I'm a total sucker for books that creatively play with timelines or involve time travel, so I was excited to read Never Ever You by Sarah Echavarre. Happily married MC Riley wakes up one day next to her cousin Milo instead of her husband, Tristan, one year later than the day she went to sleep. We travel backward in time to see how this came to be and a sweet, poignant, romantic story ensues. The star of the the novel was definitely, Milo, though - I'm convinced we all need Milos in our lives after reading this novel. A special thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

This is a super-sweet story. After a stressful family dinner, Riley wakes up in a car next to her cousin instead of in bed next to her husband! A year later! She then proceeds to wake up a day earlier until...well you'll have to read it to find out if and when it resolves.

In going back in time she learns a lot about both men and what they are really like.

As a reader, it was a lot of fun to see the story unfold backwards. There was just enough foreshadowing without it being heavy handed, and the major events felt fresh when they arrived.

I didn't read it on holiday, but I recommend it as an easy holiday read (but a well-written one with substance).

This was a great read. I am a sucker for books with some element of time travel/romance. This was a twist on the typical however as the main character jumps forward one year from her first wedding anniversary to find her life completely different, but rather than living life forward to put the pieces together, she wakes up one day earlier each day.

What I loved about this is that while there was still a lot of mystery of what and how things happened, you know the direction things are going in (for those living in the normal timeline). The author made it easy to connect with the “good” characters and easier to hate the bad ones. Will absolutely be checking out anything else from this author. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!

Wow. I thought this was such an original, FUN story by Sarah Echavarre.

I loved the characters! Riley, Milo (we all need a Milo) Poppy, Poppy’s husband. Actually his development that we got to see was one of my favorites! Riley and Milo’s families were both so fun and precious as well.

It was a creative POV, with Riley trying to piece together what was happening or what had “already” happened to her but not yet in her timeline. I loved this!

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

Thank you to Sarah Echavarre, Netgalley and Lake Union Publishing for this Arc.
 
I haven’t read many books that have had a time leap element to them, so when I read the blurb on this book, I was excited to read it. This is the first book I have read from this author, and it won’t be my last.
I really enjoyed it. The storyline kept me engaged from the get-go.
Imagine waking up one year in the future and then your whole life is going backwards? The whole concept was so compelling and I was eager to know what happened between Riley, Milo, and Tristan.
 
Lots of interesting characters in this book. I adored Poppy and Desmond and their relationship. They came across like chalk and cheese, but they were inseparable. I also loved Poppy’s constant loyalty to Riley.

The family dynamics were a huge part to this story. Some of the family elements were so wholesome and warm. They really put a smile on my face. But some of the relationships were strained to say the least. Portia had me seeing red. SE must be a skilled writer to make me hate a character so much. This story does touch upon serious subjects of racism that evoke strong emotions and highlight problems in our society. Unfortunately still today.
 
Tristan! I just wanted to wallop him (and that’s being polite). The family golden boy! A complete and utter coward. When it came to Riley and being there for her, he was spineless. His love was false, and I was so happy as Riley was living her backwards life, she gradually saw that she deserved a real love.
 
I loved Milo (of course). He was so patient and caring. I loved that he called Riley “Sleeping beauty” – very apt.
And, Riley, what a fabulous protagonist. I loved her determination, assertiveness, and her vulnerability.
 
I was so happy with the ending. It was romantic and poignant, and I found myself feeling so happy and contented that Riley had found her happy ending.
 
“And in this moment - in this world, in this timeline – he’s the only one I want.”
 
Unputdownable, clever and moving. This story kept me intrigued all the way through. It has made me want to read more books with a time element for sure. Chick flick rom com feels.
 
 Released date ~ September 17th 2024

I requested this book because I really loved Gillian McAllister's book where the characters lived backwards. I didn't think this was on par with that one, but it was a cute rom com book in itself. Riley is celebrating her one year wedding anniversary with Tristan. They spend their night at a party for his grandmother. While there, Tristan punches his cousin, Milo. Milo tells Riley she does not know Tristan as well as she thinks she does. She wakes up the next day in bed with Milo and lives backwards to discover just what Milo meant by his comment. Cute book where Riley ends up with the best man for her.

I love magical realism + rom com vibes. This gave me "The Seven Year Slip" vibes by Ashley Poston in the best way possible!
This has a unique twist on time travel - you jump forward a year and then begin to live your life backwards. It was really done and I couldn't help but love the friendship between Poppy and Riley! I hope one day I experience the love Milo has for Riley! This was truly such a fun read and I wish I read this on a beach/ a summer vacation.

Thank you to netgalley, the author and publisher for the arc in exchange for a fair and honest review.

What an awesome and unique idea on time travel! I’ve never read one done quite this way before.
Riley was a great female lead; so relatable with her feelings and thoughts. I loved her strong friendship with Poppy; we all want a friend like Poppy in our lives!
Can’t wait to read more books from this author in the future!

This story was very promising. The concept of jumping forward a year and then living backwards was really exciting to me. The writing style managed to catch my interest from the very first page. The juxtaposition between the two families was wonderfully portrayed and the friendships were beautifully written. However, the ending seemed very abrupt and several of the story lines either fell flat or were left unresolved.

Thank you to Lake Union Publishing and NetGalley for the DRC

Very, very good book. Different. I really enjoyed it. Look forward to more from this author. Thank you for allowing me to read the advanced copy.

I actually enjoyed this one it gave me more of like magical vibes. Reminded me of seven year slip and or one Italian summer. I suggest it, nice easy read and a good pace also. She loves her life backwards so there are definitely some tricks in there!

This might be one of the best magical, realism books I’ve ever read. The story is beautiful yet impactful, but also all too relatable. I struggle to put this book down, but also tried to hold on because I never wanted it to end. I yearn for one day receiving the love that Milo has for Riley.


The concept of this book was so metaphorical, and truly leaves me speechless! “I see everything so clearly, looking back at it. And then something clicks in my brain. Maybe that’s the point. Maybe I had to live my life backward to truly see everything and everyone for what they really were.” #netgalley

I am always up for a book that plays with time, so I was really excited to get started on this one. And, I really enjoyed it. It was easy to read and it kept my attention throughout. I liked the friendships and also the close (and not so close) family relationships. I also found the ending satisfying.

What might be an issue for some is the strong language. There seemed to be less as the story went on, but maybe that was just because I was getting desensitized. :)

Thanks so much to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

The concept of living life backwards was really intriguing. I thought it would be weird to know the outcome of events before it happened, but this was done very well in the book. I wanted to know what happened between Tristan, Riley, and Milo, and there was still some suspense that kept me turning the page to find out their history. Also the Audacity of Tristan like are you kidding. I was so mad for Riley. Throughout the whole book, Milo was so understanding, especially in the beginning when Riley was totally freaking out about waking up a year in the future. I could see how his heart broke whenever Riley pulled back. It was enjoyable to see Riley and Milo's journey from being enemies to lovers and how Riley's feelings deepened as she went further back in time. The book also touched on some heavy topics regarding interracial couples and racism from family members. It was great to see Riley recognize the kind of love and respect she deserved from her relationship/partner.

I did feel like the ending was kind of abrupt - I would have loved to see some of the future.

Thank you to Lake Union Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC! This comes out Sep 17, 2024!

Riley has been married for a year to her husband Tristan. The day after her anniversary she wakes up and everything has changed: a year has passed, she is divorced and her boyfriend is Milo whom she never liked before. At first she thinks this is a prank but then she realizes that she is living her life backwards and everyone but her knows what happens in the last year. How did she end up here?
I loved this book! It was such an unusual story with a really great FMC and of course Milo turns out to be a perfect book-boyfriend. There was just one inconsistency: when did they get the cat? They were talking about going to the shelter one day and when she wakes up the next day it is already in the apartment? This bugged me more than the whole living-your-life-backwards plot LOL! Other than that I thoroughly enjoyed this book.

What a refreshing story. I can’t say I have read a love story in reverse, but I liked it. It was refreshing to see Riley come into her own while navigating past events she had no recollection of. Sometimes you may never really know a person fully even after a year of marriage. Riley had the dream husband that complimented her and showered her with gifts. On her year anniversary that bubble was shattered. Gone was her Prince Charming. With each day her husband’s true colors are unearthed that she was too blind to see. There to help her along was sweet Milo. From their first meeting it was instant dislike. It would take some interactions with him forRiley to realize he’d been her quiet champion all along. I really enjoyed the way this book was written, that with each new day in reverse Riley found her own self with the help of Milo and good friends. Thank you NetGalley for this free advanced copy in exchange for my honest review

I was hooked up until the end. The story and plot were done well but I felt like some answers were left unresolved towards the end.

My heart broke at a few parts of the story which shows how well the author spent in developing the story and capturing emotions, Perhaps this wasn't my cup of tea but I know a lot of others will enjoy it!

I still really liked it and would suggest it for others!!

wow. “Never Ever You” was such an easy book to get stuck into. I really didn’t see the twist in chapter 5 coming, especially that early on, however that’s a positive as it kept me gripped. I have such a soft spot for Milo, (one of the characters) he’s nothing but sweet and genuine. I would have liked to see more of Milo and Riley’s relationship at the end, but other than that this book is amazing. Would definitely recommend.💜✨📚

I will be reviewing on Amazon also, when this book is released September 17th 🥳

I was 12 chapters in before I knew it. Off to read more now.

I was so excited when I started this; it was so promising.
I had my issues with this early on -
*you never really get to know Riley as a main character, to say nothing of her romantic partners and friends - this doesn’t delve deep into character and what character evolution there is, is lacking, imo - I found this too superficial to be a satisfying read
*jumping into a new relationship directly after the breakup of a marriage seems unhealthy and problematic to me and the storyline often reminded me of this thought

Unfortunately, the early excitement grew to discomfort the more I read this one. I wasn’t the right reader for this.

I’m rating this at 2 because it really caught my interest early on.



Thank you to Lake Union Publishing and NetGalley for the DRC

I loved this author and this book had me from the start and I couldn’t put it down! I was a little disappointed in the ending and not getting any answers or understanding of why, but up until that, thw stprytelling was captivating