Saturday, December 24, 2011

Never Have I Ever by Sara Shepard



This is the sequel to the The Lying Game, which I really enjoyed. I actually fell in love with the show first, and then decided to read these books. And I know I mentioned the differences between show and book before, but really the books are just so good and so much creepier. How can a book in the perspective of a dead twin not be creepy?
The first book was about Emma realizing anyone could be a suspect in her dead, newly discovered twin’s murder, including Sutton’s closest friends and family members. This book was more about clearing people’s names, and Emma really getting comfortable in Sutton’s life. You can tell Emma really starts enjoying her higher income lifestyle. But more than that she really starts loving her friends.
Not a lot happens, plot-wise in this one. It’s more about Emma finding things out about Sutton’s past. In the beginning, Emma even shoplifts from a store she knows Sutton has already shoplifted from to purposely get arrested. She wants to be in the police station where Sutton’s past reports are. And she learns about some serious Lying Game pranks, one involving the sending of a friend to a hospital after a serious seizure.
The book actually involves a lot of sleuthing and learning both about Sutton and her friends. You learn that one of her best friends is abused at home. You learn that everyone blames Sutton for that friend’s brother’s disappearance. There’s parties, crazy ex-boyfriend moments, supernatural/creepy twin vibes, good stuff about friendship, and finally some juicy romance scenes with Ethan.
I keep waiting for Emma and Sutton’s parents and birth parents to play a larger role in what’s going on because of the show, but I’m not sure if they ever will here. I loved getting to know the friends a little bit better. I loved the suspense. I really loved getting to see how serious and even dangerous these Lying Game pranks can be. But, like I said before, not a lot happened. And I kind of got a feeling that the author was dragging this along. Like, she knows she’ll make more money if there are a lot of books in this series. And while I’m grateful that Emma and Sutton could cross people off their suspect lists, I feel like I have been kind of cheated out of any resolution twice now. I need something more to want to keep going with this series. I’d even take one clue, anything. But, in both books, Emma and Sutton kind of have to start over at the end after realizing something they thought was true, actually isn’t.
I still plan on reading book 3 when it comes out this year, but I might stop after that if Sutton and Emma are required to start all over again at the end. I need something more; I need to know that this mystery is on its way to being solved and that I won’t just be dragged along for a whole other book with no resolutions. I did still really enjoy this one. I really do enjoy reading things from Sutton’s point of view. And Shepard really understands girl friendships. I give it an 8/10.

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