Blog Tour: Not Now, Not Ever by Lily Anderson Review + Excerpt

Not Now, Not Ever
By Lily Anderson
Published: November 21st 2017 by Wednesday Books
Read: November 19 - 21, 2017
Source: NetGalley (TY St. Martin's)
Series: Book 2/2 
Category: YA, Summer Camp, Geniuses, Romance, 
Find: Goodreads | Amazon | B&N | Book Depository | Indiebound

Book Description: The sequel to The Only Thing Worse than Me Is You, inspired by The Importance of Being Earnest.

Elliot Gabaroche is very clear on what she isn't going to do this summer.

1. She isn't going to stay home in Sacramento, where she'd have to sit through her stepmother's sixth community theater production of The Importance of Being Earnest.
2. She isn't going to mock trial camp at UCLA.
3. And she certainly isn't going to the Air Force summer program on her mother's base in Colorado Springs. As cool as it would be to live-action-role-play Ender's Game, Ellie's seen three generations of her family go through USAF boot camp up close, and she knows that it's much less Luke/Yoda/"feel the force," and much more one hundred push-ups on three days of no sleep. And that just isn't appealing, no matter how many Xenomorphs from Alien she'd be able to defeat afterwards.

What she is going to do is pack up her attitude, her favorite Octavia Butler novels, and her Jordans, and go to summer camp. Specifically, a cutthroat academic-decathlon-like competition for a full scholarship to Rayevich College, the only college with a Science Fiction Literature program. And she's going to start over as Ever Lawrence, on her own terms, without the shadow of all her family’s expectations. Because why do what’s expected of you when you can fight other genius nerds to the death for a shot at the dream you’re sure your family will consider a complete waste of time?

This summer's going to be great. 
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My Thoughts:

Five things I loved about this book:

1) Elliot/Ever's inner monologue is hilarious. I wanted to spend more time in her brain. This girl is the whole package. Super smart, athletic, funny, and gutsy. But she doesn't always see all those parts of herself. I enjoyed watching her navigate camp and make friends (loved her friendship with Leigh!), and embrace her nerdy-ness. But also start enjoying life more without just looking at what's ahead. 

2) This is a retelling of The Importance of Being Earnest. Where Ever plays Earnest and makes up a new identity to attend a summer decathlon (nerd camp!). Things get even more dicey when her cousin Isaiah shows up at the same camp. Wilder's play is so much fun and this book captures its spirit well. But there's also depth in here, as Ever works through family obligation and her own expectations and desires for her life. 

3)  I didn't anticipate how much we'd get to see the characters from The Only Thing Worse Than Me Is You, even the love interest in this book! Not Now, Not Ever is set 3 years after the previous story, and it was so fun to see what everyone is doing now, especially Trixie and Ben. If you have yet to read that book, go do it now.

4) Super Nerd Brandon. AKA The Love Interest. I loved seeing more of this boy. He is sweet and a bit of a mess, but also completely adorable. Brandon and Elliot are a great match and and I loved watching them fall for each other. (For a fancast of these two, the author imagines Marsai Martin paired with Finn Wolfhard - aged up about 5 years). This book had a high factor of swoon that I didn't anticipate. I also loved to see how much the previous cast of characters care for Brandon still. This book is entirely from Ever's POV, and while that completely works for this tale, I also wish there was even more of Brandon in the story. 

5) Like Elliot/Ever, this book is the whole package. Witty humor, nerd references, friendships and romance, plus a diverse cast, all wrapped up into one great story. Bonus: tree-houses, typewriters and a little bit of a mystery too. Don't miss this one! 

Love Triangle Factor: None
Cliffhanger Scale: Self-contained story that's the second in a companion series. You can read each as a standalone, but I loved all the connections of reading them together. And I'd absolutely adore another story set in this world! 
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An Excerpt: 



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About the Author: 

LILY ANDERSON is an elementary school librarian and Melvil Dewey fangirl with an ever-growing collection of musical theater tattoos and Harry Potter ephemera. She lives in Northern California. She is also the author of The Only Thing Worse than Me Is You. 

Find the Author: Website | Twitter | Goodreads