It's been 2 years since Maya broke up with Jordy. Jordy, who's sister married into a small European royal family and who is now famous for being a royal by association. With that he decides to be part of a reality show called Second Chance Romance, where he dates the girls he had previously had relationships with to see who he will end up with. Maya never wanted to see Jordy again especially when he cheated on Maya with Skye and gaslighted her and told everyone that she made that up. When they first meet ,Skye is put off by how Maya acts towards her, but once Maya proves she was right everything changes. Maya and Skye start spending more and more time with each other and they develop feelings for each other. They decide to wreck havoc on the show and on Jordy. Eventually they decide that Jordy get his comeuppance but only after Maya and Skye are happily together. It was a fun, nonsense take on reality shows. I really enjoyed how much fun was poked at these. Overall, it was a fun read.

Fun book. I went in with no information which made the book way more fun because I had no idea where it was going. Very fun. Didn’t know it was YA until more than halfway through the book when there was a fad to black scene. Lets call it 1/5 spice? Loved the lgBtq rep

I liked this, but I didn't love it nearly as much as Sophie's previous books. I loved how Maya and Skye came together (while at a dating show, competing (theoretically) for their mutual ex boyfriend). They were really fun together and made excellent collaborating schemers. Their chemistry was great as well. The part I really didn't enjoy was the ending - we were building to this big reveal, a big fuck you moment for their ex, and it really fell flat for me. The love story was solid, but the revenge story left a lot on the table.

I'm a Bachelor franchise fan, but I'm also Queer as hell so this Bachelor inspired romance where two girls fall in love should have been an easy 5 star read. It was fine, but I didn't find it particularly memorable.

I thought a lot of the story was much too rushed, and needed room to breathe. It felt like we'd barely started a new task before Maya or Skye was waking up for the next day, and I don't remember most of what they did during the show as the story raced to the finish line.

I didn't really care about Jordy, sure he was a stereotypical misogynistic jerk but like, he had literally no other character development. He barely felt like a real person as a result. I sorta got Maya and Skye's relationship and they did have some cute moments, but how rushed the story felt did affect this for me.

This aptly named novel follows Maya and Skye, two young women, as they join filming for a reality tv show, where they attempt to rekindle their romance with the one who got away - Jordy. The catch? Maya is a woman scorned, and Skye is the person who stole her ex away from her. But… a second chance is the last thing on Maya’s mind, as she plans to get revenge on Jordy.⁣
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I hate it when people say young adult novels read “too young” or “too childish”, because duh, it’s a YOUNG adult novel. However, a lot of the behavior in the first 40% of the book was just a little too immature for me. Especially because our two main characters are 18-19 years old. It just felt a little ridiculous to see them act very childish. ⁣
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However! I did really like Maya and Skye. I thought they were both very interesting, complex characters once you really got to know them, and I have always appreciated how Sophie writes messy, honest people. The romance was all yearning and ‘oh my god FINALLY’, which I love. This book is classic Sophie Gonzales, so obviously I still enjoyed it a lot! I just could’ve done without all the extra immature jabs and 13 year old behavior.⁣
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All in all, I really enjoyed this one, and I will always read everything Sophie writes.

I had a very hard time getting into this one. None of the characters interested me and I couldn't get sucked into the story. :(

Full of humour and heart, this book is an absolute joyride. Queer books with a "The Bachelor"-like premise have my whole heart; they tend to have amazing representation and challenge our stereotypical view of what love and gender roles should look like. Sophie Gonzales is a master at this anyway, and she did not disappoint!!

I received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Two years ago, Jordy cheated on Maya with Skye. Then he convinced everyone that Maya was a jealous liar. More recently, Jordy's sister married the crown prince of a small European country, bringing both her and Jordy into the limelight. Jordy has convinced the world that he's a great guy and magazines call him the most eligible bachelor.

At the beginning of Never Ever Getting Back Together, Jordy was chosen to star in the first season of a new reality TV show called Second-Chance Romance, in which he will re-date his exes to see if he can rekindle any sparks. Maya agrees to go on the show so that she can get revenge by showing the world who Jordy really is, even if that means coming face to face with Skye.

Surprisingly, Maya and Skye form a tentative friendship over time. When the possibility of their friendship developing into something more arises, Maya must decide what's more important: the chance to see where things go between her and Skye, or getting the revenge she has awaited for so long?

This book has such an awesome premise and I'm so happy to say that the execution followed through! Never Ever Getting Back Together is such a fun, adorable story (with one of the most stunning covers I've ever seen)!

I loved that we got both Maya's and Skye's perspectives. It allowed us to really get to know both characters and watch how their feelings about each other evolved over time. This was especially fun when they began questioning how platonic their relationship was. I love when the reader knows two characters like each other before the characters themselves realize their feelings are requited! I also really appreciated the bi rep in here!

The reality TV show aspect was very unique and interesting. There were complex dynamics between the group of ex-girlfriends and I liked that they all had distinct personalities and motivations for competing on the show. In terms of the competition itself, I thought the challenges the girls participated in were a fun addition to the story.

Overall, I had such a pleasant experience reading Never Ever Getting Back Together. The romance was sweet and adorable with amazing bisexual representation and the plot was fun and entertaining. If you're a fan of The Bachelor/The Bachelorette or reality TV shows in general and enjoy young adult romances, I think you will love this book!

If you're a fan of dating reality shows, you'll probably enjoy this book. It had some twists that made it unique but it didn't blow me away.

I really wanted to like this book, but it just wasn't for me. I'm sure others will enjoy, but I just couldn't get into it.

I think the whole Bachelor-esque setting is pretty fun! I'm not normally a realty show kind of gal, however, I do enjoy when it is the main setting of a book! There were some unlikable characters, but the romance development was pretty sweet and I was on board with that. Overall, this represented LGBTQ+ which I ADORE, and I would recommend to all of my friends!

I couldn't put this book down. It was entertaining and wonderful and I enjoyed every minute of it. Never Ever Getting Back Together is the perfect romcom.

This book was so good! Great friends to enemies! Adored every second of it! Highly recommend everyone to read this book! It's fast-paced and incredibly entertaining !!!

RATING: 3/5

I love Sophie Gonzales but this book was just okay for me. I didn't get pulled into the story. But I will try anything she writes and am looking forward to her next one.

Sophie Gonzales is one of my favourite queer YA authors. This book is so funny and emotional and entertaining. I could not put it down, flew through it in one sitting. As a fan of the Bachelor franchise as well, this book was the funniest and cutest imagination of what would happen if contestants fell for each other. Love

These days there are reality shows for just about anything you can think of. I'm not a big reality show fan...when the screaming, fighting, crying happens I get annoyed, so I just don't...except occassionally a skill based show (singing, dancing, etc). But reading about fictional reality shows is different, and honestly, I can't believe this isn't an option in real life....

Maya and Skye (along with several other girls) are all "exes" of Jordy...who is the brother of a girl who married the crown prince of a small fictional European country. Because he's attractive and popular he's been chosen as the main character on "Second Chance Romance". All the ladies get to compete to get back together with Jordy. Maya does not want to get back with him...she wants to humiliate him and out him as the big cheating jerk that he is. Skye is who he cheated on her with and of course they get chosen to room together. As the girls get to know each other they slowly start to realize Jordy is no prize.

Maya and Skye make peace and start working together to win so they can decline Jordy on the live show and list the reasons why. As they work together they realize they are attracted to each other.

This was a fun, fast paced, rom com. I enjoyed the authors ability to tell a story that kept me interested and engaged. In the end the girls all have formed a lasting friendship with the whole group.

What a delightful book! While going into the book, it largely reminded me of The Charm Offensive, it never felt like an imitation - even though we are given an LGBT romance and a dating/reality show.

This book really gives you everything you want: enemies to friends to lovers; a revenge plot; and fake dating. I loved seeing the two FMCs' relationship develop - from complete hate to love; it was slow - without feeling like a slow burn - and felt rooted, rather than random.

I so look forward to Sophie Gonzales' future books!

Never Ever Getting Back Together by Sophie Gonzales follows Maya and Skye. It’s been two years since Maya dumped her cheating boyfriend Jordy. Unfortunately, his sister married royalty, so he is impossible to escape—even when he’s in another country. When Maya gets a call inviting her to participate in a reality show called “Second Chance Romance”, she immediately says no. She doesn’t want to see Jordy again. Doesn’t want to compete with his other exes to win his heart once again. Until she realizes she can’t use this opportunity for revenge. She will play along, win his heart, and crush it on TV. There is just one problem when Maya arrives on set. One person she completely forgot to consider. Skye—the girl Jordy cheated on her with is there. To make matters worse, they are bunking together. What starts out as a volatile rivalry becomes a reluctant alliance to take Jordy down for good. If only Maya and Skye can resist the chemistry between them.

I liked Maya and Skye individually and together. I always love a revenge story, and this one takes a really fun turn.

Sophie Gonzales had me laughing so hard with this book. This is a book I would feel comfortable telling friends and older students to read. The sprinkle of Taylor Swift lyrics just added to the giggles I had. I devoured this book in a day.

Thank you St. Martin’s Press for allowing me to access an advanced copy of this title!

This book was good, mostly because of the way it was written in a light manner allowing the humor to take place in it and within the character’s relationships. The premise is already a bit absurd - out of the ordinary - and I think diving into the more humor side of things really helped the narrative. My main issue with it, and what really took me away from enjoying the story, was the big gesture at the end. I saw the twist in the middle coming a mile away, but I just wish the character’s would have dealt with things more privately, and the big stage was left to the male lead to stumble through alone. Arrogant, toxic, self-centered people just have this natural way to self destroy when you leave them to their own devices. Things come to light, eventually. Overall, this was a great fun read for the in between stages of life I’ve been going through, and I found it enjoyable. Recommend if you are looking for a “The Bachelor” mixed with some moral questions ending in found family, and humor along the way.