Childhood friends to lovers and the "it's always been you" tropes are two of my very favorites, so I couldn't wait to get my hands on this one. Overall, I really enjoyed The Ex Vows, but the second chance romance didn't flow smoothly for me and I'm never a fan of the miscommunication/lack of communication tropes. The comedy of errors surrounding Adam and Grace's wedding felt over the top and it made the forced proximity trope feel too heavy handed between Eli and Georgia. I think I needed some chapters in the past or from Eli's POV to really feel the lasting connection between these two. Jessica Joyce makes readers work for the reunion and boy did she deliver. It really is always the quiet ones! ;) I also adored the friend group and the found family was wonderful (Cole lol). The ending was very sweet, but I also felt it was drawn out. I understand both Eli and Georgia needed to stand on their own, but the last 15%-ish felt like it took forever to get through to finally get to the HEA.

I mainly listened to the audiobook and have enjoyed Kyla Garcia's performances in the past, but this time her performance felt a little flat. There wasn't a lot of variation in her voices and so I did get a little confused about who was speaking in the larger group scenes. I also had a hard time differentiating between what was actually being spoken by a character and what was an internal thought.

Audiobook Review
Overall 4 stars
Performance 3.5-4 stars
Story 3.5-4 stars

CW: parental abandonment (past), financial concerns, anxiety, panic attacks

*I voluntarily read and listened to a review copy of this book*

Wow. Jessica Joyce, you sneaky sneaky lady. This one really got me. I’m going to be insufferable forcing this down everyone’s throats for the foreseeable future. had me crying at every turn. i LOVED this. felt it in my bones. thank you for giving us Georgia and Eli. I feel better for it.

Listen. I was all up in my feels and my heart was aching for these fictional characters throughout the ENTIRE book! This was an incredibly beautiful story that made me feel the same way Emily Henry’s books do. There are strong themes of friendship, working through childhood traumas of abandonment and financial insecurity, and learning to advocate for your own needs. It has the perfect balance of flashbacks to understand how Georgia and Eli’s relationship fell apart, mixed with the present to see that their chemistry was still there. A man asking for communication after what he has learned in therapy? Say less. Also, I love that this takes place over time. Things aren’t magically fixed just because they spent one week together. And the paper rings 🫠 🫠🫠🫠 If you’re looking for a swoony book, THIS IS IT! If you loved Happy Place by Emily Henry, pick this up IMMEDIATELY! If you hated Happy Place, I encourage you still give this a try!! I will absolutely be snagging a physical copy!

Sexy second chance swoon!! I’d like to give a shout out to Taylor Swift’s song Paper Rings which obvs played a big role in the making of this novel.

The Ex Vows by Jessica Joyce is the surprise hit of the summer! I loved everything about this second-chance romance—from the characters, their emotional struggles, and their past relationship history, to the cursed wedding they are trying to save.

Georgia and Eli have been friends since they were teenagers, eventually falling in love and moving in together. Once they start their new life together, however, things fall apart quickly. Neither Georgia nor Eli has gotten closure on their failed relationship, which has left them feeling stuck.

Five years later, they are forced back together to help save the wedding of their mutual friend, Adam, and his long-time girlfriend. Fate seems to have other plans and there is one wedding-threatening disaster after another.

After a rough start, the wedding details finally come together, and the old flames can’t fight their rekindled attraction any longer. Unhealed wounds from the past remain on the surface, though, so the reunion is bittersweet—and temporary.

Jessica Joyce perfectly captures both the emotions and the chemistry of the characters on every page and tells their story in a way that feels like a punch to the chest each time something new is revealed. Her writing is beautiful and heartfelt, but she also gives us excellent banter and comic relief to break up the heaviness.

Eli, Georgia, and Adam have so much history, and I loved how they supported one another, even when it hurt. Eli’s sweetness and Georgia’s protectiveness truly shine through the pages.

The side characters are perfectly sprinkled throughout the story to add depth, while also doling out sage advice and a much-needed sounding board when needed. There is so much growth shown with all the characters, you can’t help but root for them.

This is my second book by Jessica Joyce—I also loved You with a View—and I think The Ex Vows firmly cemented her place on my auto-read author list. Grab this one for a beach vacation—or anytime, really. You won’t regret it!

Jessica Joyce has become one of my favorite writers. I love second chance romance and this book is exactly why! The FEELS! The ANGST! The yearning and longing! I’m obsessed

I also love how she writes about Georgia feeling as if she’s on the outside of her friend group as they get married and have children. She encapsulated the emotion that comes with that so well!

This book is perfect and I’ll be thinking about it forever

This book was a 4 star read for me up until the very end when something I did not see coming happened to be the sweetest romantic gesture I have ever experienced in a book happened. My hopeless romantic heart loved every bit of this book. Infinity stars!

Once again Jessica Joyce has absolutely blown me away, solidifying her spot as an auto-buy author. (My husband and our budget are both *thrilled* by this development.)

You can always google the summary, but the TL; DR plot is this: Georgia and Eli are exes that share a best friend, and they come together to make Adam’s wedding a success—a wedding which feels cursed, so many things have gone wrong. They only have a few days to fix everything, which requires them to work together, which requires them to actually talk, and old feelings (which never quite died) are revived and given new life.

The audiobook of The Ex Vows was absolutely FANTASTIC. Kyla Garcia is a wonderful narrator, bringing both Georgia and Eli to life. It’s a talented narrator, indeed, who can voice both male and female characters with such skillful aplomb. You know a book is good when you keep finding more chores to do just so you can keep listening. 10/10. No notes. One of the best romances I’ve read this summer. (Did I mention it also champions therapy and taking care of your mental health?! Super magic bonus points!

10/10. No notes. I adored it.

Today I’m reviewing The Ex Vows by Jessica Joyce. In this second chance romance Georgia Woodward is preparing for her best friends wedding. What she’s not prepared for is her ex, Eli Mora, and how he’s made some major changes and ready to win her back.

Friends, I wasn’t able to put this one down!

There are so many wonderful aspects of this book I completely enjoyed! Tropes that were written so fantastically: he falls first, second chances, one bed, he’s in therapy, fake engagement (the second cake tasting scene 👏🏽), and more. What truly kept me going was the indelible threads Joyce wove together these incandescent truths of friendship, honesty, and love.

In a world where two friends turned lovers can be completely at odds with their professional and personal lives, being pulled in directions they didn’t think they would find themselves in, and finally realizing the person who stares back at them (both for Georgia and Eli) wasn’t who they were five years ago, can be hard to reconcile, especially when your partner is as adrift as you are; where the connections between them aren’t as strong and the distance is getting closer.

As I was first reading The Ex Vows I thought of the Tori Amos song Baker, Baker. I’d gone to a lot of her concerts during high school, my favorite being her Strange Little Girls album (that feels like forever ago) and I went up to San Francisco to see her play and I remember that song hitting me in a way that I think most people feel after they’ve fallen apart, but had found the strength to start gluing themselves back together.

And that’s where the story begins. The moment two people who cared for each other are back in the other’s orbit, waiting, ever so patiently, for the moment they collide. To see what they create once they do. You should read this one to find out.

The Ex Vows is a love letter to second chances, the bonds of friendship, and how two people can find their way back to each other, even when things are still so messy and unresolved.

I wasn't expecting this book to pack the emotional punch that it did, and was surprised when I found myself crying multiple times throughout this story. Something about the second chance romance and the story of how friendships stretch and change and grow in adulthood's life phases is resonant and the characters in this are absolutely endearing. I also loved Jessica Joyce's adult debut last year, and it's hard to say which one of these is better.

dude, miss jessica, how ?? i think this book altered my entire brain chemistry related to second chance romances. it’s one of my least favorite tropes, it’s almost always cliché, and i can’t relate because forgiveness is not something that comes easy

BUT THIS BOOK ?!?! i was blown away. not only is it based in northern california (bay area girlies unite), but damn was it completely relatable. the outside factors, work-life balance, the need for financial stability - and the stress it puts on relationships.. HELLO ?? it literally speaks to the quarter to mid-life generations. how many times have we had hard conversations with our so’s about work and money and mental health and all of these other things that were completely spread wide open in this book

i was in my feels is all i have to say. georgia and eli… ya’ll have my heart. i’m in absolute awe with how beautiful this story was

this was my first read by jessica and it was so good!!

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….)

I loved absolutely everything about this. The ending had me crying and I was swooning SO hard. It has been a LONG time since I have read a 5 star read. I am not surprised in the slightest that Joyce finally broke my slump. She was an automatic buy/go-to author with her debut but this just solidified that I will be a stan for all time.

Second chance. Forced proximity. They are bffs with the groom and they need help with the wedding bc it’s falling apart. The nostalgia. The flashbacks and silent pining. Georgia’s inner monologue. 😭 Eli’s looks!! Just so good.

I loved how Georgia grew as a character. How they needed these five years to grow up and be the best versions of themselves for each other. The paper rings really did it for me. They had me crying two whole tears by the end haha.

I loved this book. Made me laugh, cry, be mad and sad.
Georgia and Eli dated for a few years and broke up because he was a workaholic. It's been a few years and now their best friend is getting married and they are in the wedding. They have also had to take over a lot of the wedding planning. So for them to have to get a long was going to be a strain. They made it work and feelings came back or maybe they were already there just laying dormant.
Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley for the ARC to review.

this is my first jessica joyce novel & it certainly won’t be my last!!! contemporary romances (rather than romcoms) are my to-go, and like the works of ashley poston, emily henry, and abby jimenez, this book is the reason why!!!

I adore when I can relate to a character in a book, and even more so when I feel like my thoughts have been plucked out of my head and translated onto the page 🥹 georgia’s thoughts, fears, and tight hold onto everyone and everything she loves was like watching myself in a book, and I can’t believe jessica joyce knows me better than I know myself the audacity!

second chance romances aren’t always my thing, but the way that eli and georgia’s story unfolded was done so perfectly 🩷 the reasoning behind their original separation was so adult and civil compared to others that rely on the miscommunication trope! I loved seeing two adults talk about their feelings and acknowledge each other’s too 🥹🥹

georgia’s love for her friends and family was so beautiful - and as someone who lives far far away from most of my found family, I relate so hard on feeling lost or disconnected at times from those you love the most 🥲 but!!! the way her friends love her back!!! no notes I cried

the plot of the wedding itself was adorable, but I think the characterization would be a bit stronger in a different setting - but this is me nitpicking because wow!!! I loved this one!!!

thank you to berkley and berkley romance for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!

rating: 4.5 stars
wine pairing: napa valley merlot

Where do I even begin? Eli and Georgia will have my whole heart forever. The Ex Vows is an EASY 5 stars for me! I was hooked by this second chance love story from the very first chapter. Eli and Georgia navigate being childhood friends turned lovers... turned ex lovers... turned... something more again? They have a complex history with strong bonds and intense hurt and resentment. They find themselves in forced proximity and tasked with saving their mutual best friend's wedding. Georgia navigates the very real and valid hurt of wondering if Eli has really changed... he sure seems like it. I was deeply invested in the characters and their development in this book. Jessica Joyce did a fantastic job with pacing and keeping me hooked as the reader. Time to go get my physical copy and reread it!

Do you know nothing about rugby, except for the thick thighs and booty shorts?

Then may I introduce you to the thigh fetish queen, Jessica Joyce.

I was honestly nervous for this one, as second chance is one of my least favorite tropes. Normally, I don't feel there's enough growth to make it work.

However, I ended up loving this one. I find Jessica's writing style quickly sucks me in, and I end up devouring her books. She has a gift for hiding little Easter eggs for millennial nostalgia, and not to brag, but I bother her every time I find one.

I think what really sold this for me was that both characters admit they have faults, and while they've both grown, there is still a lot of room to grow together. Oh, and therapy. Lots of therapy for everyone.

I will soapbox a smidge and add Jessica handled the trauma of poverty really well. My grandma once told me, "Once got have to go without, you'll make sure it never happens again." It sounds like words of wisdom, but the root is trauma, and it's true you never forget it. I can say from experience, it does impact your relationships forever.

Read if you like:
🥺 Emotional Stories
🥈 Second Chance Romances
🏡 Forced Proximity
😬 Anxiety Rep
👧🏼 Childhood Trauma Rep

This book deserves all the stars and then some! The laughs, the tears, the anxiety, the heart pounding moments, the sweet and sexy moments… truly this book had it all for me and I just loved it more than I can even say.

The fact I was quite literally SOBBING while reading the book at different parts and how much I related to Georgia feeling like she can’t take space or else people won’t want her around because of her childhood traumas… girl, I felt that soooo deep in my soul!

I also love love loved the very subtle swiftie moments in the book and Omg the way paper rings was incorporated made me absolutely lose it especially as I quoted paper rings in my wedding vows…

The therapy rep, the slow burn, the tension and unrequited feelings that had been simmering since their break up 5 years prior that didn’t have the anger and fights they needed for closure but instead just ended without the fight, truly had my heart wrenching for them knowing how hard it is to express what you need in fear of being too much.

Ugh, i could truly go on and on about my love for this book but please know it was automatically my fave read of July and the month isn’t even over yet.

Thank you beyond words to Berkley for my ARC in exchange for my honest review!

Jessica Joyce’s You, With a View was one of my favorite reads last year. I fell in love with the way Joyce writes relationships, both romantic and platonic, and so couldn’t wait to get my hands on a copy of her new novel, The Ex Vows. I read it while I was on vacation and was just positively swooning over this gorgeous book!

The story follows Georgia and Eli, two exes who must put aside their differences and come together to save their mutual best friend Adam’s wedding, which appears to be cursed. Georgia still very much has feelings for Eli and has come up with a set of rules that she will abide by in order to keep her feelings in check. The last thing she wants to do is create more drama for Adam or possibly wreck their friendship just because she and Eli are sharing “Best Man” duties and will be in close quarters as they race to Napa Valley to try to salvage the wedding.

This road trip, while filled with hilarious mishaps as the curse continues, turns out to also be quite eye opening. There is definitely still plenty of love and chemistry between Georgia and Eli, and not only that, but Eli seems so different from the way he was when his and Georgia’s relationship ended. Is a second chance in the cards for them?

I really loved everything about this story! I was so invested in the possibility of a second chance for Georgia and Eli. Their relationship was so beautifully written and the issues they faced as a couple were just so relatable. I also adored Adam and was rooting for Georgia and Eli not only to save the day for him, but also for them not to wreck the wonderful friendship between the three of them.

If you enjoy road trips and second chance romances, you’ll want to check out The Ex Vows!