Kaylee plays volleyball - and she’s really good at it. Fortunately, or perhaps unfortunately, her mother was an Olympic volleyball player (now retired). Kaylee is constantly compared to her mother (and she has a hard time keeping herself from comparing).

It’s not easy living in her mothers shadow, trying to reach that same level of greatness. Kaylee feels like she has to be perfect all the time. Like she can’t make a single mistake.

Her best friend is Dean. They dated and broke up (she has a history of making sure none of her relationships get too serious). Her family is friends with Dean’s family. They were all friends, prior to the breakup. And they all went on vacation together, post breakup. Both sets of parents decided, even with the break up, the summer vacation was on. Awkward for sure. Especially since he still likes/loves her.

Kaylee kept trying to get Dean to move on but she clearly hasn’t moved on herself. She won’t let herself love someone though, because that would mean opening up, being vulnerable, allowing herself to make mistakes (mistakes that her partner could see). The pressure is being perfect seemed to be crushing her. I hated her trying to get Dean to find someone else. I kept thinking “Noooooo.” It wasn’t exactly cringeworthy, but I definitely felt bad for both of them.

I would have liked a chapter or two from Dean (just one POV here - Kaylee) but it was still good from her POV (I’m just a sucker for multiple POVs I think). It was predictable (like these kinds of stories sometimes are) but not necessarily in a bad way.

It was a cute YA romance.

I ended up DNFing this title at 46%. I don’t think this is a bad book necessarily, I was just finding it to be a chore for me to want to pick it up and read it. I didn’t have enough care invested into our MC to want to know what happened with her and dean.

First of all, I want to say that I don’t think this book was for me. However, I do think it could be a great book for a younger reader! I read a lot of YA and NA, but sometimes feel that YA can read a little young for me. This was one of these instances. I found it hard to connect to the main character or the guy, and found the plot to be very surface level. There wasn’t much depth, and the whole “volleyball influencer” plot wasn’t really my thing. It bored me how often it was talked about. The whole second chance romance was okay, but I think it could have been executed better. I think girls aged 9-12 would enjoy this cute book, but it wasn’t my cup of tea, and I didn’t get attached.

At this point whenever the Wibberley and Siegemund-Broka duo couple write a book, I read it. Kaylee breaks up with her best friend only to realize that their families are going on their annual vacation so Kaylee decides to help Dean get over her only for her to start falling for him again. I'm not much of a fan of second-chance romance but when this duo writes it, I'm here for it. I haven't read these authors ya books and this one didn't disappoint. I love their YA writing style a lot more as I feel it's so much smoother and there is a lot of descriptive compared to their adult. It feels a lot more lively and I love it. The pacing was perfect and I enjoyed the storyline in this book. This was a very quick, light read that I think will be perfect for the summer if you want to read it then. Plus it takes place in Malibu and who doesn't love that? I did wish this book was in dual perspective and more dialogue based than it was.

Our main character in this book is Kaylee and let me say that she annoyed me a bit. I did enjoy her story but sometimes her actions made me question her. I know that she is young so I just tried to put myself in her shoes. She did have great development which improved her character. There are many side characters in this book and I enjoyed how involved they were in the book. Our main side character is Dean and I enjoyed his character. He is such a sweetheart but I wish we got his perspective because it would have made his story and the story itself so much better. He is also Bisexual and not the typical man you would read about in books but is a complete cinnamon roll. The romance is a second chance trope with childhood best friends and I have to say that compared to these authors' past books, the romance was not the best. It was okay but I just couldn't truly feel all the chemistry I wanted to feel.

The ending was well done and I thought this was a cute read. I finished this book fairly quickly. If it was published in the summer, it would have been such a great book during the season with all the summery vibes. I think some parts of the book could have been improved but overall this was such a great book. I recommend this book for fans of The Summer I Turned Pretty and Heart Bones.

Thank you to NetGalley and Viking Books for advance reader copy of this novel!

Never Vacation With Your Ex is a full of summer fun and second (and third) chance romance. No matter where you are, once you open this book it will feel like your on the beaches of Malibu along with the characters as they spend the summer together freshly broken up and working to mend the damage done to both families that have been inseparable since before the kids were even born. I thought the volleyball, photography, and surfing aspects of this books, as well as seeing how close the two families were and how lovingly they all interacted with each other were really fun and well done. However, after the first couple chapters of hearing Kaylee’s reasoning for breaking up with Dean after only two months together and her refusal to explain it to anyone else despite being asked numerous times it get a little bit annoying. The two main characters are both 17 but act seemingly much more mature in every aspects of their lives (aspiring professional athlete and photographer) except for their relationship where they struggled to clearly communicate and work things out through the entire novel. I found the dynamic between Kaylee and Dean to be a bit upsetting with how openly hurt and hung up on Kaylee he was from the beginning and then how she decided to “help him get over her” only to then fall back in love with him just to break his heart yet again before once more reconciling and getting back together. What I did love was the parents and how they navigated all the conflicts and worked through them together and really showed their kids that they were all still human and made mistakes but were able to admit it and learn/grow from them. Over all I did enjoy this books and plan to read more from this author duo but will probably stick to their adult novels from now on as young adult doesn’t seem to appeal to as much as it once did.

I really wanted to like this book but unfortunately, I just couldn't like the main character and I kept getting annoyed at her point of view. The writing also was too lengthy and just didn't keep my interest.

This book was knock your socks off good.

I’ve never seen such amazing character development in a book like I have with Kaylee Jordan. I mean, she seemed so… superficial at first. She broke hearts constantly. Hell, she even broke her best friend’s heart.

However, you really see her heart as the book progresses. Kaylee is actually one of the most selfless people I’ve ever read about. She wants to help her best friend get over her, keep her family and family friends together, and more. She also has a need to be perfect, and that need crushes her. I love going on the journey of self-discovery with her along with learning the answer to the question that everyone was dying o know: Why the hell did she break up with Dean?

But seriously, this book was fantastic. The romance was swoon worthy, and I miss Dean and Kaylee already.

Also, the Mamma Mia references? I’m here for it. 100 percent.

This book contains second chance romance, vacation vibes, secret dating, and more, check this one out!

If you’re looking for a YA summer read or something to pick up so that you can pretend you’re on vacation, this is for you.

I read this book in less than 24 hours and enjoyed every minute of it. I loved seeing Kaylee work through her perfectionism and balance life with her passion. I admired Dean’s dedication and compassion.

This second chance, friends to lovers to kinda enemies to lovers is a great read.

I have read all six of Wibbroka’s YA books and both of their Adult romances and they are so much fun to read. I definitely advise that you pick them up!

Thank you to PenguinTeen and NetGalley for this copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you Penguin Teen for giving me an eARC of this book!

This book was very, very close to being good. It had a lot of potential, but unfortunately it fell short for me. Admittedly it was very readable (I pretty much finished it in a day), but there was also quite a bit of "hm this page doesn't seem important, skip!" going on. I mean, our MC is a volleyball player and her personality basically ends there. If I'm going to get pages upon pages upon pages of volleyball content, there's a high probability that they will be skipped.

I think the biggest thing for me that fell short was the lack of a second POV. I would have loved having Dean's POV. We get Kaylee's POV of trying to get her ex over her, what about Dean's POV of going along with Kaylee's plan in the hopes of getting back with her?? It would have added some intrigue and also spared me from the several boring pages about a sport I could care less about.

While this is a book I will definitely never be reading again (or recommending to people), it wasn't a horrendous read. It was actually a little bit enjoyable, if you can get over disliking the MC. It was a solid three stars, as it wasn't bad enough to be two, but definitely not good enough to be four. I did not hate my life whilst reading it, therefore it gets three stars.

Ok, so at first glance at the reviews, I can see what people are getting at. Kaylee doesn’t come off as the likable, peppy, sporty teen you would probably expect in a YA romance. Instead, what you get with her is a look at a teen facing increasing pressure and scrutiny as she pursues her dreams of a professional volleyball career in the shadow of her mother’s success (the Olympic gold medal volleyball legend).

In fact, this tension and internal strife within Kaylee is arguably more center stage than the whole romantic set up and premise, and while I get how that’s misleading given the cover and synopsis, but to me, I liked it better. I liked the substance it added And I like that it talked about issues that many teens, especially those playing competitive sports and looking at longer term professional careers face.The way Kaylee discussed social media as a job, the times she mentions having to wear a mask and be perfect, control and reign in her emotions, and all the times her own family makes her feel like she’s responsible for the emotions of others and how they feel about her — it’s a lot for anyone, and especially a teen who is desperately trying to make herself stand out from her mother’s legacy. It <i>can</i> come across as whiney and privileged, and at several times, Kaylee acknowledges this, but at the same time, having these privileges doesn’t mean she can’t have hardships or battles of her own, so I’m not keen on the reviews that harp on this aspect. She doesn’t need to be inundated in trauma in order for her feelings of the overwhelming pressure to feel real and affect her. The conflicting ways she feels about her body and how she’s told to feel about it, at times powerful and strong, at other times not sexy enough, are also very valid and reflect a lot of the sexualization and discourse over young women’s bodies that happens all the time today, even if you aren’t a highly visible public persona or athlete.

Did the romance and chemistry with Dean suffer a bit because of Kaylee’s own internal demons and battles? Yes, however I still had fun with their second chance romance and I liked that in the end, Kaylee is made to really vocalize and work through her feelings with Dean. Could it have been pushed further? Yes, but overall I think Kaylee’s own internal struggles were more valuable thematically. I did want more discussion between Kaylee and her mother, that felt way too short, but still, I liked that these feelings were discussed at all.

I think if you can come into this with more of an open mind than just wanting a straight romance, you’ll enjoy how Kaylee’s internal struggles are laid on the page and reflect a lot of the stress, anxiety, and judgement I think many teens can relate to in some way. Thank you Penguin Random House Audio for my free ALC and Penguin Random House and Netgalley for my galley in exchange for an honest review.

Overall, 3.25 / 5, rounding down to 3.

*characters: 6/10
*setting: 9/10
*writing style: 8/10
*plot: 5/10
*intrigue: 5/10
*logic/relationships: 6/10
*enjoyment: 7/10
*overall score: 46÷7=6.5 (3⭐️)

Thoughts:
I usually enjoy books by Emily and Austin, but to be honest, this one is just kinda meh to me! The whole time I was reading, I didn't understand how two teens could be so emotionally attached after only two months of dating. It would have been more believable if it had been 6 months or even a year. Also, Dean's mom was weirdly super involved and opinionated about their relationship/friendship. I didn't understand that. My biggest issue was how much growing up Kaylee needed to do in order to be in a relationship that just never happened - she is super immature and always making excuses for her actions, and by the end of the book, she still is.

This book had so much potential and could have related to a lot of people - but it sadly fell short and didn't quite hit that mark it needed! I would still consider it a fairly decent read for the summer though!

This was just not it for me, I think I’m really moving away from young YA so unfortunately I could not finish this entire story.

I could not get through this book because I did not like the MC at all. I loved The Roughest Draft by these authors, but I just didn’t like Kaylee in this book.

Reviews Posted: March 25, 2023
Goodreads
Storygraph

I don’t know where to begin with this book. I guess I will start by saying that I hated almost everything about this book, and I can’t believe I wasted my time reading it. From the man charter to the romance, there was almost nothing redeemable about the book.

Kaylee has to be one of the worst main characters I have ever read about. She is vapid and self-absorbed and not a single thing about her makes her a likable character. I kept reading hoping that she would have a redemption arc, but nope she remained shallow throughout the whole thing.

The romance was also lacking, I could not understand why no one was calling out her bullshit and how she just flits through life playing with people's emotions. There was absolutely no chemistry between Kaylee and Dean and everything felt so surface-level with them.

Honestly, though everything felt surface-level. The relationships with the parents, friends, and siblings had absolutely no depth to them and I kept waiting to actually feel something fro anyone in the book. Even the conversations Kaylee has with her mother don’t actually resolve anything.

That was one of my biggest issues with the book is nothing is actually resolved. Everyone just keeps seeping all the problems under the rug. I kept screaming “please just have an honest conversation.”

Overall this book lacks any real depth or character development. The writing is all surface-level and bland at best. The fact that I finished this book is astonishing and I probably should have DNFed it.

This tale of a perfectionist high school chronic breaker of hearts getting stuck on a trip with her ex was a bit too juvenile for me but might hit with a younger crowd. Dumping someone and then trying to play matchmaker to assuage your own guilt just isn't a plotline I enjoy. Again, this is very YA and likely geared towards a much younger audience.

This was my first time reading anything from Emily & Austin. I liked it but it wasn't my favorite thing in the world. I'll probably give them another chance and read something else from them to see if maybe they just aren't for me.

I felt the pacing was off and overall it just.. wasn't for me, I guess. But that doesn't mean that it won't be for someone else.

Star volleyball player and serial dater Kaylee Jordan is stuck spending another summer vacation with her mom’s best friend’s family, except she had dated their son Dean and she is not ready to face him after breaking his heart. Convinced he is not over her, Kaylee steps up to help him do just that. Right when she succeeds, could her change of heart be too late to save the only real relationship she ever had?

Very cute, endearing, sweet, NEVER VACATION WITH YOUR EX captures the hardships of meeting expectations and protecting oneself from heartache by avoiding risks. The story developed Kaylee more than Dean, but seeing their romance blossom throughout their friendship turned lovers turned exes turned friendship turned lovers was heartwarming.

This was another adorable YA romance from this duo! I loved the second chance romance of these childhood friends turned lovers turned exes forced to be together again during their annual summer vacation to California with their families. It was fast paced and will be the perfect read for summer!

I flew through this one in less than a day. For sure one of my new favorite YA books 💗

What I loved —
✨my fav trope: second chance romance
✨forced proximity
✨childhood best friends to lovers
✨California vacation vibes 🏝️
✨the MC is a perfectionist + very competitive, which causes issues with her dating life. I loved the growth she made!
✨ Dean is the sweetest human 🥺
✨I loved all of the volleyball talk because I used to play 🏐
✨the cover is gorgeous 🤩

This is the first YA I’ve read by this writing duo. I’ve read two of their adult romances and they have quickly become auto-buy authors for me!

📖 ARC REVIEW 📖

Thank you @penguinteen for an early copy of Never Vacation with Your Ex by Emily Wibberley and Austin Siegemund-Broka. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. 🤍

Never Vacation with Your Ex is a YA contemporary romance about Kaylee, a 17-year-old volleyball star who’s under pressure from constant training, player rankings, social media and her famous mom, and Dean, her best friend, and ex-boyfriend. They dated for a while, but with Kaylee’s streak of breaking up with guy after guy, dating Dean was no different. They both still haven’t processed their breakup when both their families’ tradition of vacationing in Malibu comes up and they are forced to spend time together despite the rift. To spare their worst summer ever, Kaylee walks through her rules of getting over an ex with Dean, but Dean sees this as an opportunity to win her back.

This was a difficult read for me; I found the FMC annoying from the beginning, who knows all the stakes of dating her best friend Dean, has been warned by both their parents that it will not end up well if they broke up as she will lose both a best friend and a boyfriend, and yet she still goes and dates Dean, then dumps him after a few months, with no acceptable reason. She’s done this with other guys in the past, date them and dump them, and I found that really annoying and selfish as she comes off with no regard for other people’s feelings. All the drama was very unnecessary and immature.

Rating this ⭐.5/5. Releases April 4th, 2023.