Rating: 4.5 Stars

Her best friend Adam's wedding was cursed, and Georgia heeded the call to get the wedding back on track. Little did she know the curse could be the blessing that reunites her and her Ex.

This book opened with a flashback to when Georgia first met her ex, Eli. It was beautiful and dreamy and my heart was pitter pattering. Right then and there, I was fully invested in Georgia and Eli reconciling. I just knew deep, deep in my soul that they belonged to one another.

I had so MANY feelings as I watched these two tip toe around their past and put on their game faces for the sake of their mutual best friend, but they were both still dealing with the fallout from their broken relationship. While they were spending time together, it reminded them of why they fell for each other in the first place though they weren't exactly who they were before. They both grew and changed over the years, partially as a result of their failed relationship and also with the passage of time.

I was especially impressed by the changes Eli made. The contrast between Eli then and now was incredible, and he really put himself out there for Georgia. Being with them during the wedding week was a roller coaster ride, but I could not argue with the results.

This was another one of those love stories where it was the right person but the wrong time. They were so young and needed to figure out who they were individually before they could really settle into who they were together. I love that they got their second change. It was lovely and emotional and satisfying. Joyce did an incredible job helping me understand who they were then and now and why they still belonged to each other.

I also adored the friendships that were highlighted in this story. The typical adult friendship struggles were highlighted, but the bigger focus was on how much they loved and cared for each other. How they all really stepped up when necessary and made time in their lives for one another because they valued their relationships so much.

I hope I am not making this sound all melodramatic because it wasn't. This book was packed with humor, and a majority of the humor came from all the wedding disasters. Poor Adam! His loss was our gain in terms of laughter, as well as a great way to push our exes together.

Overall, this was a touching second chance romance which had my emotions all over the place in the best way. My heart ached, warmed, and exploded, and I loved it all!

Georgia has one thing she's known for: making and sticking to each bullet point on her list. She's a stickler for following the rules, including being friends with her ex at their best friend's wedding. Yet, when Eli steps off the escalator at the airport something is different about him...something that Georgia isn't sure is on her list.

Their best friend, Adam, is convinced his wedding is cursed. The point is more proven when their wedding venue is no more, making Georgia and Eli band together to save their wedding at their childhood favorite winery hotspot. They're their to celebrate their friend...that's all. Yet why can Georgia not get rid of the butterflies and her heart skipping 10000000 beats at this new "Eli?"

Jessica Joyce, you QUEEN. This book!!!!! Written in single point of view, I immediately was able to immerse myself in Georgia's story and her emotions....along with Eli's. It was easy to feel the yearning, the heartache, the laughter lines that come from these two. I simply adored this book, maybe because Georgia is "me" and I'm a stickler for lists and trying not to ever be left out of friend groups. I laughed, I cried in the car and I screamed "FINALLY" at some scenes in this book... it's my new favorite of 2024. Jessica, I can't wait to see what's next for you and will now be blasting "paper rings" forever more.

This was the first book I've read by Jessica Joyce, and wow will I be coming back for more. This was the second chance romance of my dreams, and the writing was stellar. Our couple, Georgia and Eli, had romance and tension jumping off the page. I found their relationship both tender and beautiful, with hilarity strewn throughout. I adored this so, so much and will definitely be reading more of Jessica Joyce's works.

Two exes, a best friend's wedding to save, and a second chance at romance. Georgia and Eli were best friends, were (are) in love with each other, dated for years... but broke up.... and they just happen to share a mutual best friend, Adam. When Adam's wedding looming between them and both of them are best man/woman.... they'll have to find a way to spend a week together. Yet Adam's wedding is one disaster after another, from their DJ getting food poisoning, to the wedding venue catching on fire, its up to Eli and Georgia to now save Adam's wedding but in the process finally face their feelings and why their relationship went wrong.... and how their feelings for each other are still very much the same. Eli and Georgia have loved each other for so long, they are best friends, perfect... but when things went wrong Georgia promised herself that she won't break her rules again and that she'll guard her heart from Eli a second time yet this new Eli is back and he's determined to break all her rules and get her to see that he's never going to let her go if she gives him a second chance. Can they save Adam's wedding and repair their relationship by the time the wedding is over? This was such a beautiful and sweet second chance romance. I loved how real both Eli and Georgia felt, how their insecurities and their relationship falling apart is so understandable yet their love for one another and willingness to communicate and face their feelings was so well done. I truly had such a great time reading this and as a fan of Jessica Joyce's writing, this book absolutely hit it out of the park. I am not even the biggest fan of second chance romances but this one completely captured my heart. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who loves a good romance book!

Release Date: July 16, 2024

Publication/Blog: Ash and Books (ash-and-books.tumblr.com)

*Thanks Netgalley and Berkley Publishing Group | Berkley for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

5⭐️ this right here is why I LOVE second chance romances!!!! Jessica, my queen, you knew what you were doing when you wrote this one. Probably one of my favorite second chance romances I have ever read.

This one is so beautiful, raw, real and so true to what a second chance in real life could and should be! This is a true soulmate and right person, wrong time love story. Reading about the drifting apart of their relationship was gut wrenching. And reading about their journey back to each other was beautiful.

I couldn’t love the main characters in this book more. I really really resonated with Georgia. As a fellow people pleaser and conflict avoidant person, it was so honest and true some of my thought processes. And my angel, Eli!!!! That man was absolutely everything a man should be. The pinning and ownership of his mistakes as well as his dedication to becoming a better man for Georgia was perfection. Also, reading about his anxiety, panic attacks was heartbreaking.

This is an absolute must read if you love second chance, and even if you don’t! I know some people say they don’t love the second chance trope, but I really think this one might chance your mind.

I can pinpoint the exact moment I knew I was done for while reading this book.
“There you are.” A smile melts across his face, slow and sleepy. “Hey, Peach.”
As soon as I read that line I was a hot mess, and I was only 24% into this book.
I loved You, With a View but I LOVED The Ex Vows. I loved Georgia and Eli and Adam and Grace and every other single character that was in this book. I love when a character does the work to fix themselves (or begins to) so they can be what the person they love needs them to be. Whole and happy. Eli’s love for Georgia spans space and time and by the end I just had tears streaming down my face (and I do right now writing this). I LOVED THIS BOOK.
Thank you to Jessica Joyce, Netgalley and Berkley for an early copy.

4.5 stars

I loved “You, With a View” and had high hopes for this book, too. While it has a completely different tone than the first book, it did not disappoint. I enjoyed both Georgia and Eli and appreciated the emotions from both of them. Five years of unresolved feelings is a long time. The secondary characters in this are all wonderful, too—especially Adam and Cole.

“When I say I’m still in love with you, I mean the first time I saw you and right now. I mean every second in between.” Swoon. When I read this I immediately highlighted it and melted.

Eli and Georgia were friends and then a couple for a long time. It’s been five years since they were together, but now he is back in San Francisco for their mutual best friend’s wedding. Now the two of them must work together to fix the “cursed” wedding. Georgia’s not sure how she is going to get through the next week being so close to Eli.

This is such a wonderful romance. The ending was just beautiful, too.

The Ex Vows is a romance full of second chances, self-discovery, and unexpected wedding mishaps.

I was excited to read this after adoring Joyce’s previous novel, You with a View, and the same amount of charm, banter, and sweet romance carried over into this story.

I did find myself not connecting as instantly with this new story as I did with You with a View. I felt the relationships, conflicts, and dynamics in this book were difficult for me and didn’t sweep me away and into this story as seamlessly as her previous one.

The scenery and chemistry-filled romance (with a touch of Happy Place vibes) were some highlights, and I am looking forward to seeing what future stories Joyce will write!

*Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for sending me an eARC in exchange for an honest review.*

Head over heels for second chance romance. Give me more, Jessica Joyce writes amazing stories. I just eat it up. I loved the romance and the growth that happened. I saw myself in the main characters and books like that always stay with me. So so good.

The Ex Vows by Jessica Joyce 🍷

This is one of those reviews that I am kind of nervous to write because I know I won't do the book justice with what I say. As I was reading it there was never a doubt this would be anything but a 5 star read. The love between Georgia and Eli was so beautifully written and proved that a second chances deserve to be given. I no joke tabbed and underlined something every other page and actually ran out of tabs and had to get more. Love, love, love this book so much and it's one I'll be thinking of for awhile.

I loved that this was told in single POV. Georgia was incredibly relatable for me and I loved getting to be in her head. The loneliness she felt as all of her friends seemed to be moving on to new stages in her life hit so hard. How she was making sure to put on this brave front for her friends to prove she was okay even though she wasn't. Meanwhile while we don't ever get a look into Eli's thoughts as the reader, we get to see it through his actions and words to Georgia. He is also dealing with feeling lost from his friend group and being unsure about his next stage in life.

Georgia and Eli met in high school through a mutual best friend. Their romance starts when they're in college and then ends up not working out. It's something we get to figure out along the way and adds tension to the story. Especially as Georgia and Eli attempt to handle all the mishaps of their best friend's upcoming wedding together. Seeing them interact had me being like why aren't you two together, you're obviously perfect for each other. But along the way I realize that they needed that time apart from each other to grow in to themselves.

The grand gesture that Jessica includes in her books are next level. I will never look at a post it note or gum wrapper the same again. If you know, you know. I refuse to give you any more context or hints to it than that cause it had me tearing up with how sweet it was.

Please read this book!

❤️ second chance
🍑 nickname
👥 close proximity
🥹 best friends to lovers to near strangers to lovers
🫶🏻 found family
📝 grand gesture
💭 sprinkles of flashbacks

single POV
5/5 stars ⭐️
1.5/5 spice level 🌶️

Possible spoilers ahead.

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I’m a sucker for second chance romances and childhood friends to lovers, so I wasn’t surprised that, when I finished this beautiful romance, my first thought was “Such a beautiful love story!” Having said that, after finishing the book, I decided to read some reviews and was very surprised to see how polarized they were. The vast majority of readers loved it, but those that awarded it either 1* or DNFed it made some valid points. I just don’t agree with them. I do get the comparisons to Henry’s Happy Place and People We Meet on Vacation and Lauren’s Love and Other Words, but I don’t see that as a detriment.

Harriet and Eli met at age 15 and the attraction was instantaneous although they didn’t act on it until their junior year in college when Eli transferred to Cal Poly and they shared their first kiss on her 21st birthday. After graduation, Eli convinced her to join him in New York when, fast forwarding two years, they broke up because he was a workaholic and, in her loneliness, she felt her only option was to move back home to San Francisco where her friends lived, especially their mutual best friend Adam. The story opens five years later when Adam, a hyper Type A worrier, is freaking out, convinced that his and Grace’s wedding is cursed, with the DJ out of commission, the wedding venue burnt to the ground, and more. As his best man and best woman, Eli and Harriet, who have barely spoken since their breakup (by mutual agreement, they’ve hidden their emotional distance from Adam), are pressed into service to work miracles in just over a week by finding alternative arrangements. So, against their better judgment, they drive up to Napa to Adam’s family’s vineyard and use the time they’re forced together to finally talk about what went wrong, why they didn’t fight for each other, and perhaps find a way forward.

Let me tell you, this dispassionate summary doesn’t begin to do this amazing love story justice. Author Joyce’s storytelling is beautifully poetic, complete with necessary angst when needed and a depth of emotion that made me alternate between laughter and tears more than once. In my opinion, Eli and Harriet were just too young and emotionally vulnerable to navigate a relationship when they both had quite a bit of baggage and lacked the proper communication skills needed to express their feelings. Yes, five years is a lot of time to let pass without having had proper closure, but it doesn’t take too long for readers to realize that they never stopped loving each other, even if they couldn’t see or admit it. The question is, will the combination of much-needed and long overdue therapy for Eli and the willingness on Harriet’s part to let go of the lists she lives by and to finally communicate her needs be enough for them to risk another try?

I’m not a fan of a single POV from the female MC but, for some reason, it wasn’t as noticeable in this story, perhaps because Joyce allowed Eli to express himself in the dialogue. As the story nears its end, there’s also an unveiling of sorts that is one of the most romantic things I’ve ever read. Yes, I cried! So, if you’re a fan of second chances and soulmates, you won’t want to miss this one. Highly recommended.

💭 MY THOUGHTS: My favorite thing about this book was the characters. Georgia and Eli have the sweetest relationship even when they’re not sure what their status is anymore. Their inside jokes, shared childhood memories and complete understanding of one another had me rooting for them.

One of my least favorite tropes is slow burn and I will say this was quite slow. Georgia is in her head about their relationship and her feelings. But the fun antics leading up to the wedding kept the story pleasantly moving along.

I also totally wanted to be a part of Georgia and Eli’s friend group. They’re all ride or dies and have a blast when they get together.

Read for:
🎮 Childhood Friends
💫 Second Chance Romance
💍 Best Friend’s Wedding
🛏️ Forced Proximity
🔥 Slow Burn
🚻 Cast of Characters

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ / 5
Spice Level: 🌶️🌶️ / 5

“When I say I’m still in love with you, I mean the first time I saw you and right now. I mean every second in between.”

This book was SO good! I was feeling all the feels! I was laughing out loud and tearing up. It was the perfect second chance romance!

I have to admit that I'm not the biggest fan of second chance romances... they have to deliver on so many factors for me to consider them a win, and The Ex Vows did not do that for me. The single POV really put a damper on the whole story and emotional side, I love angst and pining but only being able to read about it from one side of a couple when there were two very emotional journeys in the story definitely impacted my reading. Regardless of the romance, I was also just bored, there's a lot of internal monologue and coming to grips with feelings, that were not balanced out well enough with the humor and banter that I needed to stay engaged in the book. By no means is this a bad story, I can absolutely see so many people liking this, it just wasn't for me.

“𝙒𝙝𝙚𝙣 𝙄 𝙨𝙖𝙮 𝙄’𝙢 𝙞𝙣 𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙮𝙤𝙪, 𝙄 𝙢𝙚𝙖𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙛𝙞𝙧𝙨𝙩 𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙚 𝙄 𝙨𝙖𝙬 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙧𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙣𝙤𝙬. 𝙄 𝙢𝙚𝙖𝙣 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮 𝙨𝙚𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙙 𝙞𝙣 𝙗𝙚𝙩𝙬𝙚𝙚𝙣.”

𝘞𝘖𝘖𝘞𝘞𝘞𝘞𝘞! This book is SO GOOD! 🥹 I am taking 𝙕𝙀𝙍𝙊 criticism towards this book! Everything was perfect! A second chance romance needs to be done right and @jessica definitely 𝘥𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘥!

If you love 𝖸𝗈𝗎, 𝗐𝗂𝗍𝗁 𝖺 𝖵𝗂𝖾𝗐 then you are going to fall even more in love with this book! It’s giving “𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘰𝘯, 𝘸𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦” vibes! I love the character development especially on Eli’s side! Their past was a big part of the story to see how they grew from it and how it came down to how they were in the present time. It’s a story of self-discovery and growth. I loved their friend group so much! It really shows you a realistic changes that happen in life between friends from college, marriage, etc.. I have to say that I can relate to Georgia so much! A people pleaser and someone that bottles up her feelings, it makes you go and say “just tell him how you f*cking feel!” And Eli, he is perfect in his own little way.. Handsome and the perfect lover! And his 𝙥𝙖𝙥𝙚𝙧 𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙨! Get ready for them! They had me swooning on chapter 34! 🥹🥰

The way I devoured this book. I haven't read much contemporary romance lately and this really made me question why the heck not. I stayed up too late to finish, I snuck reading a few pages on my phone when I had a quick moment, it consumed all of my thoughts until I was able to pick it back up (and finish it within 30 hours of starting it).

First of all, I am such a SUCKER for a second chance romance. But it needs to be done right - the characters need to have grown and have acknowledged/worked on the reason the first chance didn't work. Now, I will say that change was not immediately clear here. Georgia most definitely did not have that change when the book started and I thought it was glorious that we got to see it happen over the course of this book. It was like a slow burn emotional growth and I was cheering for her the entire way. Now, Eli - I wish we got his POV but that would have really changed the game from the beginning. As readers (and as Georgia) we got to slow peel back his character growth and LET ME TELL YOU - SWOON WORTHY. The author blurbed Eli as the embodiment of Hozier's Work Song and I AM HERE FOR IT. So down to the last few chapters, I was entirely loving this second chance and seeing them come into themselves as individuals and themselves as "us."

I also really connected with the awareness of their major relationship hurdles stemming from childhood trauma. There was never any real animosity but understanding even though it hurt. Although it did get a bit repetitive at time to be reminded of this. I think it really hammered home the right person, wrong time and the need to focus on yourself to give YOUR PERSON the best person you can be.

It also have some lovely areas on friendship, how life and friendships change over time, scary exciting changes, taking leaps of faith. Just concepts that will always resonate with readers (because who hasn't had a friend move to different life stage through marriage, career, and kids sending them into an emotional spiral).

This book is my new obsession. I preordered a copy for my favorites shelf before I even finished (and let me tell you that ending is AHHH SO GOOD).

The whiplash I had with this story.

Romance: 15/10 adorable, loved it, almost squeezed out a tear.

External plot: 2/10 hated everything about it and just heard Yakety Sax every time something went wrong AGAIN.

I went into this book with very high hopes because I loved Jessica Joyce's first book so much. This one started slow but grew on me towards the end. It was probably a 3-star book up until about halfway through, but the story started to pick up when the main characters finally started acknowledging they still had feelings for one another. I don't want to spoil anything, but the sneaky thing the MMC has been doing that is revealed near the end of the book deserved its own star; it was so cute. I think any issue I had with this book has to do with myself and my own tastes. I think that a lot of people who enjoyed <i>You, With a View</i> will enjoy this book. I have also seen this book compared to <i>Happy Place</i> by Emily Henry (admittedly, it's my least favorite of her books), and I think this book is better than that one, so if you like that, this book will be perfect for you.

This book was a sleeper, because while I read and enjoyed the first half of the book, I was surprised that I wasn’t feeling that emotional tug that I usually do in a romance. Cut to 60% and I’m crying on the couch. Jessica Joyce pulled the wool over my eyes and lured me into a fall sense of security and then had me feeling my own feelings in the blink of an eye.

Georgia and Eli were delightful, but they really shined in their present interactions. Seeing the past from Georgia’s perspective was important to understand the hurt and pain she experienced. I loved that the forced proximity helped them get back to their true selves though, and damn do I wish I was at that vineyard.

Are you ready for your heart to get ripped out by fictional characters? Do you want to feel the pain of not being with your soulmate? Are you prepared to be personally victimized by the next book you read? If you said yes to all of those, this book is for you! This is the second chance romance/best friends to lovers tropes at their absolute best!

Georgia is everything to me. She’s the best friend you could ever have, the girl with a thousand lists, and I completely understand why Eli could never get over her. I can so relate to her fear of being forgotten while everyone else around her seems to be moving forward with engagements, marriage, children, moving…It’s a terrifying feeling. Because of her childhood trauma, she wants nothing more than to hold onto the friends that she considers to be her real family. I have a feeling a lot of readers in their 20s will see a bit of themselves in our little Georgia peach.

And then there’s my sweet Eli. You could feel this boy’s pain from a mile away. Like Georgia, he had a rough childhood, which evolved into some unhealthy work habits in his adulthood. He lost the love of his life who also happened to be his best friend and now he has anxiety. He’s been through it, but he’s putting in the work to get healthy again. A man who goes to therapy will always be attractive to me! And the mouth on him? In Georgia’s words, “Eli is the living embodiment of it’s always the quiet ones.” And that goddamn gold chain? Too hot to handle, honestly.

I truly can’t speak enough about how much I loved this book. It was an incredibly vulnerable story that highlighted the complexities of love and the significance of found families. Jessica writes it, and I will surely read it!

Thank you to NetGalley for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review.