Sometimes Never, Sometimes Always

by Elissa Janine Hoole

Cassandra fears rocking the family boat. Instead, she sinks it.

Assigned by her English teacher to write a poem that reveals her true self, Cassandra Randall is stuck. Her family's religion is so overbearing, she can NEVER write about who she truly is. So Cass does what any self-respecting high school girl would do: she secretly begins writing a tarot-inspired advice blog. When Drew Godfrey, an awkward outcast with unwashed hair, writes to her, the situation spirals into what the school calls "a cyberbullying crisis" and what the church calls "sorcery."

Cass wants to be the kind of person who sticks up for the persecuted, who protects the victims the way she tries to protect her brother from the homophobes in her church. But what if she's just another bully? What will it take for her to step up and tell the truth?

Genres: Young Adult, Contemporary, Realistic Fiction, Fiction, LGBT, Religion, Young Adult Contemporary

360 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 2013

About the author

I'm a YA writer, teacher, and incorrigible daydreamer. Author of KISS THE MORNING STAR (2012), SOMETIMES NEVER, SOMETIMES ALWAYS (2013), and THE MEMORY JAR coming winter 2016 from flux.

Reviews

[Brandi · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was absolutely phenomenal! I loved everything about it, from the chapter format, to the characters, to the storyline itself. I read it one sitting and it's been a while since I've done that.

The story is about Cass and her struggle to find herself, and there are a lot of hard issues brought up as she goes along. Her brother is gay and being tormented, her family is extremely devout and she doesn't believe, her friendship with her best friend is crumbling, and the awkward girl who goes to her youth group attempts suicide after being badly bullied.

For such heavy topics I don't feel that book was too dark or hard to read at all. I related to Cass more than any character I've read in quite some time, and one of my favorite things about her was her love for her brother. Her whole situation was just so authentic that, even though I've never gone through what she did, I feel like I could have been reacting the way she did. I would want to protect my sister too if she was gay and we lived in such a close minded community; I would be just as lost without the one girl I was best friends with during my school years, and I would feel just as torn over having the most unpopular girl want to be close to me. I wasn't a popular kid, far from it actually, though it would be a lie to say I was the least. I was somewhere in the middle and trying hard to just maintain that fragile hold. I wasn't skinny and beautiful like the popular girls, and I wasn't as smart or driven as the ambitious girls, or as funny, or as...anything. I was just there. In this way when I was reading Cass' feelings about what did she have that was just hers, I could have been reading about my younger self.

I don't really know what to say about this because it spoke to me on such a personal level, and touched me the way only things like that can. This is a story about self discovery, but it's so much more. It's about love, respect, friendship, boundaries, family, and choices. Sometimes Never, Sometimes Always is a very relevant story about the world we live in now, and is very authentic to the dilemmas that becoming your own person brings.

Read this.

[Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

So.. I don't even know where to begin with writing a review for this! I spent a lot of time last night thinking about the book and what I read and what I was thinking and feeling, yet I'm still having a hard time coming up with the words for all of the feels. And let me tell you, Elissa Janine Hoole knows how to bring the feels. She had the guts to delve into several of those topics that are so controversial these days: religion, bullying, cyberbullying, homophobia, drug use, and a few other topics that I won't discuss because of spoilers.

I'll admit that when I first started reading Sometimes Never, Sometimes Always I was worried that having such a heavy focus on religion was going to turn me away from it because I just DO NOT enjoy reading books that deal with religious issues, however, I was drawn in from the very first page. You see, Cassandra "Cass" Randall has grown up in a religious home. Her parents are devoted Christians, as are her older brother Eric and younger sister Dicey, but Cass has a secret--one that she can never tell her parents. She's an atheist and she stopped believing in God a long time ago.

One of my favorite things about Sometimes Never, Sometimes Always is the way the chapters are set up like an internet survey, the first asking for three words that best describe you. Throughout the entire story Cass is having trouble with her identity. It all started with an internet survey that was floating around between the students at her school, a survey that Cass couldn't even begin answering. Why? Because Cass is a follower. She follows her best friend Kayla, she follows her parents, she follows what everyone around her tells her to do and who to be. So when her English teacher asks her to write a poem about herself, she's completely stumped. Who is Cassandra? What are her interests and hobbies? What does she enjoy? All questions that she can't answer. So what does she do to try to find herself? Buys some Tarot cards and secretly starts up an advice blog focused on reading the cards for answers. Of course things quickly spiral out of control--people begin cyberbullying, the church she's forced to attend each week is determined to find the culprit behind the blog and shut them down for their sorcery--and Cassandra is caught in the crossfire. She tries desperately to find herself, to be herself, yet despite everything her passivity wreaks more havoc than expected and in the end she has to deal with the consequences.

Cass isn't your typical heroine either. Sure she has her good qualities but what really made her real is the fact that she isn't this perfect girl out to save the world with a destiny she has to fulfill. She's shy and intimidated by the simplest of things. She doesn't know how to be her true self and she's a quiet follower, always doing what everyone else expects of her even if it isn't what she wants. Instead of standing up for herself and others, she sits back and watches the bullying happen, afraid to speak out and during the times that she does try it backfires. And in fact, she isn't that nice at all. She may talk politely and appear to be nice to their face, but toward some people her thoughts aren't all that nice. Mainly because she feels that if she were to befriend these people it will reflect poorly upon herself and she'll also be made fun of so she just keeps away from those people as much as possible. There were times that I was angry with Cass, furious even, but I also knew that she didn't know how to the person that she wanted to be. She didn't know how to have a voice of her own. She didn't know how to stand up to the bullies without getting bullied herself. There were several times I wanted to yell Do something! Say something!! ANYTHING! but always feeling as if even if I were there with her in the pages of the story it wouldn't matter. This was something she had to do on her own. There were times that I could really identify with Cass and I think that's also a huge part of why I enjoyed reading about her journey of self-discovery.

I'm not even going to delve into the topic of religion because frankly the Christian characters within Sometimes Never, Sometimes Always just pissed me off to the point that I wanted to throw the book across the room (which wouldn't have been good especially since I read this on my Kindle) and religion is a touchy subject so I'll just keep my thoughts to myself on this one, but I am thoroughly happy with how the ending turned out for Cass and the people around her. It wasn't a happily ever after, but it was nice and realistic. I also had a problem with a few of the other characters who did most of the bullying/cyberbullying. They were just plain mean and kind of put the movie Mean Girls in mind and I just hated how everyone followed them so blindly, even when they were terrorizing others.

Elissa Janine Hoole wrote a superb story dealing with issues that most people try to steer clear of. They're real issues in the real world and I'm so glad that I was able to receive a copy of this to review because it brought me out of my comfort zone and was told with a wonderful voice and easy writing style. After having been in a reading rut and having a hard time finding something to read and enjoy, it was wonderful to read Sometimes Never, Sometimes Always and love it.

[Danielle Hall · Rating 5 out of 5]

When Cassandra Randall tries to fill out an online personality quiz, she realizes that she has nothing to write. Her fashion sense and music are best-friend inspired, her pet Guinea pigs are all part of her brother’s service project, and to the rest of the world, she seems to subscribe to the same fundamentalist Christian beliefs as her parents. Cass risks bringing a deck of Tarot cards into her “no privacy ‘til you’re eighteen” household, and does readings for an advice-column blog that she’s cooked up. It’s her thing. It’s no big surprise when Cass loses her tenuous grasp on the situation and the whole thing spirals out of control.

I’ve read several reviews that complain that there’s “too much” going on in this novel: too many issues tackled, too many loose threads, too many characters that pass out of view too quickly. For me, this novel was the perfect photomosaic; I could see a big picture, and even make out some smaller components, but the rest was left to the imagination.

As Cass muddles her way through lies and ambition and pride, she makes several mistakes. As a reader, we ache for her because we’ve all been there. She’s trying to find herself, sure, but she’s also clinging tight to an old friend who no longer wants her and completely disregarding a new friend who really needs her. Cass isn’t in the loathed “popular” crowd, but she still does a bang-up job of doing nothing at all of the right (wrong?) moments. That’s the brutal truth of the novel: the big moments have a slow build, and all of our choices count in determining who we are.

Hoole has a gift of disassembling the small moments and laying them out in front of you so that the individual components come into focus. You feel like, maybe, Hoole has reached into your life and plucked out one of your thoughts or memories and placed it on the page. At one point, Cassandra goes to the bathroom and has a panicked moment:

Okay, so I’m not crazy, but really, this is what happens. Have you ever done this? Have you ever locked eyes with yourself in a strange mirror and wondered about the spaces between the spinning motes of dust?

Cassandra is so far from herself that she can’t even relate to her reflection. This mirror moment perfectly encapsulates the adolescent identity crisis. These are the literary moments. Of course, I’ve only picked out one that speaks to me, but my point is that you’re sure to find one, too.

Another strong point of this novel is the cast of characters. Cass gets the most support from her brother Eric, who is struggling with his own beliefs and place in the world. We also get to know Darin, a quirky “too-cool-for-school-but-not-really” artist type, and Drew, the kind-hearted poet. Cassandra’s other friends and acquaintances drift in and out: Kayla, Annika, Britney, Mr. Dawkins, and each has his or her own complexities.

For those who feel that this novel takes on “too much”, I’d like to leave one final thought. The situations in this novel are – true to life – rich, complex, and sometimes underresolved. Sometimes, the things that seem small are really big. Sometimes, the things that don’t happen are just as important as the things that do.

[Stormy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Conservative religions, tarot cards, and cyber-bullying. All three of these things are found in Sometimes Never, Sometimes Always, along with a whole host of other issues, minor and otherwise. And while I did like the book by the end, there’s a reason for that yellow traffic light up there. I think this book suffered from a small case of too many issues, not enough space, at least at the beginning. About a quarter or so through I think Hoole really found her footing with the story and ultimately, Sometimes Never, Sometimes Always did a decent job of tackling some tough issues.

Cass is a difficult main character to like. She’s wishy-washy, and while I know that most YA stories are coming of age tales, I felt Sometimes Never, Sometimes Always drew too much attention to that aspect. Instead of letting Cass’ development progress naturally, there might have been giant signs at time(especially in the first half, which as you can tell was my least favorite), that might as well have said “Look at me! This is character development!” Cass doesn’t know herself well at all, which made her a difficult character to root for. Luckily, I really enjoyed some of the supporting characters in the book, like Eric, Cass’ brother.

There was also a bit too much telling in this book at times for my liking, especially as it related to the church that Cass’s family attended. You get the idea that they’re a really strict church, but it was sometimes HARD to get a handle on their ideas and how it effected Cass directly. So much of the time when Cass is at the church or dealing with issues that arise because of it, the narration all happens inside of Cass’ own head and I felt all the descriptions were really foggy.

Despite my numerous complaints, once the book reached about 40% and decided what it was actually about, I found the story really engaging. Once the cyberbullying issue became apparent, I thought Hoole handled the situation in a way that was realistic and didn’t play down the many complexities. At this point I finally began to care for Cass and want her to succeed. The characters grew in dimension and pretty much all my favorite parts of the book were in the second half. While I wish it had started stronger, I have to give this book credit for it’s strong final impression.

Final Impression: Despite the rocky beginning, I liked this book by the end, once things started coming together and I felt a coherent story was being told. It was a great look at cyber-bullying and I think readers who stick it through to the end will gain from it, because I can see why people might choose to pass on this one.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Kelly (Diva Booknerd) · Rating 4 out of 5]

http://www.divabooknerd.com/2013/09/s...
Sometimes Never, Sometimes always could possibly be the coming of age novel that represents small town America. Cass is a follower but desperately wants to march to the beat of her own drum, she just doesn't know how. Her parents believe in the power of prayer, that supernatural novels are the devils work and that teenagers have no right to privacy. What happens when teens are forced into leading a life of sunshine and rainbows? They rebel, but Cass's rebellion is subtle, it's the influence of others and her lack of self confidence that are her undoing.

Elissa Janine Hoole has woven a story that incorporates fears that all teens will relate to, cyber bullying, finding independence, the loss of friendship and first crushes, the inclusion of small town bigotry and the church's extreme views against, well, basically everything that could be seen as fun, may leave staunch followers a little uncomfortable. I'm by no means religious, but do understand that religion should be based on forgiveness and respect for your fellow man, but the Joyful News Bible Church is extreme in their views. I really enjoyed it, it was engaging, and the supporting characters leave an impact, even the Gordon High mean girls. I would love to read Drew's story, she could be the inner voice of most struggling teens.

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

A powerful story of bullying and its effect on a small community. Cassandra's poetry assignment is the perfect segue into her self reflection. The book deals with topics that effect every high schooler...parental approval, sibling relationships, first love and, most importantly, the longing to be accepted by one's peers. Her internal struggle with the border between bully and bystander is completely relatable and keeps the reader wondering what will happen next.

[A Book Vacation · Rating 5 out of 5]

To see my full review:

I really enjoyed this novel, and I actually found it much more interesting that the synopsis itself makes it out to be. Not only is it about bullying, a hot topic in the nation right now, but it also deals with over zealous religion (borderline cult), intolerance and homosexual relations, advice columns, and the philosophical question of right and wrong. Honestly, I think this novel is extremely well written and while I wasn’t sure if I would really like it going in, I came out of it absolutely in love with Hoole’s writing style and characterization.

The novel begins with Cassandra attempting to take a survey during which time she realizes she’s completely boring. She has no great answers to any of the questions, not like her friends or even her sister, and so she struggles to make herself stand out. As the novel unfolds, each chapter is titled with one of the questions from the survey, launching into what Cassandra does in order to be different, and in my opinion, this technique really worked well.

Cassandra Randall has spent much of her life as part of an extreme religion/cult society within her small town, thanks to her overzealous parents. But, as her church and its members only make-up about half the town’s population, and as Cassandra continues to witness the vast differences between her life and those of others outside the church, she decides it’s time to put her foot down and rebel. After all, Cassandra doesn’t tend to believe anything her church is spouting, at least, she hasn’t for a while now, anyway. I once knew someone who had a family similar to Cassandra’s, and it’s a bit scary to think about. The extreme strictness and labeling of everything outside the Bible as evil is a bit much, in my opinion, and having actually known someone in a situation similar to Cassandra’s made it easy for me to connect with her. I understand her mindset and the need to rebel, which is ultimately what Cassandra is doing through her tarot reading and blogging, and while that may seem a bit extreme, it is indeed the perfect rebellion, even if she doesn’t actually tell her parents about it…

What I really loved, from the very beginning, was the characterization and voice of Cassandra. She is extremely unique and, like all high school students, struggles to find her identity. And while aspects of the novel may be far-fetched, I still really liked the overall message, especially as it isn’t neatly tied up with a bow at the end. Cassandra still has to grapple with her actions, her parents, her beliefs; and she has to own up to her actions, but in the end, it’s an extremely engaging story that I highly enjoyed and definitely recommend.

[Ally · Rating 2 out of 5]

I actually really disliked this book. Cass is probably one of the most insufferable characters I have ever had to endure. I was really excited to read this based on reviews, but her character ruined the book for me.

I have a lot of friends whose parents are very religious. As far as I can tell, none of them hold the same kind of contempt toward their parents as Cass. I dated a guy whose mother would text him every Sunday asking if he had found a Christian community in his new home. Obviously it frustrated him, but not once did he show the type of derision or condescension that Cass shows toward her family.

What bothered me even more was how she treated a girl from her youth group, Drew. I don't know about you, but if I were the reason someone attempted to commit suicide, I would do everything in my power to make sure that that person is ok. Obviously, Cass is ashamed, and rightfully so, but sitting around moping isn't going to do anything for Drew..

Overall, not something I would read again. Very disappointing after how long I waited to read it.

[Mieneke · Rating 4 out of 5]

Even though I've been reading more YA books in the past few years, most of those are solidly based in the speculative fiction corner of literature. Contemporary YA doesn't really get a look in that often, though perhaps that shouldn't be surprising for a blogger who mostly focuses on SFF, historical fiction and crime fiction. But the contemporary YA I have read, I've almost universally liked and when I first saw Sometimes Never, Sometimes Always, I was immediately drawn by the blurb. I loved the premise: what is it like to grow up with fundamentally religious parents, when you're an atheist yourself? It is a very specific question, but the atheism versus fundamentalism could be substituted with other elements that make you different to your family, whether it is sexuality, faith, or politics to name some examples, which allows people of all stripes to connect to the story. Unfortunately Sometimes Never, Sometimes Always tries to tackle some huge issues and takes a somewhat 'everything and the kitchen sink'-approach by, in addition to the basic conflict between Cass and her parents, also trying to say something about bullying and homophobia. And while Hoole definitely created a good story, sometimes all the different conflicts got a bit muddled and the narrative lost strength due to that.

In essence, this is a story about a teen discovering her own identity and becoming a person separate from her parents. However, by placing this universal human experience in a setting of religious fundamentalism and the stifling morals associated with it, Hoole gives it an interesting twist. She ramps up the tension in Cass' home by there not just being questions about whether to believe in God or not, but also what if you do believe in God and that belief system tells you that who you are is sinful in the eyes of that God, which is a question Cass' closeted gay brother Eric wrestles with. Eric's struggles and journey are a bit lost, as while they do have a place in Cass' story, sometimes developments in his arc were a bit underwhelming, such as the way he tells Cass he's come out to their parents. All these added issues, that aren't directly related to Cass' development are secondary to Cass' story arc – and rightly so – but it also makes their presence feel disjointed and fragmentary. This is true for the bullying that Drew undergoes as well, though in this case it's more about Cass' reaction to people's and her own treatment of Drew, than about Drew herself. Because Cass recognises the holds the same prejudices as the mean girls in the book and that the way she treats Drew isn't right, but she just can't see herself as being 'that' person, as being not a nice person.

I loved the way Cass discovers herself, rebelling against her parents in a rather original way and finding her own way through the maze that is high school and falling in love. I do have to say that in some ways I thought she was blamed rather harshly for the consequences of her mistake. Perhaps she could and should have thought it through more, but what happens isn't just due to her own thoughtlessness, it's also because there are some other very cruel people around, who victimise Drew horribly, but lash out at Cass as well. This isn't to say Cass is blameless, because she isn't. She treats Drew quite badly, she's unkind and uncharitable in her thoughts and actions towards her, and she takes the easy way out several times. However, in the end she takes responsibility for her actions and learns that to be the person she wants to be, she'll have to act like the person she wants to be.

The sibling bond between Cass and Eric stood out to me. There is such a sense of unwavering love and support between them, which I adored, though at the same time it seemed it left their younger sibling somewhat excluded. I also liked the portrayal of the parents. First of all, they are present, which sometimes seems a rarity in YA books. Secondly, there is also sympathy and understanding for Cass' parents, even if what they do is disapproved of, not just from and by Cass and Eric, but as a reader I could empathise as well. These are not evil people, just traumatised and grieving ones, who in their desperate need for consolation have clung to a set of beliefs that sets them apart from less fervently religious people. Hoole manages to convey this expertly and also lets Cass show she understands and struggles with the idea of hurting her parents by choosing to go her own way.

Sometimes Never, Sometimes Always was a compelling story that sometimes got lost in in the points it was trying to get across to the reader, but never lost heart. It's an honest narrative and one that I can see appealing to many readers across the board. Despite my issues with some of the elements of the novel, I really enjoyed the book and I would love to read more of Elissa Janine Hoole’s work in the future.

This book was provided for review by the publisher.

[Tracey · Rating 3 out of 5]

I find out on the first day of the New Year that I am the least interesting person I know.

Cassandra Randall is at that stage we all go through in our teenage years of trying to discover who we are. What makes us tick, what we believe in and how to be the person that we want to be. She's questioning the things around her, which is the first step in that discovery. When all of her friends start completing an online survey, Cass can't think of any answers to the questions and believes that she is completely boring. To make matters worse, she is assigned the task of writing a poem about herself for school. Cass has nothing to write. Nothing whatsoever that is worthy of making it's way onto that piece of paper.

So, what does Cass do? She buys a pack of tarot cards and starts an anonymous online blog to offer people advice to their problems. Never did she expect the chain of events that her blog would produce. Her very religious family and her church label the blog as evil, and when her blog is the forum for cyber-bullying, Cass is lost in a sea of wrong choices, emotions and consequences.

I have to say that for almost all of the novel, I didn't really like Cass. I found her to be quite whiny and self absorbed. For someone who was questioning their thoughts and beliefs, I thought she was so easily led by others. And not very nice others either. But the one person that she strove so hard to protect was her brother Eric. Their relationship was wonderful to read. They were always there for each other, even if they didn't agree with what the other was doing.

As for the supporting characters, I loved her brother Eric, Drew, the girl who always seems to be at the centre of everyone's taunts, Cass's classmate and crush Darin and even Cass's teacher Mr D. All of these characters displayed traits that I admire in a person. Traits that we should all strive to achieve. They were caring, kind, considerate and compassionate, almost always able to look at the bigger picture.

The thing that I loved about this book the most was the authors writing style. Even with my dislike for Cass, the author managed to keep me invested in the story. And there was a lot going on. Lots of different tangents to the main story of Cass, but all would impact on her to varying degrees.

"Terrible things do happen, Cass. But so do good things. And sometimes we can't tell the difference between the tow until afterward."

Nestled amongst the usual teenage dramas were some pretty deep subject matters. Bullying, sexuality, religion, drugs and alcohol. But even with the tough subjects, the story was never weighed down or preachy.

Even though I guessed the direction that the storyline with Drew was going to go, it didn't detract from the journey that the characters were taking. I think by the end of the book, with everything that Cass had gone through, she finally became the girl I could like. She started to take ownership for her actions and the impact that they would have on others.

This is the first book that I have read from this author, but it definitely won't be my last.

3/5 finding yourself stars.

Thanks so much to Flux, who provided this book via Netgalley.

[Jennifer Madero (Boricuan Bookworms) · Rating 1 out of 5]

You can find more of my reviews in my co-owned blog Boricuan Bookworms

eARC Provided by Publisher via Netgalley

I always try to finish reading a book, but there must come a time when you have to stop and say "No," for your sake. I reached half of it and stopped because I didn't find the enough motivation to keep reading. I tried reading another book and start this again, and it went well the first time and even the second, but the other times I barely made it through five pages before I feel asleep.

This is the story about Cassandra, a teenager going through an identity crisis as she tries to answer a poll about things she's done and to sing a poem about herself for an English assignment. Anything that comes to mind is something from someone else-- her brother, her friend, her parents-- it's like she has no identity of her own. In an attempt to chose for herself what she wants, she buys some Tarot Cards and does anonymous readings for people that she posts on a blog .

I never knew what happened with the blog and Tarot Cards, her parents or the school problems because I never finished it, didn't find the enough motivation to keep up with Cass. At first I liked her and sympathized with her because I saw that it was hard to always be living under your parent's over-protectiveness and religiousness. But she was a character I couldn't like. She made a lot of excuses, lied, was mean and selfish to the point where I couldn't have empathy at all. There are characters that you can deal with, but not this one.

In the story there is also a lot of slut-shamming between Cass and other girls from her school. I don't particularly like when there is always a group of bimboes (bimbos?) who are bitchy, gossipers, plain stupid and mean. Come one, is this really true or some cliche in books and movies?

The plot and narrative felt slow to me, taking too much time to get to the point, and it was boring. I tried, I really tried. And to be honest I liked some of the things the story wanted to deliver. It talks about very religious people in the USA, and maybe in other parts of the world, that are too strict with their kids. That because of stuff like that something is bound to happen, a kind of revelation from their part like with Cass being an atheist and her brother being gay. It talked about homosexuality and finding your own inner self instead of being a copy of people around you. Points for the author on that. The bad thing was that it wasn't delivered, at least to me, in the best possible way for liking it.

Rating: 1.5 stars

[Kendra · Rating 2 out of 5]

See http://justaddchampagne.blogspot.ca/2... for the full review

This book was a netgalley read exchanged for an honest review.

Cass is an atheist teenager stuck in a family who is overbearingly religious. She is slowly realizing that she has been a follower all of her life and hasn't really been who she actually wants to be. And when she tries to, people are all like 'whoa Cass, this ain't you, go back to normal". I get this. I mean, everyone has done it at some point, put out a persona because you think its what people want from you. You just go through the motions and then sometimes you just fall into that sub-type. ( I'm not as shy and quiet as people think but sometimes its easier just to go with that then all of a sudden be outgoing and get stared down). Because Cass isn't sure about who she is, it was very hard to get a grip on her character. She is also very hypocritical. I mean she says she hates how the mean (ie: popular) girls bully and make fun of people for no reason at all, yet she does it herself.She even says that Drew (a girl who is in Cass' youth group and the schools 'loser') wouldn't be bullied if she actually put effort into her looks. She thinks its irresponsible when her best friend lies to her parents, yet she does the same thing with starting the blog. So Cass is I guess a fair representation of a high school student to be fair.

A main portion of the book dealt with the church. They seemed strict and very powerful in the community, I mean they even want the towns' winter carnival cancelled. And yah. I don't know. I could enter a whole rant on religion and how its fine to believe in what you believe in but don't shove it down every one's throat. But I won't subject that to you. Just respect that people have different beliefs, and while they can't all be right they can't all be wrong either.

I enjoyed the novel, I just felt like there was too much going on in this book that it didn't know what to focus on. I mean it dealt with religion, gay rights, suicide, bullying, self-discovery, love. I wanted to know what happened to each of the characters, but in a more though provoking way, not just a sudden happy ending. I'm not saying it was a bad ending, I'm just saying that it felt rushed, like the author realized she only had 20 pages left to work with and BAM just make everything work out for the best. Not exactly realistic in my eyes.
I didn't get the cover art either. I liked it, but after reading the book I see no connection to a mason jar filled with light.


2.5 stars.

[Mandi Kaye Sorensen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reviewed at http://www.mandikayereads.com/sometim... (10/23/13)

I requested this book because I thought I might relate to it. My family became very religious during my later teen years. And I had a secret obsession with the occult.

Of course, I had no idea what a blog was back then so I never did what Cass did - but were I re-living those days now I'm sure I would.

It's difficult enough trying to figure out who you are as you're growing up. But when you throw a family and community into the mix who are convinced that the thoughts and feelings you have are evil - it makes it a hell of a lot harder.

But Cass wasn't the most interesting character in this book to me - that honor fell to her brother. He was struggling with the idea that he was gay, while still trying to uphold his faith. His story was more interesting to me. He was very hypocritical it seemed - he was constantly telling Cass how wrong she was for her website and how worried he was for her soul - when he was himself engaging in something his church damns him for. But I understand it. I honestly do. It was a realistic depiction of how these things evolve and take over your life, your emotions. and your thoughts.

Unfortunately, websites are shady things. We've all heard the phrases "don't feed the trolls" and "don't read the comments." People in Cass' school took the opportunity to use her website as an anonymous way to bully the people who came to her for advice. Way harsh, Tai. The comments made were awful. And Cass decided that she didn't need to moderate the comments because she wasn't the one making them. It wasn't until they hit a little too close to home that she intervened - but by then the damage was already done.

I think Cass' story is a familiar one. Internet fame, albeit anonymous internet fame, can make you feel special. Popular. Important. And you don't want to do anything to jeopardize that - even if it means compromising who you are and maybe sacrificing a few friendships along the way.

I won't tell you what happened in the end, but I'm sure you can guess at least parts of it - since it does have a very after-school special feel to it (literally). But the message was a good one. It was handled well and was far less cliched than I expected it to be.

[Bookish Indulgenges with b00k r3vi3ws · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cassandra Randall is a self-proclaimed atheist belonging to a very religious family. So when her teacher sets an assignment to write a poem to reflect themselves, she is stuck. She could never reveal what she truly feels because she feels that it might hurt her parents. Then there’s the matter of her very gay brother. Then as she gets her hand on a Tarot deck, she anonymously starts a tarot blog and dishing out advice based on her readings. But things start to spiral out of her control – she betrays a friend, her brother faces the wrath of homophobes and there’s the case of cyber-bullying that finally forces her to face the reality of her situation.

Cassandra a.k.a Cass is a character is a character who is easy to relate to at certain points. For instance her atheism while being surrounded by her religious family is just a reflection of how each individual can have different outlook even when surrounded by people who believe in the complete opposite. Plus teenager disagreeing with their parents is a well-explored territory. However, there were times when I really got frustrated with Cass. Her stubborn streak and her casual treatment of Drew really irritated me – the hypocrisy in the situation bugged me a lot.
Then there is Cass’s brother – a gay boy in a family whose religion seem to consider being gay as something abnormal. Cass’s intention of trying to protect her brother is truly heart-warming. I also liked Cass’s teacher – he is the sort of person we all need – to know our capabilities, to understand when we are stuck and to give that push when it is needed but never too strict or overbearing.

The plot line is simple enough and as a reader I knew how the story was going to end. But it was Cass’s journey that mattered. She was human after all and a teenager at that. So her mistakes were understandable. I also like the way the author handled various sensitive themes of religion, morals and cyber bullying. While the book was never preachy, Cass’s religious parents brought in some flavours to the story as did the reaction of homophobes and the effect of it on Eric. The most important focus, I thought, was on cyber-bullying. How something that started with innocent rebellion could turn into something malicious and the effect it can have on the victim was truly handled well.

Overall, it was okay and I would recommend it to contemporary YA fans.

[L. Petunia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't read much contemporary at all, but I was pleasantly surprised by this book, which I got as an ARC. I loved Cass' narrative voice (I would have never expected a present tense contemporary to read so well, but it does), and I think it'd be a great book for anyone who wants to tackle the subject of teen bullying, or more specifically, how inaction and refusing to stand up for those who are bullied, even if you're not overtly bullying yourself, can still prove just as devastating. And yay no instalove here, just a real, sweet teenage romance that's not the main focus.

I do think the book covered a LOT of subjects. A LOT. Almost too many, although I suppose you could say well, a teen's life is complicated. And although I personally agree with Cass' point of view when it comes to religion, I'm left with no idea how she went from being raised most of her life in a super-Christian household to deciding she's atheist at the age of 17 (or earlier, it's before the book begins). Personally, it took me longer to come to grips with what I believed, and she was faced with much more pressure to conform than I ever was, and I still found it difficult. It'd have been interesting to learn more about how she came to that, if the religion aspect was even that necessary to the plot at all. (Other than showing she had strict parents.) From the blurb, I actually thought the religion and her atheism would be the focus more than it was.

I do get that at the heart of the many topics the book tackled, Cass finding something to like about herself was really the overarching theme. (The online survey theme for the chapter headers was a great touch, by the way!) This wasn't a critique of the book at all since it seemed in line with Cass' behavior, but I got really annoyed by her refusal to write a simple, short poem. I mean, I felt like her teacher, wanting to shake her by the shoulders. "Just write something!! It's just an assignment!" Ha.

Also, the cover is gorgeous, but I have NO IDEA how it applies to the book. Something with tarot cards would have been cooler and more appropriate. Maybe it was like Cass needing to fill the empty jar of herself with something she'll value about herself? I don't know. XD

[Sabriena · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sometimes Never, Sometimes Always was a story about finding out who you are and who you want to be. We all know in high school that it is definitely hard to be a good person and to be the person that you want to be, that you know you should be. Cassandra finds this out the hard way and comes to the realization that she has no idea who she is when she goes to answer a survey/question thing that is being sent around to the kids.

I loved the way the chapters were set out in the questions that were on this survey and the writing was really good. I enjoyed the troubles that Cass had gone through from feeling like her best friend and herself were drifting apart, working with the popular girls on the newspaper, the inner battle of whether she should be Drew's friend or not, her brother being gay, as well as liking a boy for the first time and being an atheist in a family of heavily religious parents.

I want to say though that this is not a romance book. There is Darin and Cass's relationship building but this is about Cass finding herself. Most of it is centered around a poem that she is supposed to write about herself in English class that she can't because she doesn't know herself.

Everything was realistic from the bullying online to the problems that Cass has. Cass was a character that anyone could easily relate to because everyone has tried to find out who they were at one time in their lives or you are still doing it. This book deals a lot with bullying be it online or in person. Bullying is always such a hard thing to deal with because you would hope that you would be that one person to stop it, to say enough is enough and stand up for someone that is being bullied. Cass wanted to be that person but she often wasn't.

This was a really good story, I've said that a few times I think. This wasn't your typical Young Adult story where they are trying to find themselves but oh they found a boy so they're good now. I enjoyed her inner struggle and everything didn't turn out super rosy in the end but it was a good ending.

A definite book you want to watch for.

[Megs · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am not a contemporary reader. I'm always happier when there are witches and/or wizards and/or werewolves and/or elves and/or dragons and/or whatever other magical creatures you can think. So it's not very often that I read a book that's set 100% in the real world.

With that said, Sometime Never, Sometimes Always marks my tiptoeing into the world do YA contempories (I think this is my second one ever). And I actually quite enjoyed it! Sometimes Never, Sometimes Always touches on a couple themes that hit fairly close to hope: morals and bullying.

Cass was a character I could definitely connect with. I think anyone who has ever disagreed with their parents' views (really, who hasn't?) could empathize with Cass's predicament. Cass is an atheist growing up in a deeply religious family. When a child becomes autonomous from their parents and begins to develop their own views on life, it can be a very interesting time and I enjoyed reading about this aspect of Cass's life, even though it was difficult for her. And as a note, religion obviously plays a bit of a role in this book, but it's not preachy at all because our narrator is a quietly rebelling atheist.

The other major theme here is bullying, both face-to-face and cyber-bullying. Bullying is an issue that is near and dear to me, so I'm always happy to see it addressed in YA books. And it was great to have aspects of cyber-bullying addressed as well. However, I was a little annoyed with how much Cass blamed herself for what happened, as their were other characters who played much bigger parts. That said, I probably would have felt the same was in Cass's position.

But don't worry, this book isn't all doom and gloom. There's a very sweet boy in the picture! Darin is pretty much everything I like in a YA love interest, so I was always smiling whenever he showed up! I also really liked that there were some significant sibling interactions, which I find are lacking in many YA books.

Sometimes Never, Sometimes Always is a interesting YA contemporary that touches on a variety of issues, including religious, finding yourself, sexuality, friendship and bullying. It was a contemporary win for this fantasy reader!

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

From the Militant Recommender Book Review Blog
http://militantrecommender.blogspot.c...
Sometimes Never, Sometimes Always, by Elissa Janine Hoole, is filled with realistic characters and a thought-provoking story. It begins with The Three Best Words That Describe You, the first question on a survey making the rounds among Cassandra Randall's friends. She is at a loss as to how to answer, this, the first question... not to mention all the following ones. Cass is struggling to find her own identity as the non-religious member of a very fundamentalist religious family. Her best friend, Kayla, is leaving her behind in her wake of coolness and her brother, Eric, is harboring a secret that puts him in conflict his faith. Her family used to be kind of normal until a family tragedy brought them into the Joyful News fold that meets 3 times a week and maybe makes her parents and sister happy, but Cass is suffocating under their rules and intolerance.

Hoping to find her true self she decides to be open to new things, so when Kayla pushes her to fill in for a girl who did the layout for the student paper, but is currently in treatment for an eating disorder, she relents and takes it on, because it is a skill she possesses having worked on the Joyful News newsletter.

Then her English teacher requests the class follow Walt Whitman's example to "celebrate and sing themselves". One more thing Cass needs to deal with in trying to figure out who she is, really, on her own, outside the circle of friends and family. And, there's the boy, in the seat next to her in English class, Darin, who is funny and oddly appealing. Does he like her? Why would he?

Eric had given her $20.00 as a birthday present hoping she'll choose something she'd like rather than pick something out for her, so when Cass goes into the bookstore something unexpectedly takes her eye. A deck of Tarot cards. Are these what she needs to set her apart and make her someone unique? Someone interesting? Get a copy of Sometimes Never, Sometimes Always and follow Cassandra as she discovers more and more about herself in this engaging, addictive and highly recommended story!

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have to confess something with this book: I requested a review copy on Netgalley because I thought the cover was really pretty. I'd just been turned down for a couple of titles that I was REALLY excited about, so I thought that I maybe my chances of getting approved for my next request might be better if I'd read and reviewed more titles (silly, I know). So I perused through some upcoming titles, and the cover of this book jumped out at me.

Once I started reading the book, it was NOT at all what I expected. Cassandra's family is very religious, and they seem to be part of a fundamentalist Christian church (i.e. the Church is opposed to all kinds of things, including the school's Winter Carnival). Cassandra, despite her family's beliefs, feels that she's an atheist and struggles with how to coexist with her parents. Also, her older brother is gay, and she's learning how to deal with the way that the world sees him.

These conflicts aren't the centre of the story. The main focus is the fact that Cassandra purchases a pack of tarot cards for her birthday and then starts up a fortune-telling blog that goes viral, where she does readings in response to her readers' questions. The main subplot that runs through the story is that Cassandra's English teacher has asked her to write a poem, a song of herself. Since Cassandra isn't too sure how she fits into the world, with her religious beliefs and friendships that just don't feel right, she can't write the assignment.

There were a few moments where I wondered where the book was headed, and felt that the storyline was getting just a little too preachy. But then the writer pulled it back perfectly and I found myself enjoying the book again. By the end of the book, I was loving Cassandra's story and rooting for her. This is a very enjoyable contemporary tale that deals with a lot of tough issues, but in a heartfelt and genuine way.

Note: I received an e-galley of this book from Netgalley. The fact that I received this book for review did not influence my review of this book in any way.

[The Daily Quirk]

When I read YA books that primarily take place at a high school, I’m usually a little disappointed. Many of them just aren’t realistic, and my biggest issue is when the author just glosses over all of the problems so many high school students face. Luckily, I was happily surprised when Sometimes Never, Sometimes Always by Elissa Janine Hoole turned out to be one of the most realistic depictions of a high school setting that I’ve ever read.

Cass Randall is pretty sure she is the most boring person alive. All of her friends have filled out an online survey, and each one seems to have more interesting stories than the last. Cass, however, comes from a fundamentalist Christian family and, besides struggling to figure out what her own beliefs are and keeping her brother’s secret sexual orientation a secret, she thinks she might be the least-exciting person in existence. On a quest to make herself more interesting and simultaneously figure out who she is, Cass has to decide if popularity, notoriety, or her friends and family are most important.

Read the rest of Abbie’s review on The Daily Quirk!

[D · Rating 2 out of 5]

A teenage girl from a fundamentalist family believes she is the least interesting person she knows. She goes about trying to change that with the use of “satanic, demon based, unholy, blah, blah, blah” Tarot cards she purchases with money given to her by her older and apparently gay brother. I personally come from a religiously fundamentalist background so in the beginning of reading this book, I thought the story line was “propaganda” for new age belief systems with the descriptions of the wacko church this girl attends but as the story progressed, the church goes into the background and focuses on this fearful, lonely, but still plugging-along girl and how she deals with school bullying of herself, her brother, and several other people. Will the girl get some backbone? How long is it going to take? In what form?

[Nicole · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was a hard start. The story had a good premise. Cass (the main character) is in conflict because she feels she doesn't believe in God anymore and her family is in some strict, devout form of Christianity. But the beginning kinds of plods along and gets a little too stereotypical for me, with how the "mean girls" act and of course there's the outcast who wants to be Cass's friend or girlfriend? That's never made entirely clear. The last half of the book, the writer gets better with the character development. The first half just seemed to contrived with not enough development to make me care about the characters much. Like loner, religious girl ...check....artistic, Goth girl...check, perky, fake-y nice, mean girls....check, outcast girl..check. The back half some of them are flushed out more. I like the way we delve more into Brittany, one of the mean girls, Darin's nicely developed and her brother Eric. Honestly, I would have preferred a book about the conflict of her brother Eric, who is gay but still devout in his faith and how he struggles and starts to resolve this conflict within himself. This stuff is mentioned but I kept finding myself wanting more. Same with the best friend Kayla. Obviously, she has went through a rough time with her parents divorce and she has seemingly done a 180 but all Cass does is whine about how she's not the exact same friend she was and why she changed so much. Ummm, she went through a traumatic event and instead of trying to understand and allow her to figure out how her new life will be they kind of make Kayla the "bad guy". Anyway...the second half gets better. I feel there is too much packed into the back half and a little editing could have made the first half stronger and made the end not seem like she was running out of time and had to fit everything in. But, it's overall a good message and an interesting point of view.

[Houy · Rating 5 out of 5]

“I thought I could hide behind another name, walk behind someone brave enough to take the first step, but they led me away from myself”

A journey to discover herself, Cassandra. Not an easy one.

[Jocelyn MossGriffiths]

I loved the book. It was so good that I never wanted to put it down during independent reading time.

[Leana (Flickering Fandom) · Rating 2 out of 5]

Review also published on my blog StudentSpyglass

Source: ARC from NetGalley

Plot: ★★★
Characters: ★★
Readability: ★★
Overall: ★★

Cass Randall doesn’t know who she is, or where she fits in and she is absolutely baffled by an assignment in which she has to write poem celebrating her true self.

I found it really hard to write a review about Sometimes Never, Sometimes Always because I had some quite strong, personal opinions about it. I felt like it had great potential, and the blurb sounded amazing, but unfortunately the execution just didn’t quite work for me.

Firstly, Cass is not particularly like-able. The author herself has talked about that, and how that’s okay, because she hopes that Sometimes Never, Sometimes Always is a story of redemption. (And also because at the end of the day, sometimes we aren’t particularly likeable, especially at seventeen). I get that logic, I really do. I think about myself as a teenager, and I’d like to think I’ve come a long way from there, because it’s true that teenagers sometimes make stupid choices but eventually (we hope) they grow up. Unfortunately, while I understood the logic, Cass’ growth in Sometimes Never, Sometimes Always didn’t work for me, perhaps because I felt like she got further away from herself as the story went on. It felt like we started with a quietly rebellious teenager, who grew increasingly easy to dislike, before she had a (somewhat sudden) change of heart. While I can see what Hoole was trying to do in terms of Cass’ character growth, and why, it just didn’t work for me.

The plot for Sometimes Never, Sometimes Always was so interesting. You knew it couldn’t possibly end well, and yet I still loved reading about Cass’ rebellion away from her family with the Tarot cards, the increasing popularity of her blog, and the anonymous comments that grow increasingly mean.

I really liked the format of the novel. The first thing that sets off Cass’ identity crisis is when she tries to fill in one of those quizzes (you know, like you had on myspace a few years ago!). She can’t really think of anything that’s hers – everyone and everything she likes, is someone else’s ‘thing’. She likes the music her friends like, rather than the music she likes; she doesn’t even really know what it is that she likes. Each chapter of the book starts with one of the questions from that survey, which is a really nice touch, because it lets you see what it was that Cass couldn’t figure out about herself, in a natural feeling way.

Thinking about that survey, I think I may have identified why I couldn’t connect with Cass. Obviously, one of the reasons was as I’ve outlined above, that she becomes less likeable as the story goes on; more bitchy, more like a bully, etc. I think another part of the problem though, may be that she’s sort of an anti-geek – because she doesn’t know what she likes, she isn’t really excited or enthusiastic about anything. As a very definite geek, I found it hard to connect with Cass, because I don’t see how anyone (geek or otherwise) could have no passions at all; for books, music, films, games, animals, anything!

As the book goes on it becomes clear that the one thing Cass is devoted to is her brother, and I loved seeing the two of them interact. Cass’ love for her brother is her most redeeming quality and once we start seeing that passion it became slightly easier to connect with her. She worries for him and desperately tries to protect him, even when it becomes clear that Eric wants to stand up and face his problems. Whilst I didn’t necessarily feel like Cass’ personal growth was gradual enough, Cass and Eric’s relationship grows in a lovely believable way throughout the story.

I much preferred the supporting characters in Sometimes Never, Sometimes Always. Cass’ brother Eric, her English teacher, her crush, her best friend and even Drew, the girl who’s so mercilessly cyber-bullied, are much more likeable than Cass, and I really enjoyed reading about them.

While I enjoyed the plot there are so many issues tackled in this book it began to feel cluttered. Throughout the course of the book we have the religious family and the cyber-bullying mentioned in the blurb, but we also have homophobia and a suicide attempt. I feel like tackling a lot of issues is really tricky to get done right, and in this case I feel like it would have been better with a few less issues.

[Kacey Vanderkarr · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received a copy of this book from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.

Cassandra does not know who she is. Coming from an uptight, religious family, Cassandra finds herself becoming an atheist as opposed to a believer. Her best friend Kayla is a goth kid with a recent love of rebelling and hooking up with guys. She knows she's not like Drew from her Youth Group, the smelly, overweight girl that everyone makes fun of, and she's not like the Vomit Vixens at school, who are downright mean.

But who is she?

Sometimes Always, Sometimes Never is an issue book through and through. For the first couple of pages I thought, oh, it's a religious book. Then I thought, oh, it's a gay rights book. Then, oh, it's about self-discovery. Then, oh, it's about bullying. Then, oh, it's about suicide.

Much like Cassandra, this book didn't know what it was about, either.

From beginning to end, the story held my interest, but I found myself overwhelmed by all the issues. I could not connect with Cass as a main character. She came off as a bratty, self-centered, hypocritical, inconsiderate teenager. She hates the mean girls for being bullies, but then bullies people herself. She think Kayla is stupid for going out and hooking up with guys, but then rebels in her own way by creating a blog that goes against her parent's beliefs. The only redeeming quality I found in Cass is her love and support for her gay brother, Eric.

I think my main issue with the story is that it had too many things going on. I wish the author would've picked one or two items and focused on them. I also wish that Cass would've been a stronger character, instead of just annoying.

The story is in first person present tense (just like every other contemporary young adult book). Several times, I found that Cassandra's voice and the author's voice came through as two separate entities. I could tell where the character was thinking and where the author lost track of her character's voice (and suddenly Cassandra sounded like an adult, and not, like, omg, a teenager), which took me out of the story.

SASN does take a serious look at bullying and the effects, but at points, I almost felt like the victim was blamed for being bullied because she didn't wash her hair or wear deodorant or watch her weight. Even Cassandra thinks that Drew wouldn't be bullied if she just put forth a little effort. I had a major issue with this thought process.

I just wanted someone to be noble in this story, but the characters fell short. Not even one was willing to stand up for what they believe in and be honest to themselves or others.

The story is interesting and a quick read, but the characters left a lot to be desired. I would've enjoyed the journey more if it was from Eric's POV, or if Cassandra had a single good thing going for her personality.

The plot itself is intriguing, if only because there’s SO MUCH to consider. I like that Cass takes some modicum of control over her life by rebelling against her parents and creating a controversial, possibly sinful, blog. I like that she’s willing to cover for her brother. I like the little gems hidden throughout, like when Eric tells his parents he’s gay, but they never say anything about it.

Even with the downfalls, it's a solid debut novel.

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5/5

Source: Received an e-ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Sometimes you just need to read a contemporary focusing especially on high school drama, which is honestly one of my favorite subjects. However in yet another fail of reading comprehension, I missed what this book was going to be about. I thought the main character Cass was assigned to write a poem for English and ,stifling under a restrictive religion, she wrote about her cult-like church, causing a scandal. She does manage to cause controversery but it is through a blog where she gives advice from her amateur tarot card readings. I was a bit more interested in the premise I thought I was getting but I did like all the issues this book touched upon.

First and foremost would be bullying. We see a lot of accusations of "bullying" in the blogosphere, many of them cheapening the meaning of the word. Disagreeing with someone and explaining your reasons why is not bullying. Writing hateful comments about someone in addition to making mocking comments in person is definitely bullying as is demonstrated in this book. As the blog explodes in popularity, so does the commenting become more frequent and more hostile leading to real world consequences. The book does a great job handling the (unintended) fallout from this experiment.

I also mentioned religion. I have a confessed weakness for books about cults and for some reason started thinking I would be getting that in this book. Though the family's religions is pretty intense (Sunday services plus Wednesday AND Friday meetings) and very conservative beliefs, I didn't feel like it merited cult status to my dismay. But the book does not promise any such thing so I don't know why I thought it might pan out like that. As someone who is religious and interested in religion, I would have liked more exploration of the religious beliefs of everyone in the church and more insight into why Cass was rebelling against that.

However while everything touched on in the book is important, there just felt like it was all a bit too much and nothing got enough page time to really speak to me. Some of the topics we cover are: Cass is maybe losing her best friend, is trying to find her own personality, has a crush on a boy, is rejecting her parents' religion, is worried about her gay brother, is dealing with bullying issues, etc. It's a lot and I didn't even talk about everything here! Of particular interest to me was the mention of Cass's now deceased younger brother; it sounds like his death from SIDS played a big role in the family's religious development and I really would have loved to know more about that.

Additionally Cass isn't sure who she is as a person. I sympathized with her plight-I certainly didn't know myself as a teenager but her uncertainty left me feeling uncertain. I think at this juncture in my reading, I wanted a more confident character. I know that's an unfair demand to make of this book but I wanted to share some insight into where my mind is to help explain why I didn't fall head over heels in love with this book.

Overall: A stuffed to the brim contemporary with issues that I think many people would be able to relate to; definitely one for fans of more serious contemporary though there are lighter touches.

[Missy · Rating 3 out of 5]

View the full review here:
http://www.iswimforoceans.com/2013/10...

Cassandra colours within the lines. She plays by the rules and does as she's told by her family and her religion, but she knows it's not her. It doesn't make her feel whole, or complete, or normal. Honestly though, Cass isn't sure who she really is, and she doesn't know how to discover that but by professing her innermost feelings on a blog. But the blog opens a Pandora's box in which everything is taken out of context and Cassandra is more confused than ever. Who is she really, and how will she tell the world - and her family - that it's time to meet the real Cassandra?

In a novel that redefines what it means to tackle issues head-on, Sometimes Never, Sometimes Always grapples with hard-hitting topics that have defined a generation. Author, Elissa Janine Hoole, presents to readers a sympathetic character who wants desperately to fit in but doesn't know her place or how to define it. Surrounded by issues including fundamentalist religions, cyber-bullying, homophobia and more, the novel challenges readers to zero on those issues which they've encountered in real life and relate them back to the story.

This is a tedious review for me to write because a part of me likes what the author set out to accomplish with this Sometimes Never, Sometimes Always. There is another part of me, however, that feels incredibly burdened by the cumbersome and somewhat overbearing details throughout the story. The beauty of the book lies within the fact that we're given characters with whom we can empathize and those who we desire to see change and succeed. And, when you break the plot down to its most minute elements, it works, and it's well planned out. The writing is solid, and the storyline is one which I was most intrigued about. Unfortunately, however, my enjoyment in reading the story was overshadowed by extreme excesses. In most novels, we'd see one main issue tackled - say, cyber-bullying. In this book, however, we're thrust into utter chaos with multiple issues including but not limited to religious zealots and extreme prejudices. It honestly felt like there was so much happening at all times that I never really got to see Cassandra develop and transition from the immature girl at the start to the empowered young lady at the finish. And, because there was so much going on at once, I never felt as though I could focus on just one main issue at a time. At times, the novel comes this close to succeeding in imparting a theme in our minds, but then it transitions at lightning speed, and we're onto the next issue. Essentially, it was a case of less really is more.

Overall, Sometimes Never, Sometimes Always has all the makings of a successful novel, but it fell a bit short of my expectations and left me wondering why it didn't tackle one issue on its own. I give it a decent 3 out of 5, and I recommend it to fans of YA, especially those who enjoy contemporary fiction.

I received this book free of charge from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This, in no way, affected my opinion or review of this book.

[Resa · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sometimes Never, Sometimes Always by Elissa Janine Hoole
Anticipated Publication, November 5, 2013

Bullying in highschools, whether cyber or otherwise, is a hot topic right now but one that deserves the attention. Being a teenager is hard, everything seems like the end of the world and everyone feels like they need to be part of a group, even if it means uniting over the isolation of one person. Hoole’s novel tries to tackle this issue in a sensitive but real way. Tries, but gets bogged down with other major issues she’s trying to tackle as well. Leaving a fairly simple plot overcomplicated with “big picture” issues that none of them gets the attention they deserve and rather than being realistic and touching the plot is more like a shelf, built for the soul purpose of holding issues but not really anything on its own.

The issues Hoole tries to drop into her plot include: bullying which takes the spot of most importance as it’s the only one of these issues that actually works as a driving force of the plot, overly zealous religion, teens coming to terms with beliefs different from their parents, homosexuality, atheism, tarot card readings, coming of age, finding yourself, learning who your friends are.

It’s a lot to happen in a relatively sort space. Any one of these issues could have made a decent book on its own (and many excellent YA books have been done on all of these topics).

Main character Cass decides she’s boring and wants to do something that’s really “her” but doesn’t know who she is. So Cass decides to pick the one thing her youth group councilor has just warned them all against (and as a side note, I really don’t see why religious youth groups need to be painted in such a negative light, some of them actually do a lot of good, they aren’t evil) and buys a pack of tarot cards. Then strange girl Drew tries to reach out to Cassandra, who pushes her away, cool kids get involved, bullying on the secret tarot card sight ensues, and then Cass’s gay brother decides to come out to their fundamentalist parents.

It’s a complicated plot. It didn’t need to be.
Hoole has actually written this book very well. She shows the ability to create dynamic characters capable of growth (except maybe Cass’s love interest the manic-pixie dream boy) and a plot that could have tackled difficult issues in an interesting plot. The fortune telling/tarot card blog is interesting and a cool way to drive the plot forward. But for all the hype, it really doesn’t play a big roll. The one piece of this novel that could have turned it into something is underused.

While I wouldn’t write Hoole off as a YA author just yet, this novel just needed to be scaled back. There is so much could competition out there that just talking about a modern topic isn’t enough to make the book worth reading.

I received a copy of this book for free from the publisher

[Nicole (Reading Books With Coffee) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am definitely intrigued with Sometimes Never, Sometimes Always, and I found Cassandra fairly easy to relate to. In the sense that it was hard for her to be herself and speak up. I also liked that she struggled with her English assignment because she wasn't sure who she was and because she was scared to share the pieces of her that she was scared to share with other people.

There are a lot of issues in Sometimes Never, and there were times when I felt like there were too many issues going on. It does come together (mostly) in the form of cyber-bullying, and you get a pretty good idea of what it's like for everyone involved, especially for Cass and Drew.

I do wish we got more of the belief's of Cass' church, and what they believe. You get a pretty good idea, but it would have been nice to see more of a contrast of Cass' atheism and the beliefs of her church. Also, we the get basics on why her family joined this church, but it's another thing I wish we got more of, because it's another thing that would have contrasted well with Cass' beliefs. Still, Sometimes Never isn't preachy, and there the balance between Cass and her parents was pretty well done- even though it needed a little extra something. At least, it did for me.

It was pretty easy to see how Cass got herself into a little bit of trouble, and while she knew what the right thing was, it was also to easy to see why/how she got into the trouble she did. And I know she never imagined the trouble her blog could cause, I also totally get why she needed to have place where she could have a different identity. What started out as an innocent act of rebellion went so horribly wrong, and Poole did a great job with showing the impact cyber-bullying has on both the victim and the by-standers.

Sometimes Never is definitely about her journey, and it's definitely predictable, but I did like seeing Cass change over the course of the novel. I liked seeing how she was scared to be herself to sharing pieces of her life with her family, even though they aren't accepting of what she has to say.

Cass was irritating at times, especially because she acted however people expected her act. While I totally understand that, and while it didn't bother me for the most part, it was a little trying at times.

Final Thoughts: I liked Sometimes Never, Sometimes Always, and it's a good look at a teen who starts a blog as a relatively innocent act of rebellion that later gets out of control. There are a lot of issues in Sometimes Never, and I wish the book had focused on a few of them, because the number of issues that pop up are overwhelming. Sometimes Never, Sometimes Always gets 3 stars.

*Sometimes Never, Sometimes Always is an arc from netgalley.com, which hasn't influenced my review in any way