sweet like cinnamon

I read Never Never for a book club, and I will forever hold a grudge against the person who suggested that we read it. In my (harsh) opinion, even two stars is a generous rating for a book like this, so let me break down my rating. I'll start with the pros. The book is definitely a page turner, as it's easy to read and you don't need to put any thought into it. Everything is very surface-level and not particularly difficult to understand. It's nice to have a book that's this easy to read, as you can get through it significantly quicker than you would a dense, philosophical book. ...That's about all the positive things I can say about Never Never. Now I'll get into what I didn't like. This book is not well-written. It reads like something out of a middle schooler's mind, as if a writing teacher asked their 12-year-old students to write a fantasy story with no restrictions. There are scenes in the book showing the letters exchanged between the two main characters. The writing in those letters is beautiful, and it outshines the writing of the narration and main story. Additionally, on a more personal note, I found most of the characters unlikable. Landon is the only character I took a liking to, but that's a "me" thing. I know multiple reviews have touched on this topic, but I must include it as well: the ending. It was incredibly unsatisfying and left a multitude of questions unanswered. I feel that there were so many things introduced to us in the first and second parts that kept us gripped, but a majority of those things were simply discarded. Most people could rewrite the ending, or even the third part in its entirety (because it was a dumpster fire), and it would be significantly more satisfying than what we got. Overall, I felt like there was more buildup than climax, and though the romantic aspect is cute, this novel is not worth spending one's time or money on. I still give the book two stars because the first and second parts were genuinely interesting, but the third part ruined everything for me. If you Never Never read this book, you're not missing out; I promise.