Thank you to netgalley for the earc in exchange for an honest review! This is quite literally one of my favourite books this year, right up there with SHE GETS THE GIRL! I adored how both the perspectives of the crazy reality tv girl and the crowd favourite were explored, as well as the voice both characters had. Iconic. No complaints. The ending was twisty and dramatic but also supremely satisfying and I will 100% be hand selling this to every customer who asks for a quick fun romance and enjoys the bachelor even a little bit (or enjoys hating on it).

Who doesn’t love a good Taylor swift reference? They had me sold right from the title! This book was such a delight, I read it in one sitting. It was very entertaining and I absolutely adored this. The premise of our protagonist Maya joining a reality dating competition to get back at her ex..but then falling in love with the girl he cheated on her with is pretty epic. It’s even more epic that instead of trying to win back their ex, they fall for each other. This book made me feel giddy and the main character being vocally/openly bi throughout the story was refreshing to see. I had never read a Sophie Gonzales book before but this definitely won’t be my last. Such a great sapphic contemporary romance!

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an advanced copy!

Having loved Sophie Gonzales’ Only Mostly Devastated, Perfect on Paper, and If This Gets Out, I was so excited to receive an advanced copy from Netgalley of We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together. I was hoping that this would be the book to pull me from the reading slump I’ve been in for weeks, and for the first few chapters, I was really vibing with it.

Even better, I discovered three chapters into the book that it was a dual perspective novel, my absolute favorite type of novel! But unfortunately, that’s when things started to go downhill because Maya and Skye’s perspectives read the exact same. I mean, there were so many times I had to go back to beginning of a chapter and check whose perspective it was from because I couldn’t differentiate the two. Which is probably because the reader doesn’t learn any defining characters about these girls outside of the fact that they hate their ex and want revenge. That is their entire personality, especially Maya’s (and by the end, I was tired of hearing how much she hated Jordy and how much she wanted to take him down).

And then there was the burgeoning relationship between Skye and Maya. I didn’t feel any chemistry between them—probably because they felt like carbon copies of each other—so it was really hard for me to root for them. The switch from hating each other to not hating each other happened so fast and seemingly without reason that I found it hard to believe.

All in all, I was very disappointed by this book, which I absolutely hate to say because I really do love Sophie Gonzales as an author.

Thank you to Wednesday Books and Netgalley for an advanced in exchange for my honest review!

Apparently I have a thing for books about dating shows… First I loved The Charm Offensive, and now this one captured my heart as well! Never Ever Getting Back Together was such a heartfelt, adorable and addictive read about friendship, letting go of the anger that controls you and falling in love when and where you least expect it, with wonderful well-developed characters and great bisexual representation.

The main characters in this book are Maya and Skye, who are both contestants on a reality show where their shared ex-boyfriend, Jordy, is supposedly looking for a second chance romance with one of his former exes. Maya however, is not in the show for a chance to win Jordy’s heart, but to expose to the world what a horrible, selfish, mean and manipulative person he is. The only problem is that when Maya gets to know Skye, and stop hating her for being the girl who Jordy cheated on her with, the revenge on Jordy might not even be the main focus anymore…

As always, Sophie Gonzales made a wonderful job with her characters. They are always fleshed out and relatable, both likeable and unlikeable at the same time and allowed to make mistakes and grow. I loved the dual POV from Maya and Skye and watching their love for each other develop from both sides. I also loved all the other female side characters and their strong personalities, and the way they all became friends (and not toxic competitors as is often the case in many reality shows) to support each other against their joint enemy.

I have only two minor complaints. The first one is that the beginning was a bit slow and it was a bit odd to have a reality dating show with teenagers. How many exes can you have when you’re barely 20 years old, really? It also took a bit too long for Skye to start believing Maya (or for Maya to explain the cheating situation in a way that made sense…), they really should have been able to sort that out much sooner. The other thing was the way Jordy was described. Sophie Gonzalez sure did a good job letting us readers immediately see what a scumbag he was, but I just wish that there would have been more to his character that could explain why all these smart and strong girls would ever fall for him in the first place.

But those minor complaints set aside, this was such a wonderful, fast-paced and addictive story about revenge, love and friendship with a completely nerve wrecking and unpredictable ending. I read the second half of the book feverishly, totally hooked and not able to put it down until I knew how it all would end. The writing style was so smooth and with so much banter and humor that I had so much fun reading it. But there was also so much at stake that my heart was beating nervously all the way through. I desperately kept my fingers crossed for the happy ending Maya and Skye deserved, but feared that Jordy would get away with it all as usual.

May and Skye was such a wonderful couple and I really appreciated how the bisexual representation was made in such a believable and relatable, but also warm and heartfelt way.

All in all, this was a completely adorable, sweet, witty and enjoyable romcom that I had so much fun reading and recommend with all my heart!

4.5 stars rounding up to 5.

You know that episode of good luck charlie where teddy finds out spencer was cheating on her with skylar so they join forces to take him down? Those are the vibes.

Every time I start a Sophie Gonzales book I wonder how it could possibly be better than the last, yet her romances have me giggling and twirling my hair every time.

Never Ever Getting Back Together is a brilliant concept from the get-go, following Maya and Skye try to take down Jordy, their mutual ex who would fill the role of James if this was the folklore love triangle (J NAMES CAN CHOKE!!!). And it’s all on a bachelor-esque reality tv show with Jordy at the center with all of his exes competing.

I absolutely adored the way this story progressed, with all of the fun reality tv challenges, the development of the romantic relationship, and the excellent, sharp humor in Gonzales’s writing. All of the characters felt truly authentic and I was rooting for every single one of them (except Jordy).

I always highly recommend Sophie Gonzales’s work, and Never Ever Getting Back Together is no exception. It’s a lovely, quick read with sapphic representation that feels effortless in the best way.

*Thank you to Wednesday Books and NetGalley for allowing me access to this arc in exchange for an honest review*

thank you to netgalley and wednesday books for the arc! wow sophia gonzales you have done it again! she truly is a must read author for me forever and always, so so talented! jordy oh gosh i hated him so much he literally was the worst i loved to hate him, even his name is stupid!!! issac on the other hand love him, he deserves the world! i think he was such an important character and truly is an icon! skye and maya oh my heart i loved watching the two of them come together and both see them heal from the pain jordy put them through! also this book did a beautiful job about how often men try to paint women as villains! especially when they themselves are the villain! also definitely did a great job with showing the reality of reality tv! i loved the ending, i do feel that some things weren’t wrapped up as much as i would’ve hoped they were but they were minor things so it wasn’t super important! also perrie my queen! i loved her from the moment she was introduced, she is a top 3 character honestly! i felt the storyline was so unique and the book felt realistic for the premise! overall i really enjoyed and can’t wait for its official release!!

Two girls with nothing in common except for a toxic ex-bf. They start hating each other but they end up falling for each other on a reality show. (They are bi-sexual in case you need more explanation.) It's an interesting idea. The ex-bf certainly deserve everything he got.... definitely karma... :) Living well is definitely the best revenge but who can doesn't want to see a douche bag ex get what he deserve? :) I love stories about reality show (eg The close up, The Charm Offensive and If the Shoe fits were both terrific).. so it is kind of a must-read for me based on that. Totally enjoy it.

A fun read.

Don’t let the title fool you: this book is Reputation-era Taylor Swift all the way. Gonzales seems to have written this book for everyone with a crappy ex who just wants revenge and will almost blindly do anything to get it and I for one am SO here for it. Not only does this story absolutely deliver on it’s promise of revenge, it does so with smatterings of tropes done beautifully: there was only one (bunk)bed, rivals to friends to lovers, misunderstanding - one that I generally can’t stand but Gonzales does well - and a truly fun cast of characters. The leads, Maya and Skye, fit together believably, especially given their initial introduction, and rub off on each other in really profound ways; Maya curbs her impulsivity and learns to value her own voice while Skye learns that some spontaneity is good, especially when you have a community behind you.

One thing I’ve loved about Gonzales’ writing between this and her previous novel “If This Gets Out”, is the exploration of private vs. public lives and how reality can get twisted. In “Never Ever Getting Back Together”, Maya and Skye find themselves on a reality show, shuttled around by producers looking for a story and watched by the world who believes whatever narrative those producers spin. As readers, we get the distinct joy of seeing how fabricated the final product really is. Everyone on this second chance game show has their own motivations and almost none of them are pure, the “leading man” is actually a heaping pile of trash, and almost none of the romantic moments on air were genuine. Personally, I ADORE these behind-the-curtain narratives and hope to see more in the future!

I would suggest this book to anyone who has a driving desire for revenge, any Reputation-era Swift fan, and anyone who’s ever had the thought “what if a dude cheated on two bisexual women with each other, the women dumped him when they found out, then got with each other?”. This book answers that question and then some.

Never Ever Getting Back Together centres on Maya and Skye, two girls who seemingly have nothing in common—except for the toxic ex they share. When they’re invited on a reality TV show and given the chance to re-date Jordy, both accept, but Maya has ulterior motives. She’s not looking to fall in love again, and she’s certainly not interested in playing nice with Skye, the girl Jordy cheated on her with. When, to her surprise, Skye becomes a willing accomplice in exposing Jordy’s lies, the girls discover they have more in common than they originally thought. But will the feelings between them survive their desire for revenge?

This was fun! My two favourite parts were the delightful banter between Maya and Skye (I wish there had been so much more!), and then all the truly ridiculous comments made by and about Jordy throughout the novel. Although some of them were pretty outlandish, they’re witty enough that you can bypass how on-the-nose they are. Jordy is definitely a caricature, but Sophie Gonzales fits a lot of humour into his remarks, so it didn’t bother me.

One thing I loved especially was how bisexuality was handled. Both main characters are bi, and there’s a lot of internal and external dialogue about what that means for them. In one particular instance, one of the girls describes the process of having to come out over and over again—trying to be casual about it, but constantly having concerns at the back of your mind over how the other person will take it. To me, that was the realest, most relatable part of the book.

In general however, I did find the characters to be pretty shallow, which made it harder to root for them. I was more or less rooting AGAINST Jordy, rather than FOR Maya and Skye. I cared less about the romance than I would have liked; it would have been much more engaging if they were more fleshed-out beyond the fluffy romantic scenes. Same with the other contestants, one of whom has no goals or personality beyond “gain more followers”. There were also quite a few side characters (sisters, mothers, best friends, fathers) who are briefly introduced and then have zero relevance ever again, which annoyed me.

Overall though, a very solid read to pick up if you’re looking for a light queer romance full of hijinks and an antagonist you'll love to hate.

The Charm Offensive is the stick against which all queer reality dating romances are measured. Sadly this was no charm offensive.

It started out a little odd for me, once I realized that Maya was only 18. Because really, who put someone on a reality dating show with exes that were essentially the ones they had in high school? Then I thought okay, maybe this is YA. But it's not being published as YA. It's just, literally, a reality dating show with a bachelor who is only 20 years old.

Not going to lie, there was plenty about this book that I found charming and entertaining. The star-crossed romance, however, was not one of them. Some might like the idea of enemies to lovers with two bi exes. I certainly did. But there was no spark and no real tension in the narrative and once they stopped hating each other it was as close to instalove as you could come. Sure, you had all the requisite moments of coming to each other's rescue and making out in a pool. But there was just a lot of unfilled promise. The whole thing was tragically short on glee and joy.

Would I recommend as a filler book? Absolutely. There's even enough angst in it to make it a little less than straightforward - not quite contrived, but also not fully fleshed out. And that royal twist? While it made for a good fictional kingdom setting, it really made absolutely no difference in the end to the story. (Not an American Royals read alike in the slightest)

File under: wanted to love. But it just didn't hold up next to the competition.

When I read the description for this book, I was hooked & knew I had to read it . The romance was great. I liked that the banter wasn't forced & neither was the attraction. Another thing I really liked was how the reality show was written so well that it seemed real. The twists at the end were mind-blowing. My only complaint about this book is it should've been written in a more adult like manner rather than YA.

Jordy Miller has a lot of ex-girlfriends. Instead of treating a new girl right, his solution is to bring ALL of his exes on a reality dating show to re-date them just incase! What he didn't bargain for is that when you're a cheating dirt bag not all of your exes will come back with good intentions...some will come back with revenge . Maya agrees to do the show to get back at Jordy for how he humiliated her. What she doesn't plan on is Skye. *insert heart eye emoji*

I was originally obsessed with the premise of this book. Queer representation on dating shows has always been abysmal. My main complaint really was that this is a book about adults (on reality tv) written at a YA level. It just felt a bit mismatched. I will say this would make a FABULOUS Netflix movie though!

I love whatever Sophie Gonzales writes. I love her characters. I love that her characters can be unlikable but likeable at the same time. I like that they make mistakes and learn and grow. I love Maya and how heated she is. I love Skye and how logical she is. I did wish there was more to Jordy, that he was more than just an asshole. I know that was the point but I do wish we saw a bit of… something else to him.

But this was a good book and I’m so happy to have read it and would definitely recommend.

I love stories about women getting together to get revenge on a man! It’s what they deserve! Jordy is an amalgamation of various men from my life and makes for an incredibly convincing, manipulative villain. I was a little bit frustrated at the beginning because of the hostile energy amongst the women on the show. If a woman told me that my boyfriend had cheated on me with her, I would 100% believe her without hesitation. I feel like Kim wasn’t developed super well - all that I picked up about her is that she’s stupid and in love with her best friend, who doesn’t appear in the book. I also would’ve liked more build-up concerning Maya and Skye’s romantic attraction. Overall, I really enjoyed this and am always happy to checkout queer rom-coms.

Alrightly. This book was something. We have a pretty cliche Bachelor style story with a revenge plot twist.
and holy quacamole this has a Sapphic romance!. This story is a page turner, you just really want to know if the main characters can get revenge on this narcissistic male lead of a reality show,
There were however some negatives for me. I found it really hard to buy that a show like "Second Chance Romance" could keep the male lead in a positive light when he has so many ex's so young. He would be torn apart on the internet by many female viewers.
I found also found the romance that blooms in this novel to be not quite developed enough to end up where it does.
the ending is great though. I 100% was cackling, and Sophie's writing is just so wonderful! I never find myself getting bored. I had a great time with this and I'm super excited to rave to my friends about this when it comes out in December!
Final Rating 4/5 stars

I have read and loved many of Sophie’s books and when I opened my inbox to an advance copy of her gorgeous upcoming release NEVER EVER GETTING BACK TOGETHER it didn’t matter that it doesn’t release until 12/6 I just HAD to drop everything to read it!

What I love most about Gozales' writing style is how she jumps right in! Her books always grab me from the start, managing to make her characters so real and relatable they feel like friends and I’m instantly invested in what’s happening to them.

Having read a few reality TV set books in the past year or so, this one had a great spin that I was immediately giddy over the potential of. Gonzalez nailed it, making it unique with it being EXES competing for affection to win the heart of a bachelor that they'd each already dated at one time. Split into dual points of view by Maya, who we start the story with + Skye, the girl she believes he cheated on her with and then dated this one promised all the best drama and behind the scenes fun.

Taking second chance romance to a whole new level, this reality show has six women competing for Jordy’s affection and each of the characters brings something special to the adventure.

"I'm sure Hans Christian Anderson was just about to start on the tale of the six princesses who battled to the death for the prince who already dumped their asses once," Francessa says dryly. "That's some real magical shit, there."

For those of you like me, living in America the ONLY thing that threw me off about the book was that I had to remind myself this wasn’t based in America — legal drinking age being lower made a difference in the openness of alcohol in this particular story that had me wondering if this one fell in the YA category or IMO the much more appropriate "new adult" which I personally LOVE.

Maya in particular stuck out to me as a noteworthy character, how she was driven by her want for revenge as it related to Jordy and her determination to WIN Second-Chance Romance to humiliate him. As always Gonzales gives her characters such a witty, unique voice and I found her openness with being bi refreshing in a book of this setting. The contemporary, realistic viewpoints of her characters kept me giggling, and cheering for anyone BUT Jordy.

Thank you Wednesday Books + NetGalley for the chance to read this title prior to publication day, it was a pleasure to read and review!

I think this is my favorite book of Sophie Gonzales's yet. I binged this book in two days, so yeah, everyone needs to read this immediately.

I connected with Maya from the very first chapter. It was easy to see myself in Skye, too. I loved reading about their romance, and their revenge. And I just want everyone to know that Sophie Gonzales has succeeded in getting me to hate a fictional character with my entire physical being. Because yes, I hate Jordy Miller that much.

Jordy Miller, brother of Princess Samantha of Chalonne (a fictional kingdom near Switzerland), is quite adept at putting forth a positive image -- reading to orphans, giving to charity, etc. -- and making sure that negative events are spun in a manner that garners him sympathy. Maya Bailey is all too familiar with the latter. Maya and Jordy dated for nine months, but the final few months were long distance, and Jordy found a new girlfriend (Skye). When Maya found out, Jordy portrayed her in the media as a deranged ex-girlfriend who could not accept that their relationship ended when he moved away. Maya is not exactly a Jordy fan, and when the producer of a reality show called Second Chance Romance calls her and says she wants Maya to be one of the ex-girlfriends who "date" Jordy on the show to see if the spark that prompted their initial relationship can be rekindled, Maya tells her that she would rather date the devil.

However, Maya later changes her mind, deciding that if she dates him again on television, she can try to win him over, and then reject him on live television, exposing him for the villain he truly is. That plan gets off to a very rocky start. Among the six young women chosen for the show is Skye Kaplan, the person Jordy cheated on Maya with. However, Skye does not know that Jordy was still involved with Maya when they dated, while Maya believes Skye knows and doesn't care. And the producers have arranged for Maya and Skye to share a room, hoping for fireworks that will make for great reality TV. Maya makes friends with Perrie, another one of the women, who believes her when told the story about Jordy cheating, and whose primary interest is using the show to bolster her social media following. Yet, in addition to Skye, she manages to alienate the other women rather quickly with her attitude and her negative comments about Jordy.

Somewhat surprisingly Maya manages to survive the first week and not be the first woman asked to leave. She and Skye have a conversation that is a long time coming and Maya is able to show Skye that Jordy was a cheater, but also realize that Skye was an innocent victim. Project Jordy Revenge has a new participant, and one who has skills and abilities that Maya lacks, increasing the odds of success. However, this newfound partnership will have some rather surprising ramifications. Furthermore, Jordy is not about to go down without a fight. Maya will be forced to decide how important it is to her to get her public revenge.

I received a copy of the e-book via NetGalley in exchange for a review.

“But the way I feel about you is bigger than those problems. It drowns them out. Because I love you.”

So grateful for Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for providing me with this arc! When I stumbled upon this book I couldn’t help but request this book!

Never ever getting back together reminded me of Taylor swift and the blurb was too good to pass on. This book revolves around a guy named Jordy (basically a scumbag) who does it all for the fame (which he got when his sister married royalty and he thinks he’s the shit????) Jordy is truly a pos and the character I hated the most. He is a liar, a cheat, gaslighter, and so many other colourful words. Anyways this scumbag gets a chance of a reality show where all his ex’s and hookups are called so they can have a second chance at their “romance” Those girls were brilliant and it was a shocker they dated he who shall not be named.

Maya’s sister tells her to go so she can get “revenge” now now I love me some good revenge stories!! Sophie Gonzales did an amazing job conducting the whole story, the plot was amazing and it kept me on my toes!! I usually always predict endings but this one was so nerve wrecking and unpredictable that i just couldn’t put it down and read it in one setting alone! The smooth flowing plot and such a simple yet beautiful descriptions made this book so much better!

My heart literally burned in the first few chapters as Maya went through shit (okay maybe i am a little biased) but then everything sorts out and the story takes on a lighter note. And then we have a happy ending :)

I have never rooted for a couple more than I have for Skye and Maya. Those two were adorable. You can bet this was an easy 5 ⭐️for me.

Oh my god. I always forget how much I love Sophie Gonzales' writing until I'm reading her novels, and I don't know why I just don't remember how amazing her writing is. This is the third book of hers that I've read so far (I still haven't read her trad-pub debut, Only Mostly Devastated), and I adored all three of them so, so much. It's always the perfect blend of romance and comedy, and super relatable teenage (and sometimes twenty-something year-old issues too!).

To start off, this book was SO fun. It was exactly what I wanted from a revenge book with a side of romance, and it's humor balanced things out perfectly. I loved the way all of the girls competing actually felt like they were competing, without actively dragging each other down in a misogynist mess. A lot of time it either comes across like that or as something a little too saccharine to feel realistic, but Gonzales found the perfect mix of competition and female friendships. Out of the secondary characters, Perrie in particular was my favorite, but all of them had distinct and interesting personalities. I absolutely adored the dynamics that Skye and Maya had with each other, both when they were fighting and friendly. Their banter made what could have been a dark story lighter, and while they didn't seriously talk often, they obviously deeply cared for one another.

My only critique is that I did feel like parts of the book were written for characters a few years older than the ones in it (17-20, if I remember correctly), but I understand why Gonzales chose to do that for more of a reality dating show feel. This was a super minor thing though, it was just something I thought I'd mention, since it definitely makes it fall into the older YA category.

Overall, if you're looking for a fun sapphic romance, a revenge story or just a good time, pick Never Ever Getting Back Together!