Never Have I Ever

May 15, 2019
Amy Whey's sins come back to haunt her when she's extorted for money by a beautiful stranger in Jackson's (The Almost Sisters, 2017, etc.) first thriller. It was supposed to be book club as usual: a group of suburban mothers gathering to talk over a glass of wine or two and then going home to bed. But when new neighbor Angelica Roux shows up at hostess Amy's door, it doesn't take long for all hell to break loose. The booze flows freely, and soon the women are engaged in a game: What is the worst thing you did today? This week? This month? In your life? There are many women in the gathering with secrets to protect, but none more than Amy, who, as a teenager, committed a terrible crime that almost destroyed her. Saved by her love for diving, and then by meeting her husband and stepdaughter, Amy has worked hard to build a normal, stable life; she even has a new baby. Angelica has come to threaten all of this; she clearly knows about Amy's past and will expose her to her loved ones if Amy doesn't pay her. As Amy tries desperately to outscheme Angelica, she also realizes just how much she has to fight for--and what she might be willing to do to keep her family safe and her secrets buried. Jackson's novel is chock-full of dramatic reveals and twisty turns, but she paces them out well, dropping them like regularly spaced bombshells. Just when the reader thinks they know what might lie at the heart of the novel, the ground shifts seismically, and the truth removes again to a distance. It's skillfully done. Amy herself is an openly flawed and relatable character fighting to keep sacred the one thing she values most: her normal, loving, messy life. Be warned: It's a stay-up-all-night kind of book. Compulsively readable.

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May 27, 2019
Diving instructor Amy Whey, the unreliable narrator of this entertaining, if flawed, thriller from bestseller Jackson (The Almost Sisters), enjoys a comfortable life as a devoted wife and mother in Pensacola, Fla. Then one night, a mystifying and charming new neighbor, Angelica Roux, arrives unannounced at Amy’s door to join her book club. Roux takes over the book club and shifts the focus to playing a scandalous version of the game Never Have I Ever, and that’s when Amy realizes that Roux knows her darkest secret. Nearly 30 years earlier, Amy was driving drunk and killed a neighbor, but a friend was convicted of the crime. Roux attempts to blackmail Amy, giving her five days to dissolve her trust and hand over the money. Determined to protect herself, Amy vows to dig up Roux’s own secrets. The stakes rise as this proves to be more difficult than Amy thought. Well-developed, memorable characters and an action-packed plot compensate only in part for some farfetched twists and an unconvincing ending. Hopefully, Jackson will do better next time. Agent: Caryn Karmatz Rudy, DeFiore and Co.

Starred review from July 1, 2019

At 15, Amy thought she had ruined the rest of her life in one fateful night, but several years later she has built a new life for herself in Florida. Learning to scuba dive saved her. She could leave some of the guilt and heartache in the depths of the ocean and emerge less broken. Her diving school also brought her a best friend in Charlotte, who introduced Amy to Davis and his daughter, Maddy. Now Amy is living a sweet, suburban life with Davis, Maddy, and baby Oliver. Then her new neighbor, Angelica Roux, shows up at the neighborhood book club and gets them to play a game designed to unearth all their dirty secrets. Amy keeps her guard up, but Angelica soon corners her alone and makes it clear that she knows Amy's worst secret and will make her pay for it. Amy is terrified to lose her best friend and her family, but she won't let them go without a fight. VERDICT Best-selling Jackson (The Almost Sisters) successfully trades her usual quirky Southern lit for darker psychological suspense in this latest highly recommended novel. Her prowess at writing affecting, character-driven fiction is on full display, and readers will devour the twisty, consuming story. [See Prepub Alert, 1/23/19.]--Melissa DeWild, Comstock Park, MI

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