Release: January 5th, 2021
Format: Ebook
Publisher: Scholastic Inc
Source: Amazon
Find it at Goodreads, Amazon, Kindle, B&N, IndieBound
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A heartwarming story of secret pets and secret crushes… and learning to take center stage!
Avery Williams can sing, but that doesn’t mean she can sing in front of people. She likes to stay backstage at her new school, which is where, to her surprise, she finds a cat tucked away into a nook. Avery names the stray Phantom and visits any time she’s stressed. (which is a lot these days).
As she sings to Phantom one day, her crush, Nic, overhears her and ropes Avery into auditioning for the school’s musical. Despite her nerves, Avery lands the lead role!
She knows she should be excited, but mostly Avery is terrified. Can Phantom help her through her stage fright? And what will happen if anyone finds out about her secret pet?
About the Author:
Jazz Taylor, a pen name for Jessica Lewis, is a middle-grade author of cute contemporaries. Also, her debut novel, Meow or Never, is about a girl who accidentally gets cast as the lead in her school play and overcomes her stage fright with the help of an adorable cat and her new crush. Meow or Never will be out on January 5, 2021!
A writer, receptionist, and huge cat fan, she loves watching cooking shows (despite being unable to make anything more difficult than ramen noodles). Also, she lives with her hilarious grandmother in Alabama.
Meow or Never: A Wish Novel Review:
“Meow or Never” is such a cute book about friendship, drama, crushes, and an adorable cat.
Firstly, I thought the author wrote Avery very well. I could relate to how Avery was feeling. She got nervous in a crowd and had a hard time making friends. The author touched on the issue of anxiety in a relatable way that people to connect. Moreover, I thought she shared a wonderful friendship with Nic and Harper. I enjoyed Harper’s storyline as well and thought the author incorporated it very nicely. The author also wrote their group in a realistic manner, where you don’t know if the three of them will get along initially.
Secondly, I loved Avery and Nic together. It is so refreshing to see more books out that promoting LGTQ themes to the younger age group. The author writes their friendship cutely and charmingly. Nic is adorable throughout the story, and I loved her character. Even though Avery gets moody quite a lot, Nic is always there to cheer her up. She is one of those characters that you would love to be friends with in real life.
However, I wished the author had tweaked a few details. The main one being Avery’s relationship with Andrew. I thought Andrew was the perfect brother. He is frustrating most of the time but has your back when needed. But, I felt that Avery disliked him even after all he did for her. Moreover, Phantom’s storyline is left open-ended, which I found a bit odd. I hoped the author would bring closure to that storyline.
Apart from that, this was a cute middle-grade novel that I feel would resonate well with the younger readers.
