Although I read mostly literary and historical fiction mixed in with thrillers, there are times when I ache for something frivolous and fun. And this latest novel from Nick Spalding was just the ticket. You Again? has everything you need for a quick, light read: a gorgeous location, a compelling will-they-won’t-they storyline, and a good dose of the marvelously unsubtle humor that this author does so well.

The blurb is impossible to resist. Amy and Joel are back in the Maldives, eight years after their dream honeymoon. The problem is, they are now divorced and embittered, and this holiday is not with each other but with their new partners, Ray and Cara. Cue a hideous — and hilarious— week of rivalry, one-upmanship and score settling.

Spalding is on top form with this book. His humor, which can sometimes descend into slapstick, here stays on the right side of farce and had me repeatedly chuckling aloud — once or twice on public transport to the bemusement of fellow travelers.

I loved the alternating voices of Amy and Joel, and how cleverly Spalding manipulates your feelings towards them, as they engage in increasingly outlandish pranks in a bid to exact revenge for perceived past hurts.

Throughout, there was a part of me that wanted this to be a lovers to enemies to lovers trope. That their behavior was a front to disguise the fact that they still cared for each other. What I didn’t expect was the brilliant twist that came out of nowhere and showed me that I’m not as good a judge of character as I thought. Spalding sure pulled the wool over my eyes!

All in all, a thoroughly enjoyable and satisfying read. Perfect for this time of year.

Not only does You Again? hold a lot of surprises, the setting is spectacular. The reader joins the characters on a trip to an island of warm sun and sugary sand. Thank you to NetGalley.

Joel and his girlfriend go to the Maldives for what they had hoped to be an enjoyable, relaxing holiday, but it was not to be. Unbeknown to them his ex. wife and her fiancé had decided to holiday there at the same time. Oh what joy!? It turned out to be a first class, delightful read with a twist at the end. It had me laughing out loud in places- so brilliant.

In 'You Again?' an unfortunate co-incidence places Joel and Amy - a bitter divorced couple, each blaming the other for their marital and work problems - end up vacationing in the same place, with their new partners. Cue a series of pranks and attempts to one up each other and get petty, spiteful revenge for the past... as well as some introspection, and ultimately a surprising resolution.

Unfortunately, although I liked the premise and was surprised by the ending, I didn't really find the book that funny, and it really missed the mark in a few places (explained below). The main characters are just childish and petty, neither of them particularly likeable, and neither of them show any character growth in the book. I usually love Nick Spalding and find him hilarious, but this one just didn't hit the mark because I couldn't connect with either of the main characters. They both needed to just grow up and act like adults instead of children.

The pranks they committed were a particular miss for me. Example - SPOILERS NOW - Amy changes Joel's massage to something painful, that could have caused him actual tissue damage and caused him pain. As revenge, Joel then changes Amy's food order to something he knew would cause her serious digestive problems, resulting in her having public diarrhea as she couldn't get to the toilet in time. This isn't funny. Intolerances and digestive issues are not something to be mocked. Pranks that cause people medical distress or trauma shouldn't be used for comedic effect in my opinion, and there are no consequences for either pranker for their poor actions. If someone actually does this in real life, it's a crime, not a prank, and I just didn't find it funny.

It's a 2 stars from me.

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I can't believe I am just discovering Nick Spaulding. This was a fun read and many, many times, I found myself laughing out loud and seriously annoying my dog.

Joel and Amy were once married and kicked off their marriage at a resort in the Maldives. But their marriage ended and the divorce was messy. The two have moved on and have found their perfect person. Unbeknownst to each of them, they plan a much-needed vacation with their partners to their little paradise, and soon discover each is on the same trip. The author really punctuates their disdain for one another which morphs into opportunities to give each other a bollocking. It is hilarious, and your respect for the author is escalated because his imagination to one-up the other is so creative and sometimes cringy.

The story evolves and eventually gets to the reason for the breakdown of the relationship. While the comedy is entertaining, the emotions of the characters are spot on and you find yourself liking them and wanting a good ending which in this case was perfect.

I love Nick Spalding books, this is my fourth and all of them were at least a four star read for me. I really love the covers for his books as well, they always convey exactly what's on the inside. This particular story started off a bit slow and at first I thought Joel and Amy were just whiners but by the time the flight landed I was sucked in and smiling....this book was so funny.

The characters in this story seemed so real to life and the dialogue, internal and otherwise, was spot on. I loved The Maldives setting as well, in this time of COVID it is nice to travel and have adventures through the books I read.

If you enjoy romantic comedy I recommend you pick this one up, you won't be disappointed. I really look forward to what Mr. Spalding comes up with next.

DNF @ 25 %.
Listen, I tried.
I feel like getting to the quarter of the book is enough to get a feel of the story.
We have two people, ex-es, who find themselves on the same island, on the same week, same plane, same row, same boat, same resort and in the next door bungalows. At this point, there are just so many coincidences I find the story hard to believe.
Then there's the characters. I did not feel connected to them in any way. I do not feel any chemistry so far between them except hate or a really strong disliking. I do not see them together and I think that the author actually doesn't put them together at the end and that's just sucks. Because if I read about two MCs I at least expect them to be together at the end.
But like I said that's just my guessed based on some reviews I read here.

I am on the 25 % of the book and honestly, we still aren't to the good stuff. They just arrived at their bungalows with their new partners. I really don't know what happened until that moment other than they were at the airport. I guess the first quarter of the book basically just says and describe what they are doing on the airport.
But what also bothered me beside the story that just wasn't really moving is the writing style.
I didn't like it.
First, there are some weirdly phrased sentences such as
<i>"I’m pretty sure I don’t need a poo..."
"I am going to have a pee – and possibly a small, time-wasting poo..."</i>
Honestly, who says they need to have a pee? Just say you need to pee! Either way, I would prefer sentencing this differently because I really do not care if the heroine shits or not. Just say she's going to the bathroom!

Second is the judgement/prejudices. I cannot stand them.
(Examples are in my GR review)

Anyway, I can't read this book anymore. It's not working for me.

2 stars.

This book really made me laugh so many times. It is a crazy story of two people who get a good deal on a luxury vacation to the Maldives which happens to be where they honeymooned when they were happily married. The subsequent breakup was epicly bad and now, they are on this small vacation island each with a new partner. As the story unfolds, there is plenty of animosity between these two people and of course their new partners are brought into the drama as well. A light, fun read and it was so easy to escape into this book. Thank you NetGalley for the advance copy of this book to review.

Amy and Joel’s marriage felt apart two years ago. And they hurt each other very badly. How is it possible that the two of them, with their new partners, end in a remote island in the Maldives for seven days? How are they going to endure seeing each other while trying to enjoy themselves? A funny story about friendship, love and everything in between.

I confess to being disappointed in this book as I felt it didn't do Nick Spalding justice and is not of the standard of his previous novels. I am probably older than the target audience so I think it would be a fun read for twentysomethings!

Not the book for me. Understood the motivation of the characters but they annoyed me. Only read to half way through. Well written but i wanted to tell the characters to grow up and move on.

Okay this is a really fun book! The whole story is hilarious and I actually enjoy the banter between the protagonist. However, around the second part of the story I found it a little tedious and also I discover that it wasn't the second chance romance I hoped to find but that's most from my expectation so nothing wrong with the book.
Overall we get a good ending and also a closure for the exes hehe but it wasn't what I expected.

Joel and his girlfriend Cara are setting off on a brilliant holiday to the Maldives. He’s been once before, on his honeymoon with his ex wife, (not that Cara knows this) and has been desperate to revisit the beautiful island of Wimbufushi ever since. It is their time to relax and get their heads away from the stress of work.

Amy and her fiancé Ray are at the airport ready for their holiday to the Maldives. They cannot wait to spend time together in the luxury and beauty of the fantastic island. When Amy spots her ex husband at the airport she feels it must be a coincidence that he’s at the airport the same time as they are. What are the chances that they’d both be going to the same place?

This book is full of laughs as it follows Joel, Cara, Amy and Ray on their holidays. There is always something going on in the book and never al dull moment. It explores relationships with ex partners as well as subsequent relationships and how they’re effected after the breakdown of a marriage with plenty of hilarity to boot.
I quite enjoyed the book and after reading all about the Maldives it makes me desperately want to visit a place I know is very beautiful. If you love a laugh then this is the book for you.

Absolutely love Nick Spalding and this book did not disappoint. Right from the very first chapter I could see where it was going and I couldn’t stop laughing. Nick’s writing is just brilliant and the story flows really well through each chapter, which alternates between the main characters.

Amy and Ray go on a last minute holiday to the Maldives. Joel and Cara also go on the same holiday. Amy and Joel were previously married and went through an awful break up, followed by divorce two years ago. They spot each other at the airport, end up on the same flight, then the same holiday resort! What are the chances? Some really funny laugh out loud moments as the couples try to avoid each other on a small island. You just know it’s not going to happen!

I read this in one sitting as I couldn’t put it down. I’m sure my neighbours were wondering what I was laughing at, sat in the garden alone!

Many thanks to netgalley, the publishers and the author for an arc. Really enjoyed this.

Amy & Joel's honeymoon in the Maldives was close to perfect, and they both remember parts of it fondly....their marriage, not so much. It imploded into a fiery crash which then turned into a very bitter divorce. They have both harbored a lot of resentment ever since. Now, thanks to a great deal on Expedia, Joel and his much younger girlfriend are going back to Maldives to try to re-create that magic he felt before. The only problem.... Amy and her fiance' are on the same trip.
I love this author's books and this is my new favorite. Told in alternating chapters between Amy and Joel's views, it is a constant battle of one-upmanship, pranking each other to make the other person's trip miserable, and constantly running into each other at every aspect of their vacations. On such a small island, there is literally no getting away from each other. There were so many hilarious & crazy situations that kept me laughing out loud. If you are in the need of a good laugh, then this is your book!

YEEESS. I havent met a Nick Spalding book that I dont like and this again was a smash hit for me. The characters are always so loveable, but idiots, and the situations they get themselves into are so human that I can just picture it happening to any of my friends, which makes me laugh even more.

I love how the story moves between perspectives of the two exes and the story moves at a decent pace throughout. A very easy read suitable for just about anyone, although there is some swearing so maybe not your kids.

Thank you to Net Galley and Lake Union Publishing for the opportunity to read this book in pre-publication in exchange for an honest review.

The story opens up with Joel, one of the main characters, musing about a drink called a “Sin City” that is best served at the Reef Bar on the Maldivian island of Wimbufushi. Joel and his now ex-wife went to the resort there on their honeymoon. Unfortunately Joel and his wife, Amy, had a hellacious divorce compounded by the fact that they worked together and, along with the divorce, Amy was let go from her job at the company where they worked.

Now, Joel and his new girlfriend, Cara, are headed to Wimbufushi for a relaxing holiday. Amy and her new boyfriend Ray are also headed to Wimbufushi – for the same week at the same resort. The novel tells what happened and how they interacted during their stay.

The story is told with alternating chapters narrated by the either Joel or Amy. Cara and Ray did not have a narrative voice.

On a positive note, there were lots of musings by the various characters on moving on, getting along, and forgiveness that I found very positive and uplifting. Ray turned out to be a particularly “deep” character whose kindness, understanding and openness was refreshing and endearing.

That said, I wasn’t fond of the book. The author tried very hard to make the book funny. With the antics and commentary by and about the various characters. For me, it felt like he was trying too hard to be funny and to create “I love Lucy” like scenarios where things go inevitably wrong for someone. I didn’t find the book funny – but that could just be my sense of humor.

I did like the ending and how things came together.

Quick, fun read with a great ending. I found myself laughing out loud a couple times! Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

I read this on an otherwise awful night after watching a scary show on the climate crisis, and wow, it was just the ticket.

The narrative voice, giving us Joel and Amy by turns, evokes the Punch-and-Judy roots of the battle of the sexes. Joel is more nuanced than Amy--one could say the weight of the story really is his--which was fine with me. I loved Joel's voice. An emotional basket case (among other things, still not even remotely over a fiery divorce after a total betrayal) and workaholic, he's departing London for a vacation in the Maldives with his much younger girlfriend. He keeps catching sight of his ex, and going to great lengths to hide from her, because they couldn't possibly be going to the same place . . . and of course you know they are. And Amy has managed to hook up with the perfect guy, because of course she has.

If you like caricature-type comedy, then hold onto your hat. I ended up laughing myself into hiccoughs. Spalding is terrific with cinematic description. I'm always a visual reader, but this one played out so clearly in my head I could almost hear the soundtrack.

Just at the right moments we check in with Amy to get her side of things (she also feels very much betrayed), especially when the two of them start their war. And the war escalates because of course it does, becoming a totally zany crazy-fest in which emotions change and discoveries are made.

I did not see the twist at the end, and really liked it. I like where they end up.

Amy and Joel now divorced both end up on bargain holidays to the Maldives ( the place where they spent their honeymoon). Awkward- or is it? Not your usual rom-com as they mostly have a hate relationship and they can't get away from each other here. An entertaining and funny read with an unexpected ending.