This book made me ugly cry on my cruise-- thankfully I was in my room reading before bed when it happened because I couldn't go to sleep until I finished it, and honestly I spent a lot of my evening just wanting to go back to the room so I could keep reading instead of doing the shows and such. Beautifully done second chance romance where it didn't feel like anyone was giving anything up to get back together. Faults were realized and worked through in a healthy way. Perfect levels of spice. I was sad to have it end!!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for my thoughts.

Jessica Joyce was a new author to me, but based on my experience reading her book, The Ex Vows, I will definitely be looking for her debut romance--You, With a View-- and her future novels.

I immediately became invested in Georgia, the female protagonist, and rooted for both Georgia and her ex-boyfriend, Eli, to somehow survive as they were thrown together as attendants in their friends' wedding. And it wasn't for just a day. They had to work together for a week to make the wedding a success in the face of disaster after unforeseen disaster. Both are truly damaged from their brutal breakup five years earlier and dubious about whether they can become friends or have any relationship at all, but they try to figure it out as their time is mostly occupied with wedding planning. I won't give any details or spoilers---contemporary romance fans will have to read the book for themselves, and I hope they will..

Joyce is a real talent, her writing creative, sometimes hilarious, and often profoundly emotional. Her supporting characters are also lovingly portrayed and memorable--especially the pair's friends, Adam and Jamie. The wedding is one of the most entertaining scenes in the book. But honestly, the last portion of the book (even before the epilogue) is deeply, deeply romantic and almost wrecked me--there were tears. Highly recommended.

My sincere thanks to Berkley and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and provide an honest review of this book.

Jessica Joyce knocks it out of the park with The Ex Vows. I was so excited to receive an ARC of this book and it surpassed all of my wildly high expectations.

It was very clear that Joyce put her whole heart into crafting Georgia and Eli - two adorable friends turned lovers whose breakup rocked their tight knit fold. The key to a second chance love story lies in the growth of the main characters. Something has to shift so that whatever tore the characters apart prior is fixable in the present. Georgia and Eli's development was very apparent and their relationship pulled at the heartstrings. As a reader, you could tell how deep their love for one another ran even after years of separation.

Friendship is also a main highlight of this story. Georgia and Eli’s hang ups converge in how available they are to the people they love. The lack of which sends them both into separate but equally distressing tailspins. Their mutual bestie Adam is getting married but last minute devastation has left him without a wedding venue. Georgia and Eli take it upon themselves to give Adam the wedding of his dreams which requires them to lean on each other for the first time since their painful breakup. The mayhem that ensues is a necessary levity to the tempest of emotion that Georgia and Eli are working through. It is very clear how Adam, Jamie, and the rest of the secondary characters have shaped Georgia and Eli and how profoundly this friend group cares for each other.

This is one of my favorite romances of the year! It ripped me open and stitched me back up all while I laughed out loud due to hostile bakers, overenthusiastic DJs, and meddling cousins. And on that note, I shall never be able to think of Paper Rings the same after reading this book. Eli Mora has my entire heart!

Thank you Berkley Romance and NetGalley for this ARC!

Jessica Joyce has once again delivered a captivating romance with 'Ex-Vows.' This second chance love story pulled at my heartstrings in all the right ways. Despite my usual hesitations with second chance romances, Jessica's nuanced portrayal of personal growth and redemption had me rooting for Eli and Georgia from the very beginning.

I appreciated the depth of emotion explored in this novel, especially surrounding themes of anxiety, mental health, and the importance of self-discovery. Eli and Georgia's journey felt authentic and relatable, making their rekindled romance all the more meaningful.

As always, Jessica's descriptive prose beautifully captures the essence of wine country, transporting readers to the picturesque backdrop of the story. Her writing is both evocative and heartfelt, making 'Ex-Vows' a truly memorable read.

I'm grateful to NetGalley and the Berkley Influencer Program for providing an ARC of this book. Jessica Joyce remains an auto-buy author for me, and I eagerly await her next release. And can we talk about that 'paper rings' reference? Pure perfection!

This one was lovely! Jessica Joyce is a knock out and I can’t wait to see what she has next for us! The setting and the characters were so well-described. I loved every second!

4.5 ⭐️ A touching, give-me-the-feels book about a second chance at love.

The Ex Vows was a well-written and heart-felt story about Georgia and her long-time friend and ex, Eli. Throughout the story we are shown glimpses of the history between Georgia and Eli. They had a beautiful friendship that evolved into love, but something breaks them and Georgia has spent the last five years following her lists (read: rules) for how to live in a post-Eli world.

From the blurb, I anticipated this being more of a rom-com. While it had a few funny moments, the majority of it was serious. Stylistically, the writing was more show-me-don't-tell-me as there was a lot of Georgia inner monologue and less dialogue. I found it to be a bit tedious at times, but generally I enjoyed the writing.

~~What I liked~~
-The subtle way we were told of the events leading up to Georgia and Eli's break-up. It kept me interested until the end.
-The positive light given to mental health. I love when characters have real-life flaws and authors address them by having them see a therapist.
-The angst. The back and forth Georgia felt at the situation was so well done. I was invested in seeing this story through to the end because I wanted her to finally have her HEA.
-Georgia's fears about her friend group. The author did a great job of showing how human Georgia is, which made it very easy for me to relate to her character and made the book that much more enjoyable.
-The love story between Georgia and Eli. It was so sweet and tender.

~~What I didn't like~~
-Stylistically, the writing was more difficult to get through. I usually listen to audiobooks and this book was about a 7.5/10 for use of narrative immersion. Sometimes I would have to re-read a sentence to really grasp what was being said. However, I think as an audiobook, this would be easy to listen to, it was just difficult for me to read. Lots of long, compound sentences with descriptive language.
-The number of things that went wrong with Adam and Grace's wedding. It seemed a bit overkill for me.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. I would love to re-read as an audiobook.

A great follow-up to Jessica Joyce’s road trip debut last summer. Rather than enemies-to-lovers, exes-to-lovers is the focus here and it’s done with a lot of thought.

Jessica Joyce remains an autobuy author that I trust with my soul. The Ex Vows is tender, wistful, and so romantic. It has such a beautiful setting and characters and readers are going to fall in love with Georgia and Eli.

This was my second year in a row reading a Jessica Joyce book while on vacation, and they were both fun reads (though admittedly with the problems inherent in reading something spicy on a plane!)

Eli and Georgia were an adorable couple, with realistic conflicts and lots of chemistry. The surrounding friend-family was sweet and I enjoyed the wedding plot. This was a quick and clever read. I look forward to more strong romances from this author!

Thank you to the publisher - I received a complimentary eARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Truly enjoyed this Second Chance Romance! Easy to dive on in to this heartfelt tale. The book has an entertaining way of webbing the past with the present The characters are relatable and I found myself laughing along with this emotional story. The chemistry between the main characters is fun to tag along with throughout the book!

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC! After devouring You, with a View I was soo excited for this book and it did not disappoint. This is for the readers who, like me, love a second chance romance with childhood friends to lovers. This has some delicious tension and angst that had me reading late into the night. I also love the found family aspect of this group of characters. Jessica Joyce is one of those special authors who can write delicious men who are deeply in love with the FMC’s but also can incorporate heavy topics the characters are going through as well. I truly can’t wait to read what she writes in the future!

5/5

A Napa Valley wedding rekindles the sparks between Georgia and Eli, once lovers now strangers, who may just have a chance to get back what they lost while building something altogether new. Filled to the brim with the bittersweet, The Ex Vows is a second-chance romance that encapsulates all of the joyous and painful parts of reuniting and reconciling the past. Georgia and Eli have both been through a lot, together and apart, and the focus on these experiences in mending what went wrong in their relationship makes for a truly exceptional romance. The yearning, the underlying tension between the two leads, and the wonderful moments of rediscovery along the way completely bowled me over. Jessica Joyce’s sophomore novel expands on her talent and craft as she interconnects the past and present, focusing on mental health, and the power of love in finding healing. The Ex Vows is astonishingly vulnerable and its resolution will undoubtedly have you close to tears. Jessica Joyce supremacy!

This will appear on my blog closer to publication!

I devoured this over night! I was hooked rom the beginning with this second chance romance. This book is sure to be a favorite this year and I will pick up anything written by Jessica Joyce.

This second-chance rom-com amidst a wedding backdrop is the perfect thing for this upcoming summer! With a mixture of hilarious and heartwarming moments, it tugged at my heartstrings and pulled them back together all at once. This story is a great reminder that nothing has to be perfect, it is more realistic because it is messy.

This is the first book I have read by Jessica Joyce and I need to now read “You, With a View”. Technically, this is Jessica’s first book but she set it aside for ages dissatisfied with it until inspiration struck some time after she released “You, With a View”. Jessica is incredibly poetic and her way with words made me want to read on. When I tell you this book made me laugh and at times get emotional, I mean it. I genuinely laughed out loud when Georgia and Eli were in that first bakery doing the cake tasting, it is just so funny! But then the moments where Georgia has her mental breakdown in the bathroom, and the confession moment in Chapter 31, the paper rings reveal – oh my goodness, I was a mess and in the best possible way.

I was not expecting such depth and growth, inner healing and forgiveness being key themes throughout – I thought it would just be the exes and the romance. I was reminded of both Abbey Jimenez and Emily Henry's books in terms of having the romance alongside bigger themes and the quirky and funny writing style respectively. I also got major vibes of the film “About Time” (2013) reading this – of course, without the time-traveling. Tim and Mary’s wedding day, like Adam and Grace in this book, was also a mess and was raining too, but they made the most of it.

I relate so, so much to Georgia! She has her lists to keep herself organised, thrives on company and attention but also wants to give people their space just like me! Eli is so sweet! I love that he has worked on himself, gone to therapy and become a better version of himself. Adam is the best wingman and guy friend ever, and I love Jamie she is so lovely and supportive, the best friend a girl could ask for!

I am honoured to have been selected as an ARC reader for this book, and I’d like to thank Jessica Joyce, NetGalley and Berkley for the opportunity. This has not affected my opinion in any way.

A sweet second chance romance with cursed wedding planning and vineyard vibes✨

Read this if you like:
✦ Second Chance Romance
✦ Friends-to-Lovers
✦ Close Friend Group
✦ Slow Burn
✦ Forced Proximity
✦ One Bed Trope

"When I say I'm still in love with you," he says quietly, "I mean today and yesterday and this entire week. I mean at Nick and Miriam's wedding and I mean for the past five years." If possible, he gets even quieter, but now he's closer so I get every word. "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."

My Thoughts:
- This book had a great pace, interesting and complicated characters, swoon-worthy romance, and the sweetest ending.
- While I enjoyed Jessica Joyce's first book, this one takes the cake! The angst, the yearning, the deep rooted love and history between the main characters... It all just made this book an interesting read. I would definitely classify it as a page turner and un-put-downable.
- The thing I liked the most about these characters were how "real" they felt. They were very relatable, from the obstacles they faced, to the work they put into themselves to heal from their own personal trauma/issues.
- There was great therapy representation throughout the book. Both main characters put a lot of work into their mental health. Eli especially went through a ton of character growth.
- This book is the very definition of pining and longing. Both of the main character's never moved on and never fell out of love. Even though five years had passed their chemistry and bond never waned.
- - - - Minor Spoilers Ahead
- I don't know how Georgia and Eli were able to hide how much they were still in love with each other for five years! Maybe it's because of how much they're walls came down during the week they were at Blue Yonder, but they weren't hiding anything from anyone. These two very much had heart eyes for each other.
- The paper ring reveal at the end 😭 don't mind me just sobbing while swooning over here.
- The only thing that didn't feel realistic to me was the sheer amount of issues that took place leading up to the wedding and on the day of the event. Also, the whole "we're all in this together" thing, while sweet, just didn't seem very realistic. With tensions that high and shit going wrong left and right.. 3-4 meltdowns and 2-3 arguments seems a little more believable.
- While the sheer scope of the "curse" might've felt a little far fetched, it didn't take away from the story at all. I thought it was hilarious when a the peak of the curses destruction Adam said: "I told you all the curse was real, and this -" He releases a sharp breath. Okay. We need to check on all of our necessities- make sure Grace's wedding dress isn't ripped to shreds, check on the caterer, call the band and confirm they haven't been swallowed by a sinkhole." His attention snaps to me. "you have our wedding bands, right? They haven't been snatched by some Gollum-looking dude?"

┈ OVERVIEW ┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈
Emojis: 🍷💍🍰👗👙📋🍇
Emotions: 🥺😰😊😍🥵😟🥰
Pacing: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
Characters: ⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
Spice: ⭐️⭐️/5
Overall:⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
Format: eBook
POV: One
Read Again? 👎
Would I Recommend? 👍
Setting: San Francisco, California
Hero: Eli Mora
Hero: Georgia Woodward
H/h virgin? No
First kiss💋: 47%
First time they sleep together: 58%
First time they say "I Love You": 82%
OW/OM Drama? No
H/h cheat? No
Time apart? Five years
Did I cry? Yes
Ending: HEA 🥰
Standalone/Series? Standalone
Epilogue? Yes

"You kept them all, though." "I did." His eyes search min. "Why?" "Because I've loved you for a long time, too."

⛔️ My reviews can sometimes contain spoilers.

Thank you to NetGalley, Jessica Joyce, and Berkley Publishing Group for an advance reader copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐⭐
🌶️🌶️/🌶️🌶️🌶️

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁:
✨ Second Chance
✨ Friends to Lovers
✨ Found Family
✨ Only One Cottage

The Ex Vows is going to be in my top 5 books of the year, I can already tell.

I read tons of second chance romance so I feel pretty confident saying this is the perfect second chance romance. Jessica Joyce is able to write with incredible depth that I felt like I was in Georgia and Eli’s bodies. Pair that with the immense detail (that never feels like a slog) of their surroundings, that if I closed my eyes, I felt like I was there in California.

Georgia and Eli are forced to work together to help get their best friend Adam’s wedding back on track. The slow and intentional way that Georgia and Eli find their way back to each other romantically felt natural. It felt like two people finding their way home again. Eli and Georgia might have been the main story of The Ex Vows but it also touched on mental health and that awkward phase of life where you feel like everyone is moving on with their lives - including yourself - and you’re scared of losing the people close to you.

I was able to see myself so often throughout this book - through Eli’s anxiety and Georgia’s need to be in control with her lists. Perhaps that is why I loved it as much as I did but don’t let my bias discount Jessica’s phenomenal writing and pick this one up. When you do pick it up, be prepared to swoon, laugh, smile and cry. I never cry reading books but this one did make me feel like I had been cutting onions.

I absolutely loved this book! I loved her first novel and this one was so good. Georgia is the cutest name and I love the that her and Eli reconnect in this book. Lately the second chance romances haven’t been doing it for me but this one was the exception. I loved it!

Many thanks to Berkley for an early copy of this.

Jessica Joyce's debut was one of my favorite reads last year and I was ready to dive into this one. The premise follows two exes, who have to pretend to act civil to keep their friend group together. I loved how Joyce built Georgia and Eli's characters and balanced their multiple timelines and the intense emotions between the two. These two are essentially a depiction of "Maroon" by Taylor Swift.

The Ex Vows is a delightful romp through wedding chaos and rekindled romance that will leave you swooning and cheering for second chances!
Georgia Woodward and Eli Mora are experts at avoiding each other after their messy breakup, thanks to Georgia's meticulously crafted list of dos and don'ts. But when their best friend's wedding hits a series of snags, they're forced to set aside their differences and work together to save the day.
With hilarious mishaps and steamy encounters galore, the author delivers a tale of love, laughter, and redemption that will keep you hooked from start to finish. Georgia and Eli's chemistry is palpable, and watching them navigate their complicated past while facing new challenges is pure entertainment.
Full of heartwarming moments and witty banter, The Ex Vows is a must-read for fans of second-chance romance. So grab your favorite beverage and get ready to join Georgia and Eli on a wild ride filled with love, laughter, and happily ever afters!
Thank you to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Wow this story hit me in my feels! Joyce writes beautiful, heartwarming, teary romances that will have you kicking your feet and crying. She has some of the fun tropes like one bed, forced proximity, fake dating in this second chance story but ultimately The Ex Vows is a story of loving oneself and allowing oneself to be fully seen, regardless of how messy it makes you.

The story; two exes have to spend a week together in Napa helping their mutual best friend get married. They haven’t seen each other since their breakup five years ago and they’re definitely faking being fine with each other. It’s chaotic, it’s messy, its fun and it’s steamy.

I really resonated with the FMC Georgia as a people pleaser who feels worth by how others love her and it was beautiful to see her accept and love herself. Eli is hot, swoon worthy, and takes TS “Paper Rings” to a whole other level. If you like declarations of love, found family, navigating life changes, this one’s for you.

As someone who lived in Napa Valley for many years, Joyce did a wonderful job of blending reality with fiction to get the winery style and setting! I was impressed and happy to see the fictional homage to my hometown. This gets 5 stars from me and comes highly recommended!

Thanks NetGalley and Berkley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!