Wiley’s evokes strong nostalgia and summer vibes, especially if, like me, you grew up going to a local mom-and-pop drive-in joint. The real appeal of the novel is in Wiley’s Drive-In and Alice Kelly, the notorious local recluse whose 1970s directorial debut was cut short by a bitter husband and industry misogyny. It just feels like it’s trying too hard, but there are occasional turns of phrases that land beautifully, suggesting that with some more practice and polish the author has potential.

It also gets bogged down in minutiae that doesn’t serve the story, and Wren’s voice is sometimes weirdly formal and stilted. Lines that are clearly meant to be romantic or evocative are just cheesy, and it seems like every other paragraph contains an overwrought simile or metaphor. However, the purple prose is the biggest distraction. Wren and his friends seem more like teens than 20-somethings, and I think it would have worked better as a YA novel. Overall, the book feels very immature, in both story and style. But for all the buildup about that silver screen-worthy first kiss, when it finally happens. Wren is more fleshed out, awkward, and overthinking, and his post-college “now what?” uncertainty is definitely relatable. This does lead to some discussion of demisexuality, which is nice – and rare – to see, but the way demisexuality is explained to Wren feels like an after-school special and is only shallowly explored.ĭerick also feels a bit shallow, the outline of a leading man without the details filled in. One minute the boys are slowly becoming friends again and the next Derick is making a move – which backfires. Rather than a slow build, it’s more like a plateau followed by a sudden spike. The main draw is ostensibly the romance between Wren and Derick, but it falls a little flat.

“I didn’t think of you like that” wasn’t exactly what he was hoping to hear, but it’s fine Wren can ghost him right back – except it turns out Derick is the new social media intern at Wiley’s Drive-In, where Wren has just been promoted to manager after working there every summer since he was 15. Regret sets in the next morning, heightened by his hangover and a response from Derick Haverford, the best friend who ghosted him freshman year.

So, in a fit of drunken bravado and desperation on the night of his 22nd birthday, he sends out four emails that have been sitting in his drafts for years – one for each boy he almost kissed. With college graduation looming and the future looking uncertain (what’s he going to do with a film degree?), he feels like he’s falling behind on the milestones his peers have long since experienced. In Never Been Kissed, Wren Roland has you guessed it, never been kissed. I’m always on the hunt for a good New Adult novel, and with comparisons to Red, White & Royal Blue and Boyfriend Material, I was eager to dive into Never Been Kissed by Timothy Janovsky ( Boy Meets Boy #1).

New Adult by Timothy Janovsky