I have been reading Laura Taylor Namey books for a while, but this could be my favorite. If We Never End is a story which I fell into. It’s about family, love, and friendship. Keep reading this book review of If We Never End for my full thoughts.
Summary
Sylvie Castellano is used to goodbyes. Every summer, her friends leave to vacation at faraway beaches and her parents jet off to work on a luxury yacht, dumping her with her tia Vivian. Sylvie may love her aunt Viv, but just once, she wishes the summer held a big adventure for her, too.
When Sylvie scores the thrift find of a lifetime-a vintage gold watch worth thousands-she thinks maybe her luck is turning around. Then a turn of the watch’s dial summons a ghost boy. With no idea who he is or why he’s attached to the watch, and only his name to go off of-Penn-Sylvie offers to help him unravel the mystery of his death.
Sylvie’s summer is suddenly full of road trips, beach bonfires, and ferris wheel rides as she and Penn try to piece together the life he lost. But soon, Sylvie begins to imagine a future together-a future they can never have. Then a devastating discovery brings everything crashing down. The watch’s secrets extend far beyond Penn, and it’s not only Sylvie’s heart at risk, but her life.
Review
(Disclaimer: I received this book from the Libro.fm. This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest.)
If We Never End has this slightly speculative contemporary which I love. If there is a type of contemporary books for me, it’s those with a slightly speculative tinge. Where there’s something which gives the magic of the everyday a little oomph, brings something else to it, a new flair. If We Never End begins with a bit of heartbreak. With wondering how our lives end, how precious each second can feel, and with mystery. If We Never End takes this idea of leaving behind the ones we love and extrapolates it to Sylvie’s life. To feeling abandoned and left behind, drift less and wondering where we can go next.
Barbara Castano does a phenomenal job with the narration where I wanted to continue listening far after my commute was done. There’s this genuine sense of mystery which is narrated and reels you in. The character work in If We Never End has this signature multi-dimensional work from Laura Taylor Namey. And it will keep you guessing as you wait for the other shoe to drop. Towards the last 30% it becomes un-putdownable as the pieces rapidly click into place. I really loved the themes of family in If We Never End specifically what it’s like to have this complex relationship of love, abandonment, and anger.
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Plus we love the threads of friendship and the plot brain of Laura Taylor Namey. Find If We Never End on Goodreads, Storygraph, Bookshop. org, Blackwells, & Libro. fm.