literary gluttony

In Never Have I Ever, a seemingly harmless neighborhood book club game takes a sharp turn when a mysterious newcomer, Roux, arrives and steers the evening into dangerous territory. Amy Whey—devoted mom, pillar of her community, and keeper of a carefully buried past—quickly realizes Roux knows more than she should. What begins as uncomfortable party games spirals into manipulation, secrets, and high-stakes blackmail that threatens to unravel everything Amy has built.

I’ll be honest: I don’t generally gravitate toward stories centered around blackmail. It’s one of those tropes that instantly tightens my shoulders. The looming threat, the constant anxiety, the power imbalance—it’s rarely a reading experience I enjoy. And this book leans heavily into that tension.

That said… Joshilyn Jackson knows how to keep the pages turning.

The pacing is sharp, and there were several twists that genuinely caught me off guard. Just when I thought I had Roux figured out—or thought Amy had backed herself into a corner she couldn’t possibly escape—the story shifted. I appreciated the layered characterization, especially Amy’s internal struggle between who she was and who she desperately wants to be. Jackson excels at writing morally complicated women, and that complexity kept me invested even when the plot device itself isn’t my favorite.

Where the book faltered for me was the ending. After all the buildup, the tension, and the emotional maneuvering, I wanted something that felt more satisfying—either sharper, darker, or more cathartic. Instead, it wrapped up in a way that left me slightly underwhelmed. Not bad. Just… not as impactful as the journey leading there.

Overall, this was a solid thriller with strong twists and engaging character work, even if the central premise isn’t typically my cup of tea. If you enjoy psychological cat-and-mouse games and suburban secrets with bite, this one will likely work better for you than it did for me.

Devour or Nibble?
For me, this is a Nibble. Worth picking up for the twists and tension, but not one I’d clear my schedule to devour in a single sitting.