[Mini-Review, as I read this book last year and am just catching up now, so my memory isn't as fresh!]

It is a testament to how much I love Sophie Gonzales that this book, despite being my least-favorite of hers thus far, was still an absolute delight to read. (I will confess, some of this may be attributable to an "it's not you, it's me" phenomenon, as I read this one during the height of some less-than-ideal personal circumstances.) Like all of Sophie's books, this queer romcom was full of snappy banter and voices that sounded very authentically *teenaged*. The plot was full of things I love, including a reality dating show setting (I can't say I love them in real life, but man, do they make for fun reading), rivals-to-lovers, and an excellent subversion of typical love triangle patterns ("forget the guy we're both into, let's fall for each other instead!"). Jordy, the ex-boyfriend, was an absolute scumbag of a human being, and I loved the energy of the two girls taking him down.

There were two key things that made this book slightly less enjoyable than Sophie's other books for me. One was the setting. While I got what she was going for, by adding elements of royalty and a fictitious small country (Princess Diaries vibes, much?), it seemed to stretch the believability of what was already a larger-than-life story, and it made the narrative a little less grounded than it could have been. (Yes, I know this is fiction, but it made even the suspension of disbelief feel...off.) And this ties into my other disappointment, which is that this book wasn't as emotionally hard-hitting as some of her other titles. Yes, it had at least one scene near the end that truly had me Feeling Things, complete with heart-twisting anguish, but that emotional thread didn't run as intensely through the whole book.

Tl;dr a fun, funny read, albeit a bit less down-to-earth and hard-hitting than Sophie's usual work. Definitely still recommend it, though!

Sophie Gonzales books are always so delightful! I loved the premise of this one right from the start - it reminds me a bit of The Charm Offensive, but with a YA spin and focused on queer women. Gonzales really nails the intricacies of navigating bisexuality as a teen - and all the awkwardness that comes with it.

omg this was adorable!!

The perfect mix of The Bachelor + revenge + queer bachelor fantasy that we all hope is *actually* happening behind the scenes when the lead is a douche canoe.

this would make excellent television and there is nothing I love more than queering a very straight pop cultural staple (side eye at the title 👀). Hollwood could use a sapphic takeover.

I do wish there had been more personality and character development of the two MCs and that we’d gotten to see them more outside the context of the man they’re dating (barf). But overall it was a fun cute feel good read and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

I was snagged by the Taylor Swift lyrics title + it had the makings of everything I'm a sucker for in a romance with royalty & a reality show, but it was just kind of meh for me. I read it, but wasn't clamoring to get back to it whenever I'd have to pause.

I've tried to read this a few times and it just really wasn't for me. I shouldn't have requested this because how young the main characters are went completely over my head when I was reading the book summary. Knowing how young they are while reading the book just made the story less fun for me. I think this same concept would've gone over better if they were in their thirties. I definitely see the appeal of teenage drama worthy of a reality tv show. There's absolutely an audience. It just wasn't for me.

Never Ever Getting Back Together by Sophie Gonzales details what it's really like behind the scenes of a teen reality show called "Second Chance Romance" where the now famous Jordy invites his exes to compete for a chance to date him again. But what happens when two of his exes start falling for each other instead?????

18-year-old Maya is out for revenge since Jordy cheated on her with Skye, and Skye genuinely wants a second chance with Jordy. So when Maya and Skye room together on the show, chaos ensues.

If you take any romance recommendation from me this year, let it be this one. It was SOOOO GOOD. I can't stop thinking about how good of a plot this was and how perfect the execution of it all was.

Personally, I'm not a fan of the third act breakup. I feel like it's a cheap way to build some tension before the book ends. HOWEVER!! I think this book did a great job of it. *spoilers ahead* The reason for this third act breakup being that Skye wants Maya to choose between her love for Skye and her revenge plot for Jordy was honestly genius and was a fantastic way for Maya to decide which was more important to her.

5/5 stars, thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the e-ARC!

For obvious reasons the sound track for reading this book was heavily influenced by T. Swift, but that did not make the book any less enjoyable. This novel is an enjoyable frothy read that is perfect for a beach read while you're either on winter vacation or hold it until next summer to read.

Three and a half stars. Love the premise! Who hasn’t screamed at their TV during a dating show “Cut your losses and date your costar!” However, I wish they weren’t teenagers. Not sure why they were eighteen, I wish they would have been aged up to early to mid 20s. This book had a ton of promise but it just kind of over promised and underdelivered. Will definitely check out more of this authors books though.

Thank you to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for a copy of this book. All opinions in this review are my own.

I was so excited for this book - after having read another book by Sophie Gonzales, this one was really exciting to get because it was a concept that looked fantastic with diverse characters and all of the Alphabet Army representation. Unfortunately it fell a little flat for me, and I have been trying to figure out why that was considering it has a bunch of things I normally love in books. Switch between two points of view? Fantastic. Have diverse cast with lots of representation? Great. Strong female characters? Sign me up. Parody of reality shows? Yes! Easy to read while still being a decent-length book? Excellent. So what was the issue? For me I think it comes down to the fact that a large part of this book was the "JUST HAVE A CONVERSATION" trope - like a solid part of the book could have been solved if the two leads just TALKED to each other. Also, it felt kinda weird to be supporting someone in a revenge plot? I dunno, this was clearly a me issue and nothing to do with the book. Maybe if I was the same age as the characters when I read this, it wouldn't have sat so weird with me. This book is clearly very good, it just wasn't hitting right for me while I read it - and that is ok. I still think you should read it if you like the concept, it just wasn't for me and what I was hoping for. Still will absolutely pick something up by Sophie again though, that's for sure! 3.5/5

I didn't particularly like this one, so I didn't leave a public review. I loved loved loved the set up, but in the end the characters and story fell flat for me. I just didn't buy into the romance or feel very invested in it. Thank you for the chance!

I am in love with Sophie Gonzales work and this was one I was very excited for. A Sapphic enemies to lovers, with an abundance of Taylor Swift references, and the guy is just plain awful? It had me screaming about this book. I really loved it. It was rough in the beginning, however, the more I got into the story, the more I began to fall in love with it.

I really loved the romance between the two characters and was really cool how they got together. However, I do think there should have been a better build up with the romance, because it kinda felt insta-lovey, and I wasn't a huge fan, but the premise was there at least.

The reality TV was really good and enjoyed reading about those parts, and up till the very end. I really like this book.

Maybe I'm just too old, but I couldn't connect to the main characters, but I did like how the romance went.

A bisexual woman's dream. So fun and incredibly well done conceptually. Maya is so funny I adore that she snuck an iPad in hehe. This was such a joyride, and the secret relationship was so fucking amazing. I will say no romance novel needs to be above 300 pages.

Sophie Gonzales is a fantastic writer. She never fails to surprise and delight with her writing. While I didn't love this one as much as Perfect on Paper, it does have a great premise that's super hooky.

Thank you to the publisher, NetGalley, and Sophie Gonzales for the eARC of Never Ever Getting Back Together.

Maya and Skye both dated Jordy. At the same time. When Maya gets a phone call asking her to be on Second Chance Romance, she is very hesitant. After agreeing, Maya shows up at the mansion… Only to be placed in a room with Skye. Tension is high, but the girls finally hash out their issues and spend their time getting to know one another while plotting revenge against Jordy for what he did.

This book was so fun! It was very much like The Bachelor while still being hilarious and dramatic. Would recommend!

I love Sophie's writing style and her inclusion of queer character! Seeing the dating show setting and all of them women being the bachelor's ex-girlfirends was such a fun and unique concept! Watching the growth of the women in sorting out fact from fiction, developing friendships and a romantic relationship just made it all that much better.

My one and only true qualm is I think that this book could have been better as a new adult or adult romance as opposed to YA. I love YA books, but with the concept at times it felt a little lacking.

I would ultimately strongly recommend this book and definitely will be picking up Sophie's next release!

Thank you NetGalley and Wednesday Books for the advance reading copy.

When I first heard about this book, I was excited to read it. I quickly moved it to the top of my tbr and couldn't wait to get started. Unfortunately, I just could not get into this book. I gave it a few tries but it never held my attention. It's an okay book and for some, probably quite enjoyable but it just wasn't for me. I could not stay interested in the story or the characters.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author and St. Martin's Press for providing me with an ARC copy.
All thoughts and opinions are my own.

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

Never Ever Getting Back Together follows two 18 year old contestants Maya and Skye on a new reality dating show where they have the chance to win a second chance at love with their ex-boyfriend, Jordy.

Maya and Skye narrate in alternating first-person chapters. This was a fun, easy read; however, I struggled with the second chance at love for characters so young. If you like reality tv, especially the bachelor/bachelorette and romance books, you will love this one!

This was fun and unique! I had a great time reading it, and I'm so happy with how Skye and Maya's relationship developed. Also obviously loved the Taylor Swift title.

🗣️ fuck jordy

THIS BOOK WAS SO FLIPPIN CUTE.

Chaotic bisexual babes, a reality competition I would absolutely never go on in my life, an incredible supporting cast, and just SO MUCH FUN.

I do think this felt more NA than YA??? Based on how old they were and how everyone acted??? But since traditional pub pretends NA doesn’t exist, I get it. It just felt a little weird.

Regardless it was hella cute, Maya was a dumbass but hilarious, and they all just made me so happy, and the audio was phenomenal 🤌🏼

Except for Jordy. Fuck that guy.