Going into this I actually thought this would be an adult book, or maybe at least NA. When I realised all of them were only 18 I was very surprised.
I was even more surprised that any 18 year old had that many ex girlfriends. And who in their right mind is battling over someone they’ve been with when they were 14?
Looking for “the one that got away” works when you’re older and it’s possible you missed the love of your life when you actually already lived a life.

Not only was I surprised by that, but the two girls that are falling for each other aren’t only his exes, no they’re both girls he’s cheated on..with each other. To me that was just weird.
Especially because one of them is set to have revenge for it, nearly two years after it happened.

So this story wasn’t my favourite to begin with, then everything was a bit overdramatic because our MC overreacted at every point possible, which led to weird dialogue and to even weirder actions.
To me the girls didn’t have any chemistry at all, they barely felt like friends to begin with when they were already making out.
They barely had any other topics than their revenge plot and their hate for their shared ex.
As this has two POVs I also should have been able to keep them apart, but it wasn’t only on one occasion that I mixed them up.

I was hoping that this would at least end in the most epic revenge storyline, but even that didn’t happen.

What this book did right of course is showing how fake TV dating shows are and also how toxic they are of course. Everything gets filmed 10 times, you’re completely isolated from the outside world, your friends and family and get forced into situations you don’t really want to participate in. The. Everything gets cut the way that creates the most drama in the end.
Include the online hate and boom.
How this is especially hurtful to people that young is clear.

All in all this wasn’t for me I guess as I see a lot of people absolutely loving it.

🌈Never Ever Getting Back Together🌈

Personally I love reality shows and this is the first time I listen to an audiobook about one. I really enjoyed while cleaning my house 😅
The story of how Maya’s ex , (Jordy) invite all of his exes to a reality show so he can try to get a second chance with whoever won the show. But he didn’t imagine that Maya only wants revenge and exposed him. And Maya didn’t know she was going to find love with one of Jordy’s exes.
- Reality show
- revenge
- Ex boyfriend
- Bisexual
- Romance
- Enemies to lovers

Thank you @sgonzalesauthor @wednesdaybooks @netgalley @macmillan.audio
For the advanced audiobook in exchange of my honest review

Happy Pub Day Sophie Gonzales and Never Ever Getting Back Together!

Thank you St. Martin’s Press, Macmillan Audio, and NetGalley for advanced copies in exchange for my honest review.

I loved the premise of this book where a reality TV show chooses someone to invite all his exes on the show in the hopes for a second chance at love. I personally could never go on a show like this, but Maya’s decision to go on to show the world who Jordy really is was brilliant. Of course Maya didn’t expect to fall for the girl Jordy cheated her on with, Skye.

I’ve always been a fan of Sophie Gonzales’ books so was really excited to read this one. I loved the story and thought there was great character development with all of the contestants. Jordy on the other hand was awful, but that made the romance between Maya and Skye that much better. There was a slow build to the girl’s getting together, but I thought it worked well in this story.

My only issue was that these kids were in their teens so how could Jordy already have so many exes. I also felt the book didn’t read as YA because of the reality show premise. I think it would have been better as an adult book, but overall I really enjoyed it.

I read along while listening to the audiobook, and I enjoyed both narrators. Natalie Naudus always does a great job, and I enjoyed Barrie Kreinik as Skye. The only issue I had was that they sounded older than the 18-year-old characters should.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an e-ALC of this book in exchange for an honest review!

This book revolves around two teenagers who are asked to be on a reality show with their ex in order to win him back. What ensues is absolute chaos at first but quickly resolves into something better...

I love Sophie Gonzales, I do. I've adored her books and find her writing style amazing. But maybe because this was an audiobook, the writing of this one didn't quite grip me like her other books have.

When I first finished it, I was wavering between a 4.5 and 5 star rating but now that I've had a lot of time to absorb it, I've come to realise I didn't actually like this one all that much. Don't get me wrong, it was still very good but just not as good as my high after just finishing it made me believe.

First of all, I wasn't really rooting for any of the MCs in the book which is weird to say the least. I somehow couldn't care less which of them won or how they get revenge on Jordie. It didn't help that both of them seemed to have very Jordie and revenge/love focused personalities. Jordie was an absolute shitshow of a person and yet I wasn't invested in seeing him get what he more than deserved. It started out really strong with Maya and Skye's rivalry dynamic but after that, it seemed to just...fizzle out. And then it picked up again after you know what so it's the middle that I didn't care about I guess. Though the end didn't give me as much satisfaction as I had hoped given how shitty Jordie was.

But anyway, except for the slow-going, not much happening middle, I did enjoy the book and recommend it to queer contemporary with a reality show turn book lovers!

actual rating: 3.5

2/5 I would like to start off that I am not the target audience for this book. With that being said I usually really enjoy YA but I could not get into this book. I feel like the majority of good reviews are for the Taylor Swift reference so that was smart of her. The only reason I finished this book was I was listening to it while doing work around the house.

This book was so unrealistic that it wasn't even enjoyable to me. I'm not talking magic/other worlds I'm talking about a 10/20 year old having 6 relevant relationships to have 6 ex-girlfriends come on to a reality show to try again. Give me a break, if they had made it a little later in life like around the ages of 24/25 it would have been more believable.

The characters were also very dry I felt like there only personality traits were that of anger toward the main guy in the story who dumped them. Give me something else!! I really didn't even feel like they had that much of a connection/chemistry while listening.

The writing and pacing of this book was so slow and I was listening at 1.75x speed! This book could have been a novella and I would have liked it better!

Thank you Netgalley and Sophie Gonzales for gifting me an advanced copy of this book in return for my honest review.

I really enjoyed this audiobook! I loved the alternating chapters between our two main characters, especially in the beginning when the only thing they knew about each other was from Jordy. I honestly didn’t like Skye at first because I thought she was super naive about the whole situation but I actually eventually grew to love her once she finally realized who Jordy really was.

I liked Maya from the beginning, probably because she was extremely relatable to me having been married to someone a lot like Jorday who tried to make everyone believe I was a crazy, jealous ex when he cheated on me when I was two months pregnant with our son. My ex also had a habit of recycling lines which he did with the girl he left me for and made me question our whole relationship.

I loved that the book was set in a Bachelor type reality show setting because let’s face it, it’s a guilty pleasure for so many of us, but i especially love that we got to see the parts that would never end up on tv due to editing.

There were many laugh out loud moments and I found myself so caught up in the story that I forgot it was a story at times. I found the audiobook narrator’s pleasing to the ears as well which is very important because I honestly can’t listen to a book otherwise. This was my first book by Sophie but it definitely won’t be my last!

New adult romance at a bachelor esc reality tv show where all the girls are the guys ex girlfriends. They all have different motives for being there and two of the ex girlfriends might just be what eachother have been looking for. This is fun, easy read, would be perfect for 16-20 year olds especially those who love reality tv. There were some funny bits and some rivalry going on which made this an enjoyable read.

The overall premise of the book was super engaging. Our main character Maya was invited to be on a reality dating TV show where her ex-boyfriend is the star of the show and all the other contestants are also his exes. I loved the quick and witty dialogue in this book mixed with the fun locations and challengers that the show introduced to our characters. However, like most people I have talked to, I think the book being YA did not really match the overall tone and plot of the book, in fact, I would argue that it held back some of the characters’ development and I am someone that loves YA! I also found it hard to believe that 1) Jordy was of high celebrity status because his sister has married into royalty and 2) That 18/19 year olds would go on a reality TV show for someone they dated when they were 15/16. I listened to this book at audio and I do think it would have benefited from having different narrators for both Skye and Maya. Overall the book was a charming and quick read, but was a bit of a let down when seeing our characters deal with any sort of conflict.

Audiobook Review - Sophie Gonzales has written another stellar YA rom-com! I love Gonzales' diverse characters and witty writing style. Hand this to teens looking for a fun read that represents them. A great addition to all YA collections.

The Bachelor🌹, but he’s a manipulative playboy🥀, then make it a revenge plot🖤, that turns into a sapphic romance❤️. I loved this story y’all! While it’s YA, all characters are 18+, so it also reads like a closed door NA.
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Maya and Skye are asked to be on a new dating show called Second-Chance Romance starring their ex, Jordy. Jordy is a wealthy handsome quasi-celebrity who’s sister married the prince of a small European nation. (He’s also an arrogant lying cheater.) While Maya is only in it for the payback, Skye hopes to rekindle an old flame. Will Maya’s revenge plot cost her a real chance at love?
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I loved the enemies to lovers and forced proximity tropes. I am also here for all the catty comments and Bachelor style drama 😂👏. This is my first Sophie Gonzalez book and I will definitely be back for more!
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Thank you to @netgalley @wednesdaybooks and @macmillan.audio for these digital ARCs in exchange for an honest review. I read and listened to this book. I’m a big @natalienaudus fan and loved her narration with Barrie Kreinik!
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CWs: gaslighting, toxic masculinity, misogyny, infidelity
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Never Ever Getting Back Together- Sophie Gonzalez
4.5/5⭐️

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan for my advanced audiobook copy!

Never Ever Getting Back Together was a funny revenge-based reality tv show story of women coming together while competing for their ex-boyfriend’s love. This was a great plot with a fun and new idea of a reality show and paired with a dual pov. I’m here for the sapphic twist and the banter.

such an adorable concept! while there were a number of plot holes (Jordy's reaction to Skye's haircut, Maya's stage fright disappearing, etc), this book was so cute! it was fun and funny and in some ways predictable but in some ways not. I love love loved every character, especially Isaac and Perrie and I'm so happy justice was served while everyone got their happy ending. bonus points for a swiftie title and for this being a sophie gonzales book because i love her writing. she's so talented and i'm so grateful for the bi rep and queer escapism she always provides.

I loved this adorable rom-com from a new to me Author. It was cute, starting with its name which reminds me of Taylor Swift!! There were sweet characters, humor and the best banter ever! Highly recommend this book for your TBR this year! And the audiobook was the way to go with fantastic narration!!

Well, I didn't quite expect the ending...not the couple that I figured the book would end with. Thank you for not being totally predictable.

I would totally recommend this book to my friends and other bookstagram people

This book has a clean story line., perfect for my students

💜BOOK REVIEW💜

Never Ever Getting Back Together by Sophie Gonzales
Rating: 3.5/5

“When their now famous ex-boyfriend asks them to participate in a teen reality show, two eighteen year old girls—one bent on revenge, the other open to rekindling romance—get tangled up in an unexpected twist when they fall for each other instead in Never Ever Getting Back Together by nationally and internationally-bestselling and Indie Next Pick author Sophie Gonzales.”

I enjoyed this revenge/love story! Skye and Maya are both exes of Jordy, the charming younger brother of a princess. They get invited, along with Jordy’s other exes, to be part of a Second Chance Romance reality show to “win back” Jordy’s love. They, along with the other exes, slowly unravel the story of who Jordy really is and how he has treated them all. They also start to realize they have feelings for each other during the process.

This was a bit slow moving at parts and there was honestly a minute I was so fed up with Jordy’s manipulation and gaslighting that I almost didn’t finish. BUT I’m glad I held out because all the girls coming together in the end for the ultimate take down was the best!! I was internally screaming “YES GIRLS!!” during the last few chapters!

Overall, a cute sapphic enemies to lovers story with a nice punch of girl power.

Publish date: November 29, 2022
OUT NOW!!

Thanks to @netgalley, @macmillan.audio and the author for this ARC!

#netgalley #macmillanaudio #neverevergettingbacktogether #sophiegonzales #bookstagram #bookreview #review #arcreview #netgalleyreview #netgalleyreviewer #books #bookish #audiobook #lgbtqreads #birepresentation #sapphicbooks #sapphicromance

This took me back to The Charm Offensive, but only in the sense that it happens during a reality TV show too, all else was quite different.

Maya and Skye are two of Jordy’s six ex-girlfriends invited to the Second-Chance Romance show where they are supposed to compete for Jordy’s affection while the world watches. Skye is there to try and reconnect with Jordy and perhaps find their lost spark that felt so real at the time. Maya is there for a completely different reason, revenge. She wants to expose the true Jordy, not the famous sweetheart the media knows, but the cheating condescending piece of sh*t that he is.

Maya and Skye’s animosity starts even before they meet. Well, it’s mostly Maya’s animosity towards Skye, in the beginning. The thing is, Jordy got together with Skye after Maya (at least that’s the public version), but the truth is that they were still together for a couple of months there and Maya knows the truth, while Skye doesn’t. What is worst? They have to share a room (I’m sensing a forced proximity trope lurking in here, besides the obvious enemies to lovers). Eventually, they start getting close and join forces towards a common goal.

I really enjoyed seeing the girls having a good time together. With the exception of Maya and Skye having their conflicts in the beginning, which decided the group a bit, the girls were trying to know each other and being friendly. It’s nice not having the stereotype of women b*tching about each other just to be mean or making themselves feel better.

I will be honest that some of the plot choices were somewhat confusing to me. Like, what were the reasons behind the choice of the winner? I don’t really get it, but it makes sense when it comes to the romance part of the book.

I loved the bi representation here. It always makes me happy to see bi characters, and this book gave us not one but two bisexual MCs.

The narrators of the audiobook was great! I’m very picky with audiobooks seeing as I listen to them all the time, so I can say that Barrie Kreinik and Natalie Naudus did an excellent job with this book.

I enjoyed the sass, banter, looks, the fun, kisses, and much more. I liked how some issues, like abandonment issues, were brought up and dealt with. Moreover, I also enjoyed how the MCs were brought together in the end. All in all, a great time!

Oh, and I have to say, Jordy is the worst!!! I really disliked him so much. I hated that the only word he used to refer to women, in general I think, was “chick”. Seriously, the only one! Almost every single time he was talking he was calling someone “chick”. Of course, he is also a patronising liar who doesn’t deserve any of those amazing young women.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for providing this audiobook ARC.

I adore Sophie Gonzales romcoms, and this latest book is no exception! She writes characters that are likable and relatable, I found myself rooting for both Maya AND Skye as they enter this unusual reality show competition to win back their mutual ex-boyfriend Jordy. I loved the dialogue throughout, and I found myself laughing out loud quite a bit.

This is a really fun read combining a lot of common romcom themes - will they or won't they, enemies-to-lovers, second chances, and the potential for many different love triangles with the reality TV setting.

This might sound like a lot, but she makes it all work! The book is full of humor as the competing women work to make themselves stand out in the competition, while they also find themselves supporting each other in their quest.

I listened to the audiobook, and narrators Barrie Kreinik and Natalie Naudus do an excellent job of bringing Maya and Skye to life. The alternating points of view work well in the audio format.

This is a great read out just in time for the holidays! Highly recommend if you enjoy contemporary reads, romcoms, feel-good books, LGBTQ, or strong female characters.

Many thanks to @netgalley and @macmillan.audio for the advanced copy. I really enjoyed it from start to finish!

This book took me on a complete roller coaster of emotions. I can honestly say I didn't see the twist coming based on the blurb I got from NetGalley. That being said, it was a good twist!

While I enjoyed a majority of the characters, there were a lot of instances where I feel like their young age was forgotten by the author. These girls were only supposed to be right around 18 and re-dating their teenage/high school love interest. I feel like this would have come off MUCH better if she had aged them up some - mid-twenties or so. I listened to the audiobook and while the narrators are FANTASTIC, they sounded too old (I'm sorry!) to be 18. It was hard for me to picture them in my head with the voice of older women. This is not the narrators fault, because again, they were wonderful, they just weren't the right fit for these characters.

Without giving spoilers, the chemistry between two of the characters was just not there for me. It was really forced - so it was hard to LOVE them. I was hoping for...something more I guess. Also, it totally came out of nowhere - meaning I didn't even get an inkling something was going on between the two until wham bam they wanted to kiss. And while I like that I wasn't expecting that to happen AT ALL, I wish the chemistry built up a little more naturally.

The story was just good for me. Not amazing, but for the most part it was enjoyable - so I'm giving it 3 stars.

Thank you, Sophie, NetGalley, and MacMillan Audio for allowing me to review!

4 stars

So I went into this book pretty blind, I didn’t read much of the blurb and I’m happy I did that. Not really the outcome I was expecting, but I really liked the book! It was quirky and fun and the characters were all likable except for Jordy. 0 stars for him!!

If you’re a fan a reality shows, and cute romance books this book or audio may be the choice for you!

The narrators were great as well, they did a fantastic job!!

So I know that reading this book you are supposed to dislike Jordy but I really really hated him. He reminded me so much of my ex and the crap that he would pull that I honestly don't know if I have ever hated a character so much before.

Maya's fixation on outing Jordy for the horrible human that he is is a little obsessive. Again, I totally get it and fully support her because he is awful, but she becomes so one tracked brained and at times it literally becomes her whole personality.