Writing duo Emily Wibberley and Austin Siegemund-Broka are back with another YA romance, this time a second-chance one. It follows Kaylee, who briefly dated her family friend's son Dean and now has to face their families' annual joint vacation. I know a lot of people who had that same sort of brief relationship in high school, and usually it's brushed off as a fling but Wibberley and Siegemund-Broka take an interesting angle with it.
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After realizing that Dean is not, in fact, over her, Kaylee makes it her mission to coach him through it, and in the process, begins to question why she broke up with him in the first place. While I personally would never date a family friend's son, Wibberley and Siegemund-Broka ended up making me believe in their relationship in the end. A big theme in this book is about communication as Kaylee and Dean learn how to open up to each other,so in a way Kaylee and Dean's history helped to emphasize that.
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This book also touches on perfectionism and body image in a way that felt natural. Kaylee is a volleyball star, and finds herself comparing herself to others a lot because of it. I'm not an athlete, but I know that I definitely fell into the comparison trap as a teenager. She also struggles with her body image, and the way that Wibberley and Siegemund-Broka tackle that is unique, with Kaylee's body image issues being more subtle.
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I can certainly see this book being a popular spring break and summertime read.
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In this YA romance, Kaylee is a volleyball player who is forced to go on their annual family vacation with her ex-boyfriend Dean. Being a serial dater, she tries to help him move on but they both realize they still have feelings for each other.

I have heard a lot about this author duo and how fun their books are. However, this one did not work for me. I felt that it read very young, even for YA. There was a weird family dynamic and the romance needed more to it. It kind of fell flat.

I had a hard time connecting with the romance in this one. I felt both characters were childish and I couldn't root for them much.

I know I'd decided a long time ago that this duo's YA books aren't for me. Then I see this trope: friends to lovers to exes to enemies to lovers , and me being the way I am couldn't resist it by not adding this in my tbr-list.

This main character didnt need any sort of relationship, She needed therapy. And for her mom to go to therapy.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me free access to the advanced digital copy of this book.
This was a great second chance romance.

Thanks to Net Galley for this ARC. Follows a very predictable story line. Friends to lovers to exes and so on. It was cute and an easy listen but not a lot of substance.

I gave this book 4 stars. It was so good. I love that the romance included family. Falling for your best friend who you always vacation with was so unique. I also loved how the MC lived volleyball and had to deal with so many internal emotions.

I couldn’t make it through this one. The main characters were not well done. I really couldn’t stand the Kaylee. Her and dean also had zero chemistry. This one was a miss for me.

A cute, summery, beachy romance with relatable teens and a simple storyline full of moments of growth and self-discovery, Never Vacation with Your Ex is an engaging part of Viking’s Spring 2023 releases. It’s perfect timing that this book is coming out in April, ready for teens to grab before they finish up school and head into summer vacation. Kaylee and Dean are two of the more down-to-Earth characters and their story is incredible accessible and relatable for this age bracket. There’s romance without being too graphic. it remains sweet throughout with the focus not solely being on the love story, but with friendships and familial relationships intertwined for an excellent balance.

Though I’m definitely too mature for this particular book (I didn’t personally find myself connecting with the characters on any real level), I did enjoy the story itself as a whole. Kaylee and Dean are both trying to understand themselves as individuals, as friends, and potentially as more than friends. They’re not letting any feelings that they have for one another get in the way of their dreams and aspirations. They’re learning to balance the expectations of others and their own true wants and desires for life, knowing that on the cusp of adulthood, they are on a precipice, about to embark on the next phase. It’s refreshing to see these two characters who understand that there is more to life than their feelings for one another. Life is complex and multi-faceted and within them, many feelings can exist and compete with one another. This is a true depiction of teenage-dom that I think many readers will enjoy.

Gah once again Emily and Austin make me feel EVERYTHING. I loved this second chance, friends to lovers to exes to tentative friends to lovers again story so much. Also worth noting that I am a HUGE beach volleyball fan, so I really enjoyed that aspect of the story. Kaylee, our narrator, was a little difficult for me to identify with simply because I’m not nor have I ever been a social media influencer or tried to pursue a sport as a career 😂 her perfectionist tendencies, and her to desire to be ON all the time and never let anyone see her weak emotionally or otherwise was hella relatable though. Even at 31, it’s something I still greatly struggle with. And I absolutely adored Dean. How unapologetically himself he was, and how he refused to sugarcoat his feelings around Kaylee or anyone else. He was wide open, free-spirited, and so damn sweet. This was a slooooooooow burn, and I’m not mad at it. It was soft and sweet, but had a little steam. The dancing scene? Swoooooon.

I could gush about this story for days, but y’all don’t want to read my love letters to Emily and Austin, so I’ll leave you with this: read this book.

I’m such a sucker for this duo’s books. And a YA book involving volleyball makes it even better. I loved the both main characters so much

Fantastic! Never vacation with your ex...or his parents...or his little sister! Things get dicey. This was a cute read by a new-to-me author. Well done!

This was another really fun romcom from the Wibbrokas! I loved the premise for this, and watching the characters slowly grow back together was a delight. A perfect summer read!

I really enjoy YA reads, especially when I can recommend them to my students. These authors write such great stories.

I could have used ,more romance in this one, but I still liked it. What an awkward situation to be in! Second chance, young love, families involvement, a good read! Plus vacation vibes!

I was intrigued by this book from the very beginning I mean childhood, best friends, that are also recently exs, now stuck on joint family vacation together, come on that’s interesting.
I’m honestly surprised the ratings on the book are the so low I thought the premise of the book was fun and it was executed well I didn’t feel like a dragged. It was a really cute YA summer read.
Kaylee was a cute and relatable character. I also played volleyball and high school and still do, definitely not up to their standards, but I feel like I connected in a small way to them through that. While Kaylee definitely made questionable choices, I feel like her overthinking mind was behind all of it, I will say her character development, especially throughout the story was done really well.
I honestly really enjoyed the lightness of this book, it was very YA in the sense that teenagers acted like how you would expect teenagers too. I found this book refreshing, fun, lighthearted, enjoyable and I feel like it delivered exactly what I was hoping.
If you’re looking for a book, that’s going to be wrapped in emotions and drama filled; this is not your book. However, if you’re looking for one with a really fun premise, lighthearted, enjoyable characters, and a fun summery feel this is the perfect book for you and I would definitely recommend!

*Thank you Penguin Teen, author and team for an eARC is exchange for an honest review. All thoughts above are my own*

In case it wasn't obvious, #NeverVacationWithYourEx 👀

Thank you @prhaudio for this ALC!

𝙈𝙞𝙣𝙞 𝙍𝙚𝙫𝙞𝙚𝙬: This was a fun, sweet little #yaromance! This book made me wish for summer sun and beach trips as we followed volleyball player Kaylee on her families summer vacation...that they happen to go on with her ex boyfriends family. No big deal right?! While Kaylee was not my favorite FMC by any means, I did enjoy her growth. Overall, this is a cute, lighthearted read that will have you dreaming of warm days and sunshine.

𝙍𝙚𝙖𝙙 𝙞𝙛 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙚𝙣𝙟𝙤𝙮:
• ya books
• second chance romance
• friends to lovers
• family drama
• character development

I DNF’ed this book around 30%.

The main reason? The FMC was incredibly annoying. Her POV was so unbearable I couldn’t continue. She was a privileged, talented, pretty girl and all she did was whine and complain. I had no sympathy for her when she had to vacation with her ex - it was completely her fault. And I kind of hope they don’t end up together in the end.

*Thank you Penguin Randomhouse for an eARC in exchange for an honest review*

I loved Emily and Austin's What's Not to Love so when this showed up, I was super excited to get my hands on it. This story follows Kaylee and Dean whose two families vacation together every year... even the summer following their not so easy break up.

Although I couldn't help but wish these characters were just a tad older because the idea of a two month relationship being a long time gave me a little chuckle, I can't help but applaud Emily and Austin once again for making teen characters feel three dimensional and relatable even to someone not in that age category while also not making them feel like they were adults in teen bodies.

I loved the family dynamics taking place in this book. The romance was fun and cute while also handling those big "who am I" questions we all felt at the end of high school when the schools are telling us we should know what we want to do with our lives. Absolutely loved this one.

I land right in the middle on this YA novel. I really liked the main character Kaylee and her determination when it comes to volleyball. It almost felt like the main issue here was more about how Kaylee views herself and her striving for perfection than any relationship issues, but that didn't necessarily bother me. Kaylee's growth throughout the book was explained very well. However, I also liked her ex Dean. I did like their second chance romance and the issues they had when they broke up felt authentic as did their reunion.

However, I could not STAND the parents in this book. There is just no way any normal parents would act like this over a high school romance. It nearly ruined the book for me but I pushed through and just kind of ignored their comments.

Overall, I thought this was fine. I will give this author duo another chance because I've heard a lot of people say they like their other books more.