Sometimes Never, Sometimes Always by Elissa Janine Hoole

Genre: YA, contemporary, realistic fiction

Release Date: November 8, 2013

Publisher: Flux

Format: ebook                     Pages: 349

Sources: Gift

Goodreads Synopsis

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?

My Thoughts: 

The Cover: I really liked the cover to this one. I don't know if you can tell, but I am a cover kinda girl. That's usually one of the things that attract me to a book. This cover was pretty cool. Really pretty, in my opinion; a jar with globugs at dusk representing the perfect childhood moment that you want to hold onto forever.

The Plot:  The story to this one was very good. It moved along well keeping me glued. What I was worried would be just another teen contemporary novel, turned out to be an intense, and very well written drama.

Characters: I didn't like our protagonist at first. I thought she was just another whiny and self-centered teenager. But, as I got to know Cassandra, as the character developed, I grew to really like her. Here was a girl who realized that everything she was, everything she did was for or because of someone else. I think at some point in our lives; most of us wake up and realize something similar. Fin was fun and quirky and made Cassandra laugh. I really liked Fin's character and thought he was the perfect match for Cassandra. Someone to make her brave enough to discover who she really was.

Cassandra's family was made up of awesomely written characters too. From her goofy sister, who was just looking for attention, to her brother who was just looking for acceptance, to her parents, who were just trying to deal in their own ways, Miss Hoole created some great characters.

Is it Worth Reading?:  Definitely. I really liked Sometimes Never, Sometimes Always. It had been on my TBR list for a long time and I am glad I actually got to read it. It was a bit intense, addressing a few serious issues, one that we blogger sometimes have to think about ourselves. But I was sad to hit the end of this one. I highly recommend this one to readers of YA, Realistic fiction, and contemporary and give this one 4/5 crossbows!