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.

This book is the title of a Taylor Swift song that I rock to all the time and this book is something that I am absolutely rocking aka loving! Taylor Swift’s song is a pretty perfect fit for the start of this book and if I had a song to choose of hers to continue on after, it would be Lover and London Boy. Maya and Skye (and all the others girls) were really hot, smart, cool girl vibes and the friendship that grew into a relationship between Maya and Skye really played a big part in making this book fabulous! Sophie Gonzales is now one of my favorite authors in the rom-com area! Bottoms up to her and Never Ever Getting Back Together!

Maya is invited to go on a bachelor-style dating show where her and a group of other girls will compete for the affection of one man: their shared ex-boyfriend. She decides to go, not to find love, but to destroy his reputation from the inside. When she meets Skye, the girl Jordy cheated on her with, they get off to an understandably rocky start. This book shows, however, that love can bloom in unlikely places.

As much as I liked this book, it was definitely a bit young for me. I went into this not knowing it was a YA novel, and that's on me! I thought that the characters were going to be in their 20s and 30s, when in reality they are all under 20 years old. So, if teen romances are a no-go for you, keep that in mind! Nevertheless, I do truly recommend this book; it was light, fluffy, and sweet, and played directly into my desire for bachelor-style rom com plots. There is a pretty minor eleventh-hour conflict between the main couple, and while it feels trite, it is absolutely something that I could see a couple of 18-year-olds having a spat about. I loved the character development we see in both Maya and Skye (who both get turns narrating), but found that their relationship moved extremely fast and got WAY too serious at a pace that I felt was unrealistic. I would have liked it to have been a bit more drawn out, but I guess things do move fast when you're sharing a room and have no connection with outside society!

This absolutely isn't a problem with the book, but Maya talking about the University of Connecticut like it is some kind of prestigious stuffy Ivy League university made me crack up. I'm a UConn alumna, and while it IS an amazing school, it is ALSO absolutely a party school (which Maya claims that it is not). Again, absolutely not a problem or critique, just something I found funny considering my personal knowledge on the school.

Overall, I gave this book 4/5 stars. I love the recent surge of queer rom coms, especially YA queer rom coms, as it it a genre I feel like gets relatively under-published and under-marketed. Queer youth deserve to have their cute and cheesy romances as much as their straight peers do, and I know I would have LOVED seeing myself represented like this when I was in middle- or high school. I took a star off for pacing reasons, but still truly did love the plot and the characters in it. To be perfectly honest, it reminded me of what could have been in The Selection if America and Marlee got together instead of the plot focusing on silly love triangle with the two boys (and also if it wasn't a dystopian fiction LOL). I would recommend this book to anyone that likes The Bachelor and cotton-candy-sweet queer romances.

Thank you to Sophie, Wednesday Books, and Netgalley for an advance copy of Never Ever Getting Back Together.

Jordy is practically royalty thanks to his sister marrying a European prince, and oh, does he know it. He’s attractive and always knows the right things to say. But he has a string of failed romances under his belt and when an opportunity arises to bring his exes onto a reality show where he re-dates them all to see if there is a potential second chance romance, he jumps at the chance.

Maya had her heart broken by Jordy, cheated on by him and left in the dust as he found a new girlfriend to flaunt on his social media. Skye, the next girl up let her guard down and gave Jordy a chance only to be ghosted by him a few months later. Both girls agree to come onto the show - one for revenge, one for answers and the potential for a rekindled romance - and neither expects the outcome they get.

This was a cute and fun YA romcom. I love a reality show setting and I love a social media influence in books and this had both. If it wasn’t right in the blurb that the girls end up falling for each other, I don’t know that I would’ve seen that coming. But this ending up being a queer enemies to lovers with a male exboyfriend as the springboard to get us to that point. It was quite honestly an enemies to frenemies, enemies to friends, enemies to friends to enemies story. A little bit of everything, no matter your trope preference.

Maya and Skye were both likable despite being very different people. Both a little guarded in their own way, different personalities but both big personalities, it was fun to watch their dynamic and the changes they went through together. The supporting characters were a lot of fun, and of course the whole setting was created in a way to keep the plot moving even when our MC’s were not interacting with each other or Jordy. I loved the scenes of being in the house in between dates and competing; the girls with their niceties and performing even when cameras weren’t around, it was very realistic to what we’ve seen on TV in these types of shows..

Anyone who has read a YA Contemporary/RomCom review from me before will know that I can be very critical of the characters, but I have no significant complaints about this one - super enjoyable!

This took me back to The Charm Offensive, but only in the sense that it happens during a reality TV show too, all else was quite different.

Maya and Skye are two of Jordy’s six ex-girlfriends invited to the Second-Chance Romance show where they are supposed to compete for Jordy’s affection while the world watches. Skye is there to try and reconnect with Jordy and perhaps find their lost spark that felt so real at the time. Maya is there for a completely different reason, revenge. She wants to expose the true Jordy, not the famous sweetheart the media knows, but the cheating condescending piece of sh*t that he is.

Maya and Skye’s animosity starts even before they meet. Well, it’s mostly Maya’s animosity towards Skye, in the beginning. The thing is, Jordy got together with Skye after Maya (at least that’s the public version), but the truth is that they were still together for a couple of months there and Maya knows the truth, while Skye doesn’t. What is worst? They have to share a room (I’m sensing a forced proximity trope lurking in here, besides the obvious enemies to lovers). Eventually, they start getting close and join forces towards a common goal.

I really enjoyed seeing the girls having a good time together. With the exception of Maya and Skye having their conflicts in the beginning, which decided the group a bit, the girls were trying to know each other and being friendly. It’s nice not having the stereotype of women b*tching about each other just to be mean or making themselves feel better.

I will be honest that some of the plot choices were somewhat confusing to me. Like, what were the reasons behind the choice of the winner? I don’t really get it, but it makes sense when it comes to the romance part of the book.

I loved the bi representation here. It always makes me happy to see bi characters, and this book gave us not one but two bisexual MCs.

I enjoyed the sass, banter, looks, the fun, kisses, and much more. I liked how some issues, like abandonment issues, were brought up and dealt with. Moreover, I also enjoyed how the MCs were brought together in the end. All in all, a great time!

I enjoyed the sass, banter, looks, the fun, kisses, and much more. I liked how some issues, like abandonment issues, were brought up and dealt with. Moreover, I also enjoyed how the MCs were brought together in the end. All in all, a great time!

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for providing this eARC.

I adore Sophie Gonzales romcoms, and this latest book is no exception! She writes characters that are likable and relatable, I found myself rooting for both Maya AND Skye as they enter this unusual reality show competition to win back their mutual ex-boyfriend Jordy. I loved the dialogue throughout, and I found myself laughing out loud quite a bit.

This is a really fun read combining a lot of common romcom themes - will they or won't they, enemies-to-lovers, second chances, and the potential for many different love triangles with the reality TV setting.

This might sound like a lot, but she makes it all work! The book is full of humor as the competing women work to make themselves stand out in the competition, while they also find themselves supporting each other in their quest.

This is a great read out just in time for the holidays! Highly recommend if you enjoy contemporary reads, romcoms, feel-good books, LGBTQ, or strong female characters.

2.5 out of 5 stars

Thank you to Wednesday Books abd Netgalley an eARC to review!

I’m gonna be honest here: this was a miss for me. The premise is great and I was really hoping to be wow’ed by the fresh concept, but unfortunately, I wasn’t the target audience. It’s not so much a “this book was not good”, but rather, “I didn’t personally like this book.” I think it’ll hit more for younger audiences, and maybe people who like reality TV a bit more.

The characters were fine, if a little unmemorable, but I didn’t feel like the main couple had any chemistry, and I felt like they were a tad bit insta-lovey.

You win some, you lose some. 🤷‍♀️ If you like reality TV, such as Love Island, and are a fan of cheesy rom-coms, though, you might really like this book and it would be worth it to give it a try!

Never Ever Getting Back Together is super witty and laugh-out-loud funny. The writing of Gonzales is engaging, and it was a breeze to get through. Although the premise was what hooked me in, I definitely enjoyed the novel due to the writing style.

As mentioned, the premise is what hooked me in initially - one guy's two ex-girlfriends meet up as contestants on a reality dating show and fall in love. Although the premise is great, I thought the execution was a tad off-base. Firstly, Skye and Maya's romance stems heavily from their shared dislike of the ex - Jordy - which I found slightly off-putting. They barely talk of anything but the ex for the duration of this novel. Due to this, I couldn't feel the romantic connection between them. Another contributing factor to the lack of connection felt was the way they initially hook up. It all happened super quickly - to the point where I wondered how I missed the romantic build up between them. It felt a bit too quick to form and contrived, which was a shame as I think a bit more flirting and engagement without mentioning Jordy would've cemented their romance.

All in all, it's a fun and funny read. Definitely recommended if you like your YA with an intriguing and crazy premise.

Many thanks to Netgalley, St. Martin's Press and Wednesday Books for a copy of this novel. ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.

While this is labeled YA, it kind of feels as though it should be changed to NA, and the ages of the characters adjusted up slightly.

I had a hard time with the first part of this book, Maya comes off as very unlikable. And the amount of wine seemed very excessive.

Overall it fell mostly flat for me, the timeline of the book was over 6ish weeks, but we kept jumping ahead one week at a time, which felt a little disjointed.

Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for an eArc of Never Ever Getting Back Together by Sophie Gonzales.

Let's be real - this is the love story many of us queer people want to see on a dating show. Maya has been burned by her ex, Jordy. He cheated on her for two months then spun the story to make her look like a crazy, jealous ex-girlfriend who couldn't accept when he moved on. So when she gets a call asking her to be on a reality TV show designed for Jordy to reconnect with his exes and see which is the "one the got away," Maya obviously wants nothing to do with it. At least until she realizes that this is her chance to tell her side of the story.

Skye knows all about Maya. But what she doesn't know is that Jordy was cheating on Maya with Skye. Skye thinks Jordy can do no wrong and believes him when he says that Maya is a woman scorned. She's invited on the show and jumps at the chance to reconnect with Jordy.

Naturally, the two of them end up rooming together. Things are off to a rough start when the other girls start picking sides. However, soon enough, the truth about Jordy comes out. Each girl has their reason for being there and not surprisingly, most of them are not there for Jordy.

Both girls have so much to bond over and both identify as not straight, so it's no surprise that a romance blooms between the two of them. They make it to the final round and a difficult decision has to be made by one of the girls: the woman she loves or revenge on Jordy.

This book kept me hooked most of the read and I would definitely recommend it. The only reason it doesn't get 5 stars from me is because the characters are just so young. I would've appreciated characters even just a little bit older. I just couldn't get behind the whole idea of these girls who dated Jordy when they were like 16 going on a show at 20 to find true love.

This book was okay but I really hoped it was adult books. I think this story would've been better with adult women and men and more adult conversations. The love story was cute and the plot was wonderfully unique.