Not Now, Not Ever by Lily Anderson

Not Now, Not Ever

by Lily Anderson

Elliot is very clear on what she isn't going to do this summer: She isn't going to stay home in Sacramento. She isn't going to mock trial camp at UCLA. And she certainly isn't going to the Air Force summer program on her mom's base in Colorado Springs. As cool as it would be to live-action-role-play Ender's Game, Ellie's seen three generations of her family go through USAF boot camp up close, and she knows that it's much less Luke/Yoda/"feel the force," and much more one hundred push-ups on three days of no sleep. What she IS going to do is pack up her determination, her favorite Octavia Butler novels, and her Jordans, and run away to summer camp. Specifically, a cutthroat academic-decathlon-like competition for a full scholarship to Rayevich College--the only college with a Science Fiction Literature program, and her dream school. She's also going to start over as Ever Lawrence: a new name for her new beginning. She's even excited spend her summer with the other nerds and weirdos in the completion, like her socially-awkward roommate with neon-yellow hair, and a boy who seriously writes on a typewriter and is way cuter than is comfortable or acceptable. The only problem with her excellent plan to secretly win the scholarship and a ticket to her future: her golden-child, super-genius cousin Isaiah has had the same idea, and has shown up at Rayevich smugly ready to steal her dreams and expose her fraud in the process."--Jacket flap.

Reviewed by layawaydragon on

5 of 5 stars

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Today is the day I finally get to tell ya'll how much I love Not Now, Not Ever by Lily Anderson. After all my nerdy fangirl gushing, there's a giveaway and a tour to follow for more Not Now, Not Ever adoration, so please stick around!

I read Anderson's first book, The Only Thing Worse Than Me is You  last year, where a minor set-up believability issue and not really caring about the mystery it earned it 4 stars.

Neither of those are problems here and it continues with adorable geeky romance that I am living for.  Find out more about this five-star-er after the jump!





 




Opening line: There was no empirical evidence that the Lieutenant wasn't a robot.

- Not Now, Not Ever. pg. 1


Elliot aka Ever is a badass, but doesn't know it. She's stuck between a military family and a civilian one. Her mother and father may differ on their dreams of Elliott's future, but damn if they're not a united front about wanting the best for her. Instead of the typical dual family drama, it comes from being transracial with a white step-mom.

»FYI: Real Meaning of Transracial«
She's an Octavia Butler loving Sci-fi nerd that thinks about the ethics of ghost busting before investigating if someone really is a spectre. She fiercely loves her little brother and helps her step-mom with her community plays. Ever "runs away" to a summer camp to try and win a scholarship to the only program specializing in Sci-Fi literature.

Ever's government name, Elliot, is masculine coded and she's actually named after a relative. Sp she deals with other's preconceptions hearing the name, then seeing her as as tall, strong black woman. She handles this, not by putting down masculine coded things nor by embracing stereotypes. She just does her.

There is a throwaway line about coconut oil protecting her hair in the very beginning and I couldn't help but snort given the Twitter conversations going on. Ya'll really need to follow her on there.  I could be wrong, but it felt like a timely middle-finger to white supremacy and stereotypes. After letting that bird fly, it is promptly never mentioned again. Bye, bye birdy! (----I had way too much writing out those puns.😆 )

Now, do not misunderstand. Her fro is mentioned often in all its glory, for how tall it makes her look and being against regulations. But that is not the same thing.

Dear fellow white people, don't act like coconut oil is all it takes to be black and forget "coincidently" that coconut oil is all over white pinterest like a fucking cult. 

Air Force Vs. Civilians: Diametrically Opposed Foes?


It's rare for me to find books with military families, let alone one where they aren't macho problematic (to put it gently) white people. My family were all "ground-pounders" so not quite the same as Elliot's but I get the pressure and duty more than most people.
Did you know the Air Force is 14% Black or African American?  Check out more stats here!

Unfortunately, Not Now, Not Ever is even more timely given recent hate crimes and the ever present systematic discrimination. 

While it doesn't delve into these issues or mention them, that's okay. It doesn't have to. The positive rep and experience are also necessary.  And valid. Maybe later we'll get a sequel with Elliot a couple years down the line. Maybe we won't.

Maybe it's damn okay just to fucking exist without making educating white people the focus with providing struggle porn to get a load off.


Other Good Shit:



  • Immediately engaging. Like jump of page, grab you by the throat and make you feel alive engaging.

  • NERDASTIC

  • Brilliant overachieving fuck up teenagers

  • Ever's  a realistic head on her shoulders and meets a dude that's all starry eyed. This reflects the reality I know: girls are thinking about the future and worrying about commitment while

  • Best possible ending.  Love how Ever squared up to deal with the fall out.

  • The typical romantic creepy gestures are avoided.

  • Major props for how they dissect The Breakfast Club.  Privilege and intersectionality are a day to day concern for these teens.

  • I. Did. NOT. SEE THAT comiNG!

  • Fuck yes: Awesome step-mom and half-sibling relationship

  • Ever and her cousin fight like enemies because of Reasons™ and family and gosh, I love their push/pull relationship of being so different but so similar with misperceptions.


  • Do not worry if, dare I say it,you're not a fan of the classics, or have never read it. I'll let you in on a little secret: I haven't either. Thank fuck there are badass librarian authors like Lily Anderson that can re-write the shit for modern times and people!


Favorite Quotes:


And he was wearing loafers. I couldn't get my swoon on for a guy who didn't wear socks.

-Chapter 2, loc 222


Because how could we know we were on a collage campus if there wasn't a loner with a hakey sack?

-Chapter 16, loc 1431


You had to leave home to make a home. You couldn't wait to leave to be yourself.

--Chapter 16, location 1440


Now I was feeling the heat get cranked up and my sand was figuring out how to melt.

-Chapter 16, loc 1458


I was pretty sure when real college kids got in trouble, no one told them to sit crisscross applesauce.

-Chapter 24, loc 2375


I could almost hear Sid's voice in my ear, telling me to go faster, to wear my Lawerence on the outside.

-Chapter 31 loc 3157


 

Other Similar Recs:


If you like this, or it sounds right for you, please also check out Future Leaders of Nowhere by Emily O'Beirne  with more wilderness and a W/W romance. It's another high ranking read for me, though I haven't posted my review for it yet. Sorry!  🤦🏼‍♀️ 😫



 

Prize: 1 copy of NOT NOW, NOT EVER by Lily Anderson (US Only)


It starts November 14th and ends November 22nd
a Rafflecopter giveaway ฀

 

This review was originally posted on The Layaway Dragon

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Reading updates

  • Started reading
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  • 1 July, 2017: Reviewed