“Wonderful—suspense and surprises, real characters, and a scary, ominous backbeat. This feels like the book Jackson was born to write.” —Lee Child, New York Times bestselling authorNamed a Best Book by USA Today • People • The Wall Street Journal • Time • Entertainment Weekly • Bustle • and many more!From New York Times bestselling author Joshilyn Jackson, a twisting novel of domestic suspense … Journal • Time • Entertainment Weekly • Bustle • and many more!
From New York Times bestselling author Joshilyn Jackson, a twisting novel of domestic suspense in which a group of women play a harmless drinking game that escalates into a war of dark pasts
In this game, even winning can be deadly…
Amy Whey is proud of her ordinary life and the simple pleasures that come with it—teaching diving lessons, baking cookies for new neighbors, helping her best friend, Charlotte, run their local book club. Her greatest joy is her family: her devoted professor husband, her spirited fifteen-year-old stepdaughter, her adorable infant son. And, of course, the steadfast and supportive Charlotte. But Amy’s sweet, uncomplicated life begins to unravel when the mysterious and alluring Angelica Roux arrives on her doorstep one book club night.
Sultry and magnetic, Roux beguiles the group with her feral charm. She keeps the wine flowing and lures them into a game of spilling secrets. Everyone thinks it’s naughty, harmless fun. Only Amy knows better. Something wicked has come her way—a she-devil in a pricey red sports car who seems to know the terrible truth about who she is and what she once did.
When they’re alone, Roux tells her that if she doesn’t give her what she asks for, what she deserves, she’s going to make Amy pay for her sins. One way or another.
To protect herself and her family and save the life she’s built, Amy must beat the devil at her own clever game, matching wits with Roux in an escalating war of hidden pasts and unearthed secrets. Amy knows the consequences if she can’t beat Roux. What terrifies her is everything she could lose if she wins.
A diabolically entertaining tale of betrayal, deception, temptation, and love filled with dark twists leavened by Joshilyn Jackson’s trademark humor, Never Have I Ever explores what happens when the transgressions of our past come back with a vengeance.
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Wonderful—suspense and surprises, real characters, and a scary, ominous backbeat. This feels like the book Jackson was born to write.
I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough! An absorbing, rewarding mystery that will delight Jackson’s loyal readers and entice new fans.
A heart-pounding tale of cat and mouse with twists you won’t see coming. Just when you think you couldn’t be more shocked, Jackson delivers a mind-blowing ending. Riveting!
I’ve read a couple of Jackson’s previous novels but this one takes her in a different direction into psychological suspense and it’s a winner. Pitting two strong-willed female characters against each other in a high-stakes cat-and-mouse game that leads to fireworks, secrets hidden and then revealed, blackmail, and betrayal. As always, Jackson’s characters are finely-crafted and her writing flows, but this time it’s wrapped arond a fast-paced ever-changing plot that had me reading well into the wee hours.
Joshilyn Jackson’s ninth novel, the much anticipated Never Have I Ever (William Morrow July 30, 2019), is yet another showcase for her talents as a storyteller and a writer. As a psychological thriller, this one is a bit of a change of pace and style for Jackson. The humor and charm that graced most of Jackson’s prior novels is traded for suspense in her newest book in which a professional blackmailer targets a happy suburban wife and mother who guards a dark secret. The blackmailer is an elegant, seductive woman with her own burden of dark secrets. Amy, the happy suburban wife and mother, decides to “play the game,” and fight back by blackmailing the black mailer. The ensuring cat-and-mouse game of rapidly escalating tensions makes clear that each woman has too much to lose to capitulate.
Never Have I Ever is a taut, compelling, compulsively readable book. 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.
Notwithstanding that cringe factor, Never Have I Ever is a gripping, gritty book. It might suffer in terms of charm in comparisons to gods in Alabama and Jackson’s earlier books, 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.
A smart, original thriller with real, compelling characters and a chilling reveal. I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough.
The more Roux and Amy became obsessed with each other, the more obsessed I became with the book. Jackson is a master… Fans of Joshilyn Jackson and newcomers alike will eat this book up. I did, and I’m hungry again.
Thanks to Edelweiss , Harper Collins, and Joshilyn Jackson for the ARC of Never Have I Ever. This is, quite possibly, the best book I have read this year!!
I was on the edge of my seat during the reading of this novel. So many twists and turns, so many surprising secrets, and a whopper surprise near the end.
Bravo to Joshilyn Jackson for such a well thought out plot, mysterious undertones, and great characters.
Amy Whey was an interesting heroine, with so many layers. Roux was the perfect villain. Maddy and Luca had an interesting relationship- heartbreaking, too.
Everything started so innocently at Char’s book club in Amy’s basement, and quickly turned terrible. Amy knew from the moment she met Roux, that Roux was trouble. Amy’s instincts were correct, but she didn’t realize the cost to her that came from Roux’s game.
Going from Amy’s childhood to current times, this is a psychological thriller that will keep you guessing!
I loved it!
#NeverHaveIEver #JoshilynJackson #HarperCollins #Edelweiss
A twisty psychological thriller that will keep on surprising you all the way to the end. Just when you think you know, Jackson turns the plot again. Dark and suspenseful, Never Have I Ever is a deep dive into two women’s secrets and how far they’ll go to protect them.
I just finished this book… If you have not read it you need to!!! It had an ending I would have never guessed!! I have met people like Roux, in the “I am better than you” attitude…. not the whole other stuff she was about. This woman was a real piece of work! Amy was my favorite character in this book! This book is going to stay with me for a while and is one of my favorites! Thank you to Joshilyn Jackson for writing such an incredible read!!! Thank you Harper Collins for publishing it!!
I will (and do) read everything Joshilyn Jackson writes—and this new foray into domestic suspense did not disappoint. Every character has a rich backstory; every page holds a surprise; and oh, that voice—no paragraph of narration is wasted. For compellingly written Southern fiction wrapped around a mystery, you won’t find better than this.
Snarky and funny and unsettling. I loved this!
Two women go toe-to-toe in an extortion scheme with a couple of twists I never saw coming. Perfect way to pass a weekend
I listened to this on audio; love Joshilyn’s books as she narrates them. Lots of twists and turns. Great read!
Amy Whey loves the life she’s created for herself after a very troubled time as a child and teenager. She’s married to a good man, mother to an infant son and a teenaged stepdaughter, with whom she has a strong relationship. She’s a scuba diving instructor, active within her community and best friend to her neighbor Charlotte who she adores. Char runs the neighborhood book club but Amy has hosted it in her basement as they grew in attendance. But the night mysterious new neighbor Angelica Roux shows up for the first time, she orchestrates a power shift that is all kinds of sly and crafty. It soon becomes clear to Amy that this woman is trouble and she’ll need her wits to protect all that she treasures from her machinations.
I cannot emphasize enough how emotionally disturbing this story was to me. It’s all due to Roux (as she preferred to be called). She was diabolical and even when I wasn’t all that happy with Amy, I just couldn’t bear seeing her win at her “game.” Amy has lots of explosive secrets from her past, which could disrupt the lives of all those she holds dear. Who is this woman and how did she manage to discover so much about Amy and other neighbors?
This was like foreseeing a highway pileup about to happen and being on the side of the road praying it doesn’t. Amy’s a complicated soul, struggling with her own innate tendencies to fight back using Roux’s tactics. It’s a fantastic challenge between good and evil, and not just between Amy & Roux but within Amy herself and the reader. I really wanted Roux to not win, which is different from losing. You’ll have to read the book for yourself to better understand that distinction. The author narrated her own story and she was way too good at portraying these characters! She got under my skin (can you tell?) with Roux and made me get her in a way I didn’t want. This is the ultimate in psychological thrillers and I’m just glad I made it through and came out on the other side.
(Thanks to HarperAudio for my complimentary copy. All opinions are my own.)
Oh my gosh, I have long been a Joshilyn Jackson fan, but this book takes her into new territory. It is absolutely riveting.
Another super unique story by Joshilyn Jackson! This is my second novel of hers, and I cannot wait for the next. Never Have I Ever is twisty and full of suspense. You think you have things figured out and then bam, the author throws you for another loop! Definitely recommended.
A real page turner!
This book had me on the edge of my seat. Totally twisted, and I didn’t see it coming at all. Definitely recommend.
great read