I went into Never Have I Ever with high hopes, only to be met with an overwhelming sense of disappointment. While the premise promised intrigue and depth, the execution fell flat. The characters felt more like cardboard cutouts than fully realized people; cliched and two-dimensional, offering nothing fresh or compelling to latch onto.

The plot leans heavily on a tired trope: the heteronormative dream of a perfect suburban life disrupted by a “dark secret.” Except, in this case, the secret isn’t particularly dark or shocking. Instead of pulling me into a web of suspense, the story trudged along, failing to deliver the kind of tension or complexity that makes thrillers memorable.

The ending was the final nail in the coffin. It not only defied plausibility but also undermined the legitimacy of any semblance of legal or moral justice within the narrative. It felt like a rushed, unsatisfying conclusion that left me questioning why I’d stuck with the book in the first place.

To be honest, the only reason I didn’t set this one down was sheer disbelief. I kept reading, thinking surely it would redeem itself at some point. Unfortunately, it didn’t. What could have been a gripping, thought-provoking thriller ended up being disastrously uninteresting from start to finish.

If you’re in the market for a suspenseful, twisty read, this isn’t it. There are far better options out there that deliver the tension and intrigue this one promised but failed to provide.