Series: Part 1 of 3
Genres: Young Adult, Contemporary, Paranormal (?)
Release Date: January 7, 2015 by Hoover Ink
Format: Trade Paperback
Source: Purchased
Find it here: GoodReads | Amazon
Synopsis
Charlize Wynwood and Silas Nash have been best friends since before they could walk. They've been in love since the age of fourteen. But as of this morning... they are complete strangers. Their first kiss, their first fight, the moment they fell in love... every memory has vanished. Charlize and Silas must work together to uncover the truth about what happened to them and why. But the more they learn about the couple they used to be... the more they question why they were ever together to begin with.
My Review
I don't even know where to start. This was just... wow.
Colleen Hoover is my favorite author. Bar none. I've not read anything by Tarryn Fisher but from what I've seen her novels are dark and a little... out there. So I wasn't sure what to expect from a CoHo/Fisher collab. Let me tell ya, this marriage resulted in a strange little love child.
Never Never is the story of Charlie and Silas. Who, despite being friends since childhood and a couple for the last four years, suddenly have no memories of themselves, each other, or those around them. There is no slow build-up to this. The story starts with a bang: page one and Charlie doesn't know who she is or what's going on. Hoover and Fisher do a great job in the portraying the utter confusion and uncertainty Charlie and Silas are experiencing. And the frustration of having so many questions and no answers. (Yeah, I know the feeling!)
The story is told from alternating first-person points of view. I definitely warmed to Silas more. He's cocky and charming and funny. And disarmingly open. In comparison, Charlie is closed-off and prickly. Her natural inclination seems to be to keep others at arms length. I found myself enjoying Charlie more through Silas's eyes rather than Charlie's own first-person narrative. I enjoyed watching as they worked together, trying to piece things together, and draw clues from conversations from family and friends who they don't even remember. They discovered things about themselves that didn't necessarily paint the best portrait of who they had been "before."
I didn't know what to expect going into Never Never. I had purposely avoided all reviews and knew only what was on the back cover. I wasn't even sure what genre this was. (Um, actually I still can't really answer that one.) I'm glad I went into this one blind because I think it only enhanced the reading experience. I was feeling my way through right along with Charlie and Silas. I knew this would be a three-part story so there would be no nice and tidy ending, but by the end I was still wishing for something. Throw me a bone here, Colleen. I mean, I've got nothing. No answers, few clues, and even fewer theories. Even a nice little red herring would have been appreciated. But, NO.
So now I debate whether to pick up Part 2 immediately (grabby hands!) or wait until Part 3 releases (sometime this summer... maybe?). In the meantime, my mind keeps spinning trying to figure this puzzle out but for now Hoover and Fisher have stumped me. I have *no* idea what's going on. Well played, ladies.
FAVORITE QUOTES:
How odd to be made of flesh, balanced on bone,
and filled with a soul you've never met.
I may not remember anything about her,
but I would bet her smile was my favorite part of her.
"You think you can make me like you again?"
I look over at her and give my head the slightest shake.
"No. I'm gonna make you fall in love with me again."
The lights from inside the gallery are illuminating her skin,
giving her a glow that really does make her look like
an angel. I want to run my hands across her back
and feel for actual wings.
Have you read Never Never? What did you think? I'd love to discuss!
No comments