I don’t know how Sophie Gonzales does it to make her books so amazing, I always devour them, and this book was no different.

I loved both Maya and Skye and how the complemented each other. I adored all the girls, really, and how the story overturned the trope of female rivalry, not only in Maya and skye’s romance, but in the way the girls bonded and became friends, how they choose sorority and friendship over a human piece of trash.

Jordy was truly the worst, it annoyed me to no end how he constantly called the women “chicks”, and the way he charms everyone around him despite being a horrible person is so real - how many men do we know who act exactly the same and get away with it? Also, how much time do we spend on these jerks who only care about themselves?

The only thing that wasn’t great for me was that I didn’t feel like I really got to know Maya and Skye. They talk a little bit about themselves, but ultimately they spend their time either talking about Jordy or making out. If this is supposed to be a feminist sapphic take on date reality shows, I think the women should’ve been the focus, showing that they have a lot more in common than just Jordy.

This books was such a wonderful slow burn and though I loved both Skye and Maya, Maya stuck out to me. Her feelings toward Jordy are articulated wonderfully and I loved watching her development throughout the book. The relationships with the rest of the girls, family at home, and the producers also brought warmth to the plotline (counteracting Jordy being an idiot) and were often wonderfully hilarious at times. Overall, a fantastic read.

thank you to netgalley for giving me an arc in exchange for an honest review!!
oh my god. this is everything i never knew i needed. there are those books that you want to read in one sitting and every time you have to put it down you’re just thinking of how long till you can pick it back up. this was one of them.
the bisexual representation was amazing. perfect. maya is bisexual and skye, while liking several genders does not label herself(correct me if i’m wrong bc i have a very bad memory). it was just a part of her character and i loved that. there was no coming out. virtually no homophobia. absolutely no angst over identity. they are queer and that’s that. obviously they both have a guy ex and date a girl. there is no cheater bisexual trope, no “choose a side”, they simply are.
the villain was so realistic to basically anyone who’s met a narcissist. the way he lies so effortlessly to the point where maya wonders if he even believes himself was so spot on. this book had me actually fuming at him.
the way they initially hated each other came to be felt realistic. they were absolutely pitted against each other.
i loved almost every character in this. someone who unabashedly loves social media being not portrayed as vapid. someone who can’t swim and is afraid of heights not shown as cowardly. every single person shown as having an entire personality and life.
people teaming up on scumbags should be a bigger trope.
honestly i could gush about this book all day. i loved sophie gonzales’ only mostly devastated and perfect on paper(haven’t read if this gets out yet)and she absolutely held up to my high standards. i can’t wait to see what she does next

Fun and witty but the premise felt kind of like a mashup of other concepts and the characterization was a little flat.

Omg!! Two bi girls falling in love while on a reality tv show starring the worst man to ever exist and wanting revenge on him? Count me in. This book was AMAZING and I highly recommend you read it! I also loved how this book had such great female friendship shown and didn’t make any of them seem like a villain.

P.S, Perrie and Isaac have my heart

OH MY GOD OH MY GOD OH MY GOD, I have been waiting for this for so long and it was so worth it, this was one of my most anticipated reads of the year, i loved it more than anything, it was amazing. I swear Sophie Gonzales puts crack in her books because I will read anything she ever writes and absolutely love it. The way I've been waiting to read this my whole life and I didn't even know it. Ok, get coherent Linnea, calm down. The characters, oh my God, Maya, my beloved you are a gem and I adore you, and I absolutely loved skye. Perrie deserves the world. I knew I was going to love this from when I saw Sophie's name on it but also the plot too! Like reality TV in books is amazing especially when it's going on it to get revenge on your terrible ex (who I would like to throw off a cliff into the oblivion) and also falling in love with one of the girls on there as well. I will be attempting fanart of this which I may or my not post depending if I have finally learned the ability to draw but over, this is amazing, I love it, go preorder it now, it comes out December 6th!

This review is found on my Instagram account: @katielovestoread95

Thank you to @wednesdaybooks for putting this as Read Now on NetGalley! This comes out on December 6th! I read this in basically one sitting and loved it! I’ll admit that the dating show with a guy and his ex-girlfriends premise doesn’t really make as much sense for a YA book since those types of reality shows are typically more adults, but I loved it enough anyway that I didn’t mind. It is a post-high school YA though, so at least the setting makes more sense with that context.

I really liked both leads, Maya and Skye. They both had previous struggles with relationships but for different reasons. Maya struggled with how Jordy had cheated on her and then painted her as a jealous ex rather than admitting that he had cheated. Skye struggled with being left, partially due to Jordy and partially due to her parents’ relationship. She found it difficult to let people in and get close to them for a potential new relationship. I enjoyed seeing their progression from enemies to friends to possibly something more play out on the page.

I liked most of the other cast, with the exception of Jordy. He was not a good guy and very manipulative. The other girls in the cast of the show each had their own motivations and they all developed in some way over the course of the story. By the end, I ended up liking pretty much all of them. I liked how the relationships and friendships between them changed throughout the story as more things about Jordy were revealed.

Despite the premise of the show seeming unrealistic, the reality TV setting read very authentic. There was drama and producers playing up situations for maximum ratings. There were behind the scenes manipulations and fabrications.

I haven’t read anything else by this author but now I want to. I look forward to buying a physical copy of this in December! Have you heard of this? Do you enjoy books set on reality TV shows?

This book is not for me. I didn’t realize it was a bi-female when I requested it.
Thank you NetGallery for the ARC.

LITERALLY OBSESSED.

I haven't met a Sophie Gonzales book that I don't love, and Never Ever Getting Back Together was no exception! I love a queer revenge story that involves getting with someone's ex, though usually that's a part of planned revenge and I love that everything developed more naturally for Maya and Skye! Both women agree to go on "Second Chance Romance", a reality show where one suitor's exes all show up and compete Bachelor style. It sounds like an absolute nightmare, but my trash TV loving self would eat it up if it were a real thing.

I was nervous that Skye and Maya were going to hate each other for too long, especially once all of the women started taking sides. I'm really glad that ended fairly early on so that they could focus on the true enemy (Jordy) and let their friendship turn into something more. This was SUPER sweet overall, and I'm so glad that I had the chance to read it!!

The ONLY thing that I had an issue with was there seemed to be a lot of repetition of really cheesy comedic bits? There were a few different times where I was like, "Wait, didn't they already say/think something like this?" Which of course happens, but it pulled me out of the story occasionally. That said, once again, would 100% read again.

Thank you, Wednesday Books, for allowing me to read Never Ever Getting Back early.

I’m a huge Sophie Gonzales fan (or even stan …), and I couldn’t wait to get my hands on a copy (even though it’s a digital one) of her latest book. And, of course, Never Ever Getting Back didn’t disappoint. It’s humorous, and charming, and even though I’ve never liked The Bachelor, I devoured this story! Hands down one of Sophie’s best books!

This book was a cute, quick, and easy read. It was nice to actually see characters grow in a way that felt natural, though I wish we got to learn more about the side characters.

Thank you NetGalley for providing me with an eARC of this novel.

Skye and Maya have been invited to appear on a reality show about second chance romance. They are both competing to win back their exboyfriend Jordy who's sister has recently married into royalty causing him to be put in the view of the public. Skye and Maya really do not like each other at the beginning of the story because Maya believes that Jordy cheated on her with Skye and Skye believes that Maya is a crazy stalker ex-girlfriend. As the competition begins we learn what everyone's true motives are for being on the show.

This book was great. I really enjoyed it. I thought the whole premise was really interesting, and I loved how it really made a comment on how scripted reality television is. We get a behind the scenes look at the filming of the reality show in the book and how each moment is manipulated to make the public feel certain ways toward each contestant and toward Jordy. I absolutely loved Skye and Maya. They were just really great and relatable characters, and the LGBTQA+ representation is great with this one. I was feeling Charm Offensive vibes with this book. My one and only complaint is the age of the characters. This is a YA book, but I feel like it would have worked so much better if the characters were in their late 20's. Our main characters are 18, and that just seems so young to be on a reality show that seems to have an end goal of marriage. Also Jordy sure had a lot of ex-girlfriends (enough to have a several week competition to win back his love) for being so young. Also, he broke up with Skye 2 years ago at the beginning of the book. So she was 16 at that point and before her he dated Maya, all the while he moving between different countries. If the characters were a tad older, this would have been a 5 star book easily. The story is so sweet and cute. I just don't feel like the timeline really adds up because everyone is so young.

I would definitely recommend this book though. It would make for a perfect summer beach read.

i have so many feelings about this book, mostly how it felt so good to be represented,
aka a bi disaster who is doing med school out of pure spite.
Once more, Sophie Gonzales' characters drive me properly insane enough to finish a book in record time, no regrets about it though!!

I adored this cute enemies to friends to lovers romance from Sophie Gonzales. When Maya gets picked to go on a reality show with the opportunity to date her cheating ex again, she is Not Interested. But then she decides she might have the chance to use this show to get revenge on the asshole, and the girl he cheated on her with.

Skye, a smart planner who likes to live life on her terms, figures she won't mind seeing Jordy again, and might as well make some friends in the reality show. But when she meets Maya, she doesn't expect the girl to instantly dislike her. She thought Maya and Jordy were broken up when she met him. So why is Maya insisting that he cheated on her?

As the two girls get to know each other (and the other contestants), more of Jordy's baggage becomes evident, and Skye and Maya both figure out a different reason for staying in the competition.

The book was cute, fast-paced, and enjoyable. A page-turner from start to finish, and a great way to kick off pride. I loved it!

This was, quite frankly, the book of my dreams. The very first time I heard the story of the two reality show contestants who left the show for each other (was it the Bachelor? who can remember!) I knew I wanted to read this story. And, Sophie Gonzales does it masterfully - in fact, Never Ever Getting Back Together is in strong contention for my top favourite book of 2022.

I already knew, from reading Perfect on Paper, that Gonzales masters the 'bi' experience in print. She manages to capture the experience of bisexuality without ever making it feel reductive or problematic, and I loved that this tracked through with most of the characters. This is the Schitt's Creek experience of queer media depictions, an alternate universe with a little taste of how it could be, if being bi was just one part of your identity and not The Whole Thing.

I also loved that BOTH of our FMCs were bi here, another rarity in media. Maya is your classic disaster bi, a perfect storm of utter chaos bent entirely on revenge. Skye is snarky, guarded, and brilliant, and I loved watching the two as they fell in love in one of the unlikliest scenarios. And Jordy is, of course, the absolute effing WORST. I loved that his character is just unapologetically awful, it's nice to not have to suffer through a semi-redemption arc for someone who is very clearly a capital POS.

There were a few small things I didn't love with this book, nothing major. The biggest is that... I'm not really sure why it's a YA novel. It's weird that the characters are in their early 20s, and sometimes it felt like Gonzales wanted to write them a bit older but was told to fit this niche. Every now and then they'd do something to remind me they are barely out of highschool. I just think this book would have worked a bit better if they were slightly further into their 20s, if only for the suspension of disbelief I had to do. That said, it's very easy to just pretend they're a little older, and thematically I can see how the book fits more into YA than NA tropes.

Overall, this book is a laugh out loud romp of a time. I knew I'd like it from the title (who doesn't love a perfectly fitted TSwift lyric?) but Gonzales' witty dialogue, fast paced plot, and lovable characters take it over the top into my favourite read of the summer.

3/5 Stars

Representation : Bi Main Characters, Gay Side Character

I received a Free E-Arc in exchange for an honest review through Netgalley. Thank you to the Wednesday Books and Netgalley.

I wanted to love this book because it sounded perfect for me, a YA novel similar to the selection and the bachelor but with a sapphic revenge plot line like how wouldn’t I like it. But then I read it and there were some parts I absolutely loved but then there was so much of it that I didn’t. I think some people will truly love this book and if you want a ‘YA’ romance revenge novel, that has some cheesy moments and some very cringy moments this is it. I just felt that it could have been shorter and that would have definitely helped my enjoyment.

Some of the things I did enjoy were the girl power themes of the book. Even though there were all of the girls who had dated the same man and were competing for him again, they felt like they supported each other (eventually). I also liked that the Bi mai characters didn’t feel stereotypical and felt realistic in their sexualities.

All of the things I didn't like will be in my review on goodreads where I can hide the spoilers.

I should have DNF’d this book but I was reading it so quickly until the last 30% of it which took me a while to get through (by my standards). That's on me for deciding to not DNF and please take everything I’ve said with a grain of salt because I know some of my favorite books are not well liked but this could be your new favorite and don’t let me stop you from loving it.

If you enjoy the bachelor, but want some revenge and sapphic fun sprinkled in this could be for you.

Full review on goodreads will have minor spoilers but they will be hidden.

This was absolutely incredible! Sooooooooo laugh-out-loud hilarious (i can't believe I laughed out loud so many times), zany and quirky and almost a satirical vibe, with a completely hatable villain, an incredibly lovable cast of characters (the way that the author fleshed out the two main characters with such distinct voices and motivations, as well as the huge cast of side characters, is amazing. Isaac, perrie and francesca were my favs), a concept that was soooo original, a really interesting vibe (it felt more like my own young adult life, which makes sense given the book's set in europe so the drinking age is lower which gave it a slightly more mature feel than most yas). I didn't see the twists at the end coming, and i loved following maya and skyes story, from the sexual tension and chemistry at the start through to them falling for each other and denying it, through to them giving in and the fear that came for both of them as a result.

Most of all i was impressed with the portrayal of jordy, the rich, charming asshole who collected girlfriends like souvenirs in every city or country his on-the-move family ended up in, before discarding them because he had to move with his family again. it was a really interesting look into how narcissists can manipulate the situation and change the details of how things went down to flip the script and make you sound like the crazy one. There's a line about whoever gets the story out first is the one whos version is believed and that really hit hard.

This was one of my most anticipated reads of the year, so I was ecstatic and extremely grateful when St. Martin’s Press reached out to grant me a digital arc. Unfortunately, I think my expectations were set way too high, which led to this book’s downfall during my reading experience.

When I first read its summary, this book seemed to have everything going for it: great title, amazing premise, bi rep, a revenge story… it seemed tailored to my personal taste. Plus, it’s written by Sophie Gonzales, and I had already loved two of her books in the past. What could go wrong?

A lot, it turns out. I didn’t care about any of the characters or what was going on with them and even lost interest in the revenge story that had sold me on this book in the first place. I think this mainly happened because the pacing was so weird. It seemed to focus on the most random, trivial scenes and then rush through the important ones that were supposed to build and solidify Maya and Skye’s relationship. As a result, I couldn’t care less if they got together or not.

It didn’t help that I always got them mixed up in my mind when the story switched between their two point of views. Their voices and though processes read exactly the same for me, both kind of annoying and unlikeable for some reason.

In the end, I’m mostly sad because I really wanted to like this. I really tried. And it just didn’t do it for me.

I LOVED this book! Maya and Skye were so great in their story arcs, and the supporting characters were also really well fleshed out and given interesting storylines. It felt like reading a TV show/movie, and apparently books resembling The Bachelor are a weakness, even though I've never seen the show. I flew through this book, and this is definitely my new favorite book by this author! Again, very jealous of everyone who gets to read this in December for the first time!

ARC graciously provided by NetGalley

In Never Ever Getting Back Together we see Maya and Skye team up against Jordy when they’re put together in this Second-Chance Love reality TV show featuring Jordy, who is the ex boyfriend. All of his exes are there, wanting to rekindle their past romances. But Maya knows this is her one and only chance to get revenge against Jordy for cheating on her. Slowly, Skye and Maya start to build something within themselves that can change the course of the revenge plot. I was hoping this book was going to be better, I enjoyed Sophie Gonzales’ previous books and I am disappointed. The writing itself was great, the plot wasn’t. It felt very icky to read this story because of the way that everything unwrapped. And referring back to the writing, I felt like there was no sense of time and things were just happening. The idea of Skye and Maya finding love during the situation they were put in sounded SO GOOD and coming to read it just was very disappointing to see how everything came about, there was basically no connection to be felt while reading this book. This book is definitely not YA, these characters are basically adults, and it’s so unrealistic that they’re on a dating show.