the plot of this book was so intriguing and so well-executed. it made reality tv seem fun but also poked fun at it, without leaning too far in either direction. i loved everyone’s characters (and loved to hate some of them). maya and skye both were very strong main characters and i didn’t prefer either pov over the other.

i loved that this book had so much action going on in the plot instead of just every character saying how they feel over and over, but it still managed to be heartfelt. i could anticipate what was about to happen without it feeling predictable or boring. the romance between skye and maya felt organic and i liked them together a lot. even though everything was very fade-to-black, it was still satisfyingly steamy. the cringey moments (like mayas drunken breakdown early on) were super cringey in the sense that i hated what was happening but couldn’t look away.

i flew through this because it was so fun and sweet. i’m glad everyone got the ending they deserved. it’s really well-crafted and a great read. it’s one of my favorite YA books i’ve read recently

4.5 STARS

First things first, I was given a copy of this book as an ARC, in exchange for an honest review. A big thank-you to NetGalley, Wednesday Books, and Sophia Gonzales for allowing me to be an early reader!

I am so happy that I received this ARC, because I genuinely found it so difficult to put this book down.

Jordy Miller is about to be the star of a reality TV show, called Second Chance Romance. Essentially six of his ex-girlfriends will be dating Jordy again, to see if they can rekindle their love and discover if the sparks are still there. By the end of the show, Jordy will choose one of the contestants to become monogamous with.

This book is told in the perspective of Maya and Skye - two of his ex-girlfriends. When the two of them meet, they set off on the wrong foot. But once they get to know one another, they’re able to become friends, and realize they have more in common than they once thought.

Maya is currently in college, hoping to pursue a career in medicine. On the contrary, Skye has been backpacking across Europe, and takes one day at a time.
While Maya has more of a loud personality, Skye is reserved and finds it difficult to trust people.

I absolutely loved the storyline and writing of this book. It was such a page turner! Maya and Skye had such interesting personalities, and it was fun to follow along with them while they complete different challenges for the show! Also, it was lovely to get to know Jordy’s other ex-girlfriends as they definitely added an extra element to the drama!

If you are a lover of reality TV (especially The Bachelor) and looking for a strong queer, contemporary young adult romance, look no further! This book will be releasing in late November!

While I have enjoyed previous books by Sophie Gonzales a lot, I'm sorry to say that this one was a miss for me. The overall premise is great but it honestly makes no sense for this to be YA and I found myself continually frustrated by the fact that everything would have made so much more sense if the characters were 8-10 years older and hadn't just graduated from high school. No one should or would make a reality tv show where literal teenagers are getting drunk and trying to win back their royalty adjacent ex on camera. It's really frustrating that the author didn't just write this as their adult romance debut since it is well written and funny but sadly for me I couldn't get past the weird age/maturity issues.

Ah yes, a reality show premise that invites the exes of Jordy to live in a house together and see if there's a "second chance romance". The book centers on two of his exes, feisty Maya and more relaxed Skye. They both deign to want to participate and against both their better judgements decide to go in and what they get is.. almost exactly what they didn't expect but what they needed nonetheless.

I don't read a lot of pop-culture-y time fiction where this one straddles the upper YA / new adult audiences. I can see this being a lot of readers' cup of tea and I tolerated it because I'm also not a reality show fanatic and kind of sort of saw what was likely going to happen. But WYSIWYG.

What a fun, page-turning, romp! Reality TV drama (think the Bachelor/Bachelorette) meets love triangle meets juicy twist and you get "Never Ever Getting Back Together" by Sophie Gonzales.

The story revolves around Maya, a teenager who enters a reality tv show about "second chance love," aka a chance to get back at the tv show's "star" - ex-boyfriend who both cheated on her and dumped her for another girl. A girl who ALSO happens to be a contestant on this same show. Maya is out for petty revenge against both her ex and the "other woman." Miscommunications abound but ultimately, the girls clear the air and pair up to get back at their ex only to find love in the most unexpectedly place.

This was my first Sophie Gonzales novel, and I thoroughly enjoyed myself. The writing was crisp, and I devoured the book in one sitting. I loved the character development of the two leads as well as the enemies to friends to lover twist.

My only gripe with the novel was that all the characters seemed awfully young for a reality show about "second chance love." I would have preferred if they were all aged up a bit more, e.g. college/post-college. The stakes would have felt a little deeper, and the characters would have more lived-in experiences.

But, overall, this was a really fun rom-com and perfect for a summer/beach/vacation read.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press & Wednesday Books for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

First of all. I will read any book written by this author. I adore her representation of queer and Bi characters. Each one of her books always has a moment or moments when I feel so seen.

I enjoyed this book. It was a fun summer read. I definitely recommend this book if you love reality dating shows.
I liked that is book focused on the healing process and self discovery of the lead character even as she seeks revenge on her ex.

I personally wish the characters were a little older, especially with all the drinking and talking about past relationships and serious dating. But that could just be because I’m older and this could be the perfect book for someone younger to see themselves in.

I really liked how the book ended. How the lead characters found their way and themselves and each other. Definitely don’t skip the prologue on this one (apparently some people do that!!) because that may have been my favorite and mostly satisfying part.

4/5.

Great plot development and had me hooked on to the edge of my seat. I would have loved to see greater character development. Skye is very guarded, but I couldn’t find many examples of that when interacting with other people other than what she tells herself. Maya and Perrie were conjoined by the hip at the beginning of the novel, but as Maya and Skye become closer, it didn’t make sense that Maya would stop talking to Perrie. Certain characters felt surface level.

The first chapter was a great introduction to the characters situations, feelings, and had a great cliffhanger. I loved the way the plot had more twists and turns as the competition got more cutthroat. Gonzales knew exactly how to get readers to throw imaginary tomatoes at Jordy for all the despicable things he’s done.

It was a great feel good novel. I adored Lauren for being the mediator between all of the action going on. Issac was lovable the entire way through. I felt like watching The Bachelor with greater tones of empowerment and sympathy for one another. Would recommend.

Thank You to St. Martin's Press for the ARC.
Sophie’s books never fail to keep me interested and entertained. Even before starting this book I loved the idea of the plot. Imagine a show kind of like the bachelor….. except all the contestants are the bachelors exes. And Maya (the MC and an ex of bachelor Jordy) has to room with Skye, the girl Jordy cheated on her with. Talk about drama…. and genuine enemies to lovers when Maya and Skye start to catch feelings for each other.
There was a fair bit of petty drama between Jordy’s exes throughout the entire book but given the plot I thought it really fit with the plot of the book. Beyond the drama though there were obviously also some friendships formed which I thought was cool to see. I always enjoy reading this type of book where we get to see the behind the scenes of something we usually only see the glamorous side of in real life. The adventures, bonds between contestants, schemes and more that all happened off camera were so exciting to witness. Although in this case the on camera moments were often just as fun and entertaining.
Maya put everything into exposing Jordy for who he really is, which isn’t an easy task when the whole world sees him as a golden boy. It’s even harder to do when so much of the tv show is either scripted or plotted by the producers. Because why would reality tv ever be actual reality….. where’s the fun in that? I won’t go into any details to keep from spoiling anything, but the way everything worked out in the end made me extremely happy. There was a tiny bit of miscommunications to get to the very end but given the circumstance I didn’t mind as it seemed pretty much unavoidable. The girls really proved they were both better off without the boy and that’s the kind of happy ending I live for.

"Never ever getting back together" was a cute book. It felt like it took me a while to get into it. At first the dual pov bothered me, but by the end I was eagerly anticipating it.

How do you convince a girl who's been burned by a relationship to go back and try a reality show called second- chance romance? You don't! Maya agrees, but only so she can get revenge on the cheating S.O.B. that invited her. Oh and then we have to ramp up all the drama and Maya is stuck with Skye, you know... the one that was in on the cheating.

Skye agrees, because Jordy had to move, why not give him a second chance and find out what could have been... Did Skye really know that Jordy was still with Maya when they started dating?

Want all the drama and the details? Read this book to see! I loved the way relationships developed in this book!

This was such a fun and sweet read. I loved the concept of the second chance reality dating show. The descriptions of the dresses and settings were so fun, including the girls interactions with both Jordy and the crew. It was awesome to see how the women supported each other and grew their friendships, but I especially loved Skye and Maya. This was a fun, fast story that I highly recommend.

This was such a fun read! I really enjoyed that the book had both Skye and Maya's points of view and how their relationship started with a genuine dislike towards each other, so that the buildup was more interesting. It had all the drama that comes with a dating reality show, while still having place for each character to have their own personality shine (including the other contestants; I loved Perrie). I loved the witty narration from Maya from the beginning, and I'm glad to have picked up this fun, wholesome book :) Totally recommend!!

P.S. The Taylor Swift book title? Yes.

got this book as an ARC from NetGalley

No star rating because I DNFed. It just didn’t hold my interest. I tried reading it several times over more than a month but I just could not get into it. I hate to DNF an ARC but I have to move on at some point.

First of all, the storyline of this book was so engaging! I also love Sophie Gonzales's other books so of course I had to read this one. Rom-coms are rarely funny for me but this book had me laughing out loud several times! I loved Maya and Skye's romance and the book really made me hate Jordy. Overall, this book was such a fun, entertaining read and I definitely recommend it to lovers of rom-coms.

UMMMMMMM WTF This book was not what I was expecting but in the best way. I didn't know much about it going into it and just decided to not read the synopsis or anything fist and I'm so glad I did it that way. Jordy is a mega ass-hat in every way possible and Maya and Skye are the most amazing, two of the most misunderstood girls in a book I've read in a while. I just cleared room to add this to my top 20 favorite books...honestly probably a top 10 the more I think about it!!! So cute and the ending was obviously not what I expected but everything I needed. A MUST READ!!!!

I have never watch any of the bachelor variation reality shows but this book make me wish I was watching this whole thing play out on my tv screen each week. so so good !

This funny LGBT story was one I won't soon forget. I had a fun time reading every page and the crazy sexy humor. I have a soft spot for enemies to lovers and this one checked off all those boxes!! I couldn't put it down.

Boy meets girl, boy cheats on girl with another girl, they all go on a reality TV show. We meet Maya, scorned ex girlfriend who wants to get revenge on Jordy (the new bachelor of his own reality show) who meets the girl he cheated on her with, Skye. Self discovery and new love make this book super adorable.

Wow wow wow!!! A Bachelor where the contestants fall in love? Yes please? This is witty, feminist, and absolutely heart-wrenching. Both the characters have their own unique voices and the writing is soooo good! You will love Maya and Skye and root for Jordy’s demise. This is a quick and fun read for teens and adults alike!

Sophie Gonzalez strikes a second chance romance with Never Ever Getting Back Together. I've been a massive fan of all of Sophie's books and this one is no different. Two fantastically written main characters compete for a second chance romance with an ex lover of theirs.

Maya and Skye find themselves pitted together competing for a chance at romance with Jordy Miller the "perfect" hunk from their past. Maya joins in with ulterior motives and this book stays interesting until it's very cute conclusion.

One of my favorite things about Sophie Gonzalez books, is how fantastic the writing about bisexual characters. The representation feels real and so valid. Check this out. You won't be disappointed.

4/5⭐️: I was really impressed with this novel and ended up really liking it! Literally felt like I was reading an episode of The Bachelor, which like... how is that not incredibly fun. I thought the two main characters were fun, relatable, and sweet. The only issue with having two female POV main characters meant that it was sometimes hard to keep them separate when picking up the book in the middle of a chapter. But, other than that, this was a really fun book that I found very cute :)