I think this was very ok. It was sort of boring and predictable though. I found myself feeling like I had to just trudge along

This was so fun! I loved the alternating POV s from Maya and Skye. They were both hilarious and there were many times where Maya's inner dialogue had me rolling. I really liked their relationship too, so cute. Best revenge on a self-centered prick? Falling in love with one of the other female contestants. Can't wait to put this on my library's shelves.

This book was kind of ridiculous, but in the very best way possible. The concept was definitely interesting; another chance at romance with the guy who broke your heart in a Bachelor-style dating show. Mix in a little romance between you and another one of your ex-boyfriend's ex-girlfriends, and you've got me hooked. I thought it was so fun, the characters were all interesting and enthralling, and the pacing of the story was also very well done.

One thing that kept taking me out of the book, however, is the fact that all of the cheating happened two years ago and Maya was still so hung up on it that she was willing to go on national television to get her revenge. I know that cheating is bad and painful for the person involved, but after two years, I would think that she wouldn't still be so mad as to do something like that. It just seemed like things were being blown out of proportion.

I also felt like Skye and Maya's relationship was slightly underdeveloped. I think the book did a good job showing the sparks between them and getting them to the initial moment when they got together, but once they got together, it felt very underdeveloped.

I was also interested in who this book was for - it's marketed as YA and the romance and plot felt YA but there was a LOT of swearing. I didn't mind it and I don't think it was overused, but it felt like it was kind of going against the grain of the rest of the vibes of the book.

Never Ever Getting Back Together will sadly not be getting a rose tonight...

Why, you may ask? Let's break it down:

Pace and Plot
A brief synopsis is that Never Getting Back Together is a twist on the Bachelor/ Bachelorette type shows, where two contestants fall in love with each other instead of the Bachelor, who is also their ex-boyfriend.

I was very excited about the premise, but the execution was off. The two contestants spend as much time plotting against their ex, the Bachelor, as they do building their feelings for one another. For that reason, this had a good, albeit sometimes confusing, pace (i.e., sudden time jumps, quick changes in narrative, etcetera).

I also wish this book was Adult instead of YA, and that Jordy was a C-list celebrity instead of a literal Prince. Both of these small decisions would have been more plausible to the plot, where instead of a young Prince essentially speed-dating his exes, you could have a college-aged or older celebrity trying to become relevant again by putting himself on a dating show.

Quality of Writing
To put simply, I could not get past this elementary style of writing. I understand that this book is targeted towards teens/YA, but it's written as if it's intended for a much younger audience. I would compare the writing style to the early-2013-era Wattpad days.

Examples: one of the main characters, Skye, blasts show tunes to wake our other M/C, Maya, up in the morning. There's dress-up scenes where characters are trying on ball gowns and each dress is described in explicit detail. Relationships form just as fast as they fall apart. While I would never judge someone for liking this style of books, it's no longer fit to my personal tastes.

Points for the title, tho!! I love a good Taylor Swift reference.

Characters
Not a single one of these characters would be getting a rose from me. They all came across as one-dimensional and seemed to have no personality outside of their motives. I was really looking forward to some cute moments between our M/Cs, but instead felt stilted by reality show drama involving Jordy.

Nevertheless, the groundwork was there for some really cool characters, I just was wishing they could have been fleshed out more.

Would I Recommend?
In my personal opinion, I would not recommend this book, but I can understand why people like it! It simply wasn't for me, and if it sounds like it might suit your fancy at all, I wouldn't try deterring anyone from reading it.

My deepest thanks to NetGalley, Sophie Gonzales, and St. Martin's Press for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I dont read a lot of contemporary romance but when I read the concept for the story I was very intrigued. And I have to say I was not disappointed. I remember obsessively watching all the ridiculous reality shows in college, especially all the gimmicky dating shows that emerged after the bachelor, so it was fun to reminisce and read about one for a change.

The only thing that threw me was that all the contestants seemed to be around 18-19, which seemed so young for that mind of reality show, but honestly I mostly didn't remember unless they specifically mentioned.

The characters in the book were great, especially Skye and Maya. I like that they had a bit of enemies to friends, friends to lovers relationship. It wasn't too quick or overly forced, I just wish they had had more time with each other toward the end, but I still enjoyed the ending and liked the way it went.

The author did a great job of making the perfect bachelor wannabe that you love to hate. Jordy is that guy you've probably known or dated before, so you definitely don't feel sorry for him I also liked how every girl had a different kind of relationship with him and yet still shared plenty of commonalities.

Overall, I definitely enjoyed this book! It's a great LGBTQ romance and a fun read, especially for anyone who loves reality dating shows as a guilty pleasure!

“Never Ever Getting Back Together” is a book you can't put down. I love the idea of two girls on a dating show falling for each other instead of the man they're supposed to be chasing, so I was super excited for this romance. I immediately fell in love with Maya and Skye and despised Jordy, so it was delightful to watch them fall in love and work together and take him down. It takes its time building up, never feeling too rushed or underdeveloped. The passion between Maya and Skye was unparalleled. I could really see why they fit together. They had all these adorable moments, and we can truly see it when they start to fall for each other, there’s so much tension and chemistry and longing and when it finally explodes, it’s fire! I loved the dual POV. It was great to get both Maya and Skye’s perspectives and feelings about each other and everything that was going on. It only adds to the drama and allows us to see just how complex the situation is. We were also able to see how Jordy used the same lines on Maya and Skye (as well as the other girls) and pitted them against each other by painting the other person as the person who was wrong and making himself look good. I also did not expect to care so much for the side characters in this book, some of them were very annoying, but I couldn’t help but root for them. I love that there's a lot of girls supporting girls moments and it's just nice seeing characters with decent support systems. I think this should’ve been a new adult instead of a young adult book. While I was reading, I was picturing the main characters as in their 20s but they're 18. And on a reality show about reconnecting with exes. I think if they were a few years older it would've made more sense. Aside from that, I absolutely adored this book. This was my first Sophie Gonzales book, so I will definitely have to go back and check out her previous works and I can’t wait for her next one! Many thanks to Sophie Gonzales, St. Martin’s Press, Wednesday Books and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for my thoughts.

This is a good book to read for fans of "The Bachelor" and related romance shows. I like that there was a surprising twist I wasn't expecting.

ARC provided by NetGalley for an honest review.

Sophie Gonzales truly never disappoints. I was hooked from the summary, because all I've ever wanted out of those reality dating shows was two of the contestants falling in love - I mean, it has to happen, right? They spend more time with each other than their suitor in reality! And that's exactly what Never Ever Getting Back Together gives us, with even higher stakes, because in this case they're both the suitor's ex-girlfriend "trying" to win back his affection. The stakes grow even higher when it twists into a revenge plot against a cheating, lying ex on a national stage. Ultimately, though, it's a story about the reality of holding grudges, choosing your battles, and not letting trash men live rent-free in your head because in the end it's just letting them win. When talking about this book, I read somewhere that Gonzales let out a lot of anger in this book, and that definitely comes through. What also comes through is the love, and how love and hate truly aren't opposites. If I were a better reviewer, I'd pull the quote from the book that says exactly that, but I guess you're just going to have to read it for yourself and find it.

I truly loved Maya and Skye and the chemistry that grew between them. I also absolutely despised Jordy, Gonzales did a great job creating a villain there. The other characters were also strong and well-rounded, they all had their own places and reasons to be there, and they all felt unique. Even the other contestants, who easily could've morphed into this amorphous blob of 'Other Exes', felt individually different. I felt like everyone got what they deserved by the end of the story, from all of the girls that Jordy had wronged, to Maya and Skye. I've read a lot of really great books this year, and this one has shot straight to the top of that list.

Pub date: 11/29/22
Genre: YA romance, queer fiction
Thanks @wednesdaybooks for my ARC!

I needed a fun read, and this was a great choice! Skye and Maya are competing for their mutual ex-boyfriend's affection on a reality show, but it turns out they were both better off keeping him an ex. I loved seeing these two bring out the best in each other - and yes, of course there's an HEA. Like Gonzales' previous book PERFECT ON PAPER, this one has great bisexual representation. If you love reality dating shows, this is a perfect match!

This book was easy to read and parts of it were super fun. Maybe I'm not the target audience for this book because it seemed really strange to me to put girls 18-20 years on a reality show to find love, although the reality show premise made for some fun things, like beautiful dresses and going to a castle. I did get kind of bored in the middle of the story and just wanted to know how it ended, although I liked the ending.

Thank you to NetGalley for a chance to read an early copy.

Never Ever Getting Back Together has a great premise — go on a second chance reality show to get revenge on your scumbag ex-boyfriend, which is what Maya does, since her ex, Jordy, cheated on her with Skye. Unfortunately for Maya, the entire world loves Jordy and she wants to bring him down and show his true colors. Once she starts filming the show, Maya meets Skye and it’s hate at first sight; Skye doesn’t believe Jordy cheated on Maya with her and Maya doesn’t believe Skye didn’t know. A bit throughout the book, Maya and Skye come to an understanding about Jordy and vow to work together to take him down. And of course, they fall in love along the way.

There are some things I really liked about this book. I loved the enemies-to-lovers trope between Maya and Skye. I liked the reality show premise and I’m all for a revenge plot, but there were some things I didn’t like. I wish the book was an adult romance rather than YA, though I think it will be very popular with the younger readers. I really loved Skye and thought she was fantastic, but I had some issues with Maya. While I agreed with her about getting revenge on Jordy, she had tunnel vision for most of the book which was frustrating. Maya and Skye are cute together (and are both disaster bi’s) but I wish we got more build up between them and had more time for their relationship to grow. I would’ve loved to see more of them together outside of the show. As for Jordy, I hate him.

Overall, Never Ever Getting Back Together is a fun read that has a sweet romance and great side characters (not you Jordy).

I received an ARC from St. Martin’s Press through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Rating: 3.5 / 5 stars.

I was really optimistic about this story. I think it's still very entertaining and worth a try, but I believe it could've been way better and there was some lost potential.

This book was so fun! I love a reality dating show book because they usually come with a lot of fun drama, and this one didn’t disappoint! The concept reminded me a lot of the Charm Offensive which was one of my favourite books from last year. I will say I found the ending a little predictable, but overall enjoyed the read!
The cover is adorable and not sure if the name is supposed to be a Taylor Swift reference, but that’s what made me pick up the book.

**Some spoilers maybe?? So beware.**

Never Ever Getting Back Together is the enemies-to-lovers, love triangle, "why date him when we cant date each other" book of my dreams!!! It follows Maya and Skye, both ex-girlfriends of the "almost royalty" Jordy Miller, who agree to go on his new reality show Second Chance Romance. The show focuses on Jordy and six of his ex-girlfriends who now have the chance to rekindle their romance with him. For Maya, it's an opportunity for revenge, and for Skye, it's the second chance she's always wanted - or so she thought. As things begin to heat up and unravel between the two girls, questions and answers begin to fall into place for both of them, leading to a chance at a romance neither of them expected.

I could not put this book down and I absolutely freaking loved it!! I am always here for a good revenge plot/make this terrible man suffer story, and this one did not disappoint at all. Maya and Skye are such great characters and the way their relationship developed from full enemies to lovers was honestly the best thing to read. I really appreciated the way that Sophie didn't make the whole book about the rivalry between the two girls. There was a lot of miscommunication that happened obviously, to begin with, but allowing them the opportunity to share with each other and learn the truth about each other's situations was so well done. Sophie always brings fantastic bi rep and it always makes me so happy to read about two bi main characters.

In the author's note, Sophie talks about her feelings of rage on certain topics and how that influenced a lot of the plot/emotions in the book which you can definitely feel, but the humor she added into it just brought this book to the next level. I was literally laughing out loud at so many different parts. A lot of times in real life, the true villains are never exposed and don't get what they deserve, which is frustrating and sometimes rage-inducing. That is not the case with this book and it made my little heart very, very happy. I also really loved the relationship between all 6 of the girls who were on the reality show and how this develops over the course of the story. The strong bond that develops between them is truly better than any relationship with a man, especially Jordy.

Overall, a fantastic un-put-down-able story that had me laughing, raging, loving, and cheering, and I would seriously recommend all of you add this one to your TBRs.

I was hesitant to read this book after reading If This Gets Out – Sophie’s writing style is a little off putting for me but I did manage to get through that book. But in this case, I just kept having to push myself to get through the book. The main characters are dry and I think that is because I didn’t really know who they were. They didn’t have any personality traits. This seems like a new adult book and not so much a young adult book. The subject matter was a little unbelievable for the age range they were trying to write for. And in true Sophie fashion the writing was not very descriptive and the book felt really unpassionate.

This New Adult novel is like The Bachelor meets Royalty vibes, with an unexpected enemies-to-lovers twist and I was here for it. It's full of compelling language that draws me in and was so incredibly cute. Despite its long length, this book reads quite quickly and doesn't make me feel like a chore to want to keep reading. It's very, very cute and fun, and so sweet.

Full review to come at a later date, but this sorry was so sweet and so fun! Will definitely read this author again

I've never watched an episode of any of the Bachelor shows, but for some reason I really enjoy books that feature reality TV dating shows, so I was really excited to read one from one of my all-time favorite authors. This book of full of the heart and humor that I've come to love about Gonzales's writing. I laughed, I cried, I got a million butterflies in my stomach over the adorable sapphic romance.

I'm always a quick sell with a reality-show based romcom and this one was a perfect blend of zany antics, a nightmare ex, character growth, and a big dose of friendship and heart. The whole premise is the perfect setting for a little bit of drama to blossom and thrive. I loved Skye and Maya and the rest of the women brought in to round out the reality show crew - such a fun group of contestants and the real big winners. Seeing these ladies come together to wreak a little havoc and find some common ground was fun all on its own; the romance that sparked was just icing on the cake in this very fun read! I devoured it all in one sitting!

While Sophie Gonzales's novels aren't the most sophisticated or eloquent, they're always enjoyable, and Never Ever Getting Back Together is no exception. The concept alone sounded super intriguing, and I've read all of Gonzales's other novels so suffice to say I was pleased to receive an ARC.

I'll start with the things I liked. I liked the dynamic between Maya and Skye, and I loved how all the girls came together towards the end. Watching them overcome their differences and realize that female friendships outweigh their romantic relationships was super gratifying, especially Kim. I also loved Isaac. And while I obviously didn't like Jordy, Gonzales did a good job of portraying an asshole who's universally beloved by the media. That felt incredibly realistic.

On the other side of things, it felt like Skye and Maya's confrontation (that resulted in their friendship) didn't have nearly as much impact as it should have. I also felt it should have happened sooner in the novel: there was too much time devoted to their rivalry. Additionally, the pacing of the novel felt a little strange. Some portions were drawn out for too long, and others weren't given enough attention. There were entire portions where I thought we'd get to read about a scene referenced in the text, but instead the scenes were skipped in lieu of another conversation.

Overall, I did enjoy this novel. It's a quick, cute, easy read, much like Gonzales's other novels. 2.5 stars.