A book about a dating show where the ex-boyfriend is not the best thing since sloced bread? Sign me up! Add an a Taylor Swift reference and some bisexual enemies to lovers!

Overall I had a good time reading this. The plot was definitely fun and easy to compare with a reality tv show. During the filming portions, I liked how it included the “behind the scenes” aspects of reality.

I would have liked to have more romance. There were a couple of cute scenes, but not enough to really build up the ending feelings for me. It might have helped if Skye’s character had been more developed.

So this was fun. It lived up to what I was expecting from it, but unfortunately I just wanted a bit more. Like more over the top I guess? And I wanted a little more background about Princess Samantha. I think even just a news article at the beginning of the book, mostly focused on Jordy but giving background on Samantha, could have helped a lot. Other than that, I do wonder why this was YA. There didn't seem to be a real compelling reason for it, all of them were at least 18, and I think maybe it would have been better/more could have been done if it were (new) adult. But anyways, I did really like this!

This was such a fun read!! It's one of my later ARCs (Dec 2022) but it was calling my name so I dove in 6 months early! 😄

Our MCs, Skye and Maya, have something in common: they both previously dated a-hole-womanizer Jordy... unbeknownst to them, he dated them at the same time!! 🙄

Two years later, they're invited to participate in a Bachelor-style reality dating show specifically tailored to Jordy and his exes. It's a "second- chance-at-romance" show, aimed to rekindle a romance between Jordy and one of the women from his past.

After being forced to bunk together on the show, Skye and Maya find out they have two more things in common: They're both bisexual, and they're both developing feelings for someone on the show... someone who is NOT Jordy. 👀

I adored this book! If I had to give a criticism, it would be that Skye and Maya didn't have distinct enough voices for the first half. I kept mixing them up. They 'sounded' (in my head) like the same person. 🤷‍♀️ No distinct mannerisms or tones to set them apart. In the last half of the book I began to see their differences a bit more and their individual voices became more apparent. 💕

Even so, I give this a solid 4/5 stars because it was cute as heck!!!

This was my first Sophie Gonzales and it definitely didn't disappoint! I am excited to read "Perfect on Paper" next! 🙌

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

i think sophie gonzales is going to be a permanent fixture in my shelves now.

i absolutely devoured this book. it was such a fun and quick-paced read, with the same charm & great characters her other books have. there was drama, romance, friendship. i loved the girl supports girls message here, especially how it developed from them having “catfights” (i use that term loosely) to them bonding over how shitty men (or more specifically, one man) could be. and honestly, who hasn’t been there?

this was such a great read. you’re going to be hooked from start to finish, i sure was. it swoops you into the world of this bachelor-esque show and you can’t help but feel as if you’re actually immersed in it. and i was HOOKED. i want jordy (the ex-bf) to pay and seeing the girls band together to make sure he does was *chef’s kiss*. the tender moments had me internally sobbing and i LOVED the ending. it’s what we deserved.

i will say i kind of wish the characters were aged up? i’m not sure if my math was correct but the two MCs are around 18 - 19. i feel like aging them up to be around early 20s would have worked so much better for the plot. and i didn’t give a full 5 stars because the reality aspect really wasn’t for me, no matter how well-executed it was.

anyways, yes i highly recommend this and if you’ve never picked up a sophie gonzales book, do it NOW.

Two years ago, Maya, broke up with her cheating ex-boyfriend Jordy who she would happily never see again. When she receives an invitation to be a contestant on “Second Chance Romance,” a new reality show where Jordy will re-date his ex-girlfriends in an effort to find “the one that got away,” she's astonished; there is nothing that could interest her less. As she thinks it over, Maya comes to the realization that this could be the perfect opportunity to enact revenge and expose the truth. But when she gets to the set, she’s confronted with the one person she hasn’t accounted for: Skye, the girl Jordy cheated on her with.

“Never Ever Getting Back Together” is the perfect example of seeing a love triangle where you wonder why the two girls don't just date each other instead of ~fighting~ over a lesser man and it was BEAUTIFUL. The perfect mix of “UnREAL” and “John Tucker Must Die.” I also appreciate how the author jumps right into the story which is how I was hooked from the start and it only gets when the sapphic love begins.

I applaud Sophie Gonzales for creating one of the most horrible characters to ever exist in Jordy. However, I feel as though there's some inconsistencies with this being a YA story rather than New Adult. While the cast is 18-20 years old, this feels way better suited for an older audience; more like “The Charm Offensive.” Maya and Skye's non-platonic relationship could also use a bit more development in regards to their common traits being more than their shared ex-boyfriend.

Overall, I think “Never Ever Getting Back Together” is a fun, light, quick read and I would love to see this as a television series. If you enjoy books with semi-forced proximity, enemies-to-lovers and the classic misunderstanding tropes then this is for you. Extra points for the bisexual representation as well!

~never ever getting back together review~
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2.5/5
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obviously i’m obsessed with every and all sophie gonzales books so i had to request this one right away! also queer reality dating competition shenanigans sounds right up my alley this pride month
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Pros:
+love the concept of second chance romance but i too would make fun of this silly little slideshow
+FINALLY. WE REALIZE THE MAN IS A LIAR IVE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS ONE
+when the sapphic stuff begins it gets good
+yay two bi girls
+love
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Cons:
-jordy is a trash bag man and i hate liars
-classic misunderstanding trope.
-also like why would we believe a man isn’t a liar that’s kind of their thing
-also getting a little too close to girl on girl hate for me. feels inevitable with the concept of the book but i wish it didn’t exist at all
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i honestly can’t decide how i feel about this book. i feel like there were a lot of ways i could have loved this book but i just couldn’t ignore some of the things i didn’t like. i would still say give it a chance but it’s definitely not as good as perfect on paper.

If you've ever watched a show like The Bachelor, Second Chance Romance will feel awfully familiar. I wonder if the author talked to any in the business, though everyone pretty much knows how reality shows operate. This is a fun story about love and revenge with a narration that alternates between Maya and Skye. Their relationship could have used more substance beyond chemistry and looks to make it more plausible.

Thank you to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for the ARC.

A bisexual 18-year old enters a reality TV show, ala the Bachelor, to get revenge on her cheating ex-boyfriend, only to find herself falling for someone on the show...

Strangely enough, this was my third reality-show love story and I thought I might be tired of it, but it appears to be the exact opposite. I absolutely loved this book. It had everything I needed from well-thought out, complex characters to the diverse rep to the little sprinkle of spiciness and a healthy dose of revenge.

I thought it was a really cute love story and with some of my fave tropes (forced proximity, enemies to lovers, love triangles, oh my). I thought this would have been better suited as a new adult novel vs. young adult. Something about the thought of six 18-20 year olds on a dating show to date their ex feels very un YA. Like, how did Jordy even have six exes at such a young age?? How did so many parents let their 18- year-olds go on a show like this with such a glaringly toxic man?? I think with a new adult book, we could have seen a little more spice and depth from the characters that we just don't get in a YA book. That said, I really liked it and thought it was a solid read!

This was such a fun book! There's lots of banter, lots of drama and of course a queer romance between two bisexual queens. I laughed multiple times while reading this. I do wish Jordy, the ex-boyfriend, would've gotten more development, because even though he's a delightful narcissist villain, there is no nuance or depth in his character.

If you're into the dramatics of reality dating shows like The Bachelor or just love drama all toghether, I'd definitely reccommend this book!

I adored this book! I spent the entire book rooting for Maya in her journey to crush Jordy. While I was a little sad at first that Skye originally didn't believe Maya, I did enjoy the rivals to lovers romance. I particularly loved the quote, “So many ballads are sung about the power of love. Not nearly enough time is devoted to the passionate fulfilment only a perfectly matched enemy can bring.” However, Skye's initial reactions and general disdain for Maya became more understandable as the book went on.

I also very much enjoyed all of Jordy's exes becoming friends and working together to expose to the world how Jordy mistreated women. While I do wish Maya could have exposed him on live television, I am glad they found a loophole to expose him later on, and that Maya realized Skye was more important to her than revenge.

Thank you for the chance to read an early copy of this book!

I was HOOKED on this story from the first few pages. I had pre ordered this on Barnes and Noble because I loved the cover and as a Taylor Swift fan, I loved the title. However, once I read the synopsis and jumped into the story, I loved it. It was such a fun concept of a dating competition but it went so much further than that. This author did such a great job with representation and took dating stereotypes and turned them on their head. I had such a great time reading this and can't wait to pick up more titles from this author!

This was a cute book about second chances, or was it? More about what is worth in life: getting even or finding love, being petty or doing the right thing, getting revenge or letting go.
That’s what Maya and Skye have to decide while on a reality show with the guy who broke their hearts.
Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to review tjis book.

Very smart writing! I loved seeing the relationship unfold. This author has yet to disappoint me and I can't wait to read more from her!

I received this ARC of Never Ever Getting Back Together from Netgally.

I am actively trying to add more queer representation into my reading choices and this book did such a great job.

I really loved the characters in this story. I found them to be well developed and enjoyed watching their relationships grow throughout the book. I would have liked a little more romance but overall really liked the way the author unraveled the story.

Overall, this was a lighthearted and fun read! It had me smiling and laughing out loud at times. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a great rom-com.

super cute sapphic read! never ever getting back together follows maya and skye, two of jordy’s ex girlfriends, who are invited on a second chance dating reality tv show. the two girls make a pact to take jordy down and end up falling for each other in the process.

i loved the way the relationship was developed over the first 75% of the novel but i think the last 25% fell a bit flat. i don’t want to say too much to avoid spoilers but i will say i was expecting a little more drama at the end. the reality show setting was really unique and entertaining to read about, but i didn’t feel as though we got a chance to get to know any of the side characters. i also wish maya and skye had a bit more individual development.

Sophie Gonzales is NOW one of my auto-buy author!!

After loving Perfect on Paper and Only Mostly Devastated, I prayed to ARC gods to read this one in advance and I am so happy that Sophie wrote this one!!

Book community need to watch out for this one!!

I feel so lucky to have gotten to read an early copy of this book thanks to NetGalley. It’s an absolutely perfect queer contemporary romance. Like, I literally said out loud (to myself), “This is so fun!” after the end of one chapter.

Anyway, let’s talk about the things that actually make it fun.

There’s just the right amount of exposition to get you feeling a certain way about Maya and Skye, including one of them musing about how the story you hear first tends to be the one you believe. Hmmm. There’s also just the right amount of drama to hook you and make you question if the love story you know is coming actually stands a chance. And to top it off it’s all set in a The Bachelor meets The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement crossover.

Sometimes you need a book to simply be an upbeat escape. Sometimes you need a book to simply give you kickass girls taking down a shitty guy and maybe possibly falling in love in the process. It really did feel good reading about a couple of sapphics finding themselves and getting everything they deserve during Pride Month.

To put it simply, I want everyone to read this book and then I want it to be a cute little Netflix series and then I want to go to bed happy that I got the privilege to fangirl over it first.

While I don't watch dating shows on television, the premise of this one sounded interesting. However, I did not like this book at all. One of the major themes was something I don't like to read, and I was caught off guard when I realized that this is what the book was all about. Out of respect for the author, I will not share this review on my social media.

I received this arc from Netgalley.

It’s been 2 years since Maya realized her ex was cheating on her during their long distance relationship. After being asked to come of the reality show Second Chance Romance to see if she connects with Jordy again, she takes this as her chance to get revenge on Jordy for lying about their relationship to the press and making her look like a crazy ex. Maya was ready for Jordy and Skye, the girl he cheated on her with. She wasn’t ready to fall in love though.

I always try to find out the inspirations that authors use for book ideas. Thee was a tweet a couple years back about two girls who realized their ex was two timing with them, and they feared after breaking up with him. Another one is contestant who declared her love for another contestant on The Bachelor (Vietnamese Version)

Plot
I loved the plot. It’s unique and fast faced. Great idea 5/5

Writing
The writing style was interesting. I loved the characters point of views so much. Only issue is at the beginning I got mixed up between which character was who. The writing style for both of them was kind of similar 4/5

Development
I feel like I needed more romance. A big problem with queer relationships is unless there’s a good build of the romance and chemistry between the characters, they will seem like friends and the romance wouldn’t make sense. Straight couples in books are privileged in the sense that they don’t need to prove their relationship. Despite this, I still feel like the book should have handled the romance better. Maybe have the characters think of each other romantically, blush when near one another, etc. 3/5

Ending
I loved the ending so much. It made sense and was very smart. I tried to predict the ending throughout but this is so much better and smarter than I would have expected. 5/5

Recommend?
Overall I would recommend this book. It was a nice easy fun romance. Unfortunately I wouldn’t say memorable, but it was very funny nonetheless