Review: Moving story about facing fears and overcoming adversity
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 09 22, 2013
***ARC received for honest review*** - originally posted at [...]I knew just from reading the very beginning of this book that it was going to be one of those "ugly cry" books. You know the ones - you spend over half the book with tears running down your face, and a pile of tissues next to you. This was definitely one of those books! But, I don't mean that in a bad way. Not at all!After reading the beginning of the book and learning Kerri's personal story, as well as Chase's story, I pretty much knew what was going to be going on with Harper in the book. And I was terrified that it wasn't going to be an HEA - even though the name of the book is `Never Goodbye'. There were some serious `Walk to Remember' (Nicholas Sparks) type moments throughout this book. And I mean that in an emotional, bawled my eyes out, felt like someone kicked my puppy way.Kerri obviously brought a lot of her own personal experience with Cancer into the book, which was amazing, because if you've never been through something like that (and I haven't), it's not an easy POV to write. I can imagine all day long, but I don't think I've ever read a book about a character with Cancer that affected me the way this one did. Kerri's emotions seriously came through and I felt like I was right there with Harper - going through treatment, making decisions, trying not to fall in love with Vaun because he had his own demons, and he'd already lost someone to Cancer himself.Harper is the new girl in town. She's just moved with her father and brother, after a tragedy has touched their family. In addition to what they've already been through, Harper is sick. Really sick, the "you're probably not going to come out of this alive" sick. She meets Vaun, the town "bad boy" at a party, and the rest is history. The whole insta-love dynamic bothers me, but these are high-schoolers, and lets face it, high-schoolers fall in and out of love as often as most people change underwear.I think the thing that bothered me most throughout the book was the use of "frack". But, I have a potty-mouth, so using substitutions drives me batty anyway! This is an absolute must-read book, for YA and NA readers. It's the type of book that I would be okay with my 15-year old reading, even though there are a few sexual scenes, it's not explicit (no Fifty Shades-esque scenes - promise!). It was very tasteful, and more the suggestion of it than anything.Kerri did an awesome job building up the characters into realistic people. I could connect with everyone (even though Harpers cousin irritated me often - especially at the beginning!) and I loved how certain characters were redeemed. I especially loved Vaun. With the way the book started, I was expecting one guy, but I got a sensitive, deep, loving, responsible man.This book gets 4.5 stars from me!