Have you ever consumed media featuring a fmf love triangle and thought “fuck that guy, the ladies should just date each other”? Do you remember that season of the bachelor where the two contestants ended up marrying each other? Well mash those two things together and you have ‘Never Ever Getting Back Together.’

Gonzales captures a few things expertly: The pettiness and toxicity of reality television culture, the frustration of being gaslit by someone who’s extremely charismatic, the messy complexities of having your heart broken but not yet having closure, and the reality of being an out bi woman but still feeling like you’re coming out all over again every time it comes up with a new person. These aspects and the revenge plot make this an exceptionally fun read. But once again, as a Canadian, I find myself reading a Canadian character and being convinced the author has never been to Canada or even spoken in depth to any Canadians about what it’s like there (see also: The Love Hypothesis)— a small nit pick to be sure, but one that always seems to matter to me. And on a more legitimate, objective note: While both POV characters end up having achieved the character growth goal the reader wants for them, both Skye’s and Maya’s turnarounds feel a bit unearned and abrupt.

The narration from both Barrie Kreinik and Natalie Naudus do a wonderful job. Succinct enunciation, the right amount of emotion, and great impressions of the other’s POV character voice on both accounts.

It’s a mixed bag for me, but if you’re looking for a light-hearted, queer, fun revenge read with a Happy for Now ending you’ll have a good time of ‘Never Ever Getting Back Together’

Thank you so much to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio of the chance to listen to and review this ALC.

💕 YA sapphic romance
💕 dating show setting
💕 revenge on an ex (the villain for sure)
💕 hate to love
💕 John Tucker Must Die vibes

Despite not really liking dating shows (but really enjoying John Tucker Must Die), I thought this was a cute YA sapphic romance. The plot was definitely fun - two girls who go on a show to get back together with an ex end up falling for each other while filming. I think my biggest problem is that this storyline would have fit better as an adult romance and not YA. I also wasn’t fully captivated in our FMCs romance and so idk… I’m left liking this but not loving it. I did enjoy the jerk of an ex getting some major karma at the end though.

What do you do when you finish Love is Blind and Bachelor in Paradise in the same week? You read a romcom that takes place while filming a reality dating show, that’s what.

Never Ever Getting Back Together is a feisty YA rom com that’s great on audio! It would be a fun book to go in blind to, since the blurb really explains the entire plot of the novel.

Maya is invited to star on the reality dating show Second-Chance Romance. Her ex-boyfriend Jordy cheated on her two years ago - and then made everyone believe that she was the “crazy” one. He is now a minor celebrity after his sister married the prince of a small European country. Maya agrees to go on the dating show so she can embarrass him as badly as he did her two years ago. But when she gets there, she finds out she’s rooming with Skye - the very person that Jordy cheated on her with.

For me, after finishing two very dramatic reality dating shows, this novel was a bit tame. There was some drama, and Jordy is very villainous, so it was very bingeable. I overall enjoyed it, but it won’t be one of my favorites for the year.

I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher, via NetGalley. This in no way impacted on my view.

Maya has just about forgotten that her ex-boyfriend Jordy cheated on her 2 years ago. Since then, his sister has married a prince in a small European nation, and Jordy has become a celebrity. So when Maya receives a phone call from a production company asking if she'll be a part of a new reality tv show, all about Jordy and his exes, she immediately refuses. But after thinking more, she realises that she might be able to make Jordy fall in love with her again, and expose him for the villain he is. However, Maya will have to bunk up with Skye, the girl Jordy cheated on her with. Will Maya be able to keep a clear head to succeed, or will her conflicting feelings for Skye get in the way?

This was a book I knew I would enjoy the second I saw the synopsis. Two girls out for revenge on their ex, who then fall for each other - perfection! Skye and Maya's characters were very different, so the fact that they had their own chapters in the book, helped us as the readers to understand them more, and see more of the vindictiveness, and egotistical manner than Jordy acted. Jordy was an absolute dick, and he deserved everything that came at him, plus more. I did like the way that the girls who went on the show became quite close friends, especially once the air was cleared between Skye and Maya, and they understood the only person to blame was Jordy. A great read, and perfect for today's teens!

I have enjoyed reality dating show books in the past, but this one did not work for me. There was so much cattiness in the first half and melodrama in the second, it was an exhausting experience. Not enough time was spent developing the sapphic romance (which is what I showed up and stayed for), instead it was scene after scene with the ex? The ages were confusing as they acted like they were in HS but they were 18-21 and then the entire premise felt like they should be older. Lastly, the 3rd act conflict was annoyingly out of character.

Audio: 👍🏼 (liked)
Narrated by Barrie Kreinik & Natalie Naudus

Thank you Macmillan Audio for the advance reader copy via NetGalley! All thoughts are my own.

This was so fun !! I was a bit confused about the pace and timeline at times, but overall this was a delightful story ! Maya and the other girls were hilarious !! I loved the Reality TV setting and skyes and mayas connection was 🥹🥹🥹

I love trashy reality TV shows so "Never Getting Back Together" really drew me in. The premise is that second-hand famous hotty is going on a bachelor style reality TV show to find his one love. Famous thanks to his sister's marriage, thrusting him and the rest of his family into the royal limelight, Jordy is determined to weed through the spotlight chasers to find real love. The catch is that all the women are his exes from various times in his life, vying for a second chance at love with "the one that got away."

Pitting girl vs girl as these trashy reality TV shows do so well I really wanted to hate this book for the very same reason in which I picked it up. But it's so brilliantly done, so true to form, and so well written and dialoged, readers can't help but be sucked into its grip. With behind the scenes views on how these shows likely really go down, to the down to earth women from a myriad of backgrounds "Never Ever Getting Back Together" was such a well down romance, I'm actually bummed it had to end at all.

I love Sophie Gonzales and was thrilled when I first heard the amazing premise for this book. Maya agrees to go on a reality dating show in which all of the women used to date the bachelor, Jordy. He will choose a second chance romance from among them.

But Maya's not there for the "right reasons." She's there to clear her name because Jordy spread rumors about her after cheating on her. But the girl he cheated on Maya with, Skye, is on the show, too. And she might not be all that bad.

I started laughing out loud right from the first chapter. And I greatly enjoyed the interactions among the women and the bisexual representation. I loved all of the parts told from Maya's perspective. However, Maya felt like a more complete character than Skye. It's tough because Jordy gets so much page time with his key role as their ex and the literal star of the show. But it means that while I constantly rooted for Maya, I did not feel as connected to Skye or their romance.

This didn't really feel like a YA book so much as a new adult romance. All of the characters were at least 18. And since it was set in Europe, there was lots of legal drinking. With the reality dating background and activities, it generally called to mind more of an adult setting.

Natalie Naudus has long been one of my favorite narrators. She and Barrie Kreinik both did an excellent job. The audiobook came in at just under 10 hours.

I recommend this for older YA and adult audiences. Read for hilarious dialogue and females banding together.

Thank you to Wednesday Books, Macmillan Audio, and NetGalley for the advanced reader and listener copies. These opinions are my own.

Short synopsis: 6 girls are invited on a reality tv show Second-Chance Romance in hopes of rekindling the spark of Royal adjecent Jordy Miller

My thoughts: This was such a fun unexpected story. I really enjoyed having the point of view of two of the “contestants” as they vied for love, or worked to exact revenge.

Maya and Skye were so different but as the book progressed on I really liked watching them as they put down their shields and learned to understand each other.

Jordy, handsome and charming in front of the camera was total opposite in real life. He was a total jerk, and so unlikable when offscreen.

It did take a few minutes for me to get the characters straight, but it made total sense to have at least that many girls for a reality tv show.

Read if you love:
* Reality TV dating shows
* Royal Adjecent
* Revenge troupe
* Second chance romance
* Finding love in unexpected places

Thank you @wednesdaybooks @macmillianaudio and @netgalley for this advanced audiobook. Pub date is Nov 29, 2022.

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.

Never Ever Getting Back Together was another fun listen. The actress with all the accents were ~chef's kiss~I love a good revenge story and this one was epic! It had excellent LGBT representation. I wish everyone would have been a little older. Dating shows as a 20 year old seems a little icky, but maybe that is just me!

Thanks to the publisher for the ALC in return for an honest review. This book releases 11/29

Never Ever Getting Back Together meets 18(ish) year old Bachelor and contestants. Sophie Gonzales’s writing kept me interested throughout the story and rooting for two unlikely heroines to came to important conclusions.

Maya’s ex boyfriend, crown Prince Jordy, cheated on her. Since, she’s forever thinking of him as the bastard liar who can convince anyone to go on a date with him. Skye cannot keep her feelings quiet after Jordy sweetly tells her that she is everything that he needed.

One day, both girls get a call from Second-Chance Romance, the show where a bachelor gets another shot with his ex loves. Off to a mansion in the beautiful countryside, Maya is clear she wants to take Jordy down and show audiences his true colors. Skye just wants to see if the “spark” they felt is still present. As we all may know in reality television, buckle up. Things are about to go on a wild ride.

I enjoyed listening to Natalie Nadus and Barrie Kreinik spin on Never Ever Getting Back. Their voices for the different characters had me wanting to keep on listening and discover what happens with everyone! My one flaw with this story is that the characters are so young and the story would have worked out better if they were in their twenties. I feel that the story would have been more believable then. I did enjoy the numerous characters featured and the care that Gonzales places when writing characters that are bisexual. I definitely do recommend others listen to this if they are fans of LGBTQ reads and/or fans of reality television dating shows.

This concept was fun - famous bachelor dating his exes on reality TV, but it was hard to really connect with the characters due to a lack of depth/emotion. There was potential for some big moments but the conflicts all fell a little flat for me. It was funny and sweet in places, had LGBTQ rep, and the audio was really well done.

This was a fun book! I found the enemies to reluctant friends to something more to be very compelling. Each character had her own motivation, and taking down the man never felt more satisfying.

I thought I would really like this but I put off reading it and found myself wanting it to end. I just couldn’t get invested in the characters and it was pretty predictable.

Never Ever Getting Back Together by Sophie Gonzales
This book is a YA contemporary second chance romance, about 18 year olds. Mmmmkay.
I really did like the book. I did! I loved the story line. I mean who doesn’t love reality TV dating shows? I loved the premise of two girls falling in love while on a TV show about dating a man. I just didn’t like how young they were portrayed in the book. If the characters would have been aged more, it would have just made more sense realistically. And it would have matched the narration. While the narrators were great, they sounded like 2 grown women in their twenties or thirties, not 18 or 19 year olds portrayed in the book. So that was off for me. But that said, this was a really good book. I enjoyed the females empowering one another instead of being gossipy and full of drama.
Many thanks to Sophie Gonzales, NetGalley, and Macmillan Audio for the advanced audio version of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was a great light hearted read! I’m not the biggest fan of romance type books but I do lean towards ones with lgbt storylines and this was done really well. I really appreciate lgbt storylines that don’t make it all about coming out. People can just BE. I loved it. Great quick read.

4.5 stars

I really enjoyed this book and will be gifting and/or buying my own copy soon. Overall, the reviews for it seem positive, but I’m actually surprised that it hasn’t hit an average of at least 4 full stars yet. It was funny, an excellent mix of lighthearted and serious with a balanced emphasis on humour, romance, and angst plus, as you might expect, a solid HEA ending. I could not stand the main male character, which I know was the point; he’s charming but also horrible, and many people likely know (or know of) someone very similar. The main romance was a fairly slow burn/enemies to friends to lovers situation, and I really enjoyed it. The book actually made me laugh out loud a couple of times, and I ended up a lot more invested in the story’s events than I expected to be. I read and really enjoyed a previous book from this writer, though, so I shouldn’t be surprised. This novel was definitely a fun rom-com win for me, and I can’t wait to see what the author comes up with next.

Bachelorette style story where all the ontestansts are ex gilfriends of an arrogant loyal.that has made the world believe he is the most wonderful person. "Winning" becomes the only chance to tell the world how he really is. Mya must decide how far she is willing to go and how much she us willing to.lose.
A cute surprise romance with tons of twists.

Never Ever Getting Back Together is the second book I have read by Sophie Gonzales, and she is slowly becoming one of my favorite writers of bisexual characters. I loved Maya from her first moment on screen, and related to her wanting to get revenge on her exboyfriend on national television. I think the decisions that she makes along the way make sense, even as she starts to fall for Skye.

The only issue I had with this book is I kept forgetting how old the characters were. Every time they mentioned being 18, I was shocked. The characters and experiences feel like it would be better for characters in their 20's, as Maya was 16 when she was dated and cheated on by Jordy. The traveling to a different country, being on a dating show, and having that much serious history made me automatically feel like the characters should be older than they were.

Honestly I didn’t know much about this story going into it… so at first I was like UGH a love triangle… but boy was I in for a surprise. I honestly really liked the story it was cute and fun and gave such good bachelor/bachelorette vibes.