This book was not what I was expecting it to be and I mean that in the best way possible!! I loved every page of this book!! The jokes and friendships were everything! The two female MCs have dated the same guy (who is a huge jerk!) and are asked to be apart of a reality show to give a second chance at love. The MCs are bisexual and end up obviously not being into their ex! I would definitely recommend this book to those who love a good romcom! I laughed throughout so many times!

Never Ever Getting Back Together was hilariously and charmingly petty, and it had me constantly laughing due to Maya and Skye's wit. With it's relatable characters, engaging story, and incredible humor, Never Ever Getting Back Together is the most entertaining thing I've read all year.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

3.5 stars!

This was a cute book! I really enjoyed the writing style and it was a quick read. The biggest thing I struggled with was the relationship between the two main characters. At one point I thought I had skipped an entire chapter because I thought I must have missed some details about their budding romance - there was a lot that seemed very abrupt.

Overall enjoyable!

I received an ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I really loved this book!! It was such an original idea, minimal spice, but still a great romance. It definitely gave me Do Revenge vibes (but with a much more wholesome ending.) Plus enemies to lovers! Four out of five stars!

Never Ever Getting Back Together by Sophie Gonzales is young adult romance book about Maya and Skye, two girls who dated the same guy around the same time. Maya is convinced Jordy cheated on her while Skye is convinced that Jordy broke up with Maya and Maya just wouldn’t let it go. When a new reality show starts that puts one man with all his exes to see if there is still a spark, Maya and Skye are forced to be around each other and the more they get to know each other, the more sparks begin to fly, just not with the person they are supposed to be with.

I was super excited about this premise. I love The Bachelor. It’s one of my guilty pleasure shows so this seemed to take that concept and add an extra dimension to it. However, it turned out to be a book more about revenge than I would have liked. I wanted there to be more components about the show aspect or for some more development between the love interests. I see that this is marketed as young adult and I went in thinking it was going to be adult or new adult so it’s possible my expectations were just a little high. I think this will probably work for people who go in with the right mindset.

CONTENT WARNING: infidelity, gaslighting

I loved the idea of getting public revenge against a douchecanoe ex on a reality show and showing the whole world who he is. I loved it even more when it also involved two of the contestants going from enemies to lovers and having a queer romance with each other instead of falling back in love with their ex. So it’s safe to say that this was one of my most anticipated reads from my list of ARCs.

Pretty sure most of us have come across at least one guy who comes across as sweet and genuine, the whole package, but winds up being a lying, manipulative jerk. The name “Jordy” should have been a dead giveaway, but I digress. Let me tell you—this guy was absolute trash. Like, throw the whole man out. He was completely irredeemable. I hated him intensely right from the start, and not just because we get to see Maya’s version of the story first. He’s simply awful.

After reading both Maya and Skye’s perspectives, I could easily see how both of them thought they were right, and how the two of them were ripe for confrontation from the start. And of course, throw in hurt feelings and anger that results from that and you get some pretty strong miscommunication. Which doesn’t help to resolve the conflict. It’s pretty clear that Maya is being set up to play the villain in the show, no matter how she is in real life, but I liked how instead of the girls getting catty and backstabbing, the characters generally behaved in a friendly and cooperative manner.

I especially loved seeing Maya and Skye resolving their conflict and not only becoming friendly, but acting on their attraction to each other. However, they also have to navigate the fact that they’re both on a show where they have to pretend to be attracted to their ex, and compete against each other, along with Maya’s desire to get revenge on Jordy and publicly humiliate him.

Both of the main characters wound up showing a lot of growth, and I loved reading this book. It was a fun and fluffy read for the most part, and although it touch on some heavier topics, like parental abandonment and the issues that go along with that, as well as the fear of homophobia, and trust issues that go along with cheating and gaslighting, it was a great and enjoyable read. I’m definitely going to be reading more books by this author!

A few years ago Maya was dating Jordy, he moved to another country, they did long distance and he cheated on her. Skye was the girl he meet in Canada and cheated on Maya with, but she never had any idea it happened. In present day Jordy is gathering all his exes to date him in a second chance reality show. Jordy has set Skye and Maya to hate each other, and lied in order to cover for his wrong doings. Maya enters the show with one objective to win and expose him. Skye enters the show with the best intensions and to see thing through with Jordy. What neither of them, or Jordy expects is for them to quickly sort things out between them, team up to get back at Jordy, but also maybe find love in each other.

This brings so many of my favourite things, drama, reality tv, girl power, and royalty. Honestly a reality dating show where 2 female contestants find love with each other and leave the guy in the dust is a dream concept.

Sophie Gonzales’ Never Ever Getting Back Together is a fun romance novel, filled with a love triangle, revenge of the ex, bi-rep and pop culture references galore. Have you ever thought - hey, those two girls/guys in the love triangle should just cut their losses and date each other instead? Well, this is the plot for you!

Our two MCs Skye and Maya dated a world class scumbag, who unbeknownst to them - dated each other at the same time. What they do know is that they weren’t treated very well by him, yet he still has that magnetic pull. Maya is full of vengeance and wants to either forget he ever existed or give him the worst time of his life. She gets the chance to do the latter when she gets a call inviting her to go on a Reality TV show featuring Jordy as the bachelor and having him date his exes so that one of them can get a second chance.

Honestly, I thought this book was really cute! I loved how Skye and Maya were forced to bunk together, and as readers we got to see them slowly develop feelings for someone on the show… that being someone other than Jordy! It’s a cheesy rom-com, perfect to read while sitting on the couch on a cold winter day with a tea or a glass of wine.

If I had to provide some criticism, it’d be that I wish there was a bit more distinction between Skye and Maya’s voices in the first half. I also felt that some of their choices went way over the top for rationality, but in a way that fits into the genre. I thought it was a great read.

Thank you so much to NetGalley, Sophie Gonzales and St Martin’s Publishing for providing me with an ARC of this book!

I loved this book! The idea of a reality show like the bachelor but with ex’s ! That’s begging for drama and although it could have easily been done and been the book version of Jerry Springer I’m glad the author didn’t take it that route. This story was cute, funny, witty and so original! Things do truly work out in the end when you’re not out for yourself !

Reviews Posted: October 12, 2022
Storygraph
Goodreads

This book was so cute, like this romance swept me off my feet. The plot and character development were so well-balanced, and that definitely surprised me.

The two main characters, Maya and Skye, were great, and I loved their chemistry together. I like that we got a look into their pasts, but I think it would have been even better if there were more. Knowing more about how each character functioned on their own but also together would have really made this book shine. The romance caught my attention right away, and their banter was everything I wanted.

I thought the concept of the dating show was great, and it allowed the reader to get a good idea about the side characters. The author perfectly captured every sleazy, lying, and narcissistic man I have ever met. For a good amount of this book, I was just mad because that is how angry the male lead was.

I think the biggest problem I had with this book was that it was YA. It just felt that with the character's age and the challenges they were facing, it would have lent itself better to new adult/adult. Like they all left their homes to go on a dating show in a different country, and our main characters were dealing with the future coming. I just feel that there was a missed opportunity. I don’t think it was a bad YA book, the placement just felt weird to me. It is definitely one of the books that can go either way.

Overall I had a really fun time reading this book, and the ending was so cute I couldn’t stop smiling.

Thanks NetGalley and Wednesday Books for this eARC, the opinions are my own. I absolutely adored this book! Sophie Gonzales is one of my favorite authors and I have loved all of her books! Maya is asked to join a reality show where she competes to win the opportunity to date her ex again, the only problem is he cheated on her and she never wants to see him again. But when it’s pointed out to her that she could use it to get revenge she decides to go. Skye is another contestant on the show, who is the one Maya’s ex cheated on her with. Can these two keep it together to take their ex down? What if something develops between them? The book is fully of the witty characters one would expect from a Sophie Gonzales book! Both protagonists are strong, determined, and fierce! Through the reality disasters and you got one hell of a book! I love the revenge plot at the way Skye and Maya work together! They both bring different this to the table! And while I had some frustrations with some of the other girls at first they all grew on me throughout the story! But oh man Jordy, the ex, yeah he’s a real piece of work! At first I thought maybe there would have been some growth but he just kept getting worse! I can’t recommend this book enough! If you like reality contests, revenge stories, enemies to loves, or any of Sophie’s other books you’ll love this one! Can’t wait to read it again!

OH MY WOW!!!!!!!! This book was everything I wanted and more! There's been a lot of reality tv books coming out, and I have been devouring them ALL, and this one is at the top of my favs list! Very cute enemies to friends to lovers, and also loved the bisexual rep! Loved it!

Never Ever Getting Back Together is a fun twist on the dating show trope but with some queer representation!

I like to go into books blind sometimes where I don’t read the “jacket copy” beforehand so I didn’t know the plot beforehand. I almost out this book down in the first few chapters because I hated the guy ( the “bachelor” lead on the show) and I just couldn’t get behind him at all. Lo and behold though - he isn’t the romantic lead THANK GOODNESS - and once I realized this, I was much more on board.

This was a super fun, new adult romance that I definitely recommend!

The premise of this was cute (and I loved perfect on paper) boy meets exes on reality TV for a second chance? Here for it! Romance blossoming between two of the exes he brought on the show? One heck of a meet cute. And I love a good YA rom com!

I was hoping for more of a one to watch/the selection type plot, but what we got was more real housewives and the bachelor. Waaaaaayyy too much drama. The sparks weren't really there between the heroines either.

This was a quick read, had promise of being a cute YA story with a magical palatial setting it wasn't for me.

Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC in exchange for my review!

Jordy cheated on Maya with Skye. In Skye’s defense, she didn’t know that Jordy was in a relationship.

When Jordy’s sister marries royalty, Jordy is thrown into the limelight and gets his own reality series where the contestants are his exes. He invites Maya and Skye onto the show by telling them that it would mean the world to him if they went on the show.

Although the premise of the book is initially captivating, the plot quickly devolved into Maya becoming super desperate with getting revenge on Jordy. It gets kind of ridiculous and all-consuming. Skye and Maya‘s Romance goes from 0 to 100 which leaves little room for the usual build up.

In short, the idea is a good one, but the execution isn’t entirely there. Thank you to NetGalley & St. Martin’s Press for the ARC!

Gonzales took a teen comedy, reality TV tropes, shoved it into a blender, poured it into a glass and garnished it with satire to write Never Ever Getting Back Together. Well, maybe the satire is my interpretation of things, but I didn't think I'd crack up this much while reading a teen/YA book. I appreciate how the girls in the reality show bonded gradually, instead of banding together with just sudden girl power plot twist. The way things developed between Maya and Skye is also believable. This book has teenagers drinking in a country where the drinking age is 18, among other things that would make conservative parents clutch their pearls, but honestly nothing worse than what's on HBO, content-wise. (I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion.)

Thank you to NetGalley, Sophie Gonzales, and her team for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Rating: 4 Stars

"When their now famous ex-boyfriend asks them to participate in a teen reality show, two eighteen year old girls—one bent on revenge, the other open to rekindling romance—get tangled up in an unexpected twist when they fall for each other instead.

It’s been two years since Maya's ex-boyfriend cheated on her, and she still can’t escape him: his sister married the crown prince of a minor European country and he captured hearts as her charming younger brother. If only the world knew the real Jordy - the manipulative liar who broke Maya’s heart. When Maya receives an invitation to be a contestant on a new reality show in which the now-famous Jordy will re-date his ex-girlfriends in an effort to find “the one that got away,” she isn’t interested…that is, until she realizes she can use this opportunity to exact her revenge. If she can make it to the finale, she can reject and expose Jordy while publicly breaking his heart. As far as Maya’s concerned, it’s just what a guy like Jordy deserves.

But when she gets to the set, she’s confronted with the one person she hasn’t accounted for: Skye, the beautiful, charismatic girl Jordy cheated on her with. As they navigate the competition, Skye and Maya discover that their real happily ever after is nothing they could have ever scripted."

Wow ok, first of all, worth mentioning I finished this book in only 3 days since I just couldn't put it down!! Right from the first chapter, it just draws you in, hook, line & sinker!
The book has its funny moments, its exciting moments, its "Yes!! Take.Him.Down!!!" moments, and most importantly its romantic moments.
I really liked all the other contestants and any scene with all of them bonding was really fun! Jordy was a serious a-hole so any scene either planning or executing his exposure was really exciting (and in some cases nerve-wracking) to read.

When it comes to our girls - I couldn't help but immediately connect and feel for Maya right from that amazing first chapter. With Skye it took me a while longer, but when I finally did it was so, so worth it, because by the end of the book that girl fell HARD and I absolutely loved to see it! By the end of it she was probably my favorite character <3
All the scenes relating to their romance, starting with their first kiss and onwards were brilliantly executed!! And I must say, I'm not used to two romantic leads having this much open communication and it was such a lovely surprise, because I have no words to express how much I loved all their heart-to-hearts and the way Maya has been slowly helping Skye open up. I can only hope more books will start taking this route, giving their romantic leads battles to face together, outside of their relationship, rather than inner problems resulting from the same old lack of communication problem.

Nevertheless, I do think Maya and Skye's relationship deserved more building as they were getting close, before anything romantic actually happened. When the first romantic inclinations started to show, it felt sudden and without enough buildup. I would've expected them to be closer and have more meaningful scenes beforehand, maybe even a few heart-to-hearts like the ones I loved so much. I really enjoyed the romance once it happened, I can only imagine how much more I would've enjoyed it had the proper tension between them been built ahead of time for an even bigger climax when they finally collided.
I also would've wanted a few more chapters right at the end of the book - to actually see (rather than hear) how their lives actually are after the show, their relationship, meeting each other's family, etc.

Overall, I really enjoyed the book! If you're a fan of sapphic romance, well-deserved revenge, and reality TV - I definitely recommend checking it out!! :)

The dates and actual show aspects were glossed over in favor of relationships that were a bit lackluster. I didn’t care for either Maya or Skye, finding them annoying. Though they pushed through the different challenges and weeks at a very fast pace, the in between bits felt incredibly slow, and somewhat repetitive. Jordy was increasingly mean and shallow, but so was Maya. She was too focused on her goal of revenge and didn’t execute that plan well at all.

I often confused the other girls on the show and didn’t connect well with the two narrators, who I also confused. It’s noted at the beginning of each chapter whose point of view it is, but I couldn’t tell sometimes. Maya, watching Skye, with no references to either of their names for pages, she did this. Wait, who am I reading again?

The premise was fun and I expected quite a bit from Gonzales, having loved her previous books so much! But the characters just weren’t it for me, nor was the show structure. I suppose I was expecting something more like the Charm Offensive, but with bisexual women instead. More wit and more developed main characters. If the rest of the show had been glossed over but the characters felt fuller, I would have been more happy.

2.5 stars rounded up.

thank you so much to netgalley for sending me an ARC in exchange for an honest review!


to be perfectly honest, I'm a little disappointed. a lot disappointed. the premise of this book was fantastic and i LOVED if this gets out. I'm super excited to read her other books and when i saw she had a new one coming out, i was thrilled. but this book felt so flat. the writing was flat, the plot was flat, the scenes felt...fake? i don't know, it just didn't have any depth. it felt way too much like reality tv, i guess. all of the characters felt like cartoony caricatures of the roles they were playing in the story, and none of the relationships were believable. that was what i liked so much about if this gets out, each band member was unique and felt like their own person. but this book's characters felt way too 2-D. so i just couldn't finish it. if a book doesn't have characters i can get behind, then i don't think it's a book worth reading.

A very entertaining read !
I was afraid, upon requestion the book, the a love triangle would happen, but it did not. Skye comes around quickly and out two main characters give us a sweet romance to follox through. The character evolution is great and the setting is a fun one ! I really enjoyed this book.