Sometimes Never (Sometimes Never #1), Cheryl McIntyre
Rating: 4 Stars
Publisher: CreateSpace (first published December 18th 2012)
Genre: New Adult Het Romance
Tags: Self harm, anxiety, panic attacks, underage drinking consequences, romance, series, contemporary
Length: 490 pages
Reviewer: Judy
Purchase at: amazon.com
Hope didn’t have the best role model when it came to relationships. She’s content with her current no-strings-attached extracurricular activity with the lead singer of her band. She’s never believed in love and commitment.
Mason starts his eighth school in five years anticipating nothing more than the usual—boring classes, fighting more than making friends, and girls happily willing to succumb to his easy smile. He’s never put much stock into love at first sight—until he sees her.
Regardless of their painful pasts, Hope and Mason discover that sometimes never can become forever.
*This is a mature young adult. Recommended for 17+ due to sensitive subject material, harsh language, and sexual situations.
Review:
For a YA book I rather enjoyed this story especially the snarky and witty humour that Cheryl McIntyre writes into the characters. It was a reflective, thought provoking read.
While Hope has had a hard life she found her rhythm living with her foster family of ten which includes her best friend Guy. It’s all turned upside down when Mason starts school. The author writes deep characters with real teen issues. Music is a type of therapy for Hope, an outlet where she can voice her innermost thoughts. Hope has had to resort to some pretty dark and harmful mindsets to cope. But falling in love irrevocably even completely seems to be just the ticket, finally giving her a sense of family and home.
Mason Patel is my counterpart. He is the eraser to my chalk. The milk to my cereal. The chocolate to my peanut butter. We were made for each other in cookie heaven.
Mason helps Hope see life in a different light, and what she has been doing to herself. Her coping mechanism is self-harm – or cutting actually. When Mason finally catches her in the act Hope faces her fears and lets Mason in.
Mason has anger issues, his normal reactive behaviour is challenged when he realises that Kellin (Mason’s younger brother) and Hope are affected. Mason’s character is protective of all close to him, especially Kellin and Hope. He loves and respects his parents and that is demonstrated in his thought patterns and dialogue with his mother.
Guy is amazing and I just wanna take him home and hug him. He’s charismatic, confident in his own skin and likeable in every way. Guy is gay and the perfect balance for the crazy in this story. Mason is forthright and emotionally stable for someone who lost their father at such a formative age.
It’s sweet and beautifully innocent. There’s no dirty monkey sex in this book, and I guess that’s because it’s a teen YA genre and it fits. I would have liked to see more of their passion maybe a little more zing. Don’t get me wrong, it was there just not blatant porn-for-sales type passion.
There are actually quite a few confronting issues discussed cleverly in this book. Self-harm, drunk driving, addiction, sexual abuse, anxiety, depression; are all very real issues that need exposure. I take my hat off to Cheryl McIntyre for writing these issues into courageous characters.
I’m happy to say it’s not a ‘woe is me’ tale, but more affirmative and emotionally supportive. Especially given the secondary characters that know something’s up with their friend but never needed to ask. They just accept and support her (Hope) wholeheartedly. Teen dialogue is appropriate and fit well with the characters. There’s closure of sorts in the Epilogue where you get a taste of what’s in store for Hope and Mason as they journey through college, find jobs and continue to work on their adversities. In all it was witty and gave me more than a few chuckles, while addressing real teen issues. Four stars.
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I loved Let It Be by Cheryl McIntyre. I will definitely read this book one day myself.
Welcome aboard, Judy. Great review 🙂
Cheers Kazza, I absolutely loved Let it Be too. Guy’s story is fab. Love, love, love him.
I love when an author doesn’t shy away from real issues, like those you mention in your review.
Great review, Judy. Welcome to On Top Down Under. 🙂
It’s a pleasure to be here Cindi. And yes you’re right, authors have the perfect platform for exposing issues that are close to their heart.
Mental Health is one of those issues for me as are equal rights and the characters in Cheryl’s books do a great job of bringing these issues to the fore.
I hope readers enjoy the message behind their reading as much as I do.
I liked Let i Be the most too. Guy is the best of the series.
Hi, Joha. Yes, Guy is absolutely fantastic and totally loveable. I loved Let It Be.