Eva has always wanted to write a modern classic—one that actually appeals to her generation. The only problem is that she has realized she can't "write what she knows" because she hasn't yet begun to live. So before heading off to college, Eva is determined to get a life worth writing about.Soon Eva's life encounters a few unexpected plot twists. She becomes a counselor at a nearby summer camp—a job she is completely unqualified for. She starts growing apart from her best friends before they've even left for school. And most surprising of all, she begins to fall for the last guy she would have ever imagined. But no matter the roadblocks, or writer's blocks, it is all up to Eva to figure out how she wants this chapter in her story to end.
Perfect for fans of E. Lockhart, David Levithan, and Rainbow Rowell, Don't Ever Change is a witty, snarky, and thought-provoking coming-of-age young adult novel about a teen who sets out to write better fiction and, ultimately, discovers the truth about herself.
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Brooke's Review:
I want to thank the author for sending me a copy of this book to read and give an honest review. Receiving this book for free has in no way altered my review or opinion.
This last year has been my year of contemporary reads. And I want to read things that are new and different. This book totally fit that bill when I read the blurb. The biggest appeal to me was the main character's focus on writing. She loves to write. She wants to be a writer/author. And she uses her experiences to try and help get her there.
My favorite thing about Eva is that she doesn't seemed bothered by change. She does things outside her box, even if a little scary, because she knows her experiences will make for great story fodder. And, in the long run, what writer doesn't infuse some of their own experiences into their stories? Eva has a penchant for analyzing everything around her, it makes her a bit of a snob at times, which bothered me a bit. I don't like to see characters that are stuck up. However, I think it also helped her form herself as a writer, and made her more aware of who she was, with a willingness to change and evolve. We see this most especially in her interactions with her campers.
I did like how the story was told. Like Eva was a character in a book she was writing. It was an interesting concept. It helped with the pacing of the book, which was a bit slower than I would have liked. The author infused some really funny moments throughout, which kept me on my toes. Eva does a lot of self-talking in this book, as well. I think added to her character growth, like talking things out in her head made her more self-aware.
The romance is just ok for me. She has two boys that she is involved with. One is a bad boy, Elliot, who I just don't see her attraction to. She basically pushes him away at the party where she meets him, but then she turns around and gets into a relationship with him. To be honest, it's like it comes out of nowhere and she's doing it just for the experience. Perhaps that is the point, though. That she needs to find out what her balance is in the romance department and the only way to do that is to take a leap into something that is unknown. Then there's Foster, who she's known for a while and seems to be her rival in the area of writing. She critiques his work, making me feel like she thinks she is better than him. Yet, he takes it with a grain of salt. Somehow they end up working together and she feels a pull towards him. Given the way Eva treats him, I'm surprised he likes her, but there relationship between then evolves and seems to actually work much better than the one she's established with Elliott. The contrast between the two boys actually creates a good balance and excellent experiences for shaping Eva's thought processes.
Eva's other relationships, those with her best friends, falter a lot in this book. She pushes them away, but then gets upset when they are not there for her. I did get the feeling that in order for Eva to find herself, she needed do this. That she felt like her friends might be shaping her too much.
Overall, this book is about self-discovery. About finding out who you are and who you aren't and following a path that's unknown. Eva puts herself out there and learns from her experiences. I definitely see her transformation throughout the book into someone who is not quite so selfish and more understanding of others.
M. Beth Bloom is a novelist and a screenwriter. Her fiction has appeared in StoryQuarterly and Dave Eggers's Best American Nonrequired Reading series. She is also the author of Drain You. M. Beth lives in Los Angeles.
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Very interesting! Contemporary has been a great genre this year. I think the wishy-washy-ness would be okay with me since this is a book about the MC finding herself. I don't like snobby characters either, but it's good to know she does develop and change a little.
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