This is every reality TV fan’s (genuine or ironic) perfect escape from all that is terrible in the world.
Okay, so we’ve got Maya, a girl just trying to live her life the summer before college starts when she gets a call and is asked to be on this reality show that stars Jordy, Maya’s terrible ex boyfriend and his ex girlfriends in an attempt for him to find “the one that got away”. Think The Bachelor meets Unreal meets Ex On The Beach. Maya reluctantly agrees to appear on the show in hopes to take Jordy down, but she’s surprised to find Skye, another one of his exes, a little distracting…
You guys. If the Bachelor had a season like this, I would actually last until the end instead of getting so bored I dip before we even get to hometowns.
This story was just so much fun to read. I could picture each scene so clearly in my head and the ending was so satisfying.
Maya is the chaotic bisexual character that I needed. I loved seeing Skye break down her walls (can you tell I’m trying to use reality TV clichés?).
The romance between Maya and Skye was lightly hinted at before it happened, but when it did happen, it was still kind of shocking. You get a couple will-they won’t-they instances before that leave you kind of yearning for it, which makes it so addicting to read. The banter was funny and reminded me of my friends and me. Jordy’s character was the perfect amount of unlikable without being painful to read about.
I started reading this as a way to get my mind off of having to say goodbye to my sweet big dog Sam a few days ago, and it definitely gave me such a nice break from all the sad feelings that come along with loss.

As a Taylor Swift fan, it was hard not to love the title of this book and instantly request it!

BUT what I did not expect was to love this book as much as I did. I am not one to give five stars easily but this book was such a great presentation of bi characters that I really want everyone to read it! I cried and laughed in a span of five minutes. Sophie's writing style is nothing short of beautiful and her ability to make you feel emotion is just something I am always in awe of!

Would HIGHLY recommend!

If you've ever watched The Bachelor and thought, man I want to know what it's like behind the scenes - this is the rom com novel for you. Fans of reality dating shows will love this book about a group of girls who've all dated the same man - who are brought together to "re-explore" their connections with him, but things take a turn when two ladies with a complicated past are forced to spend time together during the show's filming.

It's a modern take on the classic, enemies to lovers novel with an LGBTQIA twist and some shocking moments along the way - cue the suspenseful reality TV music with a line of women longingly staring at a man who is either going to choose them or dump them over the next several weeks.

Could this be THE MOST DRAMATIC reality show romance novel we've ever read?

Did I request this because the title reminded me of a Taylor Swift song? Maybe. Behind the scenes of The Bachelor meets John Tucker Must Die with a bit of Red, White, and Royal Blue vibes thrown in. This was so cute and charming. A nice rivals-to-lovers, the girls win in the end, quick read. I really enjoyed this. Bi rep, diverse characters. Jordy sucks. I was rooting for Skye and Maya the whole time.

I didn’t know what to expect from this book and that is 5e best was to go in. There were twists and turns I didn’t see coming and I loved the reality TV setting and getting a glimpse behind the scenes. While 5e author previously has published YA, this title is definitely adult. 5e characters are all in their 20’s if barely. I truly enjoyed this book, probably more than I thought I would. The characters were brought to life in a realistic way and having multiple points of view added even more to the story. If you’re looking for a fun read filled with surprises Never Ever Getting Back Together is the book for you.

god i hate jordy...

when i first saw NEVER EVER GETTING BACK TOGETHER, i was immediately excited. i love a good rivals-to-lovers, especially when it's sapphic, and i'm happy to say that it's delivered. it's funny and lighthearted, and the romance is cute.

i enjoyed the characters, and gonzales does a good job of crafting maya and skye and allowing us to see both their perspectives. the supporting characters were also well-flushed out and nuanced. i loved the friendships that formed on the show, and the relationships were well-written when you take into consideration the stressful and weird setting around these characters. every character (at least the ones on the reality show) had depth. shout-out to perrie by the way...she's so cool.

the reality-tv show aspect was also done well! i'm not a big watcher of relationship reality tv, but i thought it felt mostly accurate! the scripted lines, faking your emotions, stuff like that is what makes reality tv Reality TV...so it captured that well.

the romance!!! it was well-developed and i liked seeing maya and skye grow closer as they tried to take down jordy. it wasn't too fast or too slow.

also this book is funny.

overall, i quite enjoyed reading this book! sophie gonzales is a good writer and i enjoy reading her works.

Like if the selection and behind the scenes of the bachelor had a baby but worse. I had high expectations but this didn't follow through. I disliked all the character they're very annoying and unlikeable. There's no build up between our MCs it went to like 30% of them fighting to them kissing the next chapter and basically having a full relationship. And the miscommunication that made Maya hate Skye, and Skye be afraid of Maya was because the man that was nothing but rude to them lied to them, but neither of them for one second was like,,, hey, maybe I should,,, believe other women who was also wronged by this man.

One singular girl out of the like eight or so that start the show actually like him and I'm pretty sure it's just because he is royalty and he sends her home first. None of them like him, they all hate him, the production staff are trying to make the dates seem romantic but he's stiff and the girls are awkward and bad actors. Also the timeline moves so fast we're skipping days left and right.

Like I said I had high expectations, I added this book to my goodreads when it had no cover photo and only a bio of it. Bisexual bachelor vibes where the constants fall for each other instead but have to stay on the show to stay together longer. It sounded so good, but I think I was expecting almost a love triangle where the love interest bachelor was likeable so the MC was struggling to choose between the other constant and the bachelor. Because one is her ex with a past relationship she still had love for and this other one is so fresh and new. But that wasn't this.

I appreciate the opportunity to read and review this digital ARC from NetGalley and St. Martins Press.

eARC received from Netgalley
Overall, I enjoyed this quite a bit! I struggled a bit in the beginning, but as the story went on I got into it. The resolution was satisfying, but the main reason I ranked this 3 stars is because I feel like I didn't connect with either of the main characters. It was hard for me to root for them because I felt like I didn't know them? It's like this book was missing just a little something to make me really love it. The setting and characters just felt kind of generic and blah, so I wasn't blown away.
I did like the premise and the whole Skye-and-Maya-fall-in-love-and-leave-Jordy-in-the-dust aspect of it, though. This is the main reason I enjoyed the book. Anyone who's a fan of contemporary YA will like this one.

*I received an advanced copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.*

3.5 Stars. Here me out, what if we went on the bachelor to get revenge on our cheating ex but fell in love with each other instead? Talk about the most shocking finale ever.

I loved the idea behind this book, it's a fun twist to the genre with very likeable characters and in Jordy's case, a very unlikeable character. The author succeeded swimmingly on that front. I loathed Jordy and honestly probably would have enjoyed the book more if I didn't hate him so much. I wanted to scream at the girls fawning over him, and the MC at times for being so blinded by revenge. That's more of a me problem than a book fault though.


My one complaint, and why I couldn't give it a higher rating, I think that the romance between Maya and Skye went from zero to 100 very fast. I wanted more of a buildup, more chemistry slowing being made.

Overall a sweet read. Very fun and awesome to see this kind of twist on a dating show like this.

I received this book in exchange for an honest opinion.

This book started out as so-so for me. I tried to like it more than I did, and I hate leaving a book unfinished. However, by the end, it had caught my attention.

I received this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This book was meh. Felt contrived and a bit forced. Jordy is such a despicable person that I just got frustrated and didn't enjoy the read.

Never Ever Getting Back Together by Sofie Gonzales was such an incredible book to read. As someone who’s went through a bad breakup, I can honestly say that the book is very realistic and relatable. The characters were well written and the book was easy to picture in my head playing out as I read. Full of plot twists, this book was hard to put down after picking it up. Definitely would read it again.

Did I read this in less than 24 hours? Absolutely yes.

I won't say too much, since this isn't out for a while yet, but I ADORED this book. You know how you start watching a show like The Bachelor, or Love Is Blind, and you simply cannot look away from the drama and chaos? That is the exact experience I had reading this book. I COULD NOT PUT IT DOWN. The concept managed to be fresh while also being familiar, and it was just so FUN? I couldn't stop laughing and cringing in the best way. Jordy is so much fun to detest, and Maya/Skye's hate-to-love arc was just the best. I love them together, and I'm so glad everyone got what they deserved in the end (hehehe). Plus! Both Maya and Skye were just unashamedly, openly bi and I loved that so much!

Do not miss this one!!!

4.25 ⭐️ so so good/charming!!! didn’t give me the same bubbly feelings as perfect on paper; however, it was a deeply satisfying book with a killer ending and a cute couple. i loved the plot and the reality tv aspect because this kind of stuff airs all the time and so much of it is edited really heavily. getting to see that (no matter how fictional the show) was really cool. i also loved all of the different friendships within the story and how they were so dependent on the show itself. it really shows how separate the filming is from the outside world, and how in isolation things evolved so fast. it made way more sense in the context of skye and maya’s relationship this way, because sometimes i feel like romcoms are way too rushed; “never ever getting back together” takes all of the time it needs to develop its story and characters, and the result is a fun, banter-filled romp with a main couple you’ll love to root for and side characters you’ll love to laugh with—not to mention the villain, who is so despicable i can’t even begin to describe him. highly recommend it!!!!!

This book was a fun treat! I loved it! It was a good reset after I read a heavier book. It kept me flipping pages well past my bedtime!!

I. AM. OBSESSED. I'm getting Red White & Royal Blue meets The Bachelor vibes and I'm LIVING for it. Plus the queer rom com representation? Give us more! I stayed up waaaay too late finishing Never Ever Getting Back Together (cue Taylor Swift song) because I was just so into the story and the charcaters. Maya & Skye are EVERYTHING - so glad this book is written in their dual POV. This is a fun summer read for sure - you'll be laughing out loud and getting that warm fuzzy feeling. And of course shaking your head. Who doesn't want to get revenge on a toxic ex? And maybe fall in love with another one of your ex's exs in the process!

Huge thanks to NetGalley for the eARC.

This was a really fun take on dating shows! It also showed the ways in which manipulators will lie and cause tension between people to get what they want. While the plot was mostly focused on Skye and Maya I did like some of the side characters most notably Peerie and Issac. There is sort of a subplot that pertains to Maya and how she feels about going to college and I wish that it got more time to be fully developed rather than the sort of rushed ending it got in the book. I think it's a really valid concern that lots of people feel when it's time to decide if they want to go to college or not and it would have been nice to give it more attention.

As much as I wanted to like this one, the premises were too cutesy for me and it just didn’t click. I had a hard time envisioning the characters because I kept feeling like they should be older than they were written, and the royalty element was too much for me.

This book is definitely for someone else, just not for me.

I was surprised in the best possible way by this book. Reading the synopsis, I thought it was a cis twist on the Selection, but it was SO much better. The character arcs were well done, and the writing style flowed really smoothly so my daily 30 minutes of Reading easily melted into two hours.

I found myself pleasantly surprised by this book.

I admit, I was certain I knew the ending about 5 minutes in. It turns out, I was wrong. What is even more impressive is that one of the main conflicts was quickly solved by the two characters having a five minute conversation! How often does that happen in fiction? The flip side of that though, is it seems that the ending conflict could have been resolved the same way, and that annoyed me.

Overall, a well written book. Some of the secondary characters could have been fleshed out a little more, but that did not detract from the primary story.