Never Enough by Denise Jaden

Never Enough by Denise Jaden
Release Date: July 10, 2012
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Age Group: Young Adult
Pages: 400

Summary: From the author of Losing Faith, a novel about two sisters and the eating disorder that threatens to destroy their family.

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

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

My Thoughts: What a wonderful second novel from Jaden who sucks you into this story that is a  gut wrenching, heart breaking story.

We are introduced to Loann and her sister Claire. In Loann's eyes, Claire is perfect. She's older and always been the one to look up too, according to their parent's. Loann has spent her life being told, "why don't you try to be more like your sister, more popular, more outgoing, more everything.?”

Loann has gotten used to being in the background. She also has a crush on Claire's boyfriend Josh, at first. The crush started a long time ago, before he was Claire's boyfriend. Loann has spent a lot of time fantasizing about him even though she knows she shouldn't.

The book opens up on Loann's birthday and Claire and Josh got her an old camera. Loann gets really into pictures and meets a boy along the way. His name is Marcus and his locker is next to hers.

As the story progresses we learn that Claire has a lot of problems, an eating disorder and Marcus has his own set of problems.

Gosh, this book made me want to cry so many times. I felt so sorry for all the characters. Even the crap that Loann goes through with Josh made me want to cry. This girl has a lot to deal with and has the bravery and ability to really help those around her.

Never Enough was a great sophomore novel and I enjoyed reading it. It's more contemporary than anything but deals with some mega serious subjects.  I wanted to take all the characters, snuggle with them, and tell them it would be ok. But it isn't always ok, and I need to accept that. A lot of denial is also going on through this novel. The girl's parents, they were so naive. Maybe deep down they saw it but were afraid to do anything real about it. I don't know but I wanted to make everyone's life better.

Never Enough was a great novel about sisters and what they really mean to one another. And love and friendship and how that can win out over anything.

Overall: Enjoyed it. Didn't love love it like I wanted too but I did enjoy it. It was a serious read, not the normal "fun" read I would normally do. It was so serious!

Cover: Like it. Its not too fancy but it works.

What I'd Give It: