Book Review: Sometimes Never, Sometimes Always by Elissa Janine Hoole

Summary: 

Cassandra fears rocking the family boat. Instead, she sinks it. Assigned by her English teacher to write a poem that reveals her true self, Cassandra Randall is stuck. Her family's religion is so overbearing, she can NEVER write about who she truly is. So Cass does what any self-respecting high school girl would do: she secretly begins writing a tarot-inspired advice blog. When Drew Godfrey, an awkward outcast with unwashed hair, writes to her, the situation spirals into what the school calls "a cyberbullying crisis" and what the church calls "sorcery." Cass wants to be the kind of person who sticks up for the persecuted, who protects the victims the way she tries to protect her brother from the homophobes in her church. But what if she's just another bully? What will it take for her to step up and tell the truth?

Release Date: November 8, 2013

Age Group: YA

Source: NetGalley
Reviewed By: Kelli

Review:

Sometimes Never, Sometimes Always was a sweet, easy read.  I liked Cassandra but didn't really connect with her. Some of the things she did left me scratching my head.  I appreciated her devotion and loyalty to her brother, but many of her actions, especially the way she treated Drew, left me frowning.  

The premise of this book is unique and I enjoyed that.  I do love reading about overbearing families and how characters deal with them.  I thought the tarot card element of the story was a little overdone, almost forced.  

I liked the different characters and their histories.  The characters were well-developed and I enjoyed reading about the conclusion of their stories.  The writing was quite simple: this book felt like young YA or even older middle-grade to me.  I did enjoy Sometimes Never, Sometimes Always, but it wasn't a favorite of mine.