HOLY MOLY THAT WAS CUUUUUUUUUTE. I couldn't put the book down once I started because I needed to know how it ended!!! Beautifully written and perfectly executed. Kept me on my toes the whole time.

{3.5 stars}

When Jordy’s sister married a prince, he became quite a sought after bachelor. He grows tired of girls chasing him for money and fame so he decides to re-investigate whether his pre-fame exes could have been the one… on a reality TV show of course. We get to see the show unravel through the eyes of Maya who is hell bent on revenge, alleging that Jordy cheated on her. We also get to see through the eyes of Skye, who was the girl he cheated with. Enter drama.

This is a fun story of love and revenge. I expected it to be lots of catty drama but it takes a fun feminine twist. If you’re a fan of The Bachelor franchise and enjoyed One to Watch or The Charm Offensive, definitely check this one out.

Thanks to Wednesday Books via Netgalley for advanced access to this novel. All opinions above are my own.

DNF at 30%. i am a big fan of this author’s work normally. I know that this will end in romance, but I do not see any chemistry or any sort of relationship between the characters besides animosity. I do not feel passionately about any of the characters, except for my extreme hatred of the main character. I almost feel that the author did TOO good a job of making the characters enemies, because I just can’t see them ever becoming lovers and did not care to stick around to see.

If you love reality TV drama, with emphasis on the drama, you're in for a huge treat. I know having a lot of drama is often seen as a bad quality in YA books, but in this case I promise it's part of the fun!

I have to admit I don't really like reality TV, but for some reason I love to read about it. And this book was just... so much fun from start to finish. I read it in one sitting because I was just having such a good time.

The concept of this book - having a dating show where the contestants are the guy's exes - is so incredibly fun, and this book lives up to it entirely. Jordy was truly the worst, and I loved the main characters overcoming the drama he set them up for and falling in love with each other.

A romcom novel with an ending which you don't see coming. A unique enemy to lovers story which takes place in a television reality setting.

This book was so unexpected for me, I had no idea this was going to turn into a sapphic romance and I loved every second of it! This was such a cute read. The enemies to lovers, the let’s get revenge on the ex boyfriend but then fall in love! yes! I absolutely loved it! I could not get enough of this!
Most people have had an ex partner that they look back on and they just wonder what did they see in that person and I think Jordy perfectly encapsulates that he was so easy to hate and of course he thinks having a dating show with all of his exes competing for him is a good idea*eye roll*. I’d love to sky in Maya the jokes the tension the bi representation this was just so great.
There were a few moments where I did have trouble telling Maya and Skye’s povs apart while I was reading but other than that this was a great book.
Thank you St. Martin's Press for allowing me to read this!

Maya Bailey (fun, stubborn, antagonistic) doesn’t want anything to do with Jordy Miller after he cheated on her, their relationship ending in a catastrophic breakup. But when she gets invited onto Second-Chance Romance, a reality television show where one male is given the opportunity to reconnect with exes and choose one to rekindle a romance with, she goes. She doesn’t want to pass up the opportunity to get revenge and publicly humiliate Jordy.

Skye Kaplan (distrustful, kind, careful) takes her shot at another chance with Jordy when invited on the show - after all, they only broke up because Jordy had to move, and he made her feel things no one else has been capable of.

Never Ever Getting Back Together tells Maya and Skye’s stories: one attempting to expose his manipulations, the other trying to win his heart back. As they confront hard truths and uncover secrets, they find love in unexpected places.

-

I enjoyed seeing the character’s growth throughout the show. It was fun to see Skye come out of her shell and take a chance, even though she has trouble trusting people. I thought it was meaningful to see Maya grapple with the influence Jordy continues to have on her, and figure out how to stop that. Skye learned to let people in. Maya learned how to let people go.

I love how Never Ever Getting Back Together subverts reality television tropes in a queer way. I loved the “let's-ditch-the-boy-we-came-here-for-and-run-off-together” vibes. The sapphic romance was really delightful to witness, especially because they went on the show with different agendas and goals, and ultimately chose each other.

The writing style was my favorite part of the book. The prose was very humorous, and made me laugh out loud. I felt that it was really witty, and also easy to read. I flew through the book.

I did find the beginning of the romance a bit difficult to believe. Skye and Maya hated each other at first, and I feel like they switched from enemies to lovers without enough time to heal and change their opinions of each other.

Overall, I think Never Ever Getting Back Together is a sweet, fun sapphic romance!

This is the Bachelor meets The Selection. Maya and Skye join a reality show to re date their royalty adjacent ex, Jordy. Overall I found it to be a sweet YA romance. The characters didn’t have a lot of depth or backstory besides all having dated Jordy but I found in this story it was easy to forget. Jordy was just the right level of sweet and manipulative. I didn’t quite understand how the girls fell for him during the show at all, but I still didn’t entirely hate or love him. I wish the enemies to friends to lovers trope was a little slower burn but I can see teens loving this book.

⭐️⭐️
Definitely a Bachelor/Bachelorette tv show vibe. Two eighteen year old girls, Maya and Skye, are on a reality dating show where they reconnect with their ex-boyfriend Jordy. Both want revenge but also still really like their ex.

This is a YA novel so I knew it wasn’t going to be really ‘deep’ but I lost interest about halfway thru the book when Maya and Skye started plotting together against Jordy. But I never quit a book so I finished it…some people might love this one, but I wasn’t a fan.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

I received an advanced reader copy of this book.

I'm a sucker for reality TV and reality TV-themed books so I was really excited to read this one. It was generally a cute story - Jordy Miller (we hate him) is a famous guy who is the star of a show where all of his ex-girlfriends compete for a second chance at love with him. After being forced to spend time together, two of the exes, Skye and Maya, end up falling for each other. It was chaotic and fun, but things felt a little off at times because the main characters were only 18. The whole plot would have worked better with 20-somethings as the leads. Overall, a decent read but unfortunately, after recently reading The Charm Offensive (and loving it), this one fell a bit short.

While I enjoyed the fact that this was a sapphic book, instead of the usual two women fighting over a man trope, the writing itself didn't impress me. More than that, the characterization of everyone left a lot to be desired, and I honestly didn't end up liking a single character that Gonzales wrote. Love this book for the bisexuals out there, but the story itself isn't strong enough to hold its own.

Would you go on reality TV for a chance to get revenge on your lying, cheating ex-boyfriend?

Maya never wanted to see her ex, Jordy, again. Especially since he cheated on her. But when your ex’s sister marries a crown prince, he finds a way to charm the world. And paint you as the crazy ex-girlfriend.

Skye has always guarded her heart, but Jordy managed to find his way into hers. Until he suddenly stopped calling.

Maya and Skye are invited to star in a new reality dating show, Second Chance Romance, along with four of Jordy’s other exes. Maya agrees, determined to expose Jordy as the manipulative liar he is. Skye agrees, thinking maybe she and Jordy can pick up where they left off. But neither are prepared for the connections they make during filming– especially as they grow closer to each other.

Y’ALL. I was so excited by the premise of this book. Bachelor-style reality TV, but two contestants fall in love instead? Yes, please. Also, Sophie Gonzales? At this point, I’ll read anything she writes.

While this book was pretty predictable, I enjoyed it thoroughly. Jordy was the perfect villain– a toxic, self-absorbed, misogynistic asshole. Unfortunately, this was so realistic, and honestly I saw some of my exes in his behavior, which made me root for the girls even more.

I loved the relationships between all the girls. They’re all competing against each other, but (aside from the very beginning), there is very little drama between them. They aren’t trying to tear each other down, which I really appreciated.

Like I said, the conclusion is pretty predictable, but it was still satisfying. And it did not take away from my enjoyment at all.

Overall, this book was so fun, funny, but also heartfelt. Did I mention this book was super fun?

There was a lot about this book that I found surprising and enjoyable. The writing style had some nice humor and levity. And I was not expecting a conlang in a book like this

Ultimately I would say my issue was distinguishing the main two characters. To me, their personalities didn't seem distinct enough. I also felt like the romance wasn't really grabbing me -- it didn't seem to develop at all until about halfway through the book. A lot of the beginning was frustrating / repetitive miscommunication.

4 Stars.

I’ve yet to read a book written by Sophie Gonzales that I haven’t loved and Never Ever Getting Back Together wasn’t an exception.The book follows Maya and Skye as they’re contacted by the production team of a new reality TV show to see if they can ignite a Second Chance Romance with their ex-boyfriend, Jordy.

Maya wants nothing to do with Jordy or this show, until she realizes this is the perfect opportunity to take revenge. It’s now 2+ years post-breakup, but Maya is still hurting from how Jordy broke it off with her - after she found out he was seeing another woman in the new country he moved to. She decides to join the show to expose Jordy and his cheating to the whole world.

Skye has been traveling all summer, all her belongings fitting into one backpack, and she decides to go on the show to see if she can rekindle her relationship with Jordy, which ended when he moved away to another country. She knows about Maya briefly, but Jordy calls Skye before the show to warn her that Maya might try to start trouble, and that she can’t be trusted.

Thrust into the mansion they’ll be staying at until they’re evicted from the show, Skye and Maya become roommates. Maya is passive-aggressive, wanting nothing to do with Skye, the girl who knowingly dated her boyfriend when they were still together… or did she? As an unlikely friendship starts, maybe something more blooms, and it comes down to whether to let go of the past or move toward the future.

I’ll be honest, this book had a fairly slow start, and I didn’t love the characters at first, but toward the end I couldn’t put it down. A unique concept that was executed well, and really showcases female friendship, past relationships, and moving on. I really enjoyed it and would recommend it to anyone who likes reality TV shows, and also people who don’t, but love queer love stories!

This story is perfect for fans of The Charm Offensive, but it make it a YA take on a reality tv show second chance romance series. Except the main male mc has the personality of gas light, gate keep, girl boss down to a T. And the stories heroines are in it to take him down! (And if they fall for each other along the way, whelp accidents happen.) The choices these characters make to influence reality TV is so fun to read.

This was a cute romance to read! Would I have done the ending differently? Absolutely I would have. That's really the only reason I didn't give this 5 stars. The ending was still satisfying (and no spoilers I won't go further than this.)

Thank you Netgalley & St. Martin's Press for this e-ARC. I had an absolute blast with this one.

When I saw the plot of this book, I knew I had to get my hands on it. This was essentially the Bachelor but the contestants are all ex-girlfriends of said bachelor. Cue the drama! I didn't love all the cattiness and animosity between the girls at first, but I understood how it needed to be there to move the plot along. A few moments felt pretty rushed especially between our female MCs, but I will look past it for the adorableness of Maya and Skye. I also liked the route the author took in the end. Showed lots of great character development for both Maya and Skye.

Some lovely things:
- REVENGE!
- so much drama! I live for it
- bisexual MCs who fall in love <3
- annoying jerk gets what he deserves!
- female friendships!!

I highly recommend this. It was SO much fun.

Read This If Enjoy:
•YA
•Bachelor/Bachelorette
•Getting revenge on an ex

Thoughts:
I really enjoyed this one. I was a little hesitant at first, because I thought Maya was being super annoying, along with the rest of the girls. But Maya and Skye grew on me, and I really enjoyed them. I loved to hate Jordy…what a douche, I wanted to see him get taken down. I loved the twist that ended up happening in the end. A super cute YA read with lgbtqia+ representation.

I wanted to really love this book and gave it my best try but in the end, I didn't even make myself finish it. The premise is interesting- getting back at famous ex boyfriends who broke your heart publicly by going on a game show they ask you to be on with the idea in mind that you will both fall back in love. But the end result of the 2 ex-girlfriends deciding they were better with each other than either of them going back to him added to the fact that neither woman character had a likeable personality just didn't hit any high marks for me. I just felt the characters were shallow and even though I like a good " got you back " story, this one just didn't hit the mark for me.

Loved it.
Was it weird that a 20-year-old absolute garbage man had 6 significant exes? A little. But for me a lot of that can be put aside for the premise: two girls competing for one guy on a dating show fall for each other instead. I think it would've lost a lot of impact if they had been mid-to-late-20s to make the show a little more realistic, and it had to be an ex for the overall storyline to work. I am not mad at all. This was a cute sapphic story and we need more of those.

Unfortunately this one does lose a star because the most realistic and fleshed-out character was the aforementioned garbage man, Jordy. He SUCKED. But I have met so many guys like this, and that's the part that made it really work. I just wish there had been more effort put into the main characters; Skye likes to travel, and Maya is dreading going to college, yet wants to be a doctor. And that's basically all I got from them. The other women all basically had one personality trait each, and one was so dry I wanted to cry. This is slightly redeemed by some of the relationships they build amongst themselves throughout the course of the book.

Thank you to Wednesday Books and Netgalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, Wednesday Books, and the author for sharing an ARC in exchange for my honest feedback!

Not gonna lie, the title of this one pulled me in. Any reference to Taylor Swift and I am a goner. Now that I've read it (and witnessed Jordy being the little shit-bag that he is), Never Ever Getting Back Together is the perfect reference to this book's storyline!

Imagine "The Bachelor" and "John Tucker Must Die" had a baby, and you would get this book.

Maya and Skye are complete strangers except for the one thing they have in common - they both dated and were eventually both dumped by this dude Jordy. Unfortunately, there was some overlap between the two relationships, and (unbeknownst to Skye) Jordy cheats on Maya and starts dating Skye.

Years after both breakups, Jordy's sister marries into the royal family and he becomes famous by association. He is known as this hot young bachelor with a heart of gold who is always giving back to the less fortunate.

Then one day, both of the girls get a call asking them to come on a reality dating show with Jordy as the star. The premise is that all of the contestants will be Jordy's ex-girlfriends, and they will compete week after week to capture his heart once more. The winner of the show is the last person standing, and the one that Jordy has decided that we would like to date again. Skye still has unresolved feelings for him and decides to go on, and Maya is still pissed off after he cheated on her and wants to go on TV and get her revenge.

The girls of course are forced to room together and pitted against each other at every turn by Jordy and the show's producers for some good-ole reality show drama. Eventually, they put all of the pieces together and realize that Jordy is the real enemy, and their revenge plot is born. They vow to work together and get to the end of the show so that at least one of them can out him on national television for the terrible person that he really is.

As they spend more time together, the girls are less focused on payback and more on getting to know each other. Can they work through their issues and find a happily ever after? Will they change the tune of this show from "Never Ever Getting Back Together" to "Love Story"?

This story was such a cute read and I am so thankful that I got the chance to read it. Thanks again to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, Wednesday Books, and Sophie Gonzales for sharing it with me.