I thoroughly enjoyed this romcom with its emphasis on second chances and testing the boundary between family and friendship. Robyn is a perfect central character, with a self -deprecating side and an independent but always kind approach to life. You are also introduced to a range of characters. What they all have in common is a desire to be kind to their neighbours and to relish the feeling of community and friendship which seems to spread through the village.

The twins add a lot of interest to the story so that you can compare and contrast the two and see what is appealing to Robyn in the end. I also loved the humour in the story as the generations come together and make it clear that age is not always a barrier to trying out new things. This is a thoroughly enjoyable tread which also involves you into the quandary which Robyn finds herself- which twin to choose?

In short: A rom com to savour.
Thanks to the author for a copy of the book

Mary Jayne Baker is proving to be a Queen of romantic comedy, let me tell ya!

I've been enjoying books by Miss Mary Jayne and couldn't resist when I saw this book floating around on NetGalley. Because it's so good, I even bought myself a copy too! I can't get enough of these super sugary sweet romantic comedies because they are just so feel good! And full of laughs! Man, it's been a long time since I've been able to consistently find romantic comedies that have me giggling! 

So, we have this group of friends who named their little get together group. The Marry, Shag, Kill Group became so many other titles, but finally settled on The Never Have I Ever Club! So a new group is formed and is gonna try to do something new that they always wanted to try! A fair amount of these folks are elderly, and we all know they will have time left in life to learn. This all came about though because Robyn's ex broke up with her, and now she appears to be falling for his twin brother, Will. Did I mention Will's a hot doctor? That totally helps.

This adorable pair slowly begins to fall for each other, and they lean on each other in tough times. They are quite the pair! I liked watching this slow burn romance develop over time, to be brutally honest. It was a great change from the sudden love at first sight books I've been picking up recently. 

There's so many fun pop culture references in this book that it has me grinning. Honestly, I think these books are just a barrel full of fun (or monkeys, whatever quote you want, really). 

My only potential negative is that this book could be a little bit shorter and the story wouldn't have changed. But, that's just my opinion! I still think the book is an absolute delight and it doesn't affect my enjoyment at all.

If you like romantic comedies, this is a fun book to pick up! It's a laugh out loud funny kind of book with a wonderful friendship growing into romance trope that will melt your heart away. I couldn't get enough of this book and I know I'll be following Mary Jayne Baker in the future because I think her books are just fantastic. I am definitely in her reader base! What a talent!

Four out of five stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and Aria for providing me a free copy of this book in exchange of an honest review.

The Never Have I Ever Club by Mary Jayne Baker is a romantic comedy, and my first book by this author.  Robyn Bloom thought Ash Barnes was the love of her life until he announced he was moving to Australia, alone.  Will, Robyn's next door neighbor and Ash's brother, along with Robyn decided to start The Never Have I Ever Club  to help older people fulfill their bucket-list.  Next thing you know Ash is moving home, and he wants Robyn back.  I recommend this book if you enjoy fun romances.  
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

This was a great twist on the love triangle trope - twins! I think the author did a great job of developing the characters and making the feel real.

I have to admit that i had a hard time starting out in the beginning, the biggest thing that made this difficult for me as one of the male characters referring to the main character as a "cow". My experience has always been that this was a super derogatory term, to the same level as calling someone the b-word in America. I looked it up and even reached out to friends who are either english or have lived or currently living in the areas that this story was set in. There are of course times when a friend calls another the b-word and it's acceptable because of the way it's used. This was not the case and It kicked me out of the story and I had to take a moment to come back.

As I said, I enjoyed the characters and honestly wanted to see where things would go and how the story would play out.

This is a great book and the idea of the club is a very original one.
Robyn, after being abandoned by his boyfriend Ash, decides to start a club with the aid of her friends, and Ash's twin brother Will, the "never have I ever club", where everyone shares what they have been wanting to do/learn/visit for a long time, and they all do it together or help each other acomplish it. 

The idea of the club is a very original one, and it has some hilarious moments, as well as some tender ones. 

I love that the story is set in a small village where everybody knows each other. I also enjoyed a lot the side story with Eurovision and Robyn and her aunty being such fans of the show, being myself a bit fan of it too.

** Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for my honest opinion **

I'm really sorry but this book was just really boring. The characters were very plain and they barely developed (only in the end). I didn't feel any chemistry between Robyn and the love interest. Ash was just a pain in the ass, and Robyn's parents were just annoying as well. There were just so many characters that I didn't like and that made it very hard to enjoy the story. 

I loved the addition of the Eurovision Song Contest though! I loooove watching that show and I loved the references. That alone isn't making this a good book but it did add that extra star. I liked the whole Club-idea as well, it was original but I didn't like the execution. I would have loved to read more about it.

I'm glad I finished this book. I was thinking about DNFing, but the end was decent. A bit rushed though and not as satisfying as I would have hoped, but it was okay.

My thoughts
















Narrative and Plot


This Yorkshire village story is charming but a bit long. Robyn Bloom is struggling to move on from her relationship and has her group of friends to back her up. Her next door neighbors - The Barnes brothers - make her life easy and difficult at the same time. In order to get a move on her life, Robyn starts The Never Have I Ever Club. Told from Robyn's and the Barnes' brothers perspective the narrative is easy and simple.


The pacing of the story could have been a bit more refined. The book dwells a lot on deliberate scenes to establish the characters. Yet it doesn't create the necessary impact. At times you feel detached to the story line and the whole idea of dating identical twins is a bit weird. If you've known identical twins that close, no matter what, they look different. At least that's my experience. Coming from that perception I couldn't relate to the whole plot.



Characters and Conflicts


To love or to not. That's the single conflict of the book. This is a coming of age book with people in the thirties. Had the age group been a little bit younger, it would have been a bit more palpable for me. I was not bored by the book just a bit detached.  The side characters I enjoyed, especially Eliot and Winnie.


The entire premise and village community brings a smile to your face. However, being the title, The Never Have I Ever Club could have been more on focus. Everyone in the book chipped in but you never get to see Robyn sharing her carpe diem moment.
The conflict dragged a bit more than what was necessary.



Conclusion


This is a one time read for me. I went in looking for a seize the day kind of story along with a romance. The whole love triangle with identical men just put me off. If  you're going to pick this book, know that this is a romance - a nice family love triangle - with a friends to lovers trope.

Fun, light-hearted romance book with just a hint of steaminess.
This will be an easy book to recommend to readers who enjoy the story leading up to romance, but don't want all the steam of a sexy romance.

This is a tough one for me.  This genre almost always ends with everything in a nice little bow, but my heart just hurt too much all the way through it for the 3 or 4 page ending to make up for it.

At first I felt like Robyn was really leaning heavily into playing the victim card but she seemed to get out of that after the first 20%, but she made some questionable choices leading things on unfairly and unnecessarily.  Will really leaned into the martyr role.  Whilst the two were obviously right for each other, they made such a mess of getting there.  And not messy in a cute, charming, redeeming way.  They are 35 year old adults behaving like reckless early 20s folk.

Star characters for me were Elliot and Winnie, hands down.  They saved this book for me by just being so darn refreshing and hilarious and utter adorableness.

So whilst predictable, and there's nothing wrong with that because I love and live for this genre, this one hurt more than it healed and redeemed.

The Never Have I Ever Club tells the story of childhood friends and the relationships they have with each other. Ending was predictable but the storyline was enjoyable. Fun, light read. 
Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for the advanced copy.

In The Never Have I Ever Club we meet Robyn who is still trying to get over a failed relationship. Her boyfriend Ash called it quits on their relationship and flew halfway across the world. Ouch! There are reminders of him everywhere but especially in the shape of his brother, Will who lives next door. You see Will and Ash are identical twins!

Robyn decides it is time to put the past firmly behind her and first thing on the list is to get her friendship with Will back on track. Then what follows is to start a carpe-diem inspired club. One that will bring everyone in the village together. This is when The Never Have I Ever Club is born! I have to say I loved the idea for the club. Don’t we all have ideas and plans that never seem to get off the ground. The first meeting definitely had some fun moments as the reader gets to hear all kinds of different ideas. Some more extreme than others!

The pace of the story is lovely, there are a few slower paced moments but I think on the whole it all works out pretty well. There is a fun humour throughout which kept me smiling. Along with some lively and interesting minor characters who all helped to bring something to the story. The friendship between Robyn and Will was a definite highlight for me. The more time they spent together the more the sparks began to fly. I really did wonder how it would all end especially with so much history between Robyn and the two brothers. I did kind of wish for more of the club to be featured in the plot. However I loved the parts that were included and I think that all the family drama made an engaging aspect to the story. All in all The Never Have I Ever Club is a lovely, fun and light escape!

Three and a half stars (rounded up to four)

I dnfed this book at 26% because I found the narrator to be whiny and annoying. I could really tell you much about the plot as I didn’t get that far. But the narrator complained about her past sex life- or there lack of - for the first few chapters. I felt as though it was too much info that wasn’t needed to set up the story and was bored by it. Some people might really enjoy this book, but unfortunately, I wasn’t one of them.

Robyn Bloom is trying to move on from her latest relationship. The way to get over heartbreak? Start a club that celebrates trying new things. From massage, to life drawing,  and with most of the village behind her she is about to have a lot of fun. One of the members of the club is her life long friend Will, who she is becoming quite close to, the only problem with that is he is her ex boyfriend’s identical twin brother. As Bucks Fizz says “But soon you will find that there comes a time, for making your mind up.” 

Who doesn’t love a story with Eurovision references?! I enjoyed this immensely. Definitely recommended for a fun weekend read.

Very cute and funny book. It's entertaining and so easy to read. It has the aspect of not wanting to put it down, but more because it's just a breeze to read. It's a great summer read to relax and enjoy.

I have been a fan of Mary Jayne Baker's work for a little while now.  I love the way in which she creates characters and gives them drama but with an injection of humour along the way.  I read the synopsis for 'The Never Have I Ever Club' and it certainly sounded like another amusing read from Mary Jayne Baker.  I was spot on and I thoroughly enjoyed every single second of 'The Never Have I Ever Club' but more about that in a bit.
I absolutely loved the character of Robyn Bloom and I took to her from the first moment I met her.  In fact it didn't take me long to feel as though she had become a friend of mine.  She is the sort of lass that you could easily imagine having a good old gossip with over a cup of tea or a cocktail or seven.  Robyn was in a relationship with Ash Barnes, but he dumped her and went overseas.  The more I learnt about Ash, the more I wanted to chase after him with a pair of rusty, blunt scissors to deal with a certain part of his anatomy before slapping him across the face with a wet fish.  Ash has an identical twin called Will, who is the village GP and the exact opposite in character to Ash.  When Robyn sees Will, all she can see is Ash.  Over time, Robyn does feel herself becoming attracted to Will but Ash reappears like a bad smell and he has decided that he wants Robyn back.  Robyn is lovely and I kept everything crossed that she chose the right twin (not naming names but I don't mean the one with the initial of A).  Does Robyn get the happy ever after ending that she so deserves?  Who will Robyn choose?  Is there a twist to the tale?  Well for the answers to those questions and so much more you are just going to have to read the book for yourselves to find out as I am not going to tell you.
Oh my word, 'The Never Have I Ever Club' was the perfect read for me.  I was feeling a bit fed up and in need of a distraction.  Well this book distracted me and then some.  I started chuckling away to myself at the start of the story and I don't think I stopped for the duration of the story.  I didn't put 'The Never Have I Ever Club' down from the moment I initially picked the book up and began to read until the moment I read the last word on the last page.  I was so enjoying the story that I lost all track of time and I lost track of just how quickly I was getting through the book.  All too quickly, I reached the end of the book and I had to say farewell to Robyn and her friends.
'The Never Have I Ever Club' is really well written.  As I indicated at the beginning, I loved the way in which Mary Jayne Baker combines the drama and the romance with a healthy dose of humour along the way.  Once Mary Jayne Baker had my attention, she wouldn't let me have it back until I had finished the book.  I felt as though I was part of the story and that's all thanks to Mary Jayne Baker's fantastic writing and storytelling.
In short, I thoroughly enjoyed reading 'The Never Have I Ever Club' and I would definitely recommend it to other readers.  I will be reading more of Mary Jayne Baker's work in the future.  The score on the Ginger Book Geek board is a very well deserved 5* out of 5*.

I knew I was going to enjoy this, after reading A Question of Us and loving it. Ms Baker's characters are down to earth and realistic; they are also hilarious. I adored the style and tone of her writing, and that's without bringing the seriously funny moments into the equation.

Who can resist a main character who can describe to her bessie mates (one of them a fella) having her bits examined by a doctor wearing the same face as the man she loved and who dumped her.  As an opening chapter, it was ace.

There is no saccharine sweetness about this story  - it is modern and honest,  and thoroughly engrossing, with some seriously deranged old age pensioners thrown in for good measure.

This book had so many things I love in a book for example the love triangle, small town, small tight group of friends, but for some reason it just fell flat for me. 

I guess looking back at it nothing exciting really happened. Nothing stood out as big event or turning point. If anything the main story line in the love triangle aspect of the book was pretty anti climatic. 

My favourite characters were side characters that really had no real substantial part in the story line but they stood out to me as interesting and memorable characters and they were arty and elliot. 

Also do British people really say love and poor cow that much? Serious question...

Robyn thought Ash was the love of her life – until one day he announced he was leaving her to fly halfway across the world.

Months later, Robyn is struggling to move on, but then she starts The Never Have I Ever Club. Her neighbor Will helps her bring their fellow neighbors together for some carpe-diem-inspired fun.  It doesn't take long for Robyn to realize what – or who – her heart truly desires: Will.

There's just one problem: he's Ash's twin brother.  Make that two problems: Ash is moving home... and he wants Robyn back.

This book was delightful and hilarious!  It was the perfect rom-com.  The real premise is to really live your life to the fullest.  I thoroughly enjoyed this one and will have to read the other book by this author!

Thanks to NetGalley and Aria for providing and eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really wanted to like this book - the premise is so promising! After her boyfriend leaves her for a woman 10 years younger than her, Robyn Bloom starts a "bucket list" club in her village. There are some laugh out loud funny moments as the club members cross items off their list, including life drawing, learning to sail, and a burlesque dance class. Unfortunately for most of the book, it felt very surface-level and I couldn't make any emotional connections or attachments to the main characters (with the exception of Elliot and Winnie). The book is also quite long and could have been more tightly written without losing much of the plot. I would rate this book 2.5 stars - rounded up to three because there were some genuinely funny moments and some of the side characters were enjoyable.

Thanks to NetGalley and Aria Books for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

I would like to thank Aria for asking me to review this book and to be apart of the blog tour. 
The Never Have I Ever Club is properly not a book I would normally pick up to read, from the point of view of the cover but upon reading the blurb I was intrigued. The main reason I picked up this book to read though is the author as I love a good book by Mary Jayne Baker. 
Robyn feels like her life is going no where, her job is not the most exciting and her boyfriend has just left her for a younger women and buggered off to Australia, leaving her back in Yorkshire. It does not help that Robyn lives next door to her ex boyfriend Ash's brother. Twin brother! Will loves his brother but he is always the one picking up the pieces after him, as the local GP he cannot understand his brother behaviour. 
Robyn creates the Never Have I Ever Club with help from Will and together they bring locals together to tick of some bucket list activities, creating some much need fun. However, Robyn realises that the twin she really wants is Will, the one that has been with her supporting her all this time but Ash is returning and believes her has made a mistake!   
A brilliant plot and a page turner filled with some laugh out loud moments. I did feel this did not have the normal magic expected from Mary Jayne Baker but it was still a great read and one I would recommend.