This was so incredibly adorable! I highly recommend this one! The cover is as cute as the story! Highly recommend.

As always, I really enjoy Sophie Gonzales's writing. I also love the layers of being cast as the audience of the reality tv show, watching the manipulation that takes place behind the scenes for the viewers' entertainment, and being entertained by it. The characters' voices were distinct and believable, and I enjoyed watching all the various relationships progress. I look forward to her next book!

I absolutely devoured Never Ever Getting Back Together. I snorted, I laughed loudly, I couldn’t put it down!

This book reminded me of reality tv shows like The Bachelor and Joe Millionaire, only it’s a famous man whom is now getting reacquainted with/dating all of his ex’s at once. There are reasons to love every single one of these women in how they handle the situation. It’s full of behind-the-curtain moments that you don’t get with the shows. And the plot for revenge? Yes please.

While the book primarily focused on Maya, I enjoyed the personalities and backstories of all of the women. And then all the he-said-she-said mixups and fights! Honestly, it could have been a memoir of a show on tv today and I loved every aspect.

It’s a fun, laugh-out-loud kinda book, nothing super serious and I loved it!

Thank you to @netgalley and @wednesdaybooks for the opportunity to read this book. The review expresses my own personal opinions.

I got an ARC of this book through NetGalley – it comes out on November 29, 2022. If you’ve ever watched The Bachelor and wondered what it would be like if two of the contestants ended up falling for each other, this is the book for you! Maya and Sky are both exes of Jordy, who has risen to fame recently after his sister married a prince of a (fictional) European country. With his newfound fame, he’s decided to star in a new reality show called Second Chance Romance – he’ll bring a group of his exes together and the winner will get a second chance at romance with him. Maya holds a huge grudge against Jordy after he broke his heart by cheating on her with Sky, and only agrees to go on the show because she wants to get the chance to turn him down. Sky goes on the show open to rekindling her relationship with Jordy, believing Jordy’s version of things that Maya is the stereotypical “crazy ex-girlfriend” and he never cheated. Shortly after filming starts, though, Maya is able to prove Jordy did cheat, and Sky joins in on Maya’s plan to turn the public against Jordy. But when Maya and Sky start to spend a lot of time together plotting, they do find that sparks start to fly… just not with Jordy! This was so cute and fun.

Never Ever Getting Back Together has a fun storyline following 2 girls as they enter a dating show who’s bachelor is their ex boyfriend. While the premise caught my attention and had me intrigued, I lost interest quite early in the book. Both Maya and Skye were too immature for me, Maya being overly ambitious in her revenge and Skye being naive in the ways of her ex. I’m sure others will enjoy this book, it just didn’t capture my attention like I had hoped.

*I received an ARC of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

Never Ever Getting Back Together is my first book by Sophie Gonzales, but after having a delightful blast with its comedy and charming romance, I’m sure it won’t be the last.

This New Adult follows the alternating POVs of Maya and Skye. Both girls have agreed to participate in Last Chance Love, a reality show on which they’ll compete to get back with their mutual ex, Jordy. As the competition tightens, the girls will have to decide if they want to impress Jordy, the audience, or each other.

As a fan of competitive reality tv, though not of The Bachelor-like programs, and as someone who works on live television, I found the exaggerated drama —and all the ways in which Gonzales made fun of the genre— hilarious, without feeling insulting. The whole book felt a lighthearted homage of the genre, poking fun at its over-the-top-ness without being meanspirited. So, if you’re a fan of reality romances, this book will be right up your alley.

Favorite things:

1. All the girls. I absolutely loved the camaraderie that quickly developed between the female contestants. Though the characterization of some of the girls titled ever so slightly into caricatures, this always seemed to match the book’s overall tone, and I truly appreciated the lack of petty rivalries and senseless jealousy.

2. The romance was adorable and built-upon the initial miscommunication quite well. It felt believable, that Skye would like Maya, and vice versa. The attraction and chemistry never felt contrived, nor did it feel rushed despite the book’s short time span. Without giving much away, I’m sure it’ll satisfy fans of enemies-to-lovers (like me!), despite not having dragged the first half of the popular trope. I found it quite impossible not to squeal once the girls got together, really.
3. There’s decent representation all around; although all the leads were white, the supporting cast included black, South-Asian and Middle Eastern representation. It goes without saying, but the queer rep was great.
4. Though the general tone is light-hearted, the book honestly explores the aftermath of toxic relationships, cheating and gaslighting, and didn’t shy away from showing the emotional toll it has on its victims.

All in all, Never Ever Getting Back Together was a delightful romp: funny, cute and appropriately irreverent-of and full-of-love for realities.

This was an enjoyable, fast paced read. I, personally, would’ve preferred if the characters were a little bit older. There were parts where the dialogue got confusing and I couldn’t keep up with which character was saying what. Jordy’s character was very 2 dimensional & I think could’ve used a FEW redeeming qualities to make the readers see what the contestants were seeing in him. I loved Maya & Skye’s character & thought they were very well developed. I was bummed we didn’t get a ton of Perrie and Maya’s friendship after the first few chapters.

I really wanted to like this book more than I did. I think the whole concept of it doesn't quite work for a YA novel. It would have been so much better as an adult romance, in my opinion. A teenager having this much dating history is just a little odd and seems to be a weird basis for a reality show.

I also didn't think Maya and Skye had that much chemistry. I didn't care about them as much as I have cared about other relationships in the author's previous books. Part of it was probably the short amount of time they were together, which didn't really allow them to get to know each other super well. I just wasn't really invested in their relationship. It was cute, but I wanted to care more.

And I also HATED Jordy. Like I get that he's suppose to be a creep, and I'm glad he got his comeuppance at the end but the fact that the entire plot of the book revolved around him honestly got a little boring. Because the whole story wouldn't exist without him, and he was just the absolute worst.

Obviously, I'm all for the bi representation, and I think that was done really well (but that's never an issue with Sophie Gonzales). It was a cute story, but that's it. It was all just very surface-level for me, and after how much I've loved her other books, I was a little disappointed.

This book is exactly as advertised and so very satisfying. One woman goes on a dating show seeking revenge the other is looking for a bit of fun but not much more. Instead of falling for the guy, they plot to take him down and fall in love in the process.

Deeply fun and satisfying!

I really enjoyed this book! I think the second half was stronger than the first. The romance here, though quick, feels natural and unforced. I really bought their connection and their miscommunications felt realistic and not red flag-y (especially since the reality TV environment lends some plausibility to miscommunication in general). The one hangup I had with this book was the idea that someone 20 years old had enough viable exes to populate a full set of 6 on a dating show- I think the premise would have worked better if the author had aged the cast up 3-6 years, which also would have raised the stakes. With that being said, once you suspend your disbelief, this is a lot of fun. Act 3 packed a lot more punch emotionally than I anticipated, and brought this up to a 4 from a 3.5 for me.

Maya and Skye are invited to participate in a reality dating show by an ex boyfriend. Instead of falling for him, they fall for each other. Though I enjoyed Perfect on Paper, the premise of this book never engaged me. I am not a fan of The Bachelor/Bachelorette series so the whole concept here was not appealing to me. I think it was aimed at a different audience. I thank NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this ARC.

This book was such a fun read! It is one of those books where you close the last page and immediately wish you could start again on the first, if only dive into the story all over again.

I thought the characters in this book were fresh and the reality TV show setting was endlessly fascinating to read about. The twist that our two teen female main characters - set up to be rivals, vulnerable for the public's critique - team up to take down our male main character, who ends up being slimy and rude, had me reading with a giant grin on my face. This. is how we often wish the bachelor franchise would end. It is the perfect read for those craving a fresh take on the contemporary romance genre. I cannot wait to recommend it to all my friends.

The Bachelor meets Ex on A Beach meets hot mess express. I loved the concept [even though for real life this sounds like a sick form of torture!] of the re-kindling an old romance dating show. Even more what I loved....let's just get rid of the middle man and you fall in love with his other ex instead.

She hit the nail on the head with revenge, humor, love, bi-MC and more. It was petty and catty and extremely entertaining!

Admittedly, I wanted to love this book so much more than I did, but simultaneously acknowledge that while I didn't personally love it, I think a YA audience 1000% will!

This sapphic revenge/bachelor-esque novel is paced extremely well, with constant twists and developments in each character's story arc and growth. The female friendship in this one, despite many of the characters being extremely catty and petty, is really powerful, especially within the context of the show that they're on.

Ultimately, this is a cheesy sapphic YA rom-com that is easily digestible, will make you laugh, and perfect for anyone looking for a feel-good read.

3.5/5 stars.

This was a fun book to read. I love the bachalor-esque nature of the book. The idea was cute but overall the book lacked depth for me. I had a difficult time differentiating the female characters from each other. Other than Perrie whose only personality trait was wanting more followers, all of the other women were underdeveloped enough that they ran together for me until the very end of the book. Even the personalities of the two female main characters were not developed enough for me to feel like I knew them. I appreciated the bisexual representation. I agree with other viewers that the age of the characters made it a little bit weird to read about, especially since Maya is JUST out of high school. Overall I enjoyed the book. It was a quick read but did leave me wanting more in certain areas.

(4.25⭐) Taylor Swift songs: “daylight”, “call it what you want”, “We are never ever getting back together” (obviously)

This is one of the most entertaining, original concepts for a ya Romcom I’ve seen in a long time. Two girls going on a second chance dating show with their shared ex just to fall in love with each other? Genius. This was told in dual pics of the two girls, and it’s enemies to friends to lovers. This was not only incredibly sweet and romantic, but also surprisingly super funny!! The banter and fellow hating on the shared ex bf was so funny and so clever/witty. If you want a YA Romcom with Bi rep, this is for you!! I am a sucker for shows like the bachelorette/bachelor, so seeing this second chance dating show and how calculated it is was very interesting as well!! Overall, I thought this book was extremely original and entertaining, and very well done. It also had a lot of depth and complexity. I highly recommend! I will be looking for other books from this same author in the future!

Age rating: 14+ (closed door, but language)

Thank you Netgalley for providing an advanced reader copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Two years ago Maya’s ex-boyfriend cheated on her and she unfortunately can’t escape him. His sister married the Crown Prince of a European country and now he is all over the media as the charming little brother. Too bad the world didn’t know the real Jordy. Skye had always kept her heart under lock and key, until she met Jordy who said and did all the right things. Maya and Skye are personally invited by Jordy to star on a reality dating show called - Second Chance Romance. They are whisked away to a beautiful mansion and joined by four more of Jody’s exes to compete for his affection in front of the whole world. Skye wonders if she and Jordy can’t have a second shot at love, meanwhile Maya has a full plan of revenge. Does each girl get their own version of happily ever after?

This story reminds me of a blended version of the TV show The Bachelor and Ex On The Beach. This book is your feel good, fuzzy rom com and to be honest - not everyone is going to love it. It is a young adult novel with the characters being the age of around 18. But honesty - I liked it. I spent the majority of the book wanting to punch Jordy in the face. He is your typical lying, cheating, self absorbed ex-boyfriend who thinks that he is all that, especially now that his sister is married to royalty. Maya and Skye are both sweet girls who are coming into their adult years trying to figure out what the next big steps are in their life. Without giving away too many spoilers, you get to watch a genuine romantic relationship blossom and it might not be the one you think.

Sophie Gonzales just keeps getting better with every book. I will admit to being a little biased because having two Bachelor/ette contestants fall in love with each other is my dream scenario (and if it is yours you should also look up Vietnamese bachelor on youtube and it'll be the first thing that comes up and it will make your heart sing) and also just the bisexual feelings of it all. But this book moves so quickly and is a delight. A hard recommend for anyone that enjoyed Charm Offensive, or just enjoys a queer love story. You will also want to punch [redacted] in the face one million times, which is also fun to think about!

This was a fun, quick and sweet read. I enjoyed the two main women and thought it was an enjoyable story. It is obviously based off of the Bachelor so I am sure this book is targeted more for people who watch and enjoy that show. I have seen one season so I am familiar enough with it to understand the references. I liked how the author emphasized that everything on reality TV is fabricated and filmed multiple times to get what the producers want. However, the only part of the story for me that I really care about was the Sapphic romance. I know we were focused on Skye and Maya's stories and POV's but I was still left wanting more of just them and their relationship without Jordy.

3.5⭐️
This is a super fun, quick read. I am a HUGE bachelor/bachelorette fan so the idea of this book really stood out to me and drew me in. Overall it was a good read and kept me entertained with the drama and storyline.

With that, i found that the age of the characters was weird to me. It would have made more sense to me if they were much older being that they all ranged 18ish. The romance scenes were very cringy in some aspects as well. I wanted more character personality from Skye and Maya as well.

I love the representation in this book tho! The dry humor was also very well done and has me laughing out loud while reading.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for supplying me with an eARC in return for an honest review.