Maya and Skye enter Second Chance Romance as apparent rivals: both dated Jordy, and the show asks his ex-girlfriends to compete for another chance with him. Jordy's lies have also positioned the two young women against each other, so discovering the manipulation turns their reality-TV contest into an alliance and then a romance.
This researched assessment recommends the book for YA readers who want sapphic enemies-to-allies energy, revenge and a deliberately artificial competition. The reality-show machinery is also the main risk: contrary criticism finds the challenges repetitive and the central misunderstanding too transparent to generate lasting tension.
A satisfying queer revenge rom-com that turns manufactured dating-show rivalry into solidarity and attraction, with a contrived setup that will work better for reality-TV fans than skeptics.
Provisional Eikna score: 3.5/5. Four core dimensions cover 85% of the quality weight. Ending satisfaction and reread appeal remain unscored; heat is excluded. Researched editorial assessment; no firsthand reading claimed. Evidence confidence: moderate.
A numeric heat level has not been established. Read the review’s heat and content discussion for attributed descriptions before choosing. An unknown level is not a closed-door or no-spice promise.
The heat-level guide explains detail and frequency; the glossary entry for spice separates sexual content from quality.
The romantic outcome is not established in this summary. A romance label does not independently confirm an ending. Consult the discussion before choosing if closure is essential.
For the difference between romantic commitment and wider plot closure, compare HEA, HFN and cliffhangers.
Standalone or continuing-series status is not established in this summary. Read the existing format and series guidance for any available context; do not assume a missing series entry means the book stands alone.
The series-order guide explains what to check when a complete romance belongs to a connected world.
| Title | Never Ever Getting Back Together |
|---|---|
| Author | Sophie Gonzales |
| Inspected edition | US Wednesday Books hardcover · ISBN 9781250819161 · 384 pages |
| Publication scope | Published 2022-12-06 · checked 12 October 2026 |
| ISBN-13 | 9781250819161 |
| Edition page count | 384 pages |
The author or publisher evidence identifies the work. Publication dates refer to the stated edition or release scope, not automatically the first appearance of the story. Unknown identifiers and formats are left open.
The author and Publishers Weekly establish a literal contest: Jordy's ex-girlfriends are filmed while competing for him on a second-chance dating show.
Maya enters seeking exposure and revenge, while Skye initially accepts the version of events Jordy gave her. Their rivalry is therefore real on screen but built from deliberate misinformation.
Supportive criticism values the moment when Maya and Skye compare stories and redirect attention from each other toward the person who manipulated both.
The romance persuades most when cooperation does not erase their different injuries or require either girl to forgive immediately.
The show controls space, challenges and public narrative, making image management part of the relationship risk.
That machinery provides comic and revenge payoffs, but readers who dislike reality TV may experience the repeated challenges as noise rather than escalating stakes.
Trade and independent reviewers enjoy the banter, queer turn and Jordy's eventual loss of narrative control.
Bright Beautiful Things argues that readers can see the misunderstanding too early for the enemies arc to land fully. The book asks for patience with dramatic irony rather than genuine mystery.
This is a YA romance discussed through kisses, attraction and emotional development in the inspected sources. No adult heat category, explicitness score or complete intimacy audit is asserted. Publishers Weekly. Utopia State of Mind.
Emotional manipulation, cheating, public humiliation, reality-show producer interference, misogyny, alcohol use and family pressure are discussed in the sources. Notes are attributed and non-exhaustive. Publishers Weekly. Utopia State of Mind. Bright Beautiful Things.
Best for YA readers who want F/F romance, competing ex-girlfriends, reality-show manipulation and a revenge plot aimed at a dishonest ex. Avoid if producer-engineered drama, transparent misunderstandings or repeated dating challenges quickly feel artificial.
Supportive reviewers enjoy the queer romance, revenge and solidarity against a manipulative ex. Contrary testimony finds the reality-show setting tiring and the initial hostility too obviously manufactured. The strongest fit is a reader who enjoys seeing a false rivalry dismantled on purpose.
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The inspected author and publisher evidence assigns no numbered series position. The checked Wednesday Books hardcover is treated as a self-contained work without inferring an ending category from the rom-com label.
The inspected Amazon product identity matches the stated title and edition. Confirm the selected format before buying; current price and stock are not established.
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The inspected Bookshop.org product is Hardcover. Its title, author and ISBN 9781250819161 were checked; current price and stock are not established.
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Quality scale: 1 substantial weaknesses; 2 weaknesses outweigh strengths; 3 mixed; 4 strengths outweigh limitations; 5 exceptional sustained strengths. Half points are allowed. Weights: romance 30%, characters 20%, writing 20%, emotional impact 15%, ending satisfaction 10%, reread appeal 5%. A provisional overall score divides the supported weighted sum by its supported weight and rounds once to one decimal. Heat is descriptive and excluded. These scores express the evidence-based judgment explained in this review.
3.5
Provisional dimension score: 3.5/5.
3.5
Provisional dimension score: 3.5/5.
3.5
Provisional dimension score: 3.5/5.
3.5
Provisional dimension score: 3.5/5.
Unscored; this YA assessment describes romantic content without assigning an adult heat scale.
Unscored; reactions do not establish a work-level ending judgment.
Unscored; enthusiasm does not verify repeat reading.
Maya and Skye enter Second Chance Romance as apparent rivals: both dated Jordy, and the show asks his ex-girlfriends to compete for another chance with him. Jordy's lies have also positioned the two young women against each other, so discovering the manipulation turns their reality-TV contest into an alliance and then a romance.
The inspected author or publisher material presents this as a self-contained central romance and does not assign a numbered series position. Eikna does not turn that into a guarantee about every cameo or shared-world connection.
This is a YA romance discussed through kisses, attraction and emotional development in the inspected sources. No adult heat category, explicitness score or complete intimacy audit is asserted.
The facts table uses the Wednesday Books hardcover, ISBN 9781250819161, with 384 pages.
No work-level ending classification is asserted. Ending satisfaction and reread appeal remain unscored.
Only the four core quality dimensions are supported. Heat is descriptive and excluded; ending satisfaction and reread appeal remain unknown.
For another YA sapphic romance where public performance complicates a hostile starting point.
For adult F/F family and reputation pressure with sharper romantic heat boundaries.
For a very different F/F opponent structure built through messages and shifting allegiance.
The contemporary romance collection includes this book among other choices. Compare those options if its premise appeals but a limitation gives you pause. The Rivals to lovers romance books explains the surrounding reading route and what to check before choosing.
A satisfying queer revenge rom-com that turns manufactured dating-show rivalry into solidarity and attraction, with a contrived setup that will work better for reality-TV fans than skeptics. Best for YA readers who want F/F romance, competing ex-girlfriends, reality-show manipulation and a revenge plot aimed at a dishonest ex. Avoid if producer-engineered drama, transparent misunderstandings or repeated dating challenges quickly feel artificial.
Check the verified Amazon edition when this balance matches what you want to read.
Checked 2026-10-12. The How this assessment was researched preserves attributions and research limits. Unknown details do not establish absence. Purchasing links use our account.