A pretty okay read. I enjoyed the second chance romance between the couple.

I look forward to reading more books by this author in the future.

i devoured this book and really liked it 👏🏼 this was my first book by this author but won’t be my last!

it contains my fave trope ever—second chance. and it was done SO WELL. only a 5 year age gap!!! let’s gooooo!!!! (if you don’t know me then here’s a reminder—i loathe when second chances have 10-15+ years between the gap. it just doesn’t make sense!!)

this was a perfect pool binge and gave me Abby Jimenez/Christina Lauren vibes. maybe some EmHen too, the banter was good!

anywho, this romance had sooo much i enjoyed. the friendship themes, the finding yourself through your 20’s, being scared that your life/friendships will change if you move away (felt this one HARD), the second chance romance, sexual tension and longing between exes, planning a wedding in a vineyard, the west coast settings (cali, seattle, winery), etc. it also gave major “PAPER RINGS” and “INVISIBLE STRING” vibes… with also some “MAROON”? swifties will love it.

i could see myself rounding this up to 4.5 but a few things left it off for a 5. the wedding curse was a bit much and unrealistic for me. a few things sure but literally everything??!!! and also this might be a hot take but also the ending of this one! i don’t always need that in my romance endings (trying to avoid spoilers).

besides the romance, i truly loved the “growing up” and finding yourself parts of this plot. made the romance and overall story feel more mature and it was extremely real and relatable and well done.

this was a goodie and now i’m excited to read this authors other work which i’ve heard such great things about!

thanks to Berkley for the gifted early copy :)

3.75 If you like second chance romances, this one's for you. I have to admit, they aren't my favorite, but I heard such great things about this book that I had to check it out. I'm glad I did, but I didn't enjoy it as much as I wanted to. I liked the two main characters, Georgia and Eli, and I liked their group of friends and how important they were to each other. I guess I missed the build up of a new romantic relationship. The author does a good job of telling us their past relationship, but there was so much internal dialogue from Georgia and how she felt about everything. I think I missed Eli's point of view throughout all of this. I did enjoy reading this book, and I do look forward to reading more books by this author. Thanks to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing for this ARC.

Ahhhhh! So much love for this book! I love a week well written second chance romance and this checked all of the boxes! I loved the premise and seeing how Georgia and Eli reconnect to save their best friend's wedding. The paper rings had me swooning. Thanks to Berkley for my copy!

“Sometimes I swear adulthood is staring at your phone and wondering which of your friends has enough time to deal with your latest emotional meltdown, then realizing none of them do.”

Jessica Joyce has done it again and I’m not just talking about gorgeous covers. I’m talking about the entire package, because I fell so head over heels in love with both Georgia and Eli throughout this story that I couldn’t even keep it to myself. Nope. I was messaging Jessica the entire time.

There’s something about Jessica’s writing style that warms my heart. She’s poetic and lyrical, using raw emotions in their most real form to bring her characters to life in front of us. And boy did I feel it.

I have always enjoyed second chance romance stories, but this one might just take the cake. It’s filled with life lessons. It’s filled with mental illness and obstacles and challenges that make it so real you’ll wonder if you know these characters in real life. The pain and the mutual pining—the need to choose themselves so they might be able to one day choose each other, but never knowing if that’ll be an option again once they let go… everything about this was absolutely beautiful and I wish I could give everyone in this story a hug.

I honest cannot wait for more and I hope you’ll pick this one up. You’ll be doing yourself a favor.

“Time is a miracle. It shows you what you had, and sometimes it brings it back to you. Different. Better.”

Read if you like:
- Second chance romance
- Finding yourself
- Mental illness representation: anxiety + abandonment issues
- Catastrophe weddings
- Forced proximity
- Only one bed
- Mutual pining
- It’s always been you
- Childhood best friends
- Nicknames

Thanks to Berkley Romance for the ARC!

YOU, WITH A VIEW was one of my absolute favorite books of 2023, so I know THE EX VOWS was going to be spectacular, but honestly I couldn't even fathom it. Jessica Joyce is just such an artist and writes so more than just an average romance book. It's the little, mega relatable moments (wondering which friend to text that could have time for your emotional breakdown, having a mindset that you're "too much" and not wanting to be a burden on others), the longing and nostalgia in the thoughts and conversations, and the reality of the inherent messiness, but beauty in relationships. I read this slowly and savored it, and I'm so glad I did. I also needed tissues for eye leakage in the entire last 30% of the book. It was wonderful. Read it.

A tender and heartwarming story of childhood friends who discover that the best love is one that’s build on friendship. A relationship that’s built to last must withstand being able to be brutally honest.

In a world of lists what will happen when Georgia needs to “wing it” and pick up the pieces at the last minute for her best friends wedding?

Will Eli Mora be able to prove he’s a changed man? Will he finally tell Georgia the truth about what happened, what he’s been up to, and that his feelings for her…

Love is messy, friendships are always tested, and lists are meant to be flexible.

A spicy story filled with hope that love always win!

**Many thanks to Berkley and Jessica Joyce for an ARC of this book provided via NetGalley!**

Georgia Woodward figured that Eli Mora was finally in the rear-view mirror for good...after 5 YEARS of carefully putting the pieces of her life back together after a heart-wrenching breakup. Sure, the two had a passionate relationship and a very deep bond, but there's a REASON they broke up. Keeping a sense of harmony between them is especially important because they share more than just a romantic past: they STILL share a friend group. Being the type A list maker that she is, Georgia finds that one of the best ways to keep the peace is to hold fast to a set of rules she has developed to be followed at all times (and all costs) when interacting in any way shape or form with Eli...and so far, her type-A tendencies have paid off.

But when their mutual friend Adam (unsurprisingly) makes the pair a central part of his wedding, all bets are off. As co best man and best woman, Eli and Georgia once again not only need to be in close proximity, but have their own individual lists of wedding tasks to complete to bring the big day to fruition. And when the wedding venue literally burns to the ground...the task of pulling off the wedding takes a quick jump from big to monumental...and the clock is ticking. There's cake tasting to be done, a new DJ to book, and oh yeah...finding a new LOCATION in short order in glamorous Napa Valley. Though Georgia had sworn their story was over, the more time she is forced to spend with Eli, the more time she finds herself WANTING to spend with him...and all of those rules suddenly seem not only limiting, but worth revisiting. But does this new and improved Eli feel the same? Will all of the romance swirling in the air be enough to reconnect these two former loves? Or, like the wedding venue itself, will what's left of their friendship BURST into flames?

This is one of those stories that sounded a bit simplistic in terms of premise, but being a fan of Napa Valley (although I haven't been yet, I've had many a glass of Napa Valley wine...does that count?), a true second chance romance with friends to lovers at its core, and a wedding story to boot, The Ex Vows seemed to have all of the components to be a light, breezy, and yet still emotionally charged summer romance. Throw in an MC with the same last name as me (!), who's a Type A list queen to boot and it seemed like I just couldn't miss.

But not only was this the end of any similarities between the MC and myself...because try as I might (for almost 400 PAGES!) I just couldn't understand WHY these two broke up in the first place!

Take our aforementioned MC, Georgia. Despite being described as sort of a fastidious rule-follower, we hardly even get a sense of what these rules are...nor are they as important to the plot as the blurb (or the title of the book!) would imply. Georgia's biggest issue is simply asserting herself...and to be honest, also her standards. She seemed to be ready to sell her soul to be with Eli back when they were first together...but allowed him to pick his job over her and that was reason enough to break up the relationship? (Have these two ever HEARD of long distance?) And not to give anything away, but Georgia is not exactly 'married' to the area she lives in currently, to put it mildly...and she is presented as quite a catch at her current place of employment...which also begs the question, why didn't SHE just move to be with Eli?

And therein lies the rub with this particular romance: the conflicts....weren't really conflicts. This is a HUGE pet peeve of mine in the genre, and perhaps the one factor that makes it so hard for me to buy in to scenarios like these. The biggest 'obstacles' these two overcame together were ALL wedding and venue related (don't expect to get to know too much about the betrothed couple or any of their friends...they are only mentioned sporadically and with no clear character development) and it didn't make it quite as satisfying in terms of a second chance romance when I couldn't understand why they both let a JOB come in between their first chance. There was no overly dramatic third act conflict (at least not one I deem memorable a week later!) and nothing really standing in the way besides jobs and a bit of geography. I realize these two factors may seem like an easy deal breaker in your twenties, but as someone who chose to move along with my boyfriend (and now husband) for work, I found it very hard to relate. And no, the job opportunity in this book wasn't even some sort of overseas, once in a lifetime opportunity....trust me when I say you'll probably be shaking your head a bit too.

And what could have sparked SUCH a dramatic change in the other half of this power couple? What could have possibly made Eli SUCH a changed man between the past and present of this book?

Well, it all comes down to what I (unfortunately) deem to be Eli's character-defining trait:

...He went to THERAPY.

Joyce mentions this not once, not twice, but at LEAST three times (it may have been more) and there are long passages of Georgia fawning over what a huge difference these sessions have made (apparently) although it's never REALLY revealed why his character needed therapy so much in the first place. The way she puts so much weight on going to therapy alone was completely bizarre: it's one thing to go to sessions and another thing to IMPLEMENT the changes in your life, and none of that was explicated here. Eli didn't seem to be buried in trauma in the flashbacks presented, wasn't abusive (verbally or emotionally) and if anything, perhaps just needed to be more vocal or insistent at times (?) which doesn't really justify in MY mind all of this life-altering therapy. I think that rather than having moony passage after moony passage at the end between the two lovebirds, Joyce could have used this bit of information as a springboard to make Eli a much more complex character and delved into his psyche a bit more...but this was yet ANOTHER missed opportunity.

I also learned after reading that Joyce is a bit of a Swiftie and I think this book in general lends itself MUCH more to Gen Z than the Millennial set. (Although I believe I am TECHNICALLY an elder millennial...but let's put that aside) I have read from other reviewers that there are references aplenty but since I am not a Swiftie myself, I'm pretty sure I missed all of them. What I DID notice (and not sure if this is related) is many a reference to Georgia's desire for a 'messy' love...and the only place I've heard this phrase recently is the current season of the Bachelorette. (Yup, I'll admit it - Bachelor Nation right here!) I'm not sure if this is a chicken or the egg situation, but all I know? It just made me feel OLD. I can't imagine describing my relationship with my husband as being 'messy' in a good way...yet another reason I think this one is aimed at a SLIGHTLY younger (and subsequently inherently messy) set. An honest love? Sure. But to me 'messy' implies drama, cheating, or the like...and I'm PRETTY sure that's not actually what Joyce (or her MC) meant. (At least, we can hope so!)

And although one of the grand romantic gestures in this one contains one character giving another a plethora of paper rings, I think perhaps one diamond STILL might have been the easier way to go.

(I mean...talk about a BEST friend!)

3.5 stars

How can a book that is packaged in such a cute, romantic way in truth be a story that will rip my heart out and put it back together again with a little kiss on the forehead?
The Ex Vows was one of the greatest love stories I've ever read in so many ways. Georgia and Eli know each other in ways that not many people will ever know: as children, as each other's first loves, as exes, and as secret lovers. The journey we go on with these characters is one I will carry with me forever and I can't wait to share a story so close to my heart with others.
I also hope people can learn and resonate with Georgia and Eli's personal struggles they overcome throughout the book. I think Jessica did an excellent job of highlighting how childhood traumas can impact romantic relationships as well as encouragement to overcome those thoughts. I also appreciated her handling of anxiety and panic attacks through Eli's character.
This book was beautifully human and I fell in love with every single character that was introduced in the story. Every character felt real and that I could go drive down to Napa and hang out at Blue Yonder with them.
One of the best romances, and books, I have ever read!

I really enjoyed this book, however, fear I have an unpopular opinion in that I didn’t absolutely love it.

What I enjoyed: the setting, the friendship, and Eli as a character.

What I didn’t love: with the single POV and constant inner monologue the book felt very slow and I found myself getting bored.

This was completely lovely, I inhaled it, how long do I need to wait for another Jessica Joyce book?

I thoroughly enjoyed this second chance romance. Eli and Georgia were a great couple, and Eli just seemed dreamy. The first half or so was a little slow, but the last quarter of the book was so good!!!!! I loved the meaning behind all the paper rings. Great read!!

*Thank you partner @berkleyromance and @prhaudio for the #gifted e-galley and audiobook in exchange for an honest review.*

The Ex Vows is a second chance romance. Georgia and Eli met at 15, became friends then best friends then dated in college and moved in together. Until they broke up, 5 years ago and since then they’ve faked being friendly whenever they had to meet again for their common friends’ benefit. But they aren’t friendly, and Georgia has a to do list of how to behave and what to do and not do in his presence because it’s intoxicating, and she’s shoved the feelings down for 5 years and plans on keeping it just that way. Until it’s their best friend’s wedding and things are not going as planned and the two of them are suddenly in charge of fixing things. Together.

From very early in the book, I just knew Georgia and Eli were going to give me all the feelings. There is a lot of confusion, and hope, and fear. It was very clear that they were the right person for each other and they just needed to find themselves again at the right time. The love Georgia has for him is overwhelming her but you can also feel how hurt she has been and she still is, and how afraid she is of letting herself fall and getting hurt again. But at the same time, Eli is carefully trying all along to make things right and you know he desperately loves her just as much.

Thank you to @prhaudio for the gifted copy! Thank you to @berkleypub for the eARC!

I was giddy to read The Ex Vows after loving You, With A View. I had no idea that this would blow my expectations out of the water though. This is one of the best romance’s I’ve read this year. Filled with deep emotion, two characters whose connection is palpable and will have you rooting for them from the start, The Ex Vows is an insanely good second chance romance.

Georgia and Eli were clearly made for each other and playing out their emotional journey to find themselves and their way back to each other was stunning. I absolutely adored this! I laughed, I teared up, I wanted this book to never end. Please do yourself a favor and read this immediately!

2 Stars
It was so hard for me to get in to this - I just found myself bored by these characters and this story and the pace felt really slow to me. Maybe I’ll try to revisit this again in the future.

Thank NetGalley and Berkley for the ARC!

One thing Jessica Joyce is gonna do is write an amazing book and that’s exactly what this was. I had high expectations after You With a View (which I adored) and they were blown out of the water with this book!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Jessica for an ARC of this amazing, perfect book. I appreciate it so much!

This second chance romance was absolutely everything a second chance romance needs to be. Eli and Georgia.. oh god. Chefs kiss. Their chemistry and history had me so weak and in a puddle. I loved the story line of them having to plan their mutual best friends wedding together after being ex’s of 5 years. This story brought all the sexual tension and spice 😮‍💨

The way that Eli loves Georgia.. oh my god. Just oh my god. Jessica Joyce - you know how to write the perfect romance novel. Please never stop!

5 STARS! DARE I SAW INFINITY STARS???

As a self proclaimed second chance hater, I can with 100% certainty say this is my FAVORITE second chance book that I’ve ever read.

I knew as soon as I started this book that I was going to love it. The writing, and the characters, specifically Georgia, i immediately vibed with and from then I was HOOKED

Jessica’s writing really just did it for me. I loved the way she wrote, with subtle hints to what happened in their past, vs. their current situation. Instead of getting full on “past” and “present” chapters.

I cried multiple times throughout this book, georgias struggles were SO valid and relatable to me. As someone that also struggles with saying how I feel, I was so proud of her by the end, and I just wanted to hug her and tell her to tell her friends she loves them!!! Her character growth was everything to me.

AND ELI!!! It’s a talent to write a single POV book and have me FERAL for the man. He was down bad STILL after 5 years. We love to see it. And his character growth as well was EVERYTHING TO MEEE.

This book is for the girls that feel like everyone’s moving on to different eras in their life without them. For the girls that feel like they aren’t enough sometimes. Who feel like they have to be perfect to be wanted.

consider me a Jessica Joyce fan page from now on!!

Estranged exes must stick close together to save their best friend’s wedding after a string of disasters in this swoony and steamy second-chance romance from the USA Today bestselling author of You, with a View.
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I just started this one and love books set in Napa Valley. Ugh my autocorrect always types Balls when I try to swipe write Napa. Lol well I grew up there and wasted my 20s at their bars and downtown so that makes sense.

This book is set in Rutherford and I love that little town between Yountville and St Helena. Love books about weddings and everything that can go wrong when the groom wants his two besties who are now exes to help him plan.

This book is utter perfection.

You, With a View was one of my favourite romances from last year and I’m happy to say the author’s newest release will be on my top reads of the year list too.

I love the tension that comes with a second chance romance and this one was on an entirely different level. There’s so much pain, confusion and yearning between Eli and Georgia. I also loved that this trope was used with only one timeline - unique for a second chance romance and it told the history well.

The writing is so full of emotion and heart. I could honestly feel every sentence deep in my bones.

Other things I’m obsessed with: the friend group (I want to be friends with them all!!), the wedding planning, the curse, the setting, the memory flashbacks, the tension and steam, the paper rings and every single genius word that Jessica Joyce writes with such passion and perfection.

Can you tell I’m beyond obsessed with this one?? 5⭐️ (doesn’t feel like enough….)

This was pure magic! Jessica Joyce is quickly jumping to the top of my auto-buy author list. Full disclosure: I am not a fan of second chance romances. There have been very few that I've actually enjoyed. However, I will literally read anything Jessica Joyce puts out there. With this one, she has, dare I say, almost turned me into a fan of the second chance trope, which I did not think was possible! From the first page, her writing draws you in and makes you feel like you are coming home. It's almost nostalgic and cozy. I laughed, cried and everything in between. It was a beautiful, angsty love story, where you genuinely feel like these two people were made for each other and just need to get out of their own ways. I cannot recommend this one enough!