I’ve been looking forward to reading this one since Wednesday Books’ marketing team reached out way back in April!* I generally like to read a book closer to release so I held off on reading it and then of course missed the release by two weeks, but what can you do when life and school and work get so busy you barely have time to do anything but get from day-to-day?
My first interaction with Sophie Gonzalez was her collaboration with Cale Dietrich If This Gets Out and after adoring that when this landed in my inbox I immediately said yes and am so glad I did. This brings a new romance that I haven’t read in a long time to my site (FF) and increases bisexual representation as the two protagonists are both bisexual! I’m still giggling about this line:
‘Sorry to disappoint,’ I say.’ I’m a disaster bi.’
‘Literally or figuratively?’
‘Literally. In every sense of the word. Where I go, drama follows. It’s a curse.’
She settles back into a lounging position. ‘That explains it.’ (Chapter 5)
The premise of the novel is that Jordy, a pseudo-royal total asshat, has joined a reality TV show and is bringing six of his exes back for a second-chance romance. Maya and Skye are two of them that Jordy royally (HA pun intended) screwed over when they were dating.
I suppose when you trust someone not to hurt you, red flags look hear shaped. (Chapter 17)
The story ends up being your standard close-quarters, common enemy, enemies to lovers, opposites attract type trope, but Gonzales kept it fresh and made all of the characters just different enough I had no issue keeping them separate which some authors can’t even do with just the protagonists! And she included just enough awwww moments to really sell it without taking it to the saccharine level.
‘They don’t call it gentle cascading f0r someone. You don’t gracefully descend for someone. You fall. Head over heels, right? And either someone catches you, or they don’t, and you don’t have any control over how badly buried you are at the bottom of it. (Chapter 28)
I really liked the juxtaposition of the grudge-holding go with the flow whatever happens don’t make plans Maya and the super uniform every second planned out Skye. It made their numerous conflicts that much more intense and their ultimate togetherness better.
The ending felt 100% right with Maya going rogue and causing yet another crisis, Jordy preempting some drama, the epilogue, and the viral post by Perrie. It all just worked so well and the ending left me grinning. I would’ve bumped up the rating from a 4 to a 5 star on Goodreads, but there were a couple of places where the chapters skipped or jumped and it felt like scenes were missing or maybe deleted. Now I was reading this as an ARC, so maybe it was fixed, but after the second one where I had to go back and re-read the page before to make sure I hadn’t inadvertently done it I felt like it was part of the actual story and it was missing in general.
Recommendation: Loved it. The bi representation, the female protagonists and building each other up, the comeuppance the villain receives. It was all just so well done and included so much humor! Add in a Jane Austen throwaway reference and I am here for it. Can’t wait to see what Gonzales does next and if I ever need a quick fun read I’ll keep an eye out for her works.
*I received a copy of Never Ever Getting Back Together via NetGalley in return for my honest opinion. No goods or money were exchanged.
Opening Line: “The guy at the bar next to me is grinning at me intimately, as though he knows all my secrets but likes me anyway.”
Closing Line: “Until nothing exists but Maya.” (Whited out to avoid spoilers, highlight to read.)
Additional Quotes from Never Ever Getting Back Together
“‘Flirting is lying,’ Lauren says, putting the mug in the cupboard with a clang. ‘You try being honest the next time you meet a guy, go on. Tell him he’s about a five out of ten, and that you’re willing to kiss him even though his chin’s so big you can barely navigate around it. Tell him is laugh is cute enough to make you look past the fact that he doesn’t know how to joke without quoting The Simpsons. See how far your honesty gets you.’
‘It worked for Mr. Darcy,’ Perrie says.
‘No, Perrie, it got Mr. Darcy’s butt rejected,’ Lauren says.” (Chapter 17)
“Her lips are so much nicer than his. Softer. When she kisses me it feels like the stars are falling out of the atmosphere and landing around us in a spray of glitter and dust.” (Chapter 26)