Have you ever seen Michelangelo’s David in person? It’s a sculpture with the most amazing tiny details you can hardly believe its marble. Reading The Ex Vows is akin to viewing David. Jessica Joyce has a way of sculpting words to find the emotional truth of her characters. I was left with a major book hangover.

Estranged exes Georgia Woodward and Eli Mora are forced to work together to save their best friend Adam's looming disaster of a wedding. Eli clearly wants Georgia back, but despite her heart craving him, she can’t take another heartbreak if it fails again.

The book takes you on a deeply moving journey as Georgia is forced to examine and deal with her people pleasing tendencies resulting from parental abandonment. She's nursing five years of hurt that Eli prioritised his high-stress finance job and essentially abandoned her. Eli is still working through his anxiety which caused him to become a workaholic at the expense of his relationship, but has made changes to win Georgia back.

This book is beautifully written, full of poignant moments and observations that capture Georgia and Eli's vulnerability and yearning for each other. Jessica Joyce has a way of gripping your heart and wringing it out for 400 pages, I teared up many times. Yet, afterwards, I went back and re-read all my favourite bits. Sublime.

Thanks to Random House UK/Transworld and NetGalley for the ARC.

I was soooo happy to receive an ARC copy of this to review, thank you so much!!
First of all, after reading You, with a View (highly recommend) and loving it, I knew I had to give The ex vows a go.
I enjoyed this so much, I'm not always a fan of second chance, but this is done perfectly. Honestly this had me in all my feels. I loved all the characters, it was fast paced, it had tension, it had just the right amount of spice!
Jessica Joyce hit another one out of the park, I can't wait to see what she does next! 💜

This was absolutely incredible! It gave me all of the feels - it made me cry and it made me laugh

The Ex Vows added Jessica Joyce to my list of auto-buy authors. I loved You, with a View and she somehow managed to go beyond that and made me adore The Ex Vows. When I first started reading this book, it reminded me a bit of Happy Place by Emily Henry, which I loved, but, while Henry's book was one in which the friendships stood out to me, The Ex Vows was about the type of love that transcends the romantic and even the friendship side of a relationship; it was a kind of love so complete and understanding of the other person, a selfless kind of love.

Let's go back a bit so I can explain briefly what this book is about. The Ex Vows is basically about this group of friends - Georgia, Eli and Adam. Adam is getting married, so Georgia and Eli turn up in preparation for his wedding. Georgia and Eli had been friends, best friends and eventually lovers in the past, but had ended the relationship for reasons we only get to know through flashbacks bit by bit. What we do know, however, is that Georgia has definitely not gotten over Eli and it appears Eli is not done with Georgia either.

This book is filled with the best type of angst in a way that only the best Romance novels can achieve. The Ex Vows is a must-read!

Thank you so much to Penguin/Transworld Publishers/Random House UK and NetGalley for this e-ARC!

After reading You, With a View, I went into this expecting more of the same but this was absolutely nothing like Joyce's previous book in the best way.

Without going into too much detail, this book wrecked me a little. The relationship between the two main characters was so raw and heartbreaking and realistic. I'm not the biggest fan of second chance romances but when they're done right, they work so well and this one managed to make me feel like I'd experienced everything our MC's had right along with them.

Only real critique is that it could have been a little longer. There is also a healthy-ish amount of miscommunication but honestly it wasn't badly done either.

I think I'd be happy reading anything Jessica Joyce wants to write at this point.

This story was gut wrenching. Everything felt so raw and real. I don't think I've ever felt this way about a second chance romance book before and did not think it would be one of my favorite tropes but here I am. Thank you Jessica Joyce!

The heartache, the love, the nostalgia. The mental health rep, friendship in their 20s. I've felt every possible emotion while reading this book and I just cannot get over how eloquent the writing is and how close I felt to both Georgia and Eli.

The romance in this book was so beautiful. I found myself relating to Georgia on so many levels and cried more than expected. The loneliness aspect and her fear of abandonment hit way too close to home and I really wanted to give both her and Eli a hug.

I loved that Georgia and Eli went through their own personal journeys but still found their ways back to each other and made me a very happy (but teary eyed) reader!

Even though I would've loved to see Eli's internal thoughts and conversations between him and Cole and him and Adam, I still had the feeling that I knew what was going on in his head because of the author's ability to vividly describe his facial expressions and angst.

Read if you like:
- second chance romance
- friends to lovers
- mental health rep
- tension!!!!!
- found family
- forced proximity
- weddings

ALSO. The paper rings. Bye. That's it.

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House UK, Transworld Publishers for providing me with an ARC.

Jesus Christ, this is how you do second chance romance.

So many things to relate to personally, tears were cried but also laughs were laughed.

This made me FEEL things. I can’t read books that do this every time but when I do I want them to be like this.

I'm a big fan of second chance romances, but the truth is that most of the time they're not well done. It feels like something is missing, sometimes the current relationship isn't as believable as the past one, or vice versa, other times you realise that the couple shouldn't have got back together. But fear not, because The Ex Vows is second chance perfection.

In this book estranged exes, Georgia and Eli, are forced to work together to save their best friend's wedding. And let me tell you, the plot is amazing! It's not often that a romance novel has an actually engaging and enjoyable plot that's not connected to the love story. Following Gergia and Eli as they ran errands and tried to make sure their friend had the best day ever was so entertaining. Some scenes were hilarious because, as Adam said, it really did seem like this wedding was cursed. Everything was going sideways and these light-hearted, funny moments helped to break the tension and heartbreak that lingered throughout the story.

The romance was so beautifully executed. The way Jessica writes made me feel like I was experiencing every single thing the characters were feeling. The nostalgia attached to past memories was almost tangible, I felt like I was the one reminiscing about the past and everything that had been good and everything that hadn't. The love, heartache, agonising tension and longing between Georgia and Eli felt so real. The reason why they broke up was also very realistic, and although there was some miscommunication between them, I still think they would have broken up at that point even if they had talked about everything. Because it was clear that they both had to grow apart from each other in order to find themselves.

I saw parts of myself in both characters, from Georgia's people-pleasing tendencies and her fear of asking for help, to Eli's anxiety. The mental health rep was so beautifully done - there's something so incredibly sexy about an MMC seeking therapy. They're both complex characters, so raw and so real. I strongly connected with both of them, especially when they were being their most vulnerable and messy selves. At times it felt like looking at myself in the mirror. It was comforting and reassuring to watch these characters struggle, to see them afraid and uncertain about the future, but not letting fear dictate their lives. Both Georgia and Eli were working to better themselves, and it was obvious how much they'd grown once they were back together. Their love was so believable, and even if we only had the current timeline, I'd still believe they were soul mates.

There were so many things I loved about Georgia and Eli's romance, it had me giggling and kicking my feet in the air. The banter between them was so good and the spicy moments were amazing and very intimate. I bow down to Jessica, I can't get over how she can make me feel every single touch and kiss the characters share, I had chills running up and down my body. Other details I have to mention are the gold chain, the peach nickname, the cupcake and the paper rings. I will not elaborate on any of these, but just know that I will never stop thinking about the paper rings.

This book touches on so many issues that I think everyone in their 20s can relate to, especially when it comes to navigating adulthood and adjusting to big life changes, as well as growing apart from people you love because you're all at different stages of life. In many ways, it made me think of books like Happy Place and The Seven Year Slip, so if you love those books, I'm sure you'll love this one.

I was crying so hard at the end, some of the things that Georgia and Eli talked about really resonated with me and the life stage I'm in, so I was a mess of emotions.

This was one of my most anticipated releases of the year and it did not disappoint. This is now one of my favourite romances, I can't wait to get my physical copy so I can reread and annotate this book. This is the second chance romance of my dreams and I'd recommend it to anyone.

thank you NetGalley and Random House UK for the e-arc!

I absolutely loved this! I really enjoyed You with a view and at first I wasn't sure this could be better but I honestly love it ❤️

Jessica Joyce, stand up and take a bow! Brava!
This book was an absolute delight.
I couldn’t stop reading and devoured this in two days and then needed a day to process my emotions.
Jessica’s writing is the perfect mix of humour and wit along with romance and pining with a dash of angst.
The way she writes her characters dialogue and the banter between characters is just on a superior level. This second chance romance was written just beautifully and I couldn’t get enough of Eli and Georgia together.
I related to both characters on such deep levels and the battles with people pleasing and anxiety hit home but I think was handled so well.
I also adored the friendships and emphasising the importance of friendships as much as romantic relationships.
This gave me all the best feels and I already can’t wait to re read this! 🥰
I already can’t wait to read this again when it’s released.
Thank you so much penguin books uk, random house and NetGalley for the opportunity to read a copy of this book early in exchange for an honest review.

WOWWWW. you guys, this was good! 🥹

this is like if happy place, you’re losing me, and mirrorball had a baby? and it was the most gorgeous thing you’d ever laid your eyes on? if you liked her first book “you, with a view” this one is much more romance oriented and i loved that about this one. these people man- they’re those fictional characters that feel so REAL yk? from the dialogue to their grievances, or the stupid second chance romance angsty ache (that will get me every time) i was constantly compelled to pick this up and read it in two good sittings.

jessica sweetie you will always be famous and she’s just become one of my grocery list authors methinks 🥲🫶🏼

As a massive ‘You with a view’ fan I was super excited for this one! Unfortunately it just didn’t hit the spot for me. It lacked tension and there wasn’t enough build or stakes in it for me to really fall in love with this book. I also feel like we never got to learn much about that characters over the course of the story and if I’m honest, not much really happened (at least that’s how it felt to me).

Jessica Joyce’s writing style is genuinely really enjoyable in my opinion so this pulled it back enough for me to complete the book though and this wouldn’t put me off picking up another of her books!

An unfortunate 2.75 stars ✨

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC!

First of all, and most importantly, we LOVE a man who goes to therapy. All the green flags to our hero Eli.

I’m not usually a second chance romance girl but after reading You with a View and being completely enthralled by Jessica Joyce, I needed to read whatever else she’d bless us with. And boy did she deliver.

5 years ago Georgia and Eli broke each other’s hearts. They pretended everything was fine for their mutual best friend but never crossed a specific set of boundaries. When their mutual best friend needs their help to save his wedding, Georgia and Eli are forced back into each other’s orbit where they finally have to have the reckoning they never had the 5 years prior.

This book was just as wholesome as You with a View. It was like being curled up with a blanket and a cup of hot cocoa on a winter’s day. This will definitely be a comfort read that I come back to more than once. The romance between Georgia and Eli unfolds so flawlessly and I loved how well these characters dealt with their past traumas and insecurities together.

I love love

The Ex Vows - Jessica Joyce
🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟+

Say hello to what could be my new all-time fave romance book 🥹 @jessicajoyce you are a genius.

LOVES
❤️ Banter that wasn’t at all cringeworthy.
❤️ Proper tension, chemistry and slow burn.
❤️ A fun storyline that kept things light.
❤️ All my favourite tropes including childhood friends to lovers, second chance romance and a dash of enemies to lovers.
❤️ The main characters felt SO authentic and relatable. I love how you saw both of them grow so much throughout the story and how I could really see some of myself in Georgia.
❤️ The romance wasn’t a straight forward, easy ride like you see in some books. It had its messy moments, as well as the highest of highs and everything in between.
❤️ Great mental health representation.
❤️ Fast paced and impossible to put down.
❤️ The gorgeous cover.
❤️ Super well written spice.
❤️ Every single friendship. I like how each of them had their own special dynamics and no two felt the same.
❤️ The paper rings.
❤️ The fact there was actual platonic friendships with no romance whatsoever, such a rarity in books where friends of the opposite sex who fancy the opposite sex don’t fancy eachother! We need more of this in books.
❤️ I don’t want to say too much in fear of spoiling anything, but the love declarations in this one are FLAWLESS - both past and present. One of them genuinely made me, someone who never cries at books, sob 😭
❤️ Despite being a single POV which often isn’t my preference, I felt I knew both Georgia and Eli so well by the end.
❤️ The epilogue, which was just the right level of adorable without feeling too much.

I’ll genuinely be shocked if anything beats this out as my favourite book of 2024.

The Ex Vows is out 16 July and I will be reminding everyone ever to buy it this summer 😌

I felt like a fly on the wall seeing and reading to this entire story unfold. I swooned a few times at how wonderful Eli is, and what a raw and gem of a character Georgia is! If you’re looking for something angsty and playful, reading this would be one the best decision you would ever make!

*thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an opportunity to read this early*

Oh my , I have no words! I am literally lost for words. I have no idea how will I recover from this book .I stayed up all night reading this! I could literally not put it down! Just found my new favourite author! Obsessed! This is a must read!

wish I could rate it more than 5 stars!

I went into this pretty blindly and with fairly low expectations (I’m not the biggest fan of a second chance romance) but my god did this wreck me. I can’t rate it anything less than a 5 star. The plot, the writing, Georgia and Eli, the longing… I can’t fault anything about it. I enjoyed this more than You With a View, an enemies to lovers romance, and my favourite trope, which says it all!

Look, at this point I just know that I’m going to love any character written by Jessica Joyce.

The Ex Vows is a second chance romance. Georgia and Eli met at 15, became friends then best friends then dated in college and moved in together. Until they broke up, 5 years ago and since then they’ve faked being friendly whenever they had to meet again for their common friends’ benefit. But they aren’t friendly, and Georgia has a to do list of how to behave and what to do and not do in his presence because it’s intoxicating, and she’s shoved the feelings down for 5 years and plans on keeping it just that way. Until it’s their best friend’s wedding and things are not going as planned and the two of them are suddenly in charge of fixing things. Together.

From very early in the book, I just knew Georgia and Eli were going to give me all the feelings. There is a lot of confusion, and hope, and fear. It was very clear that they were the right person for each other and they just needed to find themselves again at the right time. The love Georgia has for him is overwhelming her but you can also feel how hurt she has been and she still is, and how afraid she is of letting herself fall and getting hurt again. But at the same time, Eli is carefully trying all along to make things right and you know he desperately loves her just as much.

***
“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.”
***
It’s a privilege to have someone trust you enough to show you those pieces of themselves, the most vulnerable and tender, the least polished.
***

Jessica Joyce hands down has become one of my favourite contemporary romance authors. You, With a View last year, her debut, was raw and emotional touching on grief in a really connecting way.

This book The Ex Vows was no different. I was fully invested into the story of Georgia and Eli. I ate this up, it was a book I stayed up late reading just so I could finish. I shed quite a few tears during my read of this.
The book touches on mental health, specifically childhood trauma and anxiety.

What to expect:

💕 Second Chance Romance
💕 Forced Proximity
💕 Best Friends Wedding
💕 Found Family
💕 Mental Health Rep

This is probably my most favourite second chance romance that I've read EVER.

Jessica wrote the story beautifully focusing on the present whilst giving glimpses into Georgia and Eli's past, and the actions and feelings that brought their relationship to its current point.
Both characters really grew throughout the book, and they were far from perfect, making them real, raw and relatable.

If you loved her debut, you are sure to love this.

Thank you to the Publisher, Author and Netgalley for this ARC.

Out 16th July 2024 💕

I don't know even know where to start. This book was perfect. It had me sobbing my heart out at the 3 in the morning. I loved the friendship, the relationship, the pacing of the book and how human and real it felt to me. Giving it 5 stars feels so less, because I will be thinking about this book, Eli and Georgia forever.

Lets talk about the relationship first. Eli and Georgia gave me Normal People by Sally Rooney vibes. they were imperfectly perfect for each other. I sobbed until my eyes dropped! I thought I would be reading about an ex-couple with unresolved issues but what I got was a chaotic, real, complex, yet profound, realistic, passionate, loving, and deeply emotional love story!

Their self- journey was the biggest part of this story and I was so glad that there were no cliches, or stupid misunderstandings that kept them apart but genuine concerns that were brutally honest and helped me connect with the characters so well.

Th plot was well developed. Imagine trying to pretend that you are okay being the Best woman when the best man is your ex that you never stopped loving whilst trying to show it to your other best friend that everything is okay and trying to save a 'cursed' wedding. I ATE IT UP.

I take great pride in alerting you to this touching book and suggesting that you read it, cry like a baby, and, as I did, play "Paper Rings" on your playlist. Play it loud and sing along until your voice hurts. Georgia and Eli are my fictional parents. I related to this book on a personal level and I can't wait for everyone to read it and fall in love with it.

"My wedding is next weekend, and you and Eli are about to spend nine days together."

Loved it, I completely binged this story and couldn't stop.

This story brought the entire arc of a good romance, the pining, the angst and characters that you were rooting for.

This was a second chance romance and it not the genre that I typically reach for. This story had a nice spin in the way that the characters were messy, they had complicated personalities and not everything was fitting into clean boxes. I find that some second chance romances, the main male lead is miraculously a new person with no explanation other than 'love' but it was enjoyable to see a greater development towards characters with the aim to better themselves by actually acknowledging what their previous actions were.

The romance, itself, was super enjoyable to read. The build-up, tension and pining built up slowly and deliciously. It allowed for the readers to witness the chemistry between the two created through the past and the current moments. I didn't find the pining and the 'will they, won't they' frustrating as the decisions of characters were explained well and as a reader it was easy to understand the hesitations. The story also allowed for sadness, and tugs at heartstrings which further allows for a greater depth in the story and romance making it not just a one dimensional main character romance.

The story outside of the romantic leads was also nice to follow along, it allowed for fun interactions and dialogue with side characters. It allowed for good foundations of the main leads' relationships with other characters. Overall, fun characters, fun story and lovely romance.

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House UK for this eARC, I am voluntarily leaving a review.