Well, past Stacee needs to be kicked for waiting so long to read this one.

I love love loved Emma, Caleb, and Juliet. They’re all so different and yet all looking to belong. I loved Emma’s crunchiness, Caleb’s caring, and Juliet’s sunshine. Of course, there are some wonderful secondary characters who were just as great, especially when everyone was together.

Plot wise, it was good. There are a few moving pieces here: Emma’s home life, Caleb’s dad, and Juliet’s ex-friends. The focus quickly becomes the history of Emma and Caleb and how they’re dealing with the present. I really enjoyed getting the “back then” chapters to read how it all went down, instead of being told they just weren’t friends any longer.

Overall, this was a delightfully real story, filled with characters who were so easy to root for (and want to mash their faces together at the same time.

**Huge thanks to the publisher for providing the arc free of charge**

While there is definitely romance, this is also a story of true friendship filled with so many great characters.

Caleb is a rule follower, he is also obsessively clean and a germophobe. And he cares passionately about the people in his life. Including Emma, even though they aren’t friends any more. He’s awkward, sweet, and utterly adorable.

Emma is tough and messy and fiercely independent. She will do battle for anyone she cares about, including (or especially) Caleb. But she is also filled with pain and a complete lack of self-worth. She has been neglected and emotionally abused her entire life, and feels abandoned by those she loves the most.

Juliet is a breath of fresh air in both of their lives. She is quirky and fun, but also very self-conscious. People who were supposed to be her friends treated her like a nuisance and all she wants is to be accepted and feel like she belongs.

Meeting Juliet is the catalyst to repairing the rift between Caleb and Emma, bringing their best friends Jazz and Alice along as well to create a solid friend group between the five of them. And it’s this friendship, even more than the romantic relationship that develops, that is what made this book so special.

Disclaimer: I received an eARC of this book through Net Galley on behalf of the publisher for review consideration. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thank you so much to Penguin for approving me for this ARC. I was a little iffy about picking this up because YA romance can be a hit or miss, but I fell in love with Caleb and Emma's relationship. The book follows Caleb and Emma, who have become sworn enemies over the years because of some miscommunication that could have easily been resolved. Juliet, who is a new student, is amazing in both Caleb's and Emma's eyes, and they start a little competition to see who can get the girl first. Over time, Caleb and Emma start spending more time together because Juliet would much rather hang out with the both of them at the same time rather than apart. Spending more with each other, is it worth opening old wounds for?

It is a romance, but it is so much more than that. It deals with parental emotional abuse and neglect, instances of queerphobia, underage drinking, and depiction of bullying, both physical and emotional. If any of this triggers you, please look more into it before picking up this book. The bullying, for me anyway, was just overkill. Emma getting hit by the car by the bully was just too much for me. I understand many people deal with bullying constantly in their lives, but it didn't progress the story in any way. Towards the end, those parts could have been left out, and the story wouldn't have changed.

I did love the ending, though. Juliet, knowing exactly what she was doing with Emma and Caleb, made me kick my feet in delight. I just loved her character in general, with how open she became with Emma, Caleb, and their group of friends. Overall, this is a heartwarming story of found family and friendship. I didn't read Woody's debut novel, but I think I will go back and read it now!

Exes and Foes was a queer romance that will surprise you with different relationships that grow and change through the book.

I really liked the three main characters, especially Juliet dealing with being the new kid in school.

This book felt a little longer than it should of been, but overall was a fun ride.

cute and not as light as it seems! very fun. tysm for the arc, 4 stars, would recommend. worth a good read by romance lovers.

3.5/5 ⭐️

What a unique plot! The storyline absolutely caught my attention and definitely kept it throughout the entire book. I found that the way the characters' dynamics with each other developed over time was very interesting, especially because there were 3 simultaneous relationships that we are introduced to and watching grow. I did really like the way this story explored different sexual identities that I don't see as often in many popular books, so that was very educational for me! I found Emma's character to be a little all over the place though, which was kind of confusing at times. Especially in the beginning when we are still understanding her backstory. There were also moments that I felt a little disconnected to the plot, which was a bummer. But overall I did enjoy this story and would recommend it!!

This book literally took me way too long to finish. It’s beyond frustrating because overall there was nothing about the author’s writing in particular that I disliked and I was beyond thrilled to find a book with so much queer representation (bisexual lead, demisexual lead, and an aro/ace lead) — but it just didn’t hit for me. Both of the main characters did and said a lot of questionable things that prevented me from wanting to root for them in any capacity. The maturity level — or should I say immaturity — of the characters really were the downfall of this book and it didn’t feel like there was much development on either of their parts. Honestly… I just think this book wasn’t for me.

Emma and Caleb are ex best friends that end up liking the same girl. They make a bet that one of them can kiss her first.
Honestly I found this book kind of boring and I don't think the 2 main characters actually get together

10 out of 10. No notes. I loved this. Every page and character and interaction was just fantastic.




Character spoilers below!!!!
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Bisexual leads
Non-binary aroace SC

5 Stars

This book is going on my shelf next to Autoboyography. It meant so much to me. As a late-in-life-realizing-bisexual, having books like this exist make me feel so much hope for the youth. It would have been so affirming and incredible to have an adorable friends-to-enemies-to-lovers bisexual YA story full of laughter and love and hope! I cannot recommend this enough!!

First and foremost, thank you to Netgalley, Amanda Woody and the publisher for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Overall: DNF @ 35%
There is nothing inherently wrong with the book, it is not a book for me. I like the concept, and typically enjoy YA, but the writing style does not hit well for me. I struggled with the pacing and descriptions, and found myself just not able to get into it. I hope to approach it later, but for now I need to put it down.

Okay, so this was nothing like what I expected in the best way possible. I love Caleb and Emma so much, and this was one that caught me out of nowhere with how much soul is in it. This isn't just the fluff romance type that it appears to be, there are actual issues and interesting character dynamics, and even though I usually dislike the premise presented I'm glad I gave this a shot. This was fantastic, and a lot of fun while still having some meat to it.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Young Readers Group for providing me with an eARC of Exes & Foes in exchange for my honest review!

I had a charming time with this book as it takes us into Emma and Caleb's lives, as they reconnect and start to forgive each other for certain events that unfolded in their past, as they wrestle with the bet they've got going on around Juliet. The heart of Caleb and Emma's dynamic is what keeps me going and helps me be more forgiving toward the lack of authentic drive in regard to the crushes that they have on Juliet. Was there really all that much reason for both of them to be focusing so much on Juliet? Hmm, I'm not sure about that, but again, the bond between Emma and Caleb is what I'm invested in.

Overall, I'm officially rating Exes & Foes 3.75 out of 5 stars, which I'm rounding up to 4 stars. I'll have to keep an eye out for more of Amanda Woody's writing.

This book was ADORABLE. A true young adult romcom with complicated teenage characters going through very real familial trauma. I appreciated how much care was taken with these characters and how they had times of levity among their struggles.

My favorite part of this story was, of course, the romance. Yes Caleb and Emma are pining after the same person, but they’ve also been pining after one another for yearssss and that’s what I was here for.

The flashbacks could’ve easily bored me (as they often do in books) but instead they gave me more insight into who the characters were and why they loved one another so much but weren’t together.

I’m so so happy I read this. It was sweet and impactful.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with this book in exchange for my honest review.

friend to ravels in love to so so much more in his story where we follow two characters that are in love with each other but life has torn them apart. Over all I enjoyed tis story it not one I'll reread anytime soon but I can see people enjoying this story and love the side characters as well. well most of them over all i give this book 4 stars

This was an entertaining friends-to-enemies-to-lovers romance. Told in a dual POV, we get Caleb and Emma's perspective on their falling out and how the new girl at school, Juliet, leads them back to each other. It was a funny and entertaining read.

Exes & Foes by Amanda Woody was hard for me to get into at first, but by the end I was enjoying the story! This YA Novel is about two ex-best friends, Caleb and Emma, who can’t stand each other but find themselves in a competition for the same girl.

Emma’s wild, messy energy clashes perfectly with Caleb’s uptight rule-following, and their banter is equal parts hilarious and frustrating. While the premise of competing for Juliet's heart kicks things off, the real magic happens when Emma and Caleb start to realize there’s more between them than just rivalry. The story touches on deeper themes like LGBTQIA+ identity, mental health, and even homelessness, giving it more emotional weight as it goes on.

Although the characters feel a bit younger at times, the heartwarming moments make sticking with it worth the ride!

A very cute and easy to read LGBTQ romance. Many cute moments that couldn't help but be appreciated. I loved the characters.

4.5/5 Stars

Two ex-best friends Emma and Caleb, decide to make dating the new girl, Juliette, a competition. Whoever is able to get Juliette to kiss them first, wins her heart. When Juliet only seems interested in hanging out with the two of them together, things get complicated.

I really like the author's first book, They Hate Each Other, so I was excited to read another one of their books. Turns out I really enjoyed this one as well! The dynamics between these characters were such a joy to read about. Emma, Caleb and Juliet are all amazing characters that you couldn't help but fall in love with. All three of them go through so much growth by the end of the story. All three of them battle with self-doubt and not thinking they are good enough and all three go on a journey of self-discovery as they continue to hang out with one another. I liked that we got both Emma and Caleb's POVs, allowing us to see inside both of their heads and making it easier to see their true feelings towards one another. I love me some mutual pinning. My favourite arc was probably Caleb's. I loved watching him grow more confident in himself. It made me so sad that he had no idea why Emma had stopped talking to him in the first place, and thought he did something wrong to cause it. I was rooting for him and Emma to get together so hard, even though I really liked Juliet, it was so obvious these two were each other's person. I liked that we got to see the backstory of why Emma and Caleb's friendship fell apart, and I liked how we got to see it be mended as well. Emma's arc, regarding her mom and sister broke my heart, but I liked how it resolved in the end. I also thought the rep was very well done - we got bisexual, demisexual and ace representation along with some great mental health rep as well!

I think Amanda Woody has the potential to become an auto-buy author for me, so I am excited for what they come up with next!

it’s been a little while since i’ve read this book before i felt ready to discuss this book and write my review. honestly, i needed some time away to piece out my thoughts. and honestly, i hate to say i’m a bit disappointed with this book. i honestly think we could’ve had so much more given the premise of the book, two ex-friends pine after the same girl and make it into a competition to see who can progress their friendships to the next stage.

i’ve seen other people mention that they wish we had all three POVs since it would’ve made it a bit more ambiguous about who we should root for. maybe it would’ve ruined some surprises and developments to have the love interest’s POV. maybe it would’ve made it better since it’d be less obvious who we should root for. i don’t know. i’m leaning towards agreeing with those who said to have three POVs. because i spent the first 60+ percent of the book waiting to see how these exes will turn friendly/romantic with each other.

it’s clear there’s history we’re skirting around and its clear who we’ll see together in the end. so how could i believe the “competition” that emma and caleb create. both “pine” over juliet while really truly hashing out their unfinished business and overcoming their previous hurdles. despite my apprehension (and disbelief) throughout most of the book, it was still satisfying to see it all come to a head when they confess their feelings. it did have an emotional pay out that i do think saved the story. and with the love caleb and emma have, this pure intensity, i just know that they can work forward past what we see of them at the end there.

that and the amazing friend group (and a-spec rep) were truly the highlights of the story. i always love a good found family and boy would i consider this a good one!! jas and alice (and juliet) are truly amazing friends and are the type of friends i hope to have and be. it was so beautiful seeing their lil group get together and just be queer teens. it was so heartwarming. genuinely and easily my favorite parts of the story. (what can i say, i’m but a simple human!)