I'm never gonna not enjoy a Sophie Gonzales book! Never Ever Getting Back Together is a behind-the-scenes look at a second-chance dating show, on which Maya and Skye are contestants. All the contestants are former girlfriends of Jordy Miller, a guy who doesn't even deserve the time of day. But not all of the contestants know that...to them, he's a guy that knows just what to say to make them feel special. Except for Maya. Jordy cheated on Maya (with Skye) and she is coming on the show for revenge. But she didn't expect that Skye might have been an unwitting participant, and that Skye might actually be...great?

Anyway, it's a really fun, really dramatic story, and the way it played out was well-done. I got a kick out of Perrie, another contestant, the most, and loved her honest interactions with everybody. I also wished we had even more of Isaac, Maya's and Skye's handler on the show. Maya and Skye themselves were fine, I just wasn't as drawn to them as I was to some of the side characters. They did have character growth and an interesting story, but I still wanted more out of them. Hard to put a finger on how I felt about them! Loved their ending though!

Thanks to Netgalley and Wednesday Books for the e-ARC!

5 Stars!

The last thing Maya wants to do is be a contestant on Second Chance Romance, a reality TV show where a handsome bachelor dates all of his exes again to see if he should give someone a second chance. Maya’s ex, Jordy, cheated on her with the beautiful Skye and then twisted the story to make Maya out to be a crazy ex not willing to accept the end of their relationship. However, Maya realizes being on the show can be her chance to taste some sweet, sweet revenge. She comes onto the show confident, until she realizes she’s been forced to bunk with Skye. Maya finds it hard to control her feelings of anger, until she learns Skye was just as hurt from Jordy’s cheating as she was. The girls bond over their common enemy and team up, but as they grow closer together they have to ask themselves which is more important: love or hate?

This book was nothing but fun. From the moment I picked it up I did not want to set it down. I felt angry, I giggled, I gasped - I felt all the emotions! The characters feel so real and flawed and I was right there with the girls. I finished the book feeling like I watched this show and was friends with all the contestants. Was it a perfect book? No. But my experience reading it was amazing and it was exactly the kind of book I was wanting. I’m also a sucker for trash reality TV, so I already knew this was right up my alley. If you share in my guilty pleasure… PICK. THIS. UP.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this one! Such great humor, I loved Skye and Maya, and the cast of secondary characters (minus Jordy) were fantastic.

All the girls were distinct and played off each other so well. Isaac I enjoyed a lot too. The humor was on point - the kind that’s worked in to conversations and the internal monologue of characters, rather than feeling tacked on and try hard. I especially loved all of the Maya thoughts early on.

Honestly, even Jordy was a good character. He was balanced to being fun to hate, without dragging the story down with extreme toxicity. The conversations between him and the girls were hysterical, especially the hot tub one with Maya. Absolutely comical.

I liked the personal growth arc for the MCs a lot - both of them really grew as people, in a believable way for their age. A lot of focus on finding themselves, evaluating priorities, and deciding what really matters. They also had some lovely communication about feelings and what matters, which is so nice to see.

I also have to say I love that the girls all banded together in their anti-Jordyness by the end. So satisfying. A+ revenge times.

The one thing I struggled with, and decided to pretend not to see, is that the plot set up for a reality tv show about dating exes when everyone is like…18. A little young for that to have much impact. Oh well. The character arcs and their motivations and behavior did fit in with YA age group though, so I just rolled with it. I’ve pretended not to see much more ridiculous plot lines before, so this was barely a footnote.

Overall, this was downright adorable. A really fun set up with the reality tv show (and it used this premise so well!) plus revenge and a sweet romance.

I believe this was my first YA rom com and I really enjoyed this! Maya and Skye were fabulous MCs and the dual POVs worked well. I blew through this because I couldn’t put it down and wanted to see how Maya ended up doing. The behind the scenes of the show was to die for - any reality fan will love this one. The dynamic between the contestants was super catty and fun. This is my first Sophie Gonzales book but won’t be my last!

This one was a really fun premise, and as always with Sophie Gonzales's work, full of emotionally complex characters and thoughtful story arcs. I think a lot of readers will enjoy this one for sure, especially if you enjoy books that get into the behind-the-scenes part of reality tv shows, which I always find to be fun. Overall, it's a really solid story.
I will say, I did kind of wish this one wasn't a YA book. Since the characters were only 18/19 years old, most of their relationships with Jordy had literally been when they were 15/16/17 and it was hard to feel invested in the show's premise of a "second-chance romance" when it was all about rekindling really fleeting hs romances ??? The stakes were just not very high to begin with and I got why the characters were so emotionally invested but I just also didn't see any point to it. But maybe that's just me! Definitely had the energy of an early 2000s MTV kind of reality show.
Anyway, this is a cute one and if you're looking for a fun YA romance, this is a great one to check out.

*Many thanks to the publisher for an eARC in exchange for an honest review!!

A huge Thank You to The author, The publisher and NetGalley for providing the e-arc in exchange for an honest review.
I really loved it! It was so good.

Eighteen-year-old Maya goes on a reality show to get revenge on her ex-boyfriend Jordy. Little does she know she'll be sharing a room with Skye, the woman he cheated on her with. When Skye and Maya compare notes, they realize they've both been duped. In their quest to make Jordy pay, will they fall in love—with each other?

I don't remember the last time a book made me smile so much. It hits all the beats and has all the feels. Maya is pretty intense in the beginning, but Skye's natural sweetness helps Maya mature and learn what really matters.

I highly recommend this book—it's easily one of my top 5 favorites of the year.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.

Never Ever Getting Back Together is the fanfic we all want and need. I cannot even begin to count the number of times I’ve watched a reality dating show and thought, “these amazing women are all competing for that guy??? The most boring mediocre man around??”

Never Ever gives us what we want - two female contestants on a hetero dating show decide to forget about the mediocre man they’re supposed to be competing for and instead start pursuing each other. Honestly, we love to see it!

There are a bunch of twists and turns along the way and a behind-the-scenes look at how these shows are made. It took me a bit to get into it but I stuck with it because I loved the premise and I’m glad I did. If you’re a reality tv fan, this is a fun read for the off-season!

A revenge against shitty men book is something I will drop everything to pick up because men like Jordy can choke. I'm a little sad because I wanted to love this more than I did but this book was still a whole lot of fun. The characters, the humor, & the conversations between all the characters were what held this together for me - I could have read it allllll day long. But I couldn't help but wonder how in the hell did Jordy have enough women to have a whole ass Bachelor show at the ripe age of a YA book? I would have loved to see the characters aged up just a little more to make it more believable. I also felt like some parts of this were super rushed and others were very cut and dry and there was hardly any emotion behind the writing. And lets be real, if it's a teen version of the Bachelor the emotions and angst are going to be at an all time high.

This was adorable and very original. While the title suggests this is a second-chance romance with a woman going back to an awful boyfriend, that’s not at all what happens here!

What I loved…
- the scheming
- the love story
- the originality and creativity

What I struggled with: Ok, I know this is YA and I’m old, but the whole time I read this I just kept thinking ‘they’re too young for this!’ It’s centered around a reality show that features one person bringing back their exes. Fun on paper- but we are talking about someone barely into their 20’s bringing back recent high school graduates. Like, I can’t take these relationships seriously. 🤣 Not to mention, they’re in Europe so the producers are encouraging them to drink— it just felt icky to me. While those parts bothered me personally I did still
enjoy the ‘love story’ and the character growth here.

Read this if you especially like…
- young love
- love triangles
- queer love stories
- Reality TV

I absolutely adore this so much! The MC and the inevitable love interest were so cute and I was rooting for them from the start. I loved the hint of enemies to lovers, and also greatly enjoyed that it was LGBTQ+!! Highly recommended!

When Maya's now famous cheater ex-boyfriend invites her to participate in a teen reality dating show, she thinks it is the perfect opportunity to take her revenge and tell the world how awful the real Jordy is. But that means rooming with Skye, the girl he cheated on her with. Skye was always cautious with her heart, except with Jordy, who said all of the right things until he suddenly stopped answering her texts. Skye wants a second chance at the sparks she had with Jordy until she meets Maya and realizes they may have more chemistry than they ever had with Jordy. I love sapphic romances and reality tv shows (Bachelor in Paradise is my guilty pleasure show), so I was really looking forward to reading this book! And it was a fun read, but it wasn't what I was expecting and didn't quite live up to my expectations. The idea of two contestants on a reality dating show getting revenge and falling for each other made a fun plot! But the setting and the characters' attitudes seemed to clash because the setting seemed to be about adults on a reality tv set, but then the characters were very YA. I think this book would have made much more sense if the characters were aged up. But overall, the premise was great, and it was a fun read! If you love dating reality tv shows and read a lot of ya romances, then you will enjoy this book!

Never Ever Getting Back Together is the hilarious and unputdownable new book from Sophie Gonzales! Skye and Maya have never met, but have both been recruited to compete on a reality tv show where they will reconnect with Jordy, a mutual ex. However, Maya and Skye have different reasons for being there and a complicated past between them. As they uncover the truth about Jordy, their feelings for each other grow too. When the show ends, Skye and Maya must decide how far they want to take their revenge and if their romance can survive in the real world.

I loved this book! It was so much fun to read and I couldn’t put it down. Maya and Skye are great characters; I appreciated their different reasons for being on the show. The bisexual representation was fantastic and felt realistic. Sophie Gonzales is an extremely witty writer! Her sarcastic banter and dry dialogue is exactly my sense of humor. Maya and Skye have an excellent enemies-to-lovers arc and many adventures along the way! One of my favorite parts was seeing the girls unite vs. Jordy as his true nature is exposed. I can’t wait to read the rest of Sophie Gonzales’ backlist and whatever she writes next! I would highly recommend Never Ever Getting Back Together, especially for fans of Casey McQuiston and Emma Lord.

Thank you so much to Sophie Gonzales, Wednesday Books, and Netgalley for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

3⭐️

Never Ever Getting Back Together is a dual-pov novel following Maya and Skye, who agree to go on a teen reality show with their now famous ex-boyfriend. The show, called Second-Chance Romance, is a way for Jordy to explore his relationships with his ex-girlfriends (the ones who loved him before the fame) and to see if there could possibly be a second chance at love.

The synopsis for the book made me really excited for it! In reality, Jordy is a manipulative liar, and we are told that Maya and Skye end up falling for each other instead. To me, that's great revenge, and I was looking forward to a cute love story along with it. Unfortunately, while the idea was there, the book itself fell a bit flat.

While I love the concept for the book, I believe that this idea should have been for a NA novel and not a YA novel. The timelines are not the most sensical to me, and I know some of it is explainable through Jordy cheating, but the ages do not add up. I believe he is 20, and the six girls on the show are all about 18? While it isn't inconceivable for him to have dated that many girls, it is inconceivable that these relationships would have had the depth required for all the emotional displays on the show. It also seemed a bit off that in what is supposed to be a YA novel, the producers would intentionally get the girls drunk for more content.

The characters were also a sore spot with me. I barely know anything about Maya or Skye, and there didn't seem to be a connection between the two. At one point, one of them even mentions how "two girls can both like girls and not kiss", but... that sadly seemed to be the case for them. Also, Skye knew that all Maya wanted going into the show was to get her revenge, but when it comes time for Maya to finally get it, Skye gets upset with her. At the time this was so frustrating, but I did like how it ended and I think Maya chose well.

Pierre was cool! She was the most reasonable person there, although I do wonder what the legal implications would be after all was said and done. Throughout the entire novel, the girls are tip-toeing around what they can and can't do, and at the end, all of a sudden it's a free for all.

Overall this was a quick read, and I think it is honestly similar to reality tv. While you know it might be tacky, you're glued to it anyways! Guys like Jordy can go to hell; all of his comments were downright terrible, and the "MeToo" line made me physically recoil. I did want to find out how the story ended, and was pretty happy with the outcome!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the eARC!

What do you do when you are forced to come face to face with the other woman. Or in the case of Maya and Skye what if you had to come face to face with four of the other women. Maya swore she was done with Jordy. He had broken her heart and the worst part was no matter how much she spoke up about what he had done everyone always believes his side of the story. Skye never really got closure with Jordy. He moved away and they slowly lost touch. So, when Second-Chance Romance reaches out to both young ladies and asks them if they would like a second chance with Jordy to see if sparks could fly again. Will Maya be able to finally get revenge? Is Skye really the person that she thinks she is?
I enjoyed this story. I think it took an interesting turn, but I appreciated that the romance as it built allowed both Skye and Maya to come to terms with different things. From figuring out why they had acted how they did in past relationships, realizing that love is while scary can be a good thing, to coming to terms with Jordy and what he meant to them in the past and currently. I also apricated that both learned how to grow and support the other in the ways that they needed most, and they were able to overcome fears to give that support. The ending was perfect. It was a great way to show that sometimes a goal we think we have is not always the best route once the moment occurs. Overall, this is a lovely book and one I will recommend to patrons.
Thank you so much to St. Martin’s Press and Netgalley for allowing me to read an advance copy of this title.

Thank you to #NetGalley, Sophie Gonzales, and the publisher of the book for the eARC copy in exchange for an honest review.

Even though it has been two years since Maya's ex-boyfriend (Jordy) cheated on her, she still can't get over him. Not even when his sister marries a prince and everyone sees him as a good and charming guy. Little does Maya know that he hurt another girl, Skye, in the same way. Leaving her broken hearted.

Maya and Skye are soon invited to start on a dating reality show along with four more of Jordy's exes to compete for Jordy's heart again. Skye wants to win him back but Maya wants revenge. As the competition starts and gets competitive, Maya and Skye might just discover their happily ever after is not at all what they thought it was.

I love a story with a good dating reality show and this book didn't disappoint! I liked both Maya and Skye's personalities for different reasons. I will recommend this book to others.

This was my first book by sophie gonzalez however I have heard a lot of great things about her books so I was excited to read this. I really enjoyed it and read it quickly because I wanted to know what was gonna happen.

This was a cute concept - women compete for another chance at love with the boy who did them dirty - and I was very interested in reading this book. Unfortunately, this book didn't live up to what I was expecting. It had everything that should have made me love the book - cute concept, some interesting characters, jerk ex-boyfriend. I just felt this book moved slowly for me. Overall, the book was okay. Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for a digital arc of this title.

“Is that the worst thing you’ve ever heard, or what?”

It's getting increasingly harder for me to sit down and focus on reading traditionally. Especially, this time of year. Even a Sophie novel. And yall know I'll read anything Sophie writes. Fortunately, even though I was blessed enough to get an arc, I was also recently accepted into the MacMillan Audio Influencer Program. And they were kind of enough to send me an early copy of the audiobook. And let me tell you, Natalie Naudus is a Goddess tier narrator (and person). And I really enjoyed Barrie Kreinik as the second narrator.

“It’s a little like a fairy tale, isn’t it?”
“I’m sure Hans Christian Andersen was just about to start on the tale of the six princesses who battled to the death for the prince who’d already dumped their asses once,” Francesca says dryly. “That’s some real magical sh*t, there.”

Have you ever wondered what would happen if two girls started fighting over a guy but in the middle of the fight they decide to just kiss each other instead? Well now you don't have to because Sophie Gonzales did it for you! Never Ever Getting Back Together is, in my opinion, a bit lighter than what Sophie usually writes. Don't get me wrong, it's still got some heavy issues. Mainly, recognizing red flags and gaslighting in relationships. But it's also a lot of fun. Kind of like John Tucker Must Die meets The Bachelor meets Taylor Swift's entire discography.

My biggest critique is that the relationship between the main pairing doesn't feel as deep or emotional as I think we are supposed to feel by the conclusion. And I feel like Jordy doesn't end up dealing with all the repercussions I feel he deserved. But all in all, it's a fun and quick read. I can't recommend the audiobook enough.

Never Ever Getting Back Together is available now as are all of Sophie's other books. I will be your friend forever if you pick up her debut The Law of Inertia and then sob and scream about it with me. I'm not joking. 👀

I'm all for an enemies to lovers trope and this one did not disappoint!

Maya and Skye are enemies by circumstance. when the boy they were dating cheated on one with the other. When they're offered a chance to "date" him again two years later via a dating show similar to the bachelor, they both say yes for different motivations. It doesn't take more than the first week for the two women to decide that banding together to humiliate Jordy like he did to them is to play the game.

The more the two scheme together the more they fall for each other instead. I really enjoyed this one. I liked the plot, the characters, and all the scheming that goes on throughout the book. I enjoyed the audiobook and thought the narration was done well. I definitely recommend it!