Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced reader copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is was fun and romantic read. It was a good story and kept me entertained.

I’m gonna be very honest, I did not think I was ever going to finish this book 😅 the amount of times I almost dnf’d in the first 50% is astounding but overall I am glad I stuck around because I loved the ending! Unfortunately, I can’t give it more than 3 stars because of the first half and how much I struggled to pick the book back up anytime I put it down 🤷🏻‍♀️ but I do hope that people love this book and Sophie gets the love she deserves because even though I didn’t love it, she’s still one of my favorite authors and I do think people will have a good time with this one!

Here’s some extra details about what I enjoyed and didn’t enjoy (proceed with caution, possible spoilers): it took way too long for the story to really start going, Jordy was the worst!! Like I do not understand how anyone liked this dude 😳 (but he got what was coming to him!), The pacing just kind of felt off throughout the whole story?, Maya & Skye were really cute, the friendship all of the girls left with was great!!

Thanks to NetGalley & Wednesday Books for an earc in exchange for an honest review!

I thought I was done with Young Adult Fiction, I really did. I thought, “I’m a grown-up who can microwave dinner all by herself. I can maturely read sappy, smutty, Adult Fiction.” I’d clearly forgotten the joys of reading quality, sappy, non-smutty YA.

The absolute iron grip this book had on me was suffocating—in the best way possible. Someone might as well have physically pinned me down and forced me to read this book in one sitting because… well, I did. Was I exhausted? Did I feel like my eyes were going to melt out of my skull? Yes. Was it worth it? Also, yes.

This book made it to my top 5 reads this year and, dare I say, #1 on my sapphic reading list. Much like a four-star Sizzler buffet, this book had a bit of everything. I filled my plate with some laugh-out-loud moments, cutesy romance scenes, elaborate revenge plots, and reality TV drama.

Sophie Gonzales revealed her book was, in part, inspired by 1.) Olivia Rodrigo’s “Drivers License” drama and 2.) her own anger, sadness, and exhaustion during the pandemic. Not only did I feel the angst reminiscent of Olivia’s album “Sour,” but I felt Sophie Gonzales' rage and healing process from beginning to end.

This book comes out on November 29th. I strongly advise everyone to pre-order this gem!

Sophie Gonzales is truly one of my auto buy authors. I was already excited about this book so getting an E-arc made it even better! I love the story of two women teaming together to take down a cheating ex but also end up following in love. Sophie really made me hate Jordy and love Maya and Skye together. Also so happy Jordy got what he deserved!! Will be recommending this like crazy.

Just reading the title I knew I had to pick this book up. As a big Taylor Swift fan, the title alone had me interested but then I read the plot and was sold. It was a cute story if you’re in the mood for a love triangle.

If you are a fan of reality dating shows, this book is right up your alley.

I really enjoyed the aspect of the girls putting their drama aside when they figured out that all the drama was started by production. I also loved the Bi rep in the FMC's, and I enjoyed the side characters.

I will say my one issue is the age of the characters, they were really young and I feel like they shouldve been 23-30 instead of in their teens.

This is my first encounter with this author so I went in completely blind. The title of the book really caught my attention because Taylor Swift obviously. I have to say I couldn't quite connect with the characters, Jordy I definitely can't tolerate at all, and I'm not one for realities like this but I wanted to get out of my comfort zone and give it a chance. Unfortunately I didn't enjoy everything about the reality show, I understand that they follow a script on these types of shows but I wanted to punch Jordy for being such a jerk. And I also don't buy that this guy has so many exes with the age they are that would be willing to play along with this reality show, I’m definitely won’t mind to even look at him any day of mi life.
The story I'm not saying it's bad, I just wasn't able to connect as much as I would have liked. But I do want to read more from the author and see if any of her other stories catch me a little more, I’m all for second chances on books.
Thank you NetGalley and St Martin Press for the ARC.

Never Ever Getting Back Together follows Maya and Skye. Both of them dated the same guy, Jordy Miller. Jordy cheated on Maya with Skye during the last two months of their relationship. After Maya confronted him, he painted her as a crazy, jealous ex. He told Maya that Skye knew that he and Maya were still dating a didn't care while he told Skye that Maya was obsessive and jealous. After Jordy's sister recently marries into the royal family of a small European country, he becomes much more wealthy and famous. He thinks that all the girls interested in him are only after his fame and money. He decided to star in the first season of a reality show called Second Chance Romance to see if any of the people he dated before he became famous might still have feelings for him. Maya decides she will go on the show, but only so that she can expose Jordy as a cheater and a liar. Skye also decides to join the show, but she wants to see if she still has feeling for Jordy. As the two of them spend time together in this reality show, Maya is able to convince Skye that Jordy is manipulative and a cheater and they start to fall for each other.

I really enjoyed this book! I liked the characters of Maya and Skye. I also liked that the women on the reality show ended up working together and supporting each other. There was a lot of competition and sabotage at the beginning, but by the end, the female friendships were built very well and believable. I loved the enemies/rivals to lovers arc of Maya and Skye. Their romantic relationship was really well developed and I could see how they would work together, even outside of a reality show setting.

The only things I didn't enjoy were the ages of the characters and the ending. I think maybe this would have been a little more believable id the characters were in their twenties, and not 18 or 19, but this is a minor complaint. I did wish the ending was a little different, although it was overall very satisfying. No spoilers, but I would have been pettier than Maya in that situation.

Overall, this book was super fun and I really enjoyed it! I highly recommend to anyone who enjoyed Sophie Gonzales books in the past, who likes books with enemies/rivals to lovers arc, and who likes books with reality TV show settings.

I will start out by saying I adore Sophie Gonzales, and she has been one of my favorite new writers!

Unfortunately, this book did not do it for me. The premise of it through me--it's centered on a dating reality show but all of the contestants are teenagers... I have no idea why this book is YA. It would have been much stronger if the characters were older and it was New Adult, instead. Most of the guy's exes were from high school... it just left an odd taste in my mouth.

Additionally, I really wanted to root for the two love interests, but they felt a little stale. I don't think we really saw either of them develop or have much of a personality. By the end, I was ready for it to be over.

I will, of course, still be reading Sophie Gonzales's books, but this is not one I would jump to recommend to others.

3⭐️

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this arc!

This was a fun concept, but the timeline of everything felt a bit confusing. The elimination ceremonies would’ve been helped by being a bit more linear. I thought Lauren and Kim got eliminated together but realized chapters later I was wrong. Skye cuts her hair because of Jordy, yet I don’t remember him or anyone making any comment about it after (perhaps I missed it but if not, oof). I think this would’ve benefitted a lot more if everyone was a bit older. A bit weird to watch a dating show with people barely out of high school (what are the odds they all were even?). I will admit I didn’t feel a ton of chemistry between Skye and Maya, but I did like them together.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The premise of this book drew my attention right away. Imagine the bachelor but with his ex-girlfriends and the possibility of a second chance romance. I love reality dating shows so I immediately knew I wanted to read this one.

I enjoyed the story but the middle fell a little flat for me. I was rooting for the girls to realize who Jordy truly was the entire time. I loved Maya, Skye, and Perrie.

I recommend picking this one up if you’re a fan of second chance romance, enemies to lovers, and reality tv dating shows.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for the advanced e-arc copy.

I really enjoyed this one and even stayed up late to finish it. It's and easy, light-hearted revenge plot with non-gimmicky bi representation.

While I didn't really end up loving any of the characters, the hatred for one particular character was enough to keep me interested. A fun take on a bachelor-type show trope. I wish we did see more development of the female friendships/relationships that didn't revolve around their connection to Jordy; but the lack of that didn't take away from the book!

It’s extremely entertaining to sit down and read this book while also binging the first four episodes of Love is Blind. Two mediums, both featuring stories of reality tv show romance — one of first chances, and the other of second chances, one that is proudly hetero, and the other that is proudly queer. And because it’s reality tv, you know you’re going to walk away with af least one man you deeply despise (despite at times, his uncannily good looks). ‘Never Ever’ is the TSwift meta reference, sapphic, second chance, revenge love story of this year, and if you’ve loved Gonzales’ other books, this will not disappoint!

Things I loved about this book:
—enemies to co-conspirators to lovers
—reality tv hijinks including wacky dates and painfully scripted dialogue
—a full cast of wonderfully unique women that include a royals fanatic, a budding influencer, and more
—plenty of well directed rage

My one minor beef with the book is that none of the girls felt like teenagers to me — I was very surprised to learn they were 19 and not 25. There are elements of the story that make sense in context of this transitional period (college, traveling) but felt like they could have also existed with the characters aged up a bit. Of course, I’m in my thirties, so this is bias on my part, so take that with a grain of salt.

Regardless, investing in a copy of this book when it comes out (not far behind a new Taylor Swift album I might add) is sure to be a good one on your part. Thanks to NetGalley for the early review copy, all opinions are my own.

It's been two years since Maya's ex-boyfriend Jody cheated on her with Skye and she still hasn't quite gotten over it. Jody dates Skye for a bit before ghosting her. When Jordy invites Maya and Skye (and four of his other ex's) to be a part of a new reality dating show called Second Chance Romance both jump at the chance to be on the show.  Maya is looking to expose Jordy for the man he is and Skye is hoping to see if she can rekindle their flame. But what happens when two of the contestants fall for one another?

This was such a cute story where enemies become friends and then lovers. I adored these two main characters so much. I found the romance to be super cute. The story is well written and very YA. That being said... who doesn't want to get revenge on a cheating ex? Sophie knows how to write for her audience and I love that about her. The only thing I wish was different was that the storyline contained more of the reality tv show aspect. But overall this story was delightful and once again Sophie nailed it.  I loved the queer rep too.

And here I thought Gonzales couldn't get any better than her previous books! Pshhhh!
Man was I wrong!

Never Ever Getting Back Together by Sophie Gonzales is marvelous, full of all the wit and charm!

This book instantly became one of my new favorite queer YA romance contemporaries, it was absolutely amazing.
I find Gonzales to be such a strong writer.
The atmosphere she creates is fun/charming/adorable/magical.
There is just something about the way that Gonzales writes her characters, how genuine each of them comes across on the page, and how I begin to feel for every single one is pretty damn amazing.
The way her relationships are portrayed in this novel makes it stand out even more so.
They each have their own story and flaws... In which made me love them that much more!
The banter was great, chemistry is swooning and overall incredibly addictive!

I was stoked to read this! Now I'm pissed it's over!
Bring me more Sophie Gonzales, bring me more!

"I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own."

Wednesday Books,
Thank You for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this eARC!

Thank you to Netgalley and Wednesday Books for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I've LOVED Sophie Gonzalez's other books, so my expectations were high as I started reading 'Never Ever Getting Back Together.
Things I liked: I thought there were some cute/interesting twists in the plotline, especially towards the end, and some interesting/likable side characters (Perrie and Isaac).
Things I had trouble with: The character development for Maya and Skye didn't feel very realistic to me. There were too many places where the dialogue or inner monologue felt dry or wrong for some reason. It also took me a long, long time to get into the rhythm of the book, like until 30%.
I liked it enough to finish the story, but overall this just wasn't quite the book for me. I will still definitely still be on the lookout for the next Sophie Gonzalez book!

Never Ever Getting Back Together (coming out November 29th!) was such a fun read, I couldn’t put it down! If you like bi rep and enemies to lovers, definitely give this a read. I cannot wait to read more of Sophie Gonzales' work. Thank you NetGalley, Sophie Gonzales, St. Martin's Press, and Wednesday Books for this Advanced Reader’s Copy in exchange for an honest review :)

(This review is based on an advanced reader’s copy provided by NetGalley.)

Everyone else seems to love this, so maybe it’s a case of “it’s not the book, it’s me,” but this was very…fine? It is a fantastic premise, and honestly I hope someone else writes this premise someday, because I was mostly pretty lukewarm on the execution here.

Problems I had with this book:

1) I don’t understand why this was YA, other than the author being accustomed to writing YA. I like YA, I just think this particular premise would have made much more sense as an adult book.
2) The humor was very hit-or-miss — some of it worked for me, but a lot of it fell flat.
3) Dual POV in first person is hard to do well, and IMO this book doesn’t pull it off. I kept forgetting whether any given chapter was a Maya chapter or a Skye chapter.
4) Most of the characters felt not fleshed out enough. I never got all that strong a sense of who Maya and Skye were (especially Maya). Skye is a planner with mommy issues and Maya…isn’t. I didn’t get much more than that.

I do think the book did a great job with the romantic conflict. I’m picky about romantic conflict — it often feels contrived in a way that makes it hard for me to suspend my disbelief — but this conflict felt very believable. There’s miscommunication, but in a context where it actually makes sense; and even after they properly communicate, they have a substantive difference that they need to work through and that I can understand both perspectives on, which is exactly what I want in a romantic conflict. Unfortunately, even the romantic conflict mostly just prompted an intellectual reaction (“this is well done, I approve”) rather than majorly affecting me on an emotional level.

That said, if there’s ever a movie or miniseries adaptation of this book, I will totally watch it.

Recommended for fans of The Charm Offensive by Alison Cochrun or Her Royal Highness by Rachel Hawkins.

I received a copy from NetGalley in exchange for a review.

I soooooo enjoyed this book. It had rivals to lovers. Second chance romance in a better way, where the original couple doesn't get a second chance (because helloooooo you broke up for a reason), but someone else does. AND it's sapphic.

Maya and Skye join the cast for a reality tv show, where they have to date their ex-boyfriend Jordy (gah even his name sucks). At the start of it Maya is under the impression that Skye knew about Jordy cheating on her and Skye is under the impression that Maya overreacted to Jordy breaking up with her. After figuring out that the other person isn't so bad, the two women team up to try and break Jordy's heart.

Overall, I think the writing was pretty decent. There was some times in the middle where it was hard to differentiate which POV I was reading because Maya and Skye read kind of similarly, but other than that I think it's a pretty solid read. Plus the assbag ex-bf reaps what he sows in the end.

I requested this book on a whim because of the Taylor Swifty title and honestly had no idea what I was walking into -- but MAN did I tear through this!

When I figured out it was like the Bachelor/ette, I squealed in delight. That franchise was one of my favorite guilty pleasures that I would indulge in - but adding that bisexual twist (I'm picturing Demi here) made it so much more fun! Also, Jordy was deliciously evil and I enjoy a good villain.