I received an advanced reader copy of this book.

I'm a sucker for reality TV and reality TV-themed books so I was really excited to read this one. It was generally a cute story - Jordy Miller (we hate him) is a famous guy who is the star of a show where all of his ex-girlfriends compete for a second chance at love with him. After being forced to spend time together, two of the exes, Skye and Maya, end up falling for each other. It was chaotic and fun, but things felt a little off at times because the main characters were only 18. The whole plot would have worked better with 20-somethings as the leads. Overall, a decent read but unfortunately, after recently reading The Charm Offensive (and loving it), this one fell a bit short.

While I enjoyed the fact that this was a sapphic book, instead of the usual two women fighting over a man trope, the writing itself didn't impress me. More than that, the characterization of everyone left a lot to be desired, and I honestly didn't end up liking a single character that Gonzales wrote. Love this book for the bisexuals out there, but the story itself isn't strong enough to hold its own.

Would you go on reality TV for a chance to get revenge on your lying, cheating ex-boyfriend?

Maya never wanted to see her ex, Jordy, again. Especially since he cheated on her. But when your ex’s sister marries a crown prince, he finds a way to charm the world. And paint you as the crazy ex-girlfriend.

Skye has always guarded her heart, but Jordy managed to find his way into hers. Until he suddenly stopped calling.

Maya and Skye are invited to star in a new reality dating show, Second Chance Romance, along with four of Jordy’s other exes. Maya agrees, determined to expose Jordy as the manipulative liar he is. Skye agrees, thinking maybe she and Jordy can pick up where they left off. But neither are prepared for the connections they make during filming– especially as they grow closer to each other.

Y’ALL. I was so excited by the premise of this book. Bachelor-style reality TV, but two contestants fall in love instead? Yes, please. Also, Sophie Gonzales? At this point, I’ll read anything she writes.

While this book was pretty predictable, I enjoyed it thoroughly. Jordy was the perfect villain– a toxic, self-absorbed, misogynistic asshole. Unfortunately, this was so realistic, and honestly I saw some of my exes in his behavior, which made me root for the girls even more.

I loved the relationships between all the girls. They’re all competing against each other, but (aside from the very beginning), there is very little drama between them. They aren’t trying to tear each other down, which I really appreciated.

Like I said, the conclusion is pretty predictable, but it was still satisfying. And it did not take away from my enjoyment at all.

Overall, this book was so fun, funny, but also heartfelt. Did I mention this book was super fun?

There was a lot about this book that I found surprising and enjoyable. The writing style had some nice humor and levity. And I was not expecting a conlang in a book like this

Ultimately I would say my issue was distinguishing the main two characters. To me, their personalities didn't seem distinct enough. I also felt like the romance wasn't really grabbing me -- it didn't seem to develop at all until about halfway through the book. A lot of the beginning was frustrating / repetitive miscommunication.

4 Stars.

I’ve yet to read a book written by Sophie Gonzales that I haven’t loved and Never Ever Getting Back Together wasn’t an exception.The book follows Maya and Skye as they’re contacted by the production team of a new reality TV show to see if they can ignite a Second Chance Romance with their ex-boyfriend, Jordy.

Maya wants nothing to do with Jordy or this show, until she realizes this is the perfect opportunity to take revenge. It’s now 2+ years post-breakup, but Maya is still hurting from how Jordy broke it off with her - after she found out he was seeing another woman in the new country he moved to. She decides to join the show to expose Jordy and his cheating to the whole world.

Skye has been traveling all summer, all her belongings fitting into one backpack, and she decides to go on the show to see if she can rekindle her relationship with Jordy, which ended when he moved away to another country. She knows about Maya briefly, but Jordy calls Skye before the show to warn her that Maya might try to start trouble, and that she can’t be trusted.

Thrust into the mansion they’ll be staying at until they’re evicted from the show, Skye and Maya become roommates. Maya is passive-aggressive, wanting nothing to do with Skye, the girl who knowingly dated her boyfriend when they were still together… or did she? As an unlikely friendship starts, maybe something more blooms, and it comes down to whether to let go of the past or move toward the future.

I’ll be honest, this book had a fairly slow start, and I didn’t love the characters at first, but toward the end I couldn’t put it down. A unique concept that was executed well, and really showcases female friendship, past relationships, and moving on. I really enjoyed it and would recommend it to anyone who likes reality TV shows, and also people who don’t, but love queer love stories!

This story is perfect for fans of The Charm Offensive, but it make it a YA take on a reality tv show second chance romance series. Except the main male mc has the personality of gas light, gate keep, girl boss down to a T. And the stories heroines are in it to take him down! (And if they fall for each other along the way, whelp accidents happen.) The choices these characters make to influence reality TV is so fun to read.

This was a cute romance to read! Would I have done the ending differently? Absolutely I would have. That's really the only reason I didn't give this 5 stars. The ending was still satisfying (and no spoilers I won't go further than this.)

Thank you Netgalley & St. Martin's Press for this e-ARC. I had an absolute blast with this one.

When I saw the plot of this book, I knew I had to get my hands on it. This was essentially the Bachelor but the contestants are all ex-girlfriends of said bachelor. Cue the drama! I didn't love all the cattiness and animosity between the girls at first, but I understood how it needed to be there to move the plot along. A few moments felt pretty rushed especially between our female MCs, but I will look past it for the adorableness of Maya and Skye. I also liked the route the author took in the end. Showed lots of great character development for both Maya and Skye.

Some lovely things:
- REVENGE!
- so much drama! I live for it
- bisexual MCs who fall in love <3
- annoying jerk gets what he deserves!
- female friendships!!

I highly recommend this. It was SO much fun.

Read This If Enjoy:
•YA
•Bachelor/Bachelorette
•Getting revenge on an ex

Thoughts:
I really enjoyed this one. I was a little hesitant at first, because I thought Maya was being super annoying, along with the rest of the girls. But Maya and Skye grew on me, and I really enjoyed them. I loved to hate Jordy…what a douche, I wanted to see him get taken down. I loved the twist that ended up happening in the end. A super cute YA read with lgbtqia+ representation.

I wanted to really love this book and gave it my best try but in the end, I didn't even make myself finish it. The premise is interesting- getting back at famous ex boyfriends who broke your heart publicly by going on a game show they ask you to be on with the idea in mind that you will both fall back in love. But the end result of the 2 ex-girlfriends deciding they were better with each other than either of them going back to him added to the fact that neither woman character had a likeable personality just didn't hit any high marks for me. I just felt the characters were shallow and even though I like a good " got you back " story, this one just didn't hit the mark for me.

Loved it.
Was it weird that a 20-year-old absolute garbage man had 6 significant exes? A little. But for me a lot of that can be put aside for the premise: two girls competing for one guy on a dating show fall for each other instead. I think it would've lost a lot of impact if they had been mid-to-late-20s to make the show a little more realistic, and it had to be an ex for the overall storyline to work. I am not mad at all. This was a cute sapphic story and we need more of those.

Unfortunately this one does lose a star because the most realistic and fleshed-out character was the aforementioned garbage man, Jordy. He SUCKED. But I have met so many guys like this, and that's the part that made it really work. I just wish there had been more effort put into the main characters; Skye likes to travel, and Maya is dreading going to college, yet wants to be a doctor. And that's basically all I got from them. The other women all basically had one personality trait each, and one was so dry I wanted to cry. This is slightly redeemed by some of the relationships they build amongst themselves throughout the course of the book.

Thank you to Wednesday Books and Netgalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, Wednesday Books, and the author for sharing an ARC in exchange for my honest feedback!

Not gonna lie, the title of this one pulled me in. Any reference to Taylor Swift and I am a goner. Now that I've read it (and witnessed Jordy being the little shit-bag that he is), Never Ever Getting Back Together is the perfect reference to this book's storyline!

Imagine "The Bachelor" and "John Tucker Must Die" had a baby, and you would get this book.

Maya and Skye are complete strangers except for the one thing they have in common - they both dated and were eventually both dumped by this dude Jordy. Unfortunately, there was some overlap between the two relationships, and (unbeknownst to Skye) Jordy cheats on Maya and starts dating Skye.

Years after both breakups, Jordy's sister marries into the royal family and he becomes famous by association. He is known as this hot young bachelor with a heart of gold who is always giving back to the less fortunate.

Then one day, both of the girls get a call asking them to come on a reality dating show with Jordy as the star. The premise is that all of the contestants will be Jordy's ex-girlfriends, and they will compete week after week to capture his heart once more. The winner of the show is the last person standing, and the one that Jordy has decided that we would like to date again. Skye still has unresolved feelings for him and decides to go on, and Maya is still pissed off after he cheated on her and wants to go on TV and get her revenge.

The girls of course are forced to room together and pitted against each other at every turn by Jordy and the show's producers for some good-ole reality show drama. Eventually, they put all of the pieces together and realize that Jordy is the real enemy, and their revenge plot is born. They vow to work together and get to the end of the show so that at least one of them can out him on national television for the terrible person that he really is.

As they spend more time together, the girls are less focused on payback and more on getting to know each other. Can they work through their issues and find a happily ever after? Will they change the tune of this show from "Never Ever Getting Back Together" to "Love Story"?

This story was such a cute read and I am so thankful that I got the chance to read it. Thanks again to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, Wednesday Books, and Sophie Gonzales for sharing it with me.

everything about this book was meh. the plot was cute enough and engaging enough that I finished the book, but honestly the good qualities end there.

none of the characters had any personality. this book is told from 2 POV’s and sometimes it was hard to tell who was speaking because Maya and Skye sound exactly the same. there’s also quite a cast of supporting characters and other than the fact that kim is generally a mean girl, the rest of the girls are carbon copies of each other.

i didn’t think maya and skye had any chemistry. I wouldn’t have even known they were into each other if the author hadn’t come out and told the audience that they were. I just didn’t buy it. like I knew they were supposed to fall for each other but I didn’t see a build up, it just happened.

I didn’t hate reading this book but I definitely had to force myself to read it.

i’m extremely busy at the moment, so i don’t have much time to read arcs but i will come back and edit this with my actual review once i’ve read it! super excited!

I was about 8% into this book when I realized I needed to punch Jordy in the face and I wouldn’t even feel bad about it. Sophie Gonzales did a great job of creating a character that readers will hate while simultaneously showing us how he’s so charismatic that the female characters fell for him and would be willing to go on a dating show for the chance to be with him.

I really enjoyed following Skye and Maya’s journey from being enemies, both blinded by the lies told to them by Jordy, to co-conspirators in a plot for his downfall and then maybe even something more.

If you’re looking for a YA sapphic enemies to lovers romance involving reality dating shows, witty characters, and a plot for revenge, definitely pick up Never Ever Getting Back Together.

This was such a hilarious premise and a fun, light-hearted read. There were some predictable moments and it was prone to fall into a clear direction, but I enjoyed it immensely.

I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Sophie Gonzales is the queen of fun, pop-culture fueled queer YA romance! I read her nod to the 1D ship, If This Gets Out, previously and found it charming. Her latest title, Never Ever Getting Back Together, which comes out in November is even more fun. Part nightmare ex-boyfriend revenge scheme, part royal-adjacent dating reality show, the plot is a fun flip on the expectations that ex-girlfriends sit around pining for the love that jilted them... they're actually hot for each other from time to time. It's the Sapphic romcom we all deserve this Fall. Thank you to St. Martin's press for the opportunity to review this ARC.

I absolutely loved everything about this book. I’ve read Gonzales in the past, and it’s always been good, but this was fantastic. Her best work by a country mile. I already want to reread this. I want this book in every format. I loved it.

3.5 stars. Cute book, light read- I am not a fan of Bachelor-type shows, but this was a fun twist on that set-up. Some of the characters, including the bachelor, were cartoonish, but the main characters are endearing and you can't help but root for them. Great read for a vacation or weekend away.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

Not crazy about it, the premisses were very interesting, but didn’t completely deliver, first off can we just hut Jordy in the face with a Chair, seriously this guys I hate him. And Maya and Skye , I like the falling in love while hating you ex but it felt a bit dry on personality , like I said not crazy about, entertaining but not my favorite.

Thanks to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for this free arc.

This was...cute. I love the bi angle, especially that women who go on a reality show to compete for a man end up together — but overall I found the reality show aspect a bit lame, and Maya and Skye's chemistry was off. It could have been a lot more punchy and exciting all around.

Well done to the author though for making Jordy so believably unlikable yet charming at first glance (to others) that's a tough line to navigate!