Never Enough by Denise Jaden

Title: Never Enough

Author: Denise Jaden

Publisher: Simon Pulse

Release Date: July 10, 2012

Source: ARC from Publisher

Buy the Book: Amazon / Book Depository

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?

When I read Denise Jaden's Losing Faith almost two years ago I absolutely loved the story despite the more difficult subject matter. When I heard about Never Enough I knew it was something I wanted to read, and just like with Denise Jaden's first book, I fell in love with it despite the difficult subject matter, which she dealt with amazingly.

Loann has always lived in her sister Claire's shadow and has never felt like she was enough. Claire's life has always looked perfect and Loann has wanted nothing more than to be included in that life. So when people in Claire's circle start paying attention to her, Loann starts to feel like maybe she may be good enough and doesn't have to live in her sister's shadow. But Loann soon discovers, everything may not be as it seems in Claire's world. This new insight into her sister's life allows Loann to see that Claire is screaming for help, but it may already be too late to give her the help she needs.

The story in Never Enough was not an easy story to read but it was one that completely drew you in. Right from the beginning I became attached to the characters Denise Jaden created and I couldn't help but feel like they were real people. Their stories were absolutely touching and they will stay with you for a long time. I know they will for me. Never Enough is a story about relationships. I loved seeing all the relationships develop and how they were all affected by one another and seeing that development made for a captivating story. But Never Enough is also a story that deals with eating disorders, which isn't necessarily the easiest subject to deal with. Denise Jaden did it wonderfully and I loved seeing how the story of the eating disorder played into all the different relationships, because Never Enough was really all about the characters.

Like I've already said, the story in Never Enough is all about the characters and their relationships with one another. You get to explore the relationship between sisters Loann and Claire just like you explore both their relationships with their mother, at least through Loann's eyes. It was really interesting to see how the characters changed as the relationships changed and vice versa. One relationship I really loved seeing develop was the friendship between Loann and Marcus. When I first met both characters, they seemed like such an unlikely pair but as the story moved forward and their friendship deepened, I realized that in a way they were perfect for each other. The other relationship that was interesting was between Claire and Loann. It was definitely an intricate relationship that was constantly changing, but through it all I could really tell that both sisters really cared for one another despite having difficulties showing it. And because Never Enough was really about the characters and their relationships, they are definitely going to be staying with me for a long time.

Never Enough was a great and touching read. Denise Jaden expertly handled the difficult subject that is eating disorders. Though it was integral to the story, it didn't overshadow all the relationships but instead showed how the disorder changes everyone's lives. And that's what was powerful about Never Enough.