Review: Never Enough by Denise Jaden

Never Enough
Denise Jaden
July 10th 2012
400 pages (paperback)
Simon Pulse
Source - Publisher (unsolicited)

"Loann’s always wanted to be popular and pretty like her sister, Claire. So when Claire’s ex-boyfriend starts flirting with her, Loann is willing to do whatever it takes to feel special… even if that means betraying her sister.

But as Loann slips inside Claire’s world, she discovers that everything is not as it seems. Claire’s quest for perfection is all-consuming, and comes at a dangerous price. As Claire increasingly withdraws from friends and family, Loann struggles to understand her and make amends. Can she heal their relationship —and her sister—before it’s too late?"

"Nothing is ever perfect....Beauty isn't perfect. It's something 

to be felt and something to be breathed." * 

Claire has it all — beauty, talent, a great figure, and Josh Garrison. Our narrator Loann, however, has a short stature, an ample amount of curves, and a mysterious yet amusing locker neighbor named Marcus. But the next moment, Loann's oridinary life begins to change completely as her sister Claire spirals out of control with her self-image and destructive eating habits. There's nothing worse than trying to help someone when you're rendered incapable of doing so, and Jaden captures this dilemma and portrays it honestly through Loann as she watches her sister's perfect life crumble to pieces. 

Never Enough draws you in with tender moments and breaks your heart with the harsh reality of the price beauty and "perfection" demand. There are plenty of other interesting character interactions, but it is the moments between these two sisters that made the most genuine and memorable impact. Never Enough is a story with multiple varieties of issues and can feel a bit busy sometimes, and yet this story remains realistic and touching. While I did enjoy Denise Jaden's first novel Losing Faith much more,  Never Enough is a strong sophomore effort that's worth reading. 

Highlights: Claire and Loann's complicated sisterly relationship is sure to be something readers with siblings will relate to. The ups and downs of their relationship felt very real and I wish they had interacted more in this story. I very much enjoyed Marcus and Loann's slow friendship. Jaden's characters always seemed authentic because they have positive and negative traits that serve to make them more realistic. It was interesting to watch Loann grow throughout the story.  

Lowlights: Loann could be a bit naive. It took awhile to get to the main plot. A few subplots could have been cut to give this story more focus. There wasn't enough time to stretch out and fully resolve the extra subplots¹, so they made the story weaker (and almost resulted in a much lower rating).

Rating:  

* pg. 371
1 This footnote is a long spoiler that can be found on my Goodreads review of Never Enough.

The Queen's Library (8)

For Review

Never Enough by Denise Jaden
Stormdancer by Jay Kristoff

Won from Frenetic Reader

Keeping the Moon by Sarah Dessen

Received for Splash Team
Just For Fins bookmarks, tattoos, button (not pictured)

I cannot wait to read Never Enough and Stormdancer! Thanks to S&S, Amazon Vine, Khy, and Tera Lynn Childs!

What did you get this week?

In My Mailbox 36

IMM is hosted by The Story Siren and inspired by Pop Culture Junkie

For Review:

Losing Faith by Denise Jaden

Ascendant by Diana Peterfreund

Adversary by Kate Kaynak (signed) + swag

John Belushi Is Dead by Kathy Charles

From Lisa Schroeder (who is so completely sweet):

Three signed "I Heart You, You Haunt Me" bookmarks

Something special signed for a friend's birthday 

(I don't think my friend reads my blog, but I'll keep what it is out of this post and picture -- don't want to ruin the surprise!)

Clear stick-on signed book plate for me

Bought:

Lipstick Apology by Jennifer Jabaley (can't beat $3.05)

Firelight by Sophie Jordan 

And that is it! Thank you so much to Kathy, Elyse, Denise, Kate and a very special thanks to Lisa Schroeder for being kind enough to do me a huge favor.

And in regards to 9/11, may we never forget. I'm so very sorry to any of you who lost someone that day. 

Interview: Denise Jaden

Today I have Denise Jaden here to answer some questions about her debut novel, Losing Faith (out on September 7th, 2010).   

This interview is also a stop in her blog tour, so a comment here will gain you an entry into Denise's drawing for some grand prizes.

Make sure to check out Denise's blog for more info!

Quick! Describe Losing Faith in 7 words or less!

Sisters, loss, mystery, religion, friendship, romance, cult

Nice, you've already got me curious! How about a bit more of description?

Losing Faith is about sixteen year old Brie, the black sheep of her religious family, who loses her sister, Faith, in a tragic fall from a cliff. Through the process of mourning her sister, Brie discovers some of the details about Faith’s death just don’t line up.

What inspired you to write Losing Faith?

I lost a close friend when I was sixteen, and was surprised (and heartbroken) to learn so much more about my friend after she passed. I think this was the seed that started Losing Faith.

What makes your main character, Brie, unique?

She doesn’t recognize so many of her strengths. She’s smart and funny and resourceful, but only in the midst of tragedy does she really start to see any of this.

If you could spend the day as any character in any story, what character and story would you choose?

I’d love to spend the day as Kate Malone from Laurie Halse Anderson’s Catalyst. She’s smart in so many ways I am not, plus she’s organized and uber-clean and also a runner. I’m sure my life would be much better (and more tidy) from spending a day as her!

What are you working on right now?

I’m working on another YA contemporary called Perfect Aim. It’s about a teen archer who shoots way off target when trying to reunite her squabbling family, and instead instigates family war. In the midst of this, she also falls in with the wrong crowd and starts to fall for the wrong guy. I’m still in the early stages of this one, but those are some of the basic themes.

Anything else you'd like to add?

Just that I really hope you enjoy Losing Faith. I know reading is subjective and it won’t be for everyone, but I really hope my writing will find an audience out there that will really enjoy it.

Thanks for stopping by, Denise!

Don't forget to drop by Denise's blog, and remember that Losing Faith comes out on the 7th! :)

In My Mailbox 34

IMM is hosted by The Story Siren and inspired by Pop Culture Junkie. 

For review:

When I Was Joe by Keren David

Pre-ordered back in March:

Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins 

(I think I'm still in shock about how it ended)

Borrowed from a friend:

Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher

Received:

Swag from Denise Jaden

Thanks to Jessica (and Keren for contacting me), Theresa, and Denise! =)

What did you guys get this week? 

Waiting On Wednesday

WOW is hosted by Jill of Breaking the Spine

Book: Losing Faith

Author: Denise Jaden

Release date: September 7th, 2010

Summary: 

A terrible secret. A terrible fate.

When Brie's sister, Faith, dies suddenly, Brie's world falls apart. As she goes through the bizarre and devastating process of mourning the sister she never understood and barely even liked, everything in her life seems to spiral farther and farther off course. Her parents are a mess, her friends don’t know how to treat her, and her perfect boyfriend suddenly seems anything but.

As Brie settles into her new normal, she encounters more questions than closure: Certain facts about the way Faith died just don't line up. Brie soon uncovers a dark and twisted secret about Faith’s final night...a secret that puts her own life in danger. 

I'm excited for this one to release, it sounds like it's going to be a touching story...and I'm definitely intrigued by secrets.