It makes me sad to admit this but this one just didn't work for me. I had a hard time with Maya being so stuck on getting back at Jordy that I almost didn't root for her. I also felt like there weren't enough consequences for Jordy and I wanted more from the ending. Not my favorite Sophie Gonzales. Many thanks to NetGalley and Wednesday books for a gifted copy.

Sophie Gonzales’s Never Ever Getting Back Together features a fun premise: Maya and Skye are each vying—along with several other young women—to win back Jordy, their ex-boyfriend, on a reality show called Second-Chance Romance. It’s a Bachelor-type show that brings together a selection of Jordy’s exes with the supposition that the relationships that didn’t work before may work now. Because. Growth(?).

It seems a bit convoluted on the surface, and it’s even more complex deep down. Jordy is the brother of a newly crowned princess, which means he’s been in the public eye: a public eye that has also fallen on Maya. After their breakup, Jordy painted her as a dangerously clingy, at least partially unhinged person, bypassing the fact that he’d been cheating on her for months with his new girlfriend, Skye. Maya accepts the invitation to appear on the show with the hope that she can reveal the truth about their breakup to the world that has blamed her for years. Skye accepts because she believes Jordy that he misses her *and* appreciates his warning that Maya is ready to unleash her unjust rage on both of them.

So, when Maya and Skye arrive at the set of their show and realize that they’re rooming together . . . well, neither one is thrilled.

The story alternates between Maya and Skye’s points of view, and each has been given plenty of reasons by Jordy to dislike the other. Yet that dislike goes only so far.

I thoroughly enjoyed Never Ever Getting Back Together, which leans into the ridiculousness inherent in its reality show-foundation with its highly manufactured moments of drama (particularly since Jordy’s wealthy family made sure they had final editing rights). I didn’t completely buy the connection between Maya and Skye, and I thought that too many of these young women believed Jordy’s lies for just a bit too long. But overall, I liked the way Gonzales set up the evolution of each character’s arc and the way that the show, despite its artificiality, resulted in real self-reflection and growth.

Thank you NetGalley for an eARC in exchange of an honest review!
Never Ever Getting Back Together is a young adult romance that is set on a dating show. This dating show is different than most as the exes are rekindling their relationships with the main love interest of the show. In this dual point of view novel, however, one contestant, Maya, is seeking public revenge because she was cheated on with another contestant, Skye. Skye and Maya later team up in their efforts to get back at their ex and in doing so, Sky and Maya end up falling in love.

I really enjoyed reading this novel and there were many aspects of this book that I enjoyed! The first aspect that I really enjoyed was the writing as it was very easy to get into and follow. I was captivated by the ease at which the writing hooked and held my attention throughout the novel. However, after around the 75 percent mark, I found the book to be a little bit juvenile, I don't really know whether it was the writing style or the characters, but I think that it was a mix of both. The second aspect that I enjoyed was the concept of the book! I really liked the idea of a dating show where two of the contestants fall for each other instead of the guy. I additionally enjoyed seeing a dating show where the exes attempt to rekindle their romantic relationship with a guy. However, the execution of this in a young adult setting was not the best only because I couldn't really connect with the characters. Furthermore, I don't think that the characters had enough life experience for this concept to be done well so that really took away from my enjoyment of the book as well as my reading experience. A third aspect that I thought was pretty enjoyable was the romance of the book. I really like seeing the relationship between Maya and Skye change and morph into the romantic relationship that it ended up being. Sure, this is very much a young adult romance and there are some cheesy lines that will make you cringe but it is a sweet romance. There is a third act conflict, in my opinion, could have been avoided and was a little easy to pick up on early in the book. All in all, I really enjoyed this book and can't wait to see what this author publishes next!

This book was fun, sweet, and enjoyable. For anyone who is a fan of the Bachelor, this book is for you. There is something so satisfying about reading about revenge on a terrible ex boyfriend.

Maya dated a royal adjacent celebrity named Jordy. Jordy cheated on her and broke her heart when she was a teenager. Jordy calls Maya and asks her to come on a reality show where he will be redating all of his ex girlfriends to see which one he is meant to be with. Initially Maya does not want to go on the show, but decides to go just for the purpose of showing the world who Jordy really is.

This book has twists, turns, LGBTQ romance, and more. It was a pretty spice free romance novel. I enjoyed reading this book and recommend it to anyone who is looking for a light and fun read.

this was everything I wanted it to be. It somehow made the bachelor interesting. The characters were great, the romance was great, the rep was great. 10/10

History is written by the winners, it’s said. Just like there are two sides to every story - but let’s be honest, we almost always believe the first story we hear because whoever tells the story first sets the narrative. Maya dated Jordy before he was famous-adjacent. He cheated on her with Skye, then called Maya a manipulative liar who was warping reality when she tried to set the record straight. The problem is, everyone always believes Jordy, even Skye, the girl he cheated with.
When Maya gets the chance to go on international TV to “date” again Jordy, she realizes this is her chance to expose him for the *bleep*bleep” he really is. Along the way, she finds out Skye is just another girl lied to by Jordy. And now that Skye knows, she wants in on the plan to bring Jordy down. But the more time that Skye and Maya spend together, the more they realize Jordy didn’t just lie to them - he lied about them. Because Skye is all the good things Jordy said, but she’s also more. She may just be everything.

This was another fun one by Sophie Gonzales! I have never watched an episode of the bachelor or the bachelorette, and the setup of this book was similar to them both. But despite not being a fan of reality tv, I really liked this, perhaps because I just like SG's books in general. The premise is that Maya and Skye are both exes of Jordy, and Jordy cheated on Maya with Skye but managed to make a lot of people think she was a jealous ex who basically lost her mind and was now lying about everything that happened--in short, he was manipulative and twisting things (okay, outright lying) to excuse his behavior and make her out to be an evil witch. Unfortunately for Maya, after he cheated on and dumped her, he went on to become a celebrity and semi-royalty when his sister married into royalty. He ends up begging them both to come onto a bachelor-style show where he invites all of his exes for a "second chance" at love.

The story is told from alternating points of view as Maya and Skye each narrate their parts. I both listened to the audio and read along, and I was glad to have the book to read along because while Skye has a slight Canadian accent, their voices aren't THAT different on the audiobook so if you're only half paying attention to who's talking, you can sometimes mix them up. Other than that, the narration was well done.

I liked that even though much of the book was lighthearted and fun, they still tackled some serious issues like manipulation and gaslighting and choosing not to let the abuser continue to control your life as you plot revenge or remain in a permanent state of isolation/unhappiness, etc., while the ex gets to do whatever they want. I also loved the way she poked fun at reality tv and the desire for producers to focus only on the ratings and not on who gets hurt, etc. Maya and Skye were well-developed, fully-formed characters who seemed like real people that I would like to meet. A couple of the other characters were fun as well, and I liked the camaraderie that ended up developing between the women in the house.

This is the type of story where the reader understands a lot more of what's going on than the POV characters, but that's okay. Despite the fact that you knew that Maya and Skye were falling for each other, it was still a lot of fun. If you like Rom Coms, this is one of the good ones.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing this eARC.

Never Ever Getting Back Together follows two of now-famous Jordy’s ex girlfriends, as they are invited onto a Bachelor-esque dating show called Second Chance Romance. Maya agreed to go on the show to get revenge on Jordy for the way their relationship ended, while Skye agrees because she really is hopeful she will rekindle what she and Jordy once had. But when Maya and Skye are designated roommates, the two slowly start to fall for each other.

This was overall a cute read. If you’re a fan of reality TV dating competitions, you’ll probably click with it right away. It was humorous, it had its share of shallow characters, it dug into the ways narratives are often twisted in the editing room, and it was chock full of delicious drama. My one qualm is that these characters are incredibly young. I’m not sure if any of them are older than 20, but they’re all living it up in this mansion in a fictional country doing Jell-O shots and drinking champagne and all other manner of shenanigans. While the drinking age in this fictional country is 18, it just overall felt like the kind of narrative which would have benefitted from characters strictly in the New Adult age group, grappling with their early twenties. It was hard to believe an 18 year old girl, on the summer before college, would go overseas to see a boy she’d dated when she was 16 and might now have a chance to get back with.

I did have a good time though, and I loved the way things worked out in the end. Definitely a solid, adorable romance!

What a perfect comfort read - managing to be sweet, juicy, dramatic, romantic, and funny all at once. I loved Skye and Maya and loved getting to be a part of their world! I am an absolute SUCKER for reality shows, so this was right up my alley. Enemies to friends to lovers… we LOVE to see it. Jordy is a slimeball, grl pwr forever.

Never Ever Getting Back Together is a fun YA book that takes place on the set of a dating reality tv show. This book is the cross between John Tucker Must Die and The Bachelor. I really enjoyed reading this book especially because I felt the behind the scenes producer manipulation and involvement seemed very realistic. I like Maya, Skye, and the rest of the girls on the show. I think this would be great to adapt into a limited series. I definitely would recommend reading!

*I received the ARC for free from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.*

SOPHIE REALLY DID THAT.

The premise of this instantly intrigued me, and I’m so happy to announce it absolutely loved up to the standards I set for it.

Two girls who go on a dating show to get revenge on their ex but end up falling for each other?! SAY LESS. I loved the bi MCs, the gay side character, the jokes, the drama, the cattiness and how Sophie really leaned into those pop culture references.

HIGHLY recommend.

Never Ever Getting Back Together is a perfect pick-me-up. It’s a rom com that’s genuinely hilarious–nicely melding both situational humour and amusing dialogue.

While I’ve only ever seen one season of the Bachelor (and I low key hated it), I’m obsessed with book adaptations of this reality TV show. While this is a spin on the “Bachelor” idea, I loved the references to behind the scenes production, including the way that people are edited to look a certain way (villain, anyone?) and all those fun mechanics of creating a reality TV show.

The book is told from two points of view – that of Maya and Skye. Jordy, the TV show’s bachelor, cheated on Maya with Skye, but the latter had no idea of what he’d done. Maya thinks that Skye did know (because Jordy told her as much), so she hates her on sight. They have quite a few hilarious interactions, especially once production starts treating them with jello shots…

As a reader, I just loved to hate Jordy, the ex. This cheater thinks that he can manipulate all his exes into falling for him again? Is he ever in for a rude awakening! I loved the concept of the book and the way that the revenge is planned is just so comical and perfect.

This is a slow burn romance. Skye and Maya despise each other in the beginning. It was a little bit too much of a slow burn, however. I think the author needed to insert a few more tension-filled moments earlier on. Once they stopped hating each other, they were platonic. Then, they went from platonic friends to kissing friends in the blink of an eye. I needed a bit more build up than that!

Despite being a little annoyed by the abruptness of the romance, I absolutely loved this book. The side characters, like Perrie and Isaac, were perfection. I can’t wait to check out more books by this author!

3.5/5 stars

This is a YA LBGT book that takes place during a reality dating competition.

There are two female narrators (Maya and Skye). They both dated Jordy. And are now on a Bachelor type reality show to see which of his exes he wants to end up with now.

Both girls are around 18 years old. So while it's listed as YA it is a more mature YA. Although the romance aspect is fairly tame.

I thought that the reality dating part was such a fun concept. There is also a revenge aspect which was interesting. The romance is pretty non-existent in the first half. I liked the setting. I really disliked Jordy. But thought that Maya and Skye's handler was hilarious. Overall it was a cute read.

This book was everything I hoped it would be!! The drama, the friendships, the personal growth, and of course, the slow burn romance. If you've seen "Do Revenge," it's got very similar vibes with a way better (gayer) ending. I loved the bisexual rep and the unpeeling of the charming gaslighting wannabe-prince. I could feel the anger that Maya felt towards Jordy, and I would love to see this as a movie; it would be a truly great addition to the genre.

⭐️Rating: 5/5
⚠️TW: Cheating (mentioned), Misogynist Character
❣️Tropes: Love Triangle (but the best kind), Reality TV
Would I recommend this book?: 100% yes! Anyone who loves reality TV shows like the Bachelor/Bachelorette or any of the MTV finding love shows will love this book! I devoured it in a single day


Disclaimer: I received this book from Netgalley im exchange for an honest opinion. Thank you Netgalley for the ARC!


Review:

I loved this book, one of my few five out of five stars! It ticked all my boxes. It was a great spin on a classic trope to begin with, altering the much loved and used love triangle. The pacing was absolutely wonderful with tension and suspense throughout. Each character, not just Maya and Skye, were distinct in characterization. Our two protagonists had well defined voices which I find to be essential for first person POV, especially because I’m not usually a fan. The antagonist (Jordy) was realistic and easy to hate. The character arcs we got from both ladies were satisfying and kept me engaged until the very end. I can’t really find too much to complain about in this book, it really suited my personal tastes.

In the spirit of full disclosure, I'm no reality TV fan. However, the description of this book caught my eye, and I was intrigued. For the most part, I enjoyed this book. The story line is cute, fun and it has a very modern, up-to-date feel. I thought the heart of this story was very genuine and I felt there was a nice level of relatability. I liked Maya & Skye and thought they had pretty good chemistry. Even with all that though, sadly this book just lacked that certain spark for me. Maybe it was the reality TV angle or maybe it was simply the age range of these characters. I can't say for certain. What I will say is that I thought it was good read.

I wanted to love this so much because Perfect on Paper was one of my favorite books of 2021. The premise was excellent but this felt almost too fast paced. I feel like we skipped from enemies to lovers way too quickly without any of the build up or angst that makes it my favorite trope. I never felt like I got to know Skye or Maya particularly well, with their own struggles randomly sprinkled throughout as opposed to feeling like actual characteristics. But it was still entertaining and fun to get through.

Thank you so much for letting me read this book ahead of time. I'm always one for a juicy reality tv read, (and also a solid Taylor Swift reference in the title), so of course I was excited to get to read this book! I love the similarities to the bachelor, and the inclusion of LGBTQ+ characters I know I at least could relate to! I've already purchased a physical copy so I can reread this book (definitely going on the guilty pleasures list)

"𝘈𝘭𝘭 𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘱𝘴 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘣𝘢𝘨𝘨𝘢𝘨𝘦. 𝘐𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘣𝘢𝘨𝘨𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘮, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘵𝘰 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘣𝘦𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘯𝘰𝘸, 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘮𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧 𝘧𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘯 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯."

𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑩𝒂𝒄𝒉𝒆𝒍𝒐𝒓 𝒎𝒆𝒆𝒕𝒔 𝑻𝒂𝒚𝒍𝒐𝒓 𝑺𝒘𝒊𝒇𝒕 𝒎𝒆𝒆𝒕𝒔 𝑪𝒂𝒏𝒂𝒅𝒊𝒂𝒏 𝒓𝒐𝒚𝒂𝒍𝒕𝒚!

This book really has everything! I got into it and then I couldn't stop! Every time I thought I knew how the book was going to end, there was another turn in the road!

There were definitely a couple times when I had to remind myself that these were like 18-19 year old girls, but other than that, this book totally fed into the trashy reality TV love that I let NO ONE see normally 😅

And the author writes the characters so well, that there were times when I was PHYSICALLY cringing with things the Male MC was doing and saying! She knows how to make me truly hate a fictional character LOL

Thank you Sophie, @stmartinspress and @netgalley for the ARC in exchange for this review!
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We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together by Sophie Gonzalez is a fun dating show YA romance with a twist of revenge.

Maya is still smarting from her now ex-boyfriend cheating on her and publicly making her seem crazy. When she met him, he was just Jordy, but now that his sister has married a prince of a small country, the world is fascinated with him and his lies. When she gets a call to be on the dating show Second-Chance Romance and vie for Jordy’s heart again along with his other exes, she turns them down, but reconsiders when she realizes this might be very public way to set the record straight. Of course when she gets to mansion, she’s told she’ll be rooming with Skye, the girl he cheated on her with. And Skye has been told a very different story of what happened between Jordy and Maya. Soon the wrong kind of sparks are flying between the two who hate each other at first sight. Spoiler alert. That might change.

We get both Maya and Skye’s POVs, and I definitely related more to one. Maya was funny and obsessive and a little bit of a mess and I loved her. Skye was a great character too, but she was a little too perfect for me to relate to. Ultimately this was a fun skewering of this type of show. I have no idea how accurate it was—if I were to guess I’d say the producers in the book were probably a little less manipulative than I think they are on shows like The Bachelor—but there were tons of fun details like how they oiled Jordy up to make his abs pop on camera and how he would completely drop the good guy act the second the cameras turned off.

The relationship between Maya and Skye is lovely and builds nicely, and I think readers looking for an LGBTQ+ romance will definitely root for them. My biggest problem with the story was just how awful Jordy was. It was hard for me to understand how two smart, thoughtful girls—not to mention the rest of the contestants—had fallen under his spell not just for a few weeks, but for long-term relationships.