A fast paced, fun, and charming read. I’ve come to realize I’m a sucker for reality tv tropes. I loved the strong female leads and how easy it was to follow each individual’s backstory. Definitely made the reality tv aspect fun.

Also, I love when an author makes me dislike a character and Jordy was THAT guy. .

I received an ARC from NetGalley for review.

Thank you so much to Wednesday Books for an ALC! Although I'm not a big watcher of reality TV, this sounded fascinating! I loved the characters, the setting, the drama (SO. MUCH. DRAMA) and of course, the outcome! I did find myself thinking the story would have been more befitting of a NA or adult book, though, and kept feeling thrown when I was reminded it was YA!

Rep: bi mcs, BIPOC gay sc, South Asian sc

This is a really fun book. Very romcom enemies to lovers. Maya gets invited to star on a reality competition dating show, think The Bachelor, where all of the girls competing are the guy’s exes. Only thing is, Jordy cheated on Maya, so naturally she hates him. You can only imagine the drama that ensues. It does not disappoint. There’s lots of chaos, pettiness and a revenge plot.

Jordy is an asshole. You see that right from the beginning. I was on Maya side with her revenge plan. This supposed romance show slowly turns into multiple woman conspiring to take him down. We love to see it.

It surprisingly didn’t take much to convince Maya to go on. On second she was saying how much she hated him and would never do it, and the next she was calling back to say she’d do it. All it took was one convo with her friend. But I guess she just couldn’t pass up an opportunity to humiliate him on national tv, so I won’t fault her too much.

I’m glad the miscommunication between Maya and Skye didn’t last too long. Once they’re past it, Sky realizes Maya isn't the crazy ex that Jordy set her up to be, he’s actually the manipulative ex. After that, their relationship quickly changes from hate to friends to something more. It was really nice seeing them on the same side and trying to take down Jordy.

Maya is such a strong, determined, stubborn woman who doesn’t take shit, but she’s very petty as well. She gets really wrapped up in her revenge plot, that at the end, she loses sight of what really matters. She would do anything do see Jordy humiliated.
The bi rep is done really well. Maya is the typical bi disaster lmao she even says it. It’s very casual and it’s not a big deal. All of the queer characters are all out already, so there’s no coming outs, which was a nice change.

It was interesting to see all the different reasons the ex girlfriends were on the show. Maya of course was for revenge. A few were genuinely there to see if they could have a second chance with Jordy. Others were there for their personal gain, such as gaining popularity for their social media account. And some are there just because they can, why not.

The author did a good job writing Jordy as the bad guy. He acted so charming when it mattered. Even to people he didn’t like, like Maya. He would act sweet and innocent, as if he didn’t cheat on her, and didn’t know she hated him. When cameras were rolling, he would be so nonchalantly blaming her for their breakup, lying about everything. He had a way with words and always made himself the victim. You couldn’t help but root for Maya, anticipating if she will finally get to humiliate him and expose the truth to everyone.

The narrators did a great job and the cover is beautiful!

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. I’m all for woman taking down shitty men.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an audio ARC of this book

“She didn’t come here to get her heart broken all over again. She came here to make him pay.”

NEVER EVER GETTING BACK TOGETHER (alternative title: bisexuals bite back) is so, so much fun. It’s a queer YA romcom about a gal who goes on a second-chance romance reality television show to get back at her awful ex-boyfriend and ends up falling for her rival, another contestant on the show. It’s a delicious enemies-to-lovers slow burn between the two leads, Maya and Skye, and an absolutely satisfying feminist revenge fantasy against Jordy, their mutual ex. I love how Gonzales turns the typical Bachelor-type show storyline of women competing for the man’s attention on its head, as all the contestants come to realize what a piece of shit Jordy is, and the story’s ending and the sisterhood that develops is so completely gratifying. Maya’s journey around her desire for retribution vs. her attempts to move past the breakup is especially well done. It’s not a particularly serious story: there’s some character development, though nothing too intense; Jordy is utterly uncomplicated and unredeemed; and I’m pretty sure Gonzales takes some liberties with how reality television is filmed and released. But I couldn't care less! I had the time of my life! There’s angsty “I hate you and you’re hot” staring and a gay haircut revelation and a google search of “friends with benefits but she touches my hair” and even a romantic airport kiss! What more could you want?! Thanks to Wednesday Books and Macmillan Audio for the review copies; this book is out 12/6.

Content warnings: one bad dude doing a lot of slut shaming, sexism, infidelity, homophobia, etc. but we all hate him and get our collective gay vengeance so it’s okay

So if the Taylor Swift-esque title didn't make me want to read this, the plot sure as hell did. A bunch of girls going on a dating show to either win or one up their ex boyfriend? Sign me up!

I loved the alternating story told between Maya and Skye. I feel like it definitely could have been told solely from Maya's perspective, but getting Skye's side of things was perfect.

This new adult novel was super fun and cute. Ok, the premise of a 20 yr old having enough exes to put together and make a whole show about, is a little out there. It kept me reading and was entertaining the whole way through.

4 stars

This is a charming YA romance with some solid queer rep and some tried and true (but not exhausting) tropes.

Maya and Skye dated the same guy and they've returned to repeat their mistakes...or so it seems when they agree to go on a teen version of a date your ex again reality show. Dating your ex again almost never goes well under any circumstances, so it should come as no surprise that this is going to go left quickly when it involves teens and recording devices. Fortunately, the backdrop is much less important than the relationship that really becomes one to watch...the one between Maya and Skye.

It's extremely gratifying when the characters readers know should be together actually make that happen - even for a portion of a work - and that's made even more powerful through the shared ex and general creepy situation these characters find themselves in here. More than anything, this is just a satisfying, "Ah. GOOD," kind of read.

On top of the contentment, readers get some solid bi representation and some intriguing characters. I'd have liked to know more about these characters versus the setup/events of the show, but this was still an enjoyable journey.

Folks who can access the audio version should. It's a well-paced and fun listen.

I received this ARC in exchange of an honest review. I do enjoy a romance book, but it took awhile to get there with this one. Especially when in the beginning of the book, it was all about the lack of female friendship and cattiness that can happen. It felt that the females were being pinned against each other. Even when Jordy was the common denominator of the reason to all of it. Even with some of Maya's initial thoughts of Skye "she doesn't just get to watlz into my orbit and take my boyfriend and my pride..." Skye didn't know! I get that Maya was acting and thinking on emotion, but clearly no communication was had.

I am aware that that part of all the miscommunication is to cause the tension and the drama, but it takes so long. I think i'm just the type of person who hates cattiness and that type of environment feeling ganged up upon and it made me feel more for Maya. Especially when no one was listening to her and she's been telling the truth.

Ultimately, I read something that was different than what my typical interest (I'm not someone who watches "The Bachelor" franchise for example), but I think this will be a fun book for those who do enjoy reality style dating shows and definitely perfect for the YA book reading romance crowd and can definitely see this in middle-school libraries. There were many moments that felt like "reality show montage" moments, so the writer did a good job portraying a dating-reality show on paper. I also loved the representation. The whole time I knew I'd be upset if Maya and Skye didn't end up together in the end.

I will note that I received this also as an eALC and love when ARCs are presented as ALC when available. I did enjoy the narrators and I felt that it was easier to get into the eALC early on compared to when I read the eARC

I was a little annoyed by the characters in the first 1/3 of the book but after that I really enjoyed it. Jordy sucks so much, I hope he has a terrible life lol. Maya and Skye were so great once they started to get along. Would recommend to romance readers and reality TV fans.

When 18 year olds Maya and Skye are asked by their now famous ex-boyfriend, Jordy, to participate in a reality TV show called Second Chance Romance, where he gets a (you guessed it) second chance to love with one of his exes, the two girls quickly join forces against him when they realize he played them both.
A cute sapphic romance about revenge against men, I'm all for it! It was funny, it was catty, filled to the brim with The Bachelor references, told in dual POV (Maya and Skye) with two highly distinct voices, this read was very entertaining. I would've loved to see more descriptions, and a bit more character depth. I read this both as an ebook and in audio book, and the narration in the audio was great, very easy to follow the different POVs.
I received an advance review copy for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I couldn't get enough of this queer New Adult rom com!! Such a fun premise: a Bacherlor type reality show that sees Jordy, an obscure royal seeing if he can rekindle romance with a cast of his exes. If you can suspense belief on the plausibility of a show like this ever happening, it worked for me because the main protagonists were the women, in particular Skye and Maya who end up roommates on the show and reluctant partners trying to expose Jordy for the jerk they know him to be.

Great on audio narrated by Natalie Naudus and Barrie Kreinik (two of my fav narrators). This book gave me lots of I kissed Shara Wheeler vibes, had great bisexual rep and was able to tow the line between sweet enemies to lovers romance and entertaining over the top reality show revenge drama. Highly recommended! Much thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for early digital copies of this book in exchange for my honest review!

#audiobook

When her cheating ex boyfriend asks her to appear with him on new reality show, Second Chance Love, the only thing on Maya’s mind is revenge. The fact that she has to live with Skye, the girl he cheated with, makes her blood boil - but when they actually talk things out, Maya and Skye get along pretty well. Things are about to heat up on set, no bachelor in sight.

I need to tell you a secret - I don’t watch reality tv. Actually watching the show? Not for me. But when I tell you that EVERY TIME there’s a romance set during a reality dating show, I’M IN. I love the idea of a narrative being spun on the show as we see the behind the scenes actual reality, and this book did a great job of breaking down the repetitive and fake nature of it all. (And can I just say that I love Isaac so much??)

Maya and Skye are so sweet together, and I love the camaraderie of all the girls as they settle into filming and realize that Jordy is an absolute dick.

The fact that they are both 18 felt way too young for a dating show, but I appreciate that this is for a teen audience, because we all deserve a peek behind the curtain. If you’re looking for spicy, you won’t find it here - some sweet kisses though!

Overall, this was a great listen(ft. my queen Natalie Naudus) and I would definitely recommend!

Trigger Warnings: Alcohol, bar, underage drinking, past cheating/break-up, parental abandonment, off-page car crash, classism, sex, vomit, toxic relationship

Representation: Bisexual, Gay

Never Ever Getting Back Together is a YA contemporary romance about a second chance romance reality tv show. Both Maya and Skye have previously dated Jordy. When Jordy is chosen as the next participant for the show, all of his exes are gathered and must share a house while competing to get back with him. Throughout the filming process, Maya and Skye grow closer than ever expected.

I was hoping for a lot more from this book to be honest. The premise of two girls falling in love while on a tv show about dating a man sounded so amazing to me. Unfortunately Maya and Skye did not have a lot of depth for me. I also thought the book read as much older than young adult. When they would reference only being 18, I kept being surprised. I’m not sure exactly what it was but this just wasn’t the book for me. I think people should definitely give this book a shot and form their own opinion. I did really enjoy the narration though.

For being a YA (sapphic) version of the Bachelor, this was a fun time and I thoroughly enjoyed my time reading it. Was it perfect? No, not at all. Am I a sucker for all books that have a basis in reality-TV plots? Yes, 100%. Jordy was the most annoying, pretentious man of all time and it was so fun to hate him and have him get what he deserved. Skye and Maya were a lot of fun too, and their's is the only miscommunication trope that I 100% understand and believe contributed to the plot. Not much else to say except while I might not read it again, I definitely recommend it to anyone looking for a quick, fun, sapphic story that involves revenge, reality TV, jello shots, and awful ex-boyfriends!