*3.5⭐️
Well, the blurb definitely got one thing right: if you love The Summer I Turned Pretty and the character of Belly Conklin, you will probably love this book, or, at least, enjoy it. This book is straight up if Belly and Conrad were combined into one character and then that character spent an entire book torturing a much-less self-assured Jeremiah. Now, this is not necessarily a bad thing, it just gives me complicated feelings.

I actually found myself relating to Kaylee a lot. I’m really tall and am also scared of trying things I think I’ll fail. The main way I could never be her is that she chooses to actively string others (INCLUDING HER BEST FRIEND) along in her journey to never fail by barely trying. She was incredibly insufferable for most of the book, but I did love how Kaylee would often call herself things like “selfish,” basically confirming that she’s aware of her insufferableness and I have to love a character who is very self-aware in her many shortcomings.

Now, for my complicated feelings. While I have a laundry list of complaints, the book was cute. I liked Dean, even if he lacked a backbone for 87% of the book, but even that made me like him because it felt very realistic for someone blinded by love. I also thought their romantic moments were cute, even if some of them felt a little odd for a YA book. I also thought that the two of them together made a cute couple, even if I’m not entirely convinced of Kaylee’s love for Dean. I also think the addition of the beach volleyball and moms conflict was a nice addition.

Overall, this book was a fairly straightforward beach read.

Also, I do think “why” is important..

This is my first time reading a YA book by this duo, and I'm sorry to say that I'm a little disappointed. I loved the concept and the story, but the characters fell a little flat for me. Kaylee, the FMC, was a bit insufferable, and the MMC, Dean, was just so uninteresting. I kept wanting to enjoy this and then just couldn't.

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I thought this was super cute but the female main character was a little too immature for me. She was very selfish with her thoughts and actions but I liked the character growth towards the end!

This was a great YA book. Kaylee and Dean's parents are best friends and their families always vacation together. Kaylee and Dean begin dating, but Kaylee dumps him soon after as she feels like she can't commit. They are forced to vacation together again and Kaylee is set on helping Dean get over her. As the each learn more about themselves and the pressures they feel from their families, they have to make decisions about their relationship in the future as well. I thought this book brought up many struggles that teens face as they are transitioning to college and the real world. Kaylee struggled a lot with the pressure of pleasing her parents and living in her mom's volleyball shadow. I really felt connected with her and her struggles throughout the book.

This was such a cute YA romance and such a perfect summer read! It’s fast passes and full of likeable characters and a great family dynamics.

I loved Kaylee. I loved how real and relatable she felt, and empathized with her as she struggled to manage her anxiety and perfectionism related to being a top athlete at such a young age (and battling being in her mother’s shadow!). Dean was such a sweetheart and so lovable. I loved seing their dynamic as they found their way back to being friends again (and maybe more) after a breakup.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin teen for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Mark your TBRs for the latest book by writing duo Emily Wibberley and Austin Siegemund-Broka (aka Wibbroka) which comes out tomorrow, April 4th. Never Vacation with Your Ex has all of the summer vibes you could want in a fun YA rom-com!

This book had me wishing for summer so much! The beach vacation, family bonding, and annual traditions reminded me of why I love summertime. Paired with an interesting friends-to-lovers/second chance romance, this is the perfect cutesy summer read!

While I found Kaylee to be a bit whiny in the beginning of the novel, I adored Dean so much that I just had to keep reading! And I’m glad I did! This book didn’t just have our two main characters learning to trust each other again, but also a fun family and friendship element to it as well.

If you’re looking for a cute YA romance to add to your summer TBR then this one is it! I love Wibbroka’s writing style and cannot wait to see what they’ll write next!

*I received an ARC from Penguin Teen in exchange for my honest opinion.

While I think this book has potential as a cute YA story, I just feel like it fell flat. The characters aren’t very likable overall, and I don’t feel as though I was actually rooting for anyone. And usually I can look beyond that when the characters have good chemistry and the pining is there, but these two had zero chemistry. I’m sure there are people out there that I would recommend this to because of taste differences, but personally it didn’t really do anything for me.

Never Vacation with Your Ex is the perfect poolside read for the summer. Emily Wibberley knocked it out of the ballpark with this friend's to lovers to ex to lovers again story. You'll get goosebumps and left satiated for more!

This just wasn't my cup of tea. The female main character is very unlikeable and the story itself just didn't quite catch me. I was bored through most of it, switched between the eBook and the audio book, which I borrowed through my library, and tried reading this as fast as possible, so I was finally through with it.

Thank you @penguinteen for this gifted copy!

Trucking along on my Netgalleys and I picked this one first for my Readathon. While this quick fun summer read wasn’t my favorite, it did have some good aspects!

Pro: I liked how a social media influence was used as I feel like that’s the “new” thing in recent years. I like this one weighed heavily on the “pressure from the parents” to be perfect storyline. While a lot of that was how the main character was perceiving things, her realizing that to be happy doesn’t mean a perfect life was a good lesson for everyone to learn regardless of age. I loved the beach setting and made me long for some sun (but only for a brief moment).

Cons: Mainly, the parents. They infuriated me. Including their drama with their kids was just so immature and annoying. I hate books where the kids have to be the adults. And the way they were in this one just threw me off for the book.

A cute friends to lovers to exes to lovers story, but the real star for me was finally finding a book that had a volleyball theme - as a competitive player my entire life, this struck a chord with me and sucked me in hook line and sinker. I really enjoyed the flaws of the MCs, and I loved the concept of the family vacation. I knew earlier than maybe I should have that Kaylee and Dean were going to end up back together, but it didn't stop me from enjoying the journey of their relationship. 3.5 stars rounded up.

I really enjoyed this book! It was quick and fun and a good summer read — not just saying that because it’s set during the summer.

I loved seeing Kaylee work through her perfectionism and her need to compare her track in life to her mother’s. I loved seeing Dean’s view on the world and how he didn’t need to turn his passion into a career because then it wouldn’t feel enjoyable to him anymore. I thought the two characters balanced each other really well.

I also enjoyed seeing the family dynamics, one of my favorite tropes are family friends and seeing how the dynamic affects the kids or how the relationship affects the parents. Overall, would recommend and def will pick up these authors’ works in the future.

Never Vacation with Your Ex needs to be your next beach read - lighthearted and fast paced with moments that will make you laugh out loud and try to hold back tears. The characters were enjoyable on all fronts and ultimately, it's a very relatable story.

Another fun Wibbroka that had me smiling almost the whole time. I enjoyed seeing some past characters' cameos as well as getting to know these new characters. The friendships, old and new, are the crux and full of complexity. I quite liked this one!

Never vacation with your ex by Emily Wibberly & Austin Siegmund broka is a ya contemporary novel that I have been looking forward to reading since they announced the book & cover! Before I begin my review I want to say thank u to Penguin Teen for sending me an e-arc of this book! It was a perfect summertime read for me!
This book had so many tropes that I loved and those are: Close quarters, friends to lovers one bed trope, grumpy sunshine and so many more!
This follows our main character kaylee who is a volleyball star coming right after her mother! So every year for Kaylee and her family they always go on vacation with their next door neighbor's and then this summer they go to cali and Kaylee falls in love with the next door neighbor boy! It was such a fun fast and easy pace read and I cannot wait to read more from these two authors! 4/5 Stars

Kaylee doesn't do long term relationships and a recent regret is breaking her best friend's heart. But she has moved on and why can't he? Their annual summer duo family vacation to California is on the horizon and Kaylee is surprised that it's still happening. Her mission is to get Dean over her so they can go back to the friendship she enjoyed in the first place. Meanwhile, Dean sees it as an opportunity to get back together.
Kaylee is not an extremely likeable character right off the bat. She's driven and selfish, motivated to keep things light and focus on her love for volleyball. She has big shoes to fill and a serious relationship doesn't fit.
Thank you to Penguin Teen and NetGalley for the advanced copy. All thoughts are my own.
Why it wasn't a five star:
The setting and overall family dynamics worked for me but the romance didn't. I liked how driven and earnest Dean was at the beginning but the love triangle aspect made my belief in his loyalty and affection wither. After finishing the read, I'm still not sure if it was out of a need to make Kaylee jealous or if his affections were really so easily swayed. Either way, it needed further development for me.

Thank you so much @PenguinTeen for giving me this ARC in exchange for my honest and unbiased review (Release Date | 04 Apr 2023)

SYNOPSIS | Kaylee plans to follow in her olympic gold medalists mothers footsteps & play professional volleyball but she is under a lot of pressure to do so & she also holds herself to a near impossible standard. She has vacationed with Deans family every year so when they split up (after a 2 month relationship) it makes their next annual vacation very awkward.

WHAT I LIKED:
- the focus on pursuing professional sports as a career
- the idea of a family & friends annual vacation

WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE:
- a distinct lack of chemistry between Kaylee & Dean (I don't really understand why they are even friends let alone bf/gf other than proximity)
- the relationship suffered because there was such a heavy focus on Kaylee's internal struggles
- Kaylee was quite insufferable & she made a lot of outright bad decisions
- what is wrong with the adults in this story?!

“I could be the heartbroken one. I’ve just taught myself not to be.”

What was the last book you read and what did you rate it?

Thank you @penguinteen for my gifted copy of NEVER VACATION WITH YOUR EX by Emily Wibberley and Austin Siegemind-Broka!

Book Review ✏️

Read if you like:
🔖 Sports romance
🔖 Second chance Romance
🔖 Forgetting Sarah Marshall
🔖 Beach reads

While I’m not longer a teen myself, I do like picking up a YA contemporary from time to time to read a different perspective. And wow! After reading Never Vacation with Your Ex, I can say I’m so glad I grew up without social media. The pressure teens are under today is unbelievable. High school was hard enough with bullying, mean girls, acne, and awful fashion choices without it being plastered all over the internet. I’m glad my teenage years were not commemorated on the internet. Sometimes some embarrassing Facebook posts from memories pops up, but thankfully influencers weren’t a thing in 2007.

I can already see some readers finding Kaylee unlikeable. I like imperfect protagonists. They are real. They are relatable. Her struggle to be vulnerable really spoke to me.

I grew up in a household where we didn’t discuss our feelings. I remember some weekends my mom staying in her room all day because she was mad at us. Then the next day we would be best friends again. My husband has taught me to open up and to talk through disagreements.

Another plot point I thought was important was Kaylee learning to come out of her mother’s shadow. I feel like a lot of girls struggle with this. I know I did. I felt like a shadow of my mother’s beauty.

#PenguinTeenPartner

Kaylee is a seventeen year old volleyball star with everything about her life (including her social media posts) very structured and planned out. Her one break a year is her family vacation to Malibu. Each year she and her parents go with another family: a tradition her parents and their best friends started before they had kids. The problem? That family is Kaylee’s ex’s family. Kaylee and Dean have to figure out how to get along and Kaylee is determined to help Dean get over her. But in the process, she is reminded of all the reasons she fell in love with him in the first place.

This was such a fun summer teen romance! I always love the stories and characters Emily Wibberly and Austin Siegemund-Broka create, and this book was no different. I appreciated the theme of how perfectly curated lives don’t always mean happy lives and thought that was a good message for any teens reading this book. I thought the family dynamics were an interesting layer to add to the already dramatic situation of teenage relationships.

Thanks to Penguin Teen and NetGalley for the advance copy.