Never Always Sometimes by Adi Alsaid- Review!

Synopsis

Never date your best friend

Always be original

Sometimes rules are meant to be broken 

Best friends Dave and Julia were determined to never be cliché high school kids—the ones who sit at the same lunch table every day, dissecting the drama from homeroom and plotting their campaigns for prom king and queen. They even wrote their own Never List of everything they vowed they'd never, ever do in high school. 

Some of the rules have been easy to follow, like #5, never die your hair a color of the rainbow, or #7, never hook up with a teacher. But Dave has a secret: he's broken rule #8, never pine silently after someone for the entirety of high school. It's either that or break rule #10, never date your best friend. Dave has loved Julia for as long as he can remember. 

Julia is beautiful, wild and impetuous. So when she suggests they do every Never on the list, Dave is happy to play along. He even dyes his hair an unfortunate shade of green. It starts as a joke, but then a funny thing happens: Dave and Julia discover that by skipping the clichés, they've actually been missing out on high school. And maybe even on love.

My Review

Never Always Sometimes by Adi Alsaid
My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

Dave and Julia are best friends. When they start high school they make a list of cliches that they are never going to participate in. They go through high school mostly enjoying the company of each other and shutting out the rest of the world. As they find themselves bored towards the end of their senior year, they find the list of nevers and decide to do everything on the list.

I found Dave and Julia easy characters to care about. They are both witty, funny, and their friendship is enjoyable to witness. There are some predictable elements in the beginning of the story, but as things continue I was taken in some directions I didn't expect. I was emotionally invested in both Dave and Julia, and there were definitely certain scenes where I was caught up in the feelings involved. Certain parts of the plot felt a little over-the-top, but for the most part I found the story and characters charming. I wanted good things for both Dave and Julia and I enjoyed spending time with them. Readers who enjoy stories involving coming-of-age elements, and quirky complicated friendships will likely enjoy this story. I would read more by this author in the future.

*An ARC was provided in exchange for an honest review

About the Author

Adi Alsaid was born and raised in Mexico City. He attended college at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. While in class, he mostly read fiction and continuously failed to fill out crossword puzzles, so it's no surprise that after graduating he packed up his car and escaped to the California coastline to become a writer.

He's now back in his hometown, where he writes, coaches high school and elementary basketball, and has perfected the art of making every dish he eats or cooks as spicy as possible.

In addition to Mexico, he has lived in Tel Aviv, Las Vegas and Monterey, California. A tingly feeling in his feet tells him that more places will eventually be added to the list.