Thank you to the publisher for the gifted e-copy.

Another fantastic read from Jessica Joyce. I didn't love this one AS much as You With a View, but it was close. I'm a sucker for a second chance romance, and this one absolutely delivered.

Georgia and Eli's arc was a bit predictable, but everything they went through to get there just tore at my heart. Reading how Georgia felt when they lived in NYC and Eli was 200% invested in his career made me sad, especially because I really thought they belonged together. My heart hurt for them because I knew Eli wanted things to work but wasn't sure he could be what Georgia needed, or even if he deserved a second chance. Their chemistry was intense!

I'm glad it wasn't just a hook up, make up, get back together, HEA story arc - there was a lot more to it before we get to our HEA, and I appreciated that.

4.5 stars rounded up

This was a beautiful second chance romance that burrowed it's way into my heart.

Estranged exes Georgia Woodward and Eli Mora are childhood friends turned lovers turned frenemies that have found themselves partnering up to save their best friends wedding from an alleged curse that continues to complicate every plan they have.

Years ago when Georgia and Eli were living together, Eli's work-life balance destroyed their relationship and split them apart. Now, they are trying to keep it together for the sake of maintaining their mutual best friend Adam's, sanity during the disaster that has been planning and executing his wedding.

As they spend more time together, Georgia starts to realize the differences in Eli. He's no longer attached to his phone and the way he has been looking her is less friendly and more like the looks he would give her back when they were in love. But what does this mean? They had an agreement. No touching, no talking about the breakup, no acknowledging the uncomfortable awkwardness that they have tirelessly tried to keep Adam shielded from, and absolutely no smoldering looks that make Georgias knees feel weak.

So what is happening here? Because it looks like these two exes are breaking their vows...

My Review:

I think what I loved most about this book is the character growth and the idea that people can change if given the chance. I really admire the way Eli made his tough decision (no spoilers) not just out of love for Georgia but for himself and to improve the life he was clearly not happy with. It takes tremendous strength and courage to take the path with resistance, and so I believe this part of his character deserves acknowledgment.

Georgia also experiences a shift in her character when she finds it within herself to loosen her people pleasing quality and ask for what she wants and allows herself to express her needs. In these moments she is rewarded with the most happiness because she is allowing herself the experiences and love she limited herself to for the sake of keeping everyone else happy. This also takes a lot of courage.

What I also loved is their love. Because of Georgia and Eli's familiarity with each other, their souls remembered the affection they once had and when that spark was rekindled, the floodgates opened and what was revealed was a much stronger version of who they used to be. This is why I love second chance romance. It tells a story of two people who just needed time to become the person they were meant to be. For them it was right person, wrong time and I just love how they made it back to each other.

Additionally, I adore how Eli calls Georgia "peach".

ALSO: the paper rings melted my heart.

Overall, I rated this book 4.5/5

With gorgeous writing and a fun premise, Jessica Joyce's second chance romance is as believable as it is swoonworthy. I loved the wedding-planning-forced-proximity premise and the vineyard setting and the banter was beyond. One of my favorite romcoms this year!

4.5 stars

Thanks to Berkley for the copy to review.

"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." And queue the waterworks.

This book had me so emotional. I felt like I was always on the knifes edge of laughing or crying and all in the best way. The way Jessica Joyce writes her characters and crafts her stories is so tender, you can't help but fall in love along with the characters.

The Ex Vows is a second chance romance with Eli and Georgia who are not only ex's, but also childhood best friends. When Adam, their other best friend, is getting married and disaster strikes yet again (that dang curse!), Eli and Georgia must go to Adam's family's vineyard in Napa to pull together the wedding location, secure a cake and DJ in a week. These two have lived on separate coasts since they broke up 5 years ago and the last thing Georgia wants is to be in close proximity to the man who has broken her heart and simultaneously still holds it in his hands. Through the week and a series of mini disasters, they wind back up in each other's arms. While Georgia can't fight her feelings for Eli in the moment, she doesn't know if she can risk her heart again after the wedding is over.

One of the things I loved about this book is that there was also so much focus on friendships and how they can be so hard as an adult. There were characters like Eli, Jamie, and even Cole that showcased a different kind of love and care than solely a romantic love. It was so great to see represented and one of my favorite things about this book, after Eli and Georgia of course.

One of the other things I really enjoyed was how so many interactions between Eli and Georgia were layered with memory. It showed their deep rooted connection going back to teenagers and how their love connects through every moment, and how even when they aren't together that kind of knowledge of another person is bone deep and moments echo memory. So many times their interactions felt like two people homesick for the person right in front of them.

I absolutely loved this book and cannot wait for whatever Jessica writes next!!

I absolutely loved this! Thank you netgalley for the opportunity to read and review.

I found this very relatable, as growing up and growing apart from friends is always a terrifying change. But the characters learning in this that it’s okay to ask your loved ones for what you need from them is definitely an important takeaway. I normally don’t like second chance romances, but this is one that I very much enjoyed and will absolutely read again!

I absolutely loved this book! It’s the perfect second chance romance and the writing is so good. The characters are so real and the side plot was equally as good as the romance!

I feel like sometimes I struggle with “second chance romance” and I fear that’s why it took me a while to get into this one. I love a man written by Jessica Joyce and Eli did not disappoint. I feel like I let my views clash with the way Georgia was sort of a Taylor Swift “Mirrorball” and it annoyed me at times. I do enjoy Jessica’s writing and will be reading all her upcoming books.

This book was so beautiful and heart wrenching. I love how this author writes. You experience all the emotions the characters do. I felt so connected to them and this book. I loved the flash backs. I got so many butterflies while reading this book. So good!

This book was so cute! The tension between Georgia and Eli was palpable, and I loved their backstory. Some of what happened was kind of predictable, but not necessarily in a bad way. I loved all of their friends and seeing them interact with all of the other characters. The setting of Napa was beautiful to read about. The drama/the curse didn't seem totally unrealistic, which was good. I devoured this book, and I've been seeing a lot of well-earned positive reviews of it. I'm excited to recommend this to patrons and friends. Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley for this ARC!

this was a very cute book and there were a lot of little lines and comments that had me smiling, and the whole paper rings concept was SO cute and the little swifie lover girl in me was obsessed. however i did find a lot of scenes just came out of no where (especially the spice) and i felt like i didn't really know the characters. i also couldn't grasp the friendships in this book very well until pretty much the ending but maybe that's just me because i know so many people LOVE this book.... all in all very cute and i can see why this book as been loved by so many!

Buckle up because this is a rollercoaster of emotions!

Georgia and Eli are exes who have been thrown together to save their best friend’s wedding (where everything that could go wrong has). All they wanted was to get through the planning and the wedding itself with as little interaction with each other as possible. Of course that was never going to happen.

Now, let’s talk Jessica Joyce’s writing. She has a knack for creating characters that are so real, you’d swear they were your friends IRL. Georgia is a list-maker (a girl after my own heart) and Eli... well, let’s just say he’s got a new rule-breaking attitude. Plus, the banter between them is perfection. There is also no denying that the chemistry between them is off the charts. Personally, I’d love to see this book get made into a movie.

What really got me in this book was the emotional depth. It’s not all fluff and cotton candy, it’s about the real emotion and heartache that comes with second chances, and having to face past mistakes. Make sure you’ve got a box of tissues handy!

In short, The Ex Vows is a heartwarming, sometimes hilarious, and steamy read that will leave you cheering for Georgia and Eli.

OMG THIS BOOK WAS EVERYTHING! I loved this second chance romance and the way these two figured things out. It was so sweet and soft, it made me feel all the things and I am forever a Jessica Joyce stan!

When Georgia reunites with Eli for their mutual best friend's wedding, her plan is to avoid him as much as possible. What she doesn't plan on is being tasked with saving her friend's wedding when one thing after another goes awry, a detour that forces her to work alongside Eli. Only her ex is different now, and when they team up to assemble new vendors, their old chemistry quickly returns. Jessica is such a talented writer and I loved this gorgeously penned, heartbreakingly romantic story.

The entire book was so good with a great plot and chemistry, but I ADORE the way the ending came around. Chefs kiss for being swoony and realistic all at the same time. The characters rely on nostalgia a lot to help and hurt their connection which was so unique. I love the way that the author used how our bodies remember based on settings from our childhood.

As someone who has never believed in second chance love, I was still really rooting for these characters and was happy to follow along their lil journey. I love a good romance just based on connection, but I was also really invested in the storyline too. So fun.

Overall, loved and would recommend :)

Thank you NetGalley and Berkley for this book in exchange for an honest review.

When I die hurry me with this book. aò
As someone who is not of fan of second chance romance this book changed me and the way I look at this trope forever.
This book was everything I needed in a romance novel. It had me giggling and kicking my feet. The tension and love between Eli and Georgia was radiating through each page I read. Jessica has absolutely blown me away once again.

This book follows exes Georgia and Eli as they attempt to save their mutual best friend Adam’s imploding wedding. Five years after their breakup, this is the first time Georgia and Eli are spending any time alone together, and it brings up some FEELINGS. This book felt like a quintessential second chance romance. The PINING!! The EMOTIONS!! This book felt like a Taylor Swift song come to life. It was a perfect mix of tender, painful moments with heartwarming, jump-for-joy ones. I could cry over this story and the beautiful way it was written!

I sat down and tried to write my thoughts about this book in a comprehensive way that could be considered a review, and I realized it just sounded like a love letter to everything Jessica Joyce creates. You, With a View was a book that touched on the beauty of life in a way I’ve never experienced with a book, so I KNEW I needed to read The Ex Vows too (re: BEG the universe to put this in my hands as soon as possible, and I’m thankful to Berkley for giving me the e-arc of it 🥹💚).

If there is one book that I will tell you to pick up at your local indie, request at your library, nominate as a pick for your book clubs, whatever you have to do to experience this immediately, it’s going to be this one. The Ex Vows had me HOOKED from start to finish (I literally started this the minute I got it and finished it within a few hours). A second chance romance in California wine country, filled with as many funny moments as there are sweet (and spicy!!!) moments??? A great cast of characters who were so loving in both romantic and platonic ways???? A. MUST.

Eli and Georgia were two characters who were so easy to fall in love with. Two exes back in each other’s lives because they both want their best friend to have his happily ever after. Two people on a path of discovering what they want out of life, yet struggling to find the right way to get it. They were so perfectly imperfect, both in how they existed, and just for each other, in general. I loved everything about their complexity and their journeys as individuals throughout the book. The Ex Vows is the epitome of the perfect second chance romance, and the perfect example of finding your way back to where you’re meant to be after choosing yourself.

If all of the above wasn’t enough to convince you to add this to your TBR, let Eli Mora’s gold chain do all the talking, because I promise, that alone made this read worth it 🤭

Absolutely fell in love with these characters and could easily find them all relatable! The romance in this was swoon worthy!

Every review that praises this book is 100000% right. Phenomenal. Perfect for fans of friends to lovers, second chance romance. This book is miscommunication trope done right because all the miscommunication is done primarily off page. 10/10 no notes.

This book was such a sweet lovers-to-exes-to-friends-to-lovers romance! I liked the pacing and the way the story was told, it felt very believable. I didn’t like how the main character did not want to have an adult conversation about her emotions at ALL in the beginning, but that was kinda part of the main plot so I can forgive that lol. But I LOVE a man who goes to therapy so that takes the cake. Character growth for the win!!

Definitely recommend this one and I’ll be checking out this author’s previous books for sure.

🌈Queer rep: Secondary FF couple, queer female characters