Lately I’ve really been in the mood to read contemporary books and one I recently read is Always Never Yours. I received this book last Christmas, so it was definitely time to sit down and read it. So today I want to tell you about this book and what I thought!
Megan Harper is the girl before. All her exes find their one true love right after dating her. It’s not a curse or anything, it’s just the way things are, and Megan refuses to waste time feeling sorry for herself. Instead, she focuses on pursuing her next fling, directing theatre, and fulfilling her dream school’s acting requirement in the smallest role possible.
But her plans quickly crumble when she’s cast as none other than Juliet–yes, that Juliet–in her high school’s production. It’s a nightmare. No–a disaster. Megan’s not an actress and she’s certainly not a Juliet. Then she meets Owen Okita, an aspiring playwright who agrees to help Megan catch the eye of a sexy stagehand in exchange for help writing his new script.
Between rehearsals and contending with her divided family, Megan begins to notice Owen–thoughtful, unconventional, and utterly unlike her exes, and wonders: shouldn’t a girl get to play the lead in her own love story?
Review
Always Never Yours is definitely a book I’d describe as a romantic comedy, but one that also deals with many serious subjects. Once I started reading this book I almost read it in one sitting. The writing was smooth and I couldn’t tell that two authors worked on this story. I also loved how Romeo & Juliet was incorporated in this story and how it was discussed also had to do with the story itself.
“I remember what Owen told me. Don’t undervalue yourself. I shouldn’t sweep my hurt under the rug so Madeleine doesn’t have to feel bad. My feelings matter, too. I’m tired of pretending they don’t.”
Our main character Megan doesn’t seem to have much luck in love. Every boy she dates tends to end up finding their one true love after her. Even though she doesn’t seem to care and is very boy crazy and flirty you slowly start to notice it isn’t something that doesn’t bother Megan at all. Megan is an interesting character and she grows so much in this story. I loved that she started believing she was worth more and that there is a thing called unconditional love. She doesn’t just have to accept a hook up and be happy about it.
Owen is definitely an interesting character that Megan gets close to. At first it’s mostly friendship, but I loved how this relationship slowly started developing into more. He did his best to show her that she was worth so much more and I think along the way Megan helped increased his confidence when it came to his writing. They balanced each other out well.
“Not everyone finds someone perfect for them. Or if they do, sometimes that person doesn’t think you’re perfect for them. My mom’s lingering affection for my dad showed me that.”
As I said earlier Always Never Yours deals with more serious subjects as well. Families can be messy and divorces are hard. Getting a glimpse of Megan’s family changing, her feelings toward this, and how it all played out is something really important I think. Her parents do love her unconditionally even if that wasn’t always easy for Megan to realize. Also, this book is very sex positive. Megan is open about this side of her life and I loved that the authors didn’t put this in a negative light and how they showed a relationship taking it slow isn’t bad either.
Besides this story dealing with some more serious subjects there was also a side of the story with more humor. Add an amazing cast of side characters and it all came together. I would definitely recommend reading this book if you enjoy a good contemporary and maybe even some Shakespeare.
After reading Always Never Yours I definitely want to read more by this author duo. Thankfully I have another one of their books on my shelves that hasn’t been read yet. So I know what I’ll be doing soon. Have you read any good contemporary books lately? Let me know in the comments! I’m always looking for more recommendations!
