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Don't Ever Change
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.
368 pages, Unknown Binding
First published July 7, 2015
22 people are currently reading
3351 people want to read
About the author
M. Beth Bloom
2 books43 followersAuthor of 'Drain You,' published by HarperTeen. Available everywhere July 24th.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 138 reviews
May 30, 2015
(Source: I received a digital copy of this book for free on a read-to-review basis. Thanks to HarperCollins and Edelweiss.)
“How about, ‘Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do’?”
“Okay,” he says. “So don’t do anything then.”
This was a YA story about one girl’s summer before going to college.
Eva was an okay character, she wanted to be a writer even when people critiqued her work, and she seemed to have a clear idea of what she wanted to do with her life, even if that included ‘changing for Boston’.
“I know Boston’s not going to change me,” I tell Courtney. “I’m going to change for Boston.”
The storyline in this was basically just following Eva during the summer before she went to college, finding out about the camp where she worked, and finding out a bit about the boy that she liked. There wasn’t a great deal else going on really though, although I found her doctor’s advice for her anaemia quite funny (she’s a vegan).
“What’s this?” my sister asks, staring at the page.
“Some prescription,” I say. “For my anemia.”
“He’s just written, 'Eat a cheeseburger'.” Courtney holds up the page so I can see.
“Eat a cheeseburger?” I read aloud. “That jerk!”
There was a little bit of romance, but nothing major.
The ending to this was a little bit of a non-event. The story just seemed to stop, while Eva’s journey didn’t feel like it had really ended. It was almost like we were just getting to the good bit, and then it ended.
6 out of 10
“How about, ‘Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do’?”
“Okay,” he says. “So don’t do anything then.”
This was a YA story about one girl’s summer before going to college.
Eva was an okay character, she wanted to be a writer even when people critiqued her work, and she seemed to have a clear idea of what she wanted to do with her life, even if that included ‘changing for Boston’.
“I know Boston’s not going to change me,” I tell Courtney. “I’m going to change for Boston.”
The storyline in this was basically just following Eva during the summer before she went to college, finding out about the camp where she worked, and finding out a bit about the boy that she liked. There wasn’t a great deal else going on really though, although I found her doctor’s advice for her anaemia quite funny (she’s a vegan).
“What’s this?” my sister asks, staring at the page.
“Some prescription,” I say. “For my anemia.”
“He’s just written, 'Eat a cheeseburger'.” Courtney holds up the page so I can see.
“Eat a cheeseburger?” I read aloud. “That jerk!”
There was a little bit of romance, but nothing major.
The ending to this was a little bit of a non-event. The story just seemed to stop, while Eva’s journey didn’t feel like it had really ended. It was almost like we were just getting to the good bit, and then it ended.
6 out of 10
July 17, 2015
'This is all I know: that I’m young and I’m about to finish high school and I write. But what else, what else.'
I didn't know what to expect when I first saw the cover of Don't Ever Change. I even thought it was non fiction and almost dismissed it. (See, this is what happens when you don't read blurbs) But it turns out, Don't Ever Change will be one of the most character driven book I'll read this year. Its filled with very simple yet realistic set of characters.
If you ask me what Don't Ever Change is about, I'll just tell you that its like a memoir. A short, funny and poignant memoir of a girl who wants to achieve her dreams and goals. And she won't take no for an answer. Giving up in never an option either. But change is.
Eva is a writer, not published or anything and she just graduated from highschool. I know that some readers may have a problem with Eva's 'tude because she can be so.... uptight or judgemental but I actually really, REALLY liked her. The girl is ambitious and I don't see anything wrong with that. It was actually fun to see her learn the consequences from her mistakes. And by the end, she grew up a lot. I also adored the humorous banter of Eva and her sister which I admit that sometimes, doesn't make sense to me.
The romance wasn't highlighted that much but I really wish it was mainly because the guy is so so adorable! So adorable I just wanna pinch his cheeks and hug him to death. I was a bit sad towards the end because I feel the good part of their romance is just starting then BAM!! It ends.
Overall, Don't Ever Change depicts a very accurate coming of age story of a girl who thinks she got everything mapped out. The book's message is something worth reading even though you're not a writer like the main character. The characters are realistically done and Eva's meaningful summer is something you'll not forget soon.
May 13, 2016
I'm officially done with this book, and the feeling I get is the feeling you get when you finish your Math exam and it's.... SUMMER!
I've decided to rate this an exact one.
My reaction right now:
Somehow I want to review about this now because I cannot bottle up all the rage and annoyance that is in my system right now caused by this.....thing.
MY PROBLEMS WITH THIS BOOK:
1.) EVA KRAMER.
Everything is just so wrong about her that I have to restrain myself from expressing full-on rage. She is such a judgemental, boastful bitch. She degrades everyone and thinks every person around her is an idiot/illiterate person. She isn't even THAT smart.
"It was just some sudden heart attack."
"Can kids get heart attacks?" I ask, even though I'm realizing I guess they can.
Everyone thinks she's so full of herself. Even her best friends.
"We tried not to be mad."
"Because being mad at you never works, because you always win, because you're so smart---which is really not as good a look on you as you'd like to think."
"But we were mad," Michelle says.
"But no one can be mad at Eva. because she punishes you for it," Steph says, glaring.
I'm really, really glad I don't have Eva as a best friend because if I did, I'd be dead by then because I would've jumped off a cliff or something. I'm also searching if there's such a thing as a Worst Best Friend award because, hands down, Eva would win. She doesn't want her friends to be happy and doesn't approve when her friends introduce their dates. If you're really a good friend, I think you would support your friend in literally everything. She won't even fucking help her best friend (her bff lost her job) by asking for a job at the camp just because she fucking frenched the fucking counselor.
YOU ARE SUCH A TERRIBLE FRIEND, EVA. SUCH.
And she is so indifferent about, everything under the sun, I guess.
"At first, I'm annoyed. Because the words are so simple and plain, anyone could act them out.
NOT ALL NINE YEAR OLD BOYS COULD ACT OUT "HARRY POTTER AND THE SORCERER'S STONE". Not everyone knows Harry Potter (but fyi, I lurve HP). Eva, you do not need to set a standard for all nine year old boys. They do not need you to.
"Miranda's cool too," Steph says. "She's a writer."
"She doesn't seem like one," I say. "At all."
"Eva, we can't all be Eva." Michelle says.
"Don't be an idiot, pasta's from China."
Everyone breaks out laughing. At what? At the acknowledgement that if you drink two carafes of wine it makes you drunk? It's so stupid the world doesn't just feel small."
"And second of all," I say, "it's a cheese thing. I'd love Italian if they didn't put so much cheese on everything."
Bart's always been pretty nice, I guess, but who cares? The problem is he's not inteesting, which is way more important.
"Does she seem illiterate?" I ask. "She seems sort of illiterate to me."
"You're being a snob.
Eva, your legs could've been a mess of purple and blue spots had I been there to kick your leg under the table. Y U NOT KNU MANNERS?!?! UR PARENTS SEEM NICE AND ALL
We're so sorry, Eva. We can't all be geniuses like you. *rolls eyes*
SHE DOESN'T CARE ABOUT ANYTHING. SHE TRASHES PEOPLE"S FEELINGS LIKE Q-TIPS.
But, very intelligent Eva defends herself:
"You should go to thar reading." Courtney says. "Just show up."
"That seems sort of loser-ish, doesn't it?
"You don't care," Courtney says. "You've never cared what anyone thought."
"I care about other people's feelings."
That is possibly the biggest lie I've ever heard in the history of this world.
Just like her teacher, I want to tell Eva that everything about her is fake. She has everything she needs: parents, a decent life, friends who love her, smarts, and etc. But she still IS jealous of everyone. EVERYONE IS COMPETITION TO HER. She even treats a thirteen year old girl as competition. She treats her sister as competition. This girl has no chill.
2. The non-existent romance that is advertised in the summary
So she basically claims to fall for a drunk guy who bumped into her on a post grad party. And after a few weeks, ta-da! SHE LOVES HIM. They aren't even in a fucking relationship. And while he's away, she's frenching Foster (she was really mean to Foster, tbh) like the world might end tomorrow. Talk.about.loyalty. I don't have a ship (and I basically have a ship in every book)
Foster - too perfect to be real. Is a cinnamon roll. Too vulnerable. too obedient.
Elliott - too cliché. Usual bad boy who ends up being dumped
Foster is so blind. I wish I could recommend him an eye examination so that he's able to see how much of a b*tch Eva is. Doesn't he like, hate her for all that she said about his stories? Whatever. It is HIS story, not Eva's. He can f*cking write anything he wants to write because (a) America is a free country (b) he shouldn't listen to a judgemental b*tch such as Eva. It's his story, not yours. Foster never really minded your business, Eva. So go away, pliz.
3. The way Eva is fired from camped
Seriously, who even gets fired from referencing someone as a Nazi?
4. The way Eva tolerates Alexis' childish whims
Camp is a place where you develop oneself. She's just tolerating Alexis' laziness and cowardice when in fact she should be teaching Alexis to overcome this. She even blamed the horseback riders, when in fact, it is HER fault because SHE made Alexis go. SHE TOLD HER TO GO TO THE STABLES AND JOIN THE OTHER KIDS. IT WAS HER. I wish Eva could stop blaming everybody for her mistakes.
She even tolerates AND encourages thirteen year olds having sex. I mean, she should prohibit them from doing so if she's really a good counselor. But she didn't! SHE ACTUALLY F*CKING ENCOURAGED THEM. Don't you know how gross it is reading about people MY AGE having SEX?
My mind is scarred.
She also doesn't know how to appreciate other people's efforts. Example is when her mom got her a toaster. I'd be happy and thank my mom if she got me a toaster. But THE GREAT EVA here chose to pick a fight with her totally innocent mom who just wanted to give Eva something ABOUT A F*CKING TOASTER. I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU, EVA.
5. THE WAY SHE IS JEALOUS OF EVERYONE
At one point, she wishes to snag Alyssa's crush, Corey, who is JUST F*CKING THIRTEEN YEARS OLD. At also one point, she goes on a date with Zack, her friend Shelby's ex boyfriend. LIKE HOW IMMORAL IS THAT?!?! IT IS AN UNSPOKEN RULE THAT YOU DO NOT DATE YOUR FRIEND'S EX. But Eva being Eva is ....
She calls Elliott her boyfriend but secretely loves Foster. WHAT EVEN HAPPENED TO ELLIOTT? DID U RLLY JUST KISS FOSTER AND FORGET ALL ABOUT YOUR BOYFRIEND?!?!?!
I didn't like this book. DO NOT READ IT, PLIS. I AM IN THE MIDST OF AN ANGRY OUTBIRST RIGHT NOW AND UNLESS YOU WANT THAT, DON'T READ THIS. I WON'T EVER RECOMMEND IT.
I think I'm going to have an aneurysm if I think about this book further. I wish I could erase my memory of reading this.
I've decided to rate this an exact one.
My reaction right now:
Somehow I want to review about this now because I cannot bottle up all the rage and annoyance that is in my system right now caused by this.....thing.
MY PROBLEMS WITH THIS BOOK:
1.) EVA KRAMER.
Everything is just so wrong about her that I have to restrain myself from expressing full-on rage. She is such a judgemental, boastful bitch. She degrades everyone and thinks every person around her is an idiot/illiterate person. She isn't even THAT smart.
"It was just some sudden heart attack."
"Can kids get heart attacks?" I ask, even though I'm realizing I guess they can.
Everyone thinks she's so full of herself. Even her best friends.
"We tried not to be mad."
"Because being mad at you never works, because you always win, because you're so smart---which is really not as good a look on you as you'd like to think."
"But we were mad," Michelle says.
"But no one can be mad at Eva. because she punishes you for it," Steph says, glaring.
I'm really, really glad I don't have Eva as a best friend because if I did, I'd be dead by then because I would've jumped off a cliff or something. I'm also searching if there's such a thing as a Worst Best Friend award because, hands down, Eva would win. She doesn't want her friends to be happy and doesn't approve when her friends introduce their dates. If you're really a good friend, I think you would support your friend in literally everything. She won't even fucking help her best friend (her bff lost her job) by asking for a job at the camp just because she fucking frenched the fucking counselor.
YOU ARE SUCH A TERRIBLE FRIEND, EVA. SUCH.
And she is so indifferent about, everything under the sun, I guess.
"At first, I'm annoyed. Because the words are so simple and plain, anyone could act them out.
NOT ALL NINE YEAR OLD BOYS COULD ACT OUT "HARRY POTTER AND THE SORCERER'S STONE". Not everyone knows Harry Potter (but fyi, I lurve HP). Eva, you do not need to set a standard for all nine year old boys. They do not need you to.
"Miranda's cool too," Steph says. "She's a writer."
"She doesn't seem like one," I say. "At all."
"Eva, we can't all be Eva." Michelle says.
"Don't be an idiot, pasta's from China."
Everyone breaks out laughing. At what? At the acknowledgement that if you drink two carafes of wine it makes you drunk? It's so stupid the world doesn't just feel small."
"And second of all," I say, "it's a cheese thing. I'd love Italian if they didn't put so much cheese on everything."
Bart's always been pretty nice, I guess, but who cares? The problem is he's not inteesting, which is way more important.
"Does she seem illiterate?" I ask. "She seems sort of illiterate to me."
"You're being a snob.
Eva, your legs could've been a mess of purple and blue spots had I been there to kick your leg under the table. Y U NOT KNU MANNERS?!?! UR PARENTS SEEM NICE AND ALL
We're so sorry, Eva. We can't all be geniuses like you. *rolls eyes*
SHE DOESN'T CARE ABOUT ANYTHING. SHE TRASHES PEOPLE"S FEELINGS LIKE Q-TIPS.
But, very intelligent Eva defends herself:
"You should go to thar reading." Courtney says. "Just show up."
"That seems sort of loser-ish, doesn't it?
"You don't care," Courtney says. "You've never cared what anyone thought."
"I care about other people's feelings."
That is possibly the biggest lie I've ever heard in the history of this world.
Just like her teacher, I want to tell Eva that everything about her is fake. She has everything she needs: parents, a decent life, friends who love her, smarts, and etc. But she still IS jealous of everyone. EVERYONE IS COMPETITION TO HER. She even treats a thirteen year old girl as competition. She treats her sister as competition. This girl has no chill.
2. The non-existent romance that is advertised in the summary
So she basically claims to fall for a drunk guy who bumped into her on a post grad party. And after a few weeks, ta-da! SHE LOVES HIM. They aren't even in a fucking relationship. And while he's away, she's frenching Foster (she was really mean to Foster, tbh) like the world might end tomorrow. Talk.about.loyalty. I don't have a ship (and I basically have a ship in every book)
Foster - too perfect to be real. Is a cinnamon roll. Too vulnerable. too obedient.
Elliott - too cliché. Usual bad boy who ends up being dumped
Foster is so blind. I wish I could recommend him an eye examination so that he's able to see how much of a b*tch Eva is. Doesn't he like, hate her for all that she said about his stories? Whatever. It is HIS story, not Eva's. He can f*cking write anything he wants to write because (a) America is a free country (b) he shouldn't listen to a judgemental b*tch such as Eva. It's his story, not yours. Foster never really minded your business, Eva. So go away, pliz.
3. The way Eva is fired from camped
Seriously, who even gets fired from referencing someone as a Nazi?
4. The way Eva tolerates Alexis' childish whims
Camp is a place where you develop oneself. She's just tolerating Alexis' laziness and cowardice when in fact she should be teaching Alexis to overcome this. She even blamed the horseback riders, when in fact, it is HER fault because SHE made Alexis go. SHE TOLD HER TO GO TO THE STABLES AND JOIN THE OTHER KIDS. IT WAS HER. I wish Eva could stop blaming everybody for her mistakes.
She even tolerates AND encourages thirteen year olds having sex. I mean, she should prohibit them from doing so if she's really a good counselor. But she didn't! SHE ACTUALLY F*CKING ENCOURAGED THEM. Don't you know how gross it is reading about people MY AGE having SEX?
My mind is scarred.
She also doesn't know how to appreciate other people's efforts. Example is when her mom got her a toaster. I'd be happy and thank my mom if she got me a toaster. But THE GREAT EVA here chose to pick a fight with her totally innocent mom who just wanted to give Eva something ABOUT A F*CKING TOASTER. I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU, EVA.
5. THE WAY SHE IS JEALOUS OF EVERYONE
At one point, she wishes to snag Alyssa's crush, Corey, who is JUST F*CKING THIRTEEN YEARS OLD. At also one point, she goes on a date with Zack, her friend Shelby's ex boyfriend. LIKE HOW IMMORAL IS THAT?!?! IT IS AN UNSPOKEN RULE THAT YOU DO NOT DATE YOUR FRIEND'S EX. But Eva being Eva is ....
She calls Elliott her boyfriend but secretely loves Foster. WHAT EVEN HAPPENED TO ELLIOTT? DID U RLLY JUST KISS FOSTER AND FORGET ALL ABOUT YOUR BOYFRIEND?!?!?!
I didn't like this book. DO NOT READ IT, PLIS. I AM IN THE MIDST OF AN ANGRY OUTBIRST RIGHT NOW AND UNLESS YOU WANT THAT, DON'T READ THIS. I WON'T EVER RECOMMEND IT.
I think I'm going to have an aneurysm if I think about this book further. I wish I could erase my memory of reading this.
May 28, 2015
I tried, okay? I did. I tried. But if reading 50% of You Should Really Change Don't Ever Change makes me want to bash my head against the wall because of how pretentious and unlikeable the MC is, what would reading the whole thing do?
My main issues with Don't Ever Change is Eva. I just-oh my fucking god, seriously. With every book that frustrates the hell out of me, I wonder what the next book would do to top it. This one takes the cake and everything with it. Eva is, in short, a judgemental pretentious snob who lives in her own little bubble and wonders about the world because everyone else just thinks about stupid things, obviously. I mean, okay. I could deal with that. Kind of. Not really. But she just kept topping herself over and over, just when I think, hey, we're a little similar, she says something else, and then I just thought fuck, I may be a little pretentious myself some times, but I'm nowhere near you.
She's a literature snob, which, I guess is okay in context, if you're comparing work to work, but please, do not judge what other people read, just because they don't 'get' the classics. It's 1) mean. 2)mean and 3) mean. All that matters is that we read, no matter what we read.
If that wasn't enough, she's totally judgemental of her own friends and really, uhm, a little psycho about things when they don't involve her with stuff, like having a movie marathon, because they think she'll hate it because she's judgemental. And then she's judgemental about them thinking she's judgemental.
Then this.
This really done it for me.
Eva knows big words, you guys! BIG WORDS. HURRAH. Should we go throw a party because she, you know, learned some words? But, this is the good part. When she uses them in sentences, she then tells whoever she's speaking to (and sometimes when she's speaking to the reader) what the words mean. Because, you know, practically everyone but her is illiterate.
How's this, Eva? Pompous. Arrogant. Egotistical. Supercilious. Condescending. Hypocrite.
LERGOJEOGJEJE. It's okay. I'm okay.
Honestly, I didn't get what Eva and Don't Ever Change was trying to represent, and I'm perfectly okay with that, just don't tell Eva, she'd probably have a cow. Maybe the second half of the book she gained some integrity or learned a valuable lesson and get's a personality transplant. But when a main character becomes so unlikable, you really don't give a fuck.
My main issues with Don't Ever Change is Eva. I just-oh my fucking god, seriously. With every book that frustrates the hell out of me, I wonder what the next book would do to top it. This one takes the cake and everything with it. Eva is, in short, a judgemental pretentious snob who lives in her own little bubble and wonders about the world because everyone else just thinks about stupid things, obviously. I mean, okay. I could deal with that. Kind of. Not really. But she just kept topping herself over and over, just when I think, hey, we're a little similar, she says something else, and then I just thought fuck, I may be a little pretentious myself some times, but I'm nowhere near you.
She's a literature snob, which, I guess is okay in context, if you're comparing work to work, but please, do not judge what other people read, just because they don't 'get' the classics. It's 1) mean. 2)mean and 3) mean. All that matters is that we read, no matter what we read.
If that wasn't enough, she's totally judgemental of her own friends and really, uhm, a little psycho about things when they don't involve her with stuff, like having a movie marathon, because they think she'll hate it because she's judgemental. And then she's judgemental about them thinking she's judgemental.
Then this.
This really done it for me.
Eva knows big words, you guys! BIG WORDS. HURRAH. Should we go throw a party because she, you know, learned some words? But, this is the good part. When she uses them in sentences, she then tells whoever she's speaking to (and sometimes when she's speaking to the reader) what the words mean. Because, you know, practically everyone but her is illiterate.
How's this, Eva? Pompous. Arrogant. Egotistical. Supercilious. Condescending. Hypocrite.
LERGOJEOGJEJE. It's okay. I'm okay.
Honestly, I didn't get what Eva and Don't Ever Change was trying to represent, and I'm perfectly okay with that, just don't tell Eva, she'd probably have a cow. Maybe the second half of the book she gained some integrity or learned a valuable lesson and get's a personality transplant. But when a main character becomes so unlikable, you really don't give a fuck.
April 12, 2015
Thank you Harper Teen and Edelweiss for the review copy of this book.
There's really not much to say about this book other than it was realistic and really something that people could relate to.
If you guys like Coming of Age books then you'd definitely enjoy this.
There's really not much to say about this book other than it was realistic and really something that people could relate to.
If you guys like Coming of Age books then you'd definitely enjoy this.
August 3, 2015
**0.5 stars**
Originally posted at: http://iliveforreading.blogspot.com/2...
For once, I’m just going to get straight to the point: I did not like this book. I’m sorry to say it, but it’s true. I should have listened to reviews, and left this book alone. But NO. Me and my maybe-it’ll-turn-out-different attitude made me read this book. I mean: that cover! That synopsis! This should have been an amazing book! No, no, no. I have never been so frustrated and thankful after finishing a book. Don’t Ever Change was painfully slow and seemed to go nowhere.
I thought that since the main character Eva was a writer she would be a lot more relatable. I was so wrong. I wanted to slap her repeatedly. SHE WAS AWFUL. She was constantly judging people (and she mentions this herself) and doesn't handle criticism well. She was obsessed with the idea of changing for people and for Boston, but didn’t seem to change at all–seriously, no character growth in this book. She’s a terrible friend too. Her friends point this fact out constantly! She gets horny at all the wrong times (I don’t even want to go into this), and really full of her self as well: ❝I like to think of myself as the glue that holds [my friends] together❞ (35, eGalley*) and constantly blabbing about how other people should change their writing, not her. OH, SHUT UP. The thing is, Eva knows she’s flawed...so was this book supposed to have an irritating character? Well, if it did, mission accomplished!
*text subject to change in final version
There were some small saving graces for this novel. Foster was one of them... well, kind of. I don’t get how he actually has a crush on this girl. I love how he was with the kids at the camp, but that’s just about it. Speaking of which, I really loved the whole setting for the camp. Now, if this book was COMPLETELY about summer camp, I would totally go for that. But no, it just had to have all this other filler plot with a weird-ass older sister and a love-square-thing (I’ll get to that in a bit) that seemed to run around in an aimless direction.
This book had a stream of consciousness narrative structure, but followed through with proper punctuation, etc. Eva’s character did tend to ramble on and on and on, so I guess that’s where the stream of thought comes in. It was interesting at first, because not many YA books feature stream of consciousness in the narrative, but after a while it just started to get tiring. Especially with all the puns and quips.
THE LOVE-SQUARE-THING. It was actually more of a love triangle but at one part it had to expand even further to a square–basically, one girl and three guys after her. Firstly, why would these guys even bother to like her? She’s awfullllll. Secondly, WHY. None of the romances went anywhere. Elliot disappeared for most of the novel except for the random phone calls where he constantly asks her what she’s wearing. Um, ew? And then there comes more useless filler plot with Shelby and Zack. Hopefully you can see why this book had me frustrated to the max.
There seemed to be no point to this book. I was really hoping for some character development, as I’d mentioned before, or some deeper change or revelation that was going to happen, but it was like reading a freakin’ flat-line. Oh wait, no, that would be inaccurate. More like a steep plunge into hell that never seemed to end. I don’t even think there was a big moment with her camp group. She made them start writing in journals (instead of planned activities–how did she manage not to get fired during most of the book?) and started editing their work. Um, these are NINE-year-olds. You’re supposed to help them grow, not cut them down by circling some of their work and writing “WHY?” (she’s not very helpful as well).
I really considered DNF-ing this book. I really did. But I didn’t and I wish that I did. It was so pointless! I’m getting pretty angry with the book while writing this review and it all comes down to the absolutely rubbish main character: EVA. There could have been so much more potential to this book and I got nothing out of it. I don’t think I’ll be picking up another one of M. Beth Bloom’s books for a while unless I see mainly positive reviews. Even her other book Drain You has several reviews wishing that the book could have lived up to its potential. Ugh, I am so not going through that experience again–this book was CLEARLY not for me.
Originally posted at: http://iliveforreading.blogspot.com/2...
For once, I’m just going to get straight to the point: I did not like this book. I’m sorry to say it, but it’s true. I should have listened to reviews, and left this book alone. But NO. Me and my maybe-it’ll-turn-out-different attitude made me read this book. I mean: that cover! That synopsis! This should have been an amazing book! No, no, no. I have never been so frustrated and thankful after finishing a book. Don’t Ever Change was painfully slow and seemed to go nowhere.
I thought that since the main character Eva was a writer she would be a lot more relatable. I was so wrong. I wanted to slap her repeatedly. SHE WAS AWFUL. She was constantly judging people (and she mentions this herself) and doesn't handle criticism well. She was obsessed with the idea of changing for people and for Boston, but didn’t seem to change at all–seriously, no character growth in this book. She’s a terrible friend too. Her friends point this fact out constantly! She gets horny at all the wrong times (I don’t even want to go into this), and really full of her self as well: ❝I like to think of myself as the glue that holds [my friends] together❞ (35, eGalley*) and constantly blabbing about how other people should change their writing, not her. OH, SHUT UP. The thing is, Eva knows she’s flawed...so was this book supposed to have an irritating character? Well, if it did, mission accomplished!
*text subject to change in final version
There were some small saving graces for this novel. Foster was one of them... well, kind of. I don’t get how he actually has a crush on this girl. I love how he was with the kids at the camp, but that’s just about it. Speaking of which, I really loved the whole setting for the camp. Now, if this book was COMPLETELY about summer camp, I would totally go for that. But no, it just had to have all this other filler plot with a weird-ass older sister and a love-square-thing (I’ll get to that in a bit) that seemed to run around in an aimless direction.
This book had a stream of consciousness narrative structure, but followed through with proper punctuation, etc. Eva’s character did tend to ramble on and on and on, so I guess that’s where the stream of thought comes in. It was interesting at first, because not many YA books feature stream of consciousness in the narrative, but after a while it just started to get tiring. Especially with all the puns and quips.
THE LOVE-SQUARE-THING. It was actually more of a love triangle but at one part it had to expand even further to a square–basically, one girl and three guys after her. Firstly, why would these guys even bother to like her? She’s awfullllll. Secondly, WHY. None of the romances went anywhere. Elliot disappeared for most of the novel except for the random phone calls where he constantly asks her what she’s wearing. Um, ew? And then there comes more useless filler plot with Shelby and Zack. Hopefully you can see why this book had me frustrated to the max.
There seemed to be no point to this book. I was really hoping for some character development, as I’d mentioned before, or some deeper change or revelation that was going to happen, but it was like reading a freakin’ flat-line. Oh wait, no, that would be inaccurate. More like a steep plunge into hell that never seemed to end. I don’t even think there was a big moment with her camp group. She made them start writing in journals (instead of planned activities–how did she manage not to get fired during most of the book?) and started editing their work. Um, these are NINE-year-olds. You’re supposed to help them grow, not cut them down by circling some of their work and writing “WHY?” (she’s not very helpful as well).
I really considered DNF-ing this book. I really did. But I didn’t and I wish that I did. It was so pointless! I’m getting pretty angry with the book while writing this review and it all comes down to the absolutely rubbish main character: EVA. There could have been so much more potential to this book and I got nothing out of it. I don’t think I’ll be picking up another one of M. Beth Bloom’s books for a while unless I see mainly positive reviews. Even her other book Drain You has several reviews wishing that the book could have lived up to its potential. Ugh, I am so not going through that experience again–this book was CLEARLY not for me.
November 27, 2016
DNF at 69%
I think this book's average rating of a 3.00 says it all. When the average average sits around 3.6, it's clear that this book has to be bad. So why did I read it? Well, that is a great question.
This book is supposed to be about a soon-to-be college freshman growing up and moving on into a new stage of her life. It's supposed to delve into themes of friendship, family, and love. However, it does not do any of those things. Instead, we get a "story" about a bratty, egotistical asshole, Eva, learning that she is, in fact, the worst person alive, and yet decides to do nothing about that. For example, when her good friend breaks up with her longtime boyfriend, Eva decides that she should start dating the aforementioned boyfriend just to see if she could, not giving her friend any thought.
What completes the package on this wonderful screwup of a book is the writing style. The sentences are choppy and blunt without being descriptive at all. It left me feeling very detached from the scene, so I somehow came to care even less about this book and its character. It's ironic, really, that the writing is so bad, considering Eva hardcore judges anyone who can't write well.
I wouldn't have minded the lack of plot if that didn't mean that all the focus was on Eva judging just about everyone and everything, including nine-year-old girls. Occasionally, Eva will come up with some ideas for future stories she intends on writing, and honestly, they always sound interesting and unique. The problem is, all those stories seem a hell of a lot more intriguing than the things happening in Don't Ever Change. It makes me wonder why M. Beth Bloom chose to write this god-awfully boring story when she obviously isn't completely devoid of imagination.
I just really cannot believe that Harper Teen went through the trouble of publishing this chilché, boring wreck of a book
I think this book's average rating of a 3.00 says it all. When the average average sits around 3.6, it's clear that this book has to be bad. So why did I read it? Well, that is a great question.
This book is supposed to be about a soon-to-be college freshman growing up and moving on into a new stage of her life. It's supposed to delve into themes of friendship, family, and love. However, it does not do any of those things. Instead, we get a "story" about a bratty, egotistical asshole, Eva, learning that she is, in fact, the worst person alive, and yet decides to do nothing about that. For example, when her good friend breaks up with her longtime boyfriend, Eva decides that she should start dating the aforementioned boyfriend just to see if she could, not giving her friend any thought.
What completes the package on this wonderful screwup of a book is the writing style. The sentences are choppy and blunt without being descriptive at all. It left me feeling very detached from the scene, so I somehow came to care even less about this book and its character. It's ironic, really, that the writing is so bad, considering Eva hardcore judges anyone who can't write well.
I wouldn't have minded the lack of plot if that didn't mean that all the focus was on Eva judging just about everyone and everything, including nine-year-old girls. Occasionally, Eva will come up with some ideas for future stories she intends on writing, and honestly, they always sound interesting and unique. The problem is, all those stories seem a hell of a lot more intriguing than the things happening in Don't Ever Change. It makes me wonder why M. Beth Bloom chose to write this god-awfully boring story when she obviously isn't completely devoid of imagination.
I just really cannot believe that Harper Teen went through the trouble of publishing this chilché, boring wreck of a book
March 15, 2015
This book is a great read for those of you who are graduating high school and going off to college. This is called the in between time where you are no longer considered a child but going into adulthood. I laughed at some of the things that Eva did and some of her choices she made. Making adult decisions was not always easy for her and she soon found out that life is not a book that can be written but a story that unfolds days by day and only when you become an adult can you write about teenage things.
Eva finds herself at a job she has never done and is trying so hard to do it. She has purposed in her mind that she is going to make something of herself before college begins so she can go to college knowing she did something and it was productive instead of hanging out with her friends doing nothing all summer.
What Eva finds out about herself is priceless and will help her during her years of college. This is one story you will love and never forget.
Eva finds herself at a job she has never done and is trying so hard to do it. She has purposed in her mind that she is going to make something of herself before college begins so she can go to college knowing she did something and it was productive instead of hanging out with her friends doing nothing all summer.
What Eva finds out about herself is priceless and will help her during her years of college. This is one story you will love and never forget.
July 14, 2015
How do you know that you’ve read the perfect book for you? Do you see yourself in the characters of the book? Does the story appeal to you in ways you’d have never expected it to? Or does the book have to be an eye-opener? Something that you know you need to change in your life and the book shows you exactly how you may be affecting others?
Perhaps all of the above?
Don’t Ever Change was all of these to me…and so much more.
Eva isn’t the most easiest character to like. She’s judgemental and rude, and has a little problem with pride. It’s always her way or the highway and certain things she said in the book came of as ignorant and childish—contrary to the seventeen-year old she was. I’d be lying if I said I liked her—I can hardly tolerate people like Eva in real life, let alone in fiction where I have the choice to stop reading and forget about them forever. But here’s the thing about this book: While I didn’t particularly like our main protagonist, I did however fall deep in love with her story. Eva’s story was a true coming-of-age story, where Eva learns to let go of her rigid ways and closed mind and basically, grow up.
The main plot of the book revolves around Eva’s inability to deal with criticism from Mr Roush, her teacher, who tells her to write what she knows about, rather than going above and beyond to write something she has no idea about. He tells her, albeit in fewer words, to try to experience the world before she writes about it. But Eva, being Eva, takes his advice quite literally and that’s where she decides that the summer after high school is when she’s going to find out what she knows. To do this, she takes up a job as Camp Counsellor at a summer camp she doesn’t really care about and works with children she can’t quite bring herself to care about.
But, of course, many of her plans derail—as plans usually tend to—and Eva finds herself questioning a lot of things, including her way of dealing with her writing, people around her and most importantly, what she knows. As summer progresses, and a new adventure (if college can really be called an adventure) looms ahead, Eva changes radically from the person we see in the beginning of the novel. For the better or for the worse is really for the reader to decide.
Keeping aside my dislike for most things Eva, I have to state in good conscience that I did kind of enjoy her witty, internal rambling. Her attitude was appalling and she was mostly unpleasant but it was strangely entertaining. Maybe I’m a bad person for enjoying her monologues as she judged people left, right and centre, but something about the way her rather scintillating personality shone through her every action and thought made me want to smile. And I did. Smile, a lot. Eva wasn’t real and that knowledge was my biggest ally, but somehow my dislike for this girl and her callous way of treating members of her own species made me smile.
Funny? Very. But I’d credit all of this to the author’s writing. The book is written in a sharp, clear way and gets its point across clearly. After having read the book, and taken my time to introspect and really think about Eva and her friends, I’d say this book was both enjoyable and necessary, and though not without its drawbacks, it was definitely a book I’ll be recommending!
*I was provided a free ecopy of this book in exchange of an honest review. This did not in any way, however, influence the content of this review.*
Perhaps all of the above?
Don’t Ever Change was all of these to me…and so much more.
Eva isn’t the most easiest character to like. She’s judgemental and rude, and has a little problem with pride. It’s always her way or the highway and certain things she said in the book came of as ignorant and childish—contrary to the seventeen-year old she was. I’d be lying if I said I liked her—I can hardly tolerate people like Eva in real life, let alone in fiction where I have the choice to stop reading and forget about them forever. But here’s the thing about this book: While I didn’t particularly like our main protagonist, I did however fall deep in love with her story. Eva’s story was a true coming-of-age story, where Eva learns to let go of her rigid ways and closed mind and basically, grow up.
The main plot of the book revolves around Eva’s inability to deal with criticism from Mr Roush, her teacher, who tells her to write what she knows about, rather than going above and beyond to write something she has no idea about. He tells her, albeit in fewer words, to try to experience the world before she writes about it. But Eva, being Eva, takes his advice quite literally and that’s where she decides that the summer after high school is when she’s going to find out what she knows. To do this, she takes up a job as Camp Counsellor at a summer camp she doesn’t really care about and works with children she can’t quite bring herself to care about.
But, of course, many of her plans derail—as plans usually tend to—and Eva finds herself questioning a lot of things, including her way of dealing with her writing, people around her and most importantly, what she knows. As summer progresses, and a new adventure (if college can really be called an adventure) looms ahead, Eva changes radically from the person we see in the beginning of the novel. For the better or for the worse is really for the reader to decide.
Keeping aside my dislike for most things Eva, I have to state in good conscience that I did kind of enjoy her witty, internal rambling. Her attitude was appalling and she was mostly unpleasant but it was strangely entertaining. Maybe I’m a bad person for enjoying her monologues as she judged people left, right and centre, but something about the way her rather scintillating personality shone through her every action and thought made me want to smile. And I did. Smile, a lot. Eva wasn’t real and that knowledge was my biggest ally, but somehow my dislike for this girl and her callous way of treating members of her own species made me smile.
Funny? Very. But I’d credit all of this to the author’s writing. The book is written in a sharp, clear way and gets its point across clearly. After having read the book, and taken my time to introspect and really think about Eva and her friends, I’d say this book was both enjoyable and necessary, and though not without its drawbacks, it was definitely a book I’ll be recommending!
*I was provided a free ecopy of this book in exchange of an honest review. This did not in any way, however, influence the content of this review.*
July 12, 2015
*I received a review copy of book from the publisher through Edelweiss to review honestly*
Review:
I had high hopes for this one, I admit. Not only is it pitched a perfect for fans of Rainbow Rowell and David Levithan, it kind of sounded like Eva was my kindred spirit. I expected a funny coming of age story where Eva learns she doesn't have to change to write, and to discover herself. What I got was a pretty badly written book about a character I quickly grew to dislike, with little to no plot, and horrible pacing.
I hate writing bad reviews, and I hate picking apart an entire book but I honestly can't think of one thing I liked about this book, it was a quick easy read and that's about the only good thing I can say of it.
I didn't like Eva, she's selfish and mean and judgemental and I can't stand an unlikable character. Within the first 25% of this book I was considering DNF-ing it because I hated Eva, but I thought, there's still plenty of time for the plot to pull itself together and prove to be way better than an unlikable character. I wasn't right.
Coming of age novels all have one thing in common, the main character learns something by the end of the book, they learn to be themselves and that's enough, they learn what they want from life and they always come out better people, they at least grow and change in some way. Not Eva. She learns nothing. She's the same selfish and mean person in the end, she doesn't learn anything about writing(I feel) and she doesn't learn how to be a better person or to just be herself. Basically, from what I could tell, nothing at all changes from the beginning of this book till the end. Nothing.
Eva is very very judgemental and thinks she's the best writer that ever was. Then her teacher tells her to write what she knows and she realizes(while still thinking she's the best) that she "knows" nothing and so she must have an epic summer of learning and writing epic things before college. She doesn't do anything though, she gets a job as a camp counselor and mopes around about "knowing nothing". I guess I'm slightly biased though, because "write what you know" is basically what this whole book is based on and it's something I hate.
Moving on, there's really no plot. There's no real romance. No character growth. I finished this book feeling like nothing had happened. There were some really disturbing moments, I won't go into detail and honestly these are things a lot of people may not notice or find disturbing the way I did, but they unsettled me and just seemed....wrong. None of the secondary characters were very good or there all that much and I never felt like Eva felt anything for these other characters. The writing wasn't horrible, it wasn't great, but nothing much to remark on either, the pacing though was bad. It would seem like at least a couple weeks had passed, but nope, a few days, then the opposite. Just the whole pacing was way off.
Overall: This was a big miss and a mess to me. I feel like I'm being a little harsh, but I just didn't like anything about this book, even just a little bit better romance I think could have helped, but this one kind of missed on all points in my mind.
Update: I read this book months ago and wrote this right after, I still feel the same way mostly because I can honestly barely remember what even happened in this one.
Would I Recommend This? Nope.
Who To? Redundant.
Will I read more from this author(or series)? Eh...maybe?
Review:
I had high hopes for this one, I admit. Not only is it pitched a perfect for fans of Rainbow Rowell and David Levithan, it kind of sounded like Eva was my kindred spirit. I expected a funny coming of age story where Eva learns she doesn't have to change to write, and to discover herself. What I got was a pretty badly written book about a character I quickly grew to dislike, with little to no plot, and horrible pacing.
I hate writing bad reviews, and I hate picking apart an entire book but I honestly can't think of one thing I liked about this book, it was a quick easy read and that's about the only good thing I can say of it.
I didn't like Eva, she's selfish and mean and judgemental and I can't stand an unlikable character. Within the first 25% of this book I was considering DNF-ing it because I hated Eva, but I thought, there's still plenty of time for the plot to pull itself together and prove to be way better than an unlikable character. I wasn't right.
Coming of age novels all have one thing in common, the main character learns something by the end of the book, they learn to be themselves and that's enough, they learn what they want from life and they always come out better people, they at least grow and change in some way. Not Eva. She learns nothing. She's the same selfish and mean person in the end, she doesn't learn anything about writing(I feel) and she doesn't learn how to be a better person or to just be herself. Basically, from what I could tell, nothing at all changes from the beginning of this book till the end. Nothing.
Eva is very very judgemental and thinks she's the best writer that ever was. Then her teacher tells her to write what she knows and she realizes(while still thinking she's the best) that she "knows" nothing and so she must have an epic summer of learning and writing epic things before college. She doesn't do anything though, she gets a job as a camp counselor and mopes around about "knowing nothing". I guess I'm slightly biased though, because "write what you know" is basically what this whole book is based on and it's something I hate.
Moving on, there's really no plot. There's no real romance. No character growth. I finished this book feeling like nothing had happened. There were some really disturbing moments, I won't go into detail and honestly these are things a lot of people may not notice or find disturbing the way I did, but they unsettled me and just seemed....wrong. None of the secondary characters were very good or there all that much and I never felt like Eva felt anything for these other characters. The writing wasn't horrible, it wasn't great, but nothing much to remark on either, the pacing though was bad. It would seem like at least a couple weeks had passed, but nope, a few days, then the opposite. Just the whole pacing was way off.
Overall: This was a big miss and a mess to me. I feel like I'm being a little harsh, but I just didn't like anything about this book, even just a little bit better romance I think could have helped, but this one kind of missed on all points in my mind.
Update: I read this book months ago and wrote this right after, I still feel the same way mostly because I can honestly barely remember what even happened in this one.
Would I Recommend This? Nope.
Who To? Redundant.
Will I read more from this author(or series)? Eh...maybe?
July 12, 2015
Eva was a fun character to get to know. She’s prickly and sensitive and hides all her fears very well by keeping a figurative perimeter around her thin skin. She has two besties, Michelle and Steph, and all of them are getting different summer jobs. And going to different colleges. Eva wants to keep their friendship strong, by keeping them separate–not allowing “interlopers” into the group, and this causes natural levels of friction.
Plus, Eva’s struggling with her writing. She’s always excelled, but her most esteemed teacher has encouraged her to “write what she knows” and Eva must admit that she doesn’t know much. In fact, in Eva’s esteemed estimation she knows stunningly little. She seeks the counsel of her big sis, Courtney, who is working her way through yoga and meditation to achieve Enlightenment. Courtney is a great contrast to uptight Eva, and provides cryptic, yet sound, advice–and hooks Eva a job working at a summer camp as a youth counselor, too.
Eva’s a terrible counselor. It’s a sports and activities camp, and Eva strives to get her brood of 9 y/o girls…writing. It’s comical, actually, that it works; the girls feel acknowledged and empowered. I had to give her credit, she is dynamic. Her intensity is, I believe, what draws people in despite her prickliness. The thing is, with each new experience, Eva’s rough exterior seems to get ground down, sanded off. Her biggest competition at school, Foster, is a fellow counselor, and develops into a pseudo-boyfriend. Eva has sworn off dating with her impending departure so her single “illicit” (kissing in the counselor’s office) interlude with Foster is well-beyond her self-imposed boundaries.
I loved Eva’s willingness to change. I loved how she stretched herself to find out what she didn’t know. Her steadfastness to developing her craft was so interesting. Her love of her few friends was touching and bittersweet, as those friendships fade and new ones crop up. It was also awesome how she inspired and worked with those girls–standing up for one (who is continually fat-shamed) was inspiring, too. Eva’s a young girl, a work-in-revision, and she accepts that she is imperfect, and she attempts to re-write her flaws. I enjoyed that very much.
Do not expect a romance here. Eva has connections with three different boys in the course of her summer, but they are mostly platonic, with very little crossover. I was nervous there would be a love triangle, but it didn’t manifest. Yay! I also liked that what didn’t change about Eva was her love for herself. She is a proud feminist and I dug that. She could have given in on some of her other ideals–veganism, for instance–but didn’t. Emotionally, she grew enough to allow for new experience without compromising her core beliefs. It was refreshing to have a solid, emotionally-stable, yet intransigent, character learn how to cope with the many changes of her shifting world. At times, I felt the prose bogged with an extended reflection, and then I was pleasantly rewarded with a full-circle moment that paid off my patience. This happened often enough that I was rarely bothered when Eva mined her experiences to help her deal with the new situation she faced. In essence, we learned together and I appreciated being part of the experience.
Plus, Eva’s struggling with her writing. She’s always excelled, but her most esteemed teacher has encouraged her to “write what she knows” and Eva must admit that she doesn’t know much. In fact, in Eva’s esteemed estimation she knows stunningly little. She seeks the counsel of her big sis, Courtney, who is working her way through yoga and meditation to achieve Enlightenment. Courtney is a great contrast to uptight Eva, and provides cryptic, yet sound, advice–and hooks Eva a job working at a summer camp as a youth counselor, too.
Eva’s a terrible counselor. It’s a sports and activities camp, and Eva strives to get her brood of 9 y/o girls…writing. It’s comical, actually, that it works; the girls feel acknowledged and empowered. I had to give her credit, she is dynamic. Her intensity is, I believe, what draws people in despite her prickliness. The thing is, with each new experience, Eva’s rough exterior seems to get ground down, sanded off. Her biggest competition at school, Foster, is a fellow counselor, and develops into a pseudo-boyfriend. Eva has sworn off dating with her impending departure so her single “illicit” (kissing in the counselor’s office) interlude with Foster is well-beyond her self-imposed boundaries.
I loved Eva’s willingness to change. I loved how she stretched herself to find out what she didn’t know. Her steadfastness to developing her craft was so interesting. Her love of her few friends was touching and bittersweet, as those friendships fade and new ones crop up. It was also awesome how she inspired and worked with those girls–standing up for one (who is continually fat-shamed) was inspiring, too. Eva’s a young girl, a work-in-revision, and she accepts that she is imperfect, and she attempts to re-write her flaws. I enjoyed that very much.
Do not expect a romance here. Eva has connections with three different boys in the course of her summer, but they are mostly platonic, with very little crossover. I was nervous there would be a love triangle, but it didn’t manifest. Yay! I also liked that what didn’t change about Eva was her love for herself. She is a proud feminist and I dug that. She could have given in on some of her other ideals–veganism, for instance–but didn’t. Emotionally, she grew enough to allow for new experience without compromising her core beliefs. It was refreshing to have a solid, emotionally-stable, yet intransigent, character learn how to cope with the many changes of her shifting world. At times, I felt the prose bogged with an extended reflection, and then I was pleasantly rewarded with a full-circle moment that paid off my patience. This happened often enough that I was rarely bothered when Eva mined her experiences to help her deal with the new situation she faced. In essence, we learned together and I appreciated being part of the experience.
July 13, 2015
This review was originally posted at Paperback Princess
Eva is a confident writer, she believes in her stories and she can write, that much she knows...so she thinks.
Don't Ever Change is a coming of age story of a girl finishing High School, knowing what she has planned for the future, but soon realising that she may not have it all figured out as much as she thought she did. The summer before College is her time to "live" and write the wrongs (and that's not a spelling mistake).
I thoroughly enjoyed this story, Eva is unlikeable but she's real and her humour and wit is what made me really like her. Her commentary is funny and I liked how she was constantly composing stories in her mind about the events that are happening to her.
I thoroughly enjoyed the banter between Courtney and Eva and I loved the chemistry between them, even though Eva is a snob she humbles herself when it comes to her sister and I really liked that, it showed that her character has depth and growth.
Don't Ever Change are one of those "unputdownable" books and apart from Eva's character which I love, love, love due to her being realistic and even unlikeable, I also enjoyed the writing style. M. Beth Bloom wrote Don't Ever Change like Eva's memoir, and I was wondering if maybe these were all written as a personal experience, is M. Beth, Eva? You don't have to be an aspiring teen writer to appreciate this book because there's definitely a little Eva in all of us.
Eva is a confident writer, she believes in her stories and she can write, that much she knows...so she thinks.
"I do like it, Eva. It's well written. But that's all it is." He pauses, choosing his words. "There's a difference between writing that's fictional, and writing that's false," Mr. Roush continues. "Does that make sense?"
"You think my story is fake," I say.
Don't Ever Change is a coming of age story of a girl finishing High School, knowing what she has planned for the future, but soon realising that she may not have it all figured out as much as she thought she did. The summer before College is her time to "live" and write the wrongs (and that's not a spelling mistake).
I thoroughly enjoyed this story, Eva is unlikeable but she's real and her humour and wit is what made me really like her. Her commentary is funny and I liked how she was constantly composing stories in her mind about the events that are happening to her.
I veer pretty close to being an unlikeable character I'm at least aware of the fact. Which means I have the chance to stop what I'm doing and change, before I become so unlikeable that the reader gives up on me, shuts the book, and sends it flying across the room, disgusted.
I thoroughly enjoyed the banter between Courtney and Eva and I loved the chemistry between them, even though Eva is a snob she humbles herself when it comes to her sister and I really liked that, it showed that her character has depth and growth.
Don't Ever Change are one of those "unputdownable" books and apart from Eva's character which I love, love, love due to her being realistic and even unlikeable, I also enjoyed the writing style. M. Beth Bloom wrote Don't Ever Change like Eva's memoir, and I was wondering if maybe these were all written as a personal experience, is M. Beth, Eva? You don't have to be an aspiring teen writer to appreciate this book because there's definitely a little Eva in all of us.
Read
July 17, 2015Loved this one! I'm sad to see that a lot of my Goodreads friends felt "meh" about it because I really liked it. (But I was also one of those who loved the quirky, deadpan humor in Bloom's first book, Drain Me.) I'll admit that Don't Ever Change doesn't have dramatic plot twists or shocking reveals, but I found it hilarious and wise. Eva, an aspiring writer, is heading off to Emerson College in the fall, but first she has to a) write and re-write and re-rewrite the perfect introductory email to her new college roommate, b) survive her new job as a day camp counselor, and c) decide why she's so drawn to the absolute wrong boy.
Bloom's writing style is one I could read all day: wide-ranging. observant and witty (some people on Goodreads call it stream-of-consciousness, but to me it feels a lot like being stuck in a head very similar to mine.) And I loved how subtle the plot was -- stuff does happen, people! Eva is the coolest (okay, semi-neglectful, but if you think teenagers enjoy being camp counselors, you're kidding yourself) and most inspirational counselor ever, which gets her into trouble. If you love contemporaries, give this one a chance!
Read more of my reviews on YA Romantics or follow me on Bloglovin
Thanks to the publisher for providing an advance copy for review!
Bloom's writing style is one I could read all day: wide-ranging. observant and witty (some people on Goodreads call it stream-of-consciousness, but to me it feels a lot like being stuck in a head very similar to mine.) And I loved how subtle the plot was -- stuff does happen, people! Eva is the coolest (okay, semi-neglectful, but if you think teenagers enjoy being camp counselors, you're kidding yourself) and most inspirational counselor ever, which gets her into trouble. If you love contemporaries, give this one a chance!
Read more of my reviews on YA Romantics or follow me on Bloglovin
Thanks to the publisher for providing an advance copy for review!
December 21, 2015
I know that Eva was supposed to be unlikeable, but still... Between the middle and the end, I started to despise her so much that I couldn't care at all about her journey of being a better person. And at the end, was she a better person? Why? Because she gave some calls and sended some texts? I didn't really feel like she was changing, I felt she was starting to realise people were starting to dump her because of her personality, so she tried to be sweet for a bit to get them back. That's all.
July 24, 2015
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.
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.
July 20, 2015
For more reviews go to: www.best-of-ya.blogspot.com
Eva has wanted to be a writer for as long as she can remember. So when she hands in her last writing assignment of her high school career and her writing teacher tells her she should focus on writing “what she knows”, she is a little distressed and realizes she doesn’t actually know all that much. She decides to take advantage of her last summer before college to gain new experiences and finally live a life worth writing about. That’s how she ends up as a camp counselor even though she is wholly unqualified, how she finds herself falling for the last person she ever thought possible, and how she almost loses her two best friends.
Eva is a judge-y, know-it-all who has this irritating need to be different than everyone around her. But despite all of this, I found myself liking her. She knows how problematic she is (because she is told by pretty much everyone she talks to) and she genuinely seems like she wants to change her negative attitude. She realizes that she hasn’t lived any life changing moments thus far because she hasn't really let herself; she’s been more preoccupied trying to be different and unique that she has shunned people and passed up opportunities. She kind of reminds me of my high school self in this regard, unfortunately.
Her sister, Courtney, is also a great character. She is 21 and, although she is more confident and in control than Eva, she is also a little lost and trying to find herself. She is going to community college and doesn’t sound like she fully knows what she wants to do with her life—except maybe travel. I really liked her and Eva’s relationship. She is always there whenever Eva needs her and is actually great at giving her advice and making her realize when she’s being difficult or ridiculous.
The plot isn’t particularly exciting or action-packed, but it is real. The book takes place the summer after Eva’s senior year and is spent just like any new graduate probably would; with a summer job, spending as much time with friends as possible, and coming to terms with the fact that going to college means leaving the only home you’ve ever known. What I also really liked about this is that Eva doesn’t go through a magical transformation and doesn’t turn into a completely different person by the end of the story. She learns a lot about herself during those few weeks but she herself recognizes that this is just the beginning and that she has a long way to go. And I think that’s perfect.
Eva has wanted to be a writer for as long as she can remember. So when she hands in her last writing assignment of her high school career and her writing teacher tells her she should focus on writing “what she knows”, she is a little distressed and realizes she doesn’t actually know all that much. She decides to take advantage of her last summer before college to gain new experiences and finally live a life worth writing about. That’s how she ends up as a camp counselor even though she is wholly unqualified, how she finds herself falling for the last person she ever thought possible, and how she almost loses her two best friends.
Eva is a judge-y, know-it-all who has this irritating need to be different than everyone around her. But despite all of this, I found myself liking her. She knows how problematic she is (because she is told by pretty much everyone she talks to) and she genuinely seems like she wants to change her negative attitude. She realizes that she hasn’t lived any life changing moments thus far because she hasn't really let herself; she’s been more preoccupied trying to be different and unique that she has shunned people and passed up opportunities. She kind of reminds me of my high school self in this regard, unfortunately.
Her sister, Courtney, is also a great character. She is 21 and, although she is more confident and in control than Eva, she is also a little lost and trying to find herself. She is going to community college and doesn’t sound like she fully knows what she wants to do with her life—except maybe travel. I really liked her and Eva’s relationship. She is always there whenever Eva needs her and is actually great at giving her advice and making her realize when she’s being difficult or ridiculous.
The plot isn’t particularly exciting or action-packed, but it is real. The book takes place the summer after Eva’s senior year and is spent just like any new graduate probably would; with a summer job, spending as much time with friends as possible, and coming to terms with the fact that going to college means leaving the only home you’ve ever known. What I also really liked about this is that Eva doesn’t go through a magical transformation and doesn’t turn into a completely different person by the end of the story. She learns a lot about herself during those few weeks but she herself recognizes that this is just the beginning and that she has a long way to go. And I think that’s perfect.
July 13, 2015
When I first read the synopsis of this book, I was very intrigued because I thought I'd be able to relate to the main character Eva. Eva is a writer who wants to experience life in order to be able to become a better writer. Sadly, I was definitely NOT a fan of Eva and the "research" she performed for her writing.
Eva knows she's a good writer. But when her English teacher tells her she needs to write what she knows, Eva is determined to go out and experience more in order to write more. The summer before college, Eva decides to "live" and soon finds her life changing in ways she had never expected.
Ugh. Seriously, that's what comes to mind when I think about Eva. First off, over the course of this book, which takes place over a couple of months, Eva had 3 or 4 guys who were all of the sudden super into her. And one of them was a guy she was kind of sort of dating but was on tour with his band, so he was never around. And when she thinks she likes another guy who I felt like she all of the sudden really liked, she didn't even think about the first guy unless he called or texted. I just could not care about any relationship she was in, even the one that ended up being the most important one. I found Eva shallow and her "connections" with the guys unrealistic.
Not only were her romantic interests not working for me, but neither were her friendships. Geez. Eva had two "best friends" but she treated them like crap and when they confronted her about it, she just whined some and they instantly forgave her. Eva is just not a good person and I really wasn't a fan of following this story from her point of view. There were some weird moments that I just found unnecessary and strange as well, like something that happens with her "boyfriend" who was in a band and with a camper (she ended up working as a camp counselor) who she found freaking out in the bathroom. While I still finished this book just to see what would happen to Eva in the end, I did not like her character or how she handled pretty much any situation in this novel.
In the end, Don't Ever Change seriously missed the mark for me. Eva was annoying and the relationships she had were unbelievable. The premise was promising, but Eva ended up being selfish, self-centered, and very pessimistic. If you don't like books with annoying characters who you just can't connect with, I'd say to skip this one.
Eva knows she's a good writer. But when her English teacher tells her she needs to write what she knows, Eva is determined to go out and experience more in order to write more. The summer before college, Eva decides to "live" and soon finds her life changing in ways she had never expected.
Ugh. Seriously, that's what comes to mind when I think about Eva. First off, over the course of this book, which takes place over a couple of months, Eva had 3 or 4 guys who were all of the sudden super into her. And one of them was a guy she was kind of sort of dating but was on tour with his band, so he was never around. And when she thinks she likes another guy who I felt like she all of the sudden really liked, she didn't even think about the first guy unless he called or texted. I just could not care about any relationship she was in, even the one that ended up being the most important one. I found Eva shallow and her "connections" with the guys unrealistic.
Not only were her romantic interests not working for me, but neither were her friendships. Geez. Eva had two "best friends" but she treated them like crap and when they confronted her about it, she just whined some and they instantly forgave her. Eva is just not a good person and I really wasn't a fan of following this story from her point of view. There were some weird moments that I just found unnecessary and strange as well, like something that happens with her "boyfriend" who was in a band and with a camper (she ended up working as a camp counselor) who she found freaking out in the bathroom. While I still finished this book just to see what would happen to Eva in the end, I did not like her character or how she handled pretty much any situation in this novel.
In the end, Don't Ever Change seriously missed the mark for me. Eva was annoying and the relationships she had were unbelievable. The premise was promising, but Eva ended up being selfish, self-centered, and very pessimistic. If you don't like books with annoying characters who you just can't connect with, I'd say to skip this one.
June 28, 2015
Review also found at http://kristineandterri.blogspot.ca/2...
** I received an advanced copy of this book from the publisher HarperTeen via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review. The expected publication data is July 7, 2015**
I feel a little bit confused with this story. I can honestly say I didn't really get it, and that bothers me. I can usually see the deeper meaning of things even if it is so deeply buried you need to dig for it. Nope, didn't get this one at all.
I think the source of my confusion stems from the synopsis of the book where it says it is about someone who ultimately discovers the truth about herself. This misled me because she didn't, not really. There was no real journey here.
I know I am being harsh however Eva really had no redeeming qualities. She was mean, hated everyone, wrote her friends off over nothing and was completely self centered. It is pretty difficult to identify with a character like that. I am sure I have been accused of being some of those things from time to time however nothing in my personality, and I assume the general population, is like that all the time. I get the feeling that the character was written to be eccentric however somehow missed the mark. I just found her annoying and hoped she would redeem herself in her journey.
Now on to her relationships. Again no chemistry. How can you hate someone one second and then be chasing them while you have another sort of boyfriend you don't really care about? Confused? you should be. Eva came off a lot younger than she was based on the maturity she displayed. I felt like she was one of the girls at camp instead of the counselor.
Needless to say I did not enjoy this book very much. While I am sure that others may be able to see what I couldn't I will admit that it was not for me. At the end of the day I was left feeling annoyed.
** I received an advanced copy of this book from the publisher HarperTeen via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review. The expected publication data is July 7, 2015**
I feel a little bit confused with this story. I can honestly say I didn't really get it, and that bothers me. I can usually see the deeper meaning of things even if it is so deeply buried you need to dig for it. Nope, didn't get this one at all.
I think the source of my confusion stems from the synopsis of the book where it says it is about someone who ultimately discovers the truth about herself. This misled me because she didn't, not really. There was no real journey here.
I know I am being harsh however Eva really had no redeeming qualities. She was mean, hated everyone, wrote her friends off over nothing and was completely self centered. It is pretty difficult to identify with a character like that. I am sure I have been accused of being some of those things from time to time however nothing in my personality, and I assume the general population, is like that all the time. I get the feeling that the character was written to be eccentric however somehow missed the mark. I just found her annoying and hoped she would redeem herself in her journey.
Now on to her relationships. Again no chemistry. How can you hate someone one second and then be chasing them while you have another sort of boyfriend you don't really care about? Confused? you should be. Eva came off a lot younger than she was based on the maturity she displayed. I felt like she was one of the girls at camp instead of the counselor.
Needless to say I did not enjoy this book very much. While I am sure that others may be able to see what I couldn't I will admit that it was not for me. At the end of the day I was left feeling annoyed.
June 10, 2015
Not much to say here, so I'll go right into the charts.
THE GOOD
1. I liked this cover.
2. The MC was a writer! I'm a writer! What could go wrong?
3. This book contained very little cussing! Yay!
4. I loved the kids. They were cute and awesome and yeeeesss!
5. The MC got fired for defending a fat kid—she had good morals.
THE BAD
1. This book was fairly good, but then something gross happened and I went WHAAAAT?
2. I didn't ship anyone! That's a problem.
3. I was confused(like no. 2 states). I wasn't sure is I was supposed to be shipping Eva and Elliot or Eva and Foster. It was confusing. Totally, totally confusing.
4. The MC is a vegetarian. I have nothing against vegetarians, but I love my beef and meat and things, so it seriously bother me with her food choices.
5. Phone. Sex. What is this horrifically gross thing? Call me sheltered, but I almost stopped the book at that part.
6. :( I'm sad I didn't like this book! I was coming off of Emmy&Oliver and their cuteness and this book just didn't work for me!
FOR THE PARENTS
CUSSING: S**t is used eight times. F**k is used once.
INTIMACY: Sex is mentioned eighteen times. The MC and her boyfriend have “phone sex” which is gross and horrific. MC goes on a date with a guy(not her boyfriend) and the guy tries to seduce her. There is also mild kissing.
DRINKING: There is mild drunkness.
THE GOOD
1. I liked this cover.
2. The MC was a writer! I'm a writer! What could go wrong?
3. This book contained very little cussing! Yay!
4. I loved the kids. They were cute and awesome and yeeeesss!
5. The MC got fired for defending a fat kid—she had good morals.
THE BAD
1. This book was fairly good, but then something gross happened and I went WHAAAAT?
2. I didn't ship anyone! That's a problem.
3. I was confused(like no. 2 states). I wasn't sure is I was supposed to be shipping Eva and Elliot or Eva and Foster. It was confusing. Totally, totally confusing.
4. The MC is a vegetarian. I have nothing against vegetarians, but I love my beef and meat and things, so it seriously bother me with her food choices.
5. Phone. Sex. What is this horrifically gross thing? Call me sheltered, but I almost stopped the book at that part.
6. :( I'm sad I didn't like this book! I was coming off of Emmy&Oliver and their cuteness and this book just didn't work for me!
FOR THE PARENTS
CUSSING: S**t is used eight times. F**k is used once.
INTIMACY: Sex is mentioned eighteen times. The MC and her boyfriend have “phone sex” which is gross and horrific. MC goes on a date with a guy(not her boyfriend) and the guy tries to seduce her. There is also mild kissing.
DRINKING: There is mild drunkness.
March 23, 2016
Basically a fluffy, shitty rip-off of The Manifesto on How to Be Interesting.
This was so, so so unbelievably bad. It felt like a parody of a book. The main character is a jerk who has a weird obsession with defining people by their gender- she says 'boy counseler' 'girl alex' 'boy Leslie' - it drove me crazy. The writing was awful- it was completely tell and no show, and i just hated Eva and the story as a whole. Crazily unrelatable, and everything i hate in a book. Awful awful awful, ridiculously bad, avoid at all costs.
This was so, so so unbelievably bad. It felt like a parody of a book. The main character is a jerk who has a weird obsession with defining people by their gender- she says 'boy counseler' 'girl alex' 'boy Leslie' - it drove me crazy. The writing was awful- it was completely tell and no show, and i just hated Eva and the story as a whole. Crazily unrelatable, and everything i hate in a book. Awful awful awful, ridiculously bad, avoid at all costs.
October 12, 2016
No. Just no. Eva is not a likeable character and she's not even likeable by the end.
The whole book felt a little underdeveloped, like none of the characters had a lot of depth.
It felt rushed as well, but at the same time really slow because nothing was really happening.
Personally I didn't enjoy this book.
The whole book felt a little underdeveloped, like none of the characters had a lot of depth.
It felt rushed as well, but at the same time really slow because nothing was really happening.
Personally I didn't enjoy this book.
March 7, 2018
This was an odd book for me. I liked the writing style and the author's voice, but I disliked almost every character in the book, including the narrator. I found her selfish, insufferable, pretentious, and not as intelligent as she thought she was. Every single choice she made through the course of the book was the wrong one, and ultimately she didn't seem to grow up or learn anything. I think she should have done the exact opposite of the title of the book, and changed a bit since she was one of those people that, in real life, no one would want to around. However, rather than put the book down I pushed through, hoping she would grow up at some point and stop being so damn selfish. That and I really did enjoy the way the author wrote.
Not that there weren't any redeeming qualities or characters in this book. True, the only character I liked, at all, was Foster and he was pretty much in small doses even when Eva began to acknowledge her crush on him. I also thought the author did a spot on job of describing how tumultuous female relationships can be, especially in cases where there is an odd number of friends in the immediate circle. Inevitably someone feels left out at some point and in this case it was Eva. However, her friends weren't sympathetic at all and came across as just being mean girls for no reason. So, again, disliked them, especially Michelle.
Her family was okay but we hardly ever heard mention of her Dad who was more just a background player. Her sister was interesting but there seemed to be no real purpose for her except to act as a sounding board for Eva when her friends were ignoring her. And her mother was going through the emotional cycle of a soon-to-be-empty-nester but other than that there was no more depth to her than any of the other characters.
And maybe that was the thing; I felt that there was no development for any of the characters. I know that the title indicated there wasn't going to be any changes but a little growth from *anyone* would have been nice. As it was I finished it and felt nothing. I didn't get anything from it other than I wouldn't want to go back to being a teenager. Yet again, I finished it because the author had an engaging way of writing and it was interesting; the characters were just terrible. And because I didn't really like them, this was a "just okay" book for me.
Not that there weren't any redeeming qualities or characters in this book. True, the only character I liked, at all, was Foster and he was pretty much in small doses even when Eva began to acknowledge her crush on him. I also thought the author did a spot on job of describing how tumultuous female relationships can be, especially in cases where there is an odd number of friends in the immediate circle. Inevitably someone feels left out at some point and in this case it was Eva. However, her friends weren't sympathetic at all and came across as just being mean girls for no reason. So, again, disliked them, especially Michelle.
Her family was okay but we hardly ever heard mention of her Dad who was more just a background player. Her sister was interesting but there seemed to be no real purpose for her except to act as a sounding board for Eva when her friends were ignoring her. And her mother was going through the emotional cycle of a soon-to-be-empty-nester but other than that there was no more depth to her than any of the other characters.
And maybe that was the thing; I felt that there was no development for any of the characters. I know that the title indicated there wasn't going to be any changes but a little growth from *anyone* would have been nice. As it was I finished it and felt nothing. I didn't get anything from it other than I wouldn't want to go back to being a teenager. Yet again, I finished it because the author had an engaging way of writing and it was interesting; the characters were just terrible. And because I didn't really like them, this was a "just okay" book for me.
August 1, 2024
It's Don't Ever Change's attempt at straddling the line between being self aware and having just enough distance that gets in its way the most. From a plot standpoint, it works as a coming of age book. Eva attempts to gain more perspective in her writing by allowing herself to try new things (like a summer job) and decide which people she wants to stay in touch with or leave behind before college. I was interested to see what she would learn, and from working with kids at a summer camp, it's clear she gained empathy for people whose writing she doesn't really like. Bloom's investment in her lead doesn't go beyond that. Everyone else feels bland and I was confused about several of the conflicts. Eva either doesn't face them head on, or some subplots didn't have enough development to them. It made me not care about the new relationships she formed or much of her growth (which, to be fair, wasn't a lot).
Bloom's writing is also okay. This book feels like a 2000s/2010s indie teen coming of age movie. Some of the humor worked, yet there were some moments that gave me pause. My initial interest in Eva highlighting key arc moments and seeing herself as a protagonist faded after the first day reading this. The charm only lasted so long that when Eva addresses how her readers will think about her in text (!), I raise my eyebrows. Not to mention the romantic arcs only served as padding. It was clear Foster was endgame the minutes he appeared.
Am I still glad I gave this book a chance despite it being the lowest rated on my TBR? Yes. Don't Ever Change was still interesting enough to make its nostalgia kind of work. However, I can understand why readers haven't responded to this in the way Bloom or Harper intended.
Bloom's writing is also okay. This book feels like a 2000s/2010s indie teen coming of age movie. Some of the humor worked, yet there were some moments that gave me pause. My initial interest in Eva highlighting key arc moments and seeing herself as a protagonist faded after the first day reading this. The charm only lasted so long that when Eva addresses how her readers will think about her in text (!), I raise my eyebrows. Not to mention the romantic arcs only served as padding. It was clear Foster was endgame the minutes he appeared.
Am I still glad I gave this book a chance despite it being the lowest rated on my TBR? Yes. Don't Ever Change was still interesting enough to make its nostalgia kind of work. However, I can understand why readers haven't responded to this in the way Bloom or Harper intended.
September 5, 2017
I really do think this is a book you won't "forget" to finish. As a young reader, it is hard for me to get hooked on books but I did enjoy reading this one. It goes through an age I can relate to slightly, about a teenage girl and how she spent her summer before collage. It was nice to read that not everything is perfect in a world where we are trying our best to find our way. I would recommend this to someone who would like an easy read, (7th, 8th, 9th, and maybe 10th. Teen). I would also state there is some muter content in this book. But other than that lovely for those chasing a dream or before going to college. But lovely read and write. WELL DONE!
June 17, 2018
This book was completely middle of the road for me.
I didn't dislike it. I know a lot of people have some issues with it because the main character is completely unlikable, but, eh, she was all right. But I couldn't remember her name half of the time (to be honest, I barely remembered the name of the book half of the time). It was just... meh.
There were parts that I could relate to; her whole writing thing sometimes made me relate to it. But her pretentions put me off of that--but not to an extent where I disliked the book. I didn't dislike it. There was just no connection on any real level.
So... meh.
I didn't dislike it. I know a lot of people have some issues with it because the main character is completely unlikable, but, eh, she was all right. But I couldn't remember her name half of the time (to be honest, I barely remembered the name of the book half of the time). It was just... meh.
There were parts that I could relate to; her whole writing thing sometimes made me relate to it. But her pretentions put me off of that--but not to an extent where I disliked the book. I didn't dislike it. There was just no connection on any real level.
So... meh.
May 30, 2020
i feel like this book was lacking...i was expecting a more drastic climax. otherwise i think the characters are good and the plot is good, just not enough details and substance to this book.
October 24, 2022
If you like unlikable main characters and plots that feel…nonexistent, then this would be a great fit for you. I did like the subject matter though.
July 24, 2015
A copy of this novel was provided by HarperCollins for review via Edelweiss.
My lesson has been thoroughly learned. For some unknown reason, I thought Don’t Ever Change was an LGBTQIA+ book. I don’t even really know why I thought that, and even though I appreciate having been given an eARC for it, I don’t know why I was approved because I talked about loving LGBQTIA+ fiction in the little “reason why I want to read this book” section on Edelweiss.
Anyway, I was hesitant to read this once I found out that it was, in fact, NOT an LGBTQIA+, and had a main character unliked by almost every reviewer I had come across.
Funnily enough, I ended up quite liking Don’t Ever Change. No, it wasn’t LGBTQIA+, and yes, the main character was pretty unlikeable, but there was just something about this book that didn’t inspire me to DNF (I mean, I don’t DNF on a regular basis, but I thought I might with this one for the aforementioned reasons).
It was like one of those horrible things that you know you shouldn’t look at, but you just can’t tear yourself away anyway. E.g. Vampire Diaries, but I did eventually give up at around season four. Eva really was unlikeable, so if unlikeable main characters are your jam, you are in for a treat. She thinks she is better than literally everyone she comes across, and she’s pretty selfish, too. And quite weird. I mean, there’s this scene where she just drops her pants for a boy in the camp counsellor’s break room. With kiddy glitter all over her, and a clearly uninterested boy.
Eva was also super immature, even though she thought she was so above everyone else. There was a particular passage about how she was only eighteen, and that when her English teacher asked her to “write what you know” she realised she didn’t know a lot, because her ‘life hasn’t started yet, and that she hasn’t have been through everything like by the time she will have when she's twenty five'. What a ridiculously fucking immature thing to think. I am 22, nearing 25 at a pace that is frighteningly fast and all too inconvenient for my taste. But I can, without a doubt, say that I will not have experienced “everything” in the span of the three years it will take me to reach that apparent milestone in life. So I was annoyed, offended, and completely unimpressed by that little quip thank you very much.
To be entirely honest, not a lot happens in Don’t Ever Change, and by the end I really didn’t have any idea what the point to the book was. Eva didn’t undergo any kind of personal growth, she didn’t find the love of her life, she didn’t really do anything. I suppose you could say that that is realistic. That we don’t go through life changing things the summer after high school ends, but I also like a book with a bit of a point to it.
I was surprised to learn that Eva was vegan, because I am too, and I have never before read a book with a vegan character. But … I don’t know why she was vegan. I mean, most people do it for animals, because aside from what you think about dairy, it’s pretty much as horrible as the meat industry. And there are a few vegans who do it for health or whatever. But Eva? No idea. She mentioned some weird thing about egg rolls being ticking time bombs, but to be honest, that just went straight over my head. And even though it was briefly touched on a few times, the difficulties of actually being vegan were never really mentioned. So, yeah. Those are my thoughts on that particular aspect.
Overall, I wasn’t a big fan of Don’t Ever Change for a few reasons, including the fact that I was, once again, mislead by a synopsis.
© 2015, Chiara @ Books for a Delicate Eternity . All rights reserved.
My lesson has been thoroughly learned. For some unknown reason, I thought Don’t Ever Change was an LGBTQIA+ book. I don’t even really know why I thought that, and even though I appreciate having been given an eARC for it, I don’t know why I was approved because I talked about loving LGBQTIA+ fiction in the little “reason why I want to read this book” section on Edelweiss.
Anyway, I was hesitant to read this once I found out that it was, in fact, NOT an LGBTQIA+, and had a main character unliked by almost every reviewer I had come across.
Funnily enough, I ended up quite liking Don’t Ever Change. No, it wasn’t LGBTQIA+, and yes, the main character was pretty unlikeable, but there was just something about this book that didn’t inspire me to DNF (I mean, I don’t DNF on a regular basis, but I thought I might with this one for the aforementioned reasons).
It was like one of those horrible things that you know you shouldn’t look at, but you just can’t tear yourself away anyway. E.g. Vampire Diaries, but I did eventually give up at around season four. Eva really was unlikeable, so if unlikeable main characters are your jam, you are in for a treat. She thinks she is better than literally everyone she comes across, and she’s pretty selfish, too. And quite weird. I mean, there’s this scene where she just drops her pants for a boy in the camp counsellor’s break room. With kiddy glitter all over her, and a clearly uninterested boy.
Eva was also super immature, even though she thought she was so above everyone else. There was a particular passage about how she was only eighteen, and that when her English teacher asked her to “write what you know” she realised she didn’t know a lot, because her ‘life hasn’t started yet, and that she hasn’t have been through everything like by the time she will have when she's twenty five'. What a ridiculously fucking immature thing to think. I am 22, nearing 25 at a pace that is frighteningly fast and all too inconvenient for my taste. But I can, without a doubt, say that I will not have experienced “everything” in the span of the three years it will take me to reach that apparent milestone in life. So I was annoyed, offended, and completely unimpressed by that little quip thank you very much.
To be entirely honest, not a lot happens in Don’t Ever Change, and by the end I really didn’t have any idea what the point to the book was. Eva didn’t undergo any kind of personal growth, she didn’t find the love of her life, she didn’t really do anything. I suppose you could say that that is realistic. That we don’t go through life changing things the summer after high school ends, but I also like a book with a bit of a point to it.
I was surprised to learn that Eva was vegan, because I am too, and I have never before read a book with a vegan character. But … I don’t know why she was vegan. I mean, most people do it for animals, because aside from what you think about dairy, it’s pretty much as horrible as the meat industry. And there are a few vegans who do it for health or whatever. But Eva? No idea. She mentioned some weird thing about egg rolls being ticking time bombs, but to be honest, that just went straight over my head. And even though it was briefly touched on a few times, the difficulties of actually being vegan were never really mentioned. So, yeah. Those are my thoughts on that particular aspect.
Overall, I wasn’t a big fan of Don’t Ever Change for a few reasons, including the fact that I was, once again, mislead by a synopsis.
© 2015, Chiara @ Books for a Delicate Eternity . All rights reserved.
July 13, 2015
Originally posted at Geeky Chiquitas
Everyone knows I'm such a sucker for contemporary. Writer MC? Summer romance? Highschool to college coming of age story? Yes yes yes! As expected, Don't Ever Change was such a fun, and cute read for me. Aside from it being very enjoyable, I also found the narrative very honest and real, this being the main selling point of this book. I always favor character-driven books as opposed to those that have so many things going on but have zero character development. I'm glad to say that Don't Ever Change is able to succeed with the former.
It really appealed to me how Eva is made to be so unlike-able as a character, with her up-tightness and high sense of pride, that I actually ended up liking her. I loved how ambitious and driven she is with her writing, that she's trying hard to find her voice by creating new experiences and trying new things - and doing a lot of wrong things along the way. But hey, that's all part of the self-discovery, right? I loved how willing she is to change and learn new things, and her renewed sense of self-awareness is admirable. She may appear to be snobby and socially inept at times, but the way she improves her interaction with her peers, namely her campers, reflect her character growth as the story progresses.
In the story, Eva has two boys. There's Elliot, a random guy who Eva meets in a party. He smokes, he's in a band, and someone who's just totally different and unknown, yet Eva gets into a relationship (if you could call it that) with him. Then there's Foster, a guy who Eva has known for a while, who can be considered as somewhat of her rival in writing. He's sweet, responsible, and caring, especially with his campers. Throughout the summer, Eva and Foster become closer to each other, and a relationship starts to form. I liked the contrast between the two guys, and I think this served as a way for the main character to delve into deeper water and experiment on her experiences, something that actually proves to be a good way for her to mature.
The romance aspect of this book isn't exactly highlighted that much, which surprisingly bothered me. Normally I complain about how there's so much romance, and so few story, but with this one, I'm at a standstill. Foster is so cute, and I think I liked him too much, that I might be a bit biased in wishing for more romance - because that would mean more Foster. Hehe. The romance does tie up neatly in the end, although I really wished there would've been more cutesy moments between the two.
Another thing I liked about this book is how well written it is, which should be, since Eva is a writer. I liked how this reads more like a journal of some sort, how Eva is figuring out her own character in her own story, and that is a pretty good concept. I did find the pacing a bit slow, however, again pointing out that there isn't much that happened, so I wished it could've been better paced. I also couldn't care less about the other characters (aside from Foster of course!) which is a bit problematic. I think the book only focuses on the main character, and all the other people don't feel like real people, which is such a shame, because normally after reading a really good book, I always want to read about another character's story - but with this one, I don't even remember any of their names.
All things said, Don't Ever Change is a generally good coming-of-age story about self-discovery of a girl who thinks she's already got everything planned out in her life, but then realizes that sometimes change is not at all that bad. There are some definite drawbacks, but this is still a pretty solid book and I would recommend it to fans of contemporary and YA.
Everyone knows I'm such a sucker for contemporary. Writer MC? Summer romance? Highschool to college coming of age story? Yes yes yes! As expected, Don't Ever Change was such a fun, and cute read for me. Aside from it being very enjoyable, I also found the narrative very honest and real, this being the main selling point of this book. I always favor character-driven books as opposed to those that have so many things going on but have zero character development. I'm glad to say that Don't Ever Change is able to succeed with the former.
It really appealed to me how Eva is made to be so unlike-able as a character, with her up-tightness and high sense of pride, that I actually ended up liking her. I loved how ambitious and driven she is with her writing, that she's trying hard to find her voice by creating new experiences and trying new things - and doing a lot of wrong things along the way. But hey, that's all part of the self-discovery, right? I loved how willing she is to change and learn new things, and her renewed sense of self-awareness is admirable. She may appear to be snobby and socially inept at times, but the way she improves her interaction with her peers, namely her campers, reflect her character growth as the story progresses.
In the story, Eva has two boys. There's Elliot, a random guy who Eva meets in a party. He smokes, he's in a band, and someone who's just totally different and unknown, yet Eva gets into a relationship (if you could call it that) with him. Then there's Foster, a guy who Eva has known for a while, who can be considered as somewhat of her rival in writing. He's sweet, responsible, and caring, especially with his campers. Throughout the summer, Eva and Foster become closer to each other, and a relationship starts to form. I liked the contrast between the two guys, and I think this served as a way for the main character to delve into deeper water and experiment on her experiences, something that actually proves to be a good way for her to mature.
The romance aspect of this book isn't exactly highlighted that much, which surprisingly bothered me. Normally I complain about how there's so much romance, and so few story, but with this one, I'm at a standstill. Foster is so cute, and I think I liked him too much, that I might be a bit biased in wishing for more romance - because that would mean more Foster. Hehe. The romance does tie up neatly in the end, although I really wished there would've been more cutesy moments between the two.
Another thing I liked about this book is how well written it is, which should be, since Eva is a writer. I liked how this reads more like a journal of some sort, how Eva is figuring out her own character in her own story, and that is a pretty good concept. I did find the pacing a bit slow, however, again pointing out that there isn't much that happened, so I wished it could've been better paced. I also couldn't care less about the other characters (aside from Foster of course!) which is a bit problematic. I think the book only focuses on the main character, and all the other people don't feel like real people, which is such a shame, because normally after reading a really good book, I always want to read about another character's story - but with this one, I don't even remember any of their names.
All things said, Don't Ever Change is a generally good coming-of-age story about self-discovery of a girl who thinks she's already got everything planned out in her life, but then realizes that sometimes change is not at all that bad. There are some definite drawbacks, but this is still a pretty solid book and I would recommend it to fans of contemporary and YA.
January 3, 2016
I had no clue what to expect from author M. Beth Bloom’s Don’t Ever Change. I’ve read her novel Drain You a few years ago and I recall having enjoyed the experience very much. The premise for Don’t Ever Change had my attention—a protagonist who is an aspiring author? Sounds about as relatable as it gets—and with that alone to comfort me, I jumped right in to Don’t Ever Change.
In Don’t Ever Change, Eva has just graduated high school. She should be elated. After all, the dreadful experience that is high school is finally over and done with! She can finally embark on the next chapter of her life—that is, if she can get her English teacher’s parting words out of her mind. Eva is an aspiring author who has been told to write about what she knows. But the only issue with that piece of advice is that Eva doesn’t know what she knows. Meeting new faces and forming new relationships, Eva decides to spend her final summer before University to figure out who she is. And, hopefully as a result, find out just what it is she knows.
I’ll just say it right now, if readers are looking for a novel told in the first person where you can easily slip into the character’s head—Don’t Ever Change is for you. Bloom is immensely talented when it comes to portraying a character through the first person in a way that gives them personality. I could easily place myself in Eva’s mind and see the story through her eyes with perfect clarity. There was a huge amount of realism in the narrative alone and I absolutely adored it
I seldom ever get irritated with a novel’s protagonist and often, found myself rolling my eyes at Eva. I know that that sounds very negative but it really isn’t. Eva’s a very unique character. She comes off as over-confident and full of herself, even though we know that she is the total opposite internally (sometimes). As a reader, we get to experience Eva’s internal turmoil while also watching her external actions say the opposite. So many times, listening to Eva and watching Eva interact with other characters had me ripping my hair out because of the way she would almost talk down to them. She’s such a flawed character and I really enjoyed that about her.
As Eva tries to discover herself, there is a bit of a side-plot romance that takes place in the story. First with a total wannabe rockstar in the form of Elliot, and a will-they-won’t-they thing going on with Zack. I’m a sucker for romance and actually really liked the way it was portrayed in Don’t Ever Change. It wasn’t overdone in a way that took over the plot or made it central to Eva’s character, but the additional romance definitely leaves readers interested and hooked. You want to know if Eva will fall in love. You want to know what this will do to her ‘mission’. You just want to know.
The only issue that I had with Don’t Ever Change would be the instances where the narrative would drop. There would be a lull in action and my attention would often start wandering. This was often made up for through the more comedic scenes that would occur between Eva and her experiences as a camp counselor. Still, these were moments that did impact my time as a reader.
I would recommend Don’t Ever Change to readers who are looking for a novel that has a relatable character who can portray the ‘average’ girl. Any readers who are looking for a fun teen-fiction novel should also give Don’t Ever Change a go, as well as any readers who want a fun summer read.
In Don’t Ever Change, Eva has just graduated high school. She should be elated. After all, the dreadful experience that is high school is finally over and done with! She can finally embark on the next chapter of her life—that is, if she can get her English teacher’s parting words out of her mind. Eva is an aspiring author who has been told to write about what she knows. But the only issue with that piece of advice is that Eva doesn’t know what she knows. Meeting new faces and forming new relationships, Eva decides to spend her final summer before University to figure out who she is. And, hopefully as a result, find out just what it is she knows.
I’ll just say it right now, if readers are looking for a novel told in the first person where you can easily slip into the character’s head—Don’t Ever Change is for you. Bloom is immensely talented when it comes to portraying a character through the first person in a way that gives them personality. I could easily place myself in Eva’s mind and see the story through her eyes with perfect clarity. There was a huge amount of realism in the narrative alone and I absolutely adored it
I seldom ever get irritated with a novel’s protagonist and often, found myself rolling my eyes at Eva. I know that that sounds very negative but it really isn’t. Eva’s a very unique character. She comes off as over-confident and full of herself, even though we know that she is the total opposite internally (sometimes). As a reader, we get to experience Eva’s internal turmoil while also watching her external actions say the opposite. So many times, listening to Eva and watching Eva interact with other characters had me ripping my hair out because of the way she would almost talk down to them. She’s such a flawed character and I really enjoyed that about her.
As Eva tries to discover herself, there is a bit of a side-plot romance that takes place in the story. First with a total wannabe rockstar in the form of Elliot, and a will-they-won’t-they thing going on with Zack. I’m a sucker for romance and actually really liked the way it was portrayed in Don’t Ever Change. It wasn’t overdone in a way that took over the plot or made it central to Eva’s character, but the additional romance definitely leaves readers interested and hooked. You want to know if Eva will fall in love. You want to know what this will do to her ‘mission’. You just want to know.
The only issue that I had with Don’t Ever Change would be the instances where the narrative would drop. There would be a lull in action and my attention would often start wandering. This was often made up for through the more comedic scenes that would occur between Eva and her experiences as a camp counselor. Still, these were moments that did impact my time as a reader.
I would recommend Don’t Ever Change to readers who are looking for a novel that has a relatable character who can portray the ‘average’ girl. Any readers who are looking for a fun teen-fiction novel should also give Don’t Ever Change a go, as well as any readers who want a fun summer read.
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