This is one of those books you read and you're like what just happened. That was this book for me. I picked it up because of how cute the cover was and by the end of the book i was in love with not just the story but the characters as well especially Brynn and her friendship with Nina.
This book is a perfect blend of Ya and Mythology which honestly was an exciting concept maybe because this is the first book I've read this way but somehow Ms.Manzano makes it normal and interesting. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone looking for something sweet and loves a dash of mythology with it.

This concept was so intriguing which is what led me to read this book, to begin with! While I will say that it was bland in some ways, this book definitely went above and beyond with the plot even if the love interest was so-so! Regardless, it was a good book that deserves some recognition and love!

Cute characters that were easy to identify with. A fun easy read that you wanted to finish. I read this in one sitting.

I have read many YA books over the last years but for me it was more for teenagers than really young adults.
The topics are quite typical of high school : love, family and future but the fantasy twist (even if I knew about it from the beginning) just lost me.

I truly believe that it was a great idea to put Greek Gods in the 21st century... I guess I am just too much of an adult to really appreciate the characters and the gap between what was believable and what wasn't. But I could reread this book when my kids are teenagers and I have to deal with their high school crises - hopefully none of the drama that some of them had experienced.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing an eArc in exchange of an honest review.

Never Say Never by Justine Manzano is a book that definitely brings milleninals back to our high school years filled with family drama, new relationships, and discovering who we and our friends are.

Brynn Stark is a senior in high school on the brink of graduation. Beyond high school, she and her bff Nina are to share an apartment in NYC and go to college together, but first she has to deal with her fragile relationship with her mom, her parent's imploding marriage, and going on a series of dates that Val aka Aphrodite, the goddess of love, keeps setting her up on. After multiple dates with different Mr. Wrongs, Brynn starts to catch feelings for Val's boyfriend Adam, who has this way of always defending Brynn or supporting her right when she needs it the most. Suddenly, Brynn is now caught up in a love triangle she desperately is trying to avoid. Does Adam like her back? Can she ignore her feelings for the sake of her friendship with Val?

Never Say Never is the perfect teen fantasy  rom com to take to the beach or to hide in your notebook during class. It's a decent read with relatable characters and quippy come backs.

The teen angst and subtle comments about Brynn's low self esteem was so honest, it brought back memories. The way her friends supported her and loved her reminded me of the friendship in the 1000 acre woods; how depressed Eeroye is, but his friends still show up for him the same way. I loved this about the book.

I wish Aphrodite's goddess behavior was written stronger because she feels less like a god and more like a human teen. If the love goddess angle was removed, I don't think the book would be much different than how it is now.

This book centers around Brynn as she navigates her parents’ broken relationship and her relationships with her friends as they wrap up high school. There is a twist (no spoilers) that has to do with mythology. This is YA but I’d say it’s more geared towards middle grade. The writing style is great for YA, especially the dialogue between friends. You definitely get flashbacks to life as a teenager! Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced reader copy.

This was a fun, enjoyable YA read, that had some real stand out moments of brilliant writing. Brynn is a wonderful protagonist - believable, snarky and compelling, I really enjoyed her perspective.

I didn't feel this book stood out in any way from the standard YA books on the market at the moment, but I can see it being thoroughly enjoyed by readers who are probably a bit younger than myself. The 'high school struggle' was incredibly well portrayed, even with the addition of Greek Mythology, and I feel that readers still at high school will probably connect far more with the characters and thus enjoy it far more.

Cute and fun. I read my share of YA books and found this one to be pretty typical in regard to character types and underlying tropes. I do feel this one would likely appeal more to an middle grade readership rather than an upper YA reader population due to the lingo and the simplistic plot delivery. I think the cover works well for that demographic too.

Thank you netgalley for the advance reader copy.

The premise of this book sounded so, so promising. Greek goddess friend in a contemporary world? A main character who never wants to fall in love because her mom is cheating on her dad? Sign me up.

But, I felt a little disjointed to the narrative. Ultimately, this wasn't bad or good, and it did deliver on what the premise intended, but I think I set my hopes and expectations a little too high.

Thank you to Net-Galley for providing me with an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

Disguised in human form, Aphrodite--the Greek goddess of love and beauty--Val is determined to be a matchmaker for her friend, Brynn Stark.
I was very excited about the concept of this book, I mean Goddess Aphrodite helping you find love?! how cool is that! but unfortunately the book fell flat for me. I got bored reading it and the main character wasn't relatable. I do believe this book will appeal to a younger audience.

I chose this book because of it seemed fun and light and I always love the mention of a Greek god!

While romantic love plays a key role in this story, the true love found and learned is that of friends and family. This book was sweet and fun. Brynn and her crew have some ups and downs, and one major surprise, but they come together and figure out what life is all about.

I didn't mind that it was YA because the characters were ~18, but it felt very YA/high school centered. For that reasoning, I will say it may be more enjoyable for a younger audience than myself.

Thank you netgalley for this arc in exchange for my honest review.

For the most part this was a decent read. It had some issues with unnatural dialogue that I didn't care for and the mythology aspect seemed flimsy. I was disappointed that only the Trojan War was mentioned. The characters for the most part felt believable although Brynn's reactions often came across extreme at times. I wasn't a huge fan of the ending as it becomes a bit too farfetched and makes the story seem like it would be better suited for a younger audience. Problem is the language was a little too mature for middle grade. Certain characters that displayed odd behavior were explained away in a way that didn't make sense and seemed like an easy out.

Overall, I enjoyed the story. The first half flowed well, but the second half felt forced and put the MC in awkward positions that slowed down the action and highlighted the flaws of the story. I just wish the mythology link was stronger and reflected in the story. I also would have liked the connection between the MC and her love interest to have came across as a deeper tie. It felt like both could have just remained friends and things still would have been the same.

This book was pretty cute. I liked how close knit the group of friends were, and that Gabe just slid and fit right in. I only wish that Brynn wasn't SO angsty. It could have been toned down a notch. It was like she hardly ever had FUN, and was always quick to be moody, sometimes unnecessarily so.

I enjoyed this book but I just didn't love it . I felt that the story was slow in places. In saying that it was something new to me and I haven't read anything like it before.

So I would still recommend this to anyone looking for a bit of escapism

Disguised in human form, Aphrodite--the Greek goddess of love and beauty--Val is determined to be a matchmaker for her friend, Brynn Stark. Why? Because Aphrodite/Val knows that her human boyfriend, Adam, is the perfect match for Brynn, and she will do whatever it takes to keep them apart. As if Brynn’s life wasn’t already complicated by her mother’s affair and her parents’ subsequent divorce, she also has to contend with a jealous goddess.

Never Say Never is a pretty fast paced book written by YA fantasy author Justine Manzano. The book features a diverse cast of characters. Manzano gives a realistic representation of life as a teenager, complete with stress from school, an after school job, college acceptances, and an unhappy home life. Somehow she also makes the last few chapters of the book seem realistic, even though these later chapters pit figures from Greek mythology against a small group of mortal teens.

I would recommend this book for any young adult collection. It would work well as part of a Valentine’s Day or Blind Date With a Book display.

I loved every second of reading this book, honestly couldn't put it down. It was just the kind of entertaining read I needed.