I didn't love this book. It fell flat and the characters were unlikable and annoying. The beginning was boring and the end dragged on. I didn't really like the concept of the book either. Maybe it just wasn't for me!

I received an ARC courtesy of the publisher. Will try to give as few spoilers as possible. Really liked the inclusivity with 2 bisexual main characters, how they were able to clarify and correct their inaccurate first impressions of each other and the description of how their relationship developed in a natural and mature manner. the 2 MC’s treated each other with kindness! It was also nice to see the female characters competing in a show be overall supportive of each other. The plot was engaging and I liked the challenging of gender stereotypes throughout this book. The author also writes well!

What would you do if the person who broke your heart into little pieces and stomped on it suddenly became famous, got a reality show, and made a heartfelt plea for you to be part of it? Would you say "yes"? And if it turned out that that show was about that person getting a chance to choose from among their exes, the person they wanted to get to know better, would you still say yes?

That's the dilemma that Maya finds herself in. Against her better judgement, she says "yes". When she realizes how messed up the whole situation is, and how Jordy has manipulated all of the contestants, she hatches a wicked plan for revenge. And then.....she falls in love.

This is such a terrifically fun book. Maya is a compelling character, and Sophie Gonzalez lets her unfold beautifully here. Her gradual realization that she's fallen in love with the competition is portrayed deftly, and Skye is a perfect foil for Maya's brusqueness. As everyone involved in the creation of the reality show gradually starts to realize what a d-bag Jordy really is, the reader really starts to root for his undoing. There's a very well done reveal to tie all the ends together. There's a sharp and snarky tone throughout that suits Maya well, and I found myself almost laughing out loud at times with a particular turn of phrase.

Students from Grade 9 up would enjoy this one, and I would happily recommend it to intermediate readers I knew could deal with the liberal f-bombing. High school libraries should definitely snap this one up!

I must say I was a wee bit disappointed in this one. I really enjoyed the author’s other book If This Gets Out so I was certain I would enjoy this one….I expected the MCs to be older. They were 18-20 but acted as if they were all 16–obnoxious and childish even for their age.

The romance was…cute? Overall it wasn’t a bad book. I just wish I enjoyed it more.

Forced proximity and enemies to lovers is my absolute fave! But I hate the miscommunication trope. It’s so annoying. I wish we wouldn’t use it so much. Anyway, easy to read and so fun to read!

I was SO happy when I got this book on NetGalley! The cover? The synopsis? I was so excited. And let me tell you… it did not disappoint! I was hooked from the start and could not put it down. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC. & Thank you to the author for writing this amazing book!

I really did not care for this book. The dialogue was SO excessive...all we were reading was constant back and forth between the characters which often felt forced. The specificity around bisexuality also seemed unnecessary...sexuality feels more fluid than being straight, gay or bi, which made me disappointed in this book. After nothing interesting happened in the first 50%, I had to abandon this one.

I liked the idea of the story line of the book, and I love me some drama. However, it kind of rubbed me the wrong way. The toxic boyfriend getting two girls to hate on each other wasn’t something that drew me in. It really really made me hate the guy. I had to finish it because I need to know what happens to him at the end. The ending was a twist, but looking back i did notice that there were some hints throughout the book that. I could see this book having another follow up book, and I’d be interested in reading that one as well. The author is a great writer; it was easy to read and get lost in.

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

Tropes:
💗 Enemies to Lovers
💜 Forced Proximity
💙 Miscommunication (caused by someone else part of the time)

When I initially requested an e-ARC for this book, I didn’t realize it was going to feature bi protagonists, as I just liked the title and the cover. I am incredibly happy it did.

“Never Ever Getting Back Together” was a breath of fresh air. After I finally read the plot synopsis, I was intrigued by the thought of a reality dating show where the contestants were all ex-girlfriends of the bachelor and excited to see how Maya and Skye would fall for each other. There was some initial concern that Maya may be an unreliable narrator, which didn’t feel like it fit with where I predicted the plot was going, but that cleared up quickly.

What the book does best is show just how two-faced individuals can be when cameras are involved. One minute, Jordy the bachelor is telling each of these young women how their beauty is like a sunset while the next he is commenting about how they are dressed and what he perceives as unattractive behavior. It took some convincing, but one by one the other women they see just what kind of person he was, leaving him the loser of the show.

I also really enjoyed seeing how much Maya and Skye were embraced by the show’s fanbase in the epilogue. I had worried that they would see some type of pushback in that fans of the not-quite prince would be upset that the two found love in each other, but it was wonderful to see how open the world was to them.

The journeys the two main characters went on were wonderful. Maya’s realization that revenge after all this time wouldn’t benefit her in any way and Skype’s decision that opening up to someone, even if they aren’t sure what’s going to happen, won’t always end in heartache worked well in that they bounced off of each other. Skype is the one that opened up Maya’s eyes to what getting revenge would actually mean, while Maya’s caring nature is what allowed Skype to take the leap.

“Never Ever Getting Back Together” is a great read for fans of reality dating shows, women coming together to show who someone really is, or someone that wants just wants to see the contestants of a series end up with each other and who they’re originally there for.

I thoroughly enjoyed this fun rom-com. I'm a reality dating show junkie so was looking forward to this aspect of the storyline and it did not disappoint. The chemistry between Maya and Skye was off the charts and I was rooting for them to end up together. Jordan was appropriately despicable. My first time reading this author and I'll definitely look for more of her books!

This book was so fun! I absolutely loved it.

This book is told in dual POV between Skye and Maya. They had two very different perspectives at the beginning.

Skye wonders if Jordy is the one that got away. She is excited to rekindle things with him. She is practical and thinks things through before acting.

Maya is the exact opposite. She is seeking revenge on Jordy for breaking her heart. She has no intentions of falling for him a second time, she is hoping he will fall for her so she can teach him what heartbreak feels like. She is impulsive throughout the book, and has no filter when she speaks. Both her inward and outward dialogue had me laughing out loud the entire book.

I could not stand Jordy. But I understand his role in the book was to be the villain. Gonzales did a very good job of writing him as an unlikeable narcissist.

I loved the turn this book takes half way through. It is well written, and a page turner.

Moving on and revenge in one book ! Heck yes! I adored this book and honeslty its like bachelor esk type!!

Didn’t love this one which was disappointing since I have enjoyed this author’s work in the past. I didn’t find any of these characters likable or relatable and the whole scenario was unrealistic and rather flimsy. I was unclear about what age these people were supposed to be, I didn’t buy some things and I flat out disliked MANY choices they made. I forced myself to finish in order to give a fair review, but had this been a purchased book and not a preview, I may have put it down without finishing.

One guy, several ex-girlfriends and a reality dating show that is supposed to be about love and definitely not at all about getting revenge on a cheating scum bag with a fake British accent.

Maya had a hard break-up with Jordy, he cheated on her with Skye then dumped her for being clingy when she called him out on it. Jordy has charisma for days so he paints her as the crazy one and moves on to the next girl and Maya is over it.
Or so she thinks until she gets a call to be on a reality tv show where the object is to be reunited with Jordy.
Where her mansion roommate is Skye.
Where the hottest of Jordy’s exes have gathered to show him their best side.
Maya returns to Jordy’s orbit for revenge and to save other girls from her fate. But not everything is as it seems and maybe someone in the mansion will find love after all.

If you’re looking for gritty juicy details of bodily exploration this book is more of a “they kiss and the scene fades to black and opens again on the following morning.” And since these characters are barely out of high school that’s definitely okay. The seven week timeline combined with the emotional intensity of what they are doing makes the relationship build feel believable - experience has taught me no one falls in love faster than 18 year old girls finding someone who treats them decent for the first time.

Sweet PG tale of finding love in the absolute last place you’d expect. Much like the reality tv it represents, a fun quick read, though you may not remember all the details in a few weeks.

A big old “Thank You” to Netgalley, the Publisher and of course the author for the chance to read this book in exchange for an honest review. Your efforts are in good hands and I appreciate the trust.

Title: Never Ever Getting Back Together
Author: Sophie Gonzales
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Pages: 384
Format: Kindle ePub (Will be sold in kindle, audiobook and hardcover)
Publication Date: November 29, 2022

Once I picked this up I could not put it down. I think I read the whole thing in about 36 hours.

Sophie Gonzales is such an amazing writer, her characters are the perfect blend of hilarious and relatable. I was rooting for Skye and Maya from the very beginning, even when they hated each other. I loved the development of their relationship. From outright hatred, to begrudging niceties, to true love for each other. It was all very realistic which is something I don't find often in books like this.

Hated Jordy, Like a lot. It was funny, he reminded me so much of a guy I used to know that I found myself physically cringing at some of the things he did. Gonzales really made him the easiest character to dislike.

Overall, this book was amazing. The dating show format is a ton of fun, the characters are well written and realistic, and it is a fast paced plot that has even more plot twists than I could have wished for.

This YA sapphic romcom was so fun and I genuinely did not want to put it down. This concept is honestly what I kept hoping would happen on this season of the Bachelor/Bachelorette - two women contestants on a reality dating show fall in love with each other and not the toxic male lead. This is enemies to friends to lovers! This is A+ commentary on how wine actually does not taste good! This is a john tucker must die revenge story! Thank you to Wednesday books and @netgalley for my e-ARC, I have got to get my hands on a physical copy when it comes out on November 29

Dating show Romances need to be a new genre because they are so much fun!!! This was a blast to read. Imagine bringing all your exes together to date again and hopefully rekindle a new live with one of them. Yeah, there's plenty of drama backstage, especially when Maya is face-to-face with the girl Jordy cheated on her with. But smart girls don't get mad, they get even! There were so many great twists and turns and emotions. I was entranced with the story from the very first page.

Thank you NetGalley, Sophie Gonzales, St. Martin's Press & Wednesday Books for my eARC in exchange for my honest review.

So I read this one and thought it was just cute. The premise is a bachelor/Bachelorette type show and those are a huge hit right now. I just felt the dialog was lacking something and the MCs weren't my favorite.

Thanks for the opportunity to read though!

To my mind, a good rom-com is one that breaks the rules just a little, catching the reader off-guard with unusual characters and original plot twists, and this story of revenge and self-redemption is a good example. It’s apparently the author’s fifth novel, so she’s not a beginner and the narrative moves along very smoothly, seen through the eyes of two of the three main characters. The first Good Guy is Maya Bailey of Connecticut, who has just graduated high school and is headed (somewhat reluctantly) for college in the fall. Two years before, she had dated Jordy Miller for ninth months, who was a major catch from a wealthy family, two years older than her, dangerously handsome, but also a major player. Then his family moved to Canada and they attempted a long-distance relationship, but he cheated on her and lied to both girls about it. When Maya found out, she walked away and swore she would get even.

Since then, though, Jordy’s older sister, Samantha, has married the Crown Prince of a small European nation called Chalonne and Jordy has now upped his game to become an international heartthrob with connections and sponsorships, and he can get any girl he wants, so he does exactly that. As far as he’s concerned, he’s the “next-best thing to nobility.” Moreover, a Hollywood outfit that produces reality shows is planning a series called Second-Chance Romance, in which Jordy will get back together with six of his previous girlfriends to see if anything can be rekindled. And Maya is going to be one of the six. This is her big chance, she thinks, to out the bastard and make him pay for humiliating her.

When she gets to the lakeside mansion in Chalonne where the show will be filmed, Maya discovers she’s sharing a room with Skye Kaplan, the girl Jordy had cheated on her with. And Skye thinks (because Jordy told her so) that Maya is unhinged with jealousy and up to no good where Skye is concerned. But Skye is also one of the Good Guys and it won’t take long for the two of them to figure out what’s going on. And they combine their talents to plan a way that one of them will win the various competitions the producers are setting up. There’s a good deal of plotting and counter-plotting, some of it involving the other four girls on the show, who have their own goals and ambitions, and you won’t know until the end how it will all turn out. Because Gonzales know how not to telegraph the resolution. And the romance part of the story isn’t what you might expect, but it’s very nicely handled.The last couple of chapters crank the mounting tension up to ten, and are very satisfying in a somewhat bloodyminded way.

My only real gripe about the book is the whole fictional royal family thing. This seems to have become a popular gimmick in recent years, and I just don’t get it. In this case, it’s completely non-credible, unless you’re writing an alternative-history fantasy. I think it would have worked much better in terms of believability if Jordy had been the entitled son of a major Hollywood celebrity. We actually have those, and it wouldn’t require inventing a country

3,75 stars

This book was a cute, lighthearted read that left me smiling. The concept was super fun, felt like a fresh take on a pretty common premise. If anything, I just wish that we got to spend a little more time with some of the other girls. I appreciate that the story was focused on Maya, Skye, and their relationships with each other and Jordy, but I think seeing them bond a little more with the other girls on the show would have pushed this one over the top. Overall though this was a fun time!! Thanks to Wednesday Books for the ARC :)