This was a great first read to kick off the warmer weather and start of summer (almost). It was light and a quick read. There were moments where I felt were forced but overall it was a good story. I enjoyed that the parents were friends and how it showed their hardships in friendship. Overall I give this book 4 out of 5 stars and will be recommending it to my students . Thank you netgalley and publisher for the advanced read.

I enjoyed the story. The main character was someone I wanted to root for. There were some portions I skipped reading because they were overly exposition-heavy. That said, our character struggles with anxiety, and spiraling is very real, so it wasn't out of character for it to happen.

Second chance romance is difficult. This set-up was quite believable, which was refreshing.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin for the ARC.

A super cute young adult romance. Kaylee is balancing school, sports, and budding romances in her young adult life. As a junior in high school, she has many decisions to make and learns and grows through each one.

Never Vacation with Your Ex by Emily Wibberley and Austin Siegemund-Broka is a cute summer read about second chances. I loved the Malibu vacation backdrop and the volleyball star main character, and this one also contains thoughtful discussions about women in sports. Fans of the exes to lovers trope, as well as books about childhood best friends, will enjoy this one.

For Kaylee, the annual summer vacation her family spends with the Freeman-Yus is a break from the pressure of being a volleyball star. However, after dating their son Dean and breaking up with him, this summer is about to be incredibly awkward. To try and salvage their vacation, Kaylee comes up with a plan to help Dean get over her, but as the summer progresses, she realizes that she might not be as over him as she thought.

❀ INTERESTING MAIN CHARACTER

Kaylee is an interesting main character, and while I wasn’t the biggest fan of some of her actions, I appreciated her internal conflict. As a volleyball player whose mother was also a volleyball champion, Kaylee feels like she’s living in her shadow. Throughout the book, she experiences a lot of pressure, and I empathized with her tendency to consider others’ expectations in everything she does. For me personally, however, the romance fell flat as there was so much back and forth between Dean and Kaylee that it got repetitive. It was difficult for me to connect with either of them, and I wished they had a bit more chemistry.

❀ THOUGHT-PROVOKING COMMENTARY

What I especially enjoyed about this book is the commentary on the experiences of young athletes. Kaylee and other characters in the book feel a lot of pressure to be the best and balance school with sports, and there are also discussions about the ways uniforms, especially for volleyball, influence body image for women. These conversations add another layer of depth to this beach read, and I appreciated the authors including them.

❀ A CUTE SECOND-CHANCE ROMANCE

Never Vacation with Your Ex by Emily Wibberley and Austin Siegemund-Broka is a cute second chance romance that is perfect for the summer. I enjoyed the Malibu vacation premise and the discussions about some of the challenges women face in sports. This is a great read for your beach bag.

What a great start to summer reading!

"Never Vacation with Your Ex" immediately put me into summer mode.

I am now officially ready for the hot sun, beach trips, baseball games, sandals and bon-fires. Bring on the summer.

This was the cutest little young adult story. It's a book that you can pick up to simply enjoy. It's a very sweet and light read. This second-chance, friends-to-lovers, forced proximity romance was very adorable. I thought the romance between, spoiler alert, Dean and Kaylee was the love that we all wanted when we were in high school. Don't tell me you never dreamed of having the swoon-worthy love story where the best guy friend admits his love for you and you end up spending the rest of high school basking in the glow of young love?

Dean and Kaylee had that love story on lock but before the summer starts she breaks it off with Dean but the universe is totally not having it. The pair are "forced" into the annual family vacation to California where they will be spending three months in painfully close proximity. Once Jordan's arrive at the vacation home tension are already running high and Kaylee is already feeling exhausted from the pressure of making vacation perfect outside of her ex sleeping in a room right down the hall for three months. Kaylee comes up with the brilliant idea to not only smooth the waters in California but to help Dean get over her to coach him on her methods of living life freely and independently following a separation.

Surprise...surprise...the vacation and experiment teach Dean and Kaylee that they love each other deeply. Hot rebounds, hobbies and the sandy beaches of California couldn't keep them apart.

I really enjoyed this book. The romance was very sweet. I liked that Dean and Kaylee got their happy ending but I think my favorite part of this whole story was the volleyball.

I NEED MORE VOLLEYBALL STORIES. Why couldn't think book been about Kaylee's volleyball career in high school leading to her grasping a difficult decision of either becoming a professional or compete competitively collegiately plus navigating the pressures of being in the shadow of her mother's professional beach volleyball career. I would have adored that.

Reading about Kaylee and her relationship with volleyball gave me so much nostalgia...and honestly gave me the hankering to go outside and pepper. I totally understood the pressures she felt trying to juggle her academics, practice, workout routine and trying to appear perfect. It's difficult being an athlete at any level. It's mentally and physically exhausting but being a part of a team and playing the sport you love makes it all worth it.

I appreciated that by the end of her summer vacation, Kaylee got her man (Yas queen) but got the more important self-confidence and understanding that no one is perfect. She finally stepped out of her mother's shadow and decided to make her own route on her path to becoming a professional volleyball player. I liked that she learned to let daily pressures wash away and fully enjoy not only the sport she loves but the moment that she is living in.

Emily Wibberley's "Never Vacation with Your Ex" was a great start to summer reading. I highly recommend this sweet romance if you want to feel all the beachy vibes. It will instantly transport you to help you imagine the warmth of the waves, the sand between your toes and the whooshing of the waves.

Thank you Penguin Teen for a copy of Never Vacation with Your Ex. This sweet YA story is out now! Don't forget to support Emily Wibberley and your favorite book publishers by not only purchasing their books but following them on all social platforms.

3.5/5 Stars

17-year-old Kaylee Jordan is an up-and-coming volleyball star who just broke up with her best friend turned boyfriend Dean. He hasn't spoken to her since the breakup, but now their families are going on their annual 3-week trip to California together. Can things get any more awkward?

I'm a sucker for a good second chance romance, make it also a friends-to-lovers-to-enemies-to- reluctant friends-to-lovers and I am in. I found Kaylee to be a tad annoying, especially when she was denying her feelings toward Dean in the first place. I guess I don't fully understand why she chose to break up with him if she never stopped having feelings. I think I just found her to be extremely selfish and self-absorbed and I felt no sympathy towards her. What I did like about the story was the exploration of family expectations as well as the need to be perfect. I think this is where I actually related to Kaylee and understood her emotions. I was also a competitive athlete for the majority of my life and was always striving for perfection in the shadow of my father's success in the same sport. I honestly would have rather had a whole story about Kaylee's struggle with that rather then the romance.

Another sweet and charming read by Emily Wibberley and Austin Siegemund-Broka!

I've loved their books from the minute I first read Always Never Yours. Never Vacation with Your Ex is another great addition to their list of young adult contemporary romance books. It was lighthearted while also full of nuance. I loved the sweet romance and the connection that grew between Kaylee and Dean. The family dynamics were fun and I loved the summer vacation setting.

I can't wait for what comes next in their young adult contemporary journey!

Quick Stats
Age Rating: 13+
Over All: 4.25 stars
Plot: 4/5
Characters: 5/5
Setting: 4/5
Writing: 4/5

Special thanks to Penguin Teen and NetGalley for an eARC of this book! All thoughts and opinions reflected in this review are my own.

I don’t know why the reviews of this book are so low—I loved it. I loved Wibbroka. They simply cannot write a bad book, in my opinion. Honestly, I think their reviews for their YA books have been lower since they started writing adult, because their adult readers are reading their YA books and finding them “too YA”. Because yes, this book is solidly YA. The teenage characters act like teenagers, so if that’s not your cup of tea, you should probably pass on this one.
The premise of this book is tons of fun. Perfectionist Kaylee is forced to go on a family vacation with her childhood best friend—and recent ex boyfriend—Dean, and she decides in order to make the trip less awkward, she needs to help him get over her. Cue shenanigans. Admittedly, there are some logistical questions in there, but while reading the book I wasn’t too caught up in them. I felt like I was just along for the ride. I was having fun, because I think that’s what this book is, at its core: fun. It does touch on more emotional topics. Breakups, of course, but also family, social media spotlights, perfectionism, and more. It definitely has a deeper undercurrent that kept me emotionally invested in the story and characters, but I wouldn’t necessarily say it’s an emotionally driven story.
Like always, Wibbroka gives us a little cameo of the previous books characters. I loved seeing a bit of Siena and Patrick, and I can’t wait to see Dean and Kaylee in the next book. If you’re looking to pick up your first Wibbroka YA, this is as good a place to start as any—as long as you remember it is in fact YA.
I really enjoyed this book, and I think it’s a must read for any YA contemporary lover—especially if you enjoy the second chance romance trope.

I am a big fan of Emily Wibberley and Austin Siegemund-Broka's books so I am super glad that I got the opportunity to read this one. I enjoyed this book a lot. It dealt with some interesting topics. I loved the characters, and I liked how the plot was never fully went the way I expected it to go. Overall an interesting and cute read that I very much enjoyed.

This was the perfect teenage rom com! I requested this cutie because a bunch of my students started requesting romances for their free read books, and this perfectly fit the bill. I can't wait to grab a copy for my classroom library. The perfect mic of drama and fun for my high schoolers!

Hands-down, the best romance I’ve read all year! Another Wibbroka success (obviously). This book had me laughing so hard I was on the floor crying way too many times to admit— I’m looking at you, hide and seek— and at the same time made me want to punch all of the characters equally… but in the best way. Kaylee and Dean are more than just exes, they’re former best friends. Their families are practically family.

The part of this that made me love it even more was the subtle LGBT aspect to the book, put in there as to not make it a “big deal” as other authors would.

Definitely give this a read, it’s one that you won’t want to put down!

I received a free copy of this book as a bookseller from Emily Wibberley, Austin Siegemund-Broka, Viking Books for Young Readers and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I adored the story, the world building was amazing. I love meeting the different characters. I felt completely immersed in the story and couldn't stop reading it. The writing was also really nice. I couldn't put the book down and I can't wait for others to read and enjoy this story as well.

I’m such a sucker for this duo’s books. And a YA book involving volleyball makes it even better. I loved the both main characters so much

In Never Vacation with Your Ex, we follow Kaylee and Dean, two high schoolers that vacation with their parents every year at the same house in Malibu. Kaylee and Dean grew up together, but one summer, Dean and Kaylee fall for each other. They end up dating (for two months.) They tell each other that they love each other, and then Kaylee breaks up with Dean the next day.

Fast forward, time for their three week vacation. What will this be like? Kaylee makes it her plan for Dean to fall out of love with her. In the process of trying to be the best volleyball player, and gain confidence, she tries to help her best friend become her best friend again and then get over her. Will she succeed?

This was.... a slow burn. There is a lot of back and forth of Kaylee and Dean over the three weeks. I don't think I love a second (or third?) chance romance. It felt like the communication just kept circling over and over. Which, they are teenagers, so it makes sense. I think that just looking back at "teen love," second chances aren't always the best? So, though these two were best friends, it was just not my vibe. I think high school me, would've liked it!

It's a coming of age, second chance, with best friends to lovers, and the character development that some may love.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This book was an ARC from Penguin Teen that I was really excited to read. A 17yo dates her best friend and broke up with him before their group family vacation! The families have been going on vacation for 20+ years so the kids were forced to deal worth their BS.


I loved how the story worked through Kaylee’s internal struggle from social media pressure, and feeling the weight of constant comparisons between her and her mother. Kaylee is following in her mother’s footsteps to become a pro volleyball athlete.

She’s also trying ti mend her relationship with her best friend who she dumped because she didn’t feel worthy enough to look heartbroken if they ever did get too serious.

The struggle of teenage life is hard to navigate and this book was great at relating to the teenage brain process while also giving great advice to cope and work through tough issues.

All relationships have rough edges! I’m almost 40 and felt connected to this story as well.

Well done!

So I actually really enjoyed this book! I will say I found Kaylee to be extremely annoying and difficult, but by the end of the book you can understand why. Or at least you see growth so it’s not so bad. Despite that the book is really good and I think does a good job at looking at getting into sports professionally as well as what happens when you date your best friend! Overall a really good read.

⭐⭐⭐⭐

𝘼 𝙔𝘼 𝙨𝙚𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙙 𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚 𝙧𝙤𝙢𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚 𝙬𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙧𝙪𝙡𝙚𝙨 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙜𝙚𝙩𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙧 𝙖𝙣 𝙚𝙭 𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙣 𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙗𝙚 𝙢𝙤𝙧𝙚 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙥𝙡𝙞𝙘𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙮 𝙨𝙚𝙚𝙢.

📍 Read if you like:
• Second Chance Romances
• Teen Drama
• Volleyball
• Malibu/Beaches

This book has not been getting the greatest reviews on Goodreads lately - and I get why, I really do - however, there is so much more to the story than this YA romance. It won’t be everyone’s cup of tea, but I did find it enjoyable for the most part.

A lot of the reviews I read about this book mentioned how unlikable Kaylee was, and I truly understand why they would say that. While I do agree a bit, I also understood the harsh reality she was facing. I know how tough living up to expectations can be so I get why Kaylee was like that with volleyball, especially since the stakes were high with her famous mother.

I will say, the YA romance wasn’t as strong in this book. It did lack some meaning, and I feel like the book itself would have worked so much better if it was dual pov. I found myself pushing to get through some of the chapters as I needed a break - aka a second pov from the hero.

This wasn’t at all a terrible book, it just won’t be for everyone. You sort of have to accept the story and enjoy it for what it is: a slight young adult second-chance romance about our two characters navigating through life - in this case a vacation - in Malibu.

I have read two books by this author duo prior to reading this one, and I loved both of them. Seriously though, if you have not read The Roughest Draft then you should definitely pick it up. While I get the low ratings and understand the frustration with the MC, I also feel like the story had so much more to it that was ignored. It was a decent YA romance, and honestly, I would recommend it to the intended reader.

Thank you Penguin Teen and NetGalley for the gifted e-ARC in exchange for my honest review, all thoughts are my own!

Cute second chance/childhood friends romance! This has all the great things in a contemporary YA - coming of age issues, figuring out figure plans and where relationships fit. It was a good pace and an easy read (short chapters helps
with that feel).

Thank you to PenguinTeen for the earc in exchange for an honest review.

Light read for young adults. The romance was just that of young love. Our main character focuses more on the pressure of her athletic career. So the romance is not in the for front but over all it was a good story.

it was a very fun book to read and i really enjoyed the story thanks netgalley for letting me read this one