Never Ever Getting Back Together had a really fun setting, but it fell flat and felt like it was missing something. The premise is something that hooked me right away but I think the problem here is the YA audience and it blocking this novel from going where it really needs to - I do believe this would have been better in the New Adult category, but still was pretty fun and lighthearted if you overlook what's missing. I could have forgiven the previous issues, but it also felt the only fleshed out characters were the two mains and that the ex boyfriend was there just to play the role of the jerk. I just wanted more from this story.

E-ARC generously granted to me by St Martin's via Netgalley Invitation. Thank you so much!

4.5 stars. Never Ever Getting Back Together, just like the Taylor Swift song it’s named after, is pure unadulterated seretonin shot straight to the veins.

This isn't the usual genre I hang out in, but I was in the mood for something light, and I'd read other books by this author (Only Mostly Devastated and If This Gets Out) that I really enjoyed. But this wasn't the book for me. Other than Survivor, I don't watch reality shows, so this novel didn't appeal to me like it would to someone who watches The Bachelor or The Bachelorette. The majority of reviews have been positive, so I know the reality TV fans are enjoying it. Just because I wasn't the audience for this book won't sway me from reading this author in the future.

This premise had so much potential, yet I found myself mostly disappointed. I think this would have been much more effective had the characters been 5+ years older - I had to suspend my disbelief a lot, particularly regarding how teenagers were affording international trips etc. I'm usually comfortable suspending my disbelief a little bit but this required me to ignore...any sort of reality. The pacing of this also felt really off to me.

Also f Jordy, he is legit one of the worst characters I've ever had to read about! I'm glad he got served karma in the end but MAN did he suck.

Like I said, the premise of this is delightful - girls go on a reality dating show to win back their ex-boyfriend, only to fall for each other?? FABULOUS. I wish it had lived up to the premise.

Thank you to Netgalley and SMP for the eARC in exchange for a review. All thoughts and feelings are my own.

Included as a top pick in bimonthly November New Releases post, which highlights and promotes upcoming releases of the month (link attached)

It's becoming a little secret interest of mine to read books with reality TV shows in them. I love how meta it feels to read a fictional book about the lines between fiction and reality all played out on a TV screen. Not only that, but it's a central theme in Never Ever Getting Back Together where we examine perception. What we think we know about someone, the lies that are told to our faces, and the secrets spread behind our backs. I instantly loved Maya - but then again I'm a fan of a woman scorned bent on revenge - I have a type!

So it physically hurt my heart to see the others, especially Skye, not believing her. To believe the lies of heart breakers, to fall into the trap of believing the media spin. Honeyed lies and truths we don't want to face. At the same time, Skye was such a believable character for me as someone who was in a relationship where everything was twisted into unrecognizable shapes and perception was spun.

Sophie Gonzales is an auto read for me. If she has written a book, I'm going to read it. I loved Never Ever Getting Back Together. It was a perfect feel good rom com

This book was wonderful! I love Sophie Gonzales and her writing. She writes so beautifully. The characters were funny and charming. I highly recommend this!

When I read the blurb of this book, I knew i had to read it! And it did not disappoint. This made me laugh out loud and I think may be one of my favorite books of the year.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for my digital ARC!

Disclaimer: I received this book for free through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The book sounded good on paper. In practice, not so much. The two main POVs were far too similar. None of the characters felt real. I could not remember who was who. The book wasn't descriptive. Everything was hard to picture and even harder to sell the relationship (between Maya & Skye).

The pace was slow. The writing was dull. Most importantly, the plot meant nothing since I couldn't connect to the characters. Drama between girls never interests me. Overall, I wanted to enjoy the book but it just wasn't a compelling read.

*I received this book for free through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

I was getting a "The Charm Offensive" vibe from this. Sadly, it wasn't like that at all. The book was very catty. My biggest problems were not knowing who was who, what they looked like, or why they did the things they did. It's not fun to read a book about a reality show if you can't root for anyone.

There was no atmosphere or character development. It was extremely slow. It would have worked so much better if the characters were older. I didn't see any chemistry between the characters. I do like the cover. This is my second attempt at a Sophie Gonzales book. Don't know if reading "If This Gets Out" would be a good idea. But, all-in-all the book just wasn't well done or attention-grabbing.

Thank you, St. Martin's Press!

Wow this is one of the fastest reads I’ve done in awhile, I read this book in one day! This book was like cotton candy, so sweet and irresistible. I would describe the plot as Do Revenge from Netflix, but the two girls fall for each other instead. I loved this book. From the start I was hooked. Both main characters are strong, interesting and engaging. The romance was definitely a slow burn, but paired with the enemies to lovers trope it was perfect! Their romance was so cute and believable, and I loved the ending. I was a bit upset about the third act breakup (I hate them) but other than that it was great! I’m also a sucker for reality tv settings, and this one was perfectly written. Isaac was a fantastic side character! Overall, I enjoyed this book a lot and would recommend it to anyone looking for a fun, sapphic revenge filled romp.

Thank you to Wednesday books for sending me an e-ARC to read an review. This was my first Sophie Gonzalez book and I really enjoyed it. It had a bachelor type of vibe which I liked except for the fact that Jordy was actually insufferable. he was manipulative, a liar, and truly thought he was the best thing since sliced bread. The book started a bit slow for me thinking that it was going to be a bunch of catty girls competing for the attentions of some sub par guy, but it picked up and shifted gears quick. The friendships were really fun and I liked how all the girls eventually wanted to band together. I loved the concept too of Maya and Skye hating each other because of misinformation and eventually teaming up to take down Jordy and maybe fall for each other along the way. I thought the character development between the girls was really well done and while Jordy didn't change at all, everyone else did and really came into their own. This was fun and I loved that the characters were a little bit older. I thought this book was cute and I really like Maya and Skye as the main characters.

I found this book to be fairly predictable and not a particularly enjoyable read. Many of the characters were unlikable. I’m not a huge fan of the enemies to lovers trope which this book is.

<b>Boyfriends cannot be stolen.</b> If this is a statement you agree with, you may not like this book. The main conflict in the book is that Jordy Miller is a cheater, and the girl he cheated on, Maya, believes that the girl he cheated <i>with</i>, Skye, stole her boyfriend from her. It is my firm belief that the man is always the one at fault in these situations, so I did not sympathize with Maya’s hatred of Skye.

Additionally, there is a LOT of lack of communication in this book, which is generally annoying to me. So many fights, big and small, could’ve been avoided if the characters would either speak to each other about them or wait to react until they had the chance to talk about what happened. I understand this is a YA book and I was maybe expecting an adult level of maturity from the characters, so perhaps I am the issue here.

I did like the story overall. I generally enjoy a <i>Bachelor</i> type knockoff novel, and this was no exception. I do think it was ultimately worth reading, but there are certainly better books of this type.

<b>Playlist</b>
Better than Revenge by Taylor Swift
We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together by Taylor Swift (duh)
Closer by Tegan and Sara
Slumber Party by Ashnikko feat. Princess Nokia

Thank you to St. Martin's Press, Macmillan Audio and Netgalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Never Ever Getting Back Together is an entertaining story that took a fun twist to the reality dating game drama.

A group of girls are all called on to compete on a reality dating show for a man that is an ex. Some truly want a second chance with the man, while others are looking for fame and one wants revenge on the man that she feels wronged her. Put them all in one house and things are bound to go awry. And I was here for that drama.

From the beginning I was intrigued with the concept because shhhhhhh.....I kinda like reality dating shows. ;) But what I wasn't aware of since I went in blind was the age group of these characters. These characters were all still teens (20 and under) and I just couldn't connect with the fact that Jordy (the male main character) had so many exes at this age. Just didn't seem realistic. But this is fiction....let's get into the story and enjoy it.

After suspending my belief, I was able to dive in and enjoy the story for what it was. Reality dating shows are always so out of reality and full of drama so this concept worked. I enjoyed the whole group of girls in the house, but Maya, Skye and Perrie definitely stood out from the beginning. Told from Skye and Maya's POV, we get to understand how Jordy pitted the girls against one another from the beginning and what an a$$ he truly was. I couldn't have detested a character more.

I liked how Sophie Gonzales got right into the story and didn't leave any questions as to the 'whys' of the characters. The plot based on the reality show concept was fun and I had to laugh at some of the producers antics to get just the right shot to air on tv. I think those parts are what made me laugh the most because I could totally see this happening. But what I liked seeing was the growth of Maya and how her relationships changed with the other girls in the house and how Skye and Maya began to realize they had been manipulated by Jordy. Have I said how much I dislike Jordy?

Overall, this is going to be a story for the people that like reality dating shows. Add a little unexpected sapphic romance between our main characters and you're going to fall for the whole journey. The YA factor drew me out a bit, but I still liked the story, the characters and the way the story unfolded. I do wish that Maya's plan played out how she had wished, but the way it came out was better for each character and what they all were looking for coming on the show.

Never Ever Getting Back Together by Sophie Gonzales

Published: November 29, 2022
Wednesday Books
Pages: 373
Genre: Romantic Comedy
KKECReads Rating: 4/5
I received a copy of this book for free, and I leave my review voluntarily.

Sophie Gonzales writes young adult queer contemporary fiction with memorable characters, biting wit, and endless heart. When she isn’t writing, Sophie can be found ice skating, performing in musical theatre, and practicing the piano. She currently lives in Melbourne, Australia, where she works as a psychologist.

“… maybe people who leave you don’t always stay lost to you forever.”

Maya is on the precipice of change when she gets an unexpected phone call. And that call leads to a bizarre offer. Skye has been living a solitary life, traveling the world alone. When she gets an unexpected invitation, she accepts. What’s the worst thing that could happen?

This was a cute story. I did have to keep reminding myself that it was a YA romcom, though. How certain things were handled or the thought process involved was very young and naive. But appropriate for the age group, and the level of maturity does strengthen as the plot thickens.

I enjoyed the characters; the leading group of six were all different and had a sparkle about them. Maya and Skye are our main characters, and they were an excellent balance. Perrie was a beautifully written side character, and I loved her from the start. Francesca was bold and spoke her mind. Lauren was a peacemaker. Kim was a romantic. They all played well off of each other and the circumstances they faced together.

The concept for this story was interesting, kind of like the Bachelor but for young adults. There were some twists along the way, but I found the pacing well done.

I enjoyed the alternating narrators and the way the story progressed. It felt authentic. Overall this was a charming romance that people will love. Memorable characters, crazy moments, and learning to follow your heart!

I would love to see Perrie get her own spin-off book, though. She was my favorite from the beginning.

This YA rom-com had a great set-up, but never really came together for me. The premise: a D-list celebrity stars in a reality TV dating show to see if he can reconnect with any of his exes. The problem: this just doesn't work in a YA novel, and I think a lot of the issues I had with the book would have gone away if Gonzales had aged up all the characters. It was completely unbelievable with 18-year-olds, so I had no buy-in. Two of the contestants start out hating each other and end up falling in love. Super sweet concept, not nearly enough character development. I had no idea why these two women fell in love, other than that they were both hot. The ex-boyfriend is absolutely awful, over and over again, and the other characters weren't fleshed out nearly enough. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press/Wednesday Books for a digital review copy.

Fun! I’ve been super interested in following the “queer fiction set within the very cishet world of most reality dating shows” subgenre that’s been emerging within the last few years (“The Charm Offensive” and “Patricia Wants to Cuddle” also spring to mind), so I was excited to dive into this one.

Unfortunately, this wasn’t my favorite entry into this growing genre. I found the rules of the dating show, as well as the world-building of the fictional country in which it was filmed, to be underdeveloped. I think there was some serious Genovia/ “Princess Diaries” meets “Bachelor” potential here, but I didn’t feel enmeshed enough in the world to appreciate it. I also wish we’d gotten a bit more time with side characters like Gwendolyn, Isaac, and the other contestants.

Nevertheless, while I personally wouldn’t be able to wrap my mind around watching teenagers date on TV in the real world, I enjoyed the YA romance between Skye and Maya. Plenty of good stuff about not feeling pressured to follow a certain path into early adulthood/overcoming the fear of being left behind that I think will really speak to the target audience.

A charming and snappy little story that I think will have broad appeal, especially among fans of reality television.

While I enjoy a good old fashioned modern revenge story, I was a little baffled by the decision to make the participants be teens and not in their early 20s/college-aged. The effect would've been the same--teenage heartbreak--without having them all be fresh out of high school. I also struggled to distinguish between the voices of Skye and Maya in their POVs, which made it a bit of a confusing read. The ending also fell apart a bit for me. I understand there need to be a last act dramatic misunderstanding, but the characters felt possessive in a way that didn't quite make sense for how short of a relationship there was.