Tao Gower-Jones's Reviews > Never

She’s done it again! A masterpiece of pain and an exploration of how we can grow up and be confused which parts of ourself to let go and which to hold on to. Jessa writes the tug and pull of conflicting emotions so beautifully until you feel like you are going to tear your hair out because why can’t the characters see what you see! Every character is imperfectly perfect and this is the perfect first book in a series. So much left to explore and unravel.

Also this is the kind of book I recommend for a binge read. The way the story flows and takes you into the world REALLY works for the kind of read where you just dig in and let yourself get swept away.

P.S. I’m sending Jessa my therapy bill for this pain

Edit: I’m seeing a lot of comments about Daphne and Hook’s age gap and I feel like I need to put my two cents in. In the plot Daphne is struggling with holding on to her childhood and letting herself open up to the good and the bad that comes with moving into adulthood. Those themes don’t work if every character is 18!

For the love of god Hook isn’t a 30 year old who has been present in Daphne’s life since she was 13 and has been waiting and grooming her to be 18. She was turning 18 within about 2 months of them meeting for the first time. I cannot deal with these no-nuance Nellie’s labelling every situation as grooming and pedophilia. If you have no capacity for nuance then just don’t read Jessa’s books because she THRIVES in the grey spaces (as can be seen with BJ and Magnolia).

And lastly, the comments about Peter’s immaturity… bruh! He is the boy who doesn’t want to grow up. Fr sorry not sorry but how did you literally miss that point?…