I am a huge fan of Joshlyn Jackson, so as soon as I heard she had a new book coming out, it was on my list to read ASAP! Never Have I Ever did not disappoint!
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The book begins with Amy hosting book club. When, new neighbor Roux decides to join
she also takes over with a game similar to Never Have I Ever. What follows is a game of cat and mouse with the two women. Most of the time you don’t know which one is which, who is playing who? There were a lot of surprises in this book, and there was a couple of times that I thought to myself “I have no idea where this is going, must keep reading!”. Needless to say, it was a fast, enjoyable read!

Never Have I Ever is a novel about Amy Whey, who lives in a desirable suburban neighborhood. She is deliriously happy with her storybook life and her perfect family – a devoted and successful husband, their precocious infant some and their outgoing and popular stepdaughter. She has a great circle of friends, a perfectly satisfying job and lives the ideal life she had long imagined. . . until her life is threatened to be destroyed by a woman who knows a dark and dangerous secret from Amy's past.

Joshilyn Jackson has written a thoroughly creepy and dark suspenseful novel that I really enjoyed. It's all about unearthed secrets and lies, unexpected betrayals, and deception. Do we really know our friends? Do they really know us? Do we chose to live behind protective facades and masks in hopes of fooling others and ourselves? Are we ever safe from our past?

When the mysterious Angelica Roux , a new neighbor uninvitedly enters and takes over Amy's best friend's book club, life is unexpectedly catapulted into chaos. The book discussion quickly tumbles into a dark hole fueled by alcohol and a revealing game of Never Have I Ever... and long-hidden secrets are revealed with unforeseen consequences. The real target of the game, however, is Amy – who has dangerous secrets of her own that would destroy her perfect life. Angelica confronts Amy after everyone leaves and reveals she knows the truth about what Amy did years ago—and she’ll expose that horrible secret if Amy doesn’t give her exactly what she wants.

I enjoyed the book because of Joshilyn Jackson's smart, taut writing and great plotting. The book moves along without seeming rushed. While the two primary characters are deeply drawn, the supporting characters are hardly ignored, especially Amy's stepdaughter, who is a kick in the pants. The suspense is unrelenting, the twists and turns unpredictable she knows how to propel you into the next chapter. Best of all I never saw the ending coming.

Many thanks to Net Galley and Bloomsbury Publishing Pl for sending me an uncorrected proof of the e Book in exchange for an honest review. The book was a lot of fun! Perfect for anyone who wants to escape into someone else's reality.

Submitted to Southern Literary Review. I will post the link once it is published, but in the meantime please do not use or post this review until it is published. Also have posted shorter reviews at Goodreads, Bookbub and Amazon.


With her debut novel some fourteen years ago, Joshilyn Jackson established herself as a phenomenal author. In that debut, gods in Alabama (Warner Books 2005), pathos, suspense, and humor were well balanced in a story about a young Southern woman gone north, only to return home to Alabama to confront the demons she left behind—and to introduce her black boyfriend to her maybe not quite so progressive family. The book was a delight.

Jackson returns now with her ninth novel, the much anticipated Never Have I Ever (William Morrow July 30, 2019), yet another showcase for her talents as a storyteller and a writer. This one is a bit of a change of pace and style for Jackson. The humor and charm that graced gods in Alabama, and most of Jackson’s other prior novels, is less apparent. Notwithstanding that, Never Have I Ever is a taut, compelling, compulsively readable book. A psychological thriller, the novel pits a seductive, elegant woman who happens to be a professional blackmailer against her “client” in a cat-and-mouse game of rapidly escalating tensions.

The building suspense is palpable and executed with the skills of an expert author. Each character in the story has much at risk. But the final twist at the end has a cringe factor that many of Jackson’s fan might not expect, or appreciate. It’s definitely a surprise twist, but it reads almost as if shock value was the goal.

In contrast to the unreliable narrator trend in thrillers these days, Jackson presents her readers with a starkly honest and cleared-eyed protagonist. Amy Whey, outwardly a decent, happy woman, has a baby, a husband, and a teenage step-daughter, all of whom she loves devotedly, and a career as a deep-sea diver. Amy’s unabashed delight in her suburban life style is both plot and character. But Amy guards a devastating secret from her unhappy adolescence as an unloved, overweight substance abuser. Enter the professional blackmailer who demands Amy’s net worth (a trust fund left her by her grandmother) in exchange for keeping that secret.
Amy is determined to keep the targeted funds not for selfish reasons, but to be a safety net for her best friend forever, neighbor Charlotte. The best friend Charlotte is pregnant and her husband might not be the best bet for the long haul, so Amy is determined to protect her funds in the event Charlotte needs them. Driven by this altruistic motive, yet equally motivated to protect her secret, Amy decides to “play the game,” and to blackmail the blackmailer right back. This means Amy must become her own detective as devious at rooting out the blackmailer’s own dark secrets as the blackmailer herself.

Neither Amy nor the blackmailer—an elegant woman known as Roux—are predictable, which makes them both equally fascinating. Amy’s desire to do the right thing constantly clashes with her equally desperate desire to protect her secret, and this conflict makes for some interesting inner dialogues. Roux remains elusive, and her backstory is never fully revealed thought tantalizing hints are given. In keeping with Amy’s acute self-awareness, the dark secret of her teenage years is revealed early in the novel, but there is still plenty of suspense amidst the layers of other deceits, betrayals and secrets.

Amy’s conundrum forces her to weight significance risks against other significant risks. The dragon or the whirlpool. Or, as she herself states in the novel, “I might wring out a way to save my family from Roux only to find I’d wrecked it thoroughly myself in the process.”
The sweet, warm-hearted center of the novel are Amy’s step-daughter Maddie and the teenage boy Roux introduces as her son. Spunky, straight girl, Maddie, at 15, has an innocence about her that is at once at risk when the stunningly beautiful and sexy teen boy Luca appears early on and drives Maddie to school—against the household rules. Amy knows Luca is a cause of concern the moment she lays eyes on the mysterious young man, but how much of a problem she didn’t fully appreciate initially. Still, Amy quips at the get-go: “He looked like central casting had sent over Boy Trouble.”

One of Jackson’s unique talents is writing about teenagers. She does it so well it’s somehow as if she lives inside her characters. Maddie is no exception, and is a scene-stealer throughout the book. Luca is less developed, but that’s part of the plot too. Like Roux, Luca remains elusive. Still, as Amy observes, “All teenagers were a whole and secret world unto themselves, and they revolved around each other.”
There’s a gut-wrenching deep-sea diving rescue scene which brings Amy’s choices into shark contrast. Yet for all the dramatic tension in the diving scenes, the more gut-wrenching decision for Amy is to save herself at the risk of injuring her relationship with Maddie. She is fiercely protective of Maddie, who in turn adores her too, but Maddie knows something that might help Amy win in the game against Roux. But what price would she pay if she presses Maddie into talking?

For all the intrigue and mounting suspense, there’s a blatant contrivance planted in the plot that is hard to accept. Jackson must know this because she goes to extraordinary lengths to justify just how this situation developed. Yet, as important to the plot and character motivation as the contrivance is—it remains (at least to this reviewer) just outside the limits of a willing suspension of belief. Like the cringe-worthy twist at the end, it seems just a little unworthy in the plotting for an author of such talent.
Yet, for the flaws, Never Have I Ever is a gripping, gritty book. It might suffer in terms of charm in comparisons to gods in Alabama, but it is an edge-of-your-seat thriller, with a bucket load of twists and turns, rich with Jackson’s own crisp writing, and well worth the reading.
Never Have I Ever is the ALA Library Reads Pick, SIBA Okra Pick, one of CrimeReads’ “Most Anticipated Crime Books of Summer” and is a recommended summer read by Wall Street Journal, Atlanta-Journal Constitution, Pop Sugar, Deep South Magazine, Book Bub, Atlanta Magazine, Atlanta Intown, The Augusta Chronicle, and She Reads.

Jackson New York Times and USA Today bestselling novelist, is the author of nine books, including gods in Alabama, The Almost Sisters, and Between, Georgia. Her work has been translated into more than a dozen languages, and Jackson is also an award-winning audiobook narrator.

Loved this book. Was very easy to get into. the story was great. Had me hooked from beginning to end. Can't wait to read more by this author.

Amy has a deep secret that only one other person in the world is supposed to know. But someone else somehow does know, and she is threatening to ruin Amy’s life with that knowledge. Amy has worked hard to keep her secret hidden, and she has no intention of allowing someone reveal it. But she may have to. Thus, sets up a frightening version of the old slumber party game “Never Have I Ever.” The thriller genre is new for Joshilyn Jackson, and she handles it extremely well. Although, I did guess a twist or two, the ending came as a surprise. There were more than one subplots, some told better than others, as well as some characters I could have done without. However, over all, this story told in first person by Amy, works quite well. The main thing that dropped it to 3.5 stars (which i rounded up to 4 stars for this review) for me was one icky thing that happened toward the end. I won’t say more to avoid spoilers, except that, although I had already suspected it, I found it completely unnecessary for the overall plot, and very distasteful. A free copy of this book was provided to me by HarperCollins Publishers via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.
⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2

Joshilyn Jackson and her novels are known for their compelling characters, laugh-out-loud humor and surprisingly dark undercurrents. But in NEVER HAVE I EVER, she tries her hand at something new: suspense. Through the eyes of Amy Whey, a contented housewife with a secret past, Jackson asks readers to remember the worst thing they have ever done, and then consider what they would do to keep that information out of their enemy’s hands.

Amy is many things: a happy wife, a stepmother to a teenage daughter, a new mother to an infant and a scuba enthusiast. Having been teased and ridiculed by her peers and disappointed parents as a teen for her weight, Amy finally feels like she has it all, including her best friend, Charlotte, who hosts their cul-de-sac’s book club. Charlotte, who is heavily pregnant, is welcoming guests one night when a new member shows up: the sultry, sexy Angelica Roux, who is renting a house down the street. The women are all immediately unsettled by Roux --- half of them want to despise her, while the other half wants to be her.

With a deft, manipulative hand, Roux quickly takes charge of the evening, getting the women drunker and sloppier as she asks them to share first the worst thing they did that day, then the worst thing they did last week, and so on. Her grown-up version of the popular slumber party game “Never Have I Ever” seems playful at first, but it quickly turns catastrophic. As the women start to reveal dark secrets that could affect their friendships, Amy rushes to put a stop to things, but Roux is not done playing her game --- because Amy has a bigger secret than all of them, and Roux knows it.

Through careful manipulations and a keen sense of the neighborhood balance, Roux begins to blackmail Amy, threatening to reveal her secret and upend her entire life. But Amy is not only a loving wife and devoted mother, she, too, is fierce and cunning, and will not let this woman destroy her life. Roux, who reveals herself to be a career blackmailer, is equal parts shocked and delighted to find a worthy opponent in Amy, and the two begin a sort of duel of minds. Their back and forth, their banter and their quiet admiration for one another is the meat of the book, and one of the best relationships I have ever read in any thriller or work of women’s fiction. With the two of them angling to stay one step ahead of one another while trying to turn away the attentions of their neighbors, the novel takes on a dramatic, page-turning pace that will have readers thinking, Just one more chapter...

NEVER HAVE I EVER is told in alternating chapters that slowly reveal Amy’s secret past to the reader --- with plenty of red herrings, of course. Even though she is no longer the reckless teen she once was, Amy has made conscious decisions to keep aspects of her history separate from her loved ones, including her husband and Charlotte, so she is not a totally innocent victim in Roux’s twisted games. But Roux, too, is hiding darker secrets beyond her unusual career path. Both women are obsessed with redemption: Roux believes she is granting it to her victims by allowing them to “pay” (literally) for their mistakes, and Amy is desperate to forgive herself and do right by her new life.

Redemption is a common theme in Jackson’s novels, but here she amplifies it tenfold and adds some serious edge-of-your-seat twists that will keep readers completely mesmerized by the direction the story takes. This is one of those rare books that gets better and better with each twist, and Jackson strikes the perfect balance between shock and humor while drawing upon heavy, poignant themes that will make for stellar book club conversations.

In addition to questioning what her main character will do to protect her secrets, Jackson explores unconventional family structures, female friendships and, surprisingly, the beauty of the deep sea. Amy’s love of scuba diving is a necessary and gorgeous foil to the darkness of Roux’s game, and it truly highlights Jackson’s ability to craft a believable, relatable character, complete with flaws and quirky hobbies. As much as I loved the thrill of the chase, I found Amy’s escapes into the sea to be some of the strongest and most enjoyable portions of the book.

All of Jackson’s trademark elements are present here: the structure of a family, the desperate need for redemption and, of course, her signature sense of humor. But this is still not your ordinary Joshilyn Jackson novel; this is Jackson on steroids. She is at the absolute top of her game, and NEVER HAVE I EVER is a thrilling new direction for this fan favorite and critically admired writer. If you have never had the pleasure of reading one of Jackson's books before now, you have discovered her at the perfect time.

Never Have I Ever is a fabulous read. It may not be exactly what we are used to from Joshilyn Jackson, but it is just as good as usual. New neighbor, Roux, really creates drama during the safe, comfortable neighborhood book club meeting. She gets the alcohol flowing and pulls everyone into a game of Never Have I Ever. (Probably not a good idea for adult suburban moms with secrets in their past) Regardless of the topic, Joshilyn Jackson is a great storyteller. Thanks to NetGalley and William Morrow for an ARC.

WHOA! 😯 I had a hard time pausing this audiobook, I was hooked! Am I crazy for feeling like it was a little bit a less violent, less serial killer-y Killing Eve? I’m so not into domestic noir, which this was not, but it had tinges of that category and yet felt like a very fresh and different take. Definitely some content warning and crazytown characters, so consider yourself warned.

Never Have I Ever keep me on the edge of my seat. If you have ever played the games truth or dare or never have I ever then you know how secrets can be easily revealed, especially if alcohol is involved. Roux is a master of the game and before you know if she has dirt on the group and uses the information to her advantage. How far will you go to keep your secrets from coming out?

Amy Whey is a seemingly ordinary wife and mother. She teaches diving lessons, bakes for new members of the neighborhood, and helps her best friend run the local book club. Her life seems uncompleted until newest neighbor Angelica Roux arrives to attend the book club. She introduces herself to the group by convincing them to play her version of never have I ever. Amy is intrigued until she realizes Roux is a blackmailer com to expose dangerous secrets from her past. Amy must either pay up or quickly learn to play Roux's games or else her perfect life will come crashing down around her.

A thrill ride of psychological warfare between two women who are matching wits and perfecting their lies in a game of "chicken" that has ever escalating stakes.

It's never a great idea to combine lots of alcohol and a group of women getting together away from husbands and kids for an evening of book club. The group is usually kept on track by Charlotte who prints the questions and runs the discussion. On a particular night, however, the usual meet and chat is interrupted and thrown off course by a new neighbor, the bewitching Roux. Instead of the typical lackluster discussion on a book that few have actually read, on this evening, Roux takes control and soon has the members drunk and revealing their secrets. Secrets are the currency that Roux uses to manipulate and control and she has set her mark onto Amy Whey. And the secrets Amy has been keeping for years can't be revealed, but what will it cost her to keep Roux quiet? NO SPOILERS.

This was a slow build of tension leading to quite a few interesting revelations, and a surprising turn of events at the end made the conclusion quite satisfactory. I was really unable to anticipate where this was going to go and it took me places I never expected. I really enjoyed the information and description of the deep sea diving in particular. The characters were quite well developed and the writing was excellent. The premise was quite intriguing and, though you'd never catch me out playing a game such as that one, I know that others like that sort of thing for some reason. I like my privacy too much! "There was such solace hidden in confession." Thank you, but no, I think there is nothing that could compel me, but Amy has no choice as Roux already knows Amy's secrets. It's definitely a new twist on blackmail technique! I hope you enjoy it as much as I did -- it's a very quick read and hard to put down.

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins Publishers for the e-book ARC to read and review.

Joshilyn Jackson kept me on the edge of my seat with this one. If you've ever played two truths and a lie, or never have I ever you know where this book starts. It seems so innocent, a game that middle schoolers play, and before Amy Whey knows exactly what hit her, her darkest, deepest secret is threatening to destroy her life. How did Roux find out? The twists and turns of this thriller will keep you up reading late into the night.

Amy Whey is just a housewife hosting a neighborhood book club... until new neighbor, Angelica Roux, shows up and threatens to ruin everything with a secret from Amy’s past. Will Amy be able to keep her family and her best friend if they know her darkest secret? This book had many twists and every time I thought I knew where it was headed, I was proved wrong! This is a very compelling read and would be great for readers of Paula Hawkins and Laura Lippman.

Joshilyn Jackson is a great writer with an enormous sense of humor. Her character development is exceptional. You always get the feeling that you know each of her characters - flaws and all.
I have read most of Jackson's novels and love them - the characters, the humor, the southern flair - all make her work captivating.
But I have to say I wasn't really on board during the first few chapters of this newest novel. Never Have I Ever is a secrets game - and one character in the story makes a living by finding out secrets and using extortion to profit from them. The protagonist does have a secret and it is a pretty big one but I keep thinking she just needed to tell her family the truth. They obviously loved her and with love comes forgiveness. I almost gave up on the novel because I couldn't fathom why the character couldn't just get over herself and tell her story. But I'm glad I didn't give up. As I got further into the novel, I realized that there is actually more to the secrets and that the issues are deeper than first observed. The protagonist does eventually show that she has a backbone. Twists and turns abound in the second part of the story. This is where the action ramps up and the plot thickens. It turned out to be an entertaining physiological page-turner!

A sexy new neighbor Roux threatens to ruin housewife Amy Whey's idyllic life unless she pays up. But Amy is not the pushover Roux expected.

The parts of this book I enjoyed most were the scuba diving descriptions and Amy's passion for diving. Otherwise, I really had a hard time buying into the whole plot and Amy's immediate expertise at derailing her blackmailer. But thanks to this book--I'm going to look into diving lessons!

I stayed up late to finish this last night. It's a book I've been eagerly anticipating and it did not disappoint! I will admit that I've read all of the books by this author so perhaps I was predisposed to enjoy this one. I did notice that the author went in a new direction with the plot of this book, jumping off from the contemporary southern wit/family angst into mystery/thriller territory. I'm impressed that the main character has quite a few character flaws, yet keeps the reader pulling for her. I loved the parts about diving in the book, the thought has always scared me but I still find it fascinating.

This book is a story of manipulation and black mail in a small neighborhood between the women who live there. Amy is living a seemingly happy life in suburbia with her family and during her monthly book club meeting a newcomer starts a drinking game and everything starts to unravel. This book is fast paced and keeps you guessing. Amy is never ready to give up on the life that she has so carefully built for herself. Get ready to play the game!

Joshilyn Jackson has moved into new territory with “Never Have I Ever.” Her previous novels have been family dramas centered in the South while this book is a psychological thriller. Her emotionally insightful and expressive writing, and well-developed and realistic characters are still present, but the suspense adds another valuable element. The only drawback for me was the slow beginning, but once the action picks up I was totally hooked. This is an auspicious suspense debut from Jackson and I recommend it both to fans of her previous books and to thriller readers who are looking for a new and compelling voice.

My review was posted on Goodreads on 8/13/19.

I had a very challenging time getting into this book because of the amount of self-hate the main character had for herself regarding her "fat" days. Body image is something that some people really struggle with. I had to stop reading this book unfortunately. I hope to be able to pick it up again at some point and think maybe reading a physical copy instead of it on my iPad may help.

I love Joshilyn Jackson's books. She has such a way of writing about family, conflict, and life. Her characters just come to life. This one was no different. I was hooked from the beginning. There were a couple of twists that kept things fresh and exciting.