Really cute. I liked switching from Maya's viewpoint to Skye's and felt like I got to know each of them. I would have liked more build-up to them liking each other before they acted on it because it felt like a sudden switch from really disliking each other to making out. I liked the focus on developing friendships (after some initial hiccups), and especially loved Perrie.

This was a cute read. I love a good revenge story (especially relatively innocent ones like this one) and enemies-to-lovers is one of my favourite tropes. There’s something so magical about Sophie Gonzales’s writing that it seems almost effortless.

The characters in this book are not the most complex—they kind of seem a bit like personas on a page instead of fully developed characters, but because of the tone of the story, it didn’t really bother me. We do get bits about both Maya’s and Skye’s home lives outside of the dating show, but no more than we would normally get if we were watching a similar TV show at home, which I think is why it worked here. And whether we knew anything about Jordy other than how he treated the women wasn’t important either—though I wish we got to see a bit more about his sister.

I had a really hard time with the fact that these were basically teenagers who were being exploited like adults on television. Maybe I’m just getting old, but in my mind, there’s a big difference between a producer or a network taking advantage of a twenty-five-year-old who is making silly decisions or saying stupid things on TV, but it feels wrong when it’s a bunch of people who are basically just out of high school. For some reason, I couldn’t suspend the reality of that. So any of the made-for-TV parts that were twisty near the end I was just kind of mad about. It didn’t take away from the rest of the story enough for me to penalize it, though.

I loved seeing the way the girls interacted with each other and how they banded together more than any group of adults would. There was something empowering about a group of young women working together toward a common goal—even if this book doesn’t really pass the Bechdel test much in that regard (other than with Skye and Maya).

Despite the shortcomings I’ve mentioned, I will still read whatever Gonzales puts out next because her style and tone is exactly what I want when I’m reading a lighter book like this. If you like YA, if you like reality TV or if you like sapphic stories (that are VERY PG-13), you won’t be disappointed.

4 STARS

Thank you to NetGalley and St Martin's Press for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

Tried to get into this one, but unfortunately, I just didn’t buy it for these characters. Really liked the premise and set up with a strong opener. Wasn’t my favorite, but I know for sure other people are going to love this one!

This was such a fun read! I love any romance set in dating reality television, and this was such a fun twist on that! I wasn't sure how I would like it because of the premise of the show - dating exes. I assumed it would be too messy and potentially lean into negative stereotypes about friendships among women - but that was never the case which I loved.
I also love both main characters- they were so human and flawed - very realistic characters that grew and matured. I thought the characters being so young would make the story immature in ways - but there was a perfect balance of realistic 18 year old immaturity and serious emotions/ situations. i think that's what made it so fun!
I would definitely recommend this!
Thank you netgalley for an e-arc

Never Ever Getting Back Together was an anticipated YA release for me, but unfortunately this book wasn’t a fit for me. I think I’m just over The Bachelor-type books since I can’t stand to watch the show anymore, and that was the downfall for me with this book. I do think people will love it and will say give it a try if you are a reality TV fan.

Ok, I can understand wanting to get back at an ex-boyfriend for cheating on you - but letting it consume your life for nearly two years and then going onto a reality TV show, pretend to like him (but not do a very good job at that part), just so you can can be the one to dump him during the finale?
Despite being an unrealistic plot line, the book was fun. Mostly because of the bonding between the girls in the story and they realize what a lying, manipulating jerk Jordy is. He is definitely not something to like about in this story - I could have actually done with less of him. The best part is Skye and Maya coming together. Skye was a delightfully pleasant character, even when Maya was giving her a hard time (being quite awful, actually) at the beginning. Maya, on the other hand, was quite difficult for me to like. Even in the end, it was hard to sympathize with her since she maintains her stance to destroy Jordy, despite the potential losses to her. Would you throw everything away for revenge?
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for proving me with an electronic copy of the book. The opinions above are my honest opinions of the book.

Grateful thanks as always to NetGalley and the publisher for the Arc in exchange for an honest review.
So much I loved about this one, especially for its ambitious combination of multiple YA tropes........the frenzy of lives lived on social media, the scourge of reality shows with their calculated, fake reality, enemies-to-lovers and to top it off, queer romance rendered with equal amounts of tenderness, adorability and genuine heat.
And even better.....the whole package is seasoned with a razor sharp sense of humor that keeps things bubbling all the way to the end.
The girls we're rooting for, Maya and Skye, find themselves deliberately pitted against one another while contestants in a 'Bachelor' ripoff, a second chance romance' reality show Like the other girls on the show, they're exes of the falsely charming Jordy, a lying duplicitous snake now freshly famous since his sister married into a royal family.
Maya's joined the show strictly on a secret revenge quest, hoping to re-win Jordy for the sole purpose of exposing him in public as a manipulative, sociopathic creep. And Jordy, scheming for drama to pump up the ratings, throws Maya and Skye together as room mates, the two girls he cheated on......simultaneously.no less.
While the showrunners, arrange the usual contests and dates designed to woo back the loathsome Jordy, Maya and Skye's initial rivalry and animosity begins to. turn to........well, hardly need to describe anything more., do I? Other than praising Sophie Gonzales's skill at making you root for (and sigh for) the two girls, hope and pray for Jordy's crushing comeuppance, and laugh at some devastating, witty lines.
While I've read any number of romcoms that try to keep a lot of stuff up in the air at the same time, "Never Ever" does it right, does it funny, does it sexy and delivers a 4 star entertaining read. (And you can never, ever ever have enough stories that feature a well deserved evisceration of reality shows....., so, bravo!)

Thank you to Wednesday Books and NetGalley for providing an advanced copy of this title in exchange for an honest review.

Sophie Gonzales is one of my auto-buy authors, so I ordered "Never Ever Getting Back Together" as soon as it was announced. And when I saw the ARC on NetGalley, I couldn't resist reading it right away.

This book... Wow! It definitely didn't disappoint! I love both "Only Mostly Devastated" and "Perfect On Paper" by Gonzales, but I think this book was even better!

Where do I even begin...

Characters! Maya and Skye were both amazing and strong women who have challenges and flaws, but face them head-on. It was a pleasure getting to know both of them and see their relationship develop.

The plot was fantastic, too! I don't really care for reality dating shows, but this book balanced being critical of the "reality" of such shows while still just being full of drama and so entertaining.

And omg, this book was hilarious! I've had a difficult week, but reading this book gave me some much needed laugh-medicine. The banter was top-notch, and I especially loved Maya's sense of humour.

Okay, I could go on and on, but I'll just wrap up by saying that I also loved the themes of this book. It touches a lot on feminism and forgiveness, as well as discovering yourself and what is important to you. I love a book that makes you reflect without being cheesy, and "Never Ever Getting Back Together" really nailed it!

I highly recommend this book! Easily one of my fave books of the month and a fave of the year, as well!

Thank you to Netgalley for this arc.I really enjoyed this book. It was a really fun read. If you like reality tv then you will really love this story. This is such a cute romcom that has bisexual representation. The story felt really realistic, and I loved that, The main character goes on a dating show in order to get revenge on her ex, but ends up sharing a room with the girl that her ex cheated on her with. The relationship and character growth is wonderful. I highly recommend this book.

Sadly this one missed the mark a little bit for me. I wasn't invested enough in the characters and their journeys and felt the unified hate for the MMC wasn't enough to make for a page turner. I just found I wasn't inclined to continue picking it up, but it could certainly be that I'm not the right audience, and it would resonate much better with a younger reader.

Thank you NetGalley for the EARC of Never Ever Getting Back Together

It is my first time reading a Sophie Gonzales book, and It not disappoints my expectations.
The book is about Maya, Skye and Jordyn. At first I dont get to like the book because of the miscommunication trope. But along the way I liked it. I love the dual POV of Maya and Skye. I love how they plot to destroy their Ex Jordyn. Because he deserve to be destroyed.

Thank you to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for the advanced copy for review.

Never Ever Getting Back Together by Sophie Gonzales is a play on The Bachelor/The Bachelorette show.

Maya's ex, Jordy, reaches out to her to appear on a show that will have more of his exes vying for a second chance to be with him and try at love again. However, Maya can't stand Jordy. So she goes on the show to get her revenge instead.

Skye was also asked to come on the show as one of Jordy's exes and she was very reluctant, but agrees to come anyway. Maya is being hostile to her and she honestly doesn't know why, but will soon find out.

This story had a good plot and some fun characters, but overall it fell a little flat to me. I just didn't ever feel that chemistry that should have been so prevalent between the two characters once it got there. If I don't feel it then it's just an okay from me.

I actually enjoyed the side characters a lot more than the main character. It does alternate between the two mains, but one is definitely more the main than the other. Without the side characters this would have gotten less stars because I just didn't like Maya and Skye was a little too passive.

When Maya gets the phone call to be on a show to win over her ex, she takes the opportunity to expose him to the world. However, it won't be as easy as telling her side of the story, as editors aren't on her side. With the help of Skye, another wronged ex, they devise a plan. Revenge, one bed, and new love...what other tropes could someone want?

Overall, the premise of the book was fun and I was excited to see what Maya and Skye were up to. I enjoyed the banter and relationships amongst all the contestants.

I enjoyed this author's book If This Gets Out so I was excited to get an ARC of this book. I did not realize it was YA when I requested it and it is about a dating show so I really did not know what to expect, but I really ended up enjoying it. So this is a second chance romance reality show. Jordy is the guy and they get several of his exes to be on the show for a second chance at love. The twist is that two of the women fall for each other instead. I thought it was well done. It was very funny. Once I was about two thirds of the way through I did not want to put it down.

"Writing history is easy. Rewriting it is the tough job."

I loved the premise of this story, as well as the diversity of the characters. Overall, though, I don't think the story quite worked. The reality dating show backdrop felt like an unrealistic and odd choice for 18-year-old characters, and I felt the characters themselves were underdeveloped. The humor was fantastic, though!

7/10

Sophie Gonzales writes young adult, queer fiction.

This is the first book I’ve read and, if it’s any indication, she writes books with real characters in unreal situations.

In this book, there is a reality show. A boy, who is now siblings to a royal princess, is the main character of the show and all his ex-girlfriends are the contestants to see if they can rekindle love. Two of the girls are the main characters of the book.

One of them feels cheated and is out for revenge. The other one is on the show to rekindle love. And then, we’ll, it gets complicated.

The book is fairly well written and has a good enough story. I wouldn’t say it’s a stand out but amusing enough to keep me engaged.

#netgalley

I love me a sapphic rom com! I also love a revenge plot. This was the feminist Bachelor I needed in my life!

The mark of good writing is making you feel things and my skin crawled every time Jordy opened his mouth. So, I think they did the villain perfectly!

My only issue was with the ages of the characters. I feel like it would have made more sense if they were in their twenties. An 18 year old “looking for the one” is just a little weird to me.

This was adorable! It’s definitely YA but I love the LGBT representation and especially of bi-women. I loved the setting and the hilarious take on reality TV dating. The contestants were fun and I loved the relationship between Skye and Maya. I loved that this was even more about friendships than romantic relationships. The duel POV was done well and it made for a great story. This one was super cute and I breezed through it quickly. My only complaint is it was hard to believe the ages of the characters. I felt like they all should’ve been older. Otherwise it was great!

The premise of contestants falling in love on a Bachelor-esque show is such an amusing and fun trope.

However with this story I couldn’t get drawn into the setting and the characters. It felt as if Skye and Maya were more so involved in exposing their ex and bonding over that. I know that’s their initial goal but I would’ve liked to see more development in their relationship instead.

I also wasn’t aware that this was a YA book so it did throw me off a little bit.

3.75/// I thought this book was such a fun, entertaining read. It definitely had me gasping at some parts. However, I feel as though some parts of the plot were rushed, though it gets straight to the point and cuts out all the unimportant information, it does help set the vibe and helps with immersion. I also appreciated that it was closed door because it’s hard to find romance books without cringy explicit text sometimes. I would recommend this to anyone looking for a fun romance with drama.