Never Enough [Paperback]

Denise Jaden (Author)

Book Description

Release date: July 10, 2012

From the author of Losing Faith, a novel about two sisters and the eating disorder that threatens to destroy their family.

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. And Loann is frightened she could lose the sister she’s always idolized.

     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?

Editorial Reviews

Review

"With well-developed complications and the convincing realism of daily life... this novel ably leads readers through a rocky terrain of contemporary teen problems."
- The Bulletin Review

“Denise Jaden positively nails the love-hate relationship between two polar opposite sisters who share a single quest: the desire to be perfect, regardless of the cost. A compelling, often gut-wrenching coming-of-age novel, Never Enough will haunt you long after the last page.”

—From Jeannie Garsee, author of Before, After and Somebody In Between

 

“Denise Jaden's Never Enough is honest, gut wrenching, and oh so beautiful.  It's a book you can't wait to share.”

—Eileen Cook, author of Unraveling Isobel and The Education of Hailey Kendrick

 

“A poignant, important book, Never Enough tackles self-esteem and body image issues while always remaining true to its three-dimensional characters. Denise Jaden has created a cliché-free zone filled with hurt, heart, and personal strength. Jaden's tender sympathy for her characters and dedication to honest storytelling shine through every page.”

—C.K. Kelly Martin, author of I Know It’s Over

 

“Raw and unforgettable, Never Enough is an authentic portrait of a teen girl faced with an impossible situation. Loann’s relationship with her sister is beautifully drawn and heartbreaking.”

—Tara Kelly, author of Amplified

About the Author

Denise Jaden has been a professional Polynesian dancer, a fitness competitor, a mushroom farmer, a church secretary, and a homeschooling mom. Losing Faith was her first novel. She lives just outside Vancouver, Canada, with her husband and son. Visit her online at DeniseJaden.com or on Twitter at @DeniseJaden.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 400 pages
• Publisher: Simon Pulse; Original edition (July 10, 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1442429070
• ISBN-13: 978-1442429079
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.5 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #846,401 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Denise Jaden is, or has been, everything from a professional Polynesian dancer and fitness competitor to a mushroom farmer and church secretary. Most of her time now is spent homeschooling or playing with her young son or in front of her computer writing.

Denise Jaden's short fiction has appeared in Mississippi Crow Magazine and The Greensilk Journal. The first draft of her first novel for teens, LOSING FAITH, was written in twenty-one days during NaNoWriMo 2007. It was released from Simon Pulse/Simon & Schuster in September 2010, with her next one, NEVER ENOUGH, out in summer 2012. A companion anthology, NEVER ENOUGH STORIES, is available as a free ebook at various online book outlets. Her first non-fiction work, WRITING WITH A HEAVY HEART: USING GRIEF AND LOSS TO STRETCH YOUR FICTION, is available online wherever books are sold, and her second book for writers, FAST FICTION, is forthcoming from New World Library in 2014.

She lives just outside Vancouver, Canada with her husband and son.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars How eating disorders effect the family July 25, 2012

By brandileigh2003

Format:Paperback

This is a powerful novel dealing gracefully with very sensitive subjects. It is gritty and tough to read at points because of all of the issues the characters I came to love were dealing with. It is hard stuff, stuff that teens should never have to deal with but they do everyday. Bullying, peer pressure, abuse, and eating disorders. We see how things effect the families and recipients of these tough issues and how painful and lonely it can be.
I think that I've only read about people with eating disorders from inside the mind of the one with the disorder, and as someone who has struggled with anorexia and bulimia in high school, I can relate with this, I know that sort of pain. What is new here is the narrator, Loann is the sister of Claire, the one with the eating disorder. You get a whole new perspective of the pain of not being able to get through to the one dealing with the food and body image perception issues. Loann is the first to notice, and she doesn't really know how to help or what to do, she also doesn't know the extent of the problem.
It is hard to read about how each sister admires and is jealous of the other, they don't see their own beauty and perfections, only their flaws. I think that is so common though. Many have such self esteem issues that they don't know how to find the good in themselves.
I also love the character of Marcus. He is such a perfect and frustrating nerd/love interest/friend. But it is so genuine. He has so much to hide but also so much to offer. I love his interactions with Loann, their sarcasm and dry humor towards one another, and how they slowly build their friendship one piece at a time. I know he's shy and like I said, has things to hide, but it is frustratingly cute how slow he is to admit his feelings and act on them.... I love his sweet gestures like the photo developing supplies, and the cutout picture too.
Never Enough was well paced and kept my attention the whole time, even when I felt like I needed a box of tissues beside me. Loann is a fighter and I admire her, and I hate that Claire had to go down such a hard and sad road, she really broke my heart. The love in here is true to life and I appreciated the different take on it. Read more ›

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Subtle but stellar August 3, 2012

By Hannah @ Paperback Treasures

Format:Paperback

Wow. Never Enough was so good. Really, that's basically all I can think right now. I liked Denise Jaden's debut, Losing Faith, but I wasn't quite as impressed as most people seemed to be. And the description for Never Enough sounded pretty average, nothing I haven't read before. But Never Enough really took me by surprise - I ended up loving it!

I love sister stories. I only have a younger brother, but I've always wished I had an older sister, so I enjoy reading sister stories like this one. Loann and I clicked from the first page on. She's easy to relate to, and I felt for her. Her relationship with Claire is so well-done. It's complex and deep and just... wow. Even when they don't get along, their bond is so strong - it's just amazing.

Reading this family's story is heartbreaking. This is hard to talk about without spoiling anything, but it's so sad to see how Claire's issues tear apart the entire family. It was eye-opening to see how much is changed by this one thing. I would have liked to know more about the parents, but I don't mind too much that we don't know more, since that's kind of the point.

Then there's the... well, I don't even know what to call it. It feels wrong to call what Loann and Marcus have romance, because their bond is so much deeper than that. For all of you out there who are sick of insta-love, Never Enough is for you! The relationship between Loann and Marcus develops so, so slowly - in a good way. Their bond is incredibly deep. I don't even know what to say - these two together just made me so happy!

I also loved reading about Loann's photography! Photography is fascinating to me, and I really enjoyed reading about everything Loann did with her camera....

The only storyline that I thought was a little underdeveloped is Loann's relationship with her two (ex-)best friends. I would have liked to know more about the fallout and why it happens, since I never really got what motivated Loann's ex-best friend to do what she did. I also would have liked more about where they stand towards the end.

I liked the second part of Never Enough better than the first one - in the beginning, I found myself bored a few times. I much preferred the faster pace of the ending to the slow beginning. The ending of Never Enough is perfect - it's sad but hopeful at the same time. Even though it's heartbreaking, it made me feel strangely fulfilled when I turned the last page.

In a word, this book is powerful. I am in awe of Denise Jaden's grasp of relationships - how she managed to create such deep bonds between her characters, how she made me feel each of Loann's emotions, is beyond me. This is an important book - I can't recommend it enough! Read more ›

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars An amazing contemporary August 2, 2012

By Juhina & Farah @ Maji Bookshelf

Format:Kindle Edition

I have been staring at my screen for about five minutes now, not knowing how to start this review. I guess I'll just start with the boring stuff, and introduce the characters. Not that the characters are boring, but you know what I mean. The main protagonist, Loann, is quite your average teenage girl. Though being compared to her sister Claire, she's not so average anymore. Loann's sister, Claire, is pretty and popular. So instead of Loann just being a normal teenager, she's always "Claire's little sister". Loann's got her little group of friends, but she can't help comparing herself to her sister. Never Enough starts off very good. I was immediately immersed in the story, and I just couldn't put the book down. I though that it was going to be one of those "heavy" realistic fictions, but it was really fun and cute at first. Loann meets another friend, and his name is Marcus. He's the quiet type, and definitely not part of those jocks. I loved the relationship between the two of them, because I loved how funny and sarcastic they were. I always love a good humor in a person, so I really enjoyed reading about them.

While Claire isn't an important role in the story yet, the story spotlights on Marcus and Loann. I don't know why Marcus wasn't even mentioned in the synopsis, because I truly felt like he played a big role in the book. What I really liked, was that Denise Jaden didn't hasten the romance. Yes, it was annoying and really made me grind my teeth some points, but I felt that it was more realistic. They were friends, then really good friends, and then things developed. You're probably wondering where the "anorexia" and "bulimia" part is, and yes it'll come. I, myself, was shocked to find that half the book, there was still no mention that Claire is having an eating disorder.... Honestly, I kind of forgot about it, and just thought that I was reading a cute and fun contemporary novel. I wasn't complaining either so it was good.

Gradually, Claire started acting weird. I liked how Denise Jaden didn't just attack the tragedy, but made us take it slowly. Claire kept lessening her food, playing with it, and refusing any snacks. While Never Enough was still fun, I saw that the seriousness has taken over. I missed Marcus, but I was too busy concentrating on the problem to actually notice it. Loann is a very smart character, because she was the only one to notice! I hated how her parents were so naive, and never thought of the possibility that their daughter might be in actual danger! Though I hated Claire at first, I started taking pity on her. She was one of those girls that being pretty wasn't enough, being thin wasn't enough, and I guess that's why the book is called Never Enough.

Overall, I can say that I devoured this book in a day. It was so great in so many ways, and so heart warming. The ending was a great way to wrap things up. Never Enough was one of those books that stirred up all my emotions, and for me, that's what makes a book special to a reader. As I finished Never Enough, I literally hugged it. It was sad to let it go, but I felt like my journey with Loann has ended, and was time to move on. I really loved Never Enough, and it is going to be a book that I'll never forget. I definitely recommend it to all young adult readers, because this is not only mind opening, but a very interesting book that will not disappoint! Read more ›