Back of Book: 

All Elise wants is to have her first kiss before she turns sixteen. Is that so bad? But when a friend's poor advice and the powers of electronic technology combine, Elise heads down a dangerous road. She is accused of "sexting" and gets kicked out of school. But is she really the one to blame?

This powerful and realistic story from beloved author Melody Carlson shows teen girls the impact of their choices when it comes to respecting themselves and their integrity. Honest and relevant, Never Been Kissed will make girls laugh, cry... and think. 

Book Number: Stand Alone 

Genre: Young Adult | Christian | Contemporary 

Review: 🌟 

A short book that dives into the dangers of online relationships and being sexually explicit on the internet. 

After moving to a new school, Elise wants nothing more than to get the boy of her dreams and be kissed before she turns sixteen. Just as the popular crowd begins to accept her, things take a sour turn. After risqué photos are leaked off her phone, Elise is in a heap of trouble as she sets off to clear her name. 

Upon seeing this book, I couldn't help but assume that it was going to be awful. After reading this book, I can't help but feel that my expectations were valid, and that this novel was actually worse than I thought it would be. I honestly don't have anything nice to say about this book, so I'll try to keep it brief. 

Here are the two biggest complaints I have. One, the writing is both cringey and preachy. And two, every single part of the plot I saw coming from a mile away. This book is so terribly constructed the whole way through, and I was mostly just turning the pages so that it would end. 

The topics of phishing, harassment, and sexting are all serious and I'm glad that they are being talked about more and more, but this book is just not the way to do it. The fact that Elise still values popularity and outer beauty more than anything else is quite sad, and I hate how her story only enforces the negative stigma that many young girls feel as they age. Literally none of these characters are positive role-models in any way, and it would surprise me if an actual teen found this book to be relatable, helpful, or entertaining. This may be a bit harsh, but I can't find it in me to write constructive criticism on this one. 

Overall, "Never Been Kissed" is a cringey book that negatively supports many stereotypes about beauty, popularity, and teen drama. The topic matters such as online phishing, bullying, and sexting are all relevant, but the way this book addresses them are just not terribly effective. On top of all that, the writing is a tad cringe and the entire book is predictable the whole way through. Christian stories featuring teen drama is far from my normal reading life, but that doesn't mean I don't believe they have value. However, I will definitely not be reading another one of Carlson's books on my own choice.