This book was wonderful! I loved it so much. I read You, With a View and thought the love story was cute, but the characters and relationship didn’t have as much depth as I was hoping for. Not the case with The Ex Vows. This books is everything I love in a good romance novel. Highly recommend!

Jessica Joyce has done it again. I am constantly in awe of this woman’s writing, storytelling and compelling characters. I felt so connected to not only the characters, but the plot as well. a book about two ex lovers who are still so madly in love with each other and they have to unite to help save their friends wedding? oh and it’s set in a vineyard? yeah give me 14 of them right now!!!!

Eli & Georgia are some of my favorite characters I have ever read about. Their depth, dynamic & genuine personality just really worked for me & I felt so immensely connected to both of them but specifically Georgia. My archer girl, fear of change, abandonment issues bestie… I adore you! She is the embodiment of so many of us, our fears, insecurities, and deepest feelings. I can’t put into words how refreshing it was to see a character so much like me. I feelt so unbelievably seen.

These two are soulmates. The pining, banter, flirting and the effortless connection they share is one that is so palpable through the pages. These two are so lovable & you truly root for them from the very beginning.

I could go on and on about how much I love Eli, Georgia, this book & Jessica Joyce but i will never finish. so I’ll leave you with this. If you want a second change read that’s feels realistic with characters that have so much depth, stunning setting, sexy and fun banter & a story that is so entertaining & heartwarming? Look no further, The Ex Vows is the book for you.

The ending of this one had me in tears. It was so good! The characters were lovable, and I enjoyed the way the author put them in forced proximity of one another and had them figure things out. The "wedding curse" was comedic, and the friends were great add-ins to the story. This is a definite recommend for lovers of the second chance romance trope.

“When I say I’m still in love with you, I mean the first time I saw you and right now. I mean every second in between.”

Georgia and Eli. These two exes have to work together and pretend to be on good terms to help save their best friend’s wedding.

This book was absolutely beautiful and heartfelt! The paper rings?! The fact that he never stopped loving her?!!

🍇READ IF YOU LIKE🍇:
- second chance romance
- witty banter
- childhood friends to lovers to strangers to lovers
- past and present
- forced proximity
- “it was always you”
- only one cottage
- paper rings
- anxiety and panic disorder rep
- lots of pining

cw: anxiety, parent abandonment, panic attack

Thank you to @berkleyromance for the advanced copy! The Ex Vows is now available!

(3.75 stars)
The Ex Vows is a charming second chance romance. Georgia and Eli fell in love when they were in their teens, but later broke up when their lives felt like they were going in different directions, with Eli working excessively long hours, leaving Georgia to fend for herself in a new-to-her city. But now, five years later, they are being thrown back together, helping to plan their mutual friend’s wedding. So they are trying to make the best of it.

When one disaster after another happens to the wedding plans - their venue burns down, for one! - Eli and Georgia have to work hard to save the day. And they realize that they both have matured and still have feelings for each other.

I think the story would have been enhanced to have some chapters from Eli’s POV instead of only Georgia’s.

Warning: there are some spicy open door scenes

Thank you to Berkley and NetGalley for the opportunity to read a review copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

I adored the therapy rep in this one - especially as someone who’s in therapy! The yearning was top notch as was the evolution and maturation of the characters. I did find the best friends doing all the legwork for the wedding a bit weird, but if you can get past that, the story works well.

Second chance romance are always a love of mine and this one was no exception. It was sweet, sassy and sexy - I loved the banter and the tension. I loved how the deeper messages and issues in this book were handled. Sounds a little skeptical but I don't want to spoil anything! It had a lot of similarities to Happy Place but also felt like its own book. It was cute, but I didn't totally fall in love with the characters and their romance even if they had me rooting for them! Overall, definitely worth the read/listen.

I was provided an ARC of this book via Netgalley and the Berkley Besties program, all opinions are my own.

This was an emotional second chance romance. Both Eli and Georgia have some hang-ups when it comes to relationships and self-worth. Instability in their childhood has caused lasting trauma. They have known each other since high school, and their best friend Adam is about to marry the love of his life. Unfortunately for Adam and his bride to be everything that could go wrong does, and Eli an Georgia need to step in and save the wedding. Their friendship turned romance has been on frosty terms since their breakup several years ago, but they love Adam and will do anything to make his special day be as perfect as possible. Unfortunately, the universe has other plans for everyone. The day is one to remember, but the journey to get there is one too. Georgia and Eli skirt around old issues and messy feelings for the week they rush around putting the wedding together. It quickly becomes clear that they still have feelings for one another and they will have to face all of those feelings and unresolved emotions from their breakup.

This was fun, but it was missing something for me. The wedding disasters were funny and the couple had good banter. While I understand why Georgia felt the way she did regarding abandonment and worthiness in her relationships it seemed to overtake her entire personality. I wanted to get to know her as a person outside of her lists and trauma. The same goes for Eli, I needed more than the workaholic guy who broke Georgia's heart. Maybe it was a bit too angsty for me. I did like how the author brought it all together and resolved things for everyone. I enjoyed the side characters, the brought in good support for both characters.

This was another swoony romance from Jessica Joyce!

Second chance romance is my favorite trope, so it’s no surprise I loved this one. Georgia and Eli are forced to work together when they are appointed best woman and best man for their mutual best friend’s wedding.

This is a “right person, wrong time” scenario — with a second chance at love, five years later. They were both able to grow and needed to put in the work before being ready to come back together.

I loved the setting of Napa Valley 🍇 the friendships/found family were one of my favorite parts of the story.

There’s also fantastic anxiety rep, which is always a win for me 💚

The Ex Vows made me realize how much I love second chance romance books. The spark is still there, but things went awry - so much opportunity for banter and passion. And this book had plenty. I really enjoyed the chemistry between Georgia and Eli and the extra element of involving mutual friendships and forced proximity.

Recommend for contemporary romance fans - and if you haven’t read Jessica Joyce’s other book, You With a View, get to that as well. Thanks to NetGalley and Berkley for early access to this book in exchange for an honest review.

I didn’t want this to end!! I love the way Jessica Joyce writes: it’s raw, realistic, and just feels right.

And this book was everything I wanted from her and more: the banter! the spice! the second-chance romance! the forced proximity! the character growth! the friendship! I loved it all!

Spice was for this actually more than I was expecting, more like a 3-3.5/5 🌶️🌶️🌶️

(Thank you, Berkley Publishing Group and NetGalley, for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.)

as far as romance troupes go second chance romance is just not my jam, this was fine overall but wanted a bit more.

Set in Napa Valley, estranged exes Georgia and Eli must team up to save their best friend’s wedding after a series of disasters in this steamy second-chance romance.

𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐈 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞𝐝:
After reading "You, With a View" (JJ's debut novel) I knew I had to read The Ex Vows, and similarly..I could not put this book down! I loved this second chance romance between Eli and Georgia. The reasoning behind their "falling out" felt realistic, and made me feel more connected to them as characters. I appreciated both personal growth journeys from each of them (one who is a workaholic, one is facing new career choices and friendships enduring long distance.)

Eli is the absolute best! 🥹 the sweet and thoughtful gestures, paper rings, the tension....😮‍💨 I just loved everything about him. I also appreciated the anxiety rep in a male main character (you don't see this as often).

𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮'𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐟𝐨𝐫:
🍇second chance romance
🍇anxiety rep
🍇slow dancing
🍇winery setting
🍇to do lists
🍇paper rings
🍇 swimming
🍇the cutest nickname

I absolutely love a second chance romance and The Ex Vows delivered! I felt this was such a beautiful story in so many ways; friendship, relationship, finding yourself. So cute, loved it!

I have to preface this by saying I don't love angst, but I DO love second chance romances, and I absolutely LOVED You, with a View. I was a bit hesitant to start The Ex Vows (alas, I am a wimp when it comes to angst) because I suspected it would be an emotional read, and this book just punched me right in the feels.

The angst...the pining...the undisguised lingering feels...all of this combined to give the narrative a hopelessly romantic, beautifully nostalgic feel. Georgia and Eli have so many unresolved issues between them, and they're both tiptoeing around these issues in an effort not to cause drama in the midst of their friend's wedding. The past and the present collide, making them both confront what led to the end of their relationship and what still exists between them. So the tension building between them created this heightened sense of anticipation that you just knew would lead to an explosion of passion and feelings.

Beautifully written, with an evocative narrative and multi-dimensional, captivating characters, The Ex Vows is another must-read romance from Jessica Joyce. I look forward to seeing what she comes out with next!

wow oh wow, i absolutely loved this. though i did read you with a view and enjoyed it at the time… this exceeded all expectations i had

Gorgeous second change romance. Jessica Joyce's books are a master class in swoon, pining, longing for lost love while also being funny and relatable and real.

OMG I loved this so much. Second chance can be hit or miss but this was done SO well. Loved the communication between the two of them and the healthy grow. Steamy and swoony, I thought this was great. 4.5 stars

Sweet second-chance romance!

Georgia Woodward, the maid of honor at her best friend Adam’s wedding, is helping the couple plan the wedding of their dreams. When things start going wrong, she knows she has to step in. However, what she wasn’t expecting was for her ex, Eli Mora, to show up at the wedding venue and stay with her in the days leading up to the wedding. She knows she can't push him away—after all, Adam is also his best friend.

Five years ago, Georgia and Eli broke up. She had been living in New York with him, but their relationship suffered as he became consumed with work, leaving them with little time together. After the breakup, she returned to the West Coast and poured herself into her new job.

Seeing Eli again brings up emotions Georgia isn’t ready to confront. Her feelings for him are still very much alive, especially now that she notices how much he’s changed. He’s no longer the workaholic he used to be, and it seems like he might want Georgia back!

The Ex Vows featured likable and realistic characters. I could really feel how much Georgia and Eli loved each other, especially since they were friends before they were lovers. I was rooting for them to find their happiness together.

Cliffhanger: No

4/5 Fangs

A complimentary copy was provided by Berkley via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is a deeply emotional second chance romance that doesn't shy away from all the messiness involved in growing up, finding yourself, and becoming a stronger partner.