I Never

by Laura Hopper

Overview

 "A stellar debut novel that easily compares to Judy Blume's iconic Forever" (School Library Journal, starred review). Destined to be passed from teen to teen, this delicious, almost-too-good-to-be-true high school romance is perfect for fans of Morgan Matson and Katie Cotugno.

Janey King’s priorities used to be clear: track, school, friends, and family. But when seventeen-year-old Janey learns that her seemingly happy parents are getting divorced, her world starts to shift. Back at school, Luke Hallstrom, an adorable senior, pursues Janey, and she realizes that she has two new priorities to consider: love and sex.

I Never features a perfect, delicious, almost-to-good-to-be-true high school relationship . . . and it doesn’t shy away from the details. This is a young adult debut that will get readers talking.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781328595874
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	06/11/2019
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	304
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.25(h) x 0.76(d)
Age Range:	14 - 18 Years

About the Author

Laura Hopper has worked in the film industry and is currently a book editor. I Never is her first novel. She lives in Los Angeles, California, with her family.

Read an Excerpt

CHAPTER ONE

Happy freakin’ New Year. Did they really think this was a good time to do this? Really? Here we are in beautiful Cabo San Lucas, where I’m enjoying a much-needed break from the stress that junior year of high school brings. At our supposedly celebratory New Year’s Eve dinner, they drop the bomb. “Separating.” “Splitting up.” We all know those are euphemisms for the dreaded D word. They promise it’s amicable, whatever that means. They say they’ve drifted apart and don’t want to grow old without that spark.
     I’m speechless, but maybe not shocked. I guess I thought they were happy in a best-friends kind of way. Not sure I gave it much thought, really. They get along fine, but it’s not like they stare lovingly at each other across the dinner table, or sneak little kisses as they pass each other in the hallway. But, are there actually couples in their forties who have been married for more than twenty years who are crazy in love? Do they really expect rainbows and butterflies this late in the game? Isn’t that for teenagers? Not that I’ve had the whole magical experience myself. I’m seventeen and still haven’t delved into that part of my life.
     Yes, I know plenty of seventeen-year-olds are dating, are having sex, are maybe even in love. It really hasn’t occurred to me that I might be missing out on something. I don’t think of myself as a late bloomer; I just haven’t felt ready for all that. Maybe it’s because there’s no one I’ve met who seems worth the trouble: missing time with friends, figuring out how to add a boyfriend to an already very busy schedule. He’d have to be exceptional, and I haven’t met anyone exceptional at La Jolla High. Yet.
     I just think sex should mean something. After all, it’s my body, the one body I have, which has to last forever. Why would I let someone have that kind of access without being pretty important in the scheme of things? I don’t want to let someone get that close to me only to have that person ultimately mean nothing in my life. I think too much.
     I walk with my mom and dad from the hotel restaurant through the lobby. My parents each hold one of my hands like I’m tiny and they’re going to say “one, two, three, wheeee” and whisk me high into the air.
     The lobby of the hotel is decorated with twinkly holiday lights and streamers. Noisemakers overflow from buckets strategically placed on tables and credenzas. Other hotel guests are dressed festively for the occasion. Some guys are in suits and ties, others in Hawaiian shirts. Many women wear short, sexy dresses, probably purchased for the sole purpose of ringing in the New Year. I feel slightly underdressed in my blue jeans and flip-flops. The sound of champagne corks popping resonates through the air at regular intervals.
     In the dimly lit piano bar, an old guy with dyed black hair and sunglasses sits at a baby grand piano. Next to him, a woman stands at the microphone in a super-tight red dress that clashes with her orange lipstick. They perform classic songs that are probably too old-fashioned even for my parents. My dad snags a tall table with three stools, and within seconds, a waiter with a cardboard top hat arrives and asks what we’d like to drink. My parents order champagne and I ask for a Sprite. I know my mom will give me a sip of her champagne and it will tickle my nose and taste bitter, but at least I’ll have the all-important New Year’s Eve beverage.
     Their words are still ricocheting in my head. Divorce. I’m a statistic. Last year, on the debate team, we argued the topic Should divorce be made even easier to obtain, or are there social and moral reasons to discourage it? I was assigned the opposition side, which means I had to take the position that people should have to work harder at their marriages before getting divorced. I remember standing at the podium, shoulders back, chin up, stating confidently, “It is far less damaging for children to live in an imperfect, yet stable and secure, household than to suffer the disintegration of the only family they know.” That’s me now, insecure and unstable. Incidentally, my team won that round of the debate.
     When the orange lips start singing “Fly Me to the Moon,” my dad takes my mom’s hand and pulls her up to dance. They hold each other close, smiling and whispering in each other’s ears. And yet, they’re getting divorced. I’m so confused.

Editorial Reviews

"A stellar debut novel that easily compares to Judy Blume’s iconic Forever...This is destined to be a classic and will undoubtedly be passed around from teen to teen as a word-of-mouth favorite. Highly recommended." –School Library Journal, starred review "This steamy and delightfully explicit exploration of teen sex and emotional growth begs to be passed from friend to friend under cover of the cafeteria table." —Kirkus "Janey makes her own choices and enjoys the results, and the result is a sweetly sex-positive book." —Publishers Weekly " ...This debut is a clear, matter-of-fact look at one girl’s first time. Both the choice to have sex and the choice not to are discussed without stigma..." —Booklist “I Never will have you blushing and smiling secretively, but is also informative, mature, and honest; a thoughtful, heartfelt, sexy coming-of-age story.” —Estelle Laure, author of This Raging Light and But Then I Came Back "Word of mouth will sell this book."—VOYA —

From the Publisher

2017-07-17
A heterosexual teen girl experiences the ups and downs of first love and first sex.High school junior Janey King has never been in love. She's never had a boyfriend, and she's never been kissed. She has enough on her plate with friends, schoolwork, the debate and track teams, and her parents' recent split. Then sexy, athletic, popular Luke Hallstrom asks Janey out. Despite Janey's insecurity—why would someone like Luke be attracted to a nobody like her?—things quickly heat up both physically and emotionally, and soon they're having the sex talk: should they, and when? Throughout most of the novel, Janey carries the damaging notion that she needs Luke to validate her. However, Janey's growth is most evident when she reflects that she doesn't want to feel complete only when she has a boyfriend, that she wants to feel confidence on her own merit. She credits Luke with giving her the power to allow herself to feel validated without any boy's approval—a rather dubious conclusion. Her best friends, "fast" girl virgin Sloan, whose nickname is "E.B." because she'll do "everything but," and Danielle, who has a boyfriend with whom she regularly does the deed, both have frank and funny advice about having sex and not having it. Janey's immediate circle at her La Jolla high school seems to be a largely white one. This steamy and delightfully explicit exploration of teen sex and emotional growth begs to be passed from friend to friend under cover of the cafeteria table. (Romance. 14-18)

Kirkus Reviews