Hello everyone!! We have a busy week here on lifewithlilred! There is much to do like peep my All Dolled Up OOTD and bloopers for the Barbie movie and discuss July beauty finishes. But, not until after a new edition of Lil Red’s Book Club! Today, we are going to be reviewing Never Never by Colleen Hoover and Tarryn Fisher. If you recall, I read Hoover’s Verity and thought it sucked on ice. I decided to give Colleen Hoover books one more try during a mad dash to the library and Never Never was fine. Not my favorite, but certainly better than Verity!

Before we begin, I will be placing a trigger warning on Never Never for general violence and mildly disturbing content. Now, let’s get to it – without giving any spoilers away:

Silas and Charlie are a modern day Romeo and Juliet. They are two high school seniors deeply in love, but their families despise each other. Silas and Charlie’s dads ran a financial company that was ran into the ground through fraudulence. The blame game was played between them and when Silas and Charlie refused to pick sides, they were forbidden to see each other. Of course, that wasn’t going to happen and the two youngsters continued their relationship – parents be damned.

Although Silas and Charlie shared their entire lives together through their family ties, their relationship changes. While Charlie’s dad went to prison for losing a lot of people a lot of money, Silas’s dad got off scot free. This drove a huge wedge between the couple, but is nothing compared to the changes they are about to go through. At eleven in the morning at school, Charlie and Silas can no longer remember who they are or anything about their lives. Not even their names.

Throughout the school day, they rely on people who are supposedly their friends to get them to their classes. And, at lunch, Charlie and Silas learn that they were once together… Or still are? They have no idea. They just know that something strange is happening to the both of them and it is up to the duo to figure it out. By reading old notes and journal entries, Silas and Charlie learn the story of their lost love and search for answers…

And just when they are onto something, they lose their memories again two days later. Is this going to happen to them for the rest of their lives? Charlie and Silas hunt for clues where ever they can – at a tarot shop, in their lockers, even visiting Charlie’s dad in prison. Everything they learn about themselves is helpful, but tells them nothing. Maybe, they just aren’t looking in the right place. Will Charlie and Silas regain their memories? Will love conquer all in the end? Read Never Never to find out!

As I read Never Never, I liked it. Then, I finished the book and I felt very underwhelmed. It was an okay book, just not great? The story line was interesting enough and it was a nice touch for Silas and Charlie to continue to lose their memories every two days. However, it all felt very 50 First Dates after a while – just the teenage version. I really liked certain parts in the book, but as a whole it left me unimpressed.

Part of the reason why I didn’t like the book was because I couldn’t get into Charlie’s character. I adored goofy, caring Silas but Charlie’s harshness became one note very quickly. Yes, she came around in the end but she lacked development throughout the book and when she finally came around it felt too late. This is the first book that I have read from a teenage perspective in a long time and it was annoying, honestly. Love struck teens being torn apart from their families is so been there done that and if you are going to write a book about it… I don’t know… Be better? lol

Overall, I am going to rate Never Never with a three out of ten stars. This uninspired plot did nothing for me and one of the main characters was a massive drag. This is definitely one that you can skip, unless you are looking for a light read!

How do you feel about Colleen Hoover books? What should I read next? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah