Never Been Kissed

by Melody Carlson

All Elise wants is to have her first kiss before she turns sixteen. Is that so bad? But when a friend's poor advice and the powers of electronic technology combine, Elise heads down a dangerous road. She is accused of "sexting" and gets kicked out of school. But is she really the one to blame?

This powerful and realistic story from beloved author Melody Carlson shows teen girls the impact of their choices when it comes to respecting themselves and their integrity. Honest and relevant, Never Been Kissed will make girls laugh, cry . . . and think.

Genres: Young Adult, Romance, Christian Fiction, Christian, Fiction, Teen, Contemporary

224 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 2011

About the author

Melody Carlson is the award-winning author of over two hundred books, several of them Christmas novellas from Revell, including her much-loved and bestselling book, The Christmas Bus.

She also writes many teen books, including the Diary of a Teenage Girl series, the TrueColors series, and the Carter House Girls series.

Melody was nominated for a Romantic Times Career Achievement Award in the inspirational market for her books, including the Notes from a Spinning Planet series and Finding Alice, which is in production as a Lifetime Television movie. She and her husband serve on the Young Life adult committee in central Oregon.

Reviews

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Never Been Kissed by Melody Carlson will be the first book to make my best fiction of 2011 list. It was a fabulous novel, very well-written, and if I could give it ten stars I honestly would. Not just because it deals with relevant and important topics for young people today, but because it exposes the danger that can come from seemingly small lies. And the pain caused from being harassed by peers.

I loved that the author brought everything full circulate and wrapped up the story with a very satisfying ending. Of course, I can't tell you what happened or it would be a spoiler. I can say that I'd love to see another story about Elise that explores her senior year in high school, since for her the eleventh grade started out as a train wreck.

I loved how the spiritual thread was neatly woven into the story, and it was not overpowering, contrived, or sappy sounding. I loved how realistic the main character's thought were, especially the ones rationalizing her behavior and contemplating ways to get away from the painful situation. The secondary characters were awesome as well. They were very well developed for such a short book.

This is one of the best YA books I've ever read. It seems like the last three YA novels written by Melody Carlson and published by Revell have been fabulous. The other titles were Anything But Normal and Just Another Girl. The author nailed teen thoughts and emotions very well in all three books. While I have to say that I truly adored the other two stories, this one is probably my favorite.

The bottom line for me - Elise was more realistically portrayed than most YA fiction. I loved that the point of view for this story was written in the first person present tense. I empathized with her as a young person and understood her feelings better as a result. Her mother's reaction was harsh, but totally believable. I could see it happening just the way it played out. Honestly, I didn't want to do anything except read this book, which for me isn't good right now due to my own deadlines. But I kept reading. It was that enthralling. I can't wait to see what Melody comes up with for Revell next. I am totally hooked.

[Bren fall in love with the sea. · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars.

So there is a story behind my reading of this. I got the wrong book. I was seeking a book with the same title and picked up this one b y mistake. But you know what? I am glad because it wound up being better then the one I originally wanted to read!

SPOILERS:

So I had this book, figured..hey..why not read it? (And I read everything in site anyway). This is clearly a YA book that I had never heard of but I liked it. It was well written. Very scary book and accurate portrayal of the dangers of the internet, especially for young people. I enjoyed it.

It's a short read and intense..but good. Hey all things happen for a reason right? I'd recommend this book.

[Cassidy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a very good book. It is probably one of my favorite books. It talks about teen pressure and other important things that go on in almost every teenagers life. A girl is tempted by her friend to send pictures to her boyfriend and all was going good...untill someone sent out a picture that she did not think she took...

[April · Rating 4 out of 5]

NEVER BEEN KISSED by Melody Carlson is a wonderful inspirational Teen Fiction set in present day Seattle.It is well written with details and depth. It has moving to another high school, peer pressure,text message,e-mailing,phone Pict's,faith,family,new guys,bad choices, new friends and today's issues. It is fast paced involving today's issues for teens of text messaging,phone Pict's,emailing and effects of peer pressure. It has a strong religious conviction but is not preachy. It shows how quickly and innocently our young teens can get caught up in things they know nothing about and the effects that can occur.When Elise, moves to a new town she is looking forward to new friends,meeting new guys,and having a new lease on life.What she encounters she peer pressure,jealousy,and bad choices that could ruin her life. This is a must read for all teenagers. This book was received for review from the publisher and details can be found at Revell,a division of Baker Publishing and My Book Addiction and More.

[Marilou maoruviel · Rating 5 out of 5]

All Elise wants is to have her first kiss before she turns sixteen. Is that so bad? But when a friend's poor advice and the powers of electronic technology combine, Elise heads down a dangerous road. She is accused of "sexting" and gets kicked out of school. But is she really the one to blame?

*My favorite book so far...

I find this book realistic and inspirational, a must-read story for every youth.
It teaches how a teen should consider her friends-to-be, if they're going to be a good or bad influence, or if they're capable of destroying you. Being careful is essential.

I love the strength Elise have shown the way she hold on to God's power and promises.
Faith is really something and God is really faithful..^^ thinking of this really makes me smile..

I am a believer of God, a proud Christian and I give this book two-thumbs-up for revealing the usual mistakes of youths. And most importantly the lesson it brings..

Looking forward to read more from Melody Carlson. I bet she's a great author.
God bless everyone!

[Terri Harr · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is written from the point of view of a sixteen year old girl who has, you guessed it, never been kissed. It has all the attitude and sassy-ness of a sixteen year old girl. It shows how much pressure a girl can be under to say what others expect and how that can lead to more lies to cover that up. It also shows how we can misunderstand things. Things aren't always as they appear to be. It is hard when you are trusting of others. The world can have some people who are out for themselves and don't care who they hurt to get what they want.

This is a cute book for young teens to help them understand how to make the right choices and how to handle things if they are going through a really hard and challenging situation. Standing firm when no one believes you isn't always easy, but God is there to help you through it.

[Kris · Rating 4 out of 5]

About the Book: Elise will be starting her junior year of high school in a few weeks, and she is not looking forward to it. Her single mom has taken a new job and she had to move to another town - so she is starting at a new school. The only person she knows is a somewhat geeky freshman, Stacie, that lives in the same apartment building as her.

Going to stay at Grandma's, in her old town, the week before school starts proves somewhat fortuitous. She meets Asher Gordon through an old friend who is dating his cousin. Asher is also a student at Elise's new school. While it is made clear that he has a girlfriend, Elise is just hopeful that he will say hello to her if they run into each other.

Well, Asher does more than that - he befriends Elise on that first day and introduces her to his "A-list" friends - including his girlfriend Brianna. While Elise is avoiding Stacie after school, she runs into Asher who offers her a ride home. They stop off for coffee and Elise thinks her first day couldn't have gone any better. However, the next day at school she gets the big freeze from her new friends. She was seen having coffee with Asher and immediately everyone thinks she is after him. So much for her great first day.

Elise soon gets an email from Asher. He wants her to play that they do not get along so that he can break up with Brianna. He just doesn't want Brianna to blame her and give her a hard time all year. Elise is pretty excited and agrees to play along. As their relationship progresses through email, she become somewhat confused about his behavior towards her at school. While he tells her in email to just play along a little while longer, sometimes he acts at school like he wants to be friends.

Before Elise knows what hit her, she is arrested for something she didn't do and the whole school is laughing at her. Even her mom thinks she is guilty. During her darkest hour, she realizes that the only one she is going to be able to count on to get her through is God, and starts to try to figure out who set her up.

My thoughts: Great book for teens and tweens about the dangers of the internet and cyber bullying - among other things. I don't want to tell you the big twist, but it made me sit down and talk with my teens. I don't think that I have read a Melody Carlson book that didn't have some lesson in it that put things in perspective for teens without preaching at them. Highly recommend for any teen that has a MySpace or Facebook page or spends any amount of time online or texting!

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

Title: NEVER BEEN KISSED
Author: Melody Carlson
Publisher: Revell
January 2011
ISBN: 978-0-8007-3259-2
Genre: Inspirational/young adult

Elise and her mom have just moved to a new apartment. Her single mom is claiming tight funds, and needing to find cheaper housing. So, now Elise is facing her junior year at a new high school with zero friends—except a fourteen year old neighbor girl.

There is a boy at the highschool, Asher, that Elise thinks is kind of cool, and he seems to be kind of into her too. Elise is really flattered when Asher starts emailing her. And introducing her to the in-crowd at her new school. But just as she begins to find her footing, the world comes crashing down around her—and her whole future might be derailed as a result.

NEVER BEEN KISSED is the newest young adult book by Melody Carlson. Ms. Carlson is known for writing edgier young adult books that apply to the modern world teenagers live in now. I have never heard of issue Ms. Carlson addresses in this book (though that might make me sound naïve) and found it horribly disturbing, but believable that teens might do something like this. My nine-year-old was waiting to read this book as was my fifteen year old, but I’m thinking I’ll tell the older girl to keep it out of her sister’s reach for a few years.

Ms. Carlson did an excellent job developing the characters and even the secondary characters were totally real and believable. I want to say that I enjoyed this book—and I did—it was just that the topic was so disturbing. I’m giving it 4 out of 5 stars, but only due to my naivety. $9.99. 220 pages.

[Lori McKinley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this book. Written for late middle school to high school girls, it was easy to read and the story was engaging from the beginning. Carlson does a great job of getting inside the immature head of a young naive girl without dumbing her down. The story shows how easy it is for someone to be duped online and get in over her head before she even realizes it. This is a great book to make teens aware of a sticky subject without getting into details that would make parents too uncomfortable when handing the book to their daughters.

The book is not anti-dating or anti-first kiss, but is anti-dating or first kiss for it's own sake. As my first kiss was the result of a bet at camp (I was thirteen. The first one to get a guy to full-fledged kiss her won a can of Coke. I won. And lost. Trivializing that milestone is not a great way to go.), I appreciated this more than the average adult reader may. In my time, we didn't have the danger of emailing or texting inappropriate photos. This is a real issue for today and we're lying to ourselves if we think Christian teens are immune. If we can teach the seriousness of this through story, it should stick better than being preached at and Carlson does a good job of weaving in the main characters faith in God without coming across preachy. This is a story with a message but she manages to keep the story to the forefront and the message one the reader learns along with the main character. It's a hard balance and I believe she handled it well.

*Disclosure: I received this book at no cost in exchange for an honest review.*

[Crystal · Rating 4 out of 5]

Never Been Kissed is a very interesting YA novel. Like Anything But Normal that came out last year, it has a very important message to teenagers. In fact it's one I haven't even thought about but will now make sure my boys understand what to do and what not to do when sending emails, facebook and text messages (if I ever get them cell phones, they are only 5 and 10 now).


While dealing with a powerful subject the book also feels real. What girl who is about to turn 16 hasn't embellished a little bit about that first kiss if they haven't had it. What girl is not trying to fit in with an "in-crowd" and what girl hasn't told lies to make herself seem better. Poor Elise gets caught up in something over her head, but I like how Ms. Carlson showed just how she dealt with it, from making mistakes along the way to making apologies where necessary.


I enjoyed watching Elise grow as a character. She starts the book as a typical teenager, not a care in the world besides fitting in and getting kissed, but she ends the book learning valuable lessons and going forth from there on with her life. Ms. Carlson has a way with creating characters that feel real and feel like the every-girl and Elise is a great example of this.


Never Been Kissed is a quick read, but one that will stick with you for awhile. I can see appeal in this book for people of all ages. Great for teens, great for parents, great for all those in-between. Never Been Kissed has a lesson for all of us in this information age and is packaged in a very entertaining way.

[Brenda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Elise Stortsen, has some major changes happen. Her mom has landed a new job that moves Elise into a new school district, so instead of starting her junior year in her old school, where she wasn't very popular anyway, she will be going to Garfield High. She is just about to turn sixteen and having never been kissed hopes to change that by her birthday. When Asher, a popular boy in school starts showing an interest in Elise, she wonders if he might give her that first kiss.
Her first day of school goes great, Asher introduces her to the in-crowd, which includes Asher's girlfriend. So when Elise gets an email from Asher, she soon finds herself caught up in something that soon puts her reputation on the line, and jeopardizes her future, but it also makes her realize what is important, and in the process strengthens her faith in God!
I think this book is a must read for all teen girls. It deals with some pretty heavy subjects, but these are real life problems that are facing teens today.The character of Elise was very well written. She was very down to earth and easy to relate to. I totally understood the reactions of the characters in the story, and while Stacie did something wrong, she didn't do it with malicious intent, but there were still repercussions.
This book moved at a brisk pace and I felt the ending wrapped up the story nicely. There is a spiritual message woven throughout the book, but it isn't preachy or overwhelming.Whether your a teen or not, this book is well worth reading!

I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Trinity Rose · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another winner by Melody Carlson. “Never Been Kissed” is a young adult book. My daughter who is 18 and I both love it. As soon as I would put “Never Been Kissed” down my daughter would pick it up. Hannah-my daughter doesn’t like to read many books I do, so if she read this you know it has to be excellent.
In this book you will see many of the dangers and traps that happen when a person in high school thinks about being the most popular.

Elise Storton is going to a new school which is hard enough and now she is turning sixteen has never been kissed. She meets a super, fantastic guy named Asher Gordon, but he has a girlfriend.
We find out what small lies, being harassed by peers, wanting to fit in can do to a teen. This book talks about some of the very real problems of teen life, like being teased, humiliated, sexting, making wrong decisions. Also the very real issue of teen suicide because of teasing. This book teaches us to know who you are emailing/texting etc…
Also “Never Been Kissed” have a very strong religious theme, but not overpowering that would turn unbelievers off.
I really recommend that you and any young person male/female read this book. It really speaks to them to not let others push you around and get the best of you.


I received my free copy from Donna Hausler from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group for my review. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255

[Carly · Rating 4 out of 5]

I honestly feel like teenagers have a much more difficult time than they did when I was a teenager. It seems like the pressure is so much higher than it was twenty years ago and with the internet, cell phone, and text messages, that pressure can follow us everywhere we go. I just can’t imagine with me being the awkward teenager I was, having to deal with all of that.

I think Elise’s story in Never Been Kissed is one that is happening to teenagers every day, and it is quite sad. Elise was an easy girl for me to like. She just wanted to fit in, to make friends and just have a normal teenage life. She was a good kid who made some poor decisions and I found myself wanting to reach into the pages and shake her because I could see disaster coming and I felt so bad for her. I had a great appreciation for how despite what she was going through, Elise was able to remember her faith and finally lean on God to help her. That is an important lesson for all teenagers.

I think that Melody Carlson is a very responsible author because she not only used Never Been Kissed to deliver a powerful Christian message; she also used to deliver a public service message about the importance of safety on the internet. There are so many ways a kid can get hurt online and Melody’s message will hit home with parents and teenagers. Never Been Kissed is a good story, it reads fast and should be read by every teenager.

[Cindy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Elise Storton, is fixing to be sixteen and has some major changes going on in her life. A move to a new school district has her worried all summer about the new school. Then there is the major fact that she is fixing to be sixteen years old and has never been kissed. This worries her, a lot!

While on a visit to her grandmother's the last week of the summer, Elise runs into an old school friend who is dating the cousin of a guy from her new school, they meet up and Elise is introduced to Asher Gordon. What a dreamboat! She should have known things were going to be all wrong, when the first day of school she found herself among the "elite" of the new school's social group.

Yes she should have known. Finding emails from Asher, she starts on a whirlwind that is going to end up with her being totally humilated, but it also will cause Elise to grow up and realize the important things in life. This book is a great read for teen girls! Addressing issues facing girls today, and teens in general Melody Carlson, once again shows us that her writing skills are superb!

216 pages US $9.99 4 stars! Don't miss this book!

Available January 2011 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group

[Christy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Melody Carlson has always been my go-to author for great YA fiction, and Never Been Kissed was another fabulous example of her talent within this genre. I read this book from cover to cover in one sitting, and even though I'm a few years removed from the young adult period of my life, there was plenty in this short book to open my eyes to what teens are involved in today, particularly on the topic of sexting.

Melody's novels are always on the pulse of current teen issues and what's happening in high schools everywhere. Never Been Kissed is just the kind of book that should be read by parents and teens alike. My rating is 4 stars.

[Jewels Faulkner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Why do I always read her books? By now I could start a collection. I feel that whenever I open a Melody Carson book, I never know what to expect. Heartache? Love? Pregnancy? The list goes on and on.

Anyways, I loved this book. I loved everything from the characters to reading the e-mails. I don't know why I enjoyed this one so much. I hated "Just an ordinary girl." Okay, the best part about this book was the clever mystery spin it had with it. I can't keep my thoughts straight! It's late! Haha. Just read it.

[Jerry (Rebel With a Massive Media Library) · Rating 3 out of 5]

A Quickie Review

Elise is a likable heroine who finds herself in an unthinkable dilemma that happens far too often. Though the story was good, and the book made for a quick read, I didn't think this was one of Melody Carlson's best. Even her other books for teens--such as the True Colors series--were better than this. Try this only if you're quite familiar with the author's works.

Score: 3/5

[Nirel]

This was a quick read and a good story with a good moral, although I'd probably recommend it for middle school girls or freshmen more then I would to older high school girls (being in high school myself). I thought the plot was a little predictable but the bottom line is I love Melody Carlson and either way it was a good easy read.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Suitable for the 12-14 crowd. Don't be swayed by the title... it's actually a fairly solid story about "sexting" and the dangers of cell phones. Reaffirmed my decision not to have one and certainly not to put one in the hands of someone who can't drive and doesn't have a job due to age.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book started out extremely slowly but then picked up about page 75. I loved the story and think it's a good warning and lesson for girls today. Throughout the book I was thinking "go, Grandma!" and hoping the mom would get a clue and become reasonable.

[Elizabeth Watkins · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really did love this book but I can't give it 5 stars because the other books I rated a five were better then this book. I mean yes I totally love this book but not as much as some of the others I've read

[Lydia Smedry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Definately one of the best schristian books I've read. I had almost given up on them because theres so many Amish books out there but I have renewed hope now!

[Bekah · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was the cheesiest book I have ever read from Melody Carlson. While it's an important topic, it seemed unrealistic and perfectly predictable.

[GreenIdMama · Rating 5 out of 5]

All teenagers need to read this!

[Alexis U]

I loved this book so much!

[Jen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Plot:

The plot started off promising, but ended up being mostly predictable. And while it does cover a serious issue like Carlson's True Colors series, it would have been nice to see a situation that wasn't a case of being framed.


Setting:

The setting worked for the book and felt like your everyday kind of town.


Characters:

While I didn't dislike Elise, I also didn't care too much for her. She was just okay. I would have liked to see less slut shaming and more compassion for other girls, especially given her situation. As it was, she seemed a bit like a brat.

I liked Phillip and Elise's grandmother the best.

Elise's mother felt unrealistic at times, especially her first reaction to Elise's "crime." I get that a parent would be upset, but it was unsettling to see a parent who had never had any reason to not trust their kid to suddenly think the worst of them.



Relationships:

I really didn't get the Asher/Elise connection. I liked Phillip much better.

Elise's relationship with her grandmother was sweet and usually my favorite parts involved the two of them.

I also liked the friendship between Elise and Stacie, though it kind of became predictable toward the end.


Writing/Voice:

I used to really like Carlson's work, but the last few books I've read by her seem to be a bit too preachy for my taste. Slut shaming really isn't necessary to prove your point. For the most part I liked the writing though Elise was kind of hard to connect to.


Ending:

Predictable and overly preachy. Ugh. Pretty sure readers get that sexting is bad before the ending of the book, though it would have been more effective if it hadn't been a cover-up.


Overall, I wanted to like this one, but it honestly fell short for me. In the past Carlson has taken some very serious teen issues and put a Christian spin on them, but this time it seemed she shied away from the topic and made it into a cover-up/mystery. Which is fine but loses a lot of its effectiveness. And I'm not sure if it's because I'm getting older and changing my views on things, but most everything I've read by her recently seems overly preachy, even for Christian fiction.

[The Book Nerd's Corner · Rating 1 out of 5]

A short book that dives into the dangers of online relationships and being sexually explicit on the internet.

After moving to a new school, Elise wants nothing more than to get the boy of her dreams and be kissed before she turns sixteen. Just as the popular crowd begins to accept her, things take a sour turn. After risqué photos are leaked off her phone, Elise is in a heap of trouble as she sets off to clear her name.

Upon seeing this book, I couldn't help but assume that it was going to be awful. After reading this book, I can't help but feel that my expectations were valid, and that this novel was actually worse than I thought it would be. I honestly don't have anything nice to say about this book, so I'll try to keep it brief.

Here are the two biggest complaints I have. One, the writing is both cringey and preachy. And two, every single part of the plot I saw coming from a mile away. This book is so terribly constructed the whole way through, and I was mostly just turning the pages so that it would end.

The topics of phishing, harassment, and sexting are all serious and I'm glad that they are being talked about more and more, but this book is just not the way to do it. The fact that Elise still values popularity and outer beauty more than anything else is quite sad, and I hate how her story only enforces the negative stigma that many young girls feel as they age. Literally none of these characters are positive role-models in any way, and it would surprise me if an actual teen found this book to be relatable, helpful, or entertaining. This may be a bit harsh, but I can't find it in me to write constructive criticism on this one.

Overall, "Never Been Kissed" is a cringey book that negatively supports many stereotypes about beauty, popularity, and teen drama. The topic matters such as online phishing, bullying, and sexting are all relevant, but the way this book addresses them are just not terribly effective. On top of all that, the writing is a tad cringe and the entire book is predictable the whole way through. Christian stories featuring teen drama is far from my normal reading life, but that doesn't mean I don't believe they have value. However, I will definitely not be reading another one of Carlson's books on my own choice.

[Katsumi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Elise is going to be attending a new school her junior year, and what time is better than now to reinvent herself and get ride of her NBK badge? She falls for an already-taken guy named Asher and is crushed to see him with his girlfriend. Then, she gets an email from Asher telling her that he’s actually into her, but his girlfriend (Brianna) is super jealous and so that they should just communicate over email, and then in person act like they hate each other. Then out of nowhere, Elise is arrested for something she knows she didn’t do. Can she prove her innocence before it ruins her reputation and life?

I picked up this book because I turned to a page and it mentioned sexting, a topic I haven’t read a book on before (It’s so new it’s not even a word on my laptop lol). The story itself was interesting and I thought that there were a lot of good lessons incorporated into it. Thumbs up to Melody for that.

I found the writing to be a little juvenile and predictable, but there were a few parts I didn’t see coming in there. Like Asher’s emails? Seriously? Can Elise really be that naïve? It was also a little dramatic and hard to believe, but putting those thoughts aside, it was a decent book.

The matters of sexting are serious, and I like how I learned JUST how serious it can be.

If you’re looking for a REALLY light and entertaining read, this one’s for you. Don’t expect a whole lot from it though, the writing is just decent. The themes are good though, and it would probably make a good movie. I would have given this 2 stars, but the concept and morals of Elise redeemed it a bit.

[Read2review · Rating 3 out of 5]

** For the full review please check out www.read2review.com **

This was my introduction to Melody Carlson and I have to say it was a very good introduction. I like the way that Melody wrote Never Been Kissed. The writing was very easy to follow and I could picture the scenes clearly while reading. I also liked the emphasis on Elise’s faith.

The first 100-ish pages felt very predictable. I thought it was going to be girl gets invited into a click – they set her up – girl finds herself alone – click gets their comeuppance – girl comes out on top. However after reading through the first 100 pages the story upped its game and from then on I couldn’t stop reading.

I didn’t know about the laws that were brought into this story regarding child pornography. Yes I know that sounds very scary and a subject that is very hard to read about. However the way that Melody approaches the subject and the way that the story unfolds is done very well.

I felt for Elise through this story. After all most girls have been through the predictable story line I mentioned above. I was shocked to find out who had taken the picture that threw Elise’s life into a mess. They had good intentions but good intentions never work out the way that the person expects them too.

I think that this story has taught its lesson well and will leave people with a smile on their face.

I would give Never Been Kissed a 3.5/5

* read More At :http://read2review.com/our-reviews/m/...

[Cheryl · Rating 3 out of 5]

Elise has moved to a new town. This means a new school and new friends. I is hard being the new girl in town. When Stacie asks Elise what she is going to do for her upcoming sixteenth birthday, Elise hopes that for her birthday she realizes her first kiss. When the popular boy in school, Asher shows Elise interest, she becomes excited. Will Elise finally receive her first kiss?

Never Been Kissed is not just a cute read but it also tackles two topics that all teenagers are facing currently…peer pressure to be experienced (not a virgin) and sex-texting. I thought Ms. Carlson did a fine job incorporating these topics into the story. It goes to show you how easy it is to get caught up in material things and find yourself doing things that you would not normally do, if you were not pressured.

While I did like this book, I found Elise to be moderate. There was not really anything memorable about Elise. I understood she felt the pressure to fit in at a new school but when she was communicating with Asher, Elise was a little too needy for my taste. Overall, I thought this was a pretty good book.