This was my first time reading anything from Emily & Austin. I liked it but it wasn't my favorite thing in the world. I'll probably give them another chance and read something else from them to see if maybe they just aren't for me.

I felt the pacing was off and overall it just.. wasn't for me, I guess. But that doesn't mean that it won't be for someone else.

Star volleyball player and serial dater Kaylee Jordan is stuck spending another summer vacation with her mom’s best friend’s family, except she had dated their son Dean and she is not ready to face him after breaking his heart. Convinced he is not over her, Kaylee steps up to help him do just that. Right when she succeeds, could her change of heart be too late to save the only real relationship she ever had?

Very cute, endearing, sweet, NEVER VACATION WITH YOUR EX captures the hardships of meeting expectations and protecting oneself from heartache by avoiding risks. The story developed Kaylee more than Dean, but seeing their romance blossom throughout their friendship turned lovers turned exes turned friendship turned lovers was heartwarming.

This was another adorable YA romance from this duo! I loved the second chance romance of these childhood friends turned lovers turned exes forced to be together again during their annual summer vacation to California with their families. It was fast paced and will be the perfect read for summer!

I flew through this one in less than a day. For sure one of my new favorite YA books 💗

What I loved —
✨my fav trope: second chance romance
✨forced proximity
✨childhood best friends to lovers
✨California vacation vibes 🏝️
✨the MC is a perfectionist + very competitive, which causes issues with her dating life. I loved the growth she made!
✨ Dean is the sweetest human 🥺
✨I loved all of the volleyball talk because I used to play 🏐
✨the cover is gorgeous 🤩

This is the first YA I’ve read by this writing duo. I’ve read two of their adult romances and they have quickly become auto-buy authors for me!

📖 ARC REVIEW 📖

Thank you @penguinteen for an early copy of Never Vacation with Your Ex by Emily Wibberley and Austin Siegemund-Broka. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. 🤍

Never Vacation with Your Ex is a YA contemporary romance about Kaylee, a 17-year-old volleyball star who’s under pressure from constant training, player rankings, social media and her famous mom, and Dean, her best friend, and ex-boyfriend. They dated for a while, but with Kaylee’s streak of breaking up with guy after guy, dating Dean was no different. They both still haven’t processed their breakup when both their families’ tradition of vacationing in Malibu comes up and they are forced to spend time together despite the rift. To spare their worst summer ever, Kaylee walks through her rules of getting over an ex with Dean, but Dean sees this as an opportunity to win her back.

This was a difficult read for me; I found the FMC annoying from the beginning, who knows all the stakes of dating her best friend Dean, has been warned by both their parents that it will not end up well if they broke up as she will lose both a best friend and a boyfriend, and yet she still goes and dates Dean, then dumps him after a few months, with no acceptable reason. She’s done this with other guys in the past, date them and dump them, and I found that really annoying and selfish as she comes off with no regard for other people’s feelings. All the drama was very unnecessary and immature.

Rating this ⭐.5/5. Releases April 4th, 2023.

Sierra was a tough character to enjoy. I think because we are so different in age and places in life, it was hard to remember the growing pains of growing up. I forgot what it’s like to be cavalier with relationships and feelings and how self doubt can rule your teenage years. There were times I wanted to scream at Sierra because she was too inside her head by letting her insecurities get the best of her.

I had a hard time connecting with this story. There were little moments where I felt a moment of connection, but they were few and far between. It felt as if I was trying too hard to be in the story, that this ultimately made it unenjoyable to read. As much as I love this duo, I think I might have outgrown their YA genre and may just stick with their adult romances instead. Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Teen for this ARC

Wibbroka has knocked it out of the park yet again. We follow Kaylee, who broke up with her childhood best friend-turned-boyfriend right after saying "I love you" a couple of months ago, and now has to go on their joint family vacation and pretend everything is fine. I had so much fun with this book! Kaylee tries to help Dean--the love interest--move on from her, which was a ton of fun to read about. I loved seeing their interactions; they flowed so naturally and were well-written. In addition to the second chance romance, Kaylee is a volleyball player with her sights set on the Olympics, just like her mom. Kaylee deals with a lot of pressure--both from herself and from her social media following--to outdo her mom's stats. Seeing Kaylee come to terms with the fact that she isn't perfect and doesn't have to put on a show for her followers was so great to see in this YA contemporary. These elements, combined with the Malibu beach house setting and the excellent side characters, made for a great YA rom-com that I'd highly recommend!

I have a bad feeling I'm in a slow-moving breakup with this author duo. The magic is fizzling out, if not outright gone, and clearly I need to follow the path of this protagonist's story and drop it like it's hot.

Because, yeah, I could not muster up any sympathy for Kaylee. There was no ambivalence, even, or moments where I felt for her, she just made me frustrated. And the whole guide to getting over a break-up/ex routine she played off on Dean, her ex, just rubbed me the wrong way the whole time. But I can't even say that I felt more for Dean or sympathized with him, either, because he frustrated me, too. And so did the parents. Honestly, the only characters that escaped my irritation were the younger sisters. I wish you hundreds of family game night wins to ensure endless Mamma Mia! rewatches, girls. You deserve it.

So, yeah, I won't be recommending this. And I wish I had gone with my gut when I initially hesitated over requesting this, knowing the last few reads by this author (not just YA, but I'm lumping their adult debut in this corner, too) did not go well. But it was almost habit to get excited over a new Wibbroka and therefore the thought of not wanting it in my hands seemed foreign. But.. we (I) shall be moving on from this. We (I) will do better apart. We are, maybe, no longer meant to be. Insert a Taylor Swift lyrics here.

Or, at least, I won't be on the pre-release hype squad. I'll probably still pick them up on the down-low. What can I say, I have endless chances in me for those I once loved. For now, at least.

Pure perfection. I adored both characters and found myself relating to both of them. Family and romance drama mixed perfectly

Yes way! Wibbrokas did it again with this swoonworthy exes YA romance that totally left me wanting to read more.

Kaycee is such a sweetheart to read which totally complemented Dean's personality.

Always such a treat to read a second chance romance that is realistically portrayed.

This was my first book by these authors and it was a cute YA read. I always love a second chance romance and this will be the perfect summer Beach read or vacation read.

I enjoyed this one! I do think I prefer their dynamic in adult romance, the added space and the layers, but I thought it was fun!

3.75
Thank you to Penguin Teen and Netgalley for providing me with an e-ARC to read and review! I thought this was a cute book and I'm a sucker for a YA contemporary. When Kaylee and Dean are forced to spend their annual vacation together with their families after they broke up, I could tell it was going to be a bit of a rocky journey. Kaylee was trying to help Dean move on while Dean was trying to show Kaylee all of what she was missing. Overall it was pretty cute, but I struggled with how closed-off Kaylee was for most of the book. I just wanted her to open up and share her vulnerabilities, but it took until the book was pretty much over for her to do so. I'm glad she did and I liked how everything wrapped up. That being said, I did love all the family traditions and seeing the friendships between the adults. I'm glad I added this one to my list and if you're looking for a light and sweet story, this checks the box.

An adorable second chance romance set on the beaches of California, this is a great YA for summer. I've never read about sand volleyball at length, so that was a really interesting angle. For me, the most interesting parts of the book were when the family was all together - rather than the romance unfortunately. Dean is such a precious cinnamon roll, but Kaylee is too caught up in herself to treat him right. That being said, Lucy and Jessie are the cutest and have the BEST taste in music. Give me all the ABBA please!

*Thank you to Viking Books for Young Readers and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review*

This book was the opposite of Gilmore Girls in the sense that it’s about a seemingly bratty girl with immense amount of privilege and unfounded need to complain but over the course of the book you get to see how deeply relatable her emotional struggles are, how deep her pain and anxieties run, and how composed and mature in her emotional expression she is despite being a teenager. Just absolutely stunning.

There’s something so relatable about a YA story that focuses on a teen’s after-school activities, and how they can be so time consuming and full of pressure.

I found Kaylee so easy to connect with on a personal level as someone who was so busy in high school but also for other readers I found so many of her characteristics easy to imagine others being able to understand.

I’m sure many of us at all ages count down the days to a yearly family vacation, a rest from the real world but THIS year, Kaylee has broken up with her boyfriend, who also happens to be a part of her family’s best friends who they go on the trip with each year. With the expectations her sport, social media and family have put on her she’s worried about Dean’s reaction to being on vacation with her ruining the trip, and comes up with a plan to teach him how to get over her.

As always, Emily and Austin dive into a story with great characters, this writing duo will always be a must-read for me and I loved how different this story was from their previous titles and other YA books I’d read. Social media influencers have become so common in titles these days, but I love that Kaylee’s routine, how her sport and brand were so woven into her everyday life and how others perceived her made this book stand out. Her true emotions and how she dealt with all the things on her plate were so well-written, and her second-chance romance with Dean was everything, I think the hide and seek scene was my favorite!

Thank you Penguin Teen for the chance to read and review an early copy!

2.5

This book was pretty predictable. I didn't really enjoy this one. I felt like all the drama was caused by the main character for no reason. This book was very annoying to me and I just wanted it to be over.

Kaylee Jordan is a junior in high school and one of the best volleyball players in the nation, with big plans and a bright future. Dean Freeman-Yu is an artist with a passion for photography - and her best friend. The Jordans and Freeman-Yus have been vacationing every summer in Malibu for as long as they can remember, so when Kaylee and Dean start dating - and then break up two months later - the annual trip becomes, understandably, tense. Kaylee makes it her mission to help Dean get over her, so their awkward vacation can go back to normal and coaches him through her “heartbreak survival guide”. Throughout the summer, Kaylee is forced to confront her feelings for Dean, the expectations she places on herself, and her desire to appear perfect.

This book was so cute! I loved the California beach setting and all of the summer vibes. I also loved the volleyball aspect. As an ex-volleyball player (albeit nowhere near as good as Kaylee), I really resonated with the pressure and self-doubt that comes with it and loved her passion for the sport. Some of the major themes in this book were overcoming perfectionism, people-pleasing, and feeling not good enough. All of which are so important and relevant for most people, especially teenagers, and I thought that they were talked about and handled really well. I loved Kaylee’s character development and found it so inspiring. And the romance was so cute without being cringey (which is rare and very much appreciated). I’ve never read a book with a trope like this before (ex-girlfriend helping her ex-boyfriend get over her) and it was so fun. I was completely rooting for the characters and some parts had me giddy right with them. The one big thing that I disliked was the amount of internal dialogue. I'm already not a fan of being in characters' heads and it felt like it was the majority of the book. That said, overall, this was a super fun and quick read. This book is perfect for fans of The Summer I Turned Pretty and similar summer romances. I highly recommend taking it along with you on your next beach trip!

Usually i am a HUGE fan of Wibbroka and their books give me such life! Unfortunately this was not my favorite. I loved the story, Dean, and the family connections, but I found Kaylee to be a little too much. I didn't like how she refused to see anything in front of her and yet still kept asking how she was the problem, even knowing exactly what said problem was. It was a bit repetitive. But the romance was so cute, and I really was rooting for them to get back together! And I think we can all relate to wanting to be the best version of yourself and how sometimes the pressure just turns us into people we don't recognize. If you're also a fan, I definitely recommend it, but maybe with a little bit less enthusiasm than the other ones.

First of all, PINK COVERS FOR THE WIN.

Second of all, this book was cute overall. I liked the cute moments between Dean and Kaylee, and there was some great character growth with Kaylee's volleyball and relationship issues. I also loved the beach setting—perfect for January reading.

However, I have some salty opinions. I didn't super love the idea of friends with benefits or how dumb Kaylee could be with refusing to get with Dean again. And both of their parents annoyed me. I felt like they were way too involved, and I just wanted to get back to the teenagers. But hey, at least we had some good parent representation in a YA book.

I think this may be my last Wibberley & Siegemund-Broka book. I've figured out that they love writing looooong inner monologues, and it drives me crazy. I would like more action, more showing instead of telling. Unless a future book of theirs has great reviews, I think I'll bow out for now.

Writing Aesthetic/Style: 3
Plot/Movement: 3
Character Development: 3
Overall: 3

Thank you, Penguin Teen, for the arc!

Trigger/Content Warnings: kissing/make outs