(Review) Never Ever

Never Ever by Sara Saedi

Publication Date: June 21, 2016

Pages: 320 (hardcover) 

Genre: Young Adult

My Goodreads Rating: 4 Stars

Goodreads Synopsis:

Wylie Dalton didn’t believe in fairy tales or love at first sight.

Then she met a real-life Peter Pan.

When Wylie encounters Phinn—confident, mature, and devastatingly handsome—at a party the night before her brother goes to juvie, she can’t believe how fast she falls for him. And that’s before he shows her how to fly.

Soon Wylie and her brothers find themselves whisked away to a mysterious tropical island off the coast of New York City where nobody ages beyond seventeen and life is a constant party. Wylie’s in heaven: now her brother won’t go to jail and she can escape her over-scheduled life with all its woes and responsibilities—permanently.

But the deeper Wylie falls for Phinn, the more she begins to discover has been kept from her and her brothers. Somebody on the island has been lying to her, but the truth can’t stay hidden forever.

My Review: 

Okay, *cracks knuckles*, I'm feeling a little out of practice as far as reviews go, so hold on tight. First off, I've got a thing for retellings. Second, I've got a thing for Peter Pan. 

Obviously I've got a thing for this book. 

Wylie and her brothers, Joshua and Micah, seem like ordinary kiddos growing up in New York. It's Wylie's seventeenth birthday and they sneak away from their always-feuding parents to go to a party. Joshua is to be sentenced to juvie the next day and the kids don't want to waste any time hanging out with their parents. 

At the party Wylie meet Phinn. She introduces him to her brothers, they tell their story, and the next thing they know they are waking up on a boat in the middle of the ocean. 

Phinn is beautiful and charming. It also doesn't take the reader long to realize that he's a little manipulative and kind of scary. Though he genuinely seems to care for Wylie, you can tell that he's hiding something from her. 

While Wylie and her siblings seem to be fitting in just fine on the island there is still some discord there. The kids are afraid of Hopper, the island's very own psychopath, and a few things happen that Wylie doesn't agree with, like birth control and hiding girls in the basement. 

I love that Wylie is a strong, female character. Even though she's in love with Phinn, she doesn't mind defying him. She's a feminist with strong views and has no problem speaking her mind...until things change for her. 

When Lola goes missing Wylie gets suspicious. I'll have to admit to not being too surprised by the twist toward the end. I love retellings. I love Peter Pan. I actually kind of love when Peter Pan turns out to be a dick. Although part of me wanted to sympathize with Phinn because, after all, he's just a lost little boy. 

I love Sara's ability to build this make-believe world with all of these different characters. She definitely kept me guessing with some of them (especially a certain little pixie) and I am itching for the next book! 

If you love retellings with a twist, check this out. You won't be disappointed.