This was HOT, heartbreakingly beautiful, and so soft. Amazing characters arcs and growth. I didn't want this book to end. Not a huge fan of the traditional family and American Dream views we saw kind of woven into the story, but I loved everything else more than enough to make up for it.

Ohhh this book was everything I’d hope it would be! 🥹 The story follows Eli and Georgia who haven’t seen each other in years and reconnect as their best friend’s wedding approaches. The two work together to ensure the wedding preparations go smoothly. The story is told in the present with flashbacks from their past. I absolutely loved the characters and the side characters were fantastic too. They felt so vulnerable and real.
I enjoyed seeing the MCs growth throughout the story and how they learned to reconcile their past. I appreciated the mental health representation and Jessica handled the subject in such a delicate and respectful way. The chemistry between Eli and Georgia sizzled right off the page. I loved the tension, witty banter, and their journey back to each other. This is such an emotional, messy and beautiful second chance romance book.

Read if you like:
🍇Second chance romance
🍇Dual timelines
🍇 Forced proximity
🍇 Friends/strangers to lovers

I didn’t like this. The concept is not for me and it was so repetitive. I also hate the female main character

Estranged exes must stick close together to save their best friend’s wedding after a string of disasters in this swoony and steamy second-chance romance.

What I loved: Georgia and Eli's Flaws. He struggles with panic attacks and putting work before everyone else. She is hyper independent (hello same) and can't really vocalize her needs to he friends. She thinks she is "too much" and if you haven't felt that way at one point or another in your life consider yourself lucky! I related so hard to Georgia because her friends are moving into the next stages of life and she isn't there yet. To say that's where my life is now is a complete understatement. Jessica Joyce writes those feelings so well. I felt so seen! She also writes this romance so well. You can feel the longing between them even when they are fighting. I love that we get glimpses of their original love story intertwined with their rekindling romance in the present.

What I didn't LIke: The theme of "everything going wrong" was fun in the beginning but eventually became over-dramatized and a bit unbelievable. I felt like it was taken too far. First off, if I was getting married and my wedding was getting off to that bad of a start, I wouldn't have sent my friends to fix it. I would have taken the time off work and fixed it myself. Adam was way too trusting. Also, there is a point in the book where Georiga falls with the wedding cake and Adam is more concerned about the cake being ruined than Georgia's well being and I would have been pissed.

Read if you like friends to lovers, second chance romance with some forced proximity. Thanks to the publisher for the ARC in return for an honest review. This book releases 7/16

rating: 3.25 stars

i wanted to like this book more than i did *cries*

it’s not that i didn’t like it… but i struggled to really sink my teeth into the characters. second chance romance is my favorite trope, but i also think it’s one of the trickiest (for me to like). why? because i need to have a super solid understanding of the FIRST relationship to feel invested in the SECOND. what this book needed was some flashbacks. that’s really my only qualm with it. that, and i am over the whole “save a wedding together” gag (my problem, and this was actually done well because the wedding took a backseat to the characters). anywhoooo….

i started to feel more attached to the characters like 2/3 in. the ending is phenomenal. the lines eli delivers are WOW. i squeaked.

overall, i think others will really enjoy this book and while it wasn’t my favorite i will def read jessica’s next book because her writing is top notch!

thank you to berkley for my e-arc in exchange for my honest opinion.

Jessica Joyce writes beautiful stories and The Ex Vows is a 2024 top favorite for me.

It's been five years since Georgia and Eli broke up and the anticipation of seeing her ex has Georgia feeling all the feels. Georgia and Eli will be in each other's space again to see their best friend Adam get married, and my heart is in my throat, wondering how this would all go. There seems to be a curse on this wedding that made it seem almost like an impossibility that it would happen but that these two would be responsible for getting the wedding planned in a few weeks for their very best friend, the forced proximity of being in each other's space felt more like fate was playing a role in pushing these two back together. My heart and mind already so hopeful for what was to come. GAH!

Being a part of this couple's journey felt so profoundly intense and encompassing—from the unresolved feelings to the longing looks, to the paper rings, to Eli calling her "Peach", and oh the delicious chemistry and messy feelings that never went away... I laughed, I hoped and prayed for more, and I cried while understanding what went wrong the first time and wishing for their happiness this time around.

Without revealing more, I loved this book SO FREAKING MUCH! Can we all have an Eli because this soul mate kind of love is why we read romance. Second chance romance is one of my favorite tropes and when we see growth and development with the characters, that make them even better this time around, where you know that this love is forever, it just makes my heart SO SO happy. I love the found family aspect too... this group of friends was so relatable and makes you wish that you were a part of their circle too.

Joyce knocked this book out of the park! Her words and storytelling are so very special and I am looking forward to what she has in store for us next. She has a forever fan in me—I am in love with all of her words.

Favorite Quote:
“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."

Jessica Joyce has one again written the book of the summer! A huge thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Romance for the advanced digital copy. My review is honest and voluntary.

I fell in love with You, With a View last summer and was so excited when I was approved for a digital ARC of Jessica Joyce's newest one this year!

Eli and Georgia have been best friends since they were teenagers. When their romantic relationship catastrophically fell apart five years ago, so did any normalcy between them. So they developed a set of rules to follow to not make any interactions weird. Now, as best man and woman for their other best friend, Adam, they are forced to be together way more than either one had planned as they help Adam deal with his "wedding curse." The more time Georgia and Eli spend together, the more they realize their chemistry is coming back and they realize that maybe rules are meant to be broken.

I fell in love with the MMC, Eli. His love to Georgia was palpable from the start. Georgia is a really relatable character. She's experienced a lot of heartbreak in her life and her walls are so tall in order to protect her feelings. The chemistry between Eli and Georgia was electric and I loved watching their story progress.

The side characters are top-notch. Everyone deserves a friend group like Eli and Georgia have! I also loved how relatable it was to have a friend group as an adult - everyone wants it to be like it was, but with the addition of partners and children, things change.

If you don't have this one on your TBR, you should because Jessica Joyce did it again! Another amazing summer read!

The Ex Vows by Jessica Joyce is a poignant testament to the enduring strength of love and the possibility of redemption. This captivating novel had me laughing, swooning, and shedding tears, all while feeling grateful for the emotional journey it took me on. Jessica Joyce's talent as a writer is undeniable, making her a formidable force in the literary world.

I don't know how to review this accurately because it's just so good. Like I really don't have words cause it's perfect?? I got the 5 star tingles within the first 10 pages and it was only better from there.

Random things I loved about this book:
-the angst of exes who are trying to be fine for the sake of their mutual BFF and in the midst of pretending to be cordial strangers little details slip out of information you would only know about a person from a close relationship. again, the ANGST
-When they eventually rehash their breakup it is so cathartic
-a MMC who goes to therapy
-a friend group that doesn't actually feel exclusionary, I loved the different bonds these people had with each other and the primary focus stayed on the romantic relationship so really just fun side characters
-the secret highlights I will cherish about their open door spicy times
-HE NEVER STOPPED LOVING HER and that's obvious to the reader from page one and it's so fun, hearbreaking, and endearing to be along with the FMC as she catches up
-Napa wedding shenanigans, they are alone together to prep for their friend's wedding that is slowly turning into a disaster and all that forced proximity time is so perfect to keep them interacting cause you just NEED them to get it together!!!
-Jessica weaves in subtle comedy to her writing and in the words of Kacey Musgraves it made me so happy and sad at the same time. And then eventually SO HAPPY for the HEA by the end.

Absolutely recommend. I also loved You, With a View but this is one I will reread more. Thank you to Berkley for the eARC!

Thank you to @berkleyromance for the free digital copy of this book that grabbed my heart on the first page and never let go.

Georgia, Adam, and Eli became best friends in high school. Adam’s home became a refuge to both Georgia and Eli. Their summers spent working at Blue Yonder, Adam’s family winery, were where Georgia and Eli’s relationship began to transform from friends to lovers. After years together, many complexities drove them apart, with Eli in NYC and Georgia in San Fransisco. They promised their breakup wouldn’t destroy their friendship with Adam - and they’ve made Adam believe it by abiding by a set of rules that ensures they never get too close and never address the past. With Eli on the other side of the country and working 24/7, she only has to manage him in small doses - a holiday or a party at a time. But now, five years post-breakup, Adam is getting married. Everything about the wedding is going wrong, and with just over a week until the day, Georgia and Eli are tasked with heading to Blue Yonder to replan the wedding. Back where it all started, they are forced to reckon with the past, present, and all they’ve left unsaid for years.

The amount of palpable emotion, heartbreak, pining, and love Joyce infuses into this story is hard to describe. Her writing is gorgeous, breathing life into the complexity of Georgia & Eli’s relationship. The story is told from Georgia’s POV and in a single timeline, but through how the characters recall the past and how Joyce writes their actions, readers can feel all the characters in their messy, deeply relatable lives riddled with anxieties about careers, families, and friendship. I love that so much of this book is rooted in friendship and working to keep friendships alive. With the backdrop of Blue Yonder, Joyce infuses this story with tender hearts, aching regret, humor, hijinks, pining, passion, and so much love. I cannot wait for you to fall in love with this book.

(Also, if you love Taylor Swift fan, this book screams “You’re Losing Me” and “Paper Rings”)

I couldn’t put this book down!!! Georgia and Eli are so perfect for each other. Friends to lovers is my jam and I’m obsessed with how much he still loved her during their time apart due to life circumstances and trials that they have to overcome, Eli with his anxiety and Georgia with her fear of being left or too needy. The ending with how he tells her he has loved her all along had me crying!! So so good!

The Ex Vows by Jessica Joyce
Narrator: Kyla Garcia
Rating: 5 stars
Steam: 2 chilis
Pub date: 7/16

Thank you so much to Netgalley and Berkley for my gifted e-copy and PRH Audio for my complimentary audiobook.

I absolutely LOVED this swoony, steamy second-chance romance. The story revolves around Georgia and Eli, estranged exes who must collaborate to save their best friend, Adam’s, wedding after a series of disasters threaten to cancel the whole thing.

Georgia is terrified that her breakup with Eli will disrupt their tight-knit friend group, so she relies on a list of rules to manage their interactions. However, when Eli returns with a new attitude and the wedding venue burns down, Georgia's meticulous plans crumble. As they race to Napa Valley to salvage the wedding, their old chemistry reignites, and Georgia begins to see the man she once loved in a new light.

This book is everything I love about the romance genre. The pacing is perfect, the MCs are loveable, the side characters add humor and heart, and the setting is breathtaking.
Joyce's writing is a rollercoaster of emotions, and the story hooked me from the first page. Eli's unwavering devotion to Georgia makes him endearing, and the sizzling tension between them is beautifully portrayed.

Georgia's fear of heartbreak and the challenges of navigating old feelings in close quarters make her so relatable, and the witty banter and humorous mishaps as Georgia and Eli attempt to save the wedding are delightful. These moments, combined with the heartfelt journey of their rekindled romance, make "Ex Vows" a captivating read. The dynamic between the main and side characters, especially Adam, makes the story even more enjoyable.

Kyla Garcia's narration in the audiobook enhances the experience, making it a highly recommended format for this delightful romance.

I loved Joyce’s first novel, You With A View, but The Ex Vows really solidified her place as a favorite author. This book is sure to make readers laugh, cry, and swoon.

Read if you like:
* second chance romance
* friends to lovers
* forced proximity
* found family
* single POV
* open door spice

The one thing Jessica Joyce does WELL is on page chemistry. You get the attraction, the emotion, the reason they could and should be together from the very first page. I loved the way Eli and Georgia found their way back to each other, all the while realizing they were never out of love in the first place.

It's everything contemporary romance should be, romantic, funny, emotional, heartbreaking, steamy with character growth and beautiful sentiments. And that ending! Be still my heart.

Thank you, NetGalley, for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Georgia and Eli broke up five years ago. Now, they’re the best people at their mutual best friend’s cursed wedding. Everything is going wrong; there’s no DJ, there’s no cake, and Georgia and Eli are forced back together after years of avoiding each other. This is a second chance romance novel about wedding mishaps. The cursed wedding might lead readers to believe that this is a romantic comedy, but, while there were funny moments, this book is so much more. It’s about found family, anxiety, and growing up and losing touch with friends. The romance was steamy, but the friendships really make this book special.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this title from NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

The perfect second chance romance to tug on your heart this summer! Really perfect for fans of Happy Place by Emily Henry.
I loved the setting and the wedding planning backdrop to this romance. It added so many elements and opportunities that made it come to life. I hope you won't need a second chance to give this book a read!

The angst. THE YEARNING. The Ex Vows was like reading The Tortured Poets Department if you know what I mean. The way the main characters could barely breathe the same air without it just absolutely decimating their hearts?? Kill me now. The big reveal that had been there all along? I'm dead.

I didn’t know I would love this book as much as I did. It made me cry so hard when she gets the paper rings. It was beautiful and lovely and heartbreaking. I absolutely loved it.

I ended up DNFing this (which made me really sad because i had such high expectations), but this isn’t a bad book by any means. In fact, I think a lot of people will end up enjoying it. I’ve heard that this is the second chance romance to read — even for the ones who aren’t fond of this trope (like myself). I do think part of the reason i didn’t end up enjoying it the way I really wanted to was that i picked it up at the wrong time. Being in the middle of a series you absolutely adore, and then reading a book that doesn’t captivate you the same way — I was bound to be sort of indifferent to it.

I did like Georgia as our protagonist. I’ve said it before and i’ll say it again — the archer/mirrorball/this is me trying girlies, you will always be loved by me. Georgia is a hyper independent, list loving people pleaser who refuses to open up to anyone about how she really feels for fear of burdening them. If that’s not relatable i don’t know what is. Eli was… kind of forgettable? I didn’t particularly love (or hate) him. I think it would have been better if we got his POV so we could be inside his head a little and see the romance from both sides.

I may try to revisit this book when I feel like I’m in the headspace for it, but I think this one just wasn’t for me.

read if you:
- like second chance romance
- are in your twenties and feel kind of lost because everything’s changing too fast (and or)
- relate to mirrorball by taylor swift

Gah this was sooo good and definitely will be one of my favorite romances at the end of the year. This is what I would call an incredibly well rounded romance, it’s full of messy angsty moments, the characters are well drawn and relatable, the setting gives all the amazing vibes and provides a beautiful backdrop for an emotional second chance romance and besides the romance the core friend group is everything you want in a secondary plot and more. It’s also deeply romantic and there were so many gorgeous quotable moments. I can’t say enough good things about this one, no notes. If you’re a romance reader this is a must!

Thank you to Berkley Publishing and NetGalley for an ARC of this novel; all opinions are my own.

This is my first book by the author and she is now on my “auto-buy” list. I loved this novel so much. I finished it two days ago and I can’t stop thinking about it.

I love second chance romance. Love. This was such a good one to add to the list and it was woven together so beautifully. While you don’t get “then” and “now” chapters, the way the author is able to narrate you through then and now without confusion is masterful.

Something that stands out too is the depth to the characters. It’s not necessarily the big things but the little moments: the paper rings, the shared memories, the family relations. Altogether these formed characters that felt so real and emotional and tangible and I want to pick this book right back up again and read it.

This also has great anxiety representation which means a lot.

One of my fav reads of 2024 hands down.