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!!!

Thank you NetGalley and to the publisher for the digital ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This was a cute story. I kind of knew from the beginning that Caleb and Emma would wind up together (not mad about it!) but watching them get there was very enjoyable. I was kinnnnnd of hoping for a poly ending but was definitely ok with what we got. There was a lot of representation here, and the story was well done in an age appropriate way for a book that is classified as YA. The book does touch on some sensitive subjects (parental abandonment, bullying, etc.), so just something to keep in mind if you aren't in the right space to read about those things. Characters were well developed, and book had a good pace.

amanda woody never misses with her books! they just have so much heart to them i don't think i could ever hate them. this was so beautiful, heartwarming and lovely at the same time. jdjnejrfqejrfjqerhf i loved it SO much.

Thank you to Net galley for approving my ARC of Exes and Foes.

While the book had a good premise, I found it very hard to read and finish because of the way the characters spoke and their behaviors. It all came across and very cringey and over the top to me. However, If the way the characters converse with each other does not feel the same to you as it does to me and you’re looking for a short book to pass time, I would recommend this book.

Amanda Woody has stolen my heart again with this YA second chance romance. So funny, so tender, well developed, flawed characters. Character growth as individuals and as a couple. So so so much to love about this book.
Thank you to netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read this in exchange for an honest review.

Exes and Foes features an atypical love triangle: Emma and Caleb knowingly compete for their mutual friend's affection.

I did not find this competition enjoyable to read about. Labeling it as a competition makes Juliet seem like a prize, not a person. This competition isn't about what Juliet wants or whether Juliet is even interested in either of them. While still reading, I thought I would end up giving this book 2 or 3 stars because I genuinely dislike this major plot point.

That said, sometimes I read a book and give it all the stars simply because of the way it made me feel. That's exactly what happened with Exes and Foes. This book took me through the entire spectrum of emotions. I felt for every character. In fact, I was so emotionally invested in their lives that, at times, I had to take a break from the book and calm down.

In my opinion, that's where Amanda Woody's genius lies, in their ability to craft gut-wrenchingly authentic stories that make the characters seem like long-time friends. Plus, Woody really delivers on diverse LGBT+ representation in this book.

Bottom line: Even better than their debut.

Dear Amanda,

We all can have this terrible voice inside our heads that we’re not good enough. I know you worry readers won’t like your books. That your books aren’t good enough.

But Amanda, do you know how many people liked THEO? And would do anything to get that sequel you wrote? Do you know how THEO made me smile and gave this warm fuzzy feeling in my chest? And please know, Exes & Foes made me feel the same way!

The moment I started reading Exes, that smile I had while indulging THEO returned to my face. I grinned, I chuckled softly, I burst out laughing, and sometimes my chest tightened and a lump closed off my throat. You have a gift, Amanda. A gift to write fantastic character dynamics with so much vibrancy. I fell in love with badass Emma and awkward (her words) Juliette, and Caleb literally took a piece of my heart so he could live there forever. Even though I loved Juliette, I wanted Emma and Caleb to get together so badly. And when they finally did, after some hurdles, my heart fluttered.

Please, Amanda, never doubt yourself again. You’re one of those authors whose books I’d read without even reading the blurb.

Love,
Marieke

A fun story between friends, but also one that dealt with deeper topics. While I know this is for a younger audience I didn’t enjoy it as much as i was hoping for. I did like her first book alright but the writing style for this one dragged a bit for me. I did like the mmc but I didn’t have a preference for any character in particular. I did like how it ended though.

I enjoyed the first book I read by this author, "They Hate Each Other". This novel had similar dark overtones from some truly dreadful parents, but despite these problems and other self-inflicted emotional wounds our two protagonists made it through in the end. Unusually for the books I tend to read, the two main characters were in a heterosexual relationship (though they had plenty of queer friends themselves, plus some demisexual and ARO/ACE leanings thrown in for good measure).

All good fun and I look forward to Amanda's next book!

The beginning reminded me of one of my fav Bollywood movies of all time, so I spent the whole time fancasting those actors in here.

The character development and backgrounds (including families!) were fleshed out and well-done, the story was absolutely adorable, and the book balanced out humor and the heavier topics.

I love me some chaotic besties, and this one deliverrrred!! I was thinking the ending might be poly, but I'm okay with the way it did end! Well-done and a must read!

This book had me all weepy at 2:30am because I had to stay up to binge read the ending.

The story follows ex friends/lovers competing for the new girl that is quickly replaced with their journey to rekindling their friendship and righting the wrongs of the past.

The stories with their families were the star here. They were well written and developed for both of them, and even though their family issues were different, the author seamlessly integrated over the course of the book how these relationships impacted their lives. Really well done character development in my opinion.

I didn’t feel a ton of attachment to any other characters besides Emma and Caleb, but I felt like their stories with their respective families stole the show more than the competition, which fell to the wayside. I loved the arguments between the two of them, and the not so subtle hints to their obvious affection for each other. You could feel the intensity of their emotions, their anger, sadness, joy. It was a roller coaster of a read for someone who really puts themself in the shoes of the characters.

I think a couple things that detracted is I really dislike when books use a lot of modern slang/references, like “unalive me” or an obscure reference to The Greatest Showman, because I feel as though they don’t hold up to the test of time and date the book quickly. I also found it really hard to understand what they saw in Juliet at the beginning because her quirkiness felt more irritating than compelling.

Overall it was a wonderful read and I highly recommend all YA fans to read. It will grab your heart and twist it all over the place.

Thank you to Penguin Group-Penguin Young Readers Group, Netgalley, and Amanda Woody for the eARC. All opinions written are my own.

Exes & Foes is an adorable romance book about friendship, family, and healing. I thoroughly enjoyed read it. All of the characters were super cute and I love all the representation!

Just an all together lovely read!

I had a hard time getting into this book because I really didn't like Emma for most of the book. I also kept coming back to the logistics of this girl living in her car for an entire year - what did she do in the winter? Or all summer, when there was no school? And her nutrition? A month (at the start of the book) would have made much more sense. Regardless, I just really didn't like Emma and didn't think her character made sense.
I *did* like Caleb a lot, as well as Jas, Alice, and Caleb's mom. I was more meh on Juliet, but that may just be because I don't enjoy that kind of person in real life.
The conceit of an explicit competition for Juliet's affection was definitely icky, which literally every person who heard it acknowledged, but Caleb and Emma just kept at it anyway?

I loved this book! This story was sweet, had a lovely cast of supporting characters, and featured great rep (of multiple identities that I will leave unsaid for spoiler reasons).

Emma and Caleb were both written so thoughtfully, and Juliet was so much fun. This book—similar to They Hate Each Other—did a great job of balancing heavy topics and humor. (Also similar to THEO, it describes a lot of trauma, so check trigger warnings!) I laughed and cried within same scenes, and it pulled me out of a reading slump!

I loved THEO, and Exes and Foes did not disappoint. Amanda Woody has become an auto-buy author for me, and I am so very grateful to them for writing this wonderful book.

Emma, Caleb, and Juliet have my entire heart. I love each and every one of them, and Woody's story had me laughing, crying, and cheering for them the whole way through. I read this book in a single sitting and it was like a warm hug. I cannot wait to read literally every single thing that this author writes for the rest of forever!