Book Review: Keep Me Never (Boys of Avix #4) by Megan Brandy
Ah, the fateful release day—like many readers, I often pick the wrong book to dive into on these highly anticipated dates. This time, it was Keep Me Never, the fourth installment in Megan Brandy’s Boys of Avix series. As a huge fan of Say You Swear, I was eager to see how Brandy would wrap up this series. Spoiler alert: I left feeling more bewildered than satisfied.
From the outset, we’re reintroduced to Chase, a character whose consistent spirals have left me more frustrated than entertained. Let me just say: Chase did not earn a redemption arc in my eyes. Throughout the book, he repeatedly gaslights himself while still managing to be the cause of most of his mess. If anything, the story merely solidified my annoyance as we danced around Chase’s past—yes, it’s mentioned, but in a dismissive paragraph that leaves more questions than answers. His character had been a source of tension in the previous three books but remains shrouded in ambiguity here.
Now, let’s talk about Paige. Can we please have a moment of clarity regarding her storyline? It felt like someone flipped a switch and suddenly, we’re tangled in a plot involving a grandfather mafia billionaire. What? This plot twist was so out of left field that I found myself questioning if I had missed some major hints along the way. It’s the kind of jarring shift that left me confused rather than engaged.
The biggest disappointment for me, however, was the way the narrative oscillated around Chase’s mother as the "catalyst" for so much chaos—yet she barely makes an appearance. We get two brief interactions with her, and that’s it? After all the buildup, there was a dreadful lack of closure. No heart-wrenching text exchange, no climactic confrontation; it was like waiting for the big finish and then finding out the concert was over.
What truly got under my skin were the incessant references to Chase’s height in relation to Paige’s, like a broken record—“tiny” this, “small” that. By the fiftieth mention, I was groaning internally. It’s a curious choice for a writer to lean so heavily on physical traits without expanding upon their characters’ emotional dimensions.
Despite all of this, there were moments that clicked—like when Chase finally started to confront his demons toward the end, and yes, the bonus chapter that gave readers a glimpse into Ari and Noah’s world was delightful. It reminded me of why I fell in love with Brandy’s writing in the first place, even though the contrast in quality from Say You Swear to this installment was jarring.
In conclusion, while Keep Me Never might draw in die-hard fans of the series who want to see it through to the end, readers seeking the emotional depth and connection found in Say You Swear may come away disappointed. Perhaps this was an attempt to create an explosive finale, but it felt more like a fizzle. If you’re a fan of Chase and Paige, you might find some glimmers to enjoy. But for me? I’ll cherish Say You Swear and be hesitant to recommend the others.
Who Might Enjoy This Book?
If you adore series with a sprinkle of drama or are invested in Chase and Paige’s story despite the hiccups, this could be worth your time. On the other hand, if you’re yearning for the gripping emotional impact of the earlier works, you might want to dive back into those pages instead. Keep Me Never might be a closure of sorts, but it’s one marred by inconsistencies and unresolved arcs that left me longing for something more cohesive.
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