Justine Manzano’s novel NEVER SAY NEVER follows the story of Brynn Stark and her small group of close friends through their senior year of high school. Brynn stands out from her friends, and not just because of her black clothes. She has sworn off of love, believing the very concept to be a fool’s endeavor. She has plenty of reasons to justify her stance – her own parents’ relationship is a disaster marked by constant arguments, and she has seen her best friend, Nina, through her own share of heartbreak as well. Her decision to stay far away from love is solidified when she catches her mother, with whom she already has a strained relationship, having an affair.
Early in the story readers meet Brynn’s friend Nina and Nina’s foster sister, Val–the very antithesis to Brynn. Val is blonde, perky, and obsessed with love. In fact, Val quickly becomes singly focused on finding Brynn a perfect match, setting her up on countless dates with anyone she can convince from their graduating class. If only to amuse her friend, Brynn plays along. It is in the barrage of set ups, makeovers, and terrible dates that it is revealed that Val is in fact the Greek goddess, Aphrodite, banished to Earth after upsetting her father, Zeus. The plot twists even more when Brynn realizes that she might be open for a relationship after all–but only if it’s with Aphrodite’s boyfriend, Adam.
The heart of the story balances the difficulties of teenage life – including separated parents, surviving senior year, and what to do about that crush that you never thought you wanted – while considering what would happen if you were crushing on the boyfriend of a vengeful goddess of love. NEVER SAY NEVER is fast-paced and well told, with a great blend of the everyday experiences of a typical teenager –group projects, after school jobs, preparing for life after high school–as well as the fantastical. The personas explored in the work are utterly relatable, and help build a believable world even in unbelievable circumstances. The blend of fantasy and romantic comedy is, if not completely original, well done and very enjoyable.
NEVER SAY NEVER is a hilarious, magical, and ultimately relatable story that carries readers though a fantastical premise to a satisfying conclusion.
~Sarah Baer for IndieReader