In a reality TV dating show scenario that seems tailor-made for second chance romance, Sophie Gonzales pivots and pairs up two reluctant, enemies-to-lovers opposites who are both exes—just not each other’s.

Before he became royalty-adjacent, Jordy dated Maya. And Skye. In fact, Jordy chose to overlap those relationships. And two years later, Maya is still working to overcome the damage left by her relationship with Jordy. And Skye, who is hesitant to open up her heart to anyone but chose to let him in, believes that her relationship with Jordy ended due to physical distance. Through a twist of realty television fate, the two girls end up on a show about second chance love with Jordy—Maya in hopes of exacting revenge on him and Skye wondering “What if”.

This one is a laugh-out-loud, snarky delight with an undercurrent of sweetness, and I didn’t want to put it down.

Any fan of the Bachelor will recognize the absurdity of random challenges to win time with the suitor; the way the contestants dating the same man gush to each other but don’t want to hear the musings from the others; how producers manipulate things on the show; and the distrust that can grow in the mansion.

And Jordy is just so ridiculously narcissistic with a morally grey compass—but not in an enticing way—that even with those scarce moments where you start to wonder whether he has invested feelings in the relationships after all, you still are cheering for him to get his comeuppance.

The moments of selflessness between Maya and Skye bring a warm glow to the story as do the bonds that form between the contestants over time.

And both Maya and Skye experience emotional growth because of their interactions with each other. I love when characters have growth arcs in addition to the love story.

It is a snarky, heartwarming, forced proximity, plotter-meets-pantser pleasure.

I received an advance copy of the ebook from St. Martin’s Press and Wednesday Books via NetGalley. All review opinions are my own.

Note: This is a YA book, and the characters are on the younger end of college-aged. Maya has just completed her senior year of high school. I have seen comments that the age of the contestants in this scenario is a problem for some readers. I understand and would not support a show like this in the real world—or want my children to be on such a show—but in the context of the book, it didn’t bother me.

If you can make it all the way through, this story is good. But honestly, I felt zero connection to these characters.

The whole premise is pretty cliche because who really wants to compete to date their ex, but I thought it could at least be funny. And I really loved the idea of the twist with two of the girls catching feelings. But it just never clicked for me.

I think this might have worked better as an adult novel rather than with kids that had just graduated high school. They were juggling a lot of adult emotions and it just didn’t gel.

But it also might be that I’m just not the right audience for this book.

Loved this novel! Felt like a unique take on well-known tropes, specifcally enemies to lovers, The romance felt a bit forced in the novel, but, overall, the romance moved the story forward. The fake prince was such a hateable character and I absolutely loved this element of the narrative; he was so terrible and fake and ugly and I love that we learned this through the main character's perspective. Will be recommending to friends!

As always I am obsessed with Sophie and her writing, I loved the dynamic between all the characters and the way everything came together.

Maya was a lot of fun and I loved her chemistry with Skye. I do wish they acted a little more mature for their ages but I do also feel like for them being on a competing romance Show everything kinda checked out as well.

People tend to act jealous, immature and manipulative in those kind of situations. I do feel like Jordy was your basic ex boyfriend trying to find his own fame, but I did have some laugh out loud moments.

Overall I did adore the book and I always love Sophie’s LGBTQ representation in her books, the characters and their struggles always feel real and authentic in that department. I do feel like you should give this book a chance when it comes out, it’s adorable and fun.

This is a funny and creative story. Two years ago, Maya broke up with Jordy after he cheated on her. But now Jordy is everywhere. His sister married the crown prince of a small European nation, and the media is obsessed with Jordy, her charming little brother. Then, Maya is invited to participate in a reality show called Second-Chance Romance, which brings together several of Jordy's exes to compete for a "second chance" at a relationship with him. Maya decides to do it -- only to try to get revenge against Jordy by trying to win the competition and then embarrass Jordy by dumping him. When she arrives at the mansion where she and Jordy's other exes are filming, she sees Jordy is no different. But she is surprised by her growing feeling that Skye, another of Jordy's exes who Maya believes Jordy cheated with when she and Jordy were still together, is actually quite different than she expected. Skye starts to suspect the same about Maya ... and they both wonder if a surprise ending is in their, and Jordy's, future.

This is a funny, warm-hearted, and perceptive novel with strong characters and a compelling narrative. Another terrific book from this author.


Highly recommended!

I knew I was going to love this book before I even started reading, but man was it better than I expected. If you love reality tv shows and live for the drama like I do, then you need to pick this book up right away.

Jordy is the bane of Maya's existence. Not only did he cheat on her & convince the world that they were already broken up & Maya refused to let him go, now he has the audacity to ask Maya to be on his new reality tv show where Jordy, the dashing brother of a Princess, brings all of his exes to a beautiful mansion in order to see if he can rekindle the spark with one lucky winner. Even after 2 years, all Maya wants is cold hard revenge, and there is nothing better than serving that revenge on national tv.
Skye and Jordy had a lovely relationship, but when he moved away things changed and the slowly stopped talking to one another. Skye is excited to go back and see if things could be different this time with Jordy, but when he calls her before the show and tells her to watch her back against Maya, Skye worries she might be in over her head.

As someone who hates when female characters are pitted against one another in books, I was really worried during the first 20% of this book, but let me tell you that it is so worth it to get through that part because what comes after is so worth the wait.

I loved both of the main characters so so much. I could definitely relate to Maya & Skye was just adorable and you couldn't help but fall in love with her. The plot was entertaining and there were a few twists I did not see coming, and was pleasantly surprised. With that said, this book is meant to be a cute romance, so I wouldn't expect groundbreaking writing when you're going into this book, but if you're just hear for some romance and a bit of drama then this will be the perfect book for you.

Definitely my new comfort read!

I recieved this ARC from NetGalley. This is a laugh out loud lovable twist of a romantic comedy. I fell in love with the female leads and their relationship together. The dynamic of peaking behind the scenes of a reality tv show was so refreshing and fun to read along with! I would recommend and plan to read more from this author!

While this book was entertaining, I had a hard time finding the main characters likeable. I don't think they necessarily need to be likeable for it to be a great book, but I just wasn't connecting to it like I hoped to. But overall, it was a fun read!

I think maybe I'm the odd one out, but this just didn't work for me. My biggest issue with the reality dating show angle, was our characters ages... It doesn't seem like something 18/19yr olds would do and just felt weird to me. If the age range for our characters had been mid to late 20s, I think I would have enjoyed it more. Other than that I really liked it. The banter and humor was probably my favorite part, and I thought Maya and Skye were pretty cute.

I loveeeed this book! It was so cute from start to finish. I am turning into a YA girlie now! Would recommend this to any YA romcom lover, and definitely am looking forward to reading more books by this author in the future.

3.5 stars

This is such a fun read! A witty comedy featuring a bachelor-ish reality show where a semi-wannabe-celebrity dates his ex-girlfriends in the hopes of finding the one who got away. But what if the hero is a douchebag, and two of the contestants end up falling for each other? It’s fantastically entertaining, and my very first f/f romance, and I really enjoyed this one!

Maya is a feisty high school graduate who is unsure what her future holds, and her life takes a strange twist when she receives an invite to appear on the reality show Second Chance Romance. Her ex-boyfriend, Jordy is now semi-famous because his older sister married royalty, and he has become the media’s golden child. Maya knows the real Jordy though, the man who cheated on her and broke her heart. She initially refuses to have anything to do with the show until she realises this is her chance for vengeance – she can show the real world who the true Jordy is, and she’s totally on board.

Skye is quiet and reserved, and she was the next woman in Jordy’s life after Maya. Of course, she has no idea that she was actually ‘the other woman’, and she fell hard for his charms. When she’s offered the chance to appear on the reality show, she sees it as a true second chance with Jordy, and after a heartfelt plea from Jordy himself, she agrees, hoping that she’ll truly get her second chance.

So, the two girls head off to the small European country where Jordy now lives, along with four of Jordy’s other exes. There, they are set up in a mansion for 7 weeks while he dates each of them. Six girls all alone and vying for the same man? Let the games begin!

“Stop looking at me. Why are you always looking at me?”
“Because you’re always there,” she snaps, climbing the bunk bed. “To my unending disappointment.”
“Yeah, well, it’s my…unending disappointment…to be stuck with you, too,” I shoot back.
Nailed it. Devastating blow. She’ll regret verbally sparring with me tomorrow.

Except that Maya isn’t really vying for Jordy, and it turns out she’s not alone. And behind the scenes, things are so different from what is seen on TV. It’s about as staged and unromantic as you can get, and it’s so funny to watch.

“Haven’t you noticed, Maya? Is it really possible you haven’t noticed?”
“Noticed what?” I play along.
He takes my hands across the table. “How you’ve captured me.”
Oh, fucking gag me with a wet rag. “Did you write that line, or did you have help?”

It’s a fun set up with a great mix of characters and one very douchey ex-boyfriend. And after a rocky start, the girls start to bond and they begin to wonder just what exactly they are competing for. But it’s Maya and Skye who eventually form a strong connection, and from both of their perspectives, we get to watch as they slowly, naturally and easy begin to fall for each other.

“I don’t know how to begin defining us.”
“I can kick us off? We’re Maya and Skye. We fit together like we were made that way on purpose. How’s that for a definition?”

It’s really sweet and has the feel of a friends-to-lovers relationship as these two former enemies, now friends, try to figure out what’s between them, all while playing up for the cameras so that they can get their revenge on the man who betrayed them both. It’s a bit of a strange dynamic for them to be stuck in the middle of, trying to figure out how to navigate the show, their revenge plans, and their feelings for each other, and it’s a funny and entertaining ride, with a ending that left me feeling completely satisfied.

If, like me, you’ve never read f/f romance before, this is a fantastic book to start with. It’s a YA/NA book, the love story feels so natural, and it’s steam-free and completely safe for young readers. But it’s really heartfelt, and I thought the romance was beautifully written.

"My body chose her to be my home. It recognizes her as mine … She feels like my safe place. She feels like finding a missing part of my soul that was floating around in space until it finally burst into my orbit, and I latched on to it. I latched on to her."

I really enjoyed this one!

3.5 stars.

After Maya’s royal adjacent, manipulative, cheating ex boyfriend, Jordy, begs her to go on a reality show for a second chance at love all she sees is her only opportunity for revenge. But when Skye, the girl Jordy cheated with and then ghosted, shows up too and they’re forced to be roommates, the girls must filter through Jordy’s lies to expose him for who he really is. As their revenge plans continue to be thwarted at every turn, Skye and Maya grow closer and sparks fly but not with Jordy.

I cannot for the life of me remember why Skye is so guarded. They’re all way too young to be on s show like this. It would be so much more believable if they were all 22-24 and fresh out of college rather than 18-19. No 18 year old guy needs to relive his past romances because they just happened five seconds ago. I thought producer manipulation was not going to be really addressed because there were only tiny hints of it sprinkled throughout but I’m glad the surprise Maya edit was included to show that production is not as kind as many reality celebs would have us all believe. This book was fun overall even though it wasn’t super believable because of the age ranges.

Have you ever watched the bachelor and thought: wow the lead is SO DUMB but these girls are AMAZING they should date each other! Well, that’s this book. It was so sweet and cute and the perfect fade to black YA romance. This was my first book by this author and won’t be my last!

Also had a little bit of Genovia vibes with a fictional royal family. Loved it.

Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced copy!

First of all, a big thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this advanced copy of Never Ever Getting Back Together!! I was so excited to get my first approval and couldn’t be more grateful!

Never Ever Getting Back Together is a YA novel about a reality TV show where 6 teenage girls are given the opportunity to compete for a second chance at romance with their mutual, and now famous, ex boyfriend. Skye is hopeful and believes there may be a chance at rekindling something with Jordy, meanwhile Maya is only participating in the challenge for a chance at revenge against him. And as the title suggests, they may not find true love with Jordy, but they still end up finding their own version of a happily ever after.

I enjoyed this book about as much as I enjoy trash tv. Was it entertaining? Yes. I very much enjoy trash TV. Was it quality? Definitely not. I have two really huge things that bothered me with this book. First, the main characters. They were so bland, boring and without any defining characteristics that I struggled every single chapter to remember which character was narrating in this dual POV book. The voice carried through the exact same with between them both and it made for a struggle to read through. The side characters has more definitive attributes and vibes than either of the main characters.
My second big gripe with this is the writing in general. It’s labeled a YA novel, and written in a way that it screams VERY young YA writing style, with chopped up sentences, poor grammar and slang. Yet, the themes of the book seemed more leaning towards NA. The book started out with a scene in a bar and there was tons of drinking and talk of sex throughout the novel, causing me to be majorly confused about the age of the characters or target audience for this one.

The saving grace for this book was the focus on the LGBTQ+ community. So many diverse characters in that sense and that makes me extremely happy to see. There were also moments that actually me laugh out loud as well so it wasn’t all a loss, but I wouldn’t recommend it to my friends either.

When Mia gets a call from a producer of a realityTV show an asked to date her cheating ex again at first she says no but when she thinks of the great opportunity to get revenge she changes her mind. She knows Jordy is as fake as a polkadotted unicorn and she’s up for the challenge but the last person she thought would be there was sky. Unfortunately she has to share a room and a producer with her. When sky tries to be friends Maya get her the cold shoulder and sky thinks Mia is just as crazy and jealous as Jordy claimed when it’s clear their separate camps for who believes sky and who believes Maya they have new fast and fierce friends it’s when The girls buried the hatchet that the fun really begins. This book went in a direction I didn’t see it going but OMG it was so good I really and thoroughly enjoyed this book and highly recommend it. If you like a great plan with an unexpected twist you need to read this book and be ready for some LOL moments. I do want to get a douche bag alert though… So be prepared. I received this book from NetGalley and the publisher but I am leaving this review voluntarily please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review.

Overall this was a great read. The characters are fun, diverse and A group you would want to hang out with. The story kept me wanting more start to finish. While I knew early on how it would go, the author did a great job of giving it a few twists.

I understand this was written and put in the teen and YA genre, but I wish the characters were older. The setting would have worked more for me if they were a few years older.

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

I thought this was a fantastic book. I loved the chemistry and the fact that these two women fell for each other instead of their lying, cheating ex. Maya and Sky had great chemistry and I loved their banter. Great book!

Sophie Gonzales crafts another riotous, gut-twisting, heartrending gem of a novel with NEVER EVER GETTING BACK TOGETHER. And yes, I hummed Taylor Swift's song the entire time I read this book, which was in two sittings.
Readers will find Maya's and Skye's narratives compulsively readable, their animosity knife-sharp, and their conjoined quests as believable as they are hilarious.

Never Getting Back Together is for fans of reality dating shows, revenge schemes, reclaiming your identity and sense of self, and of course, queer romance.

Summary:
When their now famous ex-boyfriend asks them to participate in a teen reality show, two eighteen year old girls—one bent on revenge, the other open to rekindling romance—get tangled up in an unexpected twist when they fall for each other instead in Never Ever Getting Back Together by nationally and internationally-bestselling and Indie Next Pick author Sophie Gonzales.

“Wickedly funny [and] searingly sexy.” —Kelly Quindlen, author of She Drives Me Crazy

It’s been two years since Maya's ex-boyfriend cheated on her, and she still can’t escape him: his sister married the crown prince of a minor European country and he captured hearts as her charming younger brother. If the world only knew the real Jordy, the manipulative liar who broke Maya’s heart.

Skye Kaplan was always cautious with her heart until Jordy said all the right things and earned her trust. Now his face is all over the media and Skye is still wondering why he stopped calling.

When Maya and Skye are invited to star on the reality dating show Second-Chance Romance, they’re whisked away to a beautiful mansion—along with four more of Jordy’s exes— to compete for his affections while the whole world watches. Skye wonders if she and Jordy can recapture the spark she knows they had, but Maya has other plans: exposing Jordy and getting revenge. As they navigate the competition, Skye and Maya discover that their real happily ever after is nothing they could have scripted.

For someone that doesn't watch many reality dating shows, I sure do love books about them. This one was super fun and had a unique take on it. I really enjoyed the audio and would totally watch this if it were a show. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

When their now famous ex-boyfriend asks them to participate in a teen reality show, two eighteen year old girls—one bent on revenge, the other open to rekindling romance—get tangled up in an unexpected twist.

I used to be a fan of reality TV dating shows, but they all seem to be the same kind of drama with a different cast of people. I felt that a little bit with this book. However, I did appreciate the humor in this one and the LGBTQ+ representation. I was also left feeling satisfied with the ending! Anxious to read more from this author.