I really enjoyed this book! It was fun and sort of girl-power, but not in a girl-power sort of way, if that makes any sense at all.

So, the plot is that Maya is asked to go on a second-chance romance reality TV show to try and win her ex, Jordy, back. However, Maya HATES Jordy, but she decides to go on the show to try and screw him over for lying about her after their breakup. I mean, that already sounds great. Add in 5 of his other exes, each of whom have varying degrees of love for him, and it makes for a thoroughly entertaining story.

Overall, I don't know what else to say, because I don't want to spoil any of it.

Definitely recommend!

This book is more of a 2.5 star but I am rounding it down when compared to books I liked a lot more I gave 3 stars.

I'm not sure that picking up this book was particularly fair considering how disconnected I have felt from contemporary YA fiction in the last couple of years. While I truly believe that their is no upper age limit on any kind of reading and have enjoyed some amazing YA fantasy this year as I have entered my 30s I have found this kind of teen coming of age less relatable and more frustrating.

I definitely felt that way for at least the first third of this book. The pettiness of the ways that Skye and Maia interacted up until about the 40% mark really turned me off their characters. Its hard for me to root for a love story when I don't like the characters and find their motivations to be petty and short sided. While this book did of course find its turning point and the two started working together it definitely put a bad taste in my mouth to start out, and not all the problems were solved in that moment. I think that this book suffers a bit from trying to be about too many things. It is a queer Sapphic romance, while also being about the issues and struggles of teen celebrity. I think the messages about celebrity were muddled as neither of our protagonists were the celebrities or really had to deal with the aftermath of the show they were on. And the love story suffered by feeling rushed as the book tried to do many other things all at once.

There were some very cute moments in this book, and by the end I really enjoyed the personal growth that Maia and Skye experienced. But all of those moments were in the last 15% of the book and that's not nearly enough good to our weigh the bad for me. But what do I know, this isn't my genre any more.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for a free E-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was cute, but overall I found it a bit too surface-level. Great for teens, which I think is the target audience!

I really wanted to love this one because I loved the concept (which is why I requested it—I mean, sapphic revenge via reality TV? Come on! Sign me up!), but the actual details lost me a bit. I just couldn't really believe that a 20-year-old would have 7+ exes, and 6 of whom were willing to come to be a "contestant" on a reality TV show to "win him back" when they're all just teenagers. If the ages were shifted up, I think I would've found it more believable.

That said, it was still fun! A quick, easy read, just not totally for me.

Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for giving me the opportunity to read this. However, I can’t say I recommend this book.

The POVs are confusing because the characters are not very different. They have the same attitude and way of narrating. The side characters also weren’t very flushed out. All around needs more character work.

I appreciated the reality tv bits as much as I would watching reality tv which isn’t a lot but at least it was consistent with what it was going for. That being said the storyline fell short. Just didn’t have a good plot.

Also why would there be a dating show with teenagers? There is a reason that isn’t a thing in real life. How is it the one that got away when they are that young? All around I think the book would have made more sense if they were older.

I thought I wasn't going to like this book but I keep on reading and enjoy it.This book show how sometimes you need to let go of what other people done to you for you to heal.

Maya isn't over Jordy. He cheated on her and broke her heart. It doesn't help that his sister married a prince and now he's all over the media as an almost prince. When she gets a call from the producers of Second Chance Romance, a new reality show that is planning their first episode around Jordy and his exes, Maya decides to go on the show in order to get revenge. Of course she ends up rooming with Skye, the one who Jordy cheated on her with. After a rocky first few days, Maya and Skye find out they may have been wrong about some things and that they have a lot more in common than they expected. In the end, Maya has to decide what is more important to her -- revenge on Jordy or being with Skye. Told in alternating perspectives of Maya & Skye, this is a fun read especially for fans of reality dating shows. Recommended for grades 8 & up.

A group of girls go on a second chance dating show to try and rekindle romance with their famous ex. Two girls walk out together and the boy goes home alone. Could you ask for a better concept for a romance book?

Maya and Skye are enemies only because Jordy cheated on them with each other and there’s a lot of misunderstandings about who knew what and did what. He convinces both of them to come on the reality show and the two end up in a room together. Because that will make for some great drama, right? But through the complicated magic of simply communication, the two realize Jordy is a cheating, lying, misogynist and they need to take him down.

Plot: 4/5
The pacing of this plot moved along well with only a few lags. The concept is hilarious and, as a sucker for reality dating shows, I loved it. I was really satisfied with the conclusion because I was worried they were going to forgive and forget, which is unacceptable!

Characters: 4/5
Both our main characters have their flaws, Skye with her trust issues and Maya with her one track mind anger, but they manage to over come these in ways that were really admirable. They are such a funny pair and the dynamic was incredible.

I loved the side characters and the girl gang energy. Perrie is an icon and I feel like she would be a good lead for a companion book.

Given the chance I would kick Jordy in the nuts.

Writing: 4/5
Gonzales’ writing is really solid, she crafts fantastic dialogue that had me laughing out loud.

Overall: 4/5
This was a really fun read! I feel like I, along with everyone else, assumed this was adult for some reason. And while I still thing it would have easily been an adult book because of the setting, it worked well in as a ya.

Main trope trope- enemies/dislike to lovers
Spiciness- one fade to black scene

Never Ever Getting Back Together by Sophie Gonzales is an adorable YA LGBTQ+ romance about two young women who are supposed to be falling in love with their narcissistic ex, but instead fall in love with each other.

Maya, Skye, and 4 other awesome chicas are invited to a European mansion to compete in a reality show called “Second Chance Romance,” where they are trying to reconnect with an ex-boyfriend. After Maya’s relationship with Jordy ended due to cheating and lying, Maya accepts the show’s invitation to extract revenge. Portrayed from day one as the villain of the show, Maya has to walk a fine line of trying to show everyone Jordy’s true colors while also being friendly enough with Jordy and the other girls so she doesn’t get sent home right away. As the show progresses, Maya and the other girls bond over their shared experiences. But as the end of filming nears, will Maya choose love or revenge?

Cute storyline and fun characters!

I absolutely loved this book. This book made me feel a wide range of emotions: anger, tears, laughter and joy. The two main characters were well written. Jordy got what was coming to him without affecting Maya's and Skye's happy ending. I enjoyed the alternating point of views which allowed me to get to know both Maya and Skye better.

This was the first Sophie Gonzales book I've read and I look forward to reading their other books.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really loved the premise of ‘Never Ever Getting Back Together’ by Sophie Gonzales, and I’m super happy to say it absolutely lived up to the hype for me. This romcom was super sweet and funny, and it had me hooked from the beginning. Definitely recommend!

What a delight- “Never Ever Getting Back Together” was such an enjoyable read for me! I don’t read much sapphic romance, so this was a great way to dip my toes into this genre (trope?). I loved how sassy the FMC was, though there were times it did feel a little over-the-top.

The premise of this book is gold: two female contestants on a dating show fall for each other while seeking revenge on the man whose heart they are supposed to be fighting over, the ex who betrayed them both. The fun and flirty escapist read I didn't realize I needed!

I do not know where to start! Firs of all the representation was amazing! I could not put this book down!! I read it all in less than a day because the story had me wanting more and more! The story line was so fun and unlike anything I had read lately! The author is 100% going on my must buy list and I can not wait to read more from her in the future!!

3.5 stars

This book was a good easy book to listen to while getting chores done but I did find myself zoning out at times. Some parts felt like it dragged and was repetitive. I enjoyed the 2 POVs, however, because it was one narrator sometimes I didn't remember which girl was which. But I really liked that the story took a completely different turn than I expected!

Thanks to NetGalley, MacMillan Audio & St Martin's Press for advanced copies in exchange for an honest review.

Maya’s ex-boyfriend cheated on her two years ago. Despite trying to move on, she still can’t escape him. Jordy’s sister married the crown prince of a small European country. The world knows him as her charming younger brother. The real Jordy is a liar and heartbreaker.

A cautious Skye Kaplan was always careful with her heart until Jordy earned her trust. Skye can’t help wondering why he ghosted her.

Maya and Skye are both invited to star on the reality dating show Second-Chance Romance, along with more of Jordy’s exes. They’ll fight for a second chance at love on live television. While Skye hopes to recapture Jordy’s heart, Maya plans to get revenge. The competition is heavy and Skye and Maya discover that the planned happily ever after isn’t always what you expected.

I devoured this book in a day! It’s definitely giving The Bachelor with a queer twist! I honestly don’t know how to review this book without spoiling everything, so I’ll keep it short and sweet. I absolutely hated Jordy, but he makes a great antagonist for this story! The concept of all his exes fighting for a second chance at love was intriguing, and I enjoyed all the drama going on. Maya was a lively character and had me hooked throughout the story. Despite liking the twist; I wish there was a little more development in the romance. It felt rushed, and the ending left me wanting more. Plus, I wish there was more depth to some of the side characters as well. Overall, I would still recommend this book: sarcasm, girls teaming up to take down their lying ex, and queer representation made it a win!

Thank you to Net Galley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC!

Thank you NetGalley, Wednesday Books, and Sophie Gonzales for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review! This is a really fun book that focuses on Maya and Skye as they’re invited to join a reality dating show. I love reality TV so seeing this in the summary made me desperate to read it. This show is called “Second-Chance Romance” and the two main characters are on there along with their ex and his other ex-girlfriends. This is such a unique premise and was really entertaining to read! I love the bi representation and the romance. I think fans of LGBTQ+ books, reality shows, or rom-coms will really like this one.

Thank you so much for an eARC! Although I'm not a big watcher of reality TV, this sounded fascinating! I loved the characters, the setting, the drama (SO. MUCH. DRAMA) and of course, the outcome! I do wish it was NA or Adult, it felt a bit strange to be published as YA considering the setting, premise, and ages.

The title and the description were somewhat misleading, and both main characters were not worth rooting for. The plot was intriguing at first read, with an inevitable queer romance, but the story missed out on a lot of really great opportunities.

I believe I am almost the exact target demographic for this book: I am a woman-loving woman, and I obsessively watch The Bachelor. I’m not sure how many of us there are, but I do know it is very very hard to find crossover media. This is the first book I’ve found, and I will say right up front it hit every sapphic and Bachelor Nation note I was looking for. The rituals. The producer-manufactured conflict. The catchphrases. An excellent enemies-to-girlfriends arc.

The part where I’m not the target demo is that it’s YA. Which I don’t mind in theory. A good book is a good book whether it has teenage or adult leads. The thing about this specific book, though, is that the situations and characters all feel more suited to being somewhere in the 20’s age range, most especially since they’re a) on a dating show and b) that dating show is about seeing if you’re more compatible with exes now that you’ve both grown. How much growing can you have done if you’re both 19 and dated when you were 18? And what parents are going to watch or let their kids watch a show where teenagers go on sex dates and drink loads of alcohol, even if it’s legal in that country? It’s just a bit weird and confusing. There were some other bits that confused me, and being confused tends to distract me and take me out of the story. So that’s why it’s not a full five stars for me. But I think anyone who had their hearts lit up by that one time on Vietnamese Bachelor where the two women left together will really love reading this.

Thank you Netgalley & St. Martin’s Press for the advanced reader copy. I flew through this book and really enjoyed it. This story follows Maya, who gets invited to be on a second chance romance reality show with the ex that cheated on her and is now royalty famous adjacent. I enjoyed the characters and the pacing. If you are looking for a cute fast read, check this out.