In the spirit of full disclosure, I'm no reality TV fan. However, the description of this book caught my eye, and I was intrigued. For the most part, I enjoyed this book. The story line is cute, fun and it has a very modern, up-to-date feel. I thought the heart of this story was very genuine and I felt there was a nice level of relatability. I liked Maya & Skye and thought they had pretty good chemistry. Even with all that though, sadly this book just lacked that certain spark for me. Maybe it was the reality TV angle or maybe it was simply the age range of these characters. I can't say for certain. What I will say is that I thought it was good read.

I wanted to love this so much because Perfect on Paper was one of my favorite books of 2021. The premise was excellent but this felt almost too fast paced. I feel like we skipped from enemies to lovers way too quickly without any of the build up or angst that makes it my favorite trope. I never felt like I got to know Skye or Maya particularly well, with their own struggles randomly sprinkled throughout as opposed to feeling like actual characteristics. But it was still entertaining and fun to get through.

Thank you so much for letting me read this book ahead of time. I'm always one for a juicy reality tv read, (and also a solid Taylor Swift reference in the title), so of course I was excited to get to read this book! I love the similarities to the bachelor, and the inclusion of LGBTQ+ characters I know I at least could relate to! I've already purchased a physical copy so I can reread this book (definitely going on the guilty pleasures list)

"𝘈𝘭𝘭 𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘱𝘴 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘣𝘢𝘨𝘨𝘢𝘨𝘦. 𝘐𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘣𝘢𝘨𝘨𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘮, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘵𝘰 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘣𝘦𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘯𝘰𝘸, 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘮𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧 𝘧𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘯 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯."

𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑩𝒂𝒄𝒉𝒆𝒍𝒐𝒓 𝒎𝒆𝒆𝒕𝒔 𝑻𝒂𝒚𝒍𝒐𝒓 𝑺𝒘𝒊𝒇𝒕 𝒎𝒆𝒆𝒕𝒔 𝑪𝒂𝒏𝒂𝒅𝒊𝒂𝒏 𝒓𝒐𝒚𝒂𝒍𝒕𝒚!

This book really has everything! I got into it and then I couldn't stop! Every time I thought I knew how the book was going to end, there was another turn in the road!

There were definitely a couple times when I had to remind myself that these were like 18-19 year old girls, but other than that, this book totally fed into the trashy reality TV love that I let NO ONE see normally 😅

And the author writes the characters so well, that there were times when I was PHYSICALLY cringing with things the Male MC was doing and saying! She knows how to make me truly hate a fictional character LOL

Thank you Sophie, @stmartinspress and @netgalley for the ARC in exchange for this review!
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#bookstagram #booksta #books #booksbooksbooks #avidreader #ilovereading #thetwistedlibrarian #professionalbookworm #neverevergettingbacktogether #sophiegonzales #book37of2022 #whatsnikkireading #lgbtq #arc #advancedreadercopy #stmartinpress #netgalley

We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together by Sophie Gonzalez is a fun dating show YA romance with a twist of revenge.

Maya is still smarting from her now ex-boyfriend cheating on her and publicly making her seem crazy. When she met him, he was just Jordy, but now that his sister has married a prince of a small country, the world is fascinated with him and his lies. When she gets a call to be on the dating show Second-Chance Romance and vie for Jordy’s heart again along with his other exes, she turns them down, but reconsiders when she realizes this might be very public way to set the record straight. Of course when she gets to mansion, she’s told she’ll be rooming with Skye, the girl he cheated on her with. And Skye has been told a very different story of what happened between Jordy and Maya. Soon the wrong kind of sparks are flying between the two who hate each other at first sight. Spoiler alert. That might change.

We get both Maya and Skye’s POVs, and I definitely related more to one. Maya was funny and obsessive and a little bit of a mess and I loved her. Skye was a great character too, but she was a little too perfect for me to relate to. Ultimately this was a fun skewering of this type of show. I have no idea how accurate it was—if I were to guess I’d say the producers in the book were probably a little less manipulative than I think they are on shows like The Bachelor—but there were tons of fun details like how they oiled Jordy up to make his abs pop on camera and how he would completely drop the good guy act the second the cameras turned off.

The relationship between Maya and Skye is lovely and builds nicely, and I think readers looking for an LGBTQ+ romance will definitely root for them. My biggest problem with the story was just how awful Jordy was. It was hard for me to understand how two smart, thoughtful girls—not to mention the rest of the contestants—had fallen under his spell not just for a few weeks, but for long-term relationships.

I enjoyed this storyline, it was fun at first…but then it just dragged on for a while. It wasn’t until Skye and Maya relationship started that things got interesting again. I mean, we all know Jordy is a jerk so it didn’t have to be so repetitive on that note.

I enjoyed the ending and loved that we got an epilogue with Skye and Maya after the show. They are so dang cute!

For every woman whose been told she’s “too sensitive” , “too dramatic”, “too emotional” or whose been gaslit in one way or another by a man.. this is the book for you.

I can’t even begin to describe how much I loved this book that finally put a man whose gaslit women throughout his life in his place.. If any of you have ever seen the movie John Tucker Must Die, this book shares similarities in that women who’ve been pitted against each other, come together to take a man down.

This Bachelor-esque meets John Tucker Must Die movie brings together the exes of the “sexiest most humanitarian cry me a river type man” in a reality show meant to give a second chance to one of the exes not knowing that Mr. Feminist has been manipulating them all from the moment he reached out to them again. Though we learn about all the exes, the story centers around Maya and Skye; Maya who dated Jordy Miller (Mr. Feminist) first and then been cheated on, dumped, and made out to be the crazy jealous ex & Skye the woman who just so happened to be the “other woman” without ever knowing that Maya and Jordy’s relationship timeline was too close for comfort with her own relationship with Jordy.

Maya and Skye, who are forced to share a room together when they get to this reality show mansion rightfully hate each other at first but when information comes to light these two can’t help but team up to take Jordy down. When feelings develop and Maya’s revenge plans take a turn, these two women must decide what’s truly more important in the end.. getting to a man who couldn’t care less what he’d done to them or moving on.

4.25/5

I became an instant fan of Sophie Gonzales after reading Perfect on Paper last year and was anxiously awaiting the release of Never Ever Getting Back Together. I loved that the setting was a reality TV show since I have recently become obsessed with shows like The Circle and Love Is Blind, and thought it was a nice change of pace to have this type of story written with young adults as the focus. The chapters alternate between Skye's and Maya's viewpoints, and I think between the two Maya was my favorite if only because I loved that she was snarky and out for that sweet revenge. I love basically anything that has a good revenge plot, but this story is also a denunciation of the crappy exes we have and wish we had never dated, and that just made me love it even more. Gonzales wrote what I'm sure a lot of girls (and guys for that matter) have felt, and she did it with a beautiful sapphic twist.

Even though Never Ever Getting Back Together focuses mainly on Maya and Skye, I loved all of the other contestants as well, and every single one of the characters felt real and dynamic. There was some great humor mixed in and I love the way Gonzales writes a story because it fully enthralled me and made it hard to put this book down. I laughed out loud so many times, but there were serious factors as well which I definitely needed. And thanks to this book Taylor Swift will be forever stuck in my head - thanks, Gonzales! But really, this was such a treat, and I didn't find many faults with it. I will say that while I loved the audiobook which is narrated by Barrie Kreinik & Natalie Naudus, I'm not entirely sure if their voices fit with the characters. They sound like, and are, grown women while our MCs are only 18, and I'm not sure having them narrate was all that believable if that makes sense. That being said, I did love both of them and they were incredible, especially when it came to the accents of the other contestants.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I did not care for this story. I kept getting stuck on the amount of incidents that happened to people who are only twenty-years-old. The complaints of suffering and time spent when we are talking about people who are not even in college yet. Jody is obviously a player from the number of people he has been with in such a short amount of time. I just kept getting stuck in this loop of time and age.

I received a free copy of this book and I am writing a review without prejudice and voluntarily. I am sorry to say that I did not connect with the characters in this book. You might, so please do not take my opinion as anything other than a reader who did not make a connection.

I received a free copy of this book and I am writing a review without prejudice and voluntarily.

Thanks NetGalley and Wednesday Books for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review!

I thought this was a cute book, but wish it would’ve been about adults and not teens. The whole teen bachelor premise felt a bit awk.

This one definitely exudes John Tucker Must Die meets The Bachelor, but make it sapphic!

The story follows a reality dating show featuring one man trying to get his fairytale second chance romance among a group of his exes, when two female contestants fall for each other while plotting to take him down in the end. Now doesn’t that sound like a drama filled, grand ol time?

I really enjoyed this one but think it could’ve had more drama, especially with the premise of living in a house amongst an ex boyfriend alongside his ex girlfriend’s. I guess I was expecting more toxicity than what was served but maybe these young adults are mature for their respective ages lol.

I feel as though this could have served better to a more “adult” audience rather than upper YA. That being said, I still enjoyed this one & absolutely adore Sophie as an author. I will read anything she puts out!

Thank you so much to Sophie Gonzales, St Martin's Press, Wednesday's Books & NetGalley for an advance copy of this book!

"I thought it was easy to choose not to fall for someone. But it's not. It's not something you can control. You don't jump. You get pushed."

Imagine being asked to be on a second chance dating show where you are asked to compete with other ex girlfriends to win the heart of your ex back. But instead of falling for your ex, you end up falling for one of the other ex girlfriends? That is exactly what happens when Maya met Skye.

"I met a girl, and she made me believe love was worth the risk."

The premise of this book was so good and I remember when I heard Sophie talking about this early on how exciting this was. And to my memory nothing like this has not really been done. There have been other romance books where it had a reality tv premise (One to Watch or If The Shoe Fits) but nothing where the contestant fall for each other.

I love that the tension between Maya and Skye was so believable in the first half of the book and I am glad that it lingered on until half way through. I don't think it would have worked for me had the relationship started to develop sooner. I am not sure if they are a happily ever after but I definitely can see them as happily for now.

"Jordy's his own gasoline. Maybe all I needed to do was light a match."

Jordy was such a great villain! And reminded me of a few characters from the Bachelorette over the seasons that I have watched. He was the classic narcissist that loves the attention and didn't care who was hurt in the process. He knew exactly what he was doing the whole time and good luck to whoever doesn't see his red flags. Even though he was a slimeball I enjoyed reading about him because I just wanted to see what more lies came out of his mouth.

My biggest issue which was hard to not forget was the ages of the characters. It was hard to believe that 18 year olds would go on a dating reality show to date someone they dated when they were 16?! I think if the ages would have been shifted to the early 20s and then competing in their mid to late 20s that would have made more sense. I also don't think someone who was broken up with at 16 would still be so angry and have so much vengeance they want to seek 2-3 years later? This is coming from someone who did not date at 16 so maybe I would feel different but even my relationship at 18 I was over it after a few months.

Sophie Gonzales will always be an auto buy/read author and I really would love for her to try to venture into the adult world because I think she would be fantastic!

Two ratings:
3 stars as a YA
4 stars as if it was an Adult book
Average of the two: 3.5

This was a cute YA read with a different plot that I found interesting to read. Maya and Skye are two girls from different countries who share pretty much only one thing in common: their ex, Jordy. Jordy is a player with ties to a royal family, and gets cast as the star of a reality dating show, which invites his exes to compete with each other for another shot with him. Maya holds resentment over their break-up, so she agrees to participate, hoping to break his heart this time. Unbeknownst to her, she will be rooming with the very girl Jordy cheated on her with.

I found this book hard to get through because the plot was very juvenile, even for a young adult read. (and I am an avid YA fan.) I think its because it was a bunch of 18-20 year old girls in one mansion competing for the same guy. I also did not care for Maya's character- I found her judgemental, immature (even for 18) and petty. I did like Skye though- and not just because she's Canadian! I love Canadian ties in books. And they didn't portray her as a typical Canadian stereotype, which was great.

And don't get me started on Jordy- he was absolutely insufferable, to a point he enraged me through the pages. But I guess that is the point of his character, as he has flown over the world, manipulating girls on different continents.

I enjoyed the setting of this book- a reality show in a mansion in a foreign royal country. The behind the scenes look at dating shows (cough,cough, the Bachelor) showed an interesting perspective on what goes on, off the screen. It seems like the author did her research. Cute read, but definitely for a younger audience.

The Bachelor🌹, but he’s a manipulative playboy🥀, then make it a revenge plot🖤, that turns into a sapphic romance❤️. I loved this story y’all! While it’s YA, all characters are 18+, so it also reads like a closed door NA.
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Maya and Skye are asked to be on a new dating show called Second-Chance Romance starring their ex, Jordy. Jordy is a wealthy handsome quasi-celebrity who’s sister married the prince of a small European nation. (He’s also an arrogant lying cheater.) While Maya is only in it for the payback, Skye hopes to rekindle an old flame. Will Maya’s revenge plot cost her a real chance at love?
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I loved the enemies to lovers and forced proximity tropes. I am also here for all the catty comments and Bachelor style drama 😂👏. This is my first Sophie Gonzalez book and I will definitely be back for more!
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Thank you to @netgalley @wednesdaybooks and @macmillan.audio for these digital ARCs in exchange for an honest review. I read and listened to this book. I’m a big @natalienaudus fan and loved her narration with Barrie Kreinik!
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CWs: gaslighting, toxic masculinity, misogyny, infidelity
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Never Ever Getting Back Together- Sophie Gonzalez
4.5/5⭐️

Title: Never Ever Getting Back Together
Author: Sophie Gonzales
Release Date: November 29th, 2022
Page Count: 374
Start Date: November 14th, 2022
Finish Date: December 2nd, 2022

Review:
Story: I was very hesitant to start this book. I was worried it might be full of too much cringe. I was completely wrong. I am so glad for that. I started to read another book by this author. I had to set it down. Not because it was a bad book. I was just really burned out on reading at the time. Because of this book, I have now gotten her entire collection in audiobook. I really want to see this as a movie. I want to see many of these things actually happen. Including a part of the ending. This book was full of drama and comedy.
Characters: One of our main characters is Maya. She's cheated on with the other main character, Skye. When it comes to light, he lies to everybody and tells them that she just couldn’t accept being broken up with. He makes it seem like Maya is unstable and irrational. I really felt for her. Most of us have been there at one point. I wanted to dislike Skye, but it seems like he was just as dishonest with her as he was with everybody else.
Critiques: I wouldn't call this a critique as much as a personal preference. I would have loved to see certain things played out a little more. Something happens towards the end that I really would have liked to see how that fully played out. It's kind of why I'd love to see this in a movie!
Final Thoughts: Maya is so quirky. Skye is too. There are times that they really grated on my nerves, but they really are so cute together! I loved this story. I loved that while they were on this show for their ex, they fell for each other. I'll probably reread this again quite a few times. I wish there were a sequel to it! I need to see how things go from there!

Loved this one so much. Official review on my insta https://www.instagram.com/p/Cei8TVoLIdt/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

Never Ever Getting Back Together by Sophie Gonzales is a revenge story with a twist. Following two girls who team up to expose their ex on his new dating show, but end up falling for each other instead, this one contains plenty of drama and two interesting main characters. I especially enjoyed the social themes in the book, making this the perfect read for those who enjoy feminist rom-coms.

While it has been two years since her ex-boyfriend cheated on her, Maya still can’t get away from him. His sister just married a European prince, and to capitalize on Jordy’s new fame, a reality show is in the works, bringing all of his exes together to compete for a second chance at love. Naturally, Maya is invited onto the show, but when she finds herself rooming with the girl Jordy cheated on her with, the two get off to a rocky start. However, as Maya and Skye get to know each other better, they form an alliance to take Jordy down and break his heart, and even find themselves falling for each other along the way.

❀ DUAL PERSPECTIVES

The story is told through dual perspectives, and it’s interesting to see Maya and Skye’s differing attitudes towards Jordy at first: Maya has always been in it for revenge, but Skye comes in wondering if she can rekindle her relationship with Jordy. I especially felt for Maya, as she is cast as a villain on the show, and Jordy has spread lies about her, calling her manipulative to hide the truth about the way their relationship ended. It becomes difficult for Maya to be believed when she exposes the kind of person Jordy really is, and I liked the way she perseveres to call him out despite not being taken seriously. I would have liked to see more depth to both Maya and Skye beyond their mutual dislike for Jordy, but I still enjoyed their dynamic.

❀ THEME OF FEMINISM

One of my favourite things about this book is the feminism. As Maya fights to expose the real Jordy, there are many conversations about the way fame influences the truth. Because Jordy has become famous, his side of the story is widely spread and automatically perceived as true. The impact of this is clear as all of the other contestants have already been warned about Maya before coming onto the show, which makes it even harder for her to tell her side of the story. I loved the way Jordy has to face the consequences of his behaviour as Maya plans to expose him, and it was great to see all the girls eventually coming together to take him down.

❀ ENTERTAINING

Never Ever Getting Back Together by Sophie Gonzales is an entertaining take on the reality show trope. I loved the idea of two girls who are positioned as rivals teaming up to expose their ex, and the main characters have an interesting dynamic. The feminist themes are another welcome addition, making this a great read for those who enjoy rom-coms with timely social commentary.

I'm so happy I got to read this novel! It reminded me of John tucker must die but with a twist!

I enjoyed seeing Maya and Skye rivalries for Jordys heart. Skye is evil right? How could she cheat with Jordy when he was with maya? What kind of a woman could do that?

I loved seeing their relationship play out and how they turn the tables on Jordy. What a slime ball!

Will these two get even? What will the other girls do? Do they even believe maya? You can't blame them for being skeptical.

If you like a good revenge novel this is perfect. You will keep flipping the pages to see what happens.

Thank you to netgalley and Wednesday books for this ARC! I'm off to check out more reads form Sophie

For once a year, I find a YA romance I’m in LOVE with and Never Ever Getting Back Together was this years.

I loved the revenge journey, the book was fun and witty. I enjoyed how Maya and Skye complimented each other.. My hang up is that these characters could have probably been early twenties vs 18.

If you’re a fan of the Bachelor franchise or the American Royals series you will love this book!

Thank you to Wednesday Books and NetGalley for access to this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

This book was one of my favorites this month. It wasn't filled with a lot of drama like I expected. But it also had a really nice twist on the dating game. HIGHLY RECOMMEND AND LOVED IT.