This book was an ARC from Penguin Teen that I was really excited to read. A 17yo dates her best friend and broke up with him before their group family vacation! The families have been going on vacation for 20+ years so the kids were forced to deal worth their BS.


I loved how the story worked through Kaylee’s internal struggle from social media pressure, and feeling the weight of constant comparisons between her and her mother. Kaylee is following in her mother’s footsteps to become a pro volleyball athlete.

She’s also trying ti mend her relationship with her best friend who she dumped because she didn’t feel worthy enough to look heartbroken if they ever did get too serious.

The struggle of teenage life is hard to navigate and this book was great at relating to the teenage brain process while also giving great advice to cope and work through tough issues.

All relationships have rough edges! I’m almost 40 and felt connected to this story as well.

Well done!

So I actually really enjoyed this book! I will say I found Kaylee to be extremely annoying and difficult, but by the end of the book you can understand why. Or at least you see growth so it’s not so bad. Despite that the book is really good and I think does a good job at looking at getting into sports professionally as well as what happens when you date your best friend! Overall a really good read.

⭐⭐⭐⭐

𝘼 𝙔𝘼 𝙨𝙚𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙙 𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚 𝙧𝙤𝙢𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚 𝙬𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙧𝙪𝙡𝙚𝙨 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙜𝙚𝙩𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙧 𝙖𝙣 𝙚𝙭 𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙣 𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙗𝙚 𝙢𝙤𝙧𝙚 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙥𝙡𝙞𝙘𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙮 𝙨𝙚𝙚𝙢.

📍 Read if you like:
• Second Chance Romances
• Teen Drama
• Volleyball
• Malibu/Beaches

This book has not been getting the greatest reviews on Goodreads lately - and I get why, I really do - however, there is so much more to the story than this YA romance. It won’t be everyone’s cup of tea, but I did find it enjoyable for the most part.

A lot of the reviews I read about this book mentioned how unlikable Kaylee was, and I truly understand why they would say that. While I do agree a bit, I also understood the harsh reality she was facing. I know how tough living up to expectations can be so I get why Kaylee was like that with volleyball, especially since the stakes were high with her famous mother.

I will say, the YA romance wasn’t as strong in this book. It did lack some meaning, and I feel like the book itself would have worked so much better if it was dual pov. I found myself pushing to get through some of the chapters as I needed a break - aka a second pov from the hero.

This wasn’t at all a terrible book, it just won’t be for everyone. You sort of have to accept the story and enjoy it for what it is: a slight young adult second-chance romance about our two characters navigating through life - in this case a vacation - in Malibu.

I have read two books by this author duo prior to reading this one, and I loved both of them. Seriously though, if you have not read The Roughest Draft then you should definitely pick it up. While I get the low ratings and understand the frustration with the MC, I also feel like the story had so much more to it that was ignored. It was a decent YA romance, and honestly, I would recommend it to the intended reader.

Thank you Penguin Teen and NetGalley for the gifted e-ARC in exchange for my honest review, all thoughts are my own!

Cute second chance/childhood friends romance! This has all the great things in a contemporary YA - coming of age issues, figuring out figure plans and where relationships fit. It was a good pace and an easy read (short chapters helps
with that feel).

Thank you to PenguinTeen for the earc in exchange for an honest review.

Light read for young adults. The romance was just that of young love. Our main character focuses more on the pressure of her athletic career. So the romance is not in the for front but over all it was a good story.

it was a very fun book to read and i really enjoyed the story thanks netgalley for letting me read this one

Kaylee and Dean have grown up together. Their parents are all best friends who met in college and vacation together every summer in Malibu. Kaylee is top-ranked beach volleyball athlete who looks forward to the summer break every year. The problem with this summer is that she dated Dean briefly and broke his heart, so she's not looking forward to the tension she'll face when their families share a house on the Malibu shore. Kaylee's mom was an Olympic beach volleyball player, so she's dealing with the pressure of being compared to her mom and trying to reach her goals as an athlete wanting to go pro. Combined with the stress of relationships and trying to protect her heart, Kaylee is known for dumping her boyfriends quickly. This one is different though and Dean clearly isn't over her. Never Vacation with Your Ex is a romance story about two friends who are trying to figure out how to keep their friendship and not mess up the dynamic between the two families. This coming of age story really focuses on the emotional growth that Kaylee must go through. Austin & Emily have a way with words that connect the reader to the emotions of the characters and they have become go-to authors for me. Although there was a brief part of the story where I thought it was changing directions, I enjoyed this beachy read. It's perfect for a summer vacation read. I love this cover too, so of course I ordered the physical copy for my YA shelf.

Thank you to Penguin Teen for the digital ARC.

Never Vacation With Your Ex by @austins_b and @wibbs_ink was a perfect vacation YA read!
I’ll admit, I’m way too old to truly understand the influencer lifestyle… but besides that, I so enjoyed reading about Kaylee and her attempt to help her ex Dean get over her!
Teen relationships are so new that they can end up over the top, and so can their breakups, especially when the families are intertwined.
Stuck vacationing with her ex and his family, Kaylee knows she can help him move on… but can she really?
A fun one from beginning to end!
#ilovetoread #yaliterature #newreleasetuesday

This cute YA romance, was entertaining, humorous, but also a bit on the peer pressure/serious side of YA life.
Enjoyable, binge worthy, a good overall title, relatable at moments, with it's dose of awkward, likable characters.

This was a well-developed and thoughtful YA romance. Kaylee and Dean are high achieving best friends (who are also exes) going on a family vacation. Their connection felt very real and I liked how their second chance at romantic connection developed. As the reader, Kaylee felt a bit hard to connect to during parts of the story. I wasn't quite sure what she was feeling because she seemed to be a bit all over the place. This might also be a situation of an adult trying to connect to younger characters but it didn't take me too far out of the story. I really liked the character of Dean and he seemed like a very good friend to her. Overall this was an enjoyable read and will pair perfectly with a day at the beach this summer. Thanks to Emily Wibberley, Austin Siegemund-Broka, Viking Books, and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book.

Cute YA romance, but I don't see where it is going to set itself apart in that particular genre. It is missing a wow factor that would set it apart from other titles. Kaylee is one of those characters that readers will either enjoy or not. Because I'm not the market demographic, I didn't find her all that likeable. She whined too much for me, especially given that she created her own limitations and emotional mess, but I'm also an adult with two teenage daughters of my own. While I can certainly appreciate the teenage point of view, I cannot necessarily relate to it.

I love second chance romance stories, and I think many young teen readers will find that appealing in this one. The fact that Dean and Kaylee were friends first may enhance it even more for some readers! Never Vacation with Your Ex will be a good title for teen readers who want a fun read without heavy emotions. It also doesn't hurt that it has a good summer setting, making it a great beach read.

Thank you Netgalley and Viking Books for the opportunity to read this book.

I’ve realized it’s hit or miss for this duo authors books. There’s things I love and some things it feels very YA, which I have to remind myself I’m reading. But I do love second chance romances and I love animosity, and I felt that in this story.

What would happen if you had to vacation with your ex?! Well Kaylee feels that when she has to with her ex Dean, because every year their families vacation together. To make this a carefree, less stressful vacation, she hatched a plan and decides to tell Dean the rules to follow. But what happens when you start to re-fall in love.. well you go with the ride.

This book gives you childhood friends to lovers to second chances. I’ve never been in this situation, so I can only imagine the difficulties of it. I liked how the authors wrote about it, giving me a view of something I’ve never experienced.

Kaylee is a self-confident queen; she knows she’s hot shit and I love her for it. And then there’s sweet and sensitive Dean who’s going to hold onto love as hard as he can. This high school romance story was delightful, fun, and witty with a great group of side characters who made the book feel well-rounded. Kaylee’s struggle with perfection and expectations was well done and relatable.

Never Vacation With Your Ex is a sweet look at found family and expectations. Kaylee was a really likable character, and I felt all the pressure she was putting on herself. Dean was a great friend, and was so mature for his age. I thought the chemistry between all the characters was really well written, and I had a hard time putting this down.

I typically don’t pick up YA romance, but I am glad I took a chance on this one!! Thanks to the publishers/authors for an advance copy. All thoughts are my own.

This was a sweet book to read. The relationship between Dean and Kaylee went through its ups and downs, like any relationship in real life. My favorite part of the book however, is the message to forge your own path rather than following is anyone else's footsteps.

Emily Wibberly and Austin Siegmund-Broka are back with a second chance YA romance following (former) best friends Kaylee and Dean as they navigate familial expectations, their dreams, and young love.

Kaylee is a talented volleyball player with a famous volleyball player mom; Dean is a young artist with a passion for photography. Together, they’re THE wonder duo. Until they start dating, and Kaylee, a notorious heartbreaker, breaks up with Dean. Right before the annual family vacation - with Dean’s family. What could possibly go wrong?

Wibberly and Siegmund-Broka are really good at writing realistic stories that don’t try to romanticize the difficult stuff. Some of the major themes in this book were overcoming perfectionism, people-pleasing, and not feeling good enough. All of which are so important and relevant for teens especially, and I thought that the authors talked about and handled them really well.

Kaylee’s character development was, in my opinion, pretty realistic. She’s juggling a lot of pressure and expectations that no teenager should have to deal with, and I think she grew a lot, especially when it came to her emotions and her perfectionism.

Overall, I really enjoyed this novel (the romance was really cute, too!) and I can’t wait to read more from this author duo.

3 Stars Never Vacation with Your Ex is a second chance YA romance. There were strong themes of living up to familial expectations, going after your own dreams/desires, and of course, young love. I wasn't a huge fan of the characters in this book, which is how I felt about the characters in the last book I read by these authors, The Roughest Draft. The MCs are super likeable, which makes it hard to relate to them and enjoy the story.

I thought this was a cute YA read.
Never Vacation with Your Ex by Emily Wibberley; Austin Siegemund-Broka was cute, funny and such a fun story.
This summer love story was written well with some pretty great characters.
I didn’t really feel connected to the MC but I’m sure most YAs might.
But that never took anything away from the story. I enjoyed it from start to finish.
I was hooked once I started.

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

Thank You NetGalley and Viking Books for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

Wow…
This was p.a.i.n.f.u.l.

I was so excited for this… and it was just terrible. I don’t even feel bad leaving a bad review because I think the authors actually wrote the most terrible main character under the illusion that she would be likable. They failed because she was absolutely the worst with no redeemable quality at all. From the very beginning of the book, she is entitled, incredibly full of herself… to the point of it being painful to read.

The premise of the book is that she is going on vacation with her ex. This specific ex (because she has many ((it’s like a whole big thing of hers)) is one of her best friends. More specifically, her childhood best friend; son of her parents best friends, whom she vacations with every single year.

Even though her parents warned her not to date this boy, who has been in love with her for years, she disregarded it and does whatever she wants to do on a whim, and then breaks up with him 2 months later, thinking that it won’t affect everyone else around her. Not to mention so callously breaking someone’s heart just for the sake of doing something because you feel like it.

I am so irritated and I just know that I will not be reading from these authors again. There was no chemistry between Kaylee and Dean. I didn’t even see the friendship chemistry that they were supposed to have. So this was just a definite no for me.

30% in and she broke up with him. But she doesn't explain why. And then she acts hurt that they're not together. AND THEN gets mad at him for saying he misses her. None of this makes sense and it does not make it entertaining. As this is the 2nd book by this author duo that I've DNF'ed, I don't think I'll be trying them anymore.