Review + Giveaway | Not Now, Not Ever by Lily Anderson

Not Now, Not Ever
by Lily Anderson
Publisher: Wednesday Books
Release Date: November 21st 2017
Genre/s: Young Adult, Contemporary
Synopsis:
The sequel to The Only Thing Worse than Me Is You, inspired by The Importance of Being Earnest.
Elliot Gabaroche is very clear on what she isn't going to do this summer.
1. She isn't going to stay home in Sacramento, where she'd have to sit through her stepmother's sixth community theater production of The Importance of Being Earnest.
2. She isn't going to mock trial camp at UCLA.
3. And she certainly isn't going to the Air Force summer program on her mother's base in Colorado Springs. As cool as it would be to live-action-role-play Ender's Game, Ellie's seen three generations of her family go through USAF boot camp up close, and she knows that it's much less Luke/Yoda/"feel the force," and much more one hundred push-ups on three days of no sleep. And that just isn't appealing, no matter how many Xenomorphs from Alien she'd be able to defeat afterwards.
What she is going to do is pack up her attitude, her favorite Octavia Butler novels, and her Jordans, and go to summer camp. Specifically, a cutthroat academic-decathlon-like competition for a full scholarship to Rayevich College, the only college with a Science Fiction Literature program. And she's going to start over as Ever Lawrence, on her own terms, without the shadow of all her family’s expectations. Because why do what’s expected of you when you can fight other genius nerds to the death for a shot at the dream you’re sure your family will consider a complete waste of time?
This summer's going to be great.

my thoughts & whatnot

I received a complimentary copy for review purposes. All thoughts are my own.

When I first saw this book, I was very daunted - I haven't read The Importance of Being Earnest, heck I haven't even read a single Oscar Wilde books (plays?) but the synopsis is very interesting and intriguing, so I took a gamble. After finishing the book, I wanted to scream "winner, winner, chicken dinner!" on the top of my lungs but I don't think anyone would appreciate such dramatics.

Elliot, or should I say Ever? Is one heck of a character. She's that character that is so easy to love. It's quite impossible to hate on a girl as smart, nice, witty, and as loyal as her (and someone who loves books? Uhm, can we be best friends Ellie?). She, of course, has flaws and shortcomings; she doesn't justify those and it made her all the more lovable. The other characters were such a fun addition to the story, especially Brandon and Leigh. They [all] made the story all the more colorful and exciting.

As for the story-line, I liked it. There were a few chapters that kind of intimidated me because of the amount of facts and trivia being thrown around but, overall, I loved the story. It was unique, unconventional even, but with a beautifully written character what more could a reader ask for? The ending was kind of vague, felt rushed, but that's probably just me.

On a side note: I love how the epigraph foreshadows what would happen in the book, so fitting and witty.

about the author:

Lily Anderson is a school librarian and Melvil Dewey fangirl with an ever-growing collection of musical theater tattoos and Harry Potter ephemera. She lives in Northern California, far from her mortal enemy: the snow.

Find her elsewhere: