Never Ever Getting Back Together
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Genre: YA Romance / Rom-Com
Format: Kindle eBook
Date Published: 11/29/22
Author: Sophie Gonzales
Publisher: Wednesday Books
Pages: 384
Goodreads Rating: 4.04

I requested a digital advanced readers copy from NetGalley and Wednesday Books and providing my opinion voluntarily and unbiased.

Synopsis: It’s been two years since Maya's ex-boyfriend cheated on her, and she still can’t escape him. Skye Kaplan was always cautious with her heart until Jordy said all the right things and earned her trust. 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.

My Thoughts: I love how the author integrated bisexual MCs into the storyline. I love the concept for this book, all the contestants on a reality show are exes of one guy, just brilliant. The characters were well developed, had depth, instant connection, even as “frenemies,” amazing chemistry, witty banter, and were amazingly written. I connected with both Maya and Skye, but did not with Jordy, but that is the point, he is enemy number one! The growth of the two MCs individually and together was brilliantly scripted out. The author’s writing style is one that I enjoy, it is complex, creative, unique in a good way, and works on so many levels for this story. This was a really good rom-com, fast read. I highly suggest you go preorder this book that will be released later this year!!

This one was a lot of fun! I really enjoyed seeing Skye and Maya fall for each other in the midst of the chaos that came from the show and trying to get back to Jordy. I felt like they complimented each other really well and were just really sweet together. And Sophie did a great job of making me Hate Jordy, and I was so glad when he finally got what he had coming to him in the end.

However, all that being said, this was probably my least favorite Sophie book. It just kinda felt like something was missing. Maya and Skye were both lacking some depth that Sophie's other characters have an abundance of. Don't get me wrong, I rooted for both girls from the very beginning, but I wasn't nearly as attached to them as I'd hoped to be.

I also thought the whole reality dating show storyline didn't really work with young adult characters. The stakes weren't as high as when this storyline is used on adults, and it just felt somewhat out of place in a young adult book.

I really did enjoy this book though and read it fairly quickly. It kept my interest the whole way through, and I found the ending really sweet. I think I was just left wanting a bit more from the book and characters. But, even though this wasn't my favorite book, I'd still definitely recommend this to anyone looking for a fun sapphic romcom full of drama and chaos!

I really enjoyed this book! It switches between the perspectives of Maya and Skye. They are invited to participate in a reality show getting second chance at love with their mutual ex boyfriend jordy. I enjoyed getting “behind the scenes” of reality show and how we all know it’s anything but reality. I enjoyed the book alternating with both the girls perspectives but the characters were a little flat. They were focused on the show and their reason for being there. We didn’t get to know Maya and Skye. We also didn’t really get to fully see them fall in love. I would’ve liked more details, it would’ve been more believable.
I also think it would’ve fit the premise of the book better if they were a little older. They were 18-20ish years old and to have six exes that you would attempt a second chance with was a little unrealistic.
I did enjoy it overall and I will definitely be checking out more of the authors work.

This book was so much fun! I don't even know where to begin singing its praises.

Maya's ex-boyfriend, Jordy, cheated on her two years ago, and she hasn't been able to escape him since. Jordy's sister married a European royal, which catapulted him into the spotlight and made him beloved by many, but Maya knows the truth about him and wants everyone else to see it too. When Maya is asked to join the show Second Chance Romance for a second chance at dating Jordy, she accepts and plots her revenge. But when she arrives, she finds out her roommate is Skye, the girl Jordy cheated on her with. And the more time they spend together, they realize they had more in common than they could've imagined.

This book captured my heart in every way. From the jump, the dialogue was witty and had me actually laughing out loud, which is rare for me to do with books. The dialogue was consistently incredible, and it was a great tool used for characterization, especially with Jordy. Since our POV characters were Maya and Skye, we only saw Jordy through his interactions with them. The way he spoke around them spoke volumes about his characterization and made it incredibly easy to side with Maya and Skye about what a terrible human being he is.

The slow burn between Maya and Skye was my EVERYTHING. The brief enemies arc before they realized what they had in common, transforming into their romantic feelings for each other, was done so well. And seeing their doubts through both of their POVs and their pining for each other made it even more satisfying when they finally kissed.

Maya's misbelief being so focused on revenge throughout the story was done incredibly well as well. I loved seeing her so focused on her mission and dedicated to it, to then questioning it as she grew closer to Skye, was executed so well. And of course, I loved her deciding at the end that being with Skye was more important than getting revenge on Jordy, and later seeing the girls still get the revenge they deserved. I love when endings aren't easy, and they're earned, and this story was a great example of that.

Needless to say, I highly recommend reading this book when it comes out! This was my first Sophie Gonzales book, and I can confidently say it will not be my last.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Great read. I feel like it's pretty on the nose for young relationships and there were t any continuity errors or anything. Storyline was fun and the relationship that developes is absolutely lovely, as well as the ending is thoroughly satisfying. I can also relate to both female MCs, so there's that. I've had ex's I've wanted to take down and expose their ugly side, but I've also struggled with abandonment trauma and the book handles both beautifully.

I was very excited about the premise of this book, and I had read and loved a previous book by Sophie Gonzales. While I enjoyed parts of it, there were parts of it that fell a little flat for me.

I watch many of the types of dating shows that this book was portraying, and it kept catching me off-guard to remember that these main characters were only 18. Since most contestants on these shows are a fair amount older -- when these characters acted like 18 year olds, I had to remind myself that was because they were only 18.

I enjoyed Skye's character the entire book, and I liked seeing the ways in which Maya changed and grew - and I loved watching their relationship develop. I felt like the rest of the characters were pretty one-dimensional -- with the exception of Isaac. I loved everything about him, and would be happy to read a book about him and his boyfriend next!

I also enjoyed the end and the way that it all wrapped up.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book!

Great read. I honestly thought it was a cute read that anyone could get into.
Would recommend! Loved the humour and the
I am looking for ward to reading other books by this author.
This is my honest thoughts and opinions.

A delightful enemies to lovers sapphic romance where two contestants on a reality dating show (pseudo bachelor but they're all women the bachelor has dated before) start off despising each other then end up... something more.

This novel was digustingly cute. Honestly, if anyone will turn me into a contemporary reader it's Sophie Gonzales. Her writing is fantastic and hits at the perfect point of camp and emotion. The atmosphere was fantastic, the dialogue believable, and the entire thing had me grinning from ear to ear.

My only ehh point was that the characterization could sometimes feel a bit wishy-washy. While I adored the characters, it felt like they could have been fleshed out a bit more as, at times, it felt like what I was getting told about the characters was different from what I was seeing.

Overall, great read.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for this ARC to review!

I have read every Sophie Gonzales book to date, and I have loved every single one for different reasons. Sophie really knocked it out of the park with this one. With each book, her storytelling improves, and I quite literally couldn't put this one down. When I wasn't reading, I was thinking about this book and the characters. Both of our MCs are very flawed, and I love that Sophie doesn't shy away from that. People are flawed and do/say shitty things!

Things I loved:
1. The premise: I never watched The Bachelor, however, I really wanted to give this one a shot when I found out that it would be two contestants who fell in love with each other instead of the guy they're "supposed" to. And boy, did Sophie deliver on this. The reality TV aspect of it was super well executed, and I loved how the producers and film crew would but in constantly. Makes you think how often reality TV is "reality".
2. The prose. There were many times I laughed out loud while reading this book. The dialogue was incredible and witty, and I felt like I really knew the characters.
3. The pacing. I never felt bored reading this book. While we focus a lot on the characters and their relationships, because they are filming for the show, there is a timeline so we are forced to keep the plot propelling forward. I think this was so smart, and really enhanced the reading experience for me. Whether the characters were ready or not, the finale was coming. It was so fun!
4. This book is fun! Honestly, I had a blast reading it. I tried not to take anything too seriously, and it was just such a joy to read. And such an easy read.

Things I didn't love:
1. Most of the other women on the show outside of our main two were very cookie cutter. I felt like they were forgettable and didn't really even notice they were there.
2. The romance seemed slightly rushed. We were on a timeline, but I wish we had a few more moments of Maya and Skye really connecting to each other before they start making out all the time.
3. They're all SO young! I get it-- I really do. But sometimes it baffled me how these girls were eighteen! In my head, they were 20+ because I just couldn't fathom it (but that is just me).

Overall, this book is a great read and I will be recommending it. It was super cute, fun, and thrilling all at the same time!

A cute story with a slight plot twist. A story of second chances and starting over. As Jordy Miller’s exes reconnect with him on a reality show, truths are revealed and personalities clash. When Maya and Skye are forced to room together, tensions are high. However, once the girls talk and come to a mutual understanding, things change. Now they create a plan to take down Jordy and get the justice they deserve. But will their love for each other prevail or crash and burn too?

the plot of this book was so intriguing and so well-executed. it made reality tv seem fun but also poked fun at it, without leaning too far in either direction. i loved everyone’s characters (and loved to hate some of them). maya and skye both were very strong main characters and i didn’t prefer either pov over the other.

i loved that this book had so much action going on in the plot instead of just every character saying how they feel over and over, but it still managed to be heartfelt. i could anticipate what was about to happen without it feeling predictable or boring. the romance between skye and maya felt organic and i liked them together a lot. even though everything was very fade-to-black, it was still satisfyingly steamy. the cringey moments (like mayas drunken breakdown early on) were super cringey in the sense that i hated what was happening but couldn’t look away.

i flew through this because it was so fun and sweet. i’m glad everyone got the ending they deserved. it’s really well-crafted and a great read. it’s one of my favorite YA books i’ve read recently

4.5 STARS

First things first, I was given a copy of this book as an ARC, in exchange for an honest review. A big thank-you to NetGalley, Wednesday Books, and Sophia Gonzales for allowing me to be an early reader!

I am so happy that I received this ARC, because I genuinely found it so difficult to put this book down.

Jordy Miller is about to be the star of a reality TV show, called Second Chance Romance. Essentially six of his ex-girlfriends will be dating Jordy again, to see if they can rekindle their love and discover if the sparks are still there. By the end of the show, Jordy will choose one of the contestants to become monogamous with.

This book is told in the perspective of Maya and Skye - two of his ex-girlfriends. When the two of them meet, they set off on the wrong foot. But once they get to know one another, they’re able to become friends, and realize they have more in common than they once thought.

Maya is currently in college, hoping to pursue a career in medicine. On the contrary, Skye has been backpacking across Europe, and takes one day at a time.
While Maya has more of a loud personality, Skye is reserved and finds it difficult to trust people.

I absolutely loved the storyline and writing of this book. It was such a page turner! Maya and Skye had such interesting personalities, and it was fun to follow along with them while they complete different challenges for the show! Also, it was lovely to get to know Jordy’s other ex-girlfriends as they definitely added an extra element to the drama!

If you are a lover of reality TV (especially The Bachelor) and looking for a strong queer, contemporary young adult romance, look no further! This book will be releasing in late November!

While I have enjoyed previous books by Sophie Gonzales a lot, I'm sorry to say that this one was a miss for me. The overall premise is great but it honestly makes no sense for this to be YA and I found myself continually frustrated by the fact that everything would have made so much more sense if the characters were 8-10 years older and hadn't just graduated from high school. No one should or would make a reality tv show where literal teenagers are getting drunk and trying to win back their royalty adjacent ex on camera. It's really frustrating that the author didn't just write this as their adult romance debut since it is well written and funny but sadly for me I couldn't get past the weird age/maturity issues.

Ah yes, a reality show premise that invites the exes of Jordy to live in a house together and see if there's a "second chance romance". The book centers on two of his exes, feisty Maya and more relaxed Skye. They both deign to want to participate and against both their better judgements decide to go in and what they get is.. almost exactly what they didn't expect but what they needed nonetheless.

I don't read a lot of pop-culture-y time fiction where this one straddles the upper YA / new adult audiences. I can see this being a lot of readers' cup of tea and I tolerated it because I'm also not a reality show fanatic and kind of sort of saw what was likely going to happen. But WYSIWYG.

What a fun, page-turning, romp! Reality TV drama (think the Bachelor/Bachelorette) meets love triangle meets juicy twist and you get "Never Ever Getting Back Together" by Sophie Gonzales.

The story revolves around Maya, a teenager who enters a reality tv show about "second chance love," aka a chance to get back at the tv show's "star" - ex-boyfriend who both cheated on her and dumped her for another girl. A girl who ALSO happens to be a contestant on this same show. Maya is out for petty revenge against both her ex and the "other woman." Miscommunications abound but ultimately, the girls clear the air and pair up to get back at their ex only to find love in the most unexpectedly place.

This was my first Sophie Gonzales novel, and I thoroughly enjoyed myself. The writing was crisp, and I devoured the book in one sitting. I loved the character development of the two leads as well as the enemies to friends to lover twist.

My only gripe with the novel was that all the characters seemed awfully young for a reality show about "second chance love." I would have preferred if they were all aged up a bit more, e.g. college/post-college. The stakes would have felt a little deeper, and the characters would have more lived-in experiences.

But, overall, this was a really fun rom-com and perfect for a summer/beach/vacation read.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press & Wednesday Books for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

First of all. I will read any book written by this author. I adore her representation of queer and Bi characters. Each one of her books always has a moment or moments when I feel so seen.

I enjoyed this book. It was a fun summer read. I definitely recommend this book if you love reality dating shows.
I liked that is book focused on the healing process and self discovery of the lead character even as she seeks revenge on her ex.

I personally wish the characters were a little older, especially with all the drinking and talking about past relationships and serious dating. But that could just be because I’m older and this could be the perfect book for someone younger to see themselves in.

I really liked how the book ended. How the lead characters found their way and themselves and each other. Definitely don’t skip the prologue on this one (apparently some people do that!!) because that may have been my favorite and mostly satisfying part.

4/5.

Great plot development and had me hooked on to the edge of my seat. I would have loved to see greater character development. Skye is very guarded, but I couldn’t find many examples of that when interacting with other people other than what she tells herself. Maya and Perrie were conjoined by the hip at the beginning of the novel, but as Maya and Skye become closer, it didn’t make sense that Maya would stop talking to Perrie. Certain characters felt surface level.

The first chapter was a great introduction to the characters situations, feelings, and had a great cliffhanger. I loved the way the plot had more twists and turns as the competition got more cutthroat. Gonzales knew exactly how to get readers to throw imaginary tomatoes at Jordy for all the despicable things he’s done.

It was a great feel good novel. I adored Lauren for being the mediator between all of the action going on. Issac was lovable the entire way through. I felt like watching The Bachelor with greater tones of empowerment and sympathy for one another. Would recommend.

Thank You to St. Martin's Press for the ARC.
Sophie’s books never fail to keep me interested and entertained. Even before starting this book I loved the idea of the plot. Imagine a show kind of like the bachelor….. except all the contestants are the bachelors exes. And Maya (the MC and an ex of bachelor Jordy) has to room with Skye, the girl Jordy cheated on her with. Talk about drama…. and genuine enemies to lovers when Maya and Skye start to catch feelings for each other.
There was a fair bit of petty drama between Jordy’s exes throughout the entire book but given the plot I thought it really fit with the plot of the book. Beyond the drama though there were obviously also some friendships formed which I thought was cool to see. I always enjoy reading this type of book where we get to see the behind the scenes of something we usually only see the glamorous side of in real life. The adventures, bonds between contestants, schemes and more that all happened off camera were so exciting to witness. Although in this case the on camera moments were often just as fun and entertaining.
Maya put everything into exposing Jordy for who he really is, which isn’t an easy task when the whole world sees him as a golden boy. It’s even harder to do when so much of the tv show is either scripted or plotted by the producers. Because why would reality tv ever be actual reality….. where’s the fun in that? I won’t go into any details to keep from spoiling anything, but the way everything worked out in the end made me extremely happy. There was a tiny bit of miscommunications to get to the very end but given the circumstance I didn’t mind as it seemed pretty much unavoidable. The girls really proved they were both better off without the boy and that’s the kind of happy ending I live for.

"Never ever getting back together" was a cute book. It felt like it took me a while to get into it. At first the dual pov bothered me, but by the end I was eagerly anticipating it.

How do you convince a girl who's been burned by a relationship to go back and try a reality show called second- chance romance? You don't! Maya agrees, but only so she can get revenge on the cheating S.O.B. that invited her. Oh and then we have to ramp up all the drama and Maya is stuck with Skye, you know... the one that was in on the cheating.

Skye agrees, because Jordy had to move, why not give him a second chance and find out what could have been... Did Skye really know that Jordy was still with Maya when they started dating?

Want all the drama and the details? Read this book to see! I loved the way relationships developed in this book!

This was such a fun and sweet read. I loved the concept of the second chance reality dating show. The descriptions of the dresses and settings were so fun, including the girls interactions with both Jordy and the crew. It was awesome to see how the women supported each other and grew their friendships, but I especially loved Skye and Maya. This was a fun, fast story that I highly recommend.