis of family. And not wanting to disappoint, but also wanting to live your life the way that would make you happy. The entire time Ever was at the camp, I found myself wondering how it would end. Would she win the scholarship? Would she stay with Brandon after it was all over? But, thanks to a "revenge" act (or maybe spite), things get turned upside-down quickly. As it all unravels, I just wanted to hug Ever/Elliot. And tell her it IS okay to disappoint others if it means being true to yourself.

With a brilliantly written and brainy cast, Not Now, Not Ever is a wonderful follow-up to Anderson's debut. I hope she continues writing characters connected to this world, because I'd love the chance to see everyone (again!) a few years down the road.

DNF at 40%. Womp womp :( My contemp rule still holds- if it's taking more than a few days to finish a book, there's an issue (for me). I really liked Ever but there were too many characters otherwise. It was challenging to remember everyone when they weren't given enough space to really develop personalities. I also don't think camp settings are my thing. I loved Lily's first book a lot so this makes me super sad but the lack of connection to anyone aside from the MC makes it hard to want to continue.

What will make you love this book is a variety of real-life characters, the plot about reinventing yourself and sticking out as an individual. Perfect read for the fans of 'The Only Thing Worse Than Me Is You'.

This YA novel with a romantic thread is every bit as wonderful as the author's previous. This one features protagonists mostly seventeen, the summer before senior year of high school. Elliott has sneakily signed up for a summer camp for smart nerds, given at a college that has a famous science fiction section. Her mother expects her to stay with family tradition and go into the military; her step-mother and lawyer father are horrified at the idea and want her to stay close.

So she runs away . . . to summer camp for smart kids, and changes her name to Ever Lawrence. But she discovers to her horror that her incredibly annoying cousin Isaiah, who is not even sixteen, also got in. The two of them pretend to be twins, so that Isaiah won't get booted out, their decision more of a truce, or mutual blackmail, than friendship.

The camp is run by college-age counselors, and it's mostly based on mountains of trivia in a lot of subjects, but surprisingly enough, not math. There's a reason for that, and a mystery, and a beautifully developed romance, and some very sharply realized emotional growing up, which often times smart kids don't have to do, because they intimidate (or fog) everyone around them.

It's funny, full of great characters; Anderson understands smart kids and their warts as well as their great qualities. The mystery gets solved, and Elliott has to make some hard decisions. Terrific voice, great pace, heartfelt moments as well as the fun. So far this author is batting two for two (books I read on NetGalley that I buy for my shelves.)

Copy provided courtesy of NetGalkey