I enjoyed this book, but there were a few things that I felt jostled the book out of “omg this could really happen” territory. The biggest was the ages of everyone… if they were just mid-20s instead, it would have been a game changer. But 18 and going on a tv show to fight for the love of your life, aka: the boy you dated for a few months at 15 years old? I kept making them older in my head so it made sense, but there was always a detail that reminded me.

Overall, the idea was great, loved the title and the LGBTQ+ representation with the main characters. Would recommend, but probably not fangirl over.

https://www.tiktok.com/@bettysbooklist/video/7115129069515164971?is_copy_url=1&is_from_webapp=v1&lang=en

This book was on my list of anticipated reads the second it got announced. Sophie is one of my favorite authors and I was prepared to be blown away again. I’m a sucker for reality TV so when I saw the synopsis for the book I thought it was going to be an instant love. It was really unfortunate when this didn’t instantly become a favorite.

The idea of the story was perfect, the execution? Not so much.

Some of my issues:
Jordy is a royal, which take down the monarchy I am here for that, but none of his royalty makes sense. The reality show is about his exes and them getting a second chance with him but one of the exes is a hookup. I know this is fiction but there’s no way a royal would publicly talk about a hookup, that’s a pr nightmare waiting to happen. I think the ages of the contestants should’ve been older. Having exes come back is kinda tough when you’re only 20 years old. Most of his relationships were quick and due to this it’s quite clear that most of them are only there for publicity purposes. It’s hard to see it as rekindling love when only two of them considered to actually love him. How was he the one to get away when he’s hookup? He’s supposed to get away. Only two made comments about actively being interested in him and the one changed her tune, rightfully so, on day two. So the ages came with restrictions,I do understand this is a ya book but I think new adult would’ve worked a little better.

Also, the royal part deeply confused me. I guess his sister is gonna marry is married to a royal? But his family is very rich? I felt like he should’ve been kept as a rich child and leave royalty out of it.

Okay, now about maya and skye. I’m all for maya getting revenge. She should drag his name through dirt, I would support her a hundred percent. What I didn’t support was how aggressive she was towards skye in the beginning. I understand she thought skye knew that jordy wasn’t single when she started dating him but that doesn’t allow her to go in guns blazing without reason. If skye had been actively aggressive then yes bash her go for it, but skye was really polite in the beginning. Maya knew skye would be there so I’m not sure how she thought she could rampage on her without it being a problem. On the first day Maya tells another girl there, Perrie, her whole plan for being there. Not even three hours in and she’s discussing her plan with a literal stranger. That’s not strategic that’s how you get thrown to the curb with the monarchy wanting your head on the chopping block.

Then still on day one skye tells the other girls that maya is being aggressive, which she was, and one of the girls (who really only did it to want to stir the pot to be honest) decides they all need to confront maya that second. It was just unnecessary drama from a misunderstanding between skye and maya. It felt very catty for no reason. I felt like that situation could’ve been handled differently. It could’ve still had its dramatic element that reality tv gives us without it being a whole unnecessary war. I felt like the resolution between maya and skye could’ve been better. It felt rush, like an afterthought to be honest. Their relationship felt a bit rushed as well. It didn’t feel their progression into a relationship was authentic.

Things I did enjoy:
I was here for the showcasing of unhealthy relationships. Especially relationships when you’re young. I thought it was realistic of how Maya held onto her anger for two years. She never got closure and her name got wrongfully dragged into the dirt. She was filled with resentment and that stayed true until the end. I don’t agree with her actions but I understand her emotions. When you don’t get closure you deserve it’s hard to let things go. Jordy got to live a life of peace and prosperity while she had to heal herself in silence. That’s damaging and I liked how Sophie showcased that. I wasn’t a fan of the characters and I couldn’t fully connect with them but I was here for the emotions. That felt real and it’s what I did enjoy.

I absolutely adored this book! I loved the dialogue between each of the characters, jordy was portrayed like your average young twenty something trying to navigate the word of dating, and I really loved the behind the scenes look of what it’s like to be on a dating show. I can’t wait to be able to purchase a physical copy of this book.

Thank you to NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review!

This was cute and fun, if unremarkable. I usually have issues with how romances advance in contexts like the one in this book, but it didn't feel rushed or forced at all. Jordy did feel a bit one-dimensional and bad bad bad, but the point of the book was definitely not to have a nuanced or deep villain. The setting was very fun, the side characters were more developed than I expected them to be (in a good way!), and the characterization of the two main characters was distinct and well-written. Overall, quite enjoyable. 3.5/5.

Thank you so much to NetGalley for an eARC of this book!

I’ll start off by saying that the premise for this book is absolutely ridiculous and requires a lot of suspension of disbelief; these characters are way too young to be on a second-chance dating reality TV show, and the idea that our leading lady Maya would come on the show without really thinking it through is truly wild. That being said, I devoured this book and had a great time.

The writing was quick, snappy, and very funny. I loved the dynamic between Maya and Skye, and thought the pacing of their relationship was perfect and conflict felt believable. I was super engaged the whole time and couldn’t put it down because I just had to know what happened!

The side characters felt a little underdeveloped and I also found myself wanting a bit more digging into our leads personalities outside of the show / each other / Jordy. I definitely recognize that this book isn’t perfect and has some larger premise issues that just don’t make a lot of sense (I think this story would have been better suited to the New Adult genre), but I think a lot of people are really going to love it! Plus, I had Taylor Swift stuck in my head the entire time I was reading, and I am never going to complain about that!

I loved this. In a lot of ways, I think this is Sophie Gonzales’ funniest book to date, while still dealing with some serious issues with the gravitas and respect they deserve. It’s a ridiculous book, filled with beautiful characters (and one spectacular asshat). And it might just be that book-orgasm you get when you finish a book where the ending and everything that led up to it was perfection, but I can’t think of a single bad thing to say about this.

CWs: gaslighting, sexism, manipulative behavior, generally gross comments that only disgusting people make. If it helps at all, the disgusting person in question is 100% responsible for everything in this CW section and he gets what’s coming to him. (And it’s so satisfying.)

Sophie Gonzales has written some of my favorite bisexual characters ever. Maya and Skye join a six week reality show for a second chance with their ex-boyfriend Jordy. Some of the girls have more pure intentions than others.

Jordy cheated on Maya with Skye two years ago and had told Maya that Skye knew about Maya so when they are assigned to be each other's roommates for the show they are less than thrilled. When Maya and Skye finally talk about what went down two years ago they realize Jordy played both of them and scheme to take him down.

Jordy is a menace to society and I dislike him with everything in me. He is a charming shallow manipulator. He is the definition of the “nice guy” that ends up being a total bellknob.

Gonzales explores the way people react to grief and healing from relationships in different ways in a way that I loved. I saw a bit of myself in each of the six girls.

Thank you St. Martin's Press, Wednesday Books, and NetGalley for giving me access to an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I'm sure this is more a reflection of my age than anything else, but I couldn't get into this story at all. The characters seemed to be older, then younger in attitude, depending on what the plot required. The events were unbelievable, and I never got a good sense of where/when any of this was set, between the US college discussion and the European royalty (?) and the reality TV show. (I suspect if you like watching dating shows, you'll enjoy this a lot more than I did.)

The premise seemed to mash up too many different hooks. Everyone sounded the same in voice as well. I had no connection with the characters, and what I learned about them I didn't like, so I didn't care about what happened to any of them. More, I didn't want to spend time with any of them, which is the kiss of death for a rom-com.

Never have I wanted something terrible to happen to a fictional character more than I wanted something terrible to happen to Jordy Miller. I actively rooted for his demise from start to finish, because we ALL know a Jordy that really just needs to get what’s coming to him.

You know how on The Office when Jim would hear some bullshit he would stop what he was doing and stare at the camera? Tell me why I did that while reading this book. SO MANY TIMES. Jordy said some of the worst shit so casually, and I just wanted to throttle him. I rage-paced because I couldn’t sit still reading what he was saying. I loved it.

I genuinely don’t know how Sophie does it, but her writing style just clicks with me, and I felt every emotion right along with Maya and Skye. I wanted that revenge SO BAD, and let me just say I was in no way disappointed with what went down.

Maya and Skye, though. I loved their journey from hating one another because a man basically said they should to realizing that maybe this man is as shitty as they thought, and oh, maybe we like each other now. It was such a fun damn read, and I would watch this awful trainwreck of a show in a heartbeat

Crushed the feel good/cheesy romcom vibe. The dialogue for this one was a miss for me. I would have enjoyed it more with an older age bracket for the characters

4-4.5 stars

I'm gonna start by saying that I think this shouldve been new adult instead of young adult. While I was reading, I was picturing the main characters as 22~, 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. At first, I kind of hated four of the six girls on the show (but tried to give them the benefit of the doubt, all things considered), but by the end, I loved them all.

I really like the pace if this book! It didn't drag things out that didn't need to be, and it also didn't move too fast that it felt like I was missing things. The writing and the plot were also wonderful!

Thank you to netgalley for allowing me to read this book in exchange for an honest review! I'm so happy I got to read this one!

This was “John Tucker Must Die” meets “The Bachelor” and I loved every minute of it. The author does a wonderful job of making you relate to the characters. I loved the girls’ comradery through the competitions and most of all, I adored Maya and Skye. You will love all of the characters (Jordy Miller aside) and root for them and their success throughout the book.

Never Ever Getting Back together is a fun read for anyone interested in lots of drama, has a manipulative ex-boyfriend, and wants a cute sapphic love story.

I had very high expectations for this book since i love other novels written by Sophie Gonzales but i just couldn’t get into „Never ever getting back together”. The plot seemed very interesting but while reading i felt like it was very stretched out. Because of that I just wasn’t that drawn to sit down and read.

I loved most of the characters - and the ones that i didn’t love were written very well. Maya was very relatable and every time Jordie appeared i just wanted to throw the book across the room .

I loved the queer representation. The main character was bi and that was amazing.

Overall i really enjoyed the book and i think it’s good but i wasn’t head over heels.

Sophie Gonzales did it again with Never Ever Getting Back Together. This book trailed through a season of a reality tv show with royal-adjacent Jordy and several of his ex lovers, hoping for a Second Chance Romance. The filming took a chaotic turn when feelings were caught, lies were uncovered, and revenge plans were brought to light.

Never Ever Getting Back Together was full of girl power, romance and a little revenge. Maya and Skye held all the qualities that made me want to root for them, and Jordy did the exact opposite.

Overall this book was funny and cute and I would recommend it for fans of The Charm Offensive and If This Gets Out.

In Never Ever Getting Back Together, six girls who all share the same ex-boyfriend compete on a TV reality show to win him back. Maya's goal for joining the show is to get revenge, while Skye joined to see there's a second chance at love. Sophie Gonzales does a good job capturing the reality show settings and I was entertained enough to want to know what happens to the very end.

<spoiler> I did want Maya and Skye to be together, but didn't root for them as hard as I have for couples in other books. The book focused more on them trying to give Jordy his comeuppance, which was alright but I wanted to read more romance between the girls. Overall I would rate this 3/5. </spoiler>

Perfect summer beach read. I barreled through this in two days. The author keeps the narrative fast-paced and exciting and I was surprised when I read the last page and looked up to see it was 2am. The enemies-to-lovers development is sure to be a tropey crowd pleaser and the dual narrative between the girls kept things fresh. It was especially hilarious seeing the dichotomy between their voices when dealing with Jordy – one doused in complete antipathy vs. the other very much taken in by the halo effect the world’s casted on him.

The slow burn romance between our two leads, coupled with their come-to-Jesus moment with regard to who their common enemy really was, was incredibly satisfying.

As an avid Bachelor watcher and UnREAL tv series fan, this hit all the right notes.

Unfortunately I never got to this book in my queue before it expires, I will however be purchasing on publishing day. Best of luck on publishing day

just finished this ARC! i’ve been loving reading all the bachelor inspired stories and this one is GAY!!! such a fun yet out of touch with reality plot, a perfect beach read. AND love the nod to taylor swift with the title :)