Four friends. Four different narrators. No indication of who is narrating each chapter. This was a problem for me. I think I would have enjoyed this book much more if there were simply headers at the beginning of each chapter, telling me whose perspective I was reading. If this kind of thing bothers you, then beware. If not, proceed as you wish.

Never Too Real was just about what I expected it to be. A book about women and their everyday lives. It had a chick-lit feel about it, but that isn’t necessarily a bad thing. I’m from a small town, so I do enjoy reading books that are as good as gossip now and then.

As I mentioned, there are four main characters. None of them really stood out as one I could particularly relate to,so I read all of the chapters with the same amount of interest. 

This book definitely has a lot in it, even if at times it felt like I was reading an article about a celebrity in People magazine. From culture, to relationships, to sexual orientation–Carmen Rita left no stone unturned. For a debut book, Never Too Real isn’t something I would anticipate to hit the bestseller list, but it won’t hurt to give it a try.

Review of an Advance Reader Copy

This book was sent to Compass Book Ratings for review by Kensington Publishing

Content Analysis:

Profanity/Language:  3 religious exclamations; 4 mild obscenities; 1 derogatory names; 8 scatological words; 3 anatomical terms; 16 F-Word derivatives. 

Violence/Gore:  A loved one is mentioned to die from cancer. 

Sex/Nudity:  Pleasuring a man lover is mentioned; adults kiss; sexual innuendo and kissing between two women occurs; two women have sex in the nude in one brief scene.

Mature Subject Matter:

Mental illness, sexual identity, cheating on partner, homosexuality, suicidal thoughts, cancer.

Alcohol / Drug Use:

Drug use; adults drink; pot use mentioned.