A cute, quirky YA romance between ex-best friends who are competing for the new girl’s heart.

Caleb is an adorably nerdy character with daddy issues who still isn’t sure why his best friend stopped talking to him in eight grade. A few years later and he’s still nursing that hurt - especially when it seems like every time he likes someone, she swoops in and woos them before he had the chance to. But that won’t happen this time if he has anything to say about it!

Emma is a troublemaker - always has been, especially when it comes to bullies. She’s never been able to keep her mouth shut or her hands to herself - even when it comes to her emotionally abusive mother who’s been chipping at her self esteem since she could talk, making her believe she’ll never be worthy of a friend like Caleb. So Emma decides to stop dragging him down with her. Until they both start crushing on the new girl.

Juliet may be the catalyst but this is the story of Caleb and Emma, kf them finding their way back to each other, forgiveness, and realizing they're stronger than they think they are. its a little slow to begin with as they focus on their competition for Juliet and we really only see Juliet as a caricature of herself through their eyes, rather than the three dimensional person she actually is (which we see later on). Once they give up the animosity, Caleb and Emma are actually really cute together, opposites but in a way that complements.

I enjoyed the diverse representation, the demisexual rep, the bisexual chaos, and trans rep!

This book gave me everything I wanted from it and more. The characters, while flawed, were extremely loveable, the couple has an amazing chemistry which made me root for them from the very start. Having read many young adult romances I know how difficult it is to portray teenagers as they are without it coming off as too cringe and forced, but Amanda Woody managed to pull it off fantastically. I also love how this book shows different relationships people have with their parents and how much that affects their life, and how finding the right group of people where you can be your true (sometime queer) self is one of the most important things. Overall, I think this is an instant classic when it comes to queer young adult romances and I hope other people will see it too.

thank you netgalley and penguin viking for the e-ARC!

exes and foes is such a fun and healing read. amanda woody does an AMAZING job creating a hilarious story that is also healing and i know will reach teens struggling with self-esteem issues, parental trauma, and exploring one's identity and sexuality.

i'm a huge sucker for the meticulous x messy romance dynamic and caleb and emma were such a wonderful example of that. even though their personalities are so different, it was endearing to see how they fit each other so well. i also really enjoyed the found family and friendship group.

this book is perfect for fans of childhood friends-strangers-to-lovers, healing from parental trauma, and themes of self-love and knowing your worth, definitely a worthy and wonderful read

Exes & Foes is a YA Contemporary novel that had me crying I loved it so much. Amanda Woody simply does it again 👏🏼

Caleb is interested in the new girl, Juliet, at school. Caleb is demi and takes his time getting to know someone as his crush develops. This isn’t a problem except for the fact that while he’s taking “too long” to make a move, his ex best friend, Emma, always swoops in and steals away his crush and dates them herself. So with Emma showing interest in Juliet as well, the two make a deal that they’ll both pursue Juliet but are leaving it up for her to unknowingly pick who she’ll date.

As Emma and Caleb crash one another’s alone time with Juliet, they’re forced to spend more time together. And that’s where the true fun begins.

I adored Emma and Caleb as characters. And ugh these poor kids and their traumatic childhoods that has me wanting to wrap them up in a massive hug. Heaviness aside, I often found myself laughing/smiling while reading. I love the writing style and the way Emma was constantly describing Caleb’s height and lanky limbs (it was cracking me up). Both these kids need to be protected at all costs.

Overall this is a fantastic story I highly recommend.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Young Readers group for a copy of this eARC in exchange for a honest review.

This was so hard to get through. I’m not sure if it was just the font and size of the font. I will always support YA books with representation though.

This book pits ex-best friends Caleb and Emma in competition to win the same girl.

Years ago, Caleb and Emma were inseperable. Emma, a firecracker of energy, angry at the world, protected shy, anxious, gentle, Caleb from bullies. But when Emma mysteriously cuts Caleb out of her life in 8th grade, both go reeling.

Now, they are forced back together when they each decide to pursue Juliet, a bubbly, talkative, kind, pretty, new girl at school.

Tropes abound in this friends-to-rivals-to-lovers, forced proximity, hurt/comfort, gem of a read.

Like Woody's book, They Hate Each Other, the characters grapple with familial trauma that makes trusting their own worth a challenge they must face to be able to love and be loved. That's where the tears come in and the book gets it's depth beyond its tropes.

I received this digital ARC from @netgalley and publisher @penguinteen in exchange for an honest review.

Exes & Foes will be released on July 23, 2024.

Thanks to Viking Books for Young Readers and Netgalley for providing me with an eARC of this book!

This story follows Caleb and Emma, who used to be best friends but had a falling out several years ago. In present day, they both start liking a girl (Juliet), so they decide to make it a competition to see who can romance her first.

Unfortunately, I think this concept was my biggest problem with the book. First of all, it made me immediately feel kinda icky. Caleb and Emma sometimes talked about Juliet like she was a prize to be won, which I didn’t like. They admitted it was a bad thing to do, and other people called them out on it too, and they apologized to Juliet for it, so it’s not like the book is glorifying this act, but still – I wish it’d been done a little differently.

I think the issue is that their reasons for “liking” Juliet didn’t feel… right. They were both instantly attracted to Juliet for absolutely no reason. All she did was be clumsy and pretty and Caleb and Emma were both like “Omg she’s amazing I wanna date her! 😍”. Juliet does absolutely nothing and those 2 immediately fall for her. I don’t get it, but perhaps I’m just too ace for this (though Caleb is supposedly in the ace-spec too, and was instantly attracted to Juliet after 1 conversation, so idk. Everybody feels attraction differently, though; I’m not trying to police anyone’s sexuality!).

They then spent half of the book constantly talking about how adorable Juliet is. And like, yeah, it’s kinda funny to see these 2 simp for the new girl and talk about how she’s so cute they want to smash their own faces into the ground, ha ha, but like… goddamn it. They couldn’t go 5 pages without mentioning how perfect Juliet is. It started feeling exaggerated and cartoonish, especially given the fact that they were instantly into her, for basically no reason.

Caleb and Emma’s individual romances with Juliet were definitely the weakest part of this book. I understand that these romances were just a plot device for the *real* romance of this story (the one between Caleb and Emma themselves), but I just wish their relationships with Juliet had been done differently. I think this would’ve worked better if we had more buildup for Juliet’s relationships with the MCs. Instead of having both Caleb and Emma *instantly* fall for Juliet, we should’ve gotten a bit of development in each of those relationships: 1) so we could actually get some reason for them to be falling for her, and 2) so it didn’t feel so weird that they’re competing for her love. If they had developed friendships, then actually started liking Juliet after getting to know her, then found out the other likes her too, and only then decided to compete, this whole thing would’ve felt less… icky, because there was some actual relationships already established with Juliet. Instead, it’s just insta love + using this poor girl as a pawn by competing for her feelings. And, sure, they acknowledge that this isn’t a good thing to do, but they do it anyways. The author could’ve definitely made it less questionable by better developing Caleb and Emma’s relationships with Juliet.



Regarding Caleb and Emma’s romance: it was very clear from the start that they still harbored feelings for each other, even though their friendship had ended years prior (apparently on a very bad note). I enjoyed learning more about their past, and I liked seeing them both looking out for each other, even though they were no longer friends. The idea that they’ll always be each other’s person, no matter what, was really sweet and well developed.

Unfortunately, though, (and I hate to say this)… I didn’t feel anything about their romance. 🧍 I’M SO SAAAADDDDD. 😭 They were so sweet – I especially liked this part near the end: “When Emma left my life, she took half of me with her. For years, there’s been this emptiness lurking under my skin, in the vessels around my heart, in the essence of my soul. Whether it’s platonic, romantic, whatever, Emma is my other half. She’ll always have bits and pieces of me that I can’t reclaim unless I’m with her.”. However, for some reason, I just didn’t feel *a thing* while reading their scenes together. Their “Always and forever” thing didn’t hit. I didn’t feel a single butterfly when they admitted their feelings, or when they kissed. Their cheesy moments (like when they helped each other shower, or when Caleb told that bully “Touch her again and I’ll break you”, or their love confession in the middle of an argument) just left me staring blankly at the page… Them getting steamy after 1 kiss (and 4 years of animosity) just made me feel… too ace for this shit lol.

I genuinely don’t know what happened! Like, in my head, I could tell they were super cute together, and I was rooting for them, but I still didn’t feel a singular butterfly in my stomach, and I’m sad about it. 😢😢😢 However, I think this might be a *me* problem; I haven’t been loving any books, recently. I hoped this one would reignite my love for romance, and leave me giggling and kicking my feet, but unfortunately that didn’t happen. I still think other people could love this romance, though! And I hope they do, because I still really like Amanda Woody and I can’t WAIT to read their next book!



Now for the things I liked:
✘ I thought Emma and Caleb were great MCs! I related a lot more to Caleb, but I liked them both. I enjoyed reading about their struggles and their family lives, and seeing how their different personalities complemented each other so well.
✘ The conflicts in this book made sense – the reason for their fallout was logical and well established, and their little argument later on was well integrated into the story, too. I appreciate that Amanda Woody always writes 3rd act conflicts that actually make sense for the story and characters, and aren’t there just for the sake of having a stupid 3rd act breakup.
✘ The SCs were enjoyable and well portrayed, especially Caleb and Emma’s parents.
✘ I also thought this book had some amusing lines.
✘ The queer representation was obviously amazing, and I loved all the conversations about it.

Overall, this is a fun book, with lots of great rep and a sweet romance. Definitely pick it up if it sounds like something you’d enjoy!

I honestly didn’t like this as much as I hoped I would. I'd been looking forwards to reading it since I saw it mentioned in an instagram post, and the concept seemed so fun and exciting. And it was.

My biggest problem was with the characters. Everyone at the beginning seemed like a caricature to me. But by the end, about 50% of them still seemed to be. Juliet especially, for all that the story revolved around her, has absolutely no depth or real personality. Everything we seem to know about them is either surface level or an objective fact. Emma and Caleb are alright, but once again too stereotypical for my tastes. They also seem way too emotionally mature with no explanation as to why, and everyone seems to make decisions and stick to them without any doubt. I think that’s unrealistic for most people, especially teenagers with no history of therapy or people who had a similar experience to guide them. Caleb's mom, though, was great and I absolutely adored her.

Though there was diversity, it didn’t really feel like it because the characters were not fleshed out. And I guessed Juliet’s big reveal around 20 pages in and was right, so I think Woody could have either created a better twist or make us think the one they chose was off the table.

I think there was too much telling sometimes, especially with emotional reactions to things. We as readers are smarter than the narrative seems to think, and we don’t need every single obvious emotion to be explained. On the flip side, I felt that some of the actions could have been explained better, not danced around. Small plot happenings don’t need to be a mystery.

I didn’t like the pacing at the beginning; it was way too slow for the first more than a hundred pages. The ending was much better, but I honestly don’t think we even needed the epilogue. It didn’t add much to the story for me.

Thank you to the publisher and Net Galley for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review!

DNF 53%
I am very thankful to have received an arc. I enjoy the dual pov. I enjoyed slowly learning the past Caleb and Emma. I was happy to read that as the story progresses it becomes clear that the narrative will result into a reconciliation between them. Juliet isn’t interesting in the slightest or a captivating character. As I read I would wait for the two exs to stop gushing over her so I could read about their past and learn more about who they are. Caleb and Emma have chemistry unlike them with Juliet. I enjoyed reading about Caleb’s caring nature. I think people will enjoy this, it just wasn’t captivating enough to finish reading

I absolutely adore Amanda Woody’s debut book They Hate Each Other and was so thrilled to read their new book, completely sure I’d love it just as much. Exes & Foes had such great potential and amazing representation, and I really, really wanted to love it, but unfortunately, it didn’t blow me away, nor have the same vibes or get me invested in the characters as THEO did.

Exes & Foes is told from the dual POVs of the former best friends/crushes Caleb and Emma. For reasons still unclear to Caleb, Emma suddenly ghosted him four years ago, and now they are foes doing their best to avoid each other at school. But Emma has a way of always getting involved in Caleb’s life anyway, especially to steal his new friends or love interests. When a new girl, Juliet, begins at their school and spikes both of their interest, Caleb and Emma make a bet that whoever Juliet kisses first gets to date her. However, this bet somehow results in Caleb and Emma spending an unexpected amount of time together.

I really loved the concept with the two former best friends/secret crushes competing but ending up having to get to the bottom with their feelings for one another instead. And the representation was, just like in Amanda Woody’s first book, absolutely amazing and authentic. Just like in THEO, there was also an extra layer with abusive/neglecting parents that made your heart break for the main characters.

But sadly, the execution of the concept didn’t quite meet its potential. For being the big love interest of both Caleb and Emma, Juliet was strangely lacking in personality and wasn’t fleshed out enough to make us readers understand how and why she was so compelling to them both. It also took such a long time to establish the whole plot setup that the first part of the book felt very slow and over-complicated.

I would have wished to get Caleb’s and Emma’s backstory earlier and that we’d got more of their interactions. They had such wonderful chemistry and I rooted for them both when I learned about their hardship growing up (especially Emma) and how they’d been each others’ safe place and joy, I just wished that had come sooner. I also feel that the parental trauma parts could have been more explored as to why and how they started (and what about Emma’s dad and how had her mother met the new man becoming Emma’s sister’s dad, who seemed like a nice person apart from ignoring his wife’s first born and his daughter’s half-sister?) Strangely, the story felt both too long and too short, if that makes any sense.

The story had such potential, it just took too long for it to fully rise up to it and let us connect with the characters.

But that said, I still love Amanda Woody’s writing and their wonderful and authentic way of dealing with diversity, representation, found family and mental health, and I can’t wait to read more of their stories.

4.75 ⭐️
Emma and Caleb used to be best friends, and now they're both vying for the attention of Juliet. This frienemies to lovers story was so sweet and funny. The banter in this was hilarious, I loved all the little twists and turns, and the diverse queer rep brought a huge smile to my face The 2 biggest things that kept this from being a 5 star were the fact that all the side characters were brown (it gave me magical negro vibes) and one particular scene at the end that made me uncomfortable because this is YA. That said, I loved all of these characters, especially the unsuspecting snark, and I would love to read more from this author. I honestly wish this was a bit longer so the side characters could be more fleshed out. Overall, This was so much fun! I got this as an ARC from Netgalley, and I will be buying it once it comes out.

Though this is a mature YA book, it covers some heavy topics so just be cautious! As for the relationship dynamic, it’s a complicated love triangle and i’m just glad it ends with a solutions and not discombobulated ending! Can’t wait to read more by this author!

This one is difficult to review with a number because I think it is doing a really good job at what it set out to do, but I am for sure no longer the target demographic. As a queer YA book it delivered on the representation really well. I could see teens really enjoying this, particularly if they can relate to either of the main characters. But the side friend characters unfortunately fell flat in comparison to Emma and Caleb as the POV characters. The book even teases that Emma’s friend Alice doesn’t have anything going on in her life except for Emma. And for how the book supposedly revolves around this competition over Juliet, it is especially surprising how little we actually get to know her. Like we learn facts about her, but she didn’t feel fully realized.

Even though the friend characterization leaves something to be desired, the best thing this book does is relationships. The relationship between Emma and Caleb is nuanced. The exploration of parental abuse and how that manifests in other relationships was done well. And the relationship between Emma and Caleb’s mom was a beautiful look at that sort of second parent you get from your friend’s parents.

The writing was pretty weak in the front half, while the second half of this book really pulled it together. I didn’t think we needed the epilogue though, I liked how the last chapter ended better. The dedication really got me 🥺

3.5

This book had a similar tone to They Hate Each Other (a balance of silly/nonsensical concept against the backdrop of some heavier topics). The two main characters were three dimensional and broke away from gender stereotypes, which is always a good thing and a nice subversion for the YA genre. This was definitely a quick read and while the first half didn't grab me, there weren't any pacing issues.

This is just down to personal preference, but the language used definitely skewed younger, and it felt a bit Ali Hazelwood-esque. There are some YA books that are great for readers of any age (They Hate Each Other felt more like that) and some that are meant exclusively for teens and I think this one skews to the latter. This is probably sitting at a 2.5 for me personally, but I really don't think I was the target age demographic for this one.

I wasn't actually able to get a clear read on some of the characters or connect with the plot until the second half. My biggest criticism is that I really wish there was a bit more put into Juliet's character because I couldn't quite figure out what made her just so compelling to Emma and Caleb. Her quirkiness and constant self-deprecation was more annoying than charming. Which wouldn't be an issue for a supporting character, but their interest in her is what was the catalyst for the whole plot.

i’m so bummed to announce that this one wasn’t meant for me 😭 i found the characters to be somewhat cringey and over the top.

Okay, this was cute AF. I am such a sucker for a bisexual love triangle and the messes they create, and this was such a unique way to go about it! I also love a good childhood besties to ex besties to lovers romance, so clearly this was right up my alley. I loved the competition aspect, and I laughed so much throughout! I do wish we had gotten to see more of Emma and Caleb together, but I understand that the focus for the majority of the story was Juliet, and honestly, it was really fun getting to see both of their POVs while trying to "win" her over. Highly recommend!

Amanda Woody has solidified their place as one of my must buy authors! Woody has such a way with banter that i’m giggling and kicking my legs on every sentence! And who gave them permission to write me into the book! JK but Juliet reminds me so much of myself that it’s scary! (Aroace twins!) The relationship between Caleb and Emma was a hurricane of love and insults that needs to be present in a friends to enemies to lovers (where they were never really enemies they just lacked communication skills) I can’t wait to read it again once it comes out!

Oh, this book has my heart. Best friends to rivals to lovers, a queer M/F relationship, family trauma and some of my favorite secondary characters, what's not to love? I managed to spread this out over two sittings instead of all in one go, but it was next to impossible to put Exes and Foes down. At first I had been hoping that this would end up being a polyam relationship (it wasn't), but I loved Emma and Caleb's relationship so, so much. The way it developed in the present while forcing them to confront their tumultuous past worked so well, and they fit so well together it was hard to believe that they hadn't ended up friends again sooner. I'm so impressed with this book, and can't wait to go back and read Woody's debut, and whatever they publish next!

4/5 ⭐️

I was so pleasantly surprised by this book because it was so fun. From literally the dedication (to anyone who has never felt queer enough) to the three main characters I just had so much enjoyment reading this hehe :)

Everything was so silly and wholesome and my heart loves all these characters (especially Caleb omg). The way that Caleb speaks and thinks I felt in my soul and the amount of times I giggled at these insults he was hurling at himself while pining over Emma was too too funny. I think the three leads do a great job balacing each other out and while I cringed and was in pain as Emma and Caleb both used Juliet as part of their game, I think the fallout and ending was resloved nicely (even if Juliet did let them off a bit easy). AND OMG Emma and Calebs mom I loved their relationship so so much and it was so so sad that she ghosted her - like I was more upset by that than her not talking to Caleb :((

Anyway, I definitly recommend this book and can't wait to read the finished copy when it comes out in July!!!

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for a review copy. All thoughts and opinons are my own.

I love Amanda Woody and her previous book so I was so thankful that I received an advance copy of her new book! As usual, it was filled to the brim with heart, soul, and a YA romance to boot. I'm loving this new micro-trope in fiction where two bi people start to have a crush on the same person but end up falling in love with each other instead. I eat it up every time. Exes & Foes was fun and also deeply emotional and I would highly recommend!!!