Never Say Never by Justine Manzano

 

Never Say Never by Justine Manzano

Publisher: Sword and Silk Books

Publication date: 15 Jun 2021 

My rating: 4 out of 5 stars

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Publisher's description:

Brynn Stark is NEVER going to fall in love.

After she walks in on her mom doing the horizontal mambo with a man that's decidedly not her dad, Brynn Stark swears to never fall in love. One of her friends—Val— reveals her true identity—Aphrodite, goddess of love, and promises to show Brynn why she shouldn't lose faith.

But when Brynn realizes she's beginning to fall for Adam, Aphrodite's boyfriend, Brynn's forced to decide if she'll choose her goddess-given fate, or risk it all for the wrong-but-right guy.

One thing's for sure. Love sucks. And it's all about to blow up in their faces.

My review:

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my review. All opinions shared are 100% my own.

What happens when you find out your best friend’s foster sister is actually the Greek goddess, Aphrodite? And you’re falling in love with her boyfriend? That’s where Brynn finds herself during her senior year of high school. The more she tries to deny her feelings, the more circumstances keep putting her on a path with Adam and in conflict with Val/Aphrodite. 

It definitely takes some willful suspension of disbelief to buy into an ancient Greek goddess hanging out in high school, but overall, it’s a cute story about friendship, family, and the power of love. There are some tense moments (particularly when a certain high-powered “Dad” gets involved). It’s a fun ride though with a sweet ever-after ending. There is a lot of typical, high school drama that is all dealt with in mature, positive ways. A few potentially upsetting themes are parental divorce, a parent committing adultery, an asthma attack, and people being caught outside in a lightning storm. 

Fun stuff:

The author shares some fun extras, like a character interview and social media graphics on her website here: https://justinemanzano.com/never-say-never-extras/ 

About the author:

Justine Manzano is a YA author who prides herself on her ability to juggle motherhood, writing, editing, and the very serious businesses of fangirling and multiple forms of geekery. When she’s not flailing about her favorite characters and actors, she struggles to create her own characters with the hopes someone will flail about them one day. Her debut novel, The Order of the Key, a Young Adult Urban Fantasy, is available everywhere books are sold from Black Rose Writing. Reviews have called it “Season 5 of Buffy meets the X-Men,” and Justine will likely live happily off of that description alone for the rest of her days. It was a finalist in the 2020 IndiesToday Awards. 

Her sophomore release, Never Say Never, a Young Adult Contemporary Romance with Fantasy Elements, will be released on June 15, 2021.