Never Ever Getting Back Together was not at all what I expected! If you've been reading my reviews for a while, you know that it's rare for me to read a book description before diving in-- I rely fully on reputation and the cover. So with that in mind, I had no idea that this was about reality TV. I loved the almost-The-Bachelor-but-not setting, and the "behind the scenes" takes seemed very similar to what I've read about that show. I didn't really understand the made-up country or royalty angle. It didn't feel like another country--it felt like they took the US and just called it something else. The only "cultural" bit was a few food descriptions. It didn't really add anything to the plot and just added some unnecessary explanation.

I'll be honest, at about 50% I was ready to DNF. Lots of things about the show didn't make sense to me, all the main characters sucked or didn't know how to have an adult conversation, and I wasn't rooting for anyone to get the guy. However, the romantic "twist" came at just the right time and redeemed it. Once Skye and Maya teamed up, I loved it. I was hoping we'd get through without the gratuitous third-act breakup, but unfortunately it was included. It wasn't too drawn out, though.

The other thing I didn't understand was how young these people were. I was thrown off in the first chapter by the drink being bought for Rosie's 20th birthday. Did all those characters have fakes? Did the presumably 21+ man care that he was hitting on someone underage?

The age issue continued to throw me off throughout the whole show. Who has that many exes by 18? Who cares this much about the person they dated at 16?? If my boyfriend from 16 asked me to go on a second chance dating show I'd laugh in his face (he's happily married though...my boyfriend from 18 would do something like that, but doesn't have enough exes. And I'd also laugh in his face.). It was just really bizarre that all this was happening BEFORE Maya went to college, and that she was worrying about college coming up. I struggled to place the age of the audience this book was aiming for.

Overall a good story--I loved the reality TV angle and the twist, but I fixated on a few quirks and they prevented me from loving it. I think fresh-out-of-college would have been a better age for Maya!

Audio Review: I loved the audiobook production, and might have DNF'd before that 50% mark I mentioned if I wasn't listening and wrapped up in a knitting project. I'm very happy the Macmillan Audio program is up and running again!

Firstly, I want to thank Netgalley and Wednesday Books for the early copy in exchange for a review.

This book. THIS BOOK. Honestly, I almost DNF’d this book about 1/3 of the way through. The book is essentially the bachelor in a made up country in Europe. And I just couldn’t take the drama. It was all too much for me. And Jordy, the male main character, was so overly obnoxious. But about halfway through the book, it all picked up. If you enjoyed John Tucker Must Die and don’t totally loathe dating reality tv, you’ll enjoy this book!

I adored the relationship between Maya and Skye. I adored Perry and Isaac. You’re supposed to hate Jordy and he was awful. He was spoiled and stuck up.

Overall, getting past the first 40-45% of the book and the drama as well as awful Jordy, the book was fantastic! 5 stars for the last half, 4 stars overall.

This was very nearly a five-star book for me, but the third act conflict didn't really work for me, so it's a four now. This made me very sad because the rest of the book was so much fun.

What we've got here is your standard "I dated a first-class prick this one time until he cheated on me and now he wants to date me again, only this time on TV but I fall for his ex-girlfriend instead and then do revenge with her" premise. And the book totally delivers on that! This book was a bit of a slow burn. Maya and Skye go from enemies to friends to more in increments, and we get to see most of their bonding on-page. Their joint ex-boyfriend really is a colossal a-hole, and it's really satisfying to see all of the other ex-girlfriends come to the same conclusion as Maya as the book goes on.

The narrators do a really good job bringing the story to life. My only complaint with them is that they sound like they are grown women in their twenties or thirties, not eighteen and nineteen year olds, and that reminds, I did wish these characters had been aged up more. Eighteen seemed a little young to me to be having a second chance.

But yes, you should read this.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for sending me an ARC of Never Ever Getting Back Together in exchange for an honest review.

Never Ever Getting Back Together is a feel good, cheesy romcom. The premise is pretty easy to follow, as it surrounds a reality tv show similar to ones like The Bachelor, and the drama is there to keep you interested. I mostly liked the two main characters. It wasn't my favorite book but overall I had a really fun time and would definitely recommend it to any romcom lovers, especially for those looking for more WLW recs.

I think that this book was just OK. I did like Skye and Maya’s characters but I don’t think there was enough build up and sexual tension in their relationship for me to care a ton about it working out. That being said, the beginning part of the book felt like it dragged a lot and was super slow until they got together.

The second half of the book was much better and I did think that the author did a good job of painting a realistic picture of how people feel and react when they are in love and get hurt by a partner. Very sweet book and a fun and easy read, but not something that will stick with me for very long.

3.75/5
"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."
This book was so friggin cute! I really did enjoy it. I
don't think I necessarily have anything bad to say about
it. It was a cute, wholesome read.
Things I loved:
"The Bachelor" style tv show (but all exes of the
Bachelor!)
- revenge plot
- forced proximity
- LBGTQ representation
- enemies to lovers
Now, the description says the FMCS are 18...I read
them as older than that (early 20s). It also states that
the reading age group is 14-18 and I wouldn't
necessarily say I agree. This is a clean, closed door
romance. But I still think there are a couple of instances
that might be "too much" for teen readers.

I have read this book and listened to it now, and both forms are great. Sometimes I feel like there can be a disconnect between book and audiobook, but this one held up on both ends.

The one thing I had an issue with this story is that it felt super unrealistic for this to be about a bunch of 18 year olds. I felt like the story, and the feelings fit an older audience, and a tv show featuring the exes of teenagers is a little bit weird. Putting that aside, the book was fun and unique and had great character growth.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for both opportunities!

This was super cute. It's funny - I don't watch reality TV, but I've really enjoyed a number of books that center around reality TV shows in the past few years. This one hit all the right notes for me.

I love love loved that it was two girls supposedly competing for a past boyfriend's heart who really try to take him down and fall in love along the way. They were great together. Their frank 'yes i dated this guy and this girl and this guy' coming out to one another was enjoyable because it was very much a "yes, I'm bi, what are you going to do about it?" and very matter-of-fact.

Jordy was the sleaziest sleazeball ever and his part was painful to watch but bearable because you just know that he'll get his comeuppance in the end. The 'enemies to lovers' thing was done well and believable. Maya and Skye were enjoyable and while it was frustrating to watch them at odds with each other over a misunderstanding created by sleazeball Jordy, it was very satisfying when they finally worked things out.

The other girls were very much not in focus for most of the book, so I don't feel like I have a very good sense of them beyond the bareset sketch of personality, but they worked as background characters to better show Maya, Skye, and Jordy.

The way the show played out, and the way we could see Jordy manipulating everyone and pulling them all along was fascinating and kept my interest riveted. I listened to the audio and ended up finishing it in two sittings because I just couldn't stop listening.

The audiobook narrators did a great job bringing the characters to life. They made Maya and Skye sympathetic, though not without flaws, and made Jordy truly insufferable. They also did a good job making the other characters waver between sympathetic and self-interested.

I loved the way things played out. The misunderstandings and conflict and moment of realization and grand gesture. Not Jordy's "grand gesture" - his sucked. Maya's, though, was great. Also the ending was sooooo satisfying.

Thanks to NetGalley, Wednesday Books, and Macmillan Audio for providing an e-arc and audio arc for review.

Was this super predictable? Yes.
Was it still super cute? Yes!

I really liked the premise of the book - the contestant's perspective of pretty much The Bachelor. As the viewer of those show you know they're all set up and fake, but hearing it in this book as having to take the reaction shot 7+ times was like "oh boy why". It was an interesting read/listen and was pretty cool in showing the behind the scenes of a show (or premise of a show) that you normally wouldn't think of.

The characters were cute (not Jordy though, definitely not Jordy). And the narrators did a really good job (especially with the pretentiousness of Jordy).

A cute listen for sure! 3.5/5 stars

Thank you for this ARC!!

🔊Song Pairing: Picture to Burn - Taylor Swift (I bet you were thinking I was going to use a different Taylor song. Okay this book screams Taylor. It could be a Taylor Swift musical)

💭What I thought would happen:

I mean the title screamed drama with an ex. Who was I to say no. I just hoped for every woman’s sake that they were never ever getting back together.

📖What actually happens:

Maya gets a call that she in 1000 years did not expect. Her ex who destroyed her wants her to be on a reality show starring him. A second chance romance bachelor (vomit). Maya is taking this opportunity to ruin this cheating asshole.

Skye is another of Jordy’s victims. Jordy called her to prepare her to beware of Maya his “crazy” ex who went stalker crazy when they broke up and he started dating Skye. Sadly to Skye’s surprise her and Maya are bunking together in the contestant house.

6 women must compete for the love of one douche nozzle who treated them all like last weeks trash and better yet, he’s protected by editing clauses and is acting like the European royalty he thinks he is, fake British accent and all. What could go possibly wrong?!

🗯Thoughts:

Honestly the whole show feels like a lose lose for these women…so your ex gets you to come back into his life only to make him a star and if he looks bad in any way there is an editing clause because he’s connected to the royal family?! This sounds like the 11th REALM OF HELL!!!! Who would sign up for this. I had secondhand embarrassment and rage for all women in the competition.

Jordy is 10/10 that guy who says his ex was a psycho and tells every woman who shows any semblance of emotion that they are overreacting. He is the epitome of chauvinistic sexist asshole. I have made it
my mission to either avoid or destroy those guys with all my might. A castration isn’t asking too much is it?! Also, when I typed his name it autocorrected to hoedown and now I am in a fit of laughter.

I loooove my drama. Don’t get me wrong I hate reality tv especially when it’s pinning women against one another. But Damn do I love reality tv drama in a book. I don’t want it but I can’t look away either. Would 💯 understand where people wouldn’t like this book, it’s full of mean girls who are actually nice but are turned that way by a raisin dick.

Pick this up and then message me as soon as you’re done. K thanks!

4.5 stars rounded up

If you are a fan of reality dating shows like The Bachelor or Love is Blind, and you ever wanted a queer twist, you need to pick up Never Ever Getting Back Together. It's so much fun and delivers all the drama and mess of those shows, plus a bisexual disaster sapphic romance!

On Second Chance Romance Jordy (now celebrity with a sister married to a prince) dates his ex-girlfriends on television. Maya hates him for cheating on her, but she decides to go on the show to get revenge. Skye was hurt when Jordy ghosted her, but is cautiously optimistic about rekindling something. Their relationships overlapped and Maya is convinced Skye knew about the cheating - let drama ensue! But also sparks, making out with your roommate, and perhaps a plot to take down their two-faced ex.

This was fantastic and I loved it. That said, if you don't like reality dating shows because of the melodrama, cattiness, and poor decisions, this book also will not be for you. If you enjoy watching all the human drama of those shows, this book scratches that same itch while ALSO delivering girls kissing. Because you KNOW there must have been some secret hookups in the Bachelor house across all those seasons. The audio narration is great and I think adds to the sense of this being aged up from what you might expect from YA. This is technically YA, but characters are 18 and it feels very crossover. I received an audio review copy via NetGalley, all opinions are my own.

🎵 We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together 🎵

The love story your didn't know your needed! This was SUCH a fun read! Do you like laughing? Do you like strong women? Do you like when women band together, and get that r e v e n g e they so desperately deserve? Then you will love Sophie Gonzales' upcoming novel Never Getting Back Together! And yes, I too have had Taylor Swift stuck in my head while reading this.

In this story, our main characters Skye and Maya have both dated Jordy, and reluctantly decide to go on his new reality show called Second Chance Romance. They end up having to room together and quickly learn that they have WAY more in common than just being Jordy's exes. This book was perfection! I loved every part of it.

I loved the dual POVSs with different narrators. I thought they did so well and it made the story so fun! This is definitely an audiobook I will recommend to my friends.

📖 𝙍𝙚𝙖𝙙 𝙞𝙛 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙚𝙣𝙟𝙤𝙮:
• enemies to lovers
• ya queer romcoms
• drama
• dual POVSs
• reality tv shows
• r e v e n g e

"Is this who I've become, someone who gleefully smuggles contraband electronics, and isn't automatically nice to bad people just because they're nice to me, and who plans and executes an international revenge plot? It's a slippery slope between rule fudger and world domination, and baby I'm already enjoying the ride a little too much."

🗓️ 𝙋𝙪𝙗 𝘿𝙖𝙮: November 29th
📚 𝙂𝙚𝙣𝙧𝙚: YA RomCom LGBTQ+

Thank you Macmillan Audio for this gifted ALC! I definitely recommend this cute book!!

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the opportunity to listen to this ARC of Never Ever Getting Back Together.

I'll be honest when this started I had a lot of complaints, they're still valid but the rest of the book made up for them I guess since I still gave it 5-stars.

Do you LOVE Reality TV and dating shows? THEN THIS IS FOR YOU! In this story we follow Maya and Skye on their quest for revenge and second chance respectively on/with Jordy. They're both invited, with several other ex girlfriends, to compete on a reality show so that Jordy can reconnect with the one that got away. Jordy is trash and does nothing but pit each girl against the other to create maximum drama. Maye and Skye after some REALLY REALLY annoying front story realize they're more into each other than Jordy and join forces on the quest for revenge.

*The 20 year old sister sounds younger than the MC.
*So at 16 a boy hurt her and two years later she is still this mad?
*I love the idea of this book but that beginning...UGH.
*Skye is FAR less annoying than Maya.
*Jordy is the most unlikeable dude I've ever encountered in a book, that says a lot.
*If you like TV Dating shows or reality show drama then this book is for you!
*Skye's description of Maya's voice doesn't come close to the narrator.
*The amount of second hand embarrassment I have for Maya is ASTOUNDING!

^Those are still my complaints.

In the end this story is fantastic. There is definitely the 70-80% falls apart before it can be put back together moment before the HEA. Does Jordy get what he has coming? Read this book and find out.

For fans of The Charm Offensive, this is a sapphic, second chance love twist on The Bachelor.

Reality TV novels are fun, especially if it's pro-woman and the antagonist is the guy. I thought this was very cute and had a good message.

I did find Sky and Maya's POVs hard to differentiate because they had similar tones, especially on audio. In general the characters were a little flat but luckily added to the reality tv vibe.

This was a quick, solid romance that anyone could enjoy.

Based on the premise, I expected to really enjoy this. Ultimately though I was disappointed. I think this had the potential to be great, but it fell short.

For me the pacing was a little off. I also thought that maybe this premise would have worked better with an older set of characters.

I did enjoy each of the main characters and their growth throughout the novel. I also loved both narrators and thought they did a fantastic job.

I would still probably recommend this book to fans of reality tv romances and young adult lovers.

Ok. Never Ever Getting Back Together by Sophie Gonzales was silly and funny and delightful and ridiculous. If you have ever watched any reality dating show, you know how manipulated and fake the shows are. On Second Chance Romance, the show brings in this royal adjacent guy's exes to compete for his heart--again. Maya is here for revenge (he cheated on her, after all), and Skye is here to see if maybe he's the one who got away--but what they didn't anticipate was falling for each other. The bi rep in this book is fantastic, and the guy gets what's coming to him. *hums Karma by Taylor Swift*

I really enjoyed the audiobook. It was an quick, fun listen and the narrators Barrie Kreinik and Natalie Nauduswas were great. Thank you to Netgalley and MacMillan audio for my ALC.

This was a highly entertaining book but I wish the blurb hasn’t given away so much. I love the script flip though. I really enjoyed the audiobook.

Never Ever Getting Back Together Again by Sophie Gonzales

Jordy is a jerk in all aspects of the word. He is entitled and doesn't know really how to treat a women. Even though he has good looks and money he is still a jerk. This book is about Jordy bringing his ex girlfriends from when he was younger to a reality show. They have to do all kinds of challenges to get special time with Jordy and be the last women standing to date him again. He calls each ex and talks them into coming.

Well things do not work out the way Jordy thought it would. In comes Skye and Maya who Jordy cheated on one while dating the other. The two ladies do not like each other because they are aware of what Jordy did while dating them. Maya is a handful she isn't having any of the bs that Jordy is putting out. She looks like the troublemaker on the show. Jordy and Sky realize to seek revenge on Jordy they need to humiliate him in the final show. To do this they need to win so they change the way they are behaving to get Jordy attention.

This was so funny at times and I loved how the story was told in the book. I liked Maya and Skye characters. Does Jordy get the right girl in the end? Who will be the ultimate winner in this rom com? You need to read this to find out. It does have a LGBTQ spin in it so enjoy. This was a five star read it had me engaged in the story the whole time. I just loved the spunk of all the ladies Jordy formally dated. In the end will Jordy get what he deserves?

Barrie Kreinik and Natalie Naudus narrated the story and did a great job. I was able to follow along with each person having their own voice. I recommend this book to people who like romance with LGBTQ themes and also to people who like rom coms.

Thank you to NetGalley and MacMillan Audio for a free audio copy of Never Getting Back Together for an honest review. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

DNF at 35%.

Considering that I completely forgot that I was even reading this book and abandoned it, it's safe to say that this book isn't for me. I am genuinely wondering how this college dude racked up this many exes around the world to do this whole catty, second chance Bachelorette type reality TV show. Pass.

When am I getting a Netflix movie version of this story?

NEVER EVER GETTING BACK TOGETHER is a joy of a YA romcom, perfect for fans of reality tv and sapphic romances. Featuring messy girls who are given the chance to grow and a good dash of revenge.

Also have to mention that I am entirely obsessed with this cover!

If you loved IF THIS GETS OUT, you are going to absolutely devour this one.