This book was a quick, cute and fun read. I enjoyed the plot and how the character grew and developed. I also like the alternating point of views because it made the story more interesting.

Overall, a great read! I loved the unconventional twists in this book, especially the combination of royalty (or royalty-adjacent in this case) and a dating competition. A few big things I enjoyed here:

1. The girls' friendships! I enjoyed that despite the fact that these women were competing against each other, they genuinely supported each other (at least - most of them), especially towards the end of the novel. This kept things less drama-filled than an episode of The Bachelor.

2. So many twists! I appreciated that this book didn't follow the traditional reality tv show romance trope.

3. The jokes! Sophia Gonzales is a hilarious writer, and I especially enjoyed the names that she gave other fictional television shows that were referenced.

4. The ending! I'll avoid spoilers, but I was so excited that the novel went in this direction.

However, there were a few things that fell flat for me when reading this one:
1. The fact that this novel is YA to me felt disjointed. While an original concept, having 18-20 year old women compete on a reality dating show to end up with a man felt odd, and that it would be better suited to a group 25+. Similarly, it was strange that Jordy had so many exes despite being so young!

2. Character development - I had a hard time connecting with the characters - I felt like there wasn't much development other than Maya wanting revenge, for example, or Perrie wanting more Instagram followers. I had a hard time getting to know them. Because there weren't many descriptors in the book, I also had trouble picturing what Gonzales wanted these characters to look like as well.

3. There were all these references to the royal family / government that we didn't get to see, despite references throughout the novel. Would have loved more of this to be integrated into the book to make it more cohesive as this part felt like an afterthought.

Thanks to Netgalley and St Martin's Press for the digital ARC in exchange for an honest review!

It’s been two years since Maya dumped her cheating ex-boyfriend Jordy, and she still can’t escape him: his sister married the crown prince of a minor European country, and in the lead up to the wedding he captured hearts globally as the eligible younger brother. So, when Maya receives an invitation to be a contestant on Second Chance Romance, a new reality show in which the now-famous Jordy will re-date his ex-girlfriends in an effort to find “the one that got away,” she isn’t interested…that is, until she realizes she can use this opportunity to exact her revenge.

The plot had potential but I think it could have been delivered better? I don't know, I just didn't get as invested in this book as I wanted to. Don't get me wrong it was a decent book, not something I regret reading it just didn't hook me like I hoped it would. I always love a happy ending, completely thrilled the main characters ended together! Overall, worth the read.

Special thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for sharing this digital copy with me in exchange for my honest thoughts.

Cute story. I had mixed feeling about what the goal of the contest was and I was very happy with how she wrote the ending. Easy summer read!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for gifting me an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I really wanted to love this book. I enjoyed the dual POV and the twists and turns. However I did feel like the book was slow and hard for me to get into at some points. Sadly, I also didn't love the characters and found it hard to relate and get close to them.
However, I do enjoy what Sophia Gonzales' writing and I look forward to reading her work in the future.
I also appreciated getting to read a book with bi representation which is really important.

I wouldn’t classify this as a bad read, it’s a a good slump book. You know when you need something really surface level after being in a book slump or a book hangover? This is one of those palate cleansers.

It’s truly a surface level story. I imagine if your a fan of reality TV and shows like the Bachelor you may enjoy it a bit more, but I hate reality TV so take that with my review of this books about a reality show.

Thank you to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for the eARC! Never Ever Getting Back Together was such a fun romp. Once I picked it up, I had a hard time putting it down!

If you enjoyed Perfect on Paper or Only Mostly Devastated, then there’s a good chance this is on your TBR, but if not, what are you waiting for? If you ever looked at the Bachelor and wished it was gayer or wondered what girls see in boys who are clearly jackasses, then give this a try!

Having the dual perspective of Maya and Skye allows the reader to see early on how manipulative Jordy is. That even when the characters are still he-said, she-saiding, you aren’t having to decide which narrative to believe, because clearly it’s whatever one isn’t falling out of Jordy’s lying mouth.

Maya is unapologetically prickly and I suspect that many people will consider her unlikeable. But one of Sophie Gonazles’s strengths is being able to take those prickly, unlikeable characters and make you fall in love with them and empathize with their choices. And she certainly managed to pull that off with Maya. Skye and Maya’s initial antagonism comes across as manufactured, which is entirely the point. It’s a reality show. But once they’re able to put their rocky start behind them, they can focus on the true villain. Jordy.

If you ever want proof that the best way to make friends is to talk about all the things you hate, then this is the book for you!

Featuring: girls in love, a jerk who doesn’t deserve redemption, and the friends you make along the way

4.5/5 stars

I read to about ~60% of this book and had to DNF. I am a huge fan of Sophie Gonzales but this book was super disappointing. It was written poorly, was cringey, and the storyline - while it has amazing potential - was slow and awkward.

Two teenage girls compete on a dating reality show to win a second chance with their mutual ex-boyfriend, only to fall in love with each other instead. Sophie Gonzales' Never Ever Getting Back Together is a sweet and feel-good YA romance.

Maya and Skye are adorable together. I love how they initially hate and distrust each other (because of Jordy's manipulations, obvs), but then actually work things out by talking to each other. Their romance is just fun and light-hearted; each heroine gets her chance at being a knight in shining armour to the other, and I love how openly they communicate with each other about their concerns. The story does touch on some more serious themes, like Maya's single-minded focus on getting revenge on Jordy, Skye's inability to trust people due to past trauma, and Jordy's gaslighting and overall jerky-ness. But these are all treated with a fairly light touch, and I love how both heroines help each other through difficult moments.

I also really love the friendships formed amongst all the girls in general. Each contestant has her own reason for wanting to be on the show, which range from ambitions to be a social media influencer or meet Jordy's royal in-laws to genuine desire for give Jordy a second chance. Jordy also varies in how he treats each girl badly -- he brushes off one contestant who tries to talk to him about her worry over a friend in the hospital. I love how even the other contestants get their own meaningful mini-subplots, so that even as we're cheering on Maya and Skye to get together, we also get to cheer on other awesome young women to achieve their individual goals. 

Finally, how awesome is that title? I love the Taylor Swift reference, and the overall mood of the story fits right in with this song. The ending was also super satisfying, and even though this did not happen in the book, I love imagining Maya, Skye, and other contestants singing along to a Taylor Swift soundtrack and letting Jordy know that they are never, ever getting back together with him.

+

Thank you to St Martin's Press for an e-galley of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Never Ever Getting Back Together by Sophie Gonzales is an exploration of past love, finding self respect despite one's circumstances, and second chances. What was quite interesting about this title was it's ability to critique reality tv without shaming people who find enjoyment and opportunity in it. When I heard about this book I immediately wanted to pick it up because of the title (those who get it, get it) and the really intriguing cover. I actually had no idea what this book was about until I started reading it, and I think that made my experience much more enjoyable because I was just there for a good time.

Unlike other books in this genre, the side characters are interesting and continue to stay prevalent in the story, enabling the reader to pick a favorite that is not a leading character and continue to hear about them throughout the book. The plot is predictable, but that is forgivable in this instance because I don't think someone who is picking this up is intending to have a very unpredictable and shocking storyline. The writing was engaging and did not pull me out of the story like so often occurs with YA books. As someone who is silently but quickly inching out of the YA genre, I am pleasantly surprised to have enjoyed this book and would recommend it to someone who is looking for a good time.

Great book about a 2nd chance dating show and some of the contestants fell in love. I loved that there were friendships and helping each other out. I liked the girls and this did feel like a dating show. The show was fun and loved that they all worked together in a way. Loved the romance.

You can be swept off your feet,” I say, wrapping my arms around her middle and hoisting her up as she lets out a gasp of surprise. “No bruising required.”

I loved this book so much! It was lighthearted and sweet and just incredible.

Summary:
It’s been two years since Maya dumped her cheating ex-boyfriend Jordy, and now he wants her to compete on Second Chance Romance, a reality show where he dates his ex-girlfriends again to find “the one”.

Maya sees this as a chance to show everyone who Jordy really is, aka a major idiot. So she decides to win him over then reject him at the finale. Easy enough, right? Nope, think again.

Enter Skye, the girl Jordy cheated on her with. She didn’t expect Skye to be so beautiful and charismatic, and she definitely didn’t expect them to become friends.

But as they get closer, Maya finds an ally in Skye, and as they plot to take down Jordy, they just might find themselves falling for each other.

OH my god. This book was so perfect. The concept, the characters, the writing.... everything. I loved how unique it was and I found that I was intrigued the entire time. I really fell in love with the characters and found myself routing for them the entire way through. This book was a real page turner and the humour was perfect! I will definitely be recommending this to my friends. 4.5/5

Thank you to NetGalley for this eARC in exchange for a review.

This book was a DNF for me, unfortunately. The concept was difficult to follow and I didn't feel particularly connected to the characters. I'm sure this book will be enjoyable to others, especially if you loved The Charm Offensive, but it was a pass for me.

Great romance that keeps you turning the pages! I really enjoyed this tale of two lovers who fate determines they WILL be together

Rating: 4.5 stars rounded up to 5

I received an ARC copy from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

The premise of this book is a fun one! Jordy is the brother of a girl dating a prince of a fake European country. He has found fame in that time and decided to go on a reality dating show featuring his exes! One of those exes, Skye, is the woman he cheated on another, Maya with. Jordy has spun the story in a different way: Maya was crazy, refused to accept their breakup, and stalked Jordy and hated Skye for it. There’s tension between the two ladies, which is made worse by the fact that they’re rooming together in the mansion!

This was a great read for me. All of the girls were so likeable and Jordy was so unlikeable that reading the scenes between the girls felt like you were chatting with your best friends and watching the scenes where Jordy gets what’s coming for felt almost as sweet as I’m sure it felt for the girls.

It’s also a sapphic love story, which always wins a place in my heart. The romance between Skye and Maya is so sweet and I love how they both overcame their own issues for each other.

I’m a big fan of Sophie Gonzales from her previous books and this one was right up there with her other books. If you haven’t checked any of her stories out, you’ve got to give her a shot!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an eARC copy in exchange for a review!

Review I really enjoyed this book and ended up reading it in a day! The concept of two contests on a bachelor type show end falling for each other instead of the lead had me so interested. While having the competition centered around teenagers was weird it didn’t take away from the story for me. I also really enjoyed the love and relationships that formed between the girls on the show. Nothing brings women together more than the shared hatred of a man and I was loving for it. It gave me such John Tucker Mist Die vibes and I was living for it and hyping up these girls and just waiting for the revenge and karma to hit. On this not Jordy was so perfect, like a terrible person but so perfectly written and characterized that he was easy to hate. Now our MCs. I loved chaotic bi Maya, who really lives up to the chaos. I was rooting for her even if I questioned some of her choices. Skye on the other hand I didn’t like as much on her own at the beginning but she grew on me and I really like her with Maya. I liked watching their relationship change and grow through this book. I thought the two of them were really good together and I loved that epilogue.

Overall, I really liked and enjoyed this book and would recommend that you read it when it’s released!

Read if you’re looking for…
•Bi MC
•WLW relationship
•Bachelor type Reality Competition
•John Tucker Must Die
•enemies to friends to lovers

Let me start by saying Jordy is suchhhhhh an asshat. I mean I haven’t disliked a character so much in a while. Maya and Skye team up after finally learning the truth and it makes for the cutest rom com read I’ve read in a while. Such a good fast paced read with so many b.a female characters. Love love this one.

A few years after Maya's ex-boyfriend, Jordy, moves away, cheats on her, and then dumps her, Maya finds herself agreeing to go on a Bachelor-esque show to "win back Jordy's heart". Ready to confront him and the girl that he cheated on her with, Maya is out for revenge on the public, televised screen. The premise of this book is so fun, especially for who enjoyed The Charm Offensive by Alison Cochrun.

This book was a fun, quick read with great bisexual representation and authentic, lovable characters (except for the gaslighting ex, Jordy). I think I would have enjoyed this story more if the characters were older, closer to the age of real contestants on those Bachelor-type shows. It took me out of the story a few times to picture these high school or just graduated HS- era teens in these kind of settings, or to think that Jordy has been able to rack up these different exes all over the world at a mere age of 20? or around there?

Totally a fun read that I would recommend to friends as a fun summer beach read! :-)

I don't think I actually ever read a wlw romance I loved this much, but "Never Ever Getting Back Together" has all a modern romance should have: beautiful girls fighting for true love - and not against each other for once - a good amount of drama and a soundtrack that has had me screaming all over the place!
I love the two leads, they are super sweet girls and I actually really saw myself and my own issues in them and it was very beautiful see them navigating those issues and coming victorious from their fights.

I loved how, even though the setting could have lead to much misunderstanding and many "cat-fights", the author was able to have the girls team up against the real villain of the story! I might actually go as far as say that this book is feminist in how it shows the strength of betrayed girls coming together to face a foe.

The only things I feel weren't up to my satisfaction were the villain, that I feel like was more mask than substance: he was just a faceholder for a terrible man who abused people trust in him, but if it was not him it could have been anyone else, with any name or face.
I would have liked to see more of him and his cruelness and motives, because I feel like I couldn't hate him enough with what I knew of him.

I also would have liked a few more pages about Skye because I feel like she had less screen time that she deserved!

Anyway, I LOVED this book and I'm surely getting all the other books of this author, 'cause Sophie Gonzales is majestic with her writing.