This is the saddest case of right book, wrong time ever. Very much "I'm so sorry I promise it's me, NOT YOU".

"You and I are going to have a reckoning Georgia"

hahahahah what do you mean I had this book on my TBR for months and months and months and never picked it up until a month ago and then fumbled my way through the beginning a little but then finally dedicate myself to it and had it shine such a warm and loving light on my soul like what do you mean THIS BOOK IS EVERYTHING TO ME.

For my money I think this is the only contemporary romance I've read that made me cry because of how beautiful and bittersweet and loving and carrying this book is like omg I need a physical copy ASAP.

Best read of 2025 already hands down I can't wait to reread and annotate wow reading is good and books come into our lives at the right time for a reason.

I really felt seen reading this book. One of my favorite parts about it was how it has such a strong thesis statement. Some of the romances I've read lately don't have a strong point of view or moral to me, but The Ex Vows has such a strong message of "embracing the mess". It is such a wonderful thing to hear when so much of your mental state can get wrapped up in how everyone else's relationships look perfect and mine is messy but spoiler alert they're all messy!!

I commend this book for being equal parts relatable and romantic. This book really embraces the beauty of how it feels to be loved and to love in real life. There is nothing here that is crazy over the top or fantastical but it still feels joyous and special and ugh why is it perfect it's a perfect book to me.

I can't wait to reread and pick up more on Eli but oh my godddd his commitment to Georgia is so unmatched. And Georgia learning to break down her walls and deconstruct everything she's built around herself in order to achieve happiness for the new version of her.

Obviously this is a romance and has an HEA, but I truly was gripped reading parts of this not knowing what was going to happen. As an avid romance reader, it takes a lot for me to feel shocked and surprised by a romance and this did it for me.

I can't believe this book exists. Thank goodness it does.

I usually loooove a good second chance romance, but The Ex Vows just didn’t work for me. The chemistry between the main characters felt flat, and the emotional depth I crave in a reunion story wasn’t there. The pacing dragged, and I struggled to stay locked in. Unfortunately, it just didn’t hold my interest, so I had to put it down at around 40ish %. I know others might connect with it more, but this one wasn’t for me.

Jessica proves time and time again why she's an auto buy author for me! A beautiful second chance romance about two people who love each other but haven't always made the best choices or had the best timing. I wish I could have more time with this characters but it'll have to do until Jessica's next book!

I should admit that this one has some fun moments, but leans a little more towards a straight romance, so not really a rom com. But such an enjoyable read

Can 2 exes save their friend’s wedding? Such a fan of second chances and I really bought into their love, their hurt and what is holding them back. I really wish this would have had two POVs instead of just the one, but even with the single narration, I fell in love with the characters and rooted for them to find their way back to each other.

I loved the flashbacks, friendships, and setting. This was a complete win. Everything fit together and helped me get lost in the story. Such a sweet read.

This was my second book by this author and I can say that it was just as wonderful and sweet as the first one. Great second chance romance with memorable characters and swoon worthy scenes.

This book hurt me in the best way possible. I love a good story that sucks me in quickly and within the first few chapters I was sucked in. I read this while on the plane back from my a trip to South Carolina and I swear I could hardly put it down. It had my stomach in knots in the most perfect way possible.

As a romance reader and reviewer, we often get books with very similar tropes and themes and while the Ex Vows obviously has the forced-proximity, second-chance romance, and fake "friendship" tropes, I do feel like it sets itself apart from it's peers and, dare I say, surpasses them in the genre. I found the back story between Georgia and Eli to be so compelling. Every minute of their relationship was so raw and powerful. It had me longing with both of them. And I can't even begin to describe the pain I felt along with them during the ending as we finally dissected the breakup. This book was so moving. It held me it's in its clutches for hours. It's been weeks since I read it and I still think about this book all the time.

I think at the end of the day, this book captured a relationship in crisis so well. It captured grief, love, friendship, and the adult experience in a beautifully painful detail. There are so many moments through out this book that felt so real and life like. The conversations about feeling like you're drifting away from your friends because your moving, this feels like something so many readers can relate to whether you're post-grad, early adulthood or later when you hit your 30s and 40s and have these established friends but you have to move because of work. It felt so authentic to the human experience.

I was so glad that Eli and Georgia didn't just immediately get back together post-wedding. Again, this was another moment that felt so beautifully well done. This was the kind of relationship that showed how putting in the work is so important, both for themselves as a couple and as individuals. Truly a masterclass in healthy relationship building. The writing was beautiful and perfect. I will continue to think about this book likely for the rest of my life.

5+ STARS

If Jessica Joyce writes it, I will read it, love it, and make loving it my entire personality. This is a perfect book for fans of second chance romance. The angst, the forced proximity, the drama—you’re going to want to add this to the top of your TBR.

Five years after a heartbreaking split, Georgia Woodward and Eli Mora are brought back together for the wedding of their mutual best friend. Only problem is: everyone thinks they’re on friendly terms which is the furthest thing from the truth. Georgia and Eli are forced to work together to plan the perfect day for their best friend while finally confronting each other about their breakup all those years ago.

The chemistry was chemistry-ing! I felt like these two characters were so relatable and real that it was so easy to feel their emotions throughout their journey. Eli was my favorite MMC of 2024, hands down. Literally a man written by a woman and he made me sob more than once in this book. Georgia was a sweetheart and I couldn’t help but love her and root for her growth. I know so many reviews mention Ch 28, but once you know, you *know*! Another amazingly beautiful read from the queen of making me CRY, laugh, and fall in love with love.

Thank you Berkley for the e-arc <3

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publishing Company for this Advanced Readers Copy of The Ex Vows by Jessica Joyce!

Second chance?
tension?
hilarious moments?

sold.
i enjoyed this one. it was a quick and easy read. i loved book 1 in the series and i was excited to get to chance to read this one as well

The Ex Vows is everything you could want in a second-chance romance—emotional tension, sizzling chemistry, hilarious wedding mishaps, and a whole lot of unresolved feelings between two exes who can’t seem to stay away from each other.

📖 The Story:
Georgia Woodward has one ironclad rule—keep her ex, Eli Mora, at arm’s length. Their breakup five years ago was nothing short of catastrophic, and she’s determined to maintain peace within their tight-knit friend group by sticking to the rules she’s created. But with their best friend Adam’s wedding approaching, Georgia and Eli are forced together in the worst possible way—as the best woman and best man.

Things take a turn for absolute disaster when the wedding venue burns down (yes, literally), and Adam asks them to work together to save the day. Between disastrous cake tastings, DJ auditions from hell, and Eli’s smoldering looks, Georgia finds herself dangerously close to breaking every rule she made to protect her heart.

🎉 Why You’ll Love It:
✔ Second-Chance Romance Perfection – The angst and chemistry between Georgia and Eli is off the charts. Their history is messy, their connection is undeniable, and their banter is filled with tension and longing.
✔ Forced Proximity & Wedding Mayhem – Watching them scramble to fix a wedding while dodging their own feelings makes for a hilarious, emotional, and swoon-worthy ride.
✔ A Strong, Independent Heroine – Georgia is practical, organized, and fiercely protective of her heart, making her emotional journey all the more rewarding.
✔ A Reformed Hero Who Fights for Love – Eli arrives with a new attitude, a smirk, and an agenda—to prove to Georgia that their love is worth a second shot.
✔ Laugh-Out-Loud Moments & Heartfelt Feels – The wedding disasters, friendship dynamics, and Georgia and Eli’s rekindled relationship make this book equal parts funny, sexy, and emotional.

With sparkling dialogue, a stunning Napa Valley setting, and a love story that will make your heart ache in the best way, The Ex Vows is a must-read for fans of second-chance romance and wedding hijinks. If you loved You, with a View, this one is guaranteed to steal your heart!

I loved this book.

Georgia's best friend Adam is about to get married. Everything with this wedding is going wrong from no cake, no venue, no DJ and more. Georgia is a planner, list maker and problem solver. She is determined to take care of it all and make it the best wedding for her friend. The only problem is the person who will be helping her, none other than her ex Eli. It is 5 years after they have split and they have to team up to take care of these tasks and make this the best wedding in a weeks time.

Georgia is worried about her job because her position is being transferred from SF to Seattle. She is worried all of her friends will forget about her and she will lose everyone she cares about. She is determined to make everything perfect and prove that she is a great friend. Eli has been overworked and obsessed with his phone and job and lost the girl he loved and has also not been there the way a best man should. Both have something to prove while also denying the feelings they still have for each other. .

When they both have to make a trip to the new venue and stay there which also happens to be some place they spent a lot of time when they were younger it becomes harder to deny these old feelings.

This was a very well done second chance romance, I loved the relationship between Eli and Georgia and the fact that their breakup was not due to some misunderstanding that took the entire book to resolve. There is just something I love about books with weddings and HEA.

Thanks to NetGalley, Jessica Joyce, and Berkley Publishing Group for an advance copy of this book!

Eli and Georgia broke up five years ago but have stayed friendly, mostly for the sake of their shared friend group. But when their best friends' wedding starts to go off the rails, they have to team up to keep it from turning into a total disaster…

I ate this book up, this exceeded my expectations. It's raw, heartfelt, heartbreaking, but still leaves room for banter and funny lines. The romance has just the right amount of spice, flirty and fun. I liked how we got little bits of their past through Georgia’s memories. The story does a great job showing how they went from strangers to best friends to lovers to exes. I don’t want to go too much into it, JUST READ IT!

Five beautiful stars.
I used to be the biggest fan of second chance romances but then I realized they really needed to be done right, and this one was done so, so right. I was so hooked from the very start and it took everything in me to get actual work done while I went between the audiobook and the ebook yesterday. And when I got home, it was game over. I got to that last 20sih percent and stopped the audiobook, started reading the ebook, cried because I felt so seen Georgia's character and the romance between her and Eli made my heart hurt in the best way. Then I went to sleep, and woke up and listened to all of it again on the audiobook and cried on my way into work this morning. I have no regrets.
A new favorite book. Hands down.

This was such a sweet read. I really enjoyed the love story and all of the fun wedding shenanigans of this book. Definitely a good one! ⭐⭐⭐⭐

This was cute. I liked the second chance romance and the tension between them. I still can’t figure out why the couple that were getting married didn’t go to see the venue and plan their own wedding after the first one dissolved.

This was such a shocking favorite of the year. Not only was this a new to me author, but it was a second chance romance done to absolute perfection.

Second chance romances can be so difficult to pull off, but this one not only convinced me of their past connection, but that they should be together despite their hardships.

Forced proximity, a romantic wedding backdrop, and so much mutual pining made this book hard to put down. And it definitely left me crying at the end.

Can't wait to read more from this author!

Wonderful and so sweet ! Def had me crying a good bit. Georgia was so relatable for me and her and Eli were perfect together :)

Jessica Joyce truly has a way with words! the way she describes the little details and feelings of falling in love is so magical. The setting of the vineyard was so fun and romantic. I love second chance romances and found myself rooting for Georgia and Eli from their first interaction, despite not yet knowing what went wrong in the past. I enjoyed the way their history was slowly revealed as the current love story developed. I could've used a bit more communication about why this time was different/confronting their past issues, but overall really enjoyed this one!

Confession: did I initially want to read this book because I heard Eli wears a chain and that gives such Paul Mescal vibes? Yes. After reading it am I glad I read it besides the chain? Also yes. It was very very cute. A napa winery as a backdrop.. yes please. A second chance romance with no third act break up? COUNT ME IN. It started good and ended great. Would recommend!