Unfortunately I just couldn’t get into this book. I didn’t really like any of the characters and I found it very uneventful. It’s a shame as I was really looking forward to this one!

The book revolves around Amy Whey, an overweight teenager now grown up with her own family. Amy is happily getting on with her life when glamorous new comer Roux arrives at their suburban book club and begins a game of Never Have I ever. Unfortunately, Amy has a dark past which she worries may be unravelled. 

The reader is told the story from Amy as a teenager and Amy as an adult, and if I am honest I was more interested in the storyline about Amy the teenager.

The book didn't really grab me, I felt this book was too descriptive and went on a little too long and that took away from the storyline. There was a lot of description about diving which isn't a personal interest of mine but I still managed to read it all. I didn't see a lot of the twists coming though so props to the writer. 

I think other people will enjoy this atmospheric psychological twister

This book is about a group of mature female friends who play a game of Never have I ever.
 
One of the friends is a newcomer to the group and decides to stir things up with some information that she holds regarding one of the other ladies past life, and then starts to blackmail her.
 
It keeps you in suspense at first and then about a quarter of the way through it reveals the plot.
I was quite pleased that I managed to guess the outcome.
 
I think this could have maybe waited a little while longer, as I lost a little interest  
once the plot was revealed. It did keep me hooked enough to finish the book thou, as I wanted to know the outcome, Did she succeed or didn’t she !
I felt the book concentrated more on the authors past life of scuba diving than getting on with the story and I don’t think this worked because this seemed to confuse me somewhat.
Apart from the boring bits about scuba diving, the book was quite good and was written well and had a true to life story and characters. It was a mostly entertaining story about deception and betrayal and how your past secrets can creep up on you.
I think the book would be a good holiday read.

A very sinister read. 

Amy has her perfect life and is very happy with it.  

A new neighbour, Roux  arrives and comes to the book club and takes over.  Once the alcohol is flowing, Roux soon has the local women telling their secrets during a games of Never Have I Ever.  Except that Amy realises that Roux already knows about her secrets and if Amy doesn't give Roux what she wants, her life may never be the same again.

A seemingly innocent game to liven up bookclub turns into a tense game of cat and mouse as one woman threatens to reveal a long-buried secret. How far will Amy go to protect the fragile life she’s built for herself? A good choice for fans of twisting, suspense-packed thrillers.

I was really looking forward to reading this book and it was such a satisfying read. It follows Amy Whey who seems to have the perfect life, and she seems to be quite a perfect person. She lets her friend Charlotte host a book club in her house and one night a new neighbour, Roux, turns up and really shakes this group up by suggesting they play never have I ever and work back to revealing the worst thing they’ve ever done. Amy is immediately nervous and it’s apparent that she has skeletons in her closet. The novel then becomes a cat and mouse game as Amy and Roux try to outwit each other. I’m going to be honest here and say that while I was really drawn in by the opening to this book I did struggle with picking it back up whenever I’d put it down. Having said that there is a point about halfway through where it grabbed me and I read from there to the end in one sitting. It’s a clever thriller and something a bit different so I recommend it.

This is my first novel by this author but I definitely want to read more.

This is the intriguing tale of Amy, who is living a quiet suburban life with her family and the mysterious Roux. Roux and her son's arrival in the neighbourhood threatens the life that Amy has built, based on omissions and half truths. It also has ripples which is felt by the neighbourhood 

This novel had me feeling the anxiety and fear of exposure that Amy experiences. The story opens up in a way that is unexpected whilst the characters develop and become real to the reader. The telling of the tale from different perspectives and time scale adds to the reality.

I would recommend this to readers who like the unexpected in the everyday ordinary

Never Have  I Ever has an intriguing beginning. It sucks you in straight away. Roux a wild and troublesome character does pave the way for destruction. Amy keeping a secret she thought forgotten is bought to the surface by Roux's very presence. A great read. Could not put it down.

I enjoyed this book which sets itself in suburbia but has a dark side.  I very much liked the character of Amy and was routing for her as she tried to keep her well constructed happy life on track while Roux was determined to undermine her.  The characters were well defined and believable. A well written easy read.

A thriller that keeps you turning the page, a bit slow and drawn out at points but overall I enjoyed it.

Right from reading the blurb for this book I knew I wanted to read it !!

Amy lives with her husband, stepdaughter and young baby. All is going well until book club !! Amy’s best friend runs the local book club with all the neighbours but one evening a new neighbour, Roux, turns up and everything changes. Roux tries to take over proceedings and by the end of the evening some of the neighbours are playing a game ‘Never Have I Ever’, not a great game to play when the drink has been flowing !! 

What follows is a game of cat and mouse between Amy and Roux. There is a long buried secret fighting to get out but will it be revealed ? What other secrets and lies have people told or hidden ?

A great psychological thriller with some brilliant twists and reveals that you just won’t see coming.

Thank you to Raven Books and NetGalley for a digital copy of this book.

Woah just woah 😶 I have recently finished this book thanks to netgalley. I really liked the idea of this book and thought the storyline was brilliant but I felt it went on a little longer than it should have, I felt myself starting to lose interest at certain points, but I couldn't stop reading, I needed to find out how it all ended and wow I was not expecting that ending AT ALL, still processing it all now.  Brilliant book. Thank you!!! I hope to add full reviews to my blog asap.

A well written, tense thriller with lots of twists and turns.  Possibly a bit too long with too much backstory but I enjoyed it very much.

This is centered around a book club that meets up regularly in Amy Whey's house.  Part of the fun of their evenings together is the camaraderie with drink and food in abundance.  One difference on this particular evening was the arrival of neighbour Angelica Roux.

At Roux's instigation, they placed a game of “never did I ever”.  She appears to know something about Amy and this makes her feel uncomfortable.

When Roux announces at a later date that Amy must play by her rules, then she will go away with her son.  He was already showing interest in Amy's step-daughter.

Amy has a lot to lose as her life is going well.  Her husband is a professor and she is happy with his daughter and their own young son.

A game of cat and mouse begins with an enormous amount to be lost, but Amy is not prepared to give up.

This is a well-told story and the pace is fast and will keep the reader engaged throughout.

I chose to read this book and all opinions in this review are all my own and completely unbiased.  My thanks to NetGalley for this opportunity.

Thanks to Netgalley and Raven books for a copy of “ Never have I ever “ for an honest review.
As has been mentioned this seems very reminiscent of  episodes from the tv series Desperate Housewives.
I struggled to get into this book and I was disappointed because I expected to enjoy the story more than I did from reading the synopsis ,
An average  3 star rating from me.

Good, light beach read. Well placed thriller and easy to read. The characters felt a bit one dimensional though, but it's still an enjoyable read.

Amy Whey has a good life. Happily married to  Davis, helping raise her stepdaughter Maddie, and their baby son Oliver, this family is all she could wish for. She's a popular member of the small community, she runs a dive club, is best friends with Charlotte and is a member of a thriving book club. It is at one particular book club meeting that Roux, the New Kid on the Block, shows up and within minutes takes over, insinuating herself into the group with much alcohol and a seemingly silly game she calls “Never Have I Ever” in which she demands each woman tells of the worst thing she has ever done.   Amy is not about to spill her secret, a secret so dreadful she hasn't even told Davis, and now here's this mysterious, sly, strange woman who seems able to see right through Amy's carefully constructed veneer....

Who is Roux? Where did she spring from? Amy is determined to find out before Roux destroys all she holds dear.

There are a few too many implausible  coincidences, but the writing is really good with touches of black humour. I like the construction and characterisation, but overall I felt it lost pace because it was too drawn out.  Having said that, it is good, it's different and most of the time it did hold my attention.

A Book Club turns into a situation, initiated by a new member. She gets the rest tipsy and they have to talk about the worst thing they have ever done. Not for the fainthearted!

This book is a veritable maze of twists and turns. Every time I thought I had things straightened out in my head I would hit another dead end. As well as a plot that had me rushing around corners there was some great characterisation. By the end of that first book club meeting I could see all the players from uber organised, slightly prissy Charlotte to former prom queen Tate and her entourage of mean girls. This all kept me turning the pages late into the night until I reached the shocking climax. An absolutely brilliant book from an author whose name was new to me but whose work I googled as soon as I put this book down.

Review posted on Goodreads and Amazon

Book blurb...
It starts as a game at a book group one night. Never Have I Ever... done something I shouldn't. 
But Amy Whey has done something she shouldn't. And Roux, the glamorous newcomer to Amy's suburban neighbourhood, knows exactly what that is. 
Roux promises she will go away. She will take herself and her son, who is already growing dangerously close to Amy's teenage stepdaughter, and she will go. If Amy plays by her rules. 
But Amy isn't prepared to lose everything she's built. She's going to fight back, and in this escalating game of cat and mouse, there can be only one winner.
My thoughts…
Wow! I was so drawn into this book. It was like being a character in the middle of the domestic mess, created by some powerful conflict.

I so felt for Amy. She has a past (as we all do) but hers is such that if revealed the truth will hurt a lot of people she loves. So, of course that’s exactly what happens when the author introduces a character to test and push Amy to her max.

This novel is so well plotted and written in such a way I felt a part of the game being played.  I particularly enjoyed the scuba diving experiences and the way the author used the concept of being under water to symbolise a place to breathe and win back your strength.  I almost want to get certified to dive.

Definitely one for the TBR pile.