This was a fun little rom com! It had some cute twists that I was not expecting. Love the concept of the show that they star on!

It’s been two years since Maya has seen Jordy. She still seethes when thinking about the way he cheated on her and then made everyone think she was crazy though. When she gets a phone call from a tv producer asking her to come on Second-Chance Romance and date Jordy alongside 5 of his other ex’s, Maya immediately says no. Until she realizes she could go on the show, make him chose her, and the humiliate him on national tv. Skye meanwhile, the girl he cheated on Maya with, never knew she was the other woman, and thinks she and Jordy could have something. Will the two women hate each other? Or come together to ruin Jordy for good?

OMG I freaking loved this book! Someone said it’s Bachelor meets Red White and Royal Blue, and I could not agree more! I loved the reality show setting, and making it all ex’s was just perfection! There were so many times I was like “GAH don’t do that! The producers will destroy you!” Jordy was by far the absolute worst man in the history of men. I hated that man so dang much, he was truly awful! I have loved Sophie’s books in the past, and this one was by far my favorite! If you are a bachelor fan, look no further!

I love Sophie Gonzales’ work and this is a great return after not loving If This Gets Out. This premise grabbed me from the moment it was announced. As usual, Gonzales’ writing is funny and sharp, with great sarcasm and observations of toxic masculinity, homophobia, and more. It was a good match for a Bachelor-like TV show and a character like Jordy, who I instantly wanted to push into that lake. Maya was tough, spunky, but obsessed, and Skye was a good match for her. I only wish we saw more of her development, and a bit more of their relationship growth. I also think there was some unevenness at the tone or sense of age, and it likely would have worked better as NA regardless. But it has to be noted: 10/10 title.

What would happen if a group of women come together to date an ex again on a reality show but two of the contestants fall for each other instead? That's the scenario that Gonzales explores in this book. Maya is convinced to go on a dating reality show for he toxic ex, Jordy, and comes face to face with Skye, the girl Jordy cheated on Maya with and Maya becomes focused on getting revenge on Jordy.

I liked the concept of this book and was really into it when I started it but it ended up taking me a long time to get through because it was just missing something. I love reality dating shows so this was right in my wheelhouse but I wasn't finding myself wanting to pick it up to finish reading it as much as I was expecting. I liked Maya and Skye and their journey throughout the book.

This was a fun, cute read. I really enjoyed the two FMC and their relationship.
The author definitely creates a villain that’s easy to hate and makes the other characters shine bright.
I loved reading the growth and friendships of all the girls. I love the concept of a reality show and two girls fall for each other instead of the guy
The pacing is a little off and pulled me out of the story and moments throughout the story.

I ended up reading this book even though I was on the fence about reading it. The premise is overdone but the twist is that it was LGBTQ so I decided to give it a chance. It was okay. Not really interesting and at times a bit boring but I muscled through. The main characters seemed very similar in disposition despite the author trying to distinguish them. This became a problem as the story was written in both perspectives so at times I forgot who was speaking. It was a light read with not much substance.

hanks to @netgalley and @stmartinspress for the advanced copy of Sophie Gonzales’ LGBTQ+ YA novel Never Getting Back Together. It’s out on November 28th.

When Maya’s ex Jordy is selected for a Second Chance reality dating show, she joins in order to show the world that he is a cheater and a liar. What she doesn’t expect is to fall for Skye—the girl who unwittingly was dating Jordy at the same time as Maya. The book is perfect for fans of the Bachelor and for fans of closed door romance.

Overall: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Steam: 🔥
Tropes: reality show, forced proximity, royalty (adjacent)

NEGBT is a rom com in the vein of John Tucker Must Die, 10 Things I Hate About You, and Mean Girls. This take on the rom com ditches the sexist gender stereotypes and tropes that are so common in this genre. The characters are fun and have really great chemistry. They are thrown together on a second chance romance reality dating show, which was a unique premise for the story. Overall, it was a refreshing take on the scorned ex lover seeking revenge take with some unexpected turns, and is strictly for entertainment.
The story is told from the point of view of Maya and Skye. They become contestants on a reality dating show where the concept is that Jordy will date six of his exes to revisit any missed chances at true love. Though the main focus of the story is Maya and Skye, all of the women are featured just enough to add to the story without it being too much filler.
Jordy, the male lead, is positioned as a charming philanthropist. However, Maya knows Jordy is not who he presents himself to be. When her relationship with Jordy ended, he painted her to be a crazy obsessive ex. She agrees being a contestant on the show to try for her revenge.
Initially, Maya is positioned to be a drama queen who was only wanted on the show to create tension among the contestants. This is going well until she is forced to bond with Jordy's ex Skye. When Maya and Skye forge an unlikely alliance, certain revelations come out about who Jordy really is, and it turns out Maya isn't the only one who ends up seeking revenge on Jordy.

Queer dating show themed novels will just always do it for me. I found the whole plot very interesting and fun despite the unbelievabilty of it all. Not quite sure why this is YA instead of adult but hey it works so. I also wasn't the *hugest* fan of the main couple just because it developed really quick? Despite it happening like halfway through it felt we didn't get much of them beforehand. Still found them adorable though. Overall, just a good time

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

My Selling Pitch:
Do you want to read a rom-com about a reality show like The Bachelor, but the contestants fall for each other instead of the man in a book that somehow has zero drama or stakes? Do you like cringe books?

Pre-reading:
Cute cover.

Thick of it:
Fragile masculinity? How boring.

Mango lychee. At a bowling alley.

How old is this girl supposed to be? (18)

So if she’s a first-year college student, how is she getting drinks at a bar?

I mean cheat and ask for a guaranteed fixed top 3.

These fake reality show names are wild.

I also hate wine.

We love romanticizing an unhealthy relationship with alcohol.

Everyone in this book is idiotic and unbelievably immature.

How is he even considered a fuck boy yet and pulling all these girls? They’re all like 12.

I also hate chicken thighs for the same reason.

Toxic friendship messages.

These girls cannot plan for shit. The plot of this book makes no sense. Like just publish the text messages and he’s outed. There’s no reason for any of this. There’s also no reason for this man to do this show. It’s like that plot point was completely dropped.

The rom-com tropes lol.

The number of platitudes in this book. Like it’s supposed to be clever or some big life lesson? Gag.

Mommy issues lead to lesbianism stereotype.

Okay, but who wouldn’t want to vacation over studying?

New England superiority.

You know when old people try to write young people solely by throwing in buzzwords? That’s this book.

Post-reading:
This book is a whole lot of nothing. The characters don’t have enough animosity towards each other to begin with or that lasts for this to be considered enemies to lovers, nor do they know enough about each other besides names and physical appearances to be believably in love with other. None of the characters feel like real people. It’s a cheesy story that has been done before, and better. It reads very, very young, and granted the characters are young, but it feels very middle school drama. There’s no real point to the show even being produced, and it’s never addressed.

Who should read this:
Bachelor rom-com obsessives

Do I want to reread this:
No

Similar books:
* Crush in the Cascades by Lisa S. Gayle-reality show enemies to lovers dating
* 10 Rules for Faking It by Sophie Sullivan-radio producer goes on bachelorette-style dates and falls for her coworker instead
* Mistakes Were Made by Meryl Wilsner-unlikely lesbian couple in a book where nothing happens

This was such a fun YA read! Maya and Skye find themselves on a Second Chance romance reality show competing for another chance with their shared ex, Jordy Miller. Maya is there for revenge after Jordy cheated on her, broke her heart and them trampled on it by dragging her name through the press afterwards. Skye is there for another chance at love. She doesn’t know why things fizzled out, but she thinks Jordy could be the one that got away.

Maya and Skye begin the show as enemies as Jordy has turned them against each other. However, once Skye finds out the truth about his manipulative ways, her and Maya join forces to take him down. As they work together, they begin falling for each other… but will it last past filming?

I enjoyed this one. Fans of reality TV and specifically the bachelor, will love. Can we have this happen in real life please? This book had some really funny one liners, the sarcasm was top notch. It was sweet watching them be vulnerable with each other. It was also surprisingly sexy for YA, lots of tension and chemistry between these two. I liked how the ending was kind of open ended because these two are 18, it doesn’t need to end with marriage and babies, they have their whole lives ahead of them.

Overall, just a fun and unique YA read- would recommend!

✨ Thank you Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for honest review! ✨

You’ll have to suspend your disbelief to enjoy this one because most of the story makes absolutely no sense but atleast we get the breadcrumbs of a wlm romance.

Things i liked
•the first 20% mayas inner monologue is hilarious
•small interactions between maya and Skye

Dislikes
•way too much time is spent on other contestants and jordy instead of developing the main relationship
•were told how they feel but i didnt
FEEL it
•his decisions didnt make sense( who he decides to keep around) & it made the progression of the story just

As a causal viewer of the Bachelor franchise and many other dating reality shows like it, this book instantly intrigued me. A group of ex-girlfriends fighting to get back to the one man they all dated? Sign me up. And then they fall in love with each other?

This book had such a good concept, but it just didn't live quite up to my expectations. I wish that I liked the characters more, but there wasn't any that I really connected with. I also wasn't expecting fake European countries to be involved and I don't know if I wasn't in the mood for that, but I didn't love that part of the book.

I did enjoy the concept though and how the group of girls came together and worked in this weird scenario that they all found themselves in. I liked the bi representation and how this true enemies to lovers came together, but I was just hoping for something a little more.

I enjoyed this story quite a lot. There are a few over the top scenes and even the idea of a very young woman having so many exes felt a bit far stretched out but overall it was so entertaining and lovely story overall.
Perfect for an afternoon read.

Did I request this ARC solely based on the title? Yes. I was a bit leery as it is marketed as YA, but most of the time while reading I completely forgot about that aspect. I felt that it read much older. Maya and Skye are part of the same dating show marketed as a second-chance at love with their former ex-boyfriend. He's irrelevant. I loved the dynamic of Maya/Skye and I felt that this story was very well done and unique! I would definitely recommend.

This new adult novel was super fun and cute. Ok, the premise of a 20 yr old having enough exes to put together and make a whole show about, is a little out there. It kept me reading and was entertaining the whole way through.

Never Ever Getting Back Together was a masterpiece! I absolutely loved every second of this book. From the endless humour to the characters, everything about this read was perfection.

This book gave me a strong John Tucker Must Die vibe but with modern twists. What isn’t to love about that, am I right?

The story unfolds within the world of reality tv, which was written in such a realistic way. With hijinks, drama, and extravagant world building, it felt as if I was experiencing a better version of The Bachelor. The sarcastic behind-the-scenes look at life on a dating show was the cherry on top!

This is my first Sophie Gonzales read, and I can say with certainty that I will be picking up more of her books. Her writing is incredible. Her take on female relationships and feminist themes was so well done in this book, and i could not get enough of it.

Overall this book is a delightfully flirty YA rom-com and I highly recommend it!

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

4 stars

I really enjoyed this book. It's a very cute YA romance with an interesting plot. Although, I don't know what parents are sending off their 18 year olds to a different country to appear on an obviously toxic reality television show. That was a bit of a plot hole for me but nonetheless, I still enjoyed the book. I also appreciated the bisexual representation from both main characters. Overall, I would recommend it.

The premise of this book is laugh out loud hilarious. Let's just gather all of the exes of this narcissist in a mansion and force them to date him again! Just beyond. And even better is that it's reminiscent of the two Bachelor contestants who fell in love with each other. I loved how they went from rivals to allies to lovers - it's essentially Do Revenge if the heroines ended up together (which is totally how it should've been). It's absurd in the best way with a pseudo francogerman country and evil producers and HELICOPTER DATES. It pokes fun at all of the dating shows, yet also is adorable in its own right. I'd recommend this to fans of sapphic romcoms and reality TV!

*Thank you to Wednesday Books and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review*

My first ARC review! I really wanted to like this, but it was kind of a slog to finish. I wish that I could give fractions for ratings, because I think it's solidly between 2-3 stars. I didn't hate it but I didn't like it much either. The concept is very cute--I like dating show books, like One to Watch or The Charm Offensive--and I love the sapphic twist.

However. There definitely didn't need to be alternating POVs when the two protagonists were so indistinct from each other. I kept getting confused about which one was which because their personalities were so similar... in that they really didn't have personalities at all. I also just didn't really buy their chemistry. There were pretty much zero swoon-worthy, heart-palpitating moments, and I read romance because I like to swoon. The fact that they proclaimed they were in love at the end was slightly baffling, because it was like... love... where?

The 3rd act breakup felt pretty forced, which sadly isn't uncommon in a lot of romance. Skye and Maya spent the whole book game-planning together about how they were going to do the takedown. How is it possible that it didn't occur to Maya that the producers wouldn't let her take him down until she was walking up to him during the finale? They'd already discussed how the show could be edited to be whatever the producers wanted. Theoretically she'd already know that if she publicly rejected Jordy, the producers would still orchestrate it to be different.

I also agree with some other Goodreads reviewers in that there's no reason for their ages to be so young. If they had been in their mid to late 20s it would've made a lot more sense.

There were some funny, wittily written lines that I highlighted, but overall there just wasn't anything standout about this book for me.