Short Stories

Never Have I Ever

Never Have I Ever

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  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2021-05-01 10:51:43
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Isabel Yap
  • ISBN：1618731823
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Summary

“Am I dead？”

Mebuyen sighs。 She was hoping the girl would not ask。

Spells and stories， urban legends and immigrant tales: the magic in Isabel Yap’s debut collection jumps right off the page， from the joy in her new novella， 'A Spell for Foolish Hearts' to the terrifying tension of the urban legend 'Have You Heard the One About Anamaria Marquez'。

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Reviews

Giada ，

4。5The writing and prose？？ 5/5 The stories are so beautiful and evocative！！

Valerie ，

While the concepts in these stories are worth exploring， the writing is so tedious at times。 I often felt like I was reading mediocre fan fiction。 I could not finish reading it。

Sne ，

Plus one cause it's short stories （not so short）。 Plus one because of the unknown for me culture。 Plus one for the writing。 And plus half one because of the stories， not my cup of tea， but I liked them。 Plus one cause it's short stories （not so short）。 Plus one because of the unknown for me culture。 Plus one for the writing。 And plus half one because of the stories， not my cup of tea， but I liked them。 。。。more

Dan Trefethen ，

This is the first book and first story collection by a promising new writer in fantasy。 Isabel Yap was raised in Manila， and her Filipina background infuses much of this book。 Some stories （such as “A Canticle for Lost Girls” reads almost like an autobiographical depiction of a private girls' school in Manila – except for the supernatural aspect at the end。Another story set in a girls' school recounts the kinds of creepy， bloody urban legends that pre-teen girls would make up， in “Have You Heard This is the first book and first story collection by a promising new writer in fantasy。 Isabel Yap was raised in Manila， and her Filipina background infuses much of this book。 Some stories （such as “A Canticle for Lost Girls” reads almost like an autobiographical depiction of a private girls' school in Manila – except for the supernatural aspect at the end。Another story set in a girls' school recounts the kinds of creepy， bloody urban legends that pre-teen girls would make up， in “Have You Heard the One About Anamaria Marquez？”。 Again， it reads as a straightforward reminiscence until the creepy ending。“A Spell for Foolish Hearts” is a charming rom-com about a boy who knows he's gay but can't figure out the boy he has a crush on。 Despite the fact that the protagonist is a witch and can cast spells， he suffers from the same awkward uncertainties that young teens do。I'm making this sound like a YA book。 It's not。 One indication of this is the story “Asphalt， River， Mother， Child”， which is about the police squads in the Philippines that indiscriminately execute people for supposedly dealing drugs。 The portrayal of a conflicted young police officer is most effective。Isabel Yap is carving out an unique niche for herself。 It will be interesting to see what she does next。 。。。more

gio ，

3。5This was， like 90% of the short stories collections I read， a mixed bag for me。 I like Yap’s writing and I think most of the stories are good and have a pretty fascinating background; they simply happened to be mostly out of my comfort zone or not exactly my cup of tea。 I saw that for most readers the horror stories are the ones that worked the most and， to be fair， I think all of them were nicely written and served their purpose well， but they weren’t really my thing。My favorite stories were 3。5This was， like 90% of the short stories collections I read， a mixed bag for me。 I like Yap’s writing and I think most of the stories are good and have a pretty fascinating background; they simply happened to be mostly out of my comfort zone or not exactly my cup of tea。 I saw that for most readers the horror stories are the ones that worked the most and， to be fair， I think all of them were nicely written and served their purpose well， but they weren’t really my thing。My favorite stories were A Cup of Salt Tears （which I had happened to have read on Tor’s website for free， if anyone wants to read a sample of Yap’s writing I definitely recommend checking that one out） and A Spell For Foolish Hearts （surprisingly so， because it’s a bit of a mushy romance story， which is a type of story that rarely works for me， but I found it really cute and heartwarming here）。 Quite liked Milagroso as well。 。。。more

Stephanie Hoehn ，

Very raw， but beautiful （and sometimes scary！） short stories that got better and better throughout the book。 I was left wanting more。

Steph ，

Si je n'ai pas été fan de toutes les histoires， elles avaient malgré tout， toujours un élément intéressant。 Assez pour que je n'en saute aucune！ Très sincèrement， j'ai beaucoup aimé l'histoire d'amour avec l'homme sorcière， celles du groupe d'amie à l'école avec la rumeur du fantôme， ainsi que la dernière qui m'a fait frétiller de bonheur et que je pourrais citer à moitié， tellement elle était délicieusement bien écrit。Cela dit， le seul point négatif， et ça ne regarde que moi hein， c'est le dépa Si je n'ai pas été fan de toutes les histoires， elles avaient malgré tout， toujours un élément intéressant。 Assez pour que je n'en saute aucune！ Très sincèrement， j'ai beaucoup aimé l'histoire d'amour avec l'homme sorcière， celles du groupe d'amie à l'école avec la rumeur du fantôme， ainsi que la dernière qui m'a fait frétiller de bonheur et que je pourrais citer à moitié， tellement elle était délicieusement bien écrit。Cela dit， le seul point négatif， et ça ne regarde que moi hein， c'est le dépaysement totale que j'ai subis parce que je ne comprenais pas tout。 Je crois que cette anthologie s'adresse surtout à ceux et celles possédant une bonne base de sa culture et des termes utilisés。 Je ne connaissais pas tous les monstres cités， ni certains mots utilisés pour représenter des individus。 Ça n'a pas gâché mon expérience mais je crois que j'aurais encore plus apprécier les histoires， si j'avais eu un petit glossaire ou une brève description de ce qui était quoi， au début？ 。。。more

Azhar ，

the stories felt a little all over the place for me in this collection。 can’t pinpoint exactly why。 her writing was good but i still felt disconnected from it ？？？ did love the myth， the folklore， the queerness， but ultimately it all fell flat for me。 i had such high hopes for this one。 favourite stories include good girls， a cup of salt tears， and have you heard the one about anamaria marquez？

Zoë ，

These short stories are dark and seductive， mostly hailing from the Philippines urban legends， as well as mordern day myths。 Very good！

Kristen ，

One of the best short story collections I’ve ever encountered。 Innovative and sharp and amazing。

Georgie ，

Never Have I Ever is a wonderful short story collection。 It starts with a story about a manananggal， one of my favorite mythical creatures， in a story that is lovely and surprisingly sweet。 'Milagroso' was short and magical and melancholy， a brief glimpse of a world I don't want to live in and can all too easily imagine。 'A Spell for Foolish Hearts' was adorable， and also managed to hit me where it hurts。 'Asphalt， River， Mother， Child' was painful， about the effects of Duterte's war on drugs an Never Have I Ever is a wonderful short story collection。 It starts with a story about a manananggal， one of my favorite mythical creatures， in a story that is lovely and surprisingly sweet。 'Milagroso' was short and magical and melancholy， a brief glimpse of a world I don't want to live in and can all too easily imagine。 'A Spell for Foolish Hearts' was adorable， and also managed to hit me where it hurts。 'Asphalt， River， Mother， Child' was painful， about the effects of Duterte's war on drugs and state violence。 Devastating and tender at once。I could read a whole book about 'Hurricane Heels （We Go Down Dancing）。' Same goes for 'How to Swallow the Moon，' although that story is the perfect length as-is。 'Misty' was like a good classic fireside ghost story。I also enjoyed how Filipino a lot of the stories were- with the caveat that I have a limited knowledge of the Philippines， and most of that knowledge is Manila-based。 But it's always great to read stories with a strong sense of place， by authors who love that place。 Really， this is an excellent collection。 。。。more

Lei ，

A collection of otherworldly short stories。 Some are sad or creepy and a few I found sweet。 My favorites are A Spell for Foolish Hearts and How to Swallow the Moon。 I don’t like the ones with vague endings 😅。

˗ˏˋ maddie ˊˎ˗ ，

these were all good stories but none of them really blew me away， nor do i think i'll remember most of them by the time i wake up tomorrow。 i was hoping for more horror and that was scarce on the ground here。 these were all good stories but none of them really blew me away， nor do i think i'll remember most of them by the time i wake up tomorrow。 i was hoping for more horror and that was scarce on the ground here。 。。。more

Angela ，

This book was SO good。 I literally only took a star off because there was one short story （I cannot remember the name of it） that I felt was really low in comparison to the other stories in this collection。 As a Filipins American， I am always looking for more literature by other Filipino Americans and when I saw this， originally I was drawn in by the cover and I had thought it was a novel about sirens， mermaids， selkies， or something to do with drowning。 I'm so happy I was wrong。 All of the stor This book was SO good。 I literally only took a star off because there was one short story （I cannot remember the name of it） that I felt was really low in comparison to the other stories in this collection。 As a Filipins American， I am always looking for more literature by other Filipino Americans and when I saw this， originally I was drawn in by the cover and I had thought it was a novel about sirens， mermaids， selkies， or something to do with drowning。 I'm so happy I was wrong。 All of the stories in this have such dark and atmospheric writing， I mean Yap is clearly talented and knows how to lure readers in before snapping them into a waking nightmare。 I also just loved how she was able to blend so many Filipino stories and experiences into creepy tales especially the story about the manananggal， that was so creepy and took me back to being five years old and scared that a family friend would have her baby eaten thanks to stories from my grandma。 That said， it was also kind of a sweet story。I am so excited to follow Yap's writing because I enjoyed this collection quite a lot。 I do a lot of my reading late at night and this definitely creeped me out enough to not leave my bed until the sweet safe light of dawn filled my bedroom。 Please pick this baby up if you haven't yet。 It's a fun and quick read and hopefully， will leave you curious about Filipino folktales。 。。。more

Amanda ，

It's not purely a horror collection but I liked it a lot。 Most of the ones I didn't particularly enjoy reading off the bat become creepier and more interesting the more I think about them。A common theme throughout the anthology is a very palpable and personal anxiety about losing friends to life/situation changes （ie。 classroom changes and marriages）。 I personally had to nope out of all the barkada anxiety。 It’s all very real and convincingly all-encompassing but I have no desire to revisit elem It's not purely a horror collection but I liked it a lot。 Most of the ones I didn't particularly enjoy reading off the bat become creepier and more interesting the more I think about them。A common theme throughout the anthology is a very palpable and personal anxiety about losing friends to life/situation changes （ie。 classroom changes and marriages）。 I personally had to nope out of all the barkada anxiety。 It’s all very real and convincingly all-encompassing but I have no desire to revisit elementary/high school hahaThe stories:Good GirlsYou're enchanted by the amount of closeness you find in many homes: sweaty couples pressed together， children crowded on either side， useless electric fans whirring。 It's love and hunger bound up in acceptance， minute joys punctuated by a mostly typical dissatisfaction， the longing for something better， some way out of this。 This is an urban fantasy manananggal story set in the US with sapphic overtones。 The POV alternates between third-person （the roommate Sara's） and second-person （the manananggal， Kaye）。 The manananggal is a creature that can detach itself from its lower body so it can fly through the night on a hunt for pregnant women or fetuses。 I've always enjoyed seeing it portrayed as a metaphor for diaspora and being divided， and I think this story depicts just that and draws a parallel with Sara's own longing for home。CW: some goreA Cup of Salt TearsI have read this before so I did not read it again， but it's the one about the kappa and I remember liking it a lot， enough to remember the author and perk up when I found out that she was releasing a short story collection。 It's creepy and it's sad。 Here's what I wrote on a 2018 entry on LJ: I liked how it's a metaphor for the kind of love that happens in the story—the idea of a selfless love being starved and hollow， as if someone had scraped out the meat。 I feel like the setting and the lore work because the conceit is a very Asian one wherein society celebrates the diminishing of women for the sake of their husbands/children as a virtue。CW: terminal illnessMilagrosoThey left Manila to see a miracle。Very cool science fiction story about a man who takes his family back to his hometown Lucban to attend the Pahiyas Festival。 This was a journey for my brain because I had to keep reorienting myself to keep up with what was happening， especially because I was instinctively using the corporation names as a shorthand for information， only to find that this is not the Philippines I know at present。 This is the Philippines solving food shortage with a different kind of food shortage。 It's very interesting and very sad。 This might have been the strongest story in the collection for me。A Spell for Foolish HeartsHe didn't even know how to fall for someone。 The concept was mysterious。 Did you choose to be attracted？ Did you pluck someone from your environment and decide to attach feelings to them？ If all of media was to be believed， he was highly unusual in this regard， but it didn't exactly bother him。 But this was first-time everything， his heart was on fire， and the boy across from him always made him smile and had no idea how much that hurt。This is the longest story in the entire collection， but also the easiest one to read。 It's an urban fantasy novella bout a witch who thinks it's physically impossible for him to fall in love， and ends up trying and failing to prevent himself from falling in love with his new coworker。 It's tropey in ways that remind me so much of fanfiction， and I mean that in the good way。 I like the protagonist's anxieties， and the way the story presents sexuality as something that you can't always pin down。 I like the way the protagonist is both gay and a witch， and his struggles with being both are treated as separate things， instead of one being a metaphor for the other。Have You Heard the One About Anamaria Marquez？High school horror story with a happy ending。 It checks out; so much about elementary/high school was about all the ghost stories and stupid dares， and frankly I'm glad to be done with that stage of life。CW: Mentions of rape as a possible ghost backstory （the story gives you all the different versions）SyringeThis is a really short futuristic story。 Healthcare providers are now humanistic AI with some empathy programmed in。 This was too short and the themes were too depressing for me to get into， but it's a thoughtful piece about the mental toll of healthcare work。CW: terminal illness， death; entire story is set in a hospitalAsphalt， River， Mother ChildThis is a story about the extra-judicial killings that have been happening since 2016， told in alternating POVs of Mebuyan （in this story， Mebuyen）， the underworld goddess for dead babies， and a police officer who has the blood of innocents on his hand。 It's not subtle but it's relevant。This is the story that was most confusing to me in the way Tagalog is incorporated， but it's fine。 Also it is all worth it for this scene， which is my favorite scene in the entire anthology， in which a trans woman encounters Mebuyan and it's just so quintessentially Filipino， simultaneously funny and sad:Babygirl drinks the milk， then looks at Mebuyen's boobs: "You have so many，" Babygirl says wistfully。 "Can't I have just one set？ Not even here？" Hurricane Heels （We Go Down Dancing）I wished， not for the first time， that desperation itself could work magic。Magical girls + friendship + ex-girlfriends！ It's more Madoka Magica than Sailor Moon， with characters who have carried the magic and responsibilty into adulthood。 This ended up one of my unexpected favorites。Only Unclench Your HandCreepy horror story about a law student who spends her summer at the province （I'm not sure where， I think somewhere in Ilocos？）。 Features: an albularyo （witch doctor）， and black magic from a mambabarang （a kind of black magician）。CW: insects + some body horror （because that's how mambabarang magic works） and some violenceHow to Swallow the MoonF/f fantasy。 Features: bakunawa （the serpentlike dragon that eats the moon and causes eclipses）， a binukot （a tribe's secluded， treasured maiden）， romance between the binukot and her servant， a blacksmith's daughter。 I have no idea what epic this story is referencing， and I feel like I missed out on so much。 :（All the Best of Dark and BrightA story based on Malakas and Maganda。 At the beginning of his summer vacation， a college kid named Macho meets the Maganda of legend， and helps her find the bamboo to return to。MistyThis is a horror story but I'm not very sure I understood it。 It's set in a trip to Baguio （which， to be fair， is haunted by default）。 The horrors are external and internal as Ramona deals with a fear of her father。 A Canticle for Lost GirlsCatholic school horror story about the friendship between three girls with a happy（-ish？） ending。 The story covers present-day Raquel as a mother， as well as her childhood， but most of it is set during a school retreat。 This is very deeply an all-girls' Filipino Catholic school story， with a lot of anxiety over different things from both the teenage and adult versions of the main character。Major CW: rape （both implied and onscreen） + predatory high school teachers and all the skeeviness that comes with itGeneral CW: a lot of preoccupation on girls' anatomy （from the POV of girls/women， who are either dealing with situations or remembering them） + bullying 。。。more

Silvana ，

Rating might change （likely for the better） after I read the remaining four stories。 I plan to buy the print version first。 Isabel Yap is one of my fave short story writers and I was so happy when I found out she published a collection。 Her stories are almost always vivid and heartfelt， from dark fantasy to SF。 This collection might have just cured me from my reading slump; it is like slurping fresh mango juice in a very hot day。This was the book of the month in the World Beyond the Margins grou Rating might change （likely for the better） after I read the remaining four stories。 I plan to buy the print version first。 Isabel Yap is one of my fave short story writers and I was so happy when I found out she published a collection。 Her stories are almost always vivid and heartfelt， from dark fantasy to SF。 This collection might have just cured me from my reading slump; it is like slurping fresh mango juice in a very hot day。This was the book of the month in the World Beyond the Margins group。 （theme: La Diaspora） 。。。more

Joel Donato Jacob ，

There seems to be an overarching theme of price/value/cost through the stories， how willing we are to pay x to get y。 The life of someone you love， at the cost of your love for that person。 The strength lies in real world dilemmas made hyper-real by speculations。 Human nature in supernatural circumstances。There is some discomfort when I read male povs。。。 it feels translated or alien。 Then I realize that my own biased for the male voice is governed by my patriarchal upbringing， demanding an emoti There seems to be an overarching theme of price/value/cost through the stories， how willing we are to pay x to get y。 The life of someone you love， at the cost of your love for that person。 The strength lies in real world dilemmas made hyper-real by speculations。 Human nature in supernatural circumstances。There is some discomfort when I read male povs。。。 it feels translated or alien。 Then I realize that my own biased for the male voice is governed by my patriarchal upbringing， demanding an emotional detachment， and decisiveness。 Therefore， my subconscious demands for mimesis is itself artifice。 。。。more

Frank Chillura （OhYouRead） ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 How did I get so attached to characters from a collection of short stories？ Let me tell you how！ Isabel Yap’s collection of short stories， Never Have I Ever， are so well-written。 Each one could become a full length novel and I’d love them like they were my own children。 （I have no children， but this is all hypothetical！ 😂）In Good Girls， I learned about the Filipino version of a Vampire called a Manananggal that rips their body in half to search out for pregnant women to eat their unborn fetuses How did I get so attached to characters from a collection of short stories？ Let me tell you how！ Isabel Yap’s collection of short stories， Never Have I Ever， are so well-written。 Each one could become a full length novel and I’d love them like they were my own children。 （I have no children， but this is all hypothetical！ 😂）In Good Girls， I learned about the Filipino version of a Vampire called a Manananggal that rips their body in half to search out for pregnant women to eat their unborn fetuses by slurping them up with their incredibly long tongue。 Not only am I frightened， but I am too entirely intrigued for this to be healthy for me。 In Asphalt， River， Mother， Child， Yap lyrically weaves folklore with the police brutality and murdering of innocents we see daily in the news。Within 13 stories， we get so many incredible characters and beautiful plots。 There are Queer， Straight， Trans， Gay， and Lesbians MC’s， but also so many Filipino Fairy Tales and Folklore that I have never heard of， so I was entranced from Page 1。 If I HAD to choose 1 favorite， it would be How To Swallow the Moon。 A young girl， secluded from everyone but her hired sword and maiden， is （basically） sold to the man who can take the best care of her。 This girl is known as a binukot， which is an ancient practice that still happens today， and the fact that she has never been seen makes her value that much higher。 I love a book that can subtly teach me something while also keeping my focus and attention。 This was definitely that book for me！ 。。。more

Cori // ghostlightbooks ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Today （March 31， 2021） is my stop in the Neve Have I Ever bookstagram tour for Pride Books Tours！ Check out my Instagram post for a pretty photo or two later today！In Never Have I Ever， Isabel Yap weaves together tales of folklore， urban legends， and contemporary stories， all with a touch of magic and many with sinister elements。 The stories range from heartbreaking to heartwarming encompassing diverse lifestyles， with the settings Yap places her characters in only aiding to the rich tapestries Today （March 31， 2021） is my stop in the Neve Have I Ever bookstagram tour for Pride Books Tours！ Check out my Instagram post for a pretty photo or two later today！In Never Have I Ever， Isabel Yap weaves together tales of folklore， urban legends， and contemporary stories， all with a touch of magic and many with sinister elements。 The stories range from heartbreaking to heartwarming encompassing diverse lifestyles， with the settings Yap places her characters in only aiding to the rich tapestries she creates。 I enjoyed following through each story for the characters and for each new setting。 I never knew what kind of genre or characters we would get next which made it a refreshing and surprising read。 Isabel Yap created in-depth characters and atmospheric settings in all of her stories， some of which were quite short。 My favorite part of most of them were the magical elements or supernatural qualities， they really pulled me into the stories。 I'll provide notes （maybe spoilery） on each story below but my favorites were: A Spell For Foolish Hearts （this story stole my heart， please make it a full length novel）， How to Swallow the Moon （that relationship DYNAMIC）， and Only Unclench Your Hand （witchy vibes！！）。 If you're a fan of short stories or supernatural vibes， I would give Never Have I Ever a shot- I think it's a highly unique and atmospheric collection！Notes on Stories （maybe spoilery， not all in order）:Good Girls: Loved the Multi POV， loved the "retreat"/girls school aspect， wish there was just a titch more character and world-building for the foundation of this one。A Cup of Salt Tears: Makino was a beautiful & sad character， the onsen was SO atmospheric （I could feel the steam and heat）， loved the flashbacks and the gentle incorporation of supernatural elementsMilagroso: really liked the atmosphere and the description of the festival， no real sense of time， the food descriptions were visceral， would have loved a titch more world Have You Heard the One About AnaMaria Marquez？: Super love the variations on the spooky school legend， gave me Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark vibes， I love when characters put on a carnival or haunted house， I wish the ending had a bigger punchSyringe: a short， beautiful， sorrowful， look into a life， Ada and the nurses who aren't human are such an interesting conceptAsphalt， River， Mother， Child: honestly so sad， love the between place， the characters were gorgeousHurricane Heels （We Go Down Dancing）: love the juxtaposition of the Bachelorette party and girly girls with the badass superheroes， the premise of this one was one of my favs but it needed more fleshing out， by the end I wasn't really sure the purpose for the story or what was happening， it set us up thinking there were future decisions to be made and then they weren'tMisty: TW Harry Potter Reference， love the writing and the sense of travel so much， this one is the most suspenseful and spooky so far， love the back and forth between story Susan and the family， favorite at this point in readingOnly Unclench Your Hand: "It's just that here， we learn justice isn't usually for us。" really love all the characters in this one， witchy vibes， felt like such a perfect slice of life， supernatural almost felt realistic tbhHow to Swallow the Moon: lovely fairytale feel to it， the magic in this one！！！！， the longing/angst is peak and I'm here for it， "The first time， she plucked the dagger from your scabbard， and held it aloft in her fingers， like it was just another offering of fruit。 Her eyes grew bright with the possibility of acquiring something that opposed tenderness。 Something that let her be powerful rather than delicate。 Respected， rather than revered。" DAMMMMNAll the Best of Dark and Bright: "Why don't you ever say or do what you really want to？ （He didn't say this， but the answer was， Because I don't know what I really want。）"， love the urban supernatural element and the painting and legendA Spell for Foolish Hearts: Kind of reminds of me House in the Cerulean Sea， Patrick and Karl are so sweet， this story stole my heart！！， I'd love to see a full length so we can get the full effect of all the longing that happens in thisA Canticle for Lost Girls: I feel like some of the ages mentioned in here were weird but there was a lot of age talk so maybe that's why， I don't think we needed a future perspective on this one tbh the school girl times were WAY more interesting but I also don't have or want kids sooo， I loved the vindicaton the characters receive though 。。。more

micah ➳ canonicallychaotic ，

“one answered prayer among so many abandoned， one dim ember sparked to flare all of your guttering hopes。” never have i ever is a collection of short stories， many of which are based in filipino folklore and myth。 it holds tales of the afterlife and ghosts， legends come to life and summoning evil with your friends。 some are horror stories that you’d tell late at night with your cousins sitting around the living room of your family’s ancestral home。 some stories are passed from friend to frien “one answered prayer among so many abandoned， one dim ember sparked to flare all of your guttering hopes。” never have i ever is a collection of short stories， many of which are based in filipino folklore and myth。 it holds tales of the afterlife and ghosts， legends come to life and summoning evil with your friends。 some are horror stories that you’d tell late at night with your cousins sitting around the living room of your family’s ancestral home。 some stories are passed from friend to friend， province to province， with each iteration changing as the teller changes。i don’t know if seeing my own language and culture reflected in books will ever stop feeling like magic。 many of these stories take place in the philippines， with the tagalog language sprinkled throughout。 it happens so rarely that i get to see the language i grew up hearing in books。 the amount of pride i have seeing the familiar words that i whisper to myself to understand the syllables。 descriptions of foreign cities that i haven’t seen in years， but i can still close my eyes and see and hear and feel。 that’s home。 this book， despite its spookiness， made me feel at home。my favorite story from this however， takes place in san francisco （california is also home）。 a spell for foolish hearts is about a gay witch who falls in love for the first time in his late twenties。 it was one of the longer stories at about 50 pages， but i already know it will be a comfort read i come back to time and time again。 （i could honestly write a whole essay just on this story。）a couple of the other stories in this featured queer characters—another favorite being how to swallow the moon， a fantasy story about how a servant falls in love with the princess-like girl she cares for。 these stories written by a queer filipino woman show me that stories about me （maybe even stories by me） want to be told and read and celebrated。isabel yap’s writing is incredible。 i don’t read a lot of short story anthologies， but she somehow has a unique voice in every story that still is distinctly hers no matter the story’s length。 each takes you into its world。 it amazes me how quickly yap is able to build a world， build a narrative， and then have it end。 some are a little more open ended， but that just goes off the scary stories that are told。 how the story will haunt you even as you begin the next one in the collection。[a copy of this book was gifted to me for @pridebooktours in exchange for a review]cw: gore， violence， rape， parental homophobia， murder， suicide， death， deadnaming & misgendering， blood， statutory rape， ghosts and the occult 。。。more

Allison Ruvidich ，

Probably my favorite collection of short stories I’ve ever read， and incidentally a master class in how to structure short fiction， because Yap can write a story so many different ways and it’s a marvel。 My favorites were How to Swallow the Moon and Canticle for Lost Girls。 Translucent and cutting in equal measure。

Megan ，

An excellent collection of short stories， running the mix of fantasy， horror， and science fiction （and then there's one novella I'd happily recommend as a witchy paranormal romance）。 My favorite stories: "Asphalt， River， Mother， Child" and "Good Girls"。 An excellent collection of short stories， running the mix of fantasy， horror， and science fiction （and then there's one novella I'd happily recommend as a witchy paranormal romance）。 My favorite stories: "Asphalt， River， Mother， Child" and "Good Girls"。 。。。more

Cebrina ，

An interesting collection of short stories， ranging in genre from horror to romance to sci-fi to fantasy。But I also think that that is the reason I rated it at 3 stars rather than 4; I would have liked a more over-all genre for the collection， maybe especially because the horror and horror-tinged stories are really the shining stars here。 I particularly enjoyed "Good Girls"， "Have You Heard the One About Anamaria Vasquez？"， and "A Canticle for Lost Girls" because they have a creeping sense of un An interesting collection of short stories， ranging in genre from horror to romance to sci-fi to fantasy。But I also think that that is the reason I rated it at 3 stars rather than 4; I would have liked a more over-all genre for the collection， maybe especially because the horror and horror-tinged stories are really the shining stars here。 I particularly enjoyed "Good Girls"， "Have You Heard the One About Anamaria Vasquez？"， and "A Canticle for Lost Girls" because they have a creeping sense of unease right from the start， and I particularly liked the bodily aspects of the stories。 Indeed， "Good Girls" is as repugnant as it is intriguing。 That is not to say that the rets of the stories are not good; Yap writes well， no matter what kind of story is being told， but while I also enjoyed the non-horror stories， I felt perhaps a little wrong-footed， having expected something different。 On their own， they are all good; in a single collection， they are a little too all-over-the-place for my tastes。 It may be that I just went into this collection with the idea there there was an over-all genre-specific theme without having been specifically told that this was the purpose， and since my brain was set on that， being pulled out of that mind-set was a little disorienting。 That's on me， of course， not the stories themselves。Another story I enjoyed was "Milagroso"， which was a mixture of spec-fic and horror-tinged fantasy。 The idea of all "natural" food having been abolished （in the sense that you only eat that which has been produced in factories to mimic e。g。 a fruits or meat， etc。） was really intriguing， and the reactions from people eating natural food at the end was as unsettling as it was awful （in the original sense of the word， that is）。 Yap writes tension and the pregnant sense of expectation really well， to the point where you can almost taste it。 Likewise， I really enjoyed the fantasy love story "A Spell for Foolish Hearts"， but I kept going "at what point do things go horrifically wrong？"， which ruined the effect of it just a little， as it ends （view spoiler）[happily with the couple reunited and in love， as you'd expect from a traditional love story（view spoiler）[。 But the couple was really sweet， and I adored the witchery of it and the world-building。 （hide spoiler）] （hide spoiler）] 。。。more

Hoarding Books Herding Cats ，

Otherworldly。 I’ve been reading so much YA and YA fantasy but this made me fall back in love with literary fiction。 I don’t even know how to describe this book other than saying that is genre-defying and beautiful。 The stories are haunting and so perfect for the mythology lover that I am。 Poetic prose， very reminiscent of Aimee Bender （who I love to bits）。 I can’t stop thinking about this book。 The first three stories， oh my gosh。 You have to read it。 READ IT！ Thanks to Pride Book Tours for the Otherworldly。 I’ve been reading so much YA and YA fantasy but this made me fall back in love with literary fiction。 I don’t even know how to describe this book other than saying that is genre-defying and beautiful。 The stories are haunting and so perfect for the mythology lover that I am。 Poetic prose， very reminiscent of Aimee Bender （who I love to bits）。 I can’t stop thinking about this book。 The first three stories， oh my gosh。 You have to read it。 READ IT！ Thanks to Pride Book Tours for the digital ARC and finished copy。 Find me on bookstagram as @HoardingBooks。HerdingCats and on Twitter as @HoardingBooksHC 📚 。。。more

Pesabr ，

This book is totally amazing。

Bill Hsu ，

This is a diverse and largely enjoyable collection。 More notes at:https://www。goodreads。com/topic/show/。。。Normally I would be suspicious of the somewhat sappy "A Spell for Foolish Hearts"， with its YA romance inflections and fantasy conventions （playfully handled with a light touch， thankfully）。 But the style is brisk， and the voice of the earnest， uptight protagonist is nicely handled。 （I can be forgiving when we share an enthusiasm for Ben Whishaw， ha。） Yap seems to live in San Francisco and w This is a diverse and largely enjoyable collection。 More notes at:https://www。goodreads。com/topic/show/。。。Normally I would be suspicious of the somewhat sappy "A Spell for Foolish Hearts"， with its YA romance inflections and fantasy conventions （playfully handled with a light touch， thankfully）。 But the style is brisk， and the voice of the earnest， uptight protagonist is nicely handled。 （I can be forgiving when we share an enthusiasm for Ben Whishaw， ha。） Yap seems to live in San Francisco and work in tech， and gets those details right。 There are enough surprises and charm for me to enjoy the ride。"Asphalt， River， Mother， Child" is probably one of the less artful stories in the collection so far。 But the War on Drugs in the Philippines is so tragic and painful， I'm not sure how one can work with it in a short story。 I think Yap shows admirable restraint， and doesn't let her tale of the afterlife collapse under the weight of its subject matter。"All the Best of Dark and Bright" is fun， a fairly straight supernatural romance， maybe a bit too cute。 Nice abrupt ending though。"Misty" is quite different from the other stories in the collection。 A young girl is the unreliable narrator， and two parallel storylines tangle as we get glimpses of her troubled relationship with her father。 The dark turn at the end is nicely executed。The closing novelette， "A Canticle for Lost Girls"， seems a bit overextended for its material。 I can't say I'm a fan of its particular brand of magical retribution。 But there's much to enjoy in the social sparring of the girls in the Catholic retreat， and Yap again weaves a rich net of local detail。3。5 stars， rounded up。 。。。more

Katharine ，

This collection of stories is such a delight to read。 My favorites: Have You Heard The One About Anamaria Marquez？Hurricane Heels （We Go Down Dancing）Only Unclench Your HandHow To Swallow The MoonA Canticle for Lost GirlsI loved all of this。 Each story I loved and appreciated， Isabel Yap’s writing is so beautiful and does exactly what each story intends for it。 I am so glad to have read this

Jem ，

Took me a while to get through this one but worth the read。 An intriguing collection of stories， a mixture of folklore， fantasy and horror with some genuinely creepy and weird storylines。 The tension in some of the stories was so palpable， I occasionally had to pause to catch my breath - really well done。The author is Filipino so there were terms I had to Google which added to the authenticity for me。 She has also lived in California and Tokyo and some of her stories are set in those locations， Took me a while to get through this one but worth the read。 An intriguing collection of stories， a mixture of folklore， fantasy and horror with some genuinely creepy and weird storylines。 The tension in some of the stories was so palpable， I occasionally had to pause to catch my breath - really well done。The author is Filipino so there were terms I had to Google which added to the authenticity for me。 She has also lived in California and Tokyo and some of her stories are set in those locations， which added another layer of variety。Enjoyable - glad I discovered this author。 Will definitely put some of her other titles on my reading list。 。。。more

Celia McMahon ，

What scared you most as a child？I remember watching Cat’s Eye， a film anthology by Stephen King way back in the 80’s and there was this one story when a young Drew Barrymore talked her parents into taking in a cat， but her parents were so scared of the cat “taking her breath away”…as was the superstition。 Little does anyone know， there’s a little creature （goblin？ mini troll？ no idea） living in her wall） I was terrified of a little monster like that living in my wall that I was convinced there w What scared you most as a child？I remember watching Cat’s Eye， a film anthology by Stephen King way back in the 80’s and there was this one story when a young Drew Barrymore talked her parents into taking in a cat， but her parents were so scared of the cat “taking her breath away”…as was the superstition。 Little does anyone know， there’s a little creature （goblin？ mini troll？ no idea） living in her wall） I was terrified of a little monster like that living in my wall that I was convinced there was one in my room and I’d wake up hearing the little jingle bell the movie creature had worn on its hat。 UGH， I still get chills thinking about it。This was a fascinating collection of dark stories that will take you out of reality。 Never has a book stuck with me the way this one has。 Images of the situations portrayed haunt me just like that wall troll from Cat’s Eye。 The thing about this is that this is what I want a book to do。 I want it to stick with me。 I want to make an impression。 With each story I was transported to a new nightmare， a new world and I loved every second。 Yap’s writing and her inclusion for diversity hooked me， but the way she molded these tales into so many words amazes me。 I’m a novel writer so anyone who can tell a story in just 15-20 pages are talented people and they always put me in awe。 Hurricane Heels and Canticle for Lost Girls were my favorites。 I hope you guys pick up this book。 If you love haunting stories， buy this book， but pick it up for the beautiful writing if not the gorgeous cover。 I was given a free copy of this book for my honest review。 。。。more

Abigail ，

4。5 rounded up to 5

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Never Have I Ever

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Never Have I Ever&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Never Have I Ever&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0