Representation: N/A
Trigger warnings: N/A
Score: Four out of ten.
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What a disappointment that was.

I wanted to read Never, Never cowritten by Colleen Hoover and Tarryn Fisher, but I put it off for a few months before finally picking it up at a library. I glanced at the blurb, which didn't seem too intriguing, as it is only a romance. I lowered my expectations after seeing the low ratings and when I closed the final page, it was underwhelming.

Before I begin: Never, Never was three separate novellas, before being combined into one singular novel, which is the reason the chapter numbers reset each time I read a new part. Anyway. It starts with Charlie Wynwood and Silas Nash in a relationship in the opening pages, until all their memories of them being together were gone, perhaps due to someone wiping part of their memories.

Now, Charlie and Silas must figure out why they seemingly forgot they were together for the remainder of the narrative, but Hoover and Fisher missed many opportunities to improve it. Never, Never is a YA romance. It could've been an epic combination of multiple genres, including sci-fi and mystery, but it predominantly focuses on the more realistic aspects. Why? I'm unsure. Hoover is a popular author but I've only read one of her creations a few days ago, making me think I missed the hype, but her other works could either be at, below or above the level of Never Never, but I can't say for sure until I read more from her.

The characters could've been improved as they lacked depth and I couldn't go deeper into them, but putting more of that could improve the reading experience, and Charlie and Silas didn't have any chemistry. The pacing is slow for a story under 300 pages, even with the premise of a sci-fi mystery which the authors never used. There isn't any page time dedicated to any side characters, but there's a lot of time where Charlie and Silas are in a relationship. Adding them would provide a break from the protagonists. I might read from these authors again, but I'll lower my expectations from here. ( )

That's definitely an art, Hoover is an amazing writer, no doubt. ( )

One morning in the middle of class, Charlize Wynwood suddenly realizes that she doesn't remember anything about herself, including her name, where she lives, or where she is right now. At the same time, in the same class, Silas Nash is realizing exactly the same thing. Once they start to piece things together, Charlie and Silas grasp that they are in the same boat, and they are going to need to work together to figure out what is happening to them. The more they determine about themselves and their recent past, the more they recognize that they had both been in crisis for quite some time.

Never Never is one of the strangest books I've ever read. The suspension of disbelief is a necessity to enjoy this book because without it, the story comes to a grinding halt. There are many exceptional elements to this book, the best being the self examination that Charlie and Silas do throughout the story. However, there are some parts of the plot that just don't work. The thought processes of the main characters seem too mature to be high school students. The ending is a little too pat as all of the issues experienced by the two protagonists are sewn up a bit too quickly and easily. Also, there are lots of loose ends that are never explained, but overall, Never Never is a unique, engrossing tale with a satisfying conclusion. ( )

This didn't hit as hard for me compared to other Colleen Hoover novels. She usually knocks it out of the park but for me this wasn't a home run. It didn't pack as much emotion and didn't have that heavy tragedy that usually drags you into her story. It could be because this book was meant for a younger audience. Still good, just not as good as others I have read. ( )

I don't like books with cheating. Couldn't finish. ( )