I have never watched the Bachelorette but this book is a spin on that, and if you are a fan of the TV show this book is for you! If Reputation was your favorite Taylor Swift album then this book is for you. Alternatively, do you just love a good sapphic romance about two bisexual women picking each other over a guy? If so this is the book for you.

Never Ever Getting Back Together is a version of Bachelor but with a second chance romance kind of twist, and the 'Bachelor' in this case is the male version of Pippa Middleton and a prick. This book reminds me of a sapphic version of The Charm Offensive by Allison Cochrun but instead of a contest and producer, here it is two separate contestants. I heard about two Australian women contestants on Bachelor over there that fell for each other while filming. This is a pretty similar storyline to that headline.

I will be the first to admit I am very critical of LGBT romance authors, as a cis woman who has romantic feelings for all genders, I know firsthand how two women in a relationship should be. I read more m/m because it is easier to fall into the fiction without nitpicking and have true escapism from reality. In female romances I usually find myself thinking "I would never", "my girlfriends have never done this", or "communication should not be the issue". So a w/w or sapphic romance needs to be great for me to fully immerse in it and love it. This book delivered immersion for me, some realism, making the story believable and enjoyable.

It started with great character backstories. I was already rooting for Maya so hard for her revenge that by the time we switched to Skye's POV I hated her. I did not quite understand the issue of Jordy telling Maya that Skye knew about him cheating so in the beginning, I did not understand why Maya was so upset with Skye. I knew Maya knew her as the other women but did not pick up 'other women who knew she was the other women'. It was not until Skye had the 'cheating' proof that I understand that part of the backstory, and started to like the character of Skye.

The character development helped me to connect with the characters enough to be rooting for them to get together long-term by the end of the book past just hooking up. I finally really liked Skye when she was standing up for the producer women on her recreation of the first dates with Jordy. I loved that she not only stood up for the other women but went the extra mile to cut her hair as well. The way Maya's backstory was written villainized Skye for me so well at the beginning that even though they were hooking up I would not have been rooting for their relationship without this scene. Especially since a lot of the beginning of the book was all the female contents putting each other down. I get that's the drama of reality TV and a huge part of the plot of the book, but I am not a Bachelorette or reality TV watcher in real life. So that beginning was a bit of a downer. This point made it go uphill.

I felt the same way with the variation of the never have I ever gave the girls played about things Jordy had said. I loved the way all the continents came together. Not only did they bend bridges but laughed over shared experiences of a man attempting to compliment them by belittling others. This was a top-notch scene for me.

Potential trigger warnings for anyone who has been cheated on for sure.

At the beginning of this Maya was my favorite character, then for a bit it was Perrie, and then Maya, but the character that had me wishing he was on the page more was Isaac. I had to look up to see if Sophie Gonzales had written his love story because he stole my heart in this book. I looked threw every book description of all her printed works to make sure I did not miss it.

The other note to add was I did have to look up some slang used here both the words Bellend and Criac. I do love adding naughty great Britain swear words to my vernacular. I also looked up a word Perrie used like that I can no longer find that I believed to be a spelling mistake, it read like mams, and I think it was supposed to be Maya, but now I cannot re-find the mistake. Let me know if you find it!

What a fun rom-com of a book! Jordy was a complete ass to Maya when he cheated on her and dumped her but now he has called asking her to be on a reality show to give him a second chance….along with some of his other ex’s! Maya is determined to go on the show and prove what a jerk Jordy is but things don’t go quite as she planned when she gets to the mansion. This was a fun read perfect for the beach or pool!

unfortunately my thoughts are very much gone. non-existent. unsubstantial. extinct. dead & buried. (i’m looking up words at this points but u get what i mean shhh)

you just KNOW it’s gonna be a good book when the title is literally a taylor swift song like cmon be serious here.

i want to spend the majority of this review talking about these beautiful characters, this beautiful love story, how goddamn funny this book is, instead of talking about how infuriated i felt every time guy who shall not be named was mentioned. personally, i’m going to pretend he doesn’t exist!!! fuck him!! never date a guy who name starts with a j btw, for mental health purposes <3

ஐ characters: i won’t lie, i didn’t like most of the girls at first & for good reasons too; but they all came along eventually and god knowing that these girls all hate *inserts rolling eye emoji cause yk who i’m referring too* as much as i do, and just became one big found family at this point? my heart. that’s how you undo me. i love me a good feminist revenge book. but i need to mention one character by name who got me, my beloved, my girl, my actual twin, my sister in christ: maya. god i love that girl. her theme song in my head is better than revenge by t swift. when i say i feel her on a spiritual level i mean it. i just want you all to know you’ll never get maya like i get maya 💗💗 also shout out to issac because that’s my man. wlw & mlm solidarity never fails, which we need more of btw because in actuality we’re always fighting?? which is insanity??? but anyways.

✧ plot: god the message of this book is good and i’m so glad how it was handled in the end. i admit, i got mad many times for people automatically taking the rich privileged white man side, but again it’s literally unfortunately our reality. and as much as we read about these things or watch them; people still fall for it. and this book doesn’t shy away from that at all. it’s real, & brutal; but honest. and the fact two girls who initially doesn’t want anything to do with the other, ends up falling for each other on a reality show meant to make them fall back for their ex is EVERYTHING. nothing is topping this. i need this in theaters now.

speaking of……

♡ romance: ah yes the romance. we all had our moment where we fell for the tricks of a guy, which it doesn’t even need to be romantic most of the time, guys just be lying, manipulating, and gaslighting for fun. unfortunately i, too can relate to that & it fucking sucks. & even MORE unfortunately, both our mcs do too and they both are equally manipulated by said guy & hate each other. and i’m sure i’m not suppose to admit this, but i fucking loved it. i am a feminist at heart but you’ll never not hear me love a good rival/enemies to lovers story. i am who i am. but god yes the romance. it’s everything. i don’t want to spoil anything but this was indeed the highlight of the book for me. i love skye & maya so much and they deserve the whole word. i hope they get to travel the world together and be as gay as one can be for the rest of their lives. so many tropes. so many playlists that will be made for them. these are MY girls. mines. no one else’s. they’re gonna get you so badly and i fear for everyone’s mental stability when this book is released.

also unrelated to everything above, but this book was too damn funny. sophie the woman u are <333

i needed a good read after my last left me on a cliffhanger, quite literally. and a good romcom can never fail to make me happy, though this one went above & beyond that. i cannot wait to sleep with this book at night and i mean that whole heartedly. december pls hurry up.

thank you netgalley & wednesday books for giving me the chance to read this magnificent book early on in exchange for an honest review. though i fear you’re soon good regret your decision for this cause i’m never gonna shut up about this book. never.

p.s. the summary for this book could be summed up like this: haha ur both way 2 sexy to be fighting over a guy, kiss each other instead. & yk what, it’ll all make perfect sense just the same.

p.p.s. here a mini playlist 4 my girls themselves.

second-chance romance: mayaskye (taylor’s version)

👩‍❤️‍💋‍👩 how you get the girl
🎥 better than revenge
🫂 all you had to do was stay
🍫 delicate
🛶 cruel summer
💟 new romantics
🌈 you belong with me
🧗‍♀️ mad woman
🥀 long story short
🌹 enchanted
✈️ right where you left me
💘 cornelia street

and of course, we are never getting back together.

NOTE: This Review will go Live on my blog on November 1st. An accompanying Instagram Post will also go up.

Ever Ever Getting Back Together by Sophie Gonzales takes the newly popular trope of a Bachelor style show setting and a newly kindled (or rekindled romance). What she does differently is she turns the show runners - at least our initial character - against the Bachelor. Maya, 2 years post break-up from a Princess Diaries style prince, is still bitter and angry about the way he treated her both privately and publicly. When she is approached to join a cast of ex-girlfriends to ‘rekindle’ their romance she takes it. The chance to show her ex for who he really was draws her in. Naturally the show has been structured to pit her against the girl that her ex cheated on her with. This introduces Skye, who still believes many of the lies she’s been fed and believes this might be a chance to try at her romance again - as long as she survives the crazy ex-girlfriend who is rooming with her.
I’m not going to lie. I don’t care much for this romance setting. Competitions make my hair stand on end. As a true blue introvert I would rather everyone work together happily (yes, I am that Mom). The draw for me here was the promise of a Sapphic romance and happily this delivered and used the setting so well I began to enjoy it. By the end I was deeply invested and wanted to keep turning those pages. The miscommunication - while there - is not drawn out. The ‘competition’ is light, and the girl v girl is very toned down. By the end of the book the girls I started out not liking, I ended up enjoying.
The final conflict even felt real to me. I soaked up and adored the descriptions of the girls feelings for one another, Sophie Gonzales description of their kisses took my breath away. And I believed that the conflict could happen. I empathized with Skye. In her shoes with the way she viewed the world (through what read to me as neurodivergent, and therefore more relatable) I might have taken things the way she did. The relationships as well grew in a way I enjoyed. The ultimate conclusion to this was fantastic. I truly loved how Maya and Skye came together and how happiness and wholeness was found.
I know the premise sounds ridiculous and yes, if you poke hard enough holes may appear. This was for me though the perfect romance at the perfect time. I laughed out loud and gasped and was insulted and heated on the girls behalf. My only complaint is that I couldn’t see the characters - physical descriptions were light but it ultimately didn’t draw me out of the story. This is one I loved - and I pre-ordered a physical copy of because I can’t wait to have my own edition to annotate.

4 big Chalonne Mansions out of 5

This book was such a fun, fresh read for me. Someone who typically leans towards the fantasy side, but I usually like to break it up with a few Romcoms along the way just to keep from getting bored. I was so glad to be chosen to read this book.

Maya goes into this game show with only one thing on her mind, & that's revenge. Her womanizing ex boyfriend has landed his own Bachelor-esque reality show & has invited not just Maya but ALL of his ex girlfriends. Including the ex he seemingly cheated on her with. I don't know about you, but I would be one HOT cookie about being placed in this sort of situation.

Along the way we learn that Maya is also bisexual & can appreciate those of the same sex, sending the game show into a complete different direction then was intended. This enemies to lovers book was literally everything and more. It was an awesome lesson of learning to let go of the past and embracing the possibilities of the future.

Round of applause to Sophie Gonzales , this story was *CHEFS KISS* fantastic

I hate writing reviews for books I didn’t enjoy. It’s why I don’t do it on my social media, I never want to insult someone’s hard work.

I will just say that I think bc the story is kinda similar to The Charm Offensive, and I adored that book, maybe I didn’t give this one a fair shot.

If you’re into a bonding over revenge F/F love story, I say give it a shot bc everyone has different tastes.

this book was such a treat! the pacing was perfect, the love story was heartwarming. the friction wasn’t frivolous, and the ending was justified and perfect! had so much fun reading this one.

LGBTQIA

Contains humorous moments.

Sophie's new release is about a reality TV show where Jordy gets a second chance to date his exes. We follow the ladies as they compete to spend time with Jordy. (The ladies' jealousy hampered my enjoyment.)

At first, it was a challenge to keep the characters straight. It seemed that the characteristics changed from Maya to Skye. I wanted to DNF, but kept going.

I do not agree that this should be for Young-Adult, when a guy has so many exes. Please, change the audience to ADULT!!

This was a super cute, engaging read with mostly likeable characters. The drama was enough to keep me entertained without feeling sexist or forced. I laughed a few times, almost cried a few times, and was kind of surprised the book was over because I could've read 100 more pages. Overall adorable and I'm happy to have read it.

Sophie Gonzales does it again! A great romance novel with interesting characters and a super fun plot. This book was everything you want from a rom-com. The enemies-to-lovers dynamic alongside the reality TV show backdrop makes the book fast and fun.

As usual, I found the resolution to the conflict too fast for my liking but that is typical of this genre as a whole.

This was such a cute read! I really enjoyed it the storyline was great and I really loved the characters and of course, I can't forget the romance!!! Honestly, though this was overall such an amazing read, and I would HIGHLY recommend it.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with this arc in exchange for an honest review.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ The story line follows Maya and Skye who both have dated the same guy. Maya thinks her ex Jordy cheated on her with Skye and Skye thinks Jordy was single when they were together. Both girls are invited to participate in a reality tv show staring Jordy and his ex girlfriends. But Maya has very hard feelings toward Skye so when they are bunked together during there stay of the show she is less then thrilled. As the weeks go on Maya is able to prove to Skye that he cheated on her and they form a pact to make it to the end. What wasn’t anticipated was developing feeling… but not toward Jordy. I actually really liked the concept of this book and the entire storyline. I was sucked in from the start and just wanted to keep reading! I will say the story line was a bit predictable but not in a bad way because the story was on you couldn’t help falling in love with ❤️Thanks to #NetGalley for the advanced readers copy. I highly recommend reading this when it releases November 29th, 2022! 📚 #bookstagram #bookreview

Full review closer to publication date!

I'd like to thank the publisher, St. Martin's Press, Wednesday Books and Netgalley for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

The premise of this book was so cute. I loved the bachelor-inspired show and how Maya and Skye’s relationship developed. It seemed to develop naturally, not too quickly. Jordy was a great villain, and the other girls on the show displayed the types of characters we see on reality tv very well. Maya had fantastic character growth. The only problem I had was the very last chapter; it seemed a little unclear in how it wrapped up the whole story. There were assumptions that I as a reader understood what was going on where I felt I needed more context.

Honestly every single book by Sophie is amazing! She nails it on the head every time, and Never Ever Getting Back Together is no exception. From the beginning the characters were lovable, except Jordy—by design of course. The humor always landed and I’m so appreciative that we’re getting more and more sapphic stories and bi-rep. Y’all definitely need to read this! Add it to your tbr ASAP :))

I ended up liking this book a lot more than I had originally expected to after reading some reviews! It brought back memories of all the cheesy dating reality shows I watched growing up. Very comical and light read.

The author did an amazing job at writing Jordy, I could not for the life of me stand him from the very beginning and the way you were able to pick up on how narcissistic and awful he was before the girls got to Chalonne was done well.

My only con with this book was the pacing, sometimes it felt incredibly slow and other times a little too fast, especially where Maya and Skye’s relationship is concerned but over all I really enjoyed it!!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review! *

Rating: 3.75/5
Genre: YA Fiction

Never Ever Getting Back Together follows the story of the main characters Maya and Syke as they compete on a reality tv show. The tv show’s premise is a ‘second chance romance’ where they are trying to reconnect with their ex but as they spend time with the other contestants they learn Jordy (their ex) isn’t who he seems and they begin to have complicated feelings for other contestants.

Pros:
-I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again I love Sophie Gonzales’ writing style, it’s causal and doesn’t require much thought while also still being interesting
-I really enjoyed to getting to see the drama between all the contestants as well their developing friendships; each contestant was different and it was cool to see their various reasons for agreeing to the show
-there were so many cute scenes and I especially loved all of Maya’s witty lines

Cons:
-from 70-85% felt a bit slow as lots of the contestants had been sent home so lots of the plot points felt like they were grasping at straws

*Review to be posted on Instagram at a later date closer to publication

I liked this so much more than I was expecting to. If you were a guilty pleasure Episode lover (like me), you'll devour this because it is quite literally an episode story in print. But one of the better episode stories: the ones you're willing to spend all your gems on and actually get around to finishing.

The story was quite well written and the plot was entertaining and kept you hooked. It didn't move to quickly or too slowly, and I loved how the relationship between Maya and Skye was executed. I wish we'd had the chance to explore some of the side characters more: they were a bit one dimensional and had very little page time. Jordy, however, was written fantastically. Gonzalez nailed the two-faced, charming but dangerous energy he had and you could see throughout both how terrible he was and why people continued to fall for it.

I had a couple reservations: number one, it didn't make sense that the book was young adult. Considering the number of exes he had and the fact that it was a reality dating show, as well as the fact that a large portion of the cast behaved the way people in their 20s would, it definitely should've been new adult with the characters finishing university at around 23-24. But otherwise, the book was excellent and the story is every bit as interesting as it sounds. I would totally recommend this as a light, page-turning read. Read this when it comes out in December

This was a fun read! I really liked following the reality show/producer interference aspect of the story because that's something I have a personal interest in! My only complaint was a lack of development between the main character and the love interest; to me it felt like they were nearly strangers and then they were making out. But other than that it was a fun setting and honestly kind of campy!

I wanted to like this book so much more than I did. It has a lot of elements I should enjoy: light romcom, bi representation, female friendship/found family. It’s short and has sweet moments, so I’m not mad I read it, but I probably wouldn’t recommend it either.

I feel like this book doesn’t know what it wants to be. I was so confused about their ages because they were about to go to college but seemed to have the maturity of middle schoolers but were also going on a Bachelor-style reality show and getting wasted every night? I get that it was in a different country so they could drink, but it still made me feel real “yeuch” that they were clearly preying on kids who didn’t know better. Or seemed to theoretically know better but then forget how reality tv works every other chapter? The main conflict comes from some massive failure to communicate, which luckily does get resolved sooner rather than later, and the book does pick up a lot more once it does and we’re not spending as much time with the asshole ex-boyfriend. Who is a caricature bad guy, but whatever.

Also this book has the weirdest stance on college. The main character starts out the book like, I’m going to go to med school and show this guy I’m not an airhead and then by the end decides to travel instead of going to college. Like do you girl, I’m not exactly “everyone should go to college immediately after high school, it’s the only path” but there’s so much middle ground between committing to a bajillion years of education to become a doctor despite having no interest in it and just like “nope college must not be for me then”?