A very cute and easy to read LGBTQ romance. Many cute moments that couldn't help but be appreciated. I loved the characters.

4.5/5 Stars

Two ex-best friends Emma and Caleb, decide to make dating the new girl, Juliette, a competition. Whoever is able to get Juliette to kiss them first, wins her heart. When Juliet only seems interested in hanging out with the two of them together, things get complicated.

I really like the author's first book, They Hate Each Other, so I was excited to read another one of their books. Turns out I really enjoyed this one as well! The dynamics between these characters were such a joy to read about. Emma, Caleb and Juliet are all amazing characters that you couldn't help but fall in love with. All three of them go through so much growth by the end of the story. All three of them battle with self-doubt and not thinking they are good enough and all three go on a journey of self-discovery as they continue to hang out with one another. I liked that we got both Emma and Caleb's POVs, allowing us to see inside both of their heads and making it easier to see their true feelings towards one another. I love me some mutual pinning. My favourite arc was probably Caleb's. I loved watching him grow more confident in himself. It made me so sad that he had no idea why Emma had stopped talking to him in the first place, and thought he did something wrong to cause it. I was rooting for him and Emma to get together so hard, even though I really liked Juliet, it was so obvious these two were each other's person. I liked that we got to see the backstory of why Emma and Caleb's friendship fell apart, and I liked how we got to see it be mended as well. Emma's arc, regarding her mom and sister broke my heart, but I liked how it resolved in the end. I also thought the rep was very well done - we got bisexual, demisexual and ace representation along with some great mental health rep as well!

I think Amanda Woody has the potential to become an auto-buy author for me, so I am excited for what they come up with next!

it’s been a little while since i’ve read this book before i felt ready to discuss this book and write my review. honestly, i needed some time away to piece out my thoughts. and honestly, i hate to say i’m a bit disappointed with this book. i honestly think we could’ve had so much more given the premise of the book, two ex-friends pine after the same girl and make it into a competition to see who can progress their friendships to the next stage.

i’ve seen other people mention that they wish we had all three POVs since it would’ve made it a bit more ambiguous about who we should root for. maybe it would’ve ruined some surprises and developments to have the love interest’s POV. maybe it would’ve made it better since it’d be less obvious who we should root for. i don’t know. i’m leaning towards agreeing with those who said to have three POVs. because i spent the first 60+ percent of the book waiting to see how these exes will turn friendly/romantic with each other.

it’s clear there’s history we’re skirting around and its clear who we’ll see together in the end. so how could i believe the “competition” that emma and caleb create. both “pine” over juliet while really truly hashing out their unfinished business and overcoming their previous hurdles. despite my apprehension (and disbelief) throughout most of the book, it was still satisfying to see it all come to a head when they confess their feelings. it did have an emotional pay out that i do think saved the story. and with the love caleb and emma have, this pure intensity, i just know that they can work forward past what we see of them at the end there.

that and the amazing friend group (and a-spec rep) were truly the highlights of the story. i always love a good found family and boy would i consider this a good one!! jas and alice (and juliet) are truly amazing friends and are the type of friends i hope to have and be. it was so beautiful seeing their lil group get together and just be queer teens. it was so heartwarming. genuinely and easily my favorite parts of the story. (what can i say, i’m but a simple human!)

I’m still not sure how I feel about this book. It took a long time for me to get in to this book, and if I hadn’t had an arc from NetGalley I probably would’ve DNF’d it. But I did push through & in the end I’m glad I did. I loved all the representation in this, it’s really rare to find a book with male/female couple where both are bi. I do highly recommend checking out the trigger warnings for this book because it did contain some surprising heavy subjects.

The audiobook saved this one for me!

I tried for weeks to read the ebook and just really struggled to get very far in it. The audiobook narrators brought charisma, personality, and life to these characters that I just wasn’t getting from the ebook.

That being said, this book was very cute! Ex best friends Caleb and Emma compete for the heart of their new friend Juliet, only to end up falling back in love with each other. Emma is tough and witty with a LOT of family issues, Caleb is an adorable sweetheart who loves to clean and thinks of everyone before himself. They complement each other perfectly. Juliet is also a nice addition to their group, and while not the main focus despite the two MC’s battling it out for her affection, she has a nice story arc as well.

A really nice little YA. Highly recommend on audio.

Thank you @netgalley and @penguinrandomhouse for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

This was a really good YA romance. Even though this was a romance it dealt with some very deep themes and did feature some mature scenes but not in explicit detail. There was lgbtq+ representation in the book and was very well represented. I would be interested in reading more from this author.

Thank you to Viking Books for Young Readers and NetGalley for the ARC of this novel. This was a cute young adult romance and it was very appreciated to bring in several different queer identities to educate the reader and show the spectrum. It also felt true to life with how people in the world accept stereotypes and discriminate what they do not like or understand. Emma and Caleb were a bit stereotypical for their character traits being flipped (the female acts aggressive while the male is passive) but it worked within this universe. I would give this 3.5 stars.

This has no business being this funny. I love that it casually mentions a love for mops and being voted most likely to be a serial killer in the first chapter!
I love the way that Caleb and Emma’s interactions gradually change through the book as they get reacquainted and come to terms with their feelings.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!

I really enjoyed the book! I think my expectations were a bit high considering They Hate Each Other was one of my favourite books last year, and Exes & Foes didn't completely live up to that, but it was still a very solid read and I will definitely, without any hesitation, be reading whatever Amanda writes next.

I loved both of the main characters, Caleb and Emma, and well as the side characters. Amanda has a way of writing characters that are so believable and that you can't help but feel very deeply for. I just want to give Emma a hug. Like, just writing this review, months after finishing the book (oops) makes my heart ache for her and Caleb.

Also, the plot twist with Juliet?? I loved it. I was like "Wait, what if..? That would be amazing!!" and then that happened!! Thank you for that Amanda.

Rep: bi MC, bi demi MC, queer SCs

A story of love, friendship, and family that is so many things: funny and snarky and heartbreaking and tender and traumatic and healing and hopeful. What I thought was going to be a lighthearted teen romcom ended up being full of real relationships, both good and bad, with people who love each other but make mistakes, who can’t stop listening to the people trying to tear them down, who self-sabotage and think the worst of themselves. But these are also kind, thoughtful people, who deserve happiness and joy and to not be let down or put down. They deserve better.

I was so frustrated with Emma for much of this book because it felt like their 4 years of painful separation could have been avoided if she had just been honest with Caleb about her feelings and fears instead of completely ghosting him and cutting both him and his mom out of her life. But seeing her home life with her mom and the terrible things her mom drilled into her head definitely made it make more sense, especially that flashback to right before their split when she was saying such cruel and things to her. Being constantly told that you’re worthless, that you only take from people instead of giving, that you’re a drain on everyone around you is bound to sink in at some point. I was mad at her sister Brooke, too, because she kept getting so mad at Emma for not just doing what their mom said, without seeming to see how unfair and meanspirited all of their mom’s demands were. Emma running away from home and living in her car was seriously dangerous, and I was so happy for her when she finally went back and confronted her mom. She wasn’t mean, she was calm and thoughtful, and I really hope she and her mom and sister can all get into therapy. There’s no excuse for abusing your children.

As for Caleb, my heart ached for him the whole book, both because of the many times his father has let him down and for how much his heart was still broken by Emma. His mom is the best adult in this book, and I’m so glad he has her, but being constantly jerked around by his dad really messed with his self-esteem. Emma was such a great friend to him, not only standing up for him whenever he was bullied, but by helping him build confidence and by loving him unconditionally (until, of course, she broke his heart). Can I say, thank god for their friends and Juliet finally pushing them to share space and work through everything that happened in the past and their current feelings. It seemed pretty obvious to me that Juliet was aware of the competition for her affection and also of the tension/attraction between Emma and Caleb, and was working with Jas and Alice to get them in the same space, so it was nice to see that confirmed.

Speaking of Juliet, there’s so much great representation in this book - gay and bi characters, plus a range of asexual ones, from demisexual to aroace, and non-binary as well. What Juliet said to Caleb and Emma at the end was really meaningful because it’s something I’ve seen, too, and that fear of rejection can be very real. “I knew you were both queer… but I wasn’t sure that if I told you, I’d be...accepted. Some queer people don’t consider asexuals part of the community. Because we don’t suffer as much, because we don’t face the same problems, because lack of attraction doesn’t qualify as a sexuality, blah, blah, blah… So I was nervous. But then I got to know you… I learned what it’s like to have friends who accept me for who I am… The kind of friends who last lifetimes.”

Yes, Emma and Caleb initially saw Juliet as a beautiful person they were interested in dating, and they had no way of knowing they wouldn’t cause her a significant amount of pain by leading her on for their own purposes. This story could definitely have gone that way, but it was clear throughout the process that both Emma and Caleb were genuine in their interest in Juliet and liked her as a person, in addition to being attracted to her. And the more time they spent with them, the more it because clear that Juliet’s former friends had never really been their friends, and actively harmed their self-esteem and sense of self-worth. Juliet was constantly apologizing for being annoying, until they realized, with a lot of positive reinforcement, that true friends would love their enthusiasm and bright cheer. To me, this book was just as much about finding and holding onto the right friends as it was finding your right romantic partner. Who knows what will happen with Emma and Caleb in the future, but I think at this point, they will be in each other’s lives as forever family, along with Juliet, Alice, and Jas.

This is definitely one I would recommend - I couldn’t put it down, because I kept needing to know what would happen next. Be sure to keep the tissues close by!

Thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for an advance copy of this book for review purposes. I’m late posting, so you can find this out now in your favorite bookstore or library!

This story was awesome! It had friendship, found family, love, and self-worth. I really liked the flashbacks too. They helped me understand the characters better.

Eh. I wasn't a fan I think because of the brash and wholly obnoxious way both Emma and Caleb came about things. I thought the crassness of their language and swearing got in the way of a deeper story about relationships, friendships, dynamic, and expectations. I cringed every time there was a cheap joke or unnecessarily extra swearing and I'm not even prudish about it in general, it was misplaced.

Obviously the trajectory of the story is exactly what's expected and that comfort was the comfort and saved me from totally dropping the story at all.

Exes and Foes tells the story of Emma and Caleb who are competing for a relationship with the new girl, Juliet. While all this is happening they are both navigating their relationships with their family members. This story goes back and forth between the two perspectives to give you insight on what is happening in both of their lives. Emma and Caleb used to date, they were each other's first love, who will get to be with Juliet? Or will things go differently than what we expect?

It took me a while to get into this book but I am so glad that I came back to it on audiobook. Once I switched into audiobook and was able to speed the story up it was hard to put the book down. It takes a while to really get into the story but once you get more information about Emma's mom and
Caleb's dad so you understand their actions you can't help but want to know more.

I love the complexity of both Emma and Caleb's family lives and the role that it plays in the romance in this book. I really wanted to see if they could both look past what their parents have instilled about them and let themselves be loved by others.

I struggled a bit to get into it but enjoyed the read thoroughly throughout once I got into the flow. I did enjoy the characters and the storyline immensely. This book is full of angst and authentic friendships. The story also deals with some heavy issues, but I think they were handled with care.

I enjoyed what I read of Amanda Woody's Exes and Foes, however I was unable to finish it due to time pressure. The cast of characters were engaging and diverse, and I was curious to see how their story unfolded. I was not expecting quite so heavy backgrounds for the main characters, so some readers may be turned off by that, expecting just a silly romantic comedy.

Exes & Foes by Amanda Woody
intrigued me with the premise: Caleb and Emma, two ex-best friends compete for the attention of the same new girl at school.

This book is full of angst and authentic friendships. As an adult reader, I found some of the characters too much on the front side (too annoying, too much leaning into “all my friends think I’m weird.”) But this is YA specific to a YA audience. Students will appreciate the balance of personal drama with the light airy RomCom feel; the natural conversations about gender and sexuality and inclusive LGBTQIA representation. I appreciated the competitive nature, the predictability of outcome and the fact that while there’s plenty of trauma to manage (especially parental) it holds on to its lighthearted nature and peppy Romcom vibe.

I also appreciated the modeling of good friendship vs. superficial fake friendship and looking for people’s authentic self. I think a lot of teens will be drawn both to the message and breezy style. The focus on authenticity; being true to one’s own self; and dismantling harmful thoughts that have been so thoroughly reinforced by adults and / or friends. Though the predictable romance is part of this book’s appeal, it also has a couple of good surprises along the way.

A good addition to upper
teen and high school collections. Thanks to #netgalley for the review copy

Exes & Foes was a cute read. I struggled a bit to get into it, but enjoyed the read thoroughly throughout once I got into the flow. I did enjoy the characters and the storyline immensely.

A cute queer rom-com.

This was a rom-com book that I thoroughly enjoyed reading. I thought all the characters were well-thought-out and had depth. With them all being Seniors in high school I thought they were very mature for their ages. Especially dealing with the issues that had to deal with. The story deals with some heavy issues but I think they were handled with care.

Thank you so much to the publisher for a copy of this book.

What happens when you complete for the affection of the same girl with your ex?

This book was super cute! I loved the queer representation. The emotions were so raw as we watch Caleb and Emma going through an important time in their lives. Dealing with family issues and issues with being scared to love. The friend group was super amazing and supportive which was refreshing to see. The romance was super sweet and have you rooting for the pair so much.

another masterpiece by Amanda woody! I loved this so much, I loved the characters and the way the story unfolded! its the perfect mix of romance, friendship and emotions! I would recommend this to everyone who wants a good queer ya romance with a good amount of depth!

(thank you netgalley for this arc-copy!)